Sunday talk shows to go nuclear: Filibusters, Iran

The dome of the U.S. Capitol Building. / Charles Dharapak AP

Lawmakers will take to the Sunday shows to discuss Washington's latest source of partisan strife: The so-called 'nuclear option.'

Senate Democrats voted this week to change the filibuster rules on presidential nominees, making it harder for Republicans to block votes on President Obama's picks for judgeships and federal offices.

Democrats once needed 60 votes to break GOP filibusters on Obama nominees; the new rule, dubbed the 'nuclear option,' requires a simple majority of 51.

Democrats, who hold the majority in the Senate, said Republicans have blocked too many Obama nominees for purely political reasons; Republicans say the Democrats are abusing the power of the majority.

'I actually believe that the Senate rules were impeding us working together,' said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who is scheduled to appear on ABC's This Week.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., scheduled to appear on Fox News Sunday, said of the Democrats: 'At some point, you have to just throw up your hands and say, look, they're going to use brute, raw force to get what they wish.'

Another Sunday topic: Negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.

The United States and allies are offering to reduce sanctions on Iran if it takes steps to forgo the means to make nuclear weapons. Israel and some U.S. lawmakers have questioned parts of a proposed agreement, saying Iran cannot be trusted.

One program - NBC's Meet The Press - is postponed because of coverage of a Formula 1 racing.

The lineups include:

â?¢ Fox News Sunday: Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Corker, R-Tenn., explain their parties' positions on filibusters. Cardin and Corker, members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will also discuss Iran negotiations. Corker has backed more sanctions on Iran if negotiations fail. There is also a discussion of political divisions with Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee.

â?¢ CNN's State of the Union: Members of the House and Senate are featured. Rep. Ed Royce, R-Cal., and Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., are leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; they'll discuss Iran and Afghanistan. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., will weigh in on the filibuster dispute.

â?¢ CBS' Face The Nation: House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R- Calif., and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., talk about immigration, the budget, and politics on Capitol Hill. The program also features a segment on the John F. Kennedy assassination with an interview of Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent who jumped on the trunk of the presidential limo when the shots rang out 50 years ago in Dallas.

â?¢ ABC's This Week: Kaine, D-Va., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., vice chair of the the Senate Intelligence Committee, are asked about the filibuster changes and the Iran talks. Also an interview with Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook.

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