Amanpour

First: Asked about Israel's expected incursion into Rafah, President Biden replied, "If they go into Rafah I'm not supplying the weapons they've used historically." Senator Chris Van Hollen gives us his reaction to this major policy shift. Plus: Ukrainian defense is being bombarded from the air as it waits for crucial military aid. We get the latest from General Ben Hodges. And: It's victory day in Russia as Putin begins his fifth term as president. But what's the mood like behind the pomp and propaganda? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The US pauses a bomb shipment to Israel over their potential use in the Rafah offensive. As fears of a wider war between Israel and Iran persist, so do the nuclear concerns. Bianna speaks with the head of the International Energy Agency. And as the world remembers the victims of the Holocaust, she's joined by a survivor of that atrocity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a ceasefire deal stalls, and fears of an Israeli incursion in Rafah, Bianna Golodryga speaks with Haretz journalist Amos Harel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just as today's show begins we receive breaking news that Hamas has accepted a ceasefire proposal by Egypt and Qatar which seeks to halt the seven-month war with Israel in Gaza. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We begin with the biggest anti-war protests on American college campuses since Vietnam. Christiane speaks with Afua Hirsch, a journalism professor at the University of Southern California, who questions whether some colleges really understand the concept of free speech. Also on today's show: Rabbi Sharon Brous, Columbia University professor Tim Wu, former Reagan Republican Robert Kagan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Paris to Sydney, students across the world are joining protests over the war in Gaza. Northwestern’s leader Michael Schill is one of the few who engaged with students and managed to strike a deal. The agreement is being hailed as a success by some, but also facing backlash. Schill joined the program from Evanston, Illinois. Also on today's show: Jodie Ginsberg, CEO, Committee to Protect Journalists; acclaimed photographer Platon; Brad Wilcox, Author, “Get Married” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

College campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war have been spreading across the United States, and more than 1,800 people have been arrested. While the demands by students vary somewhat, they are calling for a ceasefire, and many demand their colleges divest from companies that support Israel. Senator Bernie Sanders has been outspoken about these protests and he joined the program from Washington, DC. Also on today's show: Douglas Belkin, Higher Education Reporter, Wall Street Journal; author Sathnam Sanghera Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the US, police have again moved on campuses from coast to coast: over a thousand people have been arrested from more than 25 colleges. At the heart of it all is a mostly peaceful protest against a dire situation in Gaza and a deep dissatisfaction with US policy in the region. Rabbi Sharon Brous is the founder of IKAR, an influential progressive Jewish congregation in Los Angeles. Last week, she visited both Columbia and UCLA to visit the protests, and she speaks to Christiane from L.A. to share her experience. Also on today's show: Sanam Vakil, Director, Middle East and North Africa Program, Chatham House; Kenneth Stern, Director, Bard Center for the Study of Hate / Author, “The Conflict over the Conflict” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the fate of Israeli hostages and a Gaza ceasefire hangs in the balance. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told hostage families that, deal or no deal with Hamas, Israel's offensive on Rafah is going ahead. With the prospect of a ceasefire dim at best, even as the US Secretary of State crisscrosses the region, Christiane reached Riyad Mansour in New York. He's the Palestinian Observer to the UN, appointed by the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Also on today's show: author Robert Kagan; Stuart Stevens, Senior Adviser, The Lincoln Project Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hamas is set to meet negotiators in Cairo, as Egypt’s foreign minister calls for both sides to accept the proposal on the table: a two-step process over several weeks, involving hostage prisoner swaps, and some sort of pause in the fighting. But Israel has not yet agreed to the proposal, and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being urged by his extreme right flank to send troops into Rafah. Christiane Amanpour speaks with Amit Segal, a right-wing political analyst close to Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Also on today's show: Isabella Ramirez, Editor in Chief, Columbia University Daily Spectator; Cameron Russell, Author, "How to Make Herself Agreeable to Everyone" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Hallelujah.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba’s reaction, after the US finally approved military aid for its fight against Russia. But the six-month delay has cost countless lives, and hard-fought territory. Kuleba tells Christiane that "the era of peace in Europe is over." Meanwhile, the struggle of balancing free speech with safety is roiling colleges across the US. Salman Rushdie knows the importance of free speech better than most, since he nearly lost his life defending it. Our Letter from London this week features one of the world’s best-known photographers. Platon has spent decades up close and personal with the most influential figures of our era. From the Amanpour Archive this week, 30-years to the day since Nelson Mandela cast his first ever vote, we revisit an inspirational conversation with his private secretary Zelda La Grange. And finally, from hostage to hero: remembering American journalist Terry Anderson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

They were scenes of utter desperation and chaos: thousands of Afghans crowded outside Kabul’s airport, as American troops withdrew and the Taliban swept the country in August 2021. In a congressional hearing last month, former Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley blamed the State Apartment for note ordering what’s known as a “noncombatant evacuation operation” sooner. It ended in tragedy for many at the airport, when an ISIS-K suicide attack killed more than 180 people, including 13 US servicepeople. For two years, the US military has maintained that these deaths were all from that single explosion – but new video evidence shows that there was far more gunfire than the Pentagon has ever admitted. Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh has this special report. Also on today's show: actor Michael Stuhlbarg & Director Rupert Goold, "Patriots"; author Michael Arceneaux Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

America’s legal system is once again being tested by former President Donald Trump, who is accused of breaking multiple laws in multiple jurisdictions. In New York, his trial over alleged hush money payments continues today. At the same time, the Supreme Court hears oral arguments over his claim of presidential immunity. Emily Bazelon is a lecturer at Yale Law School and writes for New York Times Magazine. She joins Christiane to break this all down. Also on today's show: Rose Gottemoeller, Former NATO Deputy Secretary-General; UK Labour MP Harriet Harman; Kate Manne, Author, "Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After six months of Republican obstruction, President Biden today signed into law a massive foreign aid package with nearly $61 billion earmarked for Ukraine. But the months of inaction highlighted Ukraine’s vulnerability to western politics, as well as a worrying shortfall in defense production across NATO. That's why British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to lift UK defense spending by almost a hundred billion dollars, investing 2.5% of GDP by 2030. Labour MP David Lammy could become the country's next foreign secretary and he's making a case for what he calls “progressive realism.” He joins Christiane to discuss. Also on today's show: author Salman Rushdie; Anne Applebaum, Staff Writer, The Atlantic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to worsen. Amidst this crisis the US, the UK and others are still withholding funding to UNRWA, the main relief agency there. This was in response to Israel’s claims that some UNRWA staff members took part in the Hamas atrocities of October 7th. An independent review headed up by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has concluded that UNRWA’s neutrality must be strengthened. She joins Christiane from New York to discuss her findings. Also on today's show: David Vardanyan, whose father is imprisoned in Azerbaijan; historian Doris Kearns Goodwin; Ukranian conductor Oksana Lyniv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Opening arguments were heard today in the first ever criminal trial of an American president, as a jury of twelve detainees determines whether Donald Trump engaged in 2016 election interference over the payment of hush money to an alleged lover. This is happening just six months from the 2024 election where he is vying to get his old job back. Foes and allies of the United States around the world will be watching closely. To discuss all this, Christiane is joined by foreign policy experts Kori Schake and Nathalie Tocci. Also on today's show: climate reporter/author Abrahm Lustgarten; Palestinian and Ukrainian Refugee / Peace Ambassador for One Young World Zoya El-Miari Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We begin the show with the wider war nobody wants and the chain reaction playing out in the Middle East. With Israel and Iran’s decades-long shadow war now playing out in the open, the rules of engagement are being completely re-written. Christiane spoke to Britain’s former top spy John Sawers about the volatile situation. Meanwhile, in the absence of vital US aid for Ukraine, other allies are stepping in to fill the vacuum. The Czech Republic is now leading an international effort to deliver a million and a half artillery shells to Ukraine within a year. Czech President Petr Pavel - a former army general, and senior NATO official – joins Christiane from Prague. The world's biggest democratic exercise is underway in India as nearly a billion eligible voters decide whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi deserves a third term. CNN’s Will Ripley explains what’s at stake for this crucial US ally. Ukrainian Maestro Oksana Lyniv is a classical music trailblazer with a passion for conducting shaped by her life and the war in her homeland. Christiane met her at the New York Metropolitan Opera. From the Amanpour Archive this week, we revisit Christiane’s conversations with the stakeholders at the center of the aborted 2015 nuclear deal, which would have reshaped the Middle East as we know it. And, with military aid locked up in congress, Ukraine’s air defense crisis deepens by the day and Putin is pressing the advantage. Christiane asks Donald Trump's former Defense Secretary Mark Esper if he thinks GOP holdouts have fallen victim to Putin’s propaganda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just before sunrise in Iran, an Israeli strike targeted a military airbase in Isfahan, a retaliation against Tehran for attacking Israel over the weekend. Iran’s attack was itself a retaliation for an Israeli strike in Syria which killed several Iranian commanders. To discuss all this, retired Israeli General Amos Yadlin, former Head of Israeli Defense Intelligence, joins the show from Tel Aviv. Also on today's show: Ray Takeyh, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; 2022 Nobel Prize Laureate, Ukrainian human rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk; climate expert/author Bill Weir Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a make-or-break moment for Ukraine, as the US Congress looks closer than ever to finally pushing through its long-stalled aid package. Without US support, Ukraine has had to rely on other allies – including the Czech Republic, which has pioneered an effort to buy ammunition for Kyiv from third countries. Last week, President Zelensky met with Czech President Petr Pavel in Vilnius. Since his election just over a year ago, Pavel has been one of the most outspoken European leaders on countering Russian aggression, warning that “if Ukraine fails, so will we.” As a former top NATO general, he knows the military realities and the threats from Russia better than most, and he joined the program from Prague. Also on today's show: David Sanger, Author, “New Cold Wars”; Grammy award-winning composer Terence Blanchard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Israel continues its war on Gaza, a strike on a refugee camp on Tuesday killed at least 13 people. Over half were children, according to hospital officials. The latest UN figures show that one child is injured or dies every 10 minutes there. Amongst all this, over the weekend in Gaza rumours of Palestinians being allowed to return home turned deadly. International correspondent Jomana Karadsheh reports on the chaos that unfolded as people attempted to go back north. Also on today’s show: Tamir Hayman, Former IDF intelligence chief; Tareq Abu Azzoum, Correspondent, Al Jazeera English; Akbar Shahid Ahmed, Senior Diplomatic Correspondent, HuffPost Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices