Amanpour

It’s America’s deadliest fire in more than a hundred years. At least 96 people have been killed in Maui, after wildfires fueled by powerful winds tore across the island at speeds of a mile a minute. The historic town of Lahaina became ruins overnight. As search and rescue efforts continue it is believed the death toll will grow. Island residents who survived have lost family and friends to the fir...

Nearly two years ago Americans hastily left Afghanistan and the Taliban took over. Any hope that this Taliban might be a more moderate version has all but vanished. The rights of women and girls are continuously under assault. Secondary schools are still closed for girls and the latest edict closed beauty salons, not just a place of work but one of the last all-women spaces for socializing. Gordon...

Today's show begins with a huge break in a story we’ve been covering for years. A group of Americans imprisoned in Iran have just been released from Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison. This includes the longest held, 51-year-old Siamak Namazi, who has been languishing there for more than seven years. After being left behind in three previous prisoner swaps, Siamak went to extraordinary lengths on this...

Rainforests help prevent our planet from overheating and deliver the oxygen we breathe but are under attack at an alarming rate. This week, eight South American presidents have been meeting in Brazil, where they all agreed to stop the rainforest’s destruction before the point of no return. But deciding on a destination is one thing, while agreeing on how to get there is something else. So how to t...

Despite the intense legal heat of three indictments, and the mounting cost of expensive lawyers, Donald Trump is ahead of the rest of the pack, racing to become the 2024 Republican presidential nominee. Most of his rivals are too timid to take him on, but not Chris Christie. The former federal prosecutor, New Jersey governor, and now Republican presidential candidate, Christie says that Trump "can...

A split-screen moment dominates the news about Ukraine. From Kyiv, President Volodymir Zelensky accuses President Vladimir Putin of yet more war crimes, after a drone attack on a blood transfusion center in the east. And Ukraine’s security services detain a woman suspected of being part of a Russian plot to assassinate Zelensky. While across continents, dozens of nations have just wrapped up a wee...

Fresh from the courtroom and back on the campaign trail, Donald Trump attends a fundraising dinner in Alabama tonight and visits South Carolina on Saturday. Despite his legal issues, the former president is still way ahead of the entire field in the Republican primary. Joining the program to discuss is former Republican strategist and founder of the Republican Accountability Project Sarah Longwell...

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

The US and the world are reeling after perhaps the most important indictment in American history. Special Counsel Jack Smith laid four federal charges at the door of Donald J. Trump, stating in a 45-page document that the former president conspired to defraud the United States in his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. If convicted on all charges he could face living out the rest of hi...

Ukraine today appeared to send another message to Moscow with a second drone attack targeting the same office building housing Russian government offices. Meanwhile, Russia’s deadly attacks on Ukraine’s civilians continue, including on Zelensky’s hometown Kryvyi Rih. As the war grinds on, Vladimir Putin is digging in, introducing a new law which raises the maximum conscription age from 27 to 30, s...

Despite a recent diplomatic push to reset relations with China, the Biden administration has now announced a weapons package worth as much as $345 million for Taiwan’s self-defense. Beijing has repeatedly demanded that the US stop the sale of weapons to the island. So, what is the Biden administration’s strategy on China, and how will the dispute over Taiwan’s sovereignty play out? Representative...

First: With African heads of state gathered in Russia, we look at Putin's strengthening alliances and what it might mean for the war.  Plus: Ukraine continues to suffer the horrors of that war. We speak with those fighting for accountability: the Nobel Peace laureates.  Then: Walter Isaacson explores new rules which aim to prevent harm to workers.  And: As disco diva Grace Jones has a major moment...

Whether AI "makes our societies more or less equitable, unlocks breakthroughs or becomes a tool of authoritarians — is up to us." That is the warning, and the call to arms, from the Biden administration this week. In just a few short months, the power and the peril of AI have become the focus of huge public debate. And the conversation could not be more relevant -- as the atomic bomb biopic "Oppen...

The British government is facing major criticism for overlooking the threat of Wagner, the Russian mercenary network. A parliamentary committee said the UK’s “dismal lack of understanding” over the group’s work in Africa allowed it to flourish. But according to the Washington Post, Russian President Vladimir Putin was so stunned by Wagner’s march on Moscow last month that he froze with indecision...

In the heat of the American summer, presidential candidates are focused on the dead of winter. That’s when the primaries start, just six short months from now. It’s a crowded Republican field and it’s becoming clear that culture wars will be front and center. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is still waging his battle against “wokeness,” and his latest legislation raises race to a whole new and shock...

First: Israel is experiencing the biggest internal crisis in the nation's history, as the government passes a controversial move to weaken the Supreme Court and mass protests continue. Christiane asks a leading journalist what this means for their democracy.  And: In Greece, wildfires continue to rage, causing evacuations at the height of holiday season -- yet another sign of devastating climate c...

First: As China tightens its grip on Hong Kong, speaks with targeted dissident Nathan Law about living with a bounty on his head.  Then: In his new book Crook Manifesto, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead returns to the overlords and underbelly of 1970s Harlem.  And: With the end of student loan forgiveness looming, Michelle Martin speaks with millennial financial expert Paco de Leon. ...

The Ukrainian port city of Odesa has faced its third consecutive night of Russian strikes. These kinds of attacks punctuate the life of Ukrainian journalist and activist Daria Kaleniuk. The head of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre, she's been holding her government, and others, to account during the war. She joins the program from Kyiv.    Also on today's show: USA Today sports columnist Christin...

“Ironclad” is how Israel’s President Isaac Herzog is describing the relationship between his country and the United States. Today he addressed a joint meeting of Congress, just the second Israeli president in history to do so. He was received with strong bipartisan support in the chamber, even as a handful of Democratic lawmakers boycotted today’s address. Former Middle East peace negotiator Denni...

Donald Trump’s legal woes just got a whole lot worse. He’s indicated he expects to be arrested as part of the federal investigation into January 6th and election interference. In a social media post, the former president said he’s been informed by special counsel Jack Smith - who Trump called 'deranged' - that he is a target of the investigation. It would be Trump’s third indictment for alleged cr...

Greeks are facing life-threatening elements today as temperatures soar with no relief in sight. A wildfire burned near Athens, and tourists sweltered visiting the sites, forcing the temporary closing of the Acropolis. Meanwhile, China recorded its hottest temperature ever – 126 degrees Fahrenheit, just as US Climate Envoy John Kerry touched down in the country. In the US, a heat dome is scorching...

The cracks are clear in Moscow in the wake of the failed Wagner mercenary army coup last month. The Russian journalist Mikahil Zygar, who was forced to flee his country when the invasion began, talks about the intrigue unfolding in Moscow, and his new book “War and Punishment” which charts the painful history between his country and Ukraine.  Also on today's show: author Rachel Eliza Griffiths; au...

In Ukraine, controversial cluster bombs have just arrived from the US. Ukraine’s military commanders say they will give them the advantage over Russia on the battlefield, but critics say cluster munitions have also killed countless civilians in the past. Meanwhile, on the diplomatic front, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says he has “no doubt” Ukraine will become part of NATO – but only after...

As the critical NATO summit wraps up, Ukrainian President Zelensky may not be walking away with membership to the alliance, but he is leaving with a huge boost in military support. US President Biden and G7 leaders are announcing a new package, Germany is pledging more Patriot missiles, and a coalition of 11 member states is being formed to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s. Estonia’s Prime Minister...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky got a rockstar welcome in Lithuania, as he arrives for the NATO summit in Vilnius. The president has expressed frustration about the lack of a timeline for his country's membership of the alliance, calling it absurd. This ahead of his meeting with US President Joe Biden tomorrow. The American leader comes to the summit with a win already in the bag, Turkey op...