Editor's Pick

Why does the Trump administration refuse to bring Abrego Garcia back to the US?

Friday, Apr 18, 2025
What happens when the US ignores its own courts? Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported despite a judge’s order and imprisoned in El Salvador in one of the most notorious prisons in the world. The case reveals how gang allegations – often baseless – are still being used to deport immigrants. We unpack the decisions making it possible to turn Abrego Garcia’s life upside down.

In this episode:

-Nayna Gupta, American Immigration Council Policy Director

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Tamara Khandaker, Sonia Bhagat and Amy Walters, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Kisaa Zehra, Mariana Navarrete, and our guest host, Natasha Del Toro. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is the Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

Psychological terrorism: The war against reproductive rights in the US

Friday, Apr 18, 2025
As Donald Trump begins his second term as president, headlines focus on immigration, trade and free speech. But advocates warn of another front, a quieter campaign targeting reproductive rights and abortion.

Just years after the fall of Roe v Wade, critics say new policies signal a renewed push to erode reproductive freedom, especially for women of colour.

Is the Trump administration waging a quiet war on reproductive rights in the United States?

This week on UpFront, Redi Tlhabi speaks with Michele Goodwin, professor of constitutional law and global health policy at Georgetown University and author of Policing The Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood.

The dangers of falling in love online

Friday, Apr 18, 2025  
The world of online romance scams is a dark and increasingly prevalent phenomenon, thriving on digital platforms where scammers exploit the search for love. These scams often involve emotional manipulation and blackmail, and can lead to significant financial devastation for victims.

Dating apps, social media platforms and websites have become common spaces for people to connect with potential partners, but they also serve as prime hunting grounds for scammers.

Presenter: Anelise Borges

Guests:
Cecilie Fjellhoy - Co-Founder, Lovesaid
Rohan Mer - Scam Prevention Technology Expert
Helmi Korhonen - Romance Scam Recovery Project

Why does Syria matter to Israel and Turkiye?

Friday, Apr 11, 2025  
Israel and Turkiye have been holding closed-door meetings in Azerbaijan, to work out ways to avoid direct conflict in Syria. Both have a military presence there -- and accuse each other of threatening regional security. Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes on Syria since Bashar al Assad was toppled in December, destroying military infrastructure and hardware. Turkiye says these attacks and Israel's expansion into the occupied Golan Heights are further destabilising the country. For its part, Israel has accused Ankara of trying to turn Syria into a Turkish protectorate.
So, what are the two sides trying to achieve?

Presenter: James Bays
Guests:
Barin Kayaoglu -- Assistant Professor at the Institute for Area Studies at the Social Sciences University of Ankara
Joshua Landis -- Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma
Alon Liel -- Former Director at the Israeli Foreign Ministry

Can Europeans alone change the course of Russia's war in Ukraine?

Thursday, Apr 10, 2025  
European defence ministers from the so-called 'coalition of the willing' have been meeting in Brussels to discuss boosting military support for Ukraine.

It includes the possible deployment of peacekeepers if a ceasefire is agreed.

The talks are part of a renewed push by Europe to arm Ukraine against Russia's invasion after the US made military support a condition of Kyiv's participation in peace talks.

Meanwhile, the EU's latest effort to rally funding for Ukraine has only exposed disunity in the bloc.

So, does Europe have the means and the will to keep Ukraine in the fight as Washington looks for a way out?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:
Pieter Cleppe - Editor-in-Chief of BrusselsReport.eu

Marina Miron- researcher in the War Studies Department of King’s College London

Anatol Lieven- Director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft

What will shape Syria's future?

Friday, January 31, 2025
Ahmed Al Sharaa is Syria's new President and we're getting hints of what his government might look like. He's promised a temporary legislative council will pass laws for the time being - and that it will be inclusive of Syria's various groups and factions. The international community is applying pressure to make sure he keeps his promises. But can president Sharaa bring his country together? And will his government be able to improve the lives of the Syrian people - who've been battered by more than a decade of war?

Presenter: Cyril Vanier
Guests
Danny Al Baaj - Vice President of the Syrian Forum for Advocacy and Public Relations. He also led the Cabinet of Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister in the late 2000s.
Joshua Landis - Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.
Mohammad Al Abdallah - Executive Director of the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre.

Mearsheimer: The Israelis lost in Gaza

Friday, January 31, 2025
Despite the rhetoric, US President Donald Trump will not be able to ethnically cleanse Gaza nor resolve the Ukraine war, argues University of Chicago political scientist John Mearsheimer.

Mearsheimer tells host Steve Clemons that Arab governments fear “the risk of being overthrown by their populations” should they bend to Trump’s desire to “clean out” the Palestinian people in Gaza.

On Ukraine, Mearsheimer predicts a “frozen conflict” without a peace treaty, and warns that Trump should stop “slapping around” US allies if he wants their cooperation in Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Democracy doesn’t exist in the United States: Chris Hedges

Friday, January 31, 2025
As Donald Trump returns to the White House, many are raising concerns about the possible decline of liberal democracy.

What then would a second Trump term mean for the next four years for the United States? And what impact will the president's foreign policy have on the Middle East?

This week on UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill discusses these issues with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and former war correspondent Chris Hedges.

Marwan Bishara on meaning of the prison in Palestinian life, literally and metaphorically

Friday, January 31, 2025
Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara highlights how Israeli prisons have served as both places of education and sites of immense suffering for Palestinians.

He emphasizes that while many detainees pursued higher education and even learned Hebrew through distance learning, they also endured torture, which profoundly affected their lives and their families.

Bishara suggests that these prisons are not just physical confinement spaces but part of a broader metaphorical prison that has encompassed Palestine for the past 75 years. Whether locked inside Gaza and the West Bank or locked out as refugees forbidden from returning home, Palestinians live in a state of perpetual confinement.

He underscores that, for all Palestinians—whether imprisoned or under occupation—their ultimate aspiration remains freedom.

Exchange deal: Eight captives released for 110 Palestinian prisoners

Friday, January 31, 2025
Hamas has released three Israeli and five Thai captives in Gaza and Israel began releasing 110 Palestinian prisoners after delaying the process after crowds swarmed one of the captive handover points.

Agam Berger, a 20-year-old Israeli soldier, was the first to be released on Thursday as she emerged from under rubble at the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, which has repeatedly been targeted by Israeli forces throughout more than 15 months of war.

Al Jazeera’s Michael Appel reports.