Sunday shows: Egypt crisis continues

The turmoil gripping Egypt is expected to be the major point of discussion on Sunday’s talk shows, as protesters continue to demand the immediate departure of longtime President Hosni Mubarak.

The largest Arab nation has experienced an outbreak of violence in recent days, as the Obama administration is saying Mubarak, who has ruled the country for nearly 30 years, should immediately step down as part of an orderly transition.

{mosads}Sunday’s news programs will be tapping the experience and expertise of several current and former political figures with prominent roles in foreign relations.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will weigh in on the turmoil on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” As the American government is pressing Egypt to immediately begin a transition of power, Kerry will weigh in on whether lawmakers should cut aid to the nation until the matter is resolved. Former Secretary of State James Baker, who served under President George H.W. Bush, will also offer his foreign expertise on the program.

Sunday will also commemorate the 100th birthday of President Ronald Reagan, who died in 2004 at the age of 93.

Baker will also discuss his time serving under Reagan as his chief of staff and Treasury Secretary. To commemorate the president’s 100th birthday, the program will discuss his legacy with former speechwriter Peggy Noonan and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, who served in the California State Assembly while Reagan was governor of California.

Christiane Amanpour will report live from Cairo on ABC’s “This Week.”

And on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” several foreign policy experts will give their take on the situation. Martin Indyk, the vice president and director of foreign affairs at the Brookings Institution, Thomas Pickering, a former U.S. ambassador to the UN, Israel and Jordan, and Dr. Abderrahim Foukara, the Washington and New York bureau chief of Al-Jazeera, will discuss the current state of the Middle East.

On CNN, “State of the Union” will play host to several foreign policy experts to discuss the volatile situation in Egypt. Candy Crowley will interview Madeleine Albright, who served as secretary of State under President Clinton. She will also discuss the matter with another former Clinton advisor, Edward S. Walker, who was the country’s ambassador to Egypt from 1994 to 1997. John Negroponte, who served as ambassador to the United Nations and Iraq under President George W. Bush, will also appear to discuss the implications for America of the tense Egyptian situation.

House Republicans made their opening move on reining in the federal budget Thursday, proposing $32 billion in cuts from current spending levels. To discuss the effort to bring down the federal deficit will be Alan Simpson. The former senator, a Republican from Wyoming, served as one of the co-chairs of the president’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, which offered a comprehensive plan for reducing the deficit in November. Although the package failed to garner enough support to advance it for a vote on Capitol Hill, it played a big role in kicking off the debate on budget, debt and spending that is a hot topic Congress.

“Fox News Sunday” will begin Super Bowl Sunday with a gridiron flair, interviewing Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the National Football League. With the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers set to face off Sunday evening on FOX, the program will also host a discussion between two retired players, former Steeler Lynn Swann and former Packer Jerry Kramer. The program will round out its pigskin coverage by talking to Joe Buck, the Fox Sports announcer who will be covering the big game.