Amanpour

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

US President Biden paid a surprise visit to Kyiv this morning to mark the first anniversary of Russia’s large scale invasion of Ukraine. The trip comes just after a heated Munich Security Conference where US Vice President Kamala Harris formally accused Russia of crimes against humanity. At the conference, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke to Christiane about what his country needs as the war enters its second year. Also on today's show: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg; Political Anthropologist Dr. Eric Reinhart 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 been nearly a year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and there's no end to the war in sight. Today at the Munich Security Conference, President Zelensky said Ukraine was fighting so the west doesn’t have to. As leader of Europe’s economic powerhouse Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz has huge influence over whether Ukraine gets the support it needs, he speaks with Christiane about whether they’re ready to back Ukraine’s defense for the long-haul. Also on today's show: UK Foreign Minister James Cleverly; six-time US Paralympian Champion Oksana Masters; author Erica Gies To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At a time when global democracy is under pressure, this month’s elections in Nigeria could prove critical. Africa’s largest economy is at a turning point, with the population growing and getting younger, and the results there could have a major impact globally. One of Nigeria’s best known public figures is the novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and she speaks with Christiane about the prospect of change in Nigeria and about having the courage to speak up against censorship on all sides of the political spectrum. Also on today's show: Jere Van Dyk, Author, “Without Borders”; Sharon Liese & Cynthia Wade, Directors, “The Flagmakers” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Exposing autocracies is Nicaragua and Russia It’s a dirty trick used by autocracies across the world: taking their would-be opposition off the street and throwing them in jail, stopping any other presidential candidacy from taking root. Tonight, we look at Nicaragua and Russia, where those tactics have been employed by the countries’ rulers. First, to Nicaragua, where President Daniel Ortega’s drive to stay in power has grown increasingly repressive over the years. He’s put hundreds of political prisoners behind bars, but on Thursday – in a surprise and cynical move – he simply got rid of them. 222 prisoners were freed and then essentially deported to the United States, stripped of their citizenship and banned from ever running for public office. Among them were Julian Sebastian Chamorro and Felix Maradiaga. They both had presidential ambitions, before being put behind bars, and they join the show from DC. Next, to Russia, and another imprisoned democracy activist: opposition leader Alexey Navalny. Few people know Navalny better than our next guest, Maria Pevchikh, who has worked with him for a decade and was with him in Siberia when he was poisoned. Also on today's show: Derek Kilmer and William Timmons from the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress 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, the UK and Europe are condemning the Israeli government’s plans to permit 10,000 new settlement units in the occupied West Bank, arguing it will “undermine efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution.” It’s just the latest as Israel’s new far-right coalition faces a barrage of criticism, including from Washington – normally Israel’s staunchest ally. Tens of thousands of protesters have been in the streets of Jerusalem this week to protest the proposed judicial reforms, and correspondent Hadas Gold brings us her report from the ground. Also on today's show: Exclusive interview with Yael German, former Israeli ambassador to France; Robert Ford, former US ambassador to Syria; Bill Browder, Hermitage Capital Management CEO 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 36,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured by the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria one week ago. There’s anger at the pace of rescue and aid, especially in Syria, already ravaged by the civil war – President Bashar al Assad is accused of limiting humanitarian efforts in areas that were already devastated by Syrian and Russian bombings. Of course, Russia has been focusing its own firepower on Ukraine more recently, also striking critical infrastructure in that country. Indeed, more than 65,000 war crimes have been reported in Ukraine, with the western alliance committing to investigations and accountability. Beth Van Schaack is U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice and joins the program from a major refugee camp in Bangladesh. Also on today's show: Chinese superstar pianist Lang Lang; Kristofer Goldsmith, Founder, Task Force Butler Institute 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 DC, where today the US and Brazilian presidents meet to kickstart a new relationship after the divisive Trump and Bolsonaro era. Joe Biden and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva agree they need to bolster democracy, advance human rights and tackle climate change – but there’s tough work ahead. Lula has staged a stunning return to power after his first presidency ended in 2010 and he was jailed. In an exclusive conversation, Lula tells Christiane he is confident “democracy will prevail.” Also on today's show: US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby; author Tara Bynum To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Europe is welcoming Ukraine’s President Zelensky today with open arms, applauding the wartime leader even as he pushes them to provide more powerful weapons. It’s been nearly one year now since Vladimir Putin brazenly tried to take Kyiv and the rest of Ukraine, but in reality, the Russian offensive has been going on for much longer than that. It was nine years ago in 2014 that Putin invaded and annexed Crimea, spurring an international crisis. Catherine Ashton was Europe’s foreign policy chief at the time. Her new book is And Then What?: Inside Stories of 21st Century Diplomacy, and she speaks with Christiane about Putin’s tactics then and now. Also on today's show: actor Ian McKellen, journalist Julia Ioffe. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The death toll in Turkey and Syria after Monday’s earthquake is rising, though survivors – including children – are still emerging from the rubble. Correspondent Salma Abdelaziz reports on the desperate efforts to get more help for the already war-torn Syria. Also on today's show: David Miliband, Former UK Foreign Secretary; Nasrin Sotoudeh, Iranian human rights lawyer; Martin Wolf, Author, “The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism” 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 a race against time in Turkey and in Syria where a massive magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on Monday. Rescue teams are working around the clock in freezing conditions, trying to find survivors, with the emotion sometimes too much to bear. With more than 6,300 dead and counting, plus over 26,000 injured, it is a daunting task – but nobody is giving up. The world is coming together to help – even Ukraine is sending emergency personnel, and neighboring Greece is jumping into the fray despite sky high political tensions between Athens and Ankara. Sherine Ibrahim is the country director of CARE in Turkey, and she joins the show from Gaziantep, where people are sleeping in cars for fear of further aftershocks. CNN anchor Becky Anderson also joins the show with more on the rescue efforts on the ground. Also on today's show: Toluse Olorunnipa, White House Bureau Chief, The Washington Post; John Hickenlooper, US Senate Democrat; Edward Berger, Co-writer and director, “All Quiet on the Western Front” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The death toll was more than 2,500 and was expected to continue rising after a mammoth 7.8 earthquake -- one of the region's largest in a century -- shook Turkey and neighboring Syria Monday. Correspondent Jomana Karadsheh has the latest. Her report is followed by an interview with Janez Lenarčič, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management. Also on today's show: Gen. Philip Breedlove (Ret.), former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe; Evelyn Farkas, former US Deputy. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia/Ukraine/Eurasia; Lisa Guerrero, author, “Warrior: My Path to Being Brave” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michelle Yeoh is no fan of glass ceilings. Neither her age, nor her nationality, nor her gender can stop her from taking Hollywood by storm. Fresh off a Golden Globe award for her virtuoso performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once, Yeoh leads the list of contenders for this year’s Best Actress Oscar. Her star vehicle is an idiosyncratic movie about a Chinese laundromat owner thrust into a mission to save all possible universes. Yeoh joins Christiane in London to discuss the film and her action-packed career. Also on today's show: authors Jihyun Park & Seh-Lynn Chai; Emmy-award winner Eddie Izzard To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The European Central Bank and the Bank of England have raised interest rates again, one day after a similar move by the US Federal Reserve. But amid those big players, Britain seems in particular trouble, with the International Monetary Fund warning it will be the only major economy to shrink in 2023. In the UK, the pain and anger poured into the streets on Wednesday when the country saw its biggest strikes in a decade, with as many as half a million workers walking out, from transport to teachers. There’s little light at the end of the tunnel, with a cost-of-living crisis forcing around four million children into poverty. Correspondent Nada Bashir was there on "walkout Wednesday." Also on today's show: Shevaun Haviland, Director General, British Chambers of Commerce; Stephanie Flanders, Senior Executive Editor, Bloomberg; Gina Prince-Bythewood; Director, “The Woman King”; Yascha Mounk; Author, “The Great Experiment” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are gray skies in Memphis today as family and mourners come together to remember Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old whose death at the hands of police sparked renewed protest against this brutality all across the United States. National figures, including Vice President Kamala Harris, were in attendance today, together with George Floyd’s brother Philonise and Tamika Palmer, mother of Breonna Taylor – both victims of police violence. As for attempts to change federal law, the Washington Post reports that “police reform talks are back in Congress, but little hope for a deal.” Jelani Cobb, dean of Columbia Journalism School, joins the show to discuss. Also on today's show: Correspondent Gillermo Galdos reports on the ongoing unrest in Peru; Santiago Mitre, co-writer and director of "Argentina, 1985" and Luis Moreno Ocampo Moreno, former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court; US House Democrat Chrissy Houlahan and US House Republican Stephanie Bice on the fight for paid family leave. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Antony Blinken is leaving the Middle East after spending two days in the region, as violence between Israelis and Palestinians flares up once again. He is the latest secretary of state to try and navigate a way out of this cycle of despair, while also clinging to the hope and vision of a two-state solution. Diana Buttu is a Palestinian lawyer who has previously advised that negotiating team and she joins the show from Ramallah. Her appearance is followed by Christiane's interview with former US top peace negotiator Dennis Ross, who has served under both Democratic and Republican presidents. Also on today's show: Paul Feig, author of “Cocktail Time!”; Dr. Robert Waldinger, author of "The Good Life" To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Those were the words of Tyre Nichols as five Memphis police officers violently beat him during a traffic stop. He died three days later, leaving the city of Memphis and the country reeling once again, with protesters taking to the streets this weekend in several cities. His name now joins the long list of Black Americans who have died at the hands of police, a painful reminder of the police brutality that continues to blight America. After the death of George Floyd, change was promised – but the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is still stalled in Congress, and activists ask how many deaths it will take. The five police officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ death were part of a special unit to tackle rising crime in Memphis, and that “Scorpion Unit” has now been disbanded. There are still many unanswered questions about the officers’ account of what happened that night, as Sara Sidner reports. Also joining the show to discuss the Tyre Nichols killing and its aftermath are Memphis Pastor Earle J. Fisher and UCLA Law Professor Joanna Schwartz. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former presidents and vice presidents will be told to check their personal records for classified documents after some were found at the Indiana home of former vice president Mike Pence. It’s the latest discovery in a growing controversy that has led to many questions, including what actually constitutes a classified document, what the process is when a president leaves office, and whether the system is working. Leon Panetta has served as a presidential chief of staff, defense secretary, and director of the CIA, and joins the show from California. Also on today's show: Dmitri Alperovitch, Co-founder, Silverado Policy Accelerator Think Tank; Kara Swisher, Host, “Pivot” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Afghanistan was facing a humanitarian crisis even before winter set in. Now the country is enduring its coldest weather in 15 years. Freezing temperatures have killed well over 100 people, and as always, the crisis is hitting women and children the hardest – particularly after the Taliban prohibited women from working for aid organizations, effectively denying them critical assistance. In the past weeks, multiple delegations from the United Nations and other aid groups have traveled to Kabul to press for women’s basic rights to work and learn. Tonight, Christiane speaks with Amina Mohammed and Sima Bahous, two of the UN’s most senior officials who have just returned from Afghanistan where they tried to get the Taliban to change its mind. Also on today's show: Andrew Solomon, Author, “Far from the Tree”; Rev. Wheeler Parker, Jr., Co-author, “A Few Days Full of Trouble” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After days of transatlantic wrangling and who’s-on-first gamesmanship, Ukraine receives a double whammy, with both the United States and Germany publicly pledging to send advanced tanks ahead of a projected Russian spring offensive. The past few days have also brought a corruption scandal out into the open, as Kyiv purges several senior officials, including the deputy defense minister. Tonight, Christiane speaks with his boss, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov. Also on today's show: Ronen Bergman, Staff writer, The New York Times Magazine; Martin Griffiths, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs; Rev. Liz Walker, Co-founder, Embrace Boston & Hank Willis Thomas, Artist, “The Embrace.” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ukraine’s President Zelensky may be the world’s most famous wartime leader, but his ability to mobilize his country in the fight of its life wasn’t what got him elected; his pledge to fight corruption did. Now, Zelensky is purging his own government in a growing scandal linked to the unlawful procurement of wartime supplies. Historical corruption, of course, is a primary reason Ukraine had not been admitted to the European Union, and the major government shakeup is happening just as Ukraine looks likely to receive long-awaited German-made tanks from Poland. To discuss all this, Christiane speaks with former US Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor. Also on today's show: Stephen Rubin, author, Words and Music; Richard Haass, author, The Bill of Obligations. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An unseemly split over tanks risks the ironclad unity the NATO alliance has demonstrated in support of Ukraine. Among some allies – led by Britain, Poland, Finland, and the Baltic nations – there is a sense of striking while the iron is hot, before Russia regroups for an expected spring offensive. At the heart of the drama is the German Leopard 2 tank, which is top of Ukraine’s wish list. But the German chancellor is dragging his feet. More than a dozen countries own those tanks, including Poland, which says it will send its Leopards to Ukraine. But it would need Berlin’s sign-off. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby joins the show from the White House to discuss what military support Ukraine is getting – and what more the alliance can deliver. Also on today's show: Marcin Przydacz, Foreign Policy Adviser to Polish president; Delia Ephron, author, Left on Tenth. 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 has spent billions and billions so far in Ukraine, but future government spending is all up in the air right now – not just over Ukraine, but also at home, as America has now reached its debt limit and risks a potentially catastrophic default. Social security payments, veteran’s pensions, and more are all at risk. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says “extraordinary measures” are now in use to delay default, and she’s calling on lawmakers to “act promptly” to protect the full faith and credit of the United States. Yellen met this week with China’s vice premier in Zurich, before traveling to Africa, where she is hoping to expand US trade there. Christiane speaks with Yellen about all of this in an exclusive interview. Also on today's show: Dr. Henry Marsh, Author, And Finally; Karen Bass, Los Angeles Mayor; Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand Prime Minister (archived interview). To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 119th Congress is getting into full swing and we’re starting to see what the impact of a divided government looks like. GOP hardliners Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar were given committee assignments, despite being tossed off committees last term for incendiary language and ideas. The alleged fabulist George Santos also got a committee assignment, despite growing calls for his resignation. All this as the country moves full steam ahead into a fight over the debt limit, risking a US default that could have disastrous consequences for the American – and global – economy. First in tonight’s show, we take a step back with a revealing look at President Biden and his first two years in office. Chris Whipple joins the show from New York to discuss his new book, The Fight of His Life, based on inside access to the Biden administration. Also on today's show: Composer Alan Fletcher and pianist Mikhail Voskresensky; Charlie Sykes, Editor-at-Large, The Bulwark. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For nearly a year, so much blood has flood through Ukraine under withering Russian fire that tragedy is never far away. Today brought more sorrow, as a Ukrainian helicopter crashed near a kindergarten in the Kyiv region, killing a government minister and at least three children, among others. President Volodymyr Zelensky calls it a “terrible tragedy” and says there will be an investigation. CNN Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen joins the show from the helicopter crash site. Also on today's show: Rafael Grossi, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency; Rose Abramoff, earth scientist and climate activist; Ro Khanna, US House Democrat. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska opened the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland today with a stark warning about the horrors and mass killings her people are facing. The war is the number one topic at the summit, though leaders will also discuss climate change and the cost-of-living crisis. But will the forum be more than just a talking shop? One voice in attendance carries a lot of weight: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was recently named the most powerful woman in the world by Forbes Magazine. She joins Christiane from Davos. Also on today's show: Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistani Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Joe Berlinger, Director, Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Russian missile strike on an apartment building in Dnipro, Ukraine has left at least 40 people dead, making it one of the deadliest single attacks of the war. Ukrainian authorities report that it was a cruise missile. The current wave of attacks on civilian targets comes at a make-or-break moment in this vicious war, as more western allies – including Britain, France, and Poland – promise to send Kyiv tanks and other advanced weapons. But is it happening fast enough to help Ukraine defend itself against feared Russian offensives this spring? Igor Zhovkva is a top aide to President Zelensky and joins the show from Kyiv. Also on today's show: Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi; International Civil Society; author Ilya Somin. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A political scandal is brewing over the discovery of classified documents at President Biden’s Delaware home and former office, dating back to his time as vice president. A special counsel has been appointed to investigate, and Republicans are using the opportunity to slam Democrats as hypocrites. The president was highly critical of Donald Trump when classified documents were found at his Mar-a-Lago home last year. There are some key differences though: Trump had refused to return the files, even after being subpoenaed, while Joe Biden’s lawyers turned the materials over voluntarily and the White House has promised to cooperate fully. But it’s still a political headache for the president. To explain the legal implications and more, former federal and state prosecutor Elie Honig joins the show. Also on today's show: California Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis; Jan Egeland, Secretary General, Norwegian Refugee Council; Dr. Francesca Beaudoin, Director, The Long Covid Initiative at Brown University. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When top soccer journalist Grant Wahl left for Qatar to cover the World Cup in November, his wife, Dr. Céline Gounder, never thought it would be the last time she would see him. The 49-year-old American reporter died suddenly of an aortic aneurism after collapsing in the press box at the end of a match. To add to the tragedy, many on social media falsely blamed Grant’s death on Covid-19 vaccines. Dr. Gounder is an epidemiologist and knows how difficult it is to debunk conspiracy theories. But when the same playbook was used to blame Damar Hamlin’s recent collapse during an NFL game, she says, “the dam broke,” and she decided to write a public essay to try and put an end to the rumors and “refocus attention on Grant’s legacy.” Christiane speaks with Dr. Gounder about how she is managing to channel her grief into purpose in the saddest of circumstances. Also on today's show: US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, author Robert Kagan. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During this long winter of war in Ukraine, in the eastern town of Soledar – near Bakhmut – every inch of land is contested. Russian mercenaries in the Wagner Group claim they’ve conquered the entire territory, but Ukraine says they’ve been “unsuccessful.” While the Kremlin is playing musical chairs with its war commanders – naming its most senior general Valery Gerasimov to replace Sergei Serovikin after just three months – the US and its allies are “positioning Ukraine to be able to move forward and retake territory,” according to a senior Pentagon official. Another says the upgrade in weapons they are providing gives Ukraine a “much more powerful offensive capability.” But still, both sides rely heavily on Soviet-era artillery, as Ben Wedeman reports from the eastern front. Also on today's show: Oksana Markarova, Ukrainian Ambassador to the US; Sarah Polley, writer/director of Women Talking; former NFL player Nate Jackson, whose career was ended by injury. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices