• Navalny’s fight for a democratic Russia survives, insists key ally
    May 23 2024

    Host Anne McElvoy talks to Leonid Volkov, who was Alexei Navalny's long-serving chief of staff and campaign manager, about his mission to provide a democratic alternative to Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime in the Kremlin. They spoke on the stage at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit.

    The sudden death of Navalny, the most prominent opposition leader in Russia, sent shockwaves around the world earlier this year. He died in suspicious circumstances while being held in an arctic prison colony. Many campaigners, including his widow and closest associates, will not rest until they get answers about what happened.


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    19 mins
  • NATO needs to bend its rules to help Ukraine. Here’s why.
    May 16 2024

    This week's edition of Power Play comes from the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, where host Anne McElvoy talks to President Zelenskyy’s closest aide, Andriy Yermak, and former NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

    As Russian forces advance on Kharkiv, delays in weapons deliveries from the U.S. and Europe are proving costly. Now the war has reached a critical moment for Zelenskyy's leadership — and Ukraine.

    They discuss its ability to withstand Russia's biggest attack yet, a new plan to accelerate NATO membership — and whether security guarantees from the West can bolster the embattled country's future security.


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    25 mins
  • Kevin McCarthy on his enemies and making peace with Trump after being ousted as House Speaker
    May 9 2024

    Among the business leaders, philanthropists and other luminaries attending this year's Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles are politicians — looking to set the record straight, with an eye to future opportunities.


    Power Play host Anne McElvoy joined the Beverly Hills crowd — and talked to Kevin McCarthy, the first Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives to be ousted during a legislative session. McCarthy reflects on his dramatic downfall and lauds the prospect of Donald Trump's return to the White House.


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    27 mins
  • Trump, Xi and how the China-US relationship faces a reset
    May 2 2024

    Elbridge Colby is a hot pick to be Donald Trump's national security adviser if the former president returns to the White House next year. It's a role which holds huge sway over America's position on the world stage.

    An influential voice in foreign policy circles in Washington, Colby leads the Marathon Initiative, a conservative think tank grappling with how America confronts an increasingly assertive China — a subject that is testing both Democrats and Republicans.

    In this week's edition of Power Play, host Anne McElvoy talks to Colby, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense in the Trump administration, about U.S. strategy towards China, Russia and Europe — and whether America can rely on its traditional allies.


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    31 mins
  • Putin wants to divide the US and Britain. Is it working?
    Apr 26 2024

    "America will always defend democracy in its hour of need. We tell our allies: we will stand with you. We tell our adversaries: don’t mess with us." The words of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer struck a rare note of bipartisanship as Congress finally approved a multi-billion dollar package of support to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

    For America’s allies, there was a collective sigh of relief. No more so than at the British Embassy in Washington, where host Anne McElvoy presents this week's special episode of Power Play. She talks to the outgoing ambassador, Karen Pierce, about whether the so-called "special relationship" will endure, despite the potential changes of government in Washington and London later this year and the spectre of war around the globe.

    Anne is also joined by John Harris, POLITICO's global editor-in-chief, to mark a weekend of political showmanship and intrigue culminating in the annual White House Correspondents' dinner.


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    32 mins
  • Israel-Iran conflict: Biden and Trump vie for answers
    Apr 18 2024

    How will responses to the confrontation between Israel, its allies and Iran redefine the line that divides Donald Trump and Joe Biden?

    Host Anne McElvoy talks to Kim Darroch, the former British ambassador to Washington and former U.K. national security adviser, about the scenarios facing President Biden and what Trump might do if he returns to office. They also discuss the options available to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in responding to Iran's failed attack.

    They are joined by Nahal Toosi, POLITICO’s senior foreign affairs correspondent in Washington, who has been reporting on this week's dramatic developments.


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    32 mins
  • Trump's world view: How he'd deal with Russia, China, Iran and the Middle East
    Apr 11 2024

    This week marked the grim six-month milestone since the Hamas terror attack on Israel and the ensuing counter-attack on Gaza, which has led to a mounting death toll and a humanitarian crisis that has divided world opinion.

    While President Joe Biden's White House struggles to help end the bloodshed, what would his opponent — Donald Trump — do differently if he were voted into office later this year?

    Host Anne McElvoy talks to the Heritage Foundation's Robert Greenway, who knows more than most about Trump’s approach to the Middle East as the architect of the Abraham Accords — and may well be part of his inner team if the former president returns to power in November. As a key adviser in the previous administration, Greenway discusses how a second Trump presidency would deal with the Middle East, Iran, Russia and China.


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    32 mins
  • America’s battle against disinformation in the era of AI
    Mar 28 2024

    In the wake of a devastating Islamist terror attack in Moscow, the dark arts of spreading disinformation are again in focus as Russia’s President Vladmir Putin pins blame for the assault on Ukraine.

    As a widening array of countries and malign actors spread fake news and analysis, real life consequences are all too clear. How can democracies like the United States and its allies confront information warfare from their adversaries in the era of artificial intelligence?

    Host Anne McElvoy talks to James Rubin, who leads the Global Engagement Center within the U.S. State Department. Reporting to Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, his job is to disentangle propaganda and disinformation targeting the United States and its allies around the world.

    Power Play will return after the Easter break with the next edition on April 11.


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    26 mins