On this special edition of Press Conference USA, VOA’s Kim Lewis discusses where the world stands regarding its goal of ending tuberculosis, and the importance of following through on commitments made to end the disease, with Dr. Mel Spigelman, President and CEO of TB Alliance. TB deaths have been on the rise in the past two years, yet funding for treatment and research continues to be lacking. Dr. Spigelman also highlights progress made regarding new treatment for drug resistant TB developed in Ukraine as it was being invaded by Russia.

A recent report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services suggests one million of Earth's species are at risk of extinction. Sarah Starman from the Endangered Species Coalition and Leigh Henry from the World Wildlife Fund join Rick Pantaleo for the Science Edition of Press Conference USA to talk about Endangered Species and what is being done to protect them from extinction.

On this special edition of Press Conference USA, senior VOA editor in VOA’s Ukrainian Service, Tatiana Vorozhko, talks with historian and writer, Anne Applebaum, about her recent trip to Kyiv, eliciting her observations about Ukraine’s leaders and civil society and how Ukraine has defied expectations with its resilience and resistance to Russia’s unlawful onslaught on that sovereign nation.

Reva Dhingra, a fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution, discusses the reasons driving member countries of the Arab League to readmit Syria after a 12-year suspension and talks with host Carol Castiel about the plight of Syrian refugees in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.

In honor of World Press Freedom Day, host Carol Castiel talks with Mike Abramowitz, former Washington Post journalist, currently, President of Freedom House. Abramowitz tells VOA that the last 17 years have seen a decline in political and civil rights around the globe. Among Freedom House’s top recommendations in its recent 50th annual “Freedom in the World report,” is the need to help Ukraine win the illegal war of aggression initiated by Moscow.

From Ethiopia to Angola, Russia has a long history in Africa dating back to the Cold War. Host Carol Castiel and talks with Samuel Ramani about his new book, Russia in Africa: Resurgent Great Power or Bellicose Pretender, Moscow’s lingering influence on the continent and its meddling in Sudan, which erupted in violence on April 15, 2023, after an aborted transition to democracy.

Host Carol Castiel talks with Congresswoman Lois Frankel, a Democrat from the state of Florida who sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee and subcommittee on Foreign Operations. As chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, Frankel talks about threats to reproductive freedom, such as recent attempts to ban medication abortions, which are widely used. She also discusses the need to stop the spate of gun violence in America and fight against book banning, which is spreading under the guise of “parental rights” legislation.

A proposed overhaul of Israel’s judiciary, which threatens to undermine the nation’s democracy, has prompted the largest street protests in decades. Host Carol Castiel and VOA senior analyst, Mohamed Elshinnawi, talk with Jerusalem-based, Nimrod Goren, who is a senior fellow for Israeli Affairs at the Middle East Institute, about the domestic and international ramifications of a possible judicial overhaul and other extremist policies by the right-wing coalition government of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Host Carol Castiel talks with Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, a Democrat from California, who is one of the youngest members of Congress. Jacobs, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees, discusses US policy toward Africa as the Biden Administration ramps up engagement with the continent. She discusses the importance of the recent US-Africa Leaders Summit, visits by cabinet-level officials like Vice President Kamala Harris, the Global Fragility Act and much more.

Artificial Intelligence or AI is technology that allows computers to think and learn so that they can perform many tasks normally done by humans. Mark Bryan Senior Foresight Consultant at the Future Today Institute joins Rick Pantaleo on the Science Edition of Press Conference USA to talk about AI and the impact this technology will have on our daily lives.