Fight against Islamic State tops Sunday talk shows
The battle against the Islamic State, which shocked the world with its gruesome killing of a Jordanian pilot and its claim that a female American hostage died in an airstrike, will dominate the network talk-show circuit Sunday.
The Islamic State — also known as ISIL or ISIS — released a video Tuesday showing the immolation of a captured Jordanian pilot. The Jordanians responded by executing two prisoners convicted of terrorism and by bombing Islamic State targets in Syria.
The Islamic State claimed Friday that the airstrikes killed a female American hostage. Officials in Washington and Jordan said there's no proof of that.
In addition to foreign policy, the Sunday talk shows will cover the latest in the measles outbreak, including the political implications for the 2016 presidential race. Several potential GOP candidates will appear on the shows.
Here's the Sunday lineup:
• CBS' Face the Nation: The program's discussion of what to do in the Middle East will include Rep. Michael McCaul, the Texas Republican who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee. Tom Donilon, President Obama's former national security adviser, and Michael Morell, a former CIA deputy director. Anthony Fauci, the chief of infectious disease at the National Institutes of Health, will give the status of the measles outbreak. Face the Nation will have a political round table featuring Ruth Marcus of The Washington Post, David Sanger of The New York Times, Nancy Youssef of The Daily Beast and John Harris of Politico.
• NBC's Meet the Press: Secretary of State John Kerry will address the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine. Kerry will be asked about America's role in helping Ukraine maintain sovereignty, how to handle America's deteriorating relationship with Russia and whether Jordan's reactions to the death of its pilot is a turning point in the fight against the Islamic State. Other guests include Jordanian foreign minister Nasser Judeh and former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul. This week's political panel includes NBC News' Andrea Mitchell, New York Times columnist David Brooks, BBC News America anchor Katty Kay and the Detroit Free Press' Stephen Henderson.
• ABC's This Week: Retired general John Allen, the special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, will discuss the fight against the terrorist group. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, both potential 2016 presidential candidates, will appear. Cruz will talk about the latest overseas developments, and Santorum with discuss with his wife, Karen, their new book about their daughter, Bella's Gift. The political round table will include Daily Beast contributor and Echelon Insights co-founder Kristen Soltis Anderson, Democratic strategist and CNN political commentator Van Jones, and Bloomberg Politics managing editors and co-hosts Mark Halperin and John Heilemann.
• Fox News Sunday: Retired Army lieutenant general Michael Flynn, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, will discuss the latest in the war on the Islamic State. Flynn recently criticized the Obama administration's policies saying, "You cannot defeat an enemy you do not admit exists." Potential presidential hopeful Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, will discuss the debate over the measles vaccine and his plans for 2016. The political round table will include former Bush White House senior adviser Karl Rove, The Washington Post's Bob Woodward, radio host Laura Ingraham and Fox News political analyst Juan Williams.
• CNN's State of the Union: Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson will discuss national security and the fate of funding for his agency. Senate Democrats blocked this week a GOP funding bill aimed at stopping the administration's executive action on immigration. Other guests include Cruz, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, and former congressman Mike Rogers.