Today, the White House barred U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondlanda, a key witness, from testifying to Congress over the Ukraine scandal. Chris Ruddy is a media mogul and close friend of the president, and he joins the program to dissect Trump’s thinking and approach to the impeachment investigation.

President Trump is facing a bipartisan backlash, not over Ukraine, but his decision to pull U.S. troops from northern Syria. To some, it’s seen as an abandonment of the Kurds who fought for the U.S. in the battle against ISIS. Turkish forces, who view Kurds as terrorists, want to move into the territory and push them out. Peter Galbraith joins the program fresh from traveling to Syria himself.

Pioneering research is now finding that adversity or trauma experienced in childhood not only affects the mental health of adults, but could also be harmful to physical health. California Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris has devoted her career to this research and written a book on the subject. She sits down with Michel to explain how early life experiences can shape one's body.

The climate protest group Extinction Rebellion says it has gone global today, with protests deliberately aimed to cause disruption in major cities worldwide. Jack Harries was arrested in climate protests earlier this year, and he joins the program alongside environment lawyer-turned-protester Farhana Yamin to discuss the demands of Extinction Rebellion activists.

President Trump calls it a witch hunt, but with a second whistleblower coming forward over the controversial call with the Ukrainian president, an impeachment inquiry is gathering steam. Leon Panetta has served as CIA Director, White House Chief of Staff, and Secretary of Defense, and joins the program to assess the situation and the implications for U.S. foreign policy.

Martin Kemp is Professor Emeritus of Art History at the University of Oxford, and his book "Leonardo by Leonardo" presents a stunning gallery of the master's paintings alongside Kemp's own insights, as well as the reflections of Leonardo himself. Kemp sits with Walter Isaacson, who himself wrote a highly acclaimed biography of Leonardo, to compare notes about the great man.

Chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company Bob Iger has been called one of the most successful CEOs in America, but his time may soon be coming to an end. Iger says he'll leave Disney in 2021, but before then, he is opening up about his journey in a new memoir "The Ride of a Lifetime." He joins Christiane to discuss Disney and his own personal struggles in his rise to the top.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed has overcome poverty and tragedy to build a political career that’s gone from strength to strength. Like many big city mayors, she’s struggling with challenges like rising homelessness and has even gone toe to toe with President Trump over the issue. She sits down with Michel in San Francisco.

Kashmir, the disputed territory between India and Pakistan, is once again a flashpoint between the nuclear neighbors, after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stripped the territory of its autonomous status, imposed a curfew, and cut off millions of Kashmiris. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan joins the program in New York to discuss this crisis, as well as other challenges facing Pakistan.

Ta-Nehisi Coates’ award-winning books have put him at the heart of the public square, from non-fiction like “Between the World and Me," to comic books like “Black Panther.” Now, Coates ventures into literary fiction with his first novel “The Water Dancer," which uses magical realism to tell the disturbing story of the underground railroad. He joins the program to explain his vision.

As journalists fight for their freedom and safety around the world, that same fight continues for women. Mona Eltahawy is an Egyptian American journalist and activist, and a pioneer of #MosqueMeToo, which brought the #MeToo movement to the Muslim world. She joins Michel Martin to explain her book “The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls,” which calls for a radical challenge to the status quo.

Today, journalism faces unprecedented threats. This week a particularly alarming case came to light: A. G. Sulzberger, publisher of the New York Times, revealed how the Trump administration may have actively withheld information that one of its reporters faced arrest while reporting in Egypt. The reporter at the heart of that case joins the program to explain.

Today, the threat of impeachment facing President Trump took center stage on Capitol Hill, as a redacted version of the whistle-blower complaint that triggered these proceedings was made public. Antony Blinken was previously Deputy National Security Adviser, and now is foreign policy adviser to Joe Biden, and he joins the program from Washington to react to this extraordinary day.

On Capitol Hill today, acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire gave testimony about the Ukraine whistleblower case, and went so far as to call these events unprecedented. John McLaughlin knows the US security apparatus better than almost anyone else, and joins the program to react to the latest events and Maguire’s testimony to Congress.

In his latest film, British director Orlando von Einsiedel turns the camera on himself. "Evelyn"—named after his brother who took his own life 14 years ago—is a moving portrait that looks at a family dealing with loss and grief. He tells Hari Sreenivasan why, despite the perilous locations of his previous films, his latest work was by far his most challenging.

Today is a pivotal moment in U.S. history. The White House has released a transcript of President Trump's now infamous phone call between President Trump and the President of Ukraine. It confirms Trump pushed Ukraine to investigate the son of former Vice President—and possible 2020 presidential rival—Joe Biden. Barbara Boxer and Elie Honig join the show to discuss.

Uber has radically changed the way we travel, the way we socialize and the way we eat. But the Silicon Valley behemoth is a controversial company; it's losing billions of dollars and has come in for huge criticism for everything from its treatment of its drivers to its sometime fractious relations with city authorities around the world. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi joins Christiane to discuss.

McKinsey & Company is the world’s most powerful consulting firm, whispering in the ears of companies and governments around the world. But in the past year it has come under fire for both its involvement in the opioid epidemic and its work with Saudi Arabia. Walter sits down with McKinsey’s global managing partner Kevin Sneader to talk through the controversies.

Today, world leaders gather in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly, but as President Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson appear before the world, they both face major crises at home, with controversies that call into question their commitment to the rule of law and to democracy itself. Jane Harman and Gérard Araud join Christiane Amanpour to give their perspectives.

The primary focus of this year’s UN General Assembly is undoubtedly the climate crisis. Young people around the world have been demanding action, much of it driven by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg. As pressure continues to build, Christiane speaks with former Vice President Al Gore about the momentum for finally tackling this crisis.