The protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in Minneapolis police custody on May 25, and the subsequent instances of police brutality to quell them are expected to dominate the Sunday show circuit this weekend.
Floyd’s death has led to another week of protests across the U.S., as demonstrators demand systemic police reforms.
Alicia Garza, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, one of the main groups organizing protests, is booked on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” and so is Lonnie Bunch, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
In response to the protests, House Democrats plan to unveil criminal justice legislation this week crafted by members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) that would repeal the so-called qualified immunity doctrine for law enforcers, which protects individual officers from lawsuits over actions they perform while on duty.
California Rep. Karen Bass (D), chairwoman of the CBC, is booked on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The demonstrations in Washington, D.C., have been among the most tense this week as federal law enforcement used military helicopters, tear gas and flash bangs to disperse protesters near the White House.
Former Defense Secretary James Mattis penned a cutting statement in The Atlantic this week offering a blistering rebuke of Trump’s handling of Monday night’s protests in Washington and elsewhere in the nation.
President Trump has called for the deployment of the military to cities experiencing massive protests, which has been met with criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.
The House Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing on the military’s role in responding to nationwide protests. However, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley have refused to testify.
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton (Ark.), who penned a controversial op-ed in the New York Times this week calling for military intervention in protests, is booked on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
Martin Dempsey, a former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, is booked on ABC’s “This Week.” Colin Powell, former secretary of state and another former Joint Chiefs chairman, is booked on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Mike Mullen, another former Joint Chiefs chairman, is booked on “Fox News Sunday.”
The Sunday show lineup is as follows:
ABC’s “This Week” — Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf; Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla.; Dempsey.
NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.; Garza; Bunch; retired Adm. James Stavridis, a former supreme allied commander at NATO.
CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Attorney General William Barr; former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
CNN’s “State of the Union” — Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson; Powell; Bass.
“Fox News Sunday” — Wolf; Mullen; Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser at Allianz; D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser
Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” — Peter Navarro, Assistant to the President for Trade and Manufacturing Policy; Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee; Cotton, Senate Armed Services Committee, Senate Intel Committee, Senate Banking Committee; Rudy Giuliani, Personal Attorney for President Trump and Former NYC Mayor
“America This Week With Eric Bolling” — Kellyanne Conway- Counselor to President Trump; Carson; Giuliani; Anthony Scaramucci, former White House Communications Director; Mark Lamont Hill, professor at Temple University, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.); McFarland Former Deputy National Security Advisor; Mustafa Tameez, advisor to Department of Homeland Security.