Amanpour

Trump and Musk are all but razing the U.S. federal government. This week, USAID, a critical arm of U.S. soft power around the world was effectively dismantled and a purge of the FBI and CIA appear well underway. Christiane speaks with Matthew Bartlett, former Trump appointee to the State Department about the President's latest shake-up in Washington. Then, as the White House walks back some of Tru...

At midnight tonight, USAID puts almost all of its staff on administrative leave. Elon Musk says the agency, which is crucial to the survival of millions of people around the world, is being fed "into the woodchipper." This action would transform the US and its traditional role on the global stage. Matthew Bartlett was appointed to the State Department by President Trump during his first term, and...

Israel is all in on President Trump's proposal to clear out and take over Gaza. But many Palestinians in Gaza are saying very clearly that they're not going anywhere. Tom Fletcher is the United Nations' top humanitarian official and joins from inside Gaza.  Jennifer Mittelstadt, Professor of History, Rutgers University; Gillian Metzger, Professor of Constitutional Law, Columbia Law School  Learn m...

It was the proposal heard, and roundly rejected, around the world: Hours after President Trump, with Benjamin Netanyahu by his side, said the United States should not only take control of Gaza, but with the Israeli Prime Minister at his side and called for the permanent removal of the Palestinian population. Mustafa Barghouti, President of the Palestinian National Initiative Party, joins Christian...

The future of the Israel-Hamas war hangs in the balance, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets President Donald Trump at the White House today. The US president is eager to see the war over, while Netanyahu, for various reasons, might be intent on continuing the fight. Amos Harel is a military analyst for Ha'aretz and he joins the program from Tel Aviv.   Also on today's show: Dr. Javid Abdel...

President Trump is putting America's economy front and center, threatening sweeping tariffs on goods from America's three biggest trade partners. Trump has since reached a temporary agreement with Mexico to pause tariffs for one month in exchange for ten thousand Mexican troops being sent to the border. Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Trump today and is expected to kee...

Less than two weeks into Donald Trump's second term, the president is flooding the zone with executive orders, testing the very institutions that uphold democracy. The question now is how far can Trump bend these democratic institutions before they break? To find out, Christiane spoke to Princeton Professor and autocracy expert Kim Lane Scheppele and Norm Eisen, a former counsel to the House Judic...

Donald Trump's unprecedented power grab since regaining the presidency challenges the strength of democratic institutions to act as checks and balances. It's the kind of struggle that Norm Eisen and Kim Lane Scheppele have observed closely outside America. Eisen was US Ambassador to the Czech Republic and served as a counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, and Princeton professor Scheppele worke...

A massive recovery is underway in Washington's Potomac river after a passenger aircraft carrying 64 people collided midair with an army Black Hawk helicopter with three soldiers on board. Authorities say there are no survivors. Aviation expert Miles O'Brien joins Christiane to discuss what happened and the rescue efforts. Also on today's show: Gina McCarthy, Former EPA Administrator/ Fmr White Nat...

Donald Trump's attempt earlier this week to freeze all federal aid triggered chaos and confusion. As with many of the president's actions so far, it's unclear whether he even had the executive authority to make such an order. Today, the order was abruptly rescinded. But what does this tell us about Trump's strategy? Democratic Senator from Maryland Chris Van Hollen sits on the Appropriations Commi...

"Drill, baby, drill" is not just a slogan that Donald Trump ran on, but a clear policy goal his first week in office. With a flurry of executive orders, his administration is trying to yank the US out of the Paris Climate Accords again, undo Biden-era green investment, and undermine efforts to pursue environmental justice. Benji Backer is a conservative environmental activist who believes that cli...

80 years ago today, Soviet troops liberated Auschwitz, the largest of the Nazi death camps, marking the beginning of the end of the Holocaust. Some of those who survived the Holocaust later survived the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, including Zvi Solow, who fled Poland, Italy, and Greece during World War II. He speaks to Paula Newton from southern Israel. Also on today's show: Zahra Joya, Found...

In his first week back in office, President Trump's strong arm is already making itself felt around the world — with the United States pulling out of the World Health Organization and Paris Climate Accords, imposing tariffs on China and the Americas, and pledging to end wars while threatening territorial annexations. Christiane talked to Sir John Sawers, former MI6 chief and UK ambassador to the U...

As week one of Trump 2.0 wraps up, a new era of American diplomacy begins. Inside the State Department, one former ambassador reportedly describes "deep despair" over Trump loyalists being promoted regardless of age or experience, with a wave of long-serving senior diplomats either quitting or retiring. Former State Department official Josh Paul joins the program to discuss what this seismic shift...

The Trump administration is moving with lightning speed to crack down on immigration in the US, effectively closing the country to asylum seekers while laying the groundwork to deport migrants already in the country. David Miliband, CEO of the International Rescue Committee, which assists people fleeing conflict and disaster, joins the show from Davos to discuss.  Also on today's show: Columbia Sc...

With a sweep of his pen, President Trump is issuing executive orders, changing the federal government, fulfilling campaign promises and settling scores. It's only been two days, and Trump has already withdrawn, again, from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization. He's also ordered all government maps and documents to rename the Gulf of Mexico, and has threatened tariffs on Me...

We're just two days into Donald Trump's second term, and the 47th President has already signed dozens of sweeping executive orders, targeting everything from climate regulations to TikTok, diversity equality and inclusion programs, to refugee admission. Trump has also issues pardons for more than a thousand people charged or convicted in the 2021 riots, including those who assaulted police and des...

Donald Trump is president once again, completing a remarkable political comeback. David Frum, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, and now staff writer at The Atlantic, joins the show from Washington DC to dissect President Trump’s inaugural address.  Also on today's show: Imani Perry, Professor of African & African American Studies, Harvard University; Ian Bremmer, President and Foun...

Just before a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas, Christiane sat down with Biden’s top diplomat, outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken for his final television interview. She asked him about the details of the deal, calls from Israeli ministers to resettle Gaza, criticism of IDF conduct, and America’s role in Vladimir Putin’s all-out invasion of Ukraine. Blinken also shares his co...

It's an agonizing wait in Gaza and for Israeli hostage families, as a ceasefire proposal moves closer to reality. Former head of Israeli Military Intelligence Amos Yadlin joins the program from Tel Aviv to discuss. Also on today's show: Tim Wu, law professor, Columbia University; Derek Thompson, staff writer, The Atlantic; Joan Baez (from the archives)  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podc...

At least 77 Palestinians were killed in intense bombardment since the ceasefire deal was announced, Gaza's Civil Defense says. And in Israel, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to quit over the terms of the second phase of the agreement, a move that could threaten to collapse the Netanyahu government. The Biden administration "fully expects" the hostage deal to be implemented S...

A ceasefire-hostage release agreement has been reached by the Israeli government and Hamas. Christiane spoke about this breakthrough in an interview with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and CNN Senior Global Affairs Analyst Bianna Golodryga.  Also on today's show: UN Humanitarian Relief Chief Tom Fletcher; Palestinian National Initiative President Mustafa Barghouti; Sharone Lifschitz, who's f...

First, we bring you the latest on the contentious confirmation hearing for Donald Trump's nominee for US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. Then, with fire weather risk at its highest, Christiane asks former California Governor Jerry Brown what more could have been done? And, is the world ready for the next pandemic? The director general of the World Health Organization joins the show. Learn more ab...

The winds are picking up again and the death toll is rising in what could be the worst wildfires in California’s history. It's an all-out race against the environment as firefighters battle to keep the blazes contained and maintain what progress they've made in the past few days. More than 20 people are confirmed dead, dozens more are missing, over a hundred thousand people are under evacuation or...

Donald Trump may not be back in the White House yet, and he's already causing ructions overseas. Not just threatening to invade and annex allies, like Greenland, Panama, and Canada, but also allowing his unelected wingman, Elon Musk—using his X platform—to troll world leaders and interfere in democracies abroad. Christiane speaks with tech journalist Kara Swisher and the director of the British Fu...