Sunday shows: Biden’s border woes, gun control dominate

The border crisis facing the Biden administration continued to be at the forefront of the Sunday political shows in which Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said the president should say sorry to Border Patrol officers for the humanitarian crisis caused by unaccompanied minors being held at the U.S. border with Mexico.

Senators also expressed some promise that gun control legislation could meet a 60-vote threshold in the chamber after two shootings in less than one week killed 18 people combined.

Meanwhile, Deborah Birx, the former COVID-19 response coordinator said in a new interview set to air on CNN Sunday evening that she had an “uncomfortable” conversation with former President Trump after a television interview in August in which she warned of the dire situation when it came to the pandemic.

Read more of The Hill’s coverage below.

Graham says Biden should apologize to Border Patrol officers BY JOHN BOWDEN    Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday that President Biden should “apologize” to Border Patrol agents for the conditions at facilities where the agency is housing thousands of migrant children who arrived at the border unaccompanied by parents or guardians. Read the full story here

White House says it will give press access to border facilities BY JOHN BOWDEN    White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday that reporters would gain access in the near future to Border Patrol facilities being used to house unaccompanied minors who migrated to the U.S. Read the full story here

Key Democrat tells ‘Meet the Press’ he believes Senate can pass gun control bill BY MYCHAEL SCHNELL    Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Sunday said he thinks Congress has an opportunity to pass a gun reform bill, citing Republican senators who are interested in compromising on legislation in the days following the two deadly shootings in Georgia and Colorado. Read the full story here

Murphy, Toomey say background check bill could pass Senate BY MYCHAEL SCHNELL    Republican Sen. Pat Toomey (Pa.), a key GOP senator involved in a background check bill after the 2012 shootings at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut, on Sunday suggested that Congress can strike a bipartisan deal on gun reform if the focus remains on background checks for commercial gun sales. Read the full story here

Chuck Todd ruefully mocks inaction on guns with Onion headline BY DOMINICK MASTRANGELO   NBC’s Meet the Press host Chuck Todd opened his show on Sunday by ruefully mocking elected officials in both parties for an inability to reach consensus on comprehensive gun reform. Read the full story here

Blinken suggests US won’t take punitive action on China over COVID-19 BY MYCHAEL SCHNELL   Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday suggested that the U.S. will not take punitive action on China for its handling of COVID-19, instead saying the government’s focus “needs to be on building a strong system for the future.” Read the full story here

Birx describes ‘uncomfortable’ conversation with Trump after CNN interview BY JOHN BOWDEN   Former COVID-19 response coordinator Deborah Birx said in an interview to air on CNN Sunday that she had an “very uncomfortable” conversation with former President Trump following an television interview last year in which she warned of a dire situation amid the pandemic. Read the full story here

Fauci explains what he sees as driving the new US COVID-19 cases BY JOSEPH CHOI   Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease, appeared on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday to explain what he thinks is driving the new COVID-19 cases in the United States. Read the full story here

White House confirms infrastructure plan will be in two parts BY JOHN BOWDEN    White House press secretary Jen Psaki indicated Sunday that the Biden administration would pursue two pieces of legislation as part of its push to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure. Read the full story here

Senator scolds Georgia governor: ‘He knows better’ BY MYCHAEL SCHNELL    Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) on Sunday reacted to Gov. Brian Kemp’s (R) praise of the state’s new voting bill, saying the governor “knows better.” Read the full story here

SNL’s Kamala Harris hosts Ted Cruz for ‘Unity Seder’ BY JOSEPH CHOI   “Saturday Night Live” spoofed Ted Cruz and Kamala Harris with “A Kamala Harris Unity Seder” featuring guest host Maya Rudolph playing the vice president. Read the full story here