Press Conference USA - Voice of America

Carol Castiel along with assistant producer, Emma Wilcox, talk with a reproductive health expert who specializes in epidemiology, demography, and abortion care at the University of California, about the economic, social and health consequences of such a reversal at the federal level.

Carol Castiel adapts an interview conducted by VOA State Department correspondent Nike Ching with the US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls & Human Rights and talks with Afghan analyst, Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program and senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center.

Host Carol Castiel talks with former US Special Forces officer Mike Waltz, now a Republican Congressman from the state of Florida who serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Waltz, who has served in the US military for over 24 years, analyzes the Biden Administration's policy toward Ukraine, Afghanistan and Africa and speaks of the need to do more to prevent malign actions by China against Taiwan. The second half of the show features an interview with historian and writer, Anne Applebaum, conducted by VOA senior Ukrainian broadcaster, Tatiana Vorozhko, on April 21, immediately after Applebaum met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

Ambassador András Simonyi, former Hungarian ambassador to the United States and NATO, now senior fellow at the Atlantic council's Global Energy Center, talks with host Carol Castiel about the significance of Ukrainian resistance to Moscow's invasion and the need for the western alliance to sustain military and political support to Kyiv. Simonyi also underscores the need for Europe to wean off Russian energy sources and lauds Finland and Sweden's interest in joining NATO saying they will enhance the Alliance.

Recent media reports have pointed out deepening environmental and health concerns caused by plastic and microplastic pollution. Robert Hale, a professor in the Department of Aquatic Health at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science joins Rick Pantaleo for the Science Edition of Press Conference USA to talk about these issues.

Guest host Kim Lewis and VOA international broadcaster Carol Van Dam discuss with secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Jan Egeland, the complex nature of some of the world's worst humanitarian crises and why the crisis in Ukraine has taken precedence over other regions where human atrocities have been occurring for years. In addition, Egeland offers his perspective and solutions to the dire situations in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Yemen, Syria and South Sudan.

Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine triggered a wave of severe sanctions against Russian banks, businesses, and oligarchs by the western alliance. These sanctions have been far reaching and intended to punish the Kremlin and restrict funding and resources used to support Russian aggression. Host Carol Castiel sits down with Julia Friedlander, a former senior policy advisor for Europe in the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence in the Treasury Department, now Senior Fellow and Director of the Economic Statecraft Initiative at the Atlantic Council, to discuss the scope and impact of these sanctions.

Host Carol Castiel talks with Lauren Speranza, Director of the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), about the new security reality in Europe created by the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine. She analyses the outcome of a special NATO Summit, meetings among G-7 leaders and the European Council in Brussels aimed at strengthening unity and coordinating greater military support for Ukraine and bolstering NATO's Baltic states and eastern flank.

Host Carol Castiel talks with Congresswoman Shontel Brown, a Democrat from the state of Ohio, who serves on the House Agriculture and Oversight and Reform Committees. Brown, who won a contentious special election for the seat vacated by Representative Marcia Fudge, now Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is serving out her first term in Congress. She shares her thoughts on legislative priorities guided by the principles of equity, inclusion and diversity, enthusiasm for the bipartisan infrastructure law, voting rights, US leadership in combatting Vladimir Putin's aggression toward Ukraine and the importance of preserving democracy at home.

Earth is surrounded by a scrapyard of old rockets, satellites, and other types of spacecraft. Space junk expert John Crassidis, SUNY Distinguished Professor with the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University at Buffalo (New York) joins Rick Pantaleo on this week's Science Edition of Press Conference USA to talk about the growing threat of space debris.

Host Carol Castiel talks with Russian born, Anna Borshchevskaya, Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, about the latest developments surrounding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including Moscow's underestimation of national resistance, the impact of the latest raft of sanctions on Russia, the political and economic implications of the dire humanitarian situation, and how the West's actions and inactions over the last decade have inadvertently contributed to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

In honor of Black History Month, host Carol Castiel and Issues in the News host, Kim Lewis, talk with Kay C. James, currently the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia, previously president of the Heritage Foundation, a prominent conservative think tank based in Washington. James shares her views about the state and future of the Republican Party, the significance of nominating a Black woman to the US Supreme Court and the twists and turns in her modest upbringing in the segregated south to becoming an icon of the conservative movement in America.

In honor of Black History Month, Carol Castiel talks with H.E. Patrick Gaspard, former Ambassador to South Africa, now President and CEO of the Center for American Progress about range of domestic and international issues.

Carol Castiel sits down with Congresswoman Elaine Luria, a Democrat from Virginia. They talk about critical domestic and foreign issues such as preserving democracy, combatting Russian aggression against Ukraine, standing up to Beijing and thwarting international and domestic terrorism.

On this Science Edition, Rick Pantaleo talks about the work of NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office with Dr. Thomas Statler and NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission with Drs. Nancy Chabot and Andrew Rivkin from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

Host Carol Castiel talks with voting rights expert, author and president of the Brennan Center for Justice, Michael Waldman, about the factors that led to the failure of federal voting rights legislation in the Senate, dealing a blow to a key facet of President Joe Biden's agenda. Waldman tells Castiel that the wave of restrictive voting laws emanating from mostly Republican state legislatures and the Supreme Court's gutting of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965, make it even more critical to continue to fight for voting rights in America.

NASA says there are some 28,000 comets and asteroids in our planet's neighborhood, with more being discovered every day. Fortunately, the space agency also says the probability of a major collision is quite small. Dr. Paul Chodas, manager of NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, joins Rick Pantaleo on the Science Edition of Press Conference USA to talk about asteroids and other near-Earth objects.

Host Carol Castiel talks with Ambassador William (Bill) Taylor, V.P. at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), formerly Ambassador to Ukraine, about Moscow's designs on Ukraine given the ominous Russian troop buildup along the Ukrainian border. Taylor assesses whether the series of high-level meetings recently held in Brussels with NATO and EU representatives and the OSCE in Vienna can stave off a Russian incursion into Ukraine. He affirms that the western alliance is united and prepared to impose punishing sanctions should Russian President Vladimir Putin decide to attack.

How can the United States strike the delicate balance between its values of democracy and human rights and its national security interests with allies who are backsliding on the former? Host Carol Castiel and VOA senior analyst, Mohamed Elshinnawi, talk with Thomas Carothers, Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, about his new article, “Navigating the Democracy-Security Dilemma in U.S. Foreign Policy: Lessons from Egypt, India, and Turkey,” about the democracy-security conundrum.

On this annual edition of Press Conference USA, host Carol Castiel and co-host, Rick Pantaleo, speak with Amy Webb, CEO and Founder of “Future Today Institute” about the latest biological, technological and metaverse trends for 2022. They will also discuss the impact of the Covid-19 vaccines on future therapies.

On this year-end edition of Press Conference USA, VOA's Rick Pantaleo brings you excerpts from conversations with some of our most distinguished guests, including former director of the CIA, and Retired U.S. Army General, David Petraeus; Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu of California; Republican Congressman John Curtis of Utah; Amy Hawthorne, Deputy Director for Research at the Project on Middle East Democracy on Tunisia and more.

Host Carol Castiel speaks with the director of the “Governance Lab” and Northeastern University professor, Beth Simone Noveck, about her new book “Solving Public Problems: A Practical Guide to Fix Our Government and Change Our World.” On this encore edition, Noveck tells VOA that citizens and governments can leverage digital technology, data, and the collective wisdom of communities to create solutions to contemporary problems from the Covid-19 pandemic to climate change to social inequality.

The James Webb Space Telescope will soon be placed atop an Ariane 5 rocket for its launch no earlier than December 22nd. NASA says it is 100 times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope. On the Science Edition of Press Conference USA, Eric Smith, Program Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope Program at NASA joins Rick Pantaleo for a preview of this powerful new astronomical tool.

Host Carol Castiel speaks with Rose Luqiu, professor of Communications at Hong Kong Baptist University and author of the new book, “Covering the 2019 Hong Kong Protests.” Luqui tells VOA that the unprecedented protests against the 2019 extradition bill augured an erosion of civil liberties in Hong Kong, including freedom of the press. She adds that the June 2020 Hong Kong National Security Law also adversely affected journalists and weakened the autonomy Hong Kong enjoyed from Beijing under the One country, two systems policy.

Host Carol Castiel and reporter Nabeel Biajo of VOA's “South Sudan in Focus,” speak with former US Ambassador to South Sudan, Tom Hushek, as the world's youngest nation commemorates its 10th anniversary. While hopeful that South Sudan can overcome its political, economic, and social challenges after a devastating civil war, Ambassador Hushek warns that it will require enormous political will as well as the help and steadfast commitment of the United States and the African Union

After unprecedented nationwide pro-democracy protests rocked Cuba in July, Havana preempted a large demonstration slated for November 15. But the Cuban protest anthem, “Patria y Vida” won song of the year at the 22nd annual Latin Grammy Award ceremony even as one of the musicians behind the song — Maykel Osorbo — remains imprisoned in Cuba. Host Carol Castiel talks with Lillian Guerra, Professor of Cuban and Caribbean history at the University of Florida, about the significance of the protests and policy recommendations for the US government that would both challenge the authoritarian regime and support the Cuban people.

The World Health Organization says diabetes a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke, and lower limb amputation. Join VOA's Rick Pantaleo and Dr. William Cefalu, MD from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases when they talk about Diabetes on the Science Edition of Press Conference USA.

“Libya is a microcosm of global disorder” says Jason Pack, author of the upcoming book: “Libya and the Global Enduring Disorder.” Host Carol Castiel and VOA senior analyst Mohamed Elshinnawi talk with Jason Pack, who is also a scholar at the Middle East Institute, about the upcoming elections in Libya and the domestic and external impediments to long-term stability in this oil-rich North African nation.

Host Carol Castiel speaks with several Afghan analysts from the innovative think thank Newlines Institute, who discuss the ideas in their article “Challenges of a Talibanized Afghanistan.” They discuss the looming humanitarian crisis as millions of Afghans face potential starvation, the probable resurgence of transnational jihadist groups, the geopolitical ramifications of a “Talibanized” Afghanistan for neighboring South and Central Asian countries, and the difficulty of ordinary Afghans, especially women and girls, to keep their hard-won freedoms under the Taliban.

Host Carol Castiel speaks with Middle East historian and scholar, Edmund Ghareeb. about the many contributions of Arab Americans who immigrated to the United States from Syria, Lebanon Palestine and elsewhere in the 19th and early 20th centuries. His current research focuses on the heyday of the Arab language press in America, which not only spawned prominent literary and journalistic figures but also reflected an appreciation of the values of a free and independent media.

Host Carol Castiel speaks with founding partner of FutureMap and author Parag Khanna, about his most recent book “MOVE: The Forces Upending Us,” which posits that global events from pandemics, climate change, economic dislocation and political instability, induce mobility – people in search of security and a better life.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scheduled for launch this December, is 100 times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope. On the Science Edition of Press Conference USA, Eric Smith, Program Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope Program at NASA joins host Rick Pantaleo for a preview of this powerful new astronomical tool.

Host Carol Castiel and senior broadcaster in VOA's Persian Service, Siamak Deghanpour, talk with author and Iran specialist, Hussein Banai, about the internal and external challenges facing the Iran's new hardline administration led by President Ebrahim Raisi. Banai also discusses the need for the Biden Administration, which wants to revive the nuclear deal (JCPOA) from which the Trump administration withdrew, to design a wholistic policy toward the Islamic Republic which addresses not just the nuclear file, ballistic missiles, and malign regional activities, but also Tehran's dismal record on democracy and human rights.

Host Carol Castiel and VOA senior diplomatic correspondent, Cindy Saine, talk with Mona Yacoubian, a senior official at the US Institute of Peace who tells VOA that the end of the US military intervention in Afghanistan underscores the need to prioritize diplomacy, peacebuilding, and development if the United States and other industrialized nations wish to successfully address the national security threats of the 21st century.

From devastating hurricanes and flooding to severe heat and wildfires, localities around the world have been hit hard by a series of extreme weather events. On the Science Edition of Press Conference USA, Host Rick Pantaleo, and his guest, Jenni Evans of Penn State University, discuss extreme weather and its possible connections to climate change and global warming.

It was 20 years ago on September 11, 2001, that Al Qaeda operatives carried out the deadliest terrorist attack on America's soil in the country's history, killing nearly 3,000 people and injuring thousands more. PCUSA guest host Kim Lewis is joined by colleagues VOA senior national correspondent Chris Simkins and VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb as they reflect on the tragic day of September 11, 2001, the U.S. decision to invade Afghanistan in October 2001, the aftermath of the evacuation of U.S. forces in August 2021 and what lies ahead for the country with the Taliban back in power. Don't miss this riveting show. Press Conference USA on the Voice of America.

It was 20 years ago on September 11, 2001, that Al Qaeda operatives carried out the deadliest terrorist attack on America's soil in the country's history, killing nearly 3,000 people and injuring thousands more. PCUSA guest host Kim Lewis is joined by colleagues VOA senior national correspondent Chris Simkins and VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb as they reflect on the tragic day of September 11, 2001, the U.S. decision to invade Afghanistan in October 2001, the aftermath of the evacuation of U.S. forces in August 2021 and what lies ahead for the country with the Taliban back in power. 

Host Carol Castiel speaks with Northeastern University professor, Beth Noveck, about her new book “Solving Public Problems: A Practical Guide to Fix Our Government and Change Our World,” in which she recounts how citizens and governments can leverage digital technology, data, and the collective wisdom of communities to design and deliver solutions to contemporary problems from the Covid pandemic to climate change to social inequities.

Host Carol Castiel speaks with Northeastern University professor, Beth Noveck, about her new book “Solving Public Problems: A Practical Guide to Fix Our Government and Change Our World,” in which she recounts how citizens and governments can leverage digital technology, data, and the collective wisdom of communities to design and deliver solutions to contemporary problems from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change to social inequities.

Ever since our ancient ancestors gazed into the night skies to look at stars, and other celestial objects, humans have wondered if we are alone in the cosmos. Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute joins host Rick Pantaleo on the Science Edition of Press Conference USA to talk about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Ever since our ancient ancestors gazed into the night skies to look at stars, and other celestial objects, humans have wondered if we are alone in the cosmos. Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute joins host Rick Pantaleo on the Science Edition of Press Conference USA to talk about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.  

Following nationwide protests over economic stagnation, corruption and mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic, Tunisian President Kais Saied suspended parliament and assumed extraordinary executive powers. Host Carol Castiel and VOA senior analyst for North Africa and the Middle East, Mohamed Elshinnawi, talk with Amy Hawthorne, Deputy Director for Research, Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED, about why Tunisia, which overthrew its autocratic leader in the context of the Arab Spring protests, has reached this precarious moment. How does Saied plan to reshape Tunisia's political landscape and to what extent does it imperil Tunis' fledgling democratic system?

Following nationwide protests over economic stagnation, corruption and mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic, Tunisian President Kais Saied suspended parliament and assumed extraordinary executive powers. Host Carol Castiel and VOA senior analyst for North Africa and the Middle East, Mohamed Elshinnawi, talk with Amy Hawthorne, Deputy Director for Research, Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED, about why Tunisia, which overthrew its autocratic leader in the context of the Arab Spring protests, has reached this precarious moment. How does Saied plan to reshape Tunisia's political landscape and to what extent does it imperil Tunis' fledgling democratic system?

Host Carol Castiel speaks with veteran AIDS activist, journalist, and historian Emily Bass about her new book, To End a Plague: America's Fight to Defeat AIDS in Africa. Bass discusses the genesis and impact of PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDs Relief created by former President George W. Bush, its positive impact on Africa and challenges that remain in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Host Carol Castiel speaks with veteran AIDS activist, journalist, and historian Emily Bass about her new book, To End a Plague: America's Fight to Defeat AIDS in Africa. Bass discusses the genesis and impact of PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDs Relief created by former President George W. Bush, its positive impact on Africa and challenges that remain in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

On the Science Edition of Press Conference USA, host Rick Pantaleo and Morgan Schneider, a producer with the Current Affairs Desk, talk with Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, teacher, author, climate activist, co-editor of the book "All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis" and co-founder of the “All We Save Project”. They will discuss the importance of women and young people in the battle against climate change.