Amanpour

It's day 223 of Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine and the president is upping the ante. It’s believed he will move this week to annex the areas under Russian occupation, after claiming an overwhelming mandate in sham referendums there. Ukraine, Europe and the US reject the whole process and Kyiv says Putin will try to make residents there fight for the Russian military. Meanwhile inside Russia, people – mostly men – are voting with their feet: they continue to flee the country in droves, desperate to avoid Putin’s forced mobilization, as Melissa Bell reports. 

Also on today's show: former US National Security Council Senior Director Fiona Hill; Jennifer Egan, author of The Candy House; AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.

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It’s just six weeks until the midterm elections, which often sees the party in power get a “shellacking,” as President Obama once put it. Democrats are bracing for a result that could cost them all or part of Congress and reduce President Biden’s power. The Senate's longest-tenured member, Democrat Patrick Leahy is set to retire after 48 years in Congress. He joins the show from Capitol Hill. 

Also on today's show: Raffaele Trombetta, Italian Ambassador to the UK; Luke Mogelson, author of The Storm Is Here: An American Crucible.

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For ten straight days protests have engulfed many parts of Iran, the most widespread since the Green Revolution of 2009. State media and human rights groups say dozens have been killed in the violence so far. Despite internet restrictions and the harsh reaction of security forces, the protests show no sign of abating. In fact, they’re spreading – demonstrations took place outside Iranian embassies in London and Paris over the weekend. To discuss, Christiane speaks with Marjane Satrapi, the French-Iranian author best known for her illustrated memoir Persepolis, about growing up in Iran during the revolution. 

Also on today's show: Chile's new President Gabriel Boric; Joshua Prager, author of The Family Roe: An American Story.

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“A sham.” That is what Ukrainian and western officials are calling the so-called referendums underway in four occupied regions of Ukraine on whether to become part of Russia. There are reports of coercion and threats, and ballots are being delivered to people’s houses. The votes are expected to pave the way for annexation of large chunks of territory. Crucially, this would allow President Putin to claim that the western alliance is in direct confrontation with his country. It all comes as Russians are fleeing the country by land and by air in droves – after the Kremlin ordered hundreds of thousands of reservists to join the fight. Australia’s foreign minister says her government is considering expelling the Russian ambassador over Putin’s nuclear threats. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also says she encouraged her Chinese counterpart to help end the conflict in Ukraine when she met with him at the United Nations on Thursday. She joins Christiane outside the UN to discuss. 

Also on today's show: Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko; author/humorist Andy Borowitz; Amir Nizar Zuabi, Artistic Director of The Walk. 

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Women in Iran are ripping off their hijabs and cutting their hair in the streets as an outpouring of anger takes place across the country. Demonstrators are mourning and protesting the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old woman who died after being arrested by Iran’s morality police, who enforce the country’s strict dress codes for women. The authorities say Mahsa Amini had a heart attack, but her family say that’s a lie. Christiane had hoped to put all this to the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in an interview on Wednesday night. But at the last minute, he refused to sit for the interview unless Christiane wore a headscarf. It’s an unprecedented request; Christiane has interviewed every Iranian president since 1995, including on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, and this had never before been an issue. So tonight, Christiane gets reaction to the protests from Senator Chris Murphy – who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – and an Iran expert. 

Also on today's show: Holly Dagres, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund; Susan Glasser & Peter Baker, coauthors of a new book on Donald Trump, The Divider.

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Christiane is at the United Nations, where world leaders are gathering for their first in-person general assembly in three years – just as Russia’s President Vladimir Putin decided to call up 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine. It’s a massive escalation amid his troops’ recent setbacks on the battlefield and comes just after officials in several occupied regions of Ukraine said they will hold referendums on formally joining Russia this week. It adds to a perfect storm of global crises, yet organizations like the UN seem largely incapable of working as a mechanism for peace and stability. Spain is a key NATO member and announced a boost in military spending when it hosted NATO’s summit in Madrid this summer. Its prime minister Pedro Sanchez joins Christiane in New York. 

Also on today's show: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; Jennifer Berkshire, co-author of A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door.

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The UN General Assembly got underway today in the shadow of war. While the focus is on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there are worries as well about China and Taiwan. Joining the show to discuss is Michael Beckley, coauthor of Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China. 

Also on today's show: Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, historian Camille Joseph.

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In Britain, a day of mourning, gratitude, and change. The world witnessed the funeral for a British queen, a ritual never before seen on live television, and – for the first time in most people’s lives – the United Kingdom welcomed a new king. Now, the world turns to what lies ahead: the reign of Charles III. 

Today's guests include: Sir David Manning, former British ambassador to the US; Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney; former Director of Royal Communications for Buckingham Palace Sally Osman; New York Times London bureau chief Mark Landler; composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.

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The incredible lines of people waiting to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II as she lies in state are stretching to five miles and more, as the Palace says it is preparing for one of the biggest ceremonial events since World War II. Hundreds of heads of state and dignitaries will gather in London for the Queen’s state funeral on Monday. The Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell – the nation’s second most senior bishop – will be offering one of the prayers during the service. He also led the 70th Jubilee service at St Paul’s Cathedral this summer and has even done a jigsaw with Her Majesty. He joins Christiane to talk about this moment and his memories. 

Also on today's show: Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Evelyn Farkas, National Association of Evangelicals President Walter Kim.

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Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to line up for miles to say farewell to their Queen. Simon Schama is a scholar of monarchy in Britain and around the world, awarded a knighthood for services to history in 2019. He joins Christiane outside the Palace of Westminster, where the Queen is lying in state. 

Also on today's show: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Chief Executive of the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change Aisha Khan.

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