Amanpour

Exposing autocracies is Nicaragua and Russia  It’s a dirty trick used by autocracies across the world: taking their would-be opposition off the street and throwing them in jail, stopping any other presidential candidacy from taking root. Tonight, we look at Nicaragua and Russia, where those tactics have been employed by the countries’ rulers. First, to Nicaragua, where President Daniel Ortega’s drive to stay in power has grown increasingly repressive over the years. He’s put hundreds of political prisoners behind bars, but on Thursday – in a surprise and cynical move – he simply got rid of them. 222 prisoners were freed and then essentially deported to the United States, stripped of their citizenship and banned from ever running for public office. Among them were Julian Sebastian Chamorro and Felix Maradiaga. They both had presidential ambitions, before being put behind bars, and they join the show from DC.  Next, to Russia, and another imprisoned democracy activist: opposition leader Alexey Navalny. Few people know Navalny better than our next guest, Maria Pevchikh, who has worked with him for a decade and was with him in Siberia when he was poisoned.   Also on today's show: Derek Kilmer and William Timmons from the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The US, the UK and Europe are condemning the Israeli government’s plans to permit 10,000 new settlement units in the occupied West Bank, arguing it will “undermine efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution.” It’s just the latest as Israel’s new far-right coalition faces a barrage of criticism, including from Washington – normally Israel’s staunchest ally. Tens of thousands of protesters have been in the streets of Jerusalem this week to protest the proposed judicial reforms, and correspondent Hadas Gold brings us her report from the ground.  Also on today's show: Exclusive interview with Yael German, former Israeli ambassador to France; Robert Ford, former US ambassador to Syria; Bill Browder, Hermitage Capital Management CEO To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

More than 36,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured by the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria one week ago. There’s anger at the pace of rescue and aid, especially in Syria, already ravaged by the civil war – President Bashar al Assad is accused of limiting humanitarian efforts in areas that were already devastated by Syrian and Russian bombings. Of course, Russia has been focusing its own firepower on Ukraine more recently, also striking critical infrastructure in that country. Indeed, more than 65,000 war crimes have been reported in Ukraine, with the western alliance committing to investigations and accountability. Beth Van Schaack is U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice and joins the program from a major refugee camp in Bangladesh.  Also on today's show: Chinese superstar pianist Lang Lang; Kristofer Goldsmith, Founder, Task Force Butler Institute To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christiane is in Washington DC, where today the US and Brazilian presidents meet to kickstart a new relationship after the divisive Trump and Bolsonaro era. Joe Biden and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva agree they need to bolster democracy, advance human rights and tackle climate change – but there’s tough work ahead. Lula has staged a stunning return to power after his first presidency ended in 2010 and he was jailed. In an exclusive conversation, Lula tells Christiane he is confident “democracy will prevail.”  Also on today's show: US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby; author Tara Bynum To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Europe is welcoming Ukraine’s President Zelensky today with open arms, applauding the wartime leader even as he pushes them to provide more powerful weapons. It’s been nearly one year now since Vladimir Putin brazenly tried to take Kyiv and the rest of Ukraine, but in reality, the Russian offensive has been going on for much longer than that. It was nine years ago in 2014 that Putin invaded and annexed Crimea, spurring an international crisis. Catherine Ashton was Europe’s foreign policy chief at the time. Her new book is And Then What?: Inside Stories of 21st Century Diplomacy, and she speaks with Christiane about Putin’s tactics then and now.  Also on today's show: actor Ian McKellen, journalist Julia Ioffe. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The death toll in Turkey and Syria after Monday’s earthquake is rising, though survivors – including children – are still emerging from the rubble. Correspondent Salma Abdelaziz reports on the desperate efforts to get more help for the already war-torn Syria.  Also on today's show: David Miliband, Former UK Foreign Secretary; Nasrin Sotoudeh, Iranian human rights lawyer; Martin Wolf, Author, “The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a race against time in Turkey and in Syria where a massive magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on Monday. Rescue teams are working around the clock in freezing conditions, trying to find survivors, with the emotion sometimes too much to bear. With more than 6,300 dead and counting, plus over 26,000 injured, it is a daunting task – but nobody is giving up. The world is coming together to help – even Ukraine is sending emergency personnel, and neighboring Greece is jumping into the fray despite sky high political tensions between Athens and Ankara. Sherine Ibrahim is the country director of CARE in Turkey, and she joins the show from Gaziantep, where people are sleeping in cars for fear of further aftershocks. CNN anchor Becky Anderson also joins the show with more on the rescue efforts on the ground.  Also on today's show: Toluse Olorunnipa, White House Bureau Chief, The Washington Post; John Hickenlooper, US Senate Democrat; Edward Berger, Co-writer and director, “All Quiet on the Western Front” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The death toll was more than 2,500 and was expected to continue rising after a mammoth 7.8 earthquake -- one of the region's largest in a century -- shook Turkey and neighboring Syria Monday. Correspondent Jomana Karadsheh has the latest. Her report is followed by an interview with Janez Lenarčič, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management.  Also on today's show: Gen. Philip Breedlove (Ret.), former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe; Evelyn Farkas, former US Deputy. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia/Ukraine/Eurasia; Lisa Guerrero, author, “Warrior: My Path to Being Brave” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michelle Yeoh is no fan of glass ceilings. Neither her age, nor her nationality, nor her gender can stop her from taking Hollywood by storm. Fresh off a Golden Globe award for her virtuoso performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once, Yeoh leads the list of contenders for this year’s Best Actress Oscar. Her star vehicle is an idiosyncratic movie about a Chinese laundromat owner thrust into a mission to save all possible universes. Yeoh joins Christiane in London to discuss the film and her action-packed career.  Also on today's show: authors Jihyun Park & Seh-Lynn Chai; Emmy-award winner Eddie Izzard To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The European Central Bank and the Bank of England have raised interest rates again, one day after a similar move by the US Federal Reserve. But amid those big players, Britain seems in particular trouble, with the International Monetary Fund warning it will be the only major economy to shrink in 2023. In the UK, the pain and anger poured into the streets on Wednesday when the country saw its biggest strikes in a decade, with as many as half a million workers walking out, from transport to teachers. There’s little light at the end of the tunnel, with a cost-of-living crisis forcing around four million children into poverty. Correspondent Nada Bashir was there on "walkout Wednesday."  Also on today's show: Shevaun Haviland, Director General, British Chambers of Commerce; Stephanie Flanders, Senior Executive Editor, Bloomberg; Gina Prince-Bythewood; Director, “The Woman King”; Yascha Mounk; Author, “The Great Experiment” To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices