Amanpour

After ‘The Godfather’ of artificial intelligence sounds the alarm about his own dangerous creation, Christiane asks senior A.I. researcher Connor Leahy, and also the head of Cyber Policy at Stanford University Marietje Schaake, if they think A.I. is a major threat to humanity, or a world saving breakthrough.Also on today’s show: Cellist Yo-Yo Ma joins to talk about his ode to mother nature in his new project, and Walter Isaacson asks Buzzfeed News co-founder Ben Smith where the billion-dollar race to go viral went wrong. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Sudan, witnesses report that a sixth ceasefire is being broken by explosions and gunfire. More than 500 people have been killed in the conflict as it enters its third week, including at least two US citizens. With many looking to the United States and Saudi Arabia to help bring the two warring generals to the negotiating table, Alex Rondos, former EU Envoy to the Horn of Africa, talks to Christiane about the extremely high stakes. Also on today's show: US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens; South Carolina State Senator Penry Gustafson; American Library Association President Lessa Kanani'opua Pelayo-Lozada To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Three years after a strange killer disease swept the globe, the world has begun to move on from Covid. But the impact of the virus is staggering to contemplate. Official estimates say the virus killed over one million here in the US, and seven million worldwide. That is an underestimate, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci; the real death toll could be as high as 20 million. Christiane meets with him in New York, where he has received the prestigious Calderone Prize from Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health. Also on today's show: Jemima Khan, screenwriter, "What's Love Got to Do With It"; Emily Witt, staff writer, The New Yorker To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

America's largest newspapers - The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The New York Times - are dedicating their pages to the Journal's Evan Gershkovich as he spends his fourth week behind bars in a Russian prison, facing trumped-up charge of espionage. The papers are running a full-page letter in their print editions, where they write: "As editors and publishers of some of America's largest news organizations, we are united in calling for his immediate release. Reporting is not a crime." His arrest is one of the latest flashpoints in a world where autocratic leaders increasingly feel free to lock up anybody who can be used as a political pawn - anyone they perceive as a threat to their rule. Christiane sat down with The Wall Street Journal's Editor-in-chief Emma Tucker to discuss what she's doing to help bring Evan home. Also on today's show: Yusra Ghannouchi, daughter of jailed Tunisian activist Rached Ghannouchi; Jacob Bogage, Business Reporter, The Washington Post To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former Arkansas Governor today became the latest to enter the race for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, joining Donald Trump, Nikki Haley and others. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu could be next, and he joins Christiane to discuss. Also on today's show: As tributes pour in for Harry Belafonte, who died yesterday at 96, Christiane shares her last interview with him, when his autobiography had been published to great acclaim: My Song, A Memoir of Art, Race and Defiance. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“As long as it takes” – a phrase President Biden often repeats about Ukraine, but behind closed doors there are reports the administration is concerned about what can be accomplished in any spring offensive. Meanwhile the Russians keep hammering away, with news today of a missile striking a museum in Kharkiv, killing two and injuring several more. President Zelensky said today “the terrorist country is doing everything to destroy Ukraine completely.” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister joins the show from Kyiv. Also on today's show: Justin J. Pearson & Gloria Johnson, two of the "Tennessee Three"; Adm. William McRaven (Ret.); Harry Belafonte (from the archives) To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Governments across the world are desperately trying to get trapped foreign nationals out of Sudan, as the devastating violence engulfing the country enters its tenth day. More than 400 people have been killed, and with multiple broken ceasefires, there’s no end in sight to the conflict. As former US special envoy for the Sahel region of Africa, J. Peter Pham knows Sudan well and joins the show to discuss. Also on today's show: Evan Osnos, author, “Joe Biden: The Life, the Run, and What Matters Now”; Anton Troianovski, Moscow Bureau Chief, The New York Times; Dr. Ivanka Nebor, ENT doctor and founder of INgenius; plastic surgeon Dr. Grigoriy Mashkevich To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The United States is increasingly worried about a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command says the US military has done a lot of work in taking lessons learned from Russia’s war in Ukraine and applying them to US support of Taiwan. But he’s also been warning that the Chinese threat to Taiwan is “closer to us than most think." Joining the show to discuss is Taiwanese-American journalist Brian Hioe. Also on today's show: Vivian Schiller, Twitter's former Global Chair of News; David Grann, author of The Wager; John Oppermann, Executive Director, Earth Day Initiative To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich went to court in Moscow this week, to request his pre-trial detention be under house arrest, rather than jail. No surprise, he was denied. He’s the latest American to be picked up and thrown behind bars by a foreign government – a trend on the rise, according to the James Foley Foundation, and it’s breaking families apart. Three Americans detained in Iran are desperate to be freed, so much so, one of them – Siamak Namazi, made the bold decision to call this program from Evin Prison, and plead with President Biden to help free them all. But weeks pass, and there they remain, hostage to the political winds. Siamak’s brother Babak has been working tirelessly for years to free him, and so has Tara Tahbaz on behalf of her father, Morad Tahbaz who is also detained there. The two of them spoke to Christiane alongside Jason Rezaian, who was imprisoned in Iran himself, before being released in a 2016 prisoner swap. Also on today's show: Tamara Rojo, Artistic Director, San Francisco Ballet; Laura Trevelyan, former BBC journalist To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a stunning 11th-hour settlement, just as opening arguments were set to start, Fox chose to cut a huge check, rather than face a jury, for knowingly lying about the Dominion Voting machine company and the 2020 US presidential election. Dominion’s CEO says it’s a big step forward for democracy. But Fox does not have to admit on its air that it defamed Dominion Voting Systems. Floyd Abrams is the doyen of First Amendment law in the US and speaks to Christiane about the impact this will have on America’s democracy. Also on today's show: Hamid Khalafallah, Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy; screenwriter Anna Winger; journalist Mike Giglio To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today Fox News Corporation and Dominion Voting Systems go head-to-head in what is set to be one of the most important media trials in more than a half a century. Few know the inside of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire better than veteran British journalist Andrew Neil. He ran Murdoch’s Sunday Times in the UK for over a decade and was Executive Chair of his Sky News. He joins Christiane alongside Dean of Columbia School of Journalism Jelani Cobb to explain the impact this case could have on the law, politics and the press. Also on today's show: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg; author Nita Farahany (The Battle for Your Brain) To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

25 years ago, the Good Friday agreement ended decades of violence and brought peace to Northern Ireland. The architects of that ground-breaking pact were former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, former US President Bill Clinton and former Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern. In a historic reunion, Blair, Clinton & Ahern sat down with Christiane for an exclusive interview reflecting on the hard choices they made all those years ago and preserving peace and stability today. Also on today's show: Author Clint Smith discusses his new book of poetry, Above Ground, which deals with the emotional ups and downs of raising a family in today's modern world. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

France’s highest constitutional court has approved a pension reform plan that has triggered months of anger and discontent. The controversial bill – which will raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 – could be enacted as soon as this weekend, and the new law has already put French President Emmanuel Macron under immense pressure. Nonetheless, he says reform is essential. Demonstrators are already back on the streets to voice their opposition, and correspondent Fred Pleitgen joins the show from the protest. Also on today's show: New York Times columnist Ezra Klein; George Washington University law professor Catherine J. Ross; Washington Post reporter Shane Harris To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How can the most vulnerable countries protect against climate change if they’re drowning in debt? A major international aid agency revealed this week that 93% of the world’s worst-affected countries can’t afford to safeguard against natural disasters. Some are being forced to slash public spending or invest in fossil fuel industries just to pay back their debts to central banks. Action Aid International says it's high time for a radical overhaul of the way debt is managed to stop the climate crisis spiraling – pointing to IMF and World Bank meetings this week in DC. The impact of our changing climate is all around us – just look at the two apartment buildings that collapsed in a landslide in Mexico this week. Scientists warn that climate change is only making such disasters worse. Also on today's show: Peter Frankopan, Author, “The Earth Transformed”; Ai Weiwei, artist; Nicola Fox, Head of Science, NASA To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Northern Ireland today, President Biden hailed the power and the possibilities of peace, 25 years after the Good Friday Agreement ended the Troubles. The president’s speech noted the very real successes since and the power of smartly deployed US diplomacy. Correspondent Nic Robertson joins the show from Belfast. Also on today's show: Former CIA Director Leon Panetta; former Deputy Commander, US Pacific Command Lt. Gen. Dan Leaf (Ret.); former adviser to President Barack Obama David Axelrod To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Joe Biden flies to Belfast, Northern Ireland tonight for a major celebration: 25 years since the historic Good Friday peace accords and America’s vital role in making that happen. Biden’s 4 day visit to the island comes as he signals ever louder his intention to definitely run again for president in 2024 – and just as hot button elections issues such as guns, race and a woman’s right to choose are at the forefront of the national debate. Democratic Congresswoman Katie Porter has become well known in Washington, particularly for her tough questions and trademark whiteboard. Now she’s running for Senate and is out with a new book, I Swear: Politics Is Messier Than My Minivan. She joins the show from New York to discuss all this. Also on today's show: François Heisbourg, Senior Adviser for Europe, Intl. Institute for Strategic Studies & Philippe Étienne, Former French Ambassador to US; Dr. Ricardo Nuila, author, The People’s Hospital To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amid critical tension in the Middle East, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has led thousands of settlers marching through the occupied West Bank to an illegal outpost. The Palestinian president’s office immediately condemned it as an “invasion of settler militias,” and it comes as both Israelis and Palestinians are spending some of their holiest days mourning and burying their children after a surge in violence. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh joins the program for an exclusive interview. Also on today's show: Naomi Long, leader of The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland; author Alexandra Robbins (The Teachers) To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First: Violence escalates in Israel, Gaza, and now Lebanon. We get the latest on this tense situation from a senior Israeli journalist and a regional expert Next: Fury as Tennessee Republicans expel two Democratic state representatives. How America's relationship with guns, democracy and race meet in this one moment. Then: Are Russian troops regaining momentum in the key Ukrainian city of Bahkmut? We have the latest from Kiev. Plus: The explosive new film taking on the climate emergency. We're joined by the director and star of How to Blow Up a Pipeline. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First: As French President Macron urges China to help bring peace to Ukraine, we ask a foreign policy expert whether China is stepping in as the world's key geopolitical player. Next: The Biden Administration ramps up its push to bring Evan Gershkovich home from Russia. Journalist and friend Polina Ivanova looks at what the WSJ reporter faces inside an infamous Russian prison. Then: Correspondent Ben Wedeman reports from the trenches in eastern Ukraine. Plus: CNN legal analyst Joan Biskupic discusses her new book about the Supreme Court, Nine Black Robes. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First: Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen meets with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. We're joined by China expert Jessica Chen Weiss. Then: After the historic arraignment of Donald Trump, what can we expect next? Former Republican Congressman Francis Rooney predicts how it all plays out. Plus: Police in Israel storm Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque. We have a special report. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There is no new episode of the Amanpour showcast. If you haven’t already, please check out CNN’s other podcasts and showcasts at cnn.com/audio. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former President Donald Trump has been criminally charged by a New York grand jury – words that will be written into the history books. This is new territory for the country, and for now, there are many unanswered questions about how this case will play out. The indictment was filed under seal and charges are not yet public, but sources say Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud. For now, we know that the Manhattan district attorney’s office has been investigating the former president in connection with his alleged role in a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016. Trump is expected to appear in court Tuesday for his arraignment, and his attorney says he will “absolutely” voluntarily surrender to law enforcement. The eyes of the world will be on the US as this unfolds, with American democracy and rule of law under the microscope. To dig a little deeper, former Southern District of New York prosecutor and Cardozo Law School professor Jessica Roth joins the show. Also on today's showcast: John Kirby, US National Security Council; Masha Gessen, staff writer, The New Yorker; Debra Lee, author, “I Am Debra Lee: A Memoir” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Pacific island of Vanuatu is one step closer to getting the world’s highest court to weigh in on the climate crisis for the first time ever. Backed by the United Nations, it's asking the International Court of Justice to clearly lay out how countries must address the warming planet. Few countries are feeling climate change pressure more acutely than Barbados, along with other small island nations that fear being swallowed up by the sea. Prime Minister Mia Mottley has become one of the most well-known world leaders calling for action, clearly communicating what’s at stake. She has a kindred spirit in Avinash Persaud, her climate envoy. Together, they are pushing the Bridgetown Initiative – named for their capital city – to help pay for and delay climate change damage in developing countries. Also on today's show: Matthew Desmond, author, “Poverty, By America”; Gilbert & George To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Biden launches his second Democracy Summit today, with in-person and virtual participation by over 100 world leaders. Today’s summit comes as Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Biden trade barbs over the right-wing coalition's controversial judicial reforms, with Biden hoping they will be abandoned, and Netanyahu firing back that Israel makes its own choices. For more on this, Christiane speaks with Biden ally Senator Chris Van Hollen. Also on today's show: Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova; US House Democrat Maxwell Frost To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s one day after another mass shooting in America – this time, at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee. It raises the same old, yet vital, unanswered questions? How long will this remain the norm? How long before legislators step in to actually save lives, as in so many other democratic nations? Firearms are the leading cause of death among American children and adolescents aged between one and 19 – and in Nashville, three children were among the six slaughtered at their school. Our first guest tonight is himself a survivor of gun violence: at 17, Joseph Sakran survived a bullet wound to the throat. Now he is a trauma surgeon in Baltimore, Maryland, regularly seeing at close quarters the visceral violence that these weapons cause. Also on today's show: Martin Indyk, former US Ambassador to Israel; former tennis star Boris Becker and Alex Gibney, director of "Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A stunning display of resistance in Israel may have stopped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to weaken the judiciary – at least for now. In the face of massive protests and strikes, the prime minister says the proposal is tabled for the moment, but it could be brought up again as soon as a month from now. Whether this will be enough to calm the outcry is yet to be seen, though, as critics both inside and outside the country say the Israeli leader is making a troublesome slide towards democracy. Reporter Hadas Gold joins the show from Jerusalem, followed by former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Also on today's show: Sophie Pedder, Paris bureau chief, The Economist; Peter Westmacott, former British Ambassador to France; Michael Specter, author, “Higher Animals” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The tense competition between the US and China boiled over in Congress this week in a hearing over social media app TikTok and how it handles data. Members of Congress repeatedly voiced their concerns over the app’s ties to China and its impact on American youth. The Chinese government says US lawmakers who want to ban TikTok are just part of a “xenophobic witch hunt,” while for his part, TikTok CEO Shou Chew defended his company’s autonomy and security. Alex Stamos knows all about global online threats, having worked as Facebook’s chief security officer, and now running a team at Stanford researching all of this. He joins the show to discuss. Also on today's show: Mike Chinoy, Author, “Assignment China”; financial journalist William D. Cohan To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 20th anniversary of the Iraq War this week reminds us of the critical importance of holding governments to account. Whistleblowing plays a crucial role in this pursuit. Daniel Ellsberg is probably the patron saint of modern-day whistleblowers thanks to one giant leap of courage and conscience. Leaking the Pentagon Papers in 1971, at great personal risk, changed the course of history, and revealed America secretly knew the war was unwinnable. 50 years later, Ellsberg is still deeply committed to peace and transparency, but this month – at almost 92 – he revealed his latest personal battle, after being diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. He speaks with Christiane from his home in California to discuss his life, this farewell moment, and how to save lives by speaking out. Also on today's show: Musician Yusuf/Cat Stevens; Eric Schmidt, former CEO & chairman of Google To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The United Nations says more than 8,300 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since Russia began its war. This as President Putin and his minister for children’s affairs have been slapped with arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court over the forced deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children. To discuss all this and prospects for accountability, Christiane speaks with the head of Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties, which last year was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Also on today's show: Journalist Imara Jones; “Behayshta,” an Afghan girl prevented from going to school; Orzala Nemat, Research Associate, SOAS University of London; Rina Amiri, US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The official civilian death toll from Russia’s war on Ukraine now stands at 8,317 – but the reality is that number is likely far higher. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken describes the “massive death and destruction” caused by Russian war crimes, as the State Department report on human rights highlights indiscriminate attacks on civilians and credible reports of execution, torture and rape. The International Criminal Court has just issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest over the case of forcibly deported Ukrainian children, and their chief prosecutor joins Christiane in London. Also on today's show: Neda Sharghi, sister of Emad Shargi, American detained in Iran; Sarah McCammon, NPR National Correspondent; John Kirby, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping came together in Moscow today in what Beijing is casting as a “journey of peace.” But with Putin intent on crushing Ukraine’s democracy and Xi hoping for a new world being made more in Beijing’s image, is it more like the rise of the authoritarians? Vladimir Milov is Russia’s former deputy minister of energy, and he joins the show alongside former Pentagon official Michael Beckley. Also on today's show: Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, Author, “A Stranger in Your Own City”; Melvyn Leffler, Author, “Confronting Saddam Hussein: George W. Bush and the Invasion of Iraq” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First: The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin for allegedly deporting Ukrainian children to Russia. Next: A harrowing look at the Iraq invasion 20 years on through the lens of an acclaimed photographer. Then: An investigative journalist in Mexico dives into cartels, drugs, immigration and what's behind the epidemic of the disappeared. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A lightning Russian invasion into a neighboring state sends shockwaves around the world. President Putin blames the west, and in particular the United States, for triggering its attack. The White House scrambles to make the right response. Not Ukraine today, but Georgia in 2008, when then-President George W. Bush was stunned by a Russian attack on one of its neighbors. It proved a learning moment and demonstrates how the Bush era continues to shape American foreign policy. For more on this, Christiane speaks with President Bush’s former national security advisor Stephen Hadley, whose new book Hand-Off digs into the top-secret foreign policy memos Bush handed to his successor, President Obama. Also on today’s show: actor F. Murray Abraham; neuroscientist/journalist Stephani Sutherland. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Israel is facing unprecedented internal unrest as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forges ahead with a controversial bill to allow lawmakers a political veto over the Supreme Court, and therefore the independent judiciary. Ever since its founding, Israel has proclaimed itself the sole democracy amid dictatorships and authoritarians. Its strongest allies like the United States have touted that very democracy as a key reason for its steadfast backing, yet even their support may be shifting. To discuss this, Christiane speaks with Efraim Halevy, a former head of Mossad. Also on today’s show: Aaron David Miller, Former U.S. State Dept. Middle East Negotiator; Victor Gao, Director, China National Association of International Studies; Krish Vignarajah, President & CEO, Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It is painful, it is tough, and it’s where Ukraine’s future will be determined, says Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky of the brutal fighting in the east of his country. Russians and Ukrainians are essentially locked in a war of attrition, each side rapidly losing troops, something Russia has in much bigger supply. Few actually know the stakes of this fight better than the Baltic states – they are Putin’s neighbors and some of Ukraine’s staunchest backers. In Estonia, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas’s fierce support for Kyiv helped secure her decisive re-election victory last week, and she joins Christiane from Tallinn to sound the alarm against any notion of appeasing Putin. Also on today's show: Betsey Stevenson, Professor of Public Policy and Economics, Univ. of Michigan & James Jacoby, Director/Correspondent, Frontline’s “Age of Easy Money”; Adam Gopnik, Author, “The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The families of Americans imprisoned in Iran are being buffeted by a sort of psychological warfare between adversarial states. Over the weekend, Iran’s foreign minister said a prisoner swap agreement between his country and the US has been brokered, and now the ball’s in America’s court – but Washington quickly quashed that. The State Department’s Ned Price called it “a cruel lie that only adds to the suffering of their families.” This follows the heartbreaking appeal made by Iranian-American Siamak Namazi when Christiane spoke with him from inside Evin prison last week. Today's first guest, Bill Richardson, has made it his mission to try to help – he’s a former cabinet secretary, US Ambassador to the UN, and a longtime interlocutor with regimes like Russia, North Korea, and more to secure the release of American captives. Also on today's show: Tara Tahbaz, the daughter of Morad Tahbaz, detained in Iran since 2019; Alexander Betts, author of “The Wealth of Refugees”; Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, Obesity Medicine Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A damning lawsuit has revealed shocking details about the inner workings of Fox News Corporation. Dominion Voting System says Fox News is seeking a first amendment license to knowingly spread lies. In a new court filing, the company claims Fox has already admitted that its on-air statements about Dominion rigging the 2020 election were false. It comes as a slew of messages reveal Tucker Carlson’s real, and surprising, opinions on former President Donald Trump. Correspondent Paula Reid has a report with all the details. Also on today's show: Sarah Longwell, Executive Director, Republican Accountability Project; Jay Rosen, Professor of Journalism, New York University; Grammy award-winning singer iLe; Geopolitical analyst Jamie Metzl To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today's show begins with an extremely difficult conversation under highly unusual circumstances. Siamak Namazi is an Iranian-American businessman who has been imprisoned in Iran for over seven years. While several American detained in Iran have been released as part of prisoner swaps with the US -- Namazi's own father was released on medical grounds last October -- Siamak continues to languish in prison, even going on a week-long hunger strike back in January and writing a letter to President Biden. Now he tells Christiane he feels so alone, abandoned, and out of options that he's decided to come to us, hoping to beseech Biden to help him and other imprisoned Iranian Americans. Next, to dig a little deeper into the plight of Namazi and his fellow American detainees, Christiane speaks with Johns Hopkins professor Vali Nasr, himself an Iranian American and formerly a senior adviser at the US State Department. Also on today's show: Michael R. Gordon, National Security Correspondent, The Wall Street Journal To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On International Women's Day, Russia's President Vladimir Putin handed out medals to women he called heroes, while Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the day by celebrating the "strength and freedom" of Ukrainian women. Fiona Hill served as deputy assistant to the president for European and Russian affairs under President Trump. She joins the show to discuss. Also on today's show: Mahnaz Afkhami, Former Iranian Minister of Women's Affairs; Andrew Delbanco, Alexander Hamilton Professor of American Studies, Columbia University To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christiane is in Washington, D.C., where the perennial issue remains one that much of the world grapples with: migration. President Joe Biden has resorted to tough measures to reduce the flow of people across America's southern border, amid reports that he is mulling a policy of detaining migrant families entering the country illegally. It would be a major reversal by the president, who initially stopped this Trump-era practice. That - plus rising challenges to national security from abroad, and a morphing threat to the homeland from within - falls squarely on the desk of Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security. Christiane sat down with him at the department's sprawling campus to discuss all this, and his own experience as the child of refugees. Also on today's show: Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis; Adrienne LaFrance, Executive Editor, The Atlantic To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The US and its NATO allies are watching closely developments in eastern Ukraine, where the battle for Bakhmut rages – and where Russia may be on the cusp of victory in the city. Meanwhile in the south, Russian shelling has killed three people, including two children, according to the Ukrainian military. Mike Mullen served as President Obama’s chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and joins the show from Maryland. Also on today's show: Jing Tsu, Author, “Kingdom of Characters”; Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, Assistant Professor of Immunology & Infectious Diseases To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Life in prison – that’s the sentence handed down today to disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh for killing his wife and 22-year-old son. It’s hard to overstate just how influential the Murdaugh family has been in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina. Alex Murdaugh was a kingmaker in the legal world, and now he’s a convicted murderer. The true crime story has captivated the nation for what it reveals about power and privilege, as James Lasdun has reported on in-depth for The New Yorker. Also on today's show: Salah Hamwi, assistant country director, CARE Yemen; Steven Levy, Editor-at-Large, Wired To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Israel is in chaos as its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu desperately tries to calm protests rocking his country. They started after a controversial decision he made to reform the judiciary. Meanwhile, violence is flaring in the West Bank and now Netanyahu's Finance Minister Bezaelel Smotrich is facing backlash after making incendiary comments, saying the Palestinian town of Huwara "needs to be erased." Shireen Falah Saab, an Arab journalist, tells Bianna why she’s not surprised by the minister’s comments. Also on today's show: Laura Poitras, Director, “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”; Simon Lereng Wilmont, Director, “A House Made of Splinters” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Worrying news from Iran, where the UN’s nuclear watchdog has found near bomb-grade levels of uranium. CNN has seen a restricted report which found uranium particles enriched to almost 84% - very close to the 90% needed to make a nuclear bomb. It comes amid alarming allegations of human rights violations by the regime against protesters, and shocking accounts of torture and sexual assault at the hands of the Revolutionary Guards. The country's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is in Geneva this week speaking at the UN Human Rights Council. In a rare interview since the death of Mahsa Aminia rocked the country, he sat down with Christiane for a challenging conversation. Also on today's show: Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, President, Missing Children Europe; Jeh Johnson, Former US Homeland Security Secretary To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nigeria’s main opposition parties are calling for a fresh election before ballots have even finished being counted. They’re saying that Saturday’s presidential vote was “irretrievably compromised,” with Nigerian voters complaining of intimidation and voter suppression. So far, the official count says the ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu leads nationally, but a shocking result saw him lose in Lagos to outsider candidate Peter Obi. This rollercoaster of an election in Africa’s largest democracy and economy will have an impact beyond the country’s borders. To discuss all this, we speak with broadcaster and filmmaker Bolanle Olukanni. Also on today's show: Roger Cohen, author, “An Affirming Flame”; Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs, King’s College London; David Brooks, New York Times columnist To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

More than 60 people are dead after a wooden boat sank off Italy’s southeastern coast on Sunday. On board were migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Iran. Dozens are still missing and an urgent search and rescue is underway, as Ben Wedeman reports from Rome. Also on today's show: Immigration attorney Andrea Martinez; Dr. Madeline Li. psychiatrist and provider, Medical Assistance in Dying; Mark Whitaker, author, “Saying It Loud” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One year ago today the world changed when Russia marched across the border into Ukraine. To mark the anniversary, Christiane is in Kyiv, a city everyone thought would fall in a couple of days. But 365 days later, the capital still stands, autocracy has been weakened and democracies stand stronger. Today Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky visited injured soldiers in hospital, telling troops that over the next year he wants victory. It’s a lofty goal that Christiane speaks to Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Emine Dzhaparova about. Also on today's show: Historian Nina Khrushcheva, a direct descendant of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev; Grammy award-winning jazz singer Samara Joy To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The brutality of war has been a daily tragedy for almost a year in Ukraine. Cities, towns and villages on the eastern front are now reminders of devastation and suffering. The town of Vuhledar in Bakhmut is one of them. Alex Marquardt gets an exclusive look inside the town. Also on today's show: Denise Brown, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine; US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs; Jessica Chen Weiss, Professor for China and Asia-Pacific Studies, Cornell University To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christiane is in Kyiv marking one year since Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden has spent three days in Ukraine and in neighboring Poland shoring up America’s supporting for Ukraine and presenting a united front against Russia. Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks exclusively to Christians about what more the allies can do to secure a Ukrainian victory. Also on the show: President Zelensky’s senior advisor Igor Zhovkva on what Biden’s visit to Ukraine means for the war and author Isabel Wilkerson discusses caste hierarchy in American life. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All eyes were on Eastern Europe today as Joe Biden was welcomed in Poland, where he pitted the war in Ukraine as the defense of democracy against autocracy. Tomorrow Biden meets with the so-called Bucharest Nine, a group made up of former Soviet republics. Among them is the Czech Republic, and its President-elect Petr Pavel speaks exclusively with Christiane about Biden’s visit and the unity of EU and NATO countries in supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russia. Also on today's show: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; Finnish Prime Minister Sann Marin; Sara Dosa, Oscar-nominated director of Fire of Love To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices