Amanpour and Company

News and Public Affairs Series / 2 Seasons

Featuring conversations with global leaders and decision makers on the issues affecting the world today, Amanpour and Company adds to the long tradition of public affairs programming that has been a hallmark of public media for decades.

Watch: S2023 E6121

26m 46s

When Crack Was King: The Effects of a Misunderstood Era

18m 8s

Life in the United States was blighted by the crack epidemic of the 1980s, which devastated communities and defined a generation. "When Crack Was King," a new book by journalist Donovan Ramsey, takes apart many of the misconceptions surrounding the crack era. The author joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the scale of the problem and the role played by race.

Inside Russia’s Wagner Group: “Maximum Horror"

16m 46s

Known for fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, staging an armed uprising against the Kremlin and supporting coups in Africa, the Wagner mercenary group's next target might be the West. So says The New Yorker's Joshua Yaffa. In a recent piece on the Wagner Group, Yaffa interviewed conscripts as well as members of the Russian ruling class. He shares his alarming conclusions.

20 Days in Mariupol: “Nightmare You Cannot Wake Up From"

18m 14s

The key Ukrainian port city of Mariupol was besieged soon after Russia’s invasion started. A team from The Associated Press were the only international reporters to remain in the city when fighting broke out. What they witnessed made headlines globally and exposed the atrocities being committed by Russian forces. Mstyslav Chernov retells what he saw in conversation with Hari Sreenivasan.

The Human Toll of Red Tape in Healthcare

17m 25s

Dr. Chavi Eve Karkowsky is a maternal-fetal physician. In a new essay for the New York Times, she argues that “administrative burden” is putting undue stress on the U.S. healthcare system. Dr. Karkowsky tells Michel Martin how red tape complicates access to care and endangers lives.

Lessons From Women Who Served in WWII

17m 56s

In her new book, military analyst Lena Andrews looks at American women in uniform during World War II. Some 350,000 American women enlisted, but their contribution to the war effort -- from D-Day to victory -- has long been overlooked. Andrews joins Walter Isaacson to discuss the women's auxiliary forces and their service to their country.

Korea’s Jeju Women Fight for Survival Against Climate Change

16m 4s

Too often, the worst effects of climate change are experienced by those who contribute to it the least. Few people feel this more deeply than the Haenyeo women of Jeju Island. This community of women has been diving for generations and they’re witnessing first hand how the climate crisis is destroying the very ecosystem they depend on, putting everything they know and love at great risk.

What New Antitrust Guidelines Mean for Americans

17m 15s

There are bold new moves underway in the U.S. to scrutinize blockbuster business deals and ensure they are in the interest of consumers and the wider economy. Assistant attorney general Jonathan Kanter and FTC chair Lina Khan join Walter to discuss the new proposed merger and acquisition guidelines released last week, and how they are calculated to protect market competition.

WIll AI Help or Hurt the News Business?

5m 10s

In a world where it’s increasingly hard to discern fact from fiction, Hari Sreenivasan and Christiane Amanpour discuss the ethical dilemmas of A.I., and why it’s more important than ever to keep real journalists in the game.

Expert Roundtable on the Rise of AI

5m 50s

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. To assess all this, Christiane hosts a panel of leaders in the field of AI.

Miles Taylor: Trump 2nd Term Would Focus Solely on Revenge

17m 58s

Miles Taylor is a former Trump staffer turned anonymous whistleblower who called attention to the former president’s misconduct while in office. Now Taylor is openly sounding the alarm about the possibility of a second Trump term. Taylor's new book "Blowback" is the product of almost 100 conversations with former Trump staffers. The author speaks with Michel Martin about his book.

New Doc Highlights the Influence of Negro League Baseball

18m 18s

When major league baseball banned African American athletes at the end of the 19th century, Black players created their own league. Its success and popularity is the focus of the new documentary "The League." Its acclaimed director, Sam Pollard, speaks with Walter Isaacson about how these players changed the game – and transformed the country.

Affirmative Action, Legacy & the Power of Elite Colleges

18m 2s

Since the Supreme Court’s controversial decision to end affirmative action, colleges are now being pressured to stop legacy admissions – a process that historically has benefited white, wealthy activists. Harvard economic professor Raj Chetty recently investigated this practice and the consequences of such highly selective admissions and discusses his findings with Hari Sreenivasan.

SCOTUS’ Student Loan Decision and Biden’s Plan B

17m 21s

After a SCOTUS ruling that struck down most of President Biden's student debt relief program, loan interest resumes on September 1st this year, with payments starting in October. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimates that one in five student loan borrowers will struggle to make payments once the pause ends. Author Paco de Leon discuss how people will be impacted by these changes.

Kai Bird on the Triumph and Tragedy of Robert Oppenheimer

18m 48s

Christopher Nolan’s epic film "Oppenheimer" lands in cinemas on Friday. It tells the story of the 1945 “Trinity test” in New Mexico, where the world’s first nuclear device was successfully detonated. The screenplay is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography "American Prometheus," written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Bird speaks about the triumph and tragedy of Robert Oppenheimer.

Amalgamated Bank CEO: Banks Can Help “Alleviate Problems"

17m 37s

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is downplaying recession fears, pointing to the strong labor market and easing inflation. Priscilla Sims Brown is the CEO of Amalgamated Bank – one of the few unionized banks in the country – and she joins Walter Isaacson to discuss its commitment to social and economic justice and the state of the economy.

Hollywood Star: Crypto Represents the “Golden Age of Fraud"

18m 15s

The world of cryptocurrency is deeply flawed. That’s according to Ben McKenzie, best known for his starring roles in TV shows "The O.C." and "Gotham." He has since made an unexpected career change. As co-author of a new book investigating the rise and fall of digital currencies, McKenzie joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss his conclusions.

Central Park Birder on "the Incident" and Beauty of Birding

18m 14s

Christian Cooper is a passionate birdwatcher who went viral after he was on the receiving end of a racially charged incident in Central Park. He is now turning one of his darkest days into a platform for education. Cooper, in his new memoir, details how a life of bird watching prepared him for that infamous incident. He discusses unexpected fame, and his love for the natural world.

Want to Fix the Government? Fix the Code

17m 20s

Jennifer Pahlka’s new book,“Recoding America,” takes a hard look at how the U.S. is falling short in the digital age. Pahlka talks to Walter about the difference between putting policy down on paper and putting it into practice -- and ways in which government inaction is hurting everyday Americans.

Mortality From Climate Change 15x Higher In Developing World

18m 19s

The European Space Agency is predicting this year will see some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded. A new report shows last year’s European heat wave caused nearly 62,000 deaths. Dr. Hoesung Lee chairs the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the U.N. body tasked with advancing scientific knowledge on the climate crisis. Lee joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss these startling figures.

Govt Communication With Social Media Is Not Censorship

18m 17s

Back in 2022 Nina Jankowicz was briefly the face of the U.S. effort to tackle disinformation -- before the Disinformation Governance Board was dissolved amid a storm of right-wing outrage accusing the Board of censoring conservative speech. Jankowicz talks to Michel Martin about becoming a target of conspiracy campaigns.

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