Sunday shows preview: Jackson, Miss. continues to face water crisis; Biden’s primetime speech highlights political divide

This week’s cycle of Sunday news shows will likely focus on the water crisis in Jackson, Miss. as well as President Joe Biden’s speech on Thursday in Philadelphia, Penn. that denounced “MAGA” ideology.

Jackson continues to experience flooding and a dearth of potable water after Biden declared a state of emergency in the city on Tuesday.

“This is a set of accumulated problems based on deferred maintenance that has not taken place over decades,” said Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba (D) this week of the water crisis.

“We’ve been going it alone for the better part of two years when it comes to the Jackson water crisis.”

Lumumba will appear on ABC’s “This Week” to discuss the situation in Jackson, where he will be joined by White House Adviser Keisha Lance Bottoms and Texas Rep. Michael McCaul (R).

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) declared a state of emergency due to flooding in the Jackson area last weekend, while Lumumba urged the city’s residents to move to safer places nearby.

“FEMA is working closely with the state officials to identify needs, and the EPA is coordinating with industry partners to expedite delivery of critical treatment equipment for emergency repairs at the city of Jackson water treatment facilities,” assured White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre after a phone call on Wednesday between Biden and Lumumba.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell will discuss the water crisis and the agency’s response on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

In his speech on Thursday night, Biden called former President Donald Trump and his most loyal followers “a threat to his country” because of their propagation of conspiracy theories, including that the 2020 election was “stolen.”

“There’s no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans. And that is a threat to this country,” said Biden at Independence Hall.

Bottoms will likely discuss Biden’s address on “This Week,” while Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a member of the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, will likely back Biden’s claims about the dangers of Trump’s ideology.

Republicans, however, said that Biden’s speech was divisive and political, criticizing the president for alienating some in their party as a threat.

“Divider-in-Chief at his finest tonight,” wrote Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) in response to the address.

He continued: “This ‘state of the American democracy’ speech was just another opportunity to disparage his fellow Americans. Disgraceful.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) blamed Biden for the sorry state of the country, saying: “With all due respect Mr. President, there’s nothing wrong with America’s soul. The American people are hurting because of your policies.”

“Stop lecturing & change your policies before it’s too late,” he added.

Republicans on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures will likely add to these complaints about Biden’s speech. Republican Reps. Mike Gallagher (Wisconsin), Burgess Owens (Utah) and Beth Van Duyne (Texas) have all been critical of Biden’s policies and rhetoric.

They will be joined by Virginia congressional candidate Yesli Vega (R), who is running on a platform that opposes Biden’s leadership.

“The Biden-Pelosi record of skyrocketing inflation, rising crime, open borders, foreign policy blunders, and the lowering of educational standards must be checked. But it’s going to require real leaders in Washington, not career politicians or those beholden to special interests, who will put their foot down and put their country first to hold the Democrats in Washington accountable,” Vega wrote on her campaign website outlining her platform.

The speech at Independence Hall will likely also be discussed on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” where Senior Research Manager at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue Jared Holt and Senior Fellow and Director of the German Marshall Fund’s Digital Innovation and Democracy Initiative Karen Kornbluh will offer their perspectives on the state of democracy in the U.S.

ABC’s “This Week” — Bottoms; McCaul; Lumumba.

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Panel of experts on policing: Georgetown University Law Professor Paul Butler; President of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund Jason Johnson; Director of Policy at the Innocence Project Jason Johnson; Chair of Pathology at Howard University Dr. Roger Mitchell

CBS’s “Face the Nation” — Raskin; Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson; Former Gov. Deval Patrick (D-Mass.); Holt; Kornbluh

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Criswell; Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.); Republican Nominee for Senate in Washington State Tiffany Smiley

“Fox News Sunday” — Reps. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y), and Tom Emmer (R-Minn.); Gov. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.)

Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — Gallagher; Owens; Van Duyne; Vega