Q&A: Trump's plunging ratings, Vance vs Rubio & Israel without Bibi?

Is Pete Hegseth already plotting an exit strategy? Christiane & Jamie respond to a question about whether the Defense Secretary - aka Secretary of War - might run for a Tennessee Senate seat to get ahead of the impeachment threat after the Midterms. They explain whether walking away from the Pentagon would really put him beyond the reach of Democratic investigators and the possibility that Trump could use him as a scapegoat for the Iran War. Christiane also opens up for the first time on what she hopes the future holds for her after an epic 43 years at CNN... Christiane reflects on more than four decades at the network, and goes into detail about what she wants to focus on next. Plus: what is NATO's role when leaders like Netanyahu and Putin stand accused of war crimes against civilians - and why do those leaders remain so hard to arrest? Christiane and Jamie also examine whether Iraq has become a failed state, with US, Israeli and Iranian hostilities unravelling a fragile recovery. And lastly, why does Turkey escape condemnation over its treatment of the Kurds in Syria, and should NATO still be holding meetings there? Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode. Follow us on social media @amanpourpod For more content, please follow us: Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpod X: https://x.com/AmanpourPod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-Presents BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social

This week's historic elections in Israel are the first time the country has voted since the October 7th attacks, and the election may ultimately turn on a single question: will voters hold accountable the politicians responsible for the security failings which led to that atrocity? Christiane and Jamie look at Netanyahu's fight for survival and the challenge from Gadi Eisenkot, and ask whether security is now the only issue on the ballot, with almost every prominent party sitting on the right. They also ask: if Netanyahu loses, does anything actually change? Can Israel be brought back in from the international cold, or will the alternative mean more of the same in Gaza and the West Bank? Did Trump's endorsement of Netanyahu move a single vote? And is it time for the US to reappraise its relationship with Israel, regardless of who the next Prime Minister is? Then: was Pete Hegseth's recent meeting with Netanyahu a precursor to a new round of the US-Israeli war with Iran? Is that conflict likely to restart as soon as the Midterms are out of the way? Christiane also has her say on some of Trump's controversial and bizarre recent public statements, ranging from Islamophobic remarks about Abdul El Sayed to his comments about the muscles and the backsides of Republican candidates. Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode. Follow us on social media @amanpourpod For more content, please follow us: Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpod X: https://x.com/AmanpourPod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-Presents BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social

Are protests in France spiralling out of control, or do they point to a deeper breakdown in trust between the public and its political leaders? Christiane and Tina examine what lies behind the unrest and what it reveals about France's political climate. They also look at America's relationships with its allies. Can the US rebuild their trust, or will repairing the damage require more than a change of president? And how dependent is Ukraine on Elon Musk's Starlink network to coordinate military operations and maintain its advantage against Russia? Plus, Sally Rooney says she can no longer sell her books in the UK because of her support for Palestine Action. Does this raise serious questions about freedom of expression? Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode. Follow us on social media @amanpourpod For more content, please follow us: Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpod X: https://x.com/AmanpourPod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-Presents BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social

After Katie Zacharia lasted just 5 days as White House Press Secretary, Christiane and Tina Brown ask: is this story part of a wider pattern that shows Trump and his administration have a problem with women? They discuss why Zacharia was given a job she was never qualified for in the first place, whether she was treated more harshly than her incompetent male colleagues, and whether Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles could be the next high profile woman in the Trump team to lose her job. Christiane and Tina are also joined by Kai Bird, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, to talk about his recent biography of Trump's mentor, Roy Cohn. They examine the influence Cohn had on a young Trump, and how much of that influence is still in evidence today. Plus, Christiane reacts to Trump's continued approach of criticising President Zelensky, while try to flatter and do business with Vladimir Putin. You can read Tina's Substack 'Fresh Hell' here. Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files is a Global production, available every Tuesday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode. Follow us on social media @amanpourpod For more content, please follow us: Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpod X: https://x.com/AmanpourPod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-Presents BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social

Why has JD Vance condemned the idea of livestreaming Nidal Hasan’s execution, and what does it reveal about divisions within the Republican Party? Christiane and Jamie examine the debate and how it sits alongside the party’s stance on the right to life.