Sunday shows preview: Russia, US exchange sanctions; tensions over policing rise; vaccination campaign continues

This week’s Sunday talk shows are expected to be dominated by the U.S. and Russia sanctioning each other, escalating tensions over policing and the continuing coronavirus vaccination campaign.

The U.S. and Russia this week traded sanctions as tensions between the two nations escalate over a variety of issues, including the SolarWinds hack and Russian interference in the 2020 elections.

The sanctions come a month after President Biden warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin will “pay a price” for interfering in the 2016 election.

The Biden administration expelled 10 personnel from Russian diplomatic mission in Washington, six technology companies that allegedly provide support for Russian intelligence operations and 32 individuals involved in the country’s efforts to influence the 2020 election.

These come on top of already existing sanctions implemented last month over the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who will appear on “ABC’s This Week,” said the sanctions are “intended to hold Russia to account for its reckless actions.”

“We will act firmly in response to Russian actions that cause harm to us or our allies and partners,” he said.

In response, Russia banned eight U.S. intelligence officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.

The measures also come as tensions escalate amid a buildup of Russia’s aggression at the Ukrainian border. Blinken traveled to NATO headquarters this week amid the buildup.

In the U.S., tensions over policing escalated last week police officer Kim Potter fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright, a Black man, during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minn.

Potter has since resigned and is currently facing charges of second-degree murder. Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Cannon also resigned after saying that he believed Potter meant to taze Wright, not shoot him.

Wright’s killing set off nights of protests in the city, as well as across the country. The shooting came during the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who knelt on the neck of George Floyd, another Black man, in Minneapolis last year.

Attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing Floyd’s family, announced on Monday that he will also be representing Wright’s family. He will appear on “This Week.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. is forging ahead with its coronavirus vaccination efforts, despite a pause in the use of Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration paused the use of the vaccine Tuesday over reports of rare blood clots. The cases occurred in women ages 18 to 48.

A CDC advisory panel wanted time to gather more data on the blood clots, and is expected to meet again on April 23.

Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told Reuters that he thinks vaccinations with Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine will get “back on track” soon.

He warned that the longer the pause is in place, “the more there will be concern about not only that vaccine, but it might even have an impact on vaccine hesitancy in general.”

Fauci will appear on “This Week,” NBC’s “Meet the Press” and CNN’s “State of the Union.” 

Nevertheless, the vaccination campaign continues. Data from the CDC shows that the U.S. has administered over 205 million coronavirus vaccine doses.

Nearly 50 percent of the U.S. population over age of 18 have received at least one dose, while 31.8 percent have been fully vaccinated.  

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:

ABC’s “This Week” — Secretary of State Antony Blinken; Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump.

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Fauci; Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.); former House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio)

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Fauci; French President Emmanuel Macron; Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

“CBS Sunday Morning” — Former President George W. Bush

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Fauci; Boehner; national security adviser Jake Sullivan; Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.)

“Fox News Sunday” — Sullivan; Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas)

Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures”— Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.); Stephen Miller, former White House senior adviser; Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), ranking member House Intelligence Committee; Charlie Kirk, founder and president of Turning Point USA; Candace Owens, author of “Blackout”