In this episode, panelists discuss the latest unrest in Iran, the economic pressures that have sparked nationwide protests, and the implications for U.S. policy amid ongoing regional tensions.

Background Reading:

• This article discusses how the Iranian regime is facing one of its largest protest movements in years, leading Tehran to shut down internet and telephone communications.

Host: Missy Ryan, Staff Writer, The Atlantic

Guests: Vali R. Nasr, Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies

Ray Takeyh, Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies, CFR

Sanam Vakil, Director, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House

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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: The Protests in Iran

Immigrants significantly benefit the U.S. economy by growing the labor force, filling essential jobs in sectors like services, construction, and tech. In this episode, panelists discuss the effects of recent refugee and immigration policy developments on the U.S. economy.

Background Reading:

• This article outlines the critical role immigrants have long played in boosting the U.S. economy and GDP.
• This article highlights how the second Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement, putting pressure on federal, state, and local agencies to meet the president’s deportation goals.

Host: Nelson W. Cunningham, Former President, McLarty Associates; Former Senior Advisor for Economic Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Former Special Advisor on Western Hemisphere Affairs; CFR Member

Guests: Steven A. Camarota, Director of Research, Center for Immigration Studies

Andrea R. Flores, Founder, America’s Promise

Pia Orrenius, Vice President and Senior Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: Immigration Policy and the U.S. Economy

In this episode, David Miliband, president and chief executive officer of the International Rescue Committee, discusses the new IRC Emergency Watchlist report. The report highlights the countries at highest risk of humanitarian crisis in 2026, and evaluates the international community’s progress and shortcomings.

Background Reading:

• This article discusses Venezuela’s dire humanitarian landscape, as the White House reviews potential military operations in the region.
• This article examines Sudan’s humanitarian crisis, and a stubborn lack of international attention to its plight.

Host: Andrea Mitchell, Chief Washington Correspondent and Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, NBC News

Guest: David Miliband, President and Chief Executive Officer, International Rescue Committee; Former Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, United Kingdom

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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: Forecasting Humanitarian Risk in 2026: A Conversation with David Miliband.

In this episode, panelists discuss examples of U.S. presidents leveraging executive power to confront political violence, human rights abuses, and other global challenges, highlighting the ways in which presidential leadership has shaped the United States’ legacy of responsibility.

Host: Jacob M. Weisberg, Executive Chair, Pushkin Industries; Chair, Committee to Protect Journalists

Guests: Meena Bose, Executive Dean, Public Policy and Public Service Programs and Director, Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency, Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs, Hofstra University; CFR Member

David J. Scheffer, Senior Fellow, CFR

Ruti G. Teitel, Ernst C. Stiefel Professor of Comparative Law and Codirector, Center for International Law, New York Law School

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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: Reckoning with History: Presidential Leadership and Moral Responsibility.

In this episode, former U.S. President Bill Clinton looks back on critical issues in U.S. foreign policy during his presidency, and shares lessons for sustaining American diplomatic engagement abroad.

His remarks were delivered as part of the inaugural Martin S. Indyk Memorial Lecture, held in collaboration with the Clinton Global Initiative.

Host: Richard Haass, President Emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations; Senior Counselor, Centerview Partners

Guest: Bill Clinton, Founder and Board Chair, Clinton Foundation; 42nd President of the United States

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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: A Conversation With President Bill Clinton.

In this episode, Director of the National Institutes of Health Jay Bhattacharya discusses the latest developments in biomedical innovation and how they will shape the future of public health research.

Background Reading:

• This CFR event discusses emerging threats to public health and how journalists are covering new outbreaks across the United States.

Host: Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Senior Professorial Lecturer and President Emerita, American University; Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services

Guests: Jay Bhattacharya, Director, National Institutes of Health

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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: A Conversation With Jay Bhattacharya of the National Institutes of Health.

In this episode, experts discuss the geopolitical implications of transformative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), including how decision-makers are navigating governance, balancing innovation with risk, and addressing questions of equity and accountability.

Background Reading:

• This article assesses whether AI investments have contributed meaningfully to U.S. economic growth.
• This article analyzes whether democracies can safeguard AI systems in a way that preserves both institutional and public trust.

Host: Maryam Mujica, Chief Public Policy Officer, General Catalyst

Guests: Laura DeNardis, Professor and Endowed Chair in Technology, Ethics, and Society; Director, Center for Digital Ethics, Georgetown University

Vinh Nguyen, Senior Fellow for AI, Council on Foreign Relations

Miriam Vogel, Author, Governing the Machine: How to Navigate the Risks of AI and Unlock Its True Potential; President and Chief Executive Officer, EqualAI

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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit our YouTube channel: The Rules of AI: Governing Technology in a Geopolitical Age.

Since President Trump first introduced a proposal to end the war in Ukraine, revisions from both sides have led to disagreement, diminishing hopes for a lasting peace. Experts are now examining the recent meeting between Ukrainian and U.S. officials in Miami, where efforts were made to finalize a peace plan for presentation to Moscow, as well as the types of security guarantees Ukraine may seek going forward.

Background Reading:

• This article details Trump’s proposed peace plan and the pitfalls of Washington’s attempt to advance ceasefire discussions between Russia and Ukraine.

Host: Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action, CFR

Guests: Liana Fix, Senior Fellow for Europe, CFR

Thomas Graham, Distinguished Fellow, CFR

Steven Sestanovich, George F. Kennan Senior Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies, CFR

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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit our YouTube channel: The State of Play in Ukraine.