Amanpour

America’s best days lie ahead – that’s the message President Biden has tried to relay in recent days. But many Americans don’t agree: a staggering 85% say the country is headed in the wrong direction, amid constant mass shootings, a cost-of-living crisis, the erosion of rights, and ongoing threats to democracy. Abroad, its key ally Britain is in turmoil, while China is growing ever more ambitious, and Ukraine depends on the US to help defend the liberal world order. President Zelensky is praising western-supplied weapons as “working very powerfully,” but it’s clear he needs more, especially fighter aircraft. The importance of winning the skies has been largely overlooked, so in today's show we turn to an expert. Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. is chief of staff for the US Air Force and the first Black officer to lead a branch of the military. Now, he’s focused on reforming the institution, and he speaks with Christiane from the Pentagon.  Also on today's show: actor David Harbour (Stranger Things); author Helen Zia (Last Boat out of Shanghai).To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

In the end, it took nearly 60 government resignations, more personal scandals than one can count, and a painful amount of drama and dysfunction. But the moment finally came today when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he would step down – except he wants to stay on until his successor is chosen, which could be months from now. He painted his legacy in terms of getting Brexit done, the Covid vaccine rollout, and Britain’s support for Ukraine. But Johnson’s time in office will surely also be remembered for the tsunami of self-inflicted crises, breaking the law over Partygate, and his many attempts to cling onto power. Alistair Burt served under Boris Johnson at the UK Foreign Office and joins the show to discuss.  Also on today's show: CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, historians Catherine Haddon and Simon Schama.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A major political crisis is underway in the United Kingdom. “Keep Calm and Carry On” seems to be Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s continuing motto, despite yet another scandal, top ministerial resignations, losing recent local elections, and plunging popularity. One snap poll conducted today found that seven out of 10 adults want Johnson to resign. And yet again, the familiar question: how long can he cling on? It’s a playbook Americans know well; just like Donald Trump, Boris Johnson has stepped far out of mainstream expectations for a political leader and flung up such volumes of scandal, overloading the news cycle and the public. But the old Boris razzle dazzle is wearing thin in Westminster and in the country at large, as voters grapple with the cost of living crisis and transit strikes amid a deficit of good governance. As more and more of Boris Johnson’s own MPs urge him to resign, we dedicate the hour to this very British scandal.  Featuring: Former Conservative Party MP Rory Stewart, CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson, Open Society Foundations President Mark Malloch-Brown, Former Communications Director for Tony Blair Alastair Campbell, historian Margaret MacMillan.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The last city under Ukrainian control in the Luhansk region has fallen. It’s both a strategic and a symbolic win for Moscow, which vowed to “liberate” the Donbas region – the eastern part of Ukraine where the conflict with Russian-backed separatists first started in 2014. Ukraine’s military now says Russian forces are preparing renewed offensives towards cities in the Donetsk region, the other part of the Donbas still controlled by Kyiv. As Ukraine’s control of the region crumbles, Phil Black reports from Siversk in the Donbas.  Also on today's show: Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, singer/songwriter Carole King, personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

When Britain handed Hong Kong back to China 25 years ago, ending more than 150 years of colonial rule, the city was set to be governed under the “one country, two systems” model – allowing it to retain democracy and freedom of speech, unlike in mainland China. But it wasn’t long before Beijing started chipping away at that promise. Correspondent Kristie Lu Stout looks at what’s left of the territory’s autonomy, followed by Christiane's interview with Chris Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong.  Also on today's show: Indie rock star turned bestselling author Michelle Zauner; Global Health Professor Kristie Ebi. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its fifth month, constant reminders emerge that it’s being mostly waged against soft targets: civilians. Today President Zelensky called the attack on a shopping center “one of the most defiant terrorist acts in European history.” Search and rescue operations continue, but at least 18 people are confirmed dead. The Russians cling to their familiar line, that their missile strike targeted “western weapons and ammunition.” President Zelensky says the enemy has marked him as target number one, and his family as number two. But neither he nor First Lady Olena Zelenska is cowering in fear. Like him, she’s busy on many fronts, rallying the world to Ukraine’s cause, supporting her people during this devastating war, and being a mother to two children. Zelenska met her husband when they were just kids, and in a TV exclusive from Kyiv, she tells Christiane that their relationship is necessarily on pause, like so many other families fighting for their nation’s survival.  Also on today's show: former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe Richard Shirreff; Karissa Haugeberg, author of Women Against Abortion.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NATO leaders are hailing the Madrid summit as a victory for the alliance, as it is set to welcome two new members and significantly beef up its deterrent posture in Europe. But while the shifts are undoubtedly historic, the real test for the alliance is in Ukraine, where Russia continues to encircle and pound cities in the Donbas region. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has been key to getting members across the finish line in Madrid, and Christiane spoke with him as the summit concluded.  Also on today's show: US Senate Democrat Chris Coons; Jamal Greene, author of How Rights Went Wrong.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NATO leaders are gathered in Madrid for the most consequential meeting in the organization’s history. The summit kicked off by enlarging the alliance, giving Putin more NATO, not less: when Sweden and Finland become NATO member states, it will lengthen Russia’s border with the alliance by 800 miles. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says this move proves Putin is failing – but danger remains as Russian forces continue to dominate in eastern Ukraine. Christiane discusses all this and more with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.  Also on today's show: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez; author Jason Stanley (How Fascism Works).To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices