Tensions grow between the US and China just weeks ahead of President Xi's visit to the White House. Will this throw a wrench into the upcoming summit? The former director for China and Taiwan affairs joins the show to discuss. Also on today's show: Sathnam Sanghera, author of a new George Michael biography, "Tonight the Music Seems So Loud" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta has agreed to pay $18 billion after dozens of states sued the company for designing its platforms to be addictive. Former Meta employee and whistleblower Arturo Bejar was a key witness in this case, and Lori Schott is a mother from Colorado who lost her daughter to social media addiction. They join the show to discuss. Also on today's show: Christiane reflects on the death of Ratko Mladić; Rose Horowitch, Staff Writer, The Atlantic, musician Susanna Hoffs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Evyatar David was among the 251 people kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th. He spent more than two years in captivity before being released as part of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement in October 2025. In the months since, David has been overcoming unimaginable trauma as he learns to rebuild his life. Now, in his first international interview, Evyatar is ready to speak about what he endured, and to share an extraordinary message of resilience. Also on today's show: Jared Genser, International Counsel to Imran Khan; signer-songwriters Judy Collins and Margo Price Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened a crackdown Monday on countries doing business with Tehran. Will Tehran be able to withstand the impact, or will the government be forced back to the negotiating table? Karim Sadjadpour, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, joins the show to discuss. Also on today's show: Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, Former Obama White House Health Policy Adviser & Dr. Hussein Tawbi, Oncologist, Univ. of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Frank McKenna, Fmr. Canadian Ambassador to the US Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
No peace in sight between Israelis and Palestinians. Christiane speaks with Hamas official Basem Naim about the state of President Trump’s peace plan. Then, as Gaza’s hospitals crumble, American doctors Mark Perlmutter and Feroze Sidhwa tell Christiane about their grueling work treating Palestinians in the enclave, now the subject of the new documentary “American Doctor.” In India, a student who left the U.S. to take on the Modi government with his “cockroach movement.” Abhijeet Dipke tells Christiane how India’s Gen Z won its first battle. Plus, the mysterious case of a woman who tried to blow up a Ukrainian millionaire in Monaco for $8,000, then turned up dead. A special investigation asks what really happened. Also on the program, “Half Man,” the dark new show from “Baby Reindeer” creator Richard Gadd. He tells Christiane why he keeps returning to trauma and male relationships. And as President Trump once again sets his sights on Kim Jong Un, from the archives: George W. Bush and the high-stakes cultural exchange that saw the New York Philharmonic perform in Pyongyang. Air date: August 22, 2026 Guests: Basem Naim, Member of Hamas Political Bureau Mark Perlmutter, American surgeon Feroze Sidhwa, American surgeon Abhijeet Dipke, activist Richard Gadd, creator and star of “Half Man” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
At the start of Russia's war on Ukraine, Moscow's naval blockade threatened the food supply for an estimated 70 million people. A deal was ultimately reached that kept agricultural shipments moving through the Black Sea. But now that deal has broken down, and even commercial ships are increasingly under attack. Martin Griffiths, the former UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, led the task force that helped broker the last grain deal. He joins the show to discuss. Also on today's show: Singer/songwriter Paul Simon (from the archive); Atlantic staff writer Michael Powell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
10 months since Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli attacks continue, and Palestinians are dying. This comes amid a push by President Trump to advance his peace plan. Bassem Naim is a senior leader of the Hamas political bureau. In an exclusive interview with Christiane Amanpour, he says Hamas is still committed to making Trump's peace plan work. Also on today's show: Richard Haass, former Director of Policy Planning, US State Department Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Israeli settler violence is surging, while strikes on Gaza and Syria continue. We get the latest from Jeremy Diamond. Plus, we focus on the horrors of war in Gaza's hospitals. I hear from two surgeons featuring in a new documentary. And Ukraine's ousted defense minister calls for wartime elections. Is Zelensky facing a crisis of government? I ask anti-corruption activist Daria Colin Gray. Also on today's show: Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd joins Christiane to discuss his latest series, "Half Man," which explores a chaotic and troubled male friendship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Hundreds of migrants gather in Ceuta to demand asylum from Spanish authorities, following the extraordinary mass crossing two weeks ago that saw tens of thousands swim and climb over the Moroccan-Spanish border, with dozens losing their lives in the attempt. CNN correspondent Jomana Karadsheh brings us this special report. Also providing perspective on this story are Pablo Garcia-Berdoy, former Spanish Ambassador to the EU, and Cecilia Malmström, former European Commissioner for Home Affairs. Also on today's show: Joseph Yun, former acting US Ambassador to South Korea; Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General, Africa CDC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Fresh from a rare meeting with a senior Hamas official, US envoy Jared Kushner held a four-hour meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu today in which he urged the Israeli PM to move forward with Donald Trump's 15-point Gaza peace plan.But with looming elections in Israel, Netanyahu appears unpersuaded. Jerusalem Bureau Chief Oren Lieberman joins the show to discuss this. Also on today's show: CNN's Will Ripley; author Åsne Seierstad; analysts Chris Sabatini and Oliver Stuenkel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When a Russian-born American citizen named Ilya Beloozerov is gunned down by the FBI in 2024, the authorities refuse to say why they’d killed him. CNN’s Isabelle Chapman embarks on a sprawling investigation that takes her from the Mississippi parking lot where he died to Washington, D.C. to unravel the mystery: Why did Ilya abruptly leave his family and his job and head for the border with laptops and cash? Why is there still no official explanation of his death? And maybe most importantly: Was Ilya a spy? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It’s been five years since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, with catastrophic consequences for the rights of women and girls. From being unable to speak in public to being denied access to education, the Taliban are enforcing what the UN has called “gender apartheid”. Afghan women’s rights activist Mahbouba Seraj and former Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko join Christiane to discuss. Then, Venezuelan virtuoso Gustavo Dudamel takes the baton for one of the main acts at UK's annual classical music bonanza "The Proms". He joins the show to talk about his move to the LA Philharmonic and his reflections on Venezuela’s tumultuous politics. And from neighbouring Colombia, CNN’s David Culver reports from the ground on the devastation caused by Monday’s earthquake, speaking to the volunteers bringing much-needed relief through heroic rescues. Plus, as social media firms brace for thousands of lawsuits over whether their products are designed to be addictive, we revisit Christiane’s conversation with British House of Lords member Beeban Kidron about her book Users and how tech giants can be held to account. From the archive, we trace the breakdown of Afghan women’s rights, from the Taliban’s removal after 9/11 to their return following the chaotic withdrawal of US troops. Guests: Mahbouba Seraj & John Sopko Gustavo Dudamel Beeban Kidron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In India, the youth are demanding they be heard. This week has seen another protest movement escalate with thousands of young job-seekers and students taking to the streets in one of the country's poorest states - Jharkhand. Abhijeet Dipke is the head of the Cockroach Janta Party, the face of India's first Gen Z movement that's resonating all over the world. He was recently a student at Boston University and he joins the show from New Delhi. Also on today's show: Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel; Rebecca Lindsey, Director and Managing Editor, Climate.us Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The US faces a dwindling stockpile of critical weapons systems, having massively depleted them in its war with Iran. The weapons shortage was a factor in President Trump's recent decision to cancel new strikes on Iran and it costs Ukraine most acutely, leaving its cities virtually defenseless against Moscow's relentless attacks. For more on what all this means, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Evelyn Farkas joins the show. Also on today's show: settler violence in the West Bank; Afghan women's rights activist Mahbouba Seraj; Ben Wilker, Former Chair, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
July was the hottest month in the United States since record-keeping began in 1895. Globally, it was the joint second-hottest July ever. Jeff Goodell is a longtime climate journalist whose latest book is “The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet.” He joins the show from Texas. Also on today’s show: Madhumita Murgia, AI Editor, The Financial Times; Refik Anadol, Turkish-American digital artist; Evan Osnos, Staff Writer, The New Yorker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Less than three months remain before the crucial midterms will decide whether Democrats or Republicans will control the Senate. As the parties campaign hard across a range of issues, Americans can perhaps breathe a sigh of relief when it comes to one key domestic concern: crime. A new report shows a notable drop across large cities in the first half of this year, with homicides reaching their lowest level since at least 1900. The report notes this trend isn't evidence of the success or failure of any particular policy, and says it's likely the result of a range of factors. Steve Cohen is a Democratic congressman who sits on both the Judiciary and Intelligence House Committees. He joins the show to break it all down. Also on today’s show: Brad Setser, Fmr. Sr. Adviser to U.S. Trade Representative / Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; Hannah Critchfield. Reporter, The Wall Street Journal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Kyiv is leveraging its drone prowess by striking deep inside Russia, yet Ukraine remains exposed due to a chronic shortage of air defences. Dara Massicot of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, gives the latest status of the war. Then, reflecting on America's 250th anniversary and how music forges communities. World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative Bryan Stevenson explain what drew them to curate "We The People", a series of performances aimed at envisioning a brighter future for the U.S. And, authorities in Russia are warning about the rise of so-called 'black widow' scams, where brides allegedly marry vulnerable recruits to cash in on compensation when they're killed in combat. CNN's Matthew Chance reports from inside Russia. Plus, love and humour shine through the cracks of the conflict and crises embattling Lebanon. Writer and Director of "A Sad and Beautiful World" Cyril Aras joins the show. Plus, the age-old debate over immigration to Europe is resurfacing following the mass influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. From Christiane's archives, a look back at how Europe wrestled with the mass influx of Eastern European migrants escaping communism back in 1990. Air date: August 8, 2026 Guests: Dara Massicot Yo-Yo Ma and Bryan Stevenson Cyril Aras Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
After three bloody years of civil war in Sudan, bombings, malnutrition and sexual violence are now widespread - and getting worse. As the crisis deepens, humanitarian organizations across the board are pleading for assistance. Joining the show to discuss are UNICEF's Sudan Country Director Sheldon Yett and Sudanese scholar Khalid Mustafa Medani. Also on today's show: cellist Yo-Yo Ma & Equal Justice Initiative Exec Dir Bryan Stevenson; NYT tech reporter Natasha Singer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Once again, confusion reigns over the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump promised again this week that the vital shipping lane will open "very soon". The problem is that the US is not negotiating directly with Iran. Tehran is speaking to Oman, and says a deal on the Strait is close, but that agreement would not automatically reopen the Strait. They first want the US to meet certain guarantees. For more on this, Correspondent Jeremy Diamond joins the show from Tel Aviv. Also on today's show: Linda Robinson, Sr. Fellow for Women and Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign Relations; Jia Tolentino, Staff Writer, The New Yorker; Idrees Kahloon, Staff Writer, The Atlantic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
After a tight race with moderate Haley Stevens, progressive Abdul el-Sayed is now officially the Michigan Democratic Senate primary winner. The contest has been an enormously expensive one, with the candidates' stances on Israel a central issue in the campaign. But while el-Sayed may well score a win for the progressives, it's a more mixed picture nationally. Political analyst Ron Brownstein joins us to discuss. Also on today's show: Lawton Nuss, Former Chief Justice, Kansas Supreme Court; Annie Jacobsen, Author, "Biological War: A Scenario" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices