Compass Points from PBS News

At a key summit, President Trump airs grievances against NATO allies, makes clear he's still eyeing Greenland and weighs the U.S. military presence in Europe. Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses the challenges of navigating an unpredictable American president with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken and Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat. PBS N...

As the United States grew from a series of small colonies into a global superpower, it took bold, transformative steps on the world stage, but it has also stumbled. On this 250th anniversary, guest moderator William Brangham, Esther Brimmer, Michael Mandelbaum and Robert Zoellick examine America's global legacy and what history will teach us about President Trump's foreign policy. PBS News is supp...

Four months ago, the U.S. and Israel launched a joint war with a level of military and political integration rarely seen in history. But the U.S. is now unilaterally negotiating a memorandum of understanding with Iran. Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses the future of the U.S.-Israel alliance with former Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog, Danielle Pletka and Aaron David Miller. PBS Ne...

Russian President Vladimir Putin's iron grip on power is being challenged by the war in Ukraine and his government's authoritarian crackdowns. He finds himself in unfamiliar political territory, questioned by some of the country's elite and embarrassed by Ukraine's strikes into Russian cities. Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses the state of Russian politics with Arkady Ostrovsky. PBS...

Many supporters of Iran's revolution believed some form of democracy should govern the country. But over the decades, the Islamic Republic's radical religious rulers have launched brutal crackdowns on social justice and political freedom. Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses how the 1979 revolution failed to live up to its promise with Yeganeh Torbati and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin. PBS New...

With talks stalled and Iran maintaining its chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump is weighing whether to restart the war. Strikes failed to eliminate Iran's regime or destroy its military and nuclear capabilities, so is it time for the U.S. to reassess its strategy? Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses this with Sina Azodi, Justin Logan, Firas Maksad and Danielle Pletka....

Moscow started as a fort on a hill and has survived invasion, revolution, civil war and Soviet collapse to transform into a formidable world power. But with the limits of Russia's power tested in Ukraine, is history doomed to repeat itself? Nick Schifrin discusses how Moscow's complex past helps us understand the present with Simon Morrison, author of "A Kingdom and a Village." PBS News is support...

It's been 15 years since the U.S. found and killed the world's most notorious terrorist, Osama bin Laden. Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin continues last week's conversation with Mark Kelton, the CIA's station chief in Pakistan at the time, for more on the raid and its fallout. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

It has been 15 years since the historic Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden in retribution for the deadliest attack on U.S. soil. Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin gets an inside look at the dangerous operation — and the intelligence that led up to it — from the man who at the time led the CIA in Pakistan, where bin Laden met his demise. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/n...

President Trump is not the first to push the boundaries of his power as commander in chief. The law on war powers gives presidents 60 days to conduct military operations without congressional approval. That timeframe for Iran is about to end. Will Congress assert power and push back? Guest moderator Lisa Desjardins discusses that with former Sen. Ben Cardin and former Rep. Connie Mack IV. PBS News...

Vice President JD Vance makes his first major foray onto the world stage as America's top negotiator with Iran. He's the most prominent isolationist in the Trump administration and his assignment puts him front and center on an issue with enormous consequences. Compass Points guest moderator Lisa Desjardins discusses more with Heather Conley, Matthew Kroenig, Curt Mills and Jeffrey Rathke. PBS New...

President Trump finds an off-ramp to the five-week war in Iran, but at what cost? He began the week threatening Iran's "whole civilization." But when Pakistan presented a plan to temporarily halt hostilities, Trump embraced it. Can the U.S. and Iran make a long-term deal? Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses that with Danielle Pletka, Dana Stroul, Ray Takeyh and Alex Vatanka. PBS News...

Pope Leo XIV is the first American to lead the Catholic Church, and after nearly a year of advocating for the poor and cautiously opposing controversial U.S. policies, Leo is offering a more public contrast with Trump. Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses the pope's first year and what his recent criticism says with Joseph Capizzi, Father Thomas Reese, Annie Selak and Stephen White. PB...

The war against Iran is a fight that Israel has wanted for decades. How did Netanyahu convince President Trump to act? Can a war launched together be ended together? And is there a limit to the U.S.-Israeli partnership? Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses these questions with Ronen Bergman of The New York Times, one of the premier investigative journalists in the Middle East. PBS News...

The day after the U.S. and Israel began the war with Iran, President Trump said the strikes would last four to five weeks. Now, as the war begins its fourth week, Iran's regime is severely weakened, but is still retaliating. Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses where the war goes from here with Michael Doran, Miad Maleki, Vali Nasr and Dana Stroul. PBS News is supported by - https://ww...

The Iran war has spiked oil prices, triggered retaliatory strikes against Gulf neighbors and elevated a younger supreme leader. But will the regime survive? How will the war end? And were there military mistakes in the rush to launch the first strike? Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses the knowns and unknowns with Suzanne Maloney, Reuel Marc Gerecht, Ray Takeyh and Alex Vatanka. PBS...

The U.S. and Israel unleashed the region's largest conflict in more than two decades. As the Iran war expands, there are questions about how long the U.S. can sustain the war and what Trump's endgame could be. Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses what's at stake with Firas Maksad, Danielle Pletka, Wendy Sherman and Ray Takeyh. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/abo...

President Trump famously said that he would end Russia's war against Ukraine on "day one" of his return to the White House. Today, he is 13 months into his second term and the war is starting its fifth year. Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses the administration's strategy for ending the war and what's ahead with retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, the president's recent envoy to Ukraine....

The U.S.-China relationship affects national security and our pocketbooks. They are the world's most advanced militaries and largest economies. Now, China's increasingly authoritarian leadership is purging officials while portraying itself as more reliable than the U.S. Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses that with Kurt Campbell, Randall Schriver, Yun Sun and Mchael Swaine.  PBS News...

The Munich Security Conference is one of the world's key diplomatic gatherings. This year, a serious and almost shocking question hangs over the event: Is the United States still a reliable ally? Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin is in Munich and spoke with three leaders: NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand. PBS News i...

American-led diplomacy restarts as the war in Ukraine rages on and unprecedented attacks plunge Kyiv into cold and darkness. How long can Ukraine hold out? How long can Russia wage war? And why has Trump failed to find a path to peace? Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses that with Michael Kofman, Justin Logan, Angela Stent and Bill Taylor. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.or...

Iran is on notice as one of the U.S. military's largest aircraft carriers arrives in the Middle East after thousands of protesters were killed in a brutal crackdown. How vulnerable is the regime? And what are President Trump's options if he chooses to enforce his red line? Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses that with Firas Maksad, Vali Nasr, Behnam Ben Taleblu and Robin Wright. PBS N...

A framework for a deal, or an off-ramp? President Trump backs down after his aggressive efforts to acquire Greenland enraged and insulted allies. What's in the agreement, and how much damage to America's most important relationships has already been done? Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses that with Carla Sands, Sherri Goodman, Eric Edelman and Matthias Matthijs. PBS News is supporte...

Donald Trump, the disruptor. The president's first year back in office has been a year of breaking norms, snatching and bombing adversaries, pushing peace and threatening allies. Compass Points moderator Nick Schifrin discusses Trump's worldview and the rapidly changing global order with Victoria Coates, Kori Schake and Jennifer Kavanagh. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/abo...