Sunday shows preview: Florida, Carolinas begin recovery after Hurricane Ian; Putin annexes 4 Ukraine regions

Hurricane Ian’s devastation of the southeastern U.S. and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s formal annexation of four Ukrainian regions are expected to dominate this week’s Sunday talk show circuit.

As Ian slowed down over South Carolina on Saturday, Florida and the Carolinas continued reeling from the damage wreaked by the storm. Ian was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone on Friday and is expected to continue weakening through Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

President Biden declared an emergency in North Carolina on Saturday amid the now post-tropical cyclone, after previously making similar declarations in Florida and South Carolina. He warned on Friday that it could take the states years to rebuild from the storm.

More than 2 million people remained without power on Saturday as a result of Ian, including over 1.2 million in Florida. At least 34 people have been confirmed dead in the aftermath of the storm, according to The Associated Press.

Florida Sens. Marco Rubio (R) and Rick Scott (R) on Friday requested additional assistance for the state from the Senate Appropriations Committee. Both are set to appear on CNN’s “State of the Union,” along with Deanna Criswell, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). One or more of the three are also set to make appearances on multiple other Sunday shows.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) will appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” and Kevin Anderson, the mayor of Fort Meyers, Fla., will be on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Putin’s annexation of four regions in southern and eastern Ukraine will likely also be a topic of discussion on Sunday’s shows. The Russian president formally announced the country’s claims on the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in a lavish ceremony on Friday.

The move — the latest escalation in Russia’s seven month-long war in Ukraine — was soundly rejected by the U.S. and its allies. Biden on Friday vowed to hold Russia accountable for the “fraudulent” annexation, announcing new sanctions on the Russian government.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who will appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press” this weekend, condemned the annexation on Friday as well, calling it “illegal and illegitimate.”

Gen. David Petraeus, former director of the CIA, is set to appear on ABC’s “This Week,” and former national security adviser H.R. McMaster will be on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

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

ABC’s “This Week” — Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency; Sen. Marco Rubio (R); Gen. David Petraeus, former director of the CIA

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.); North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D); NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg

CBS’s “Face the Nation” — Criswell; Scott; Kevin Anderson, mayor of Fort Meyers, Fla.; former national security adviser H.R. McMaster; Chris Krebs, former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Criswell; Rubio; Scott

“Fox News Sunday” — Criswell; Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R)

Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio); Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.); Nevada Senate candidate Adam Laxalt (R); Former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page