Hardtalk

HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Donald Verrilli, US Solicitor general under Barack Obama. The Trump presidency promises to be a fascinating test of the resilience of the system of government crafted by America's founding fathers. The new president has already criticised the courts for utilising their authority in blocking the so-called travel ban, with a new ban coming into effect imminently. Does the constitution ensure that the White House is always subject to and not above the law?

What is the Iranians' response to criticisms from Trump over its missile testing, and is it fuelling terror and conflicts in the Middle East? Zeinab Badawi speaks to Iranian academic Mohammed Marandi from Tehran, a staunch supporter of the leadership in Iran. Amidst his pronouncements on foreign policy Donald Trump has ratcheted up the rhetoric on Iran, calling the nuclear agreement with Tehran the 'worst deal ever negotiated'. He's expanded US sanctions on Iran after it tested a missile in January.

Sarah Montague speaks to Tzipi Livni, the joint leader of the Zionist Union opposition in Israel's parliament and a former Foreign Minister. For decades many have assumed that the only way there will be peace in the Middle East is when the Palestinians have their own state. But President Trump has made it clear that America is no longer wedded to the idea, whilst Tzipi Livni has in the past stated her support for “two states for two peoples". Could one state where Jews, Muslims and Christians are all treated equally, have a greater chance of delivering peace?(Photo: Tzipi Livni speaks at an election campaign press conference in the northern Israeli-Arab town of Shfaram, 2015. Credit: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images)

Stephen Sackur speaks to Irish sports journalist David Walsh, who was convinced that cycling’s untouchable champion Lance Armstrong was a drugs cheat long before the sport revealed the scale of his deceit. Armstrong is history now, but doping continues to devalue elite sport - maybe it is a problem no amount of truth telling journalism can fix. It is the job of the journalist to speak truth to power, but can defying conventional wisdom and the powers that be often mean the profession can be a lonely place?(Photo: David Walsh, chief Sports writer, Sunday Times, UK in the Hardtalk studio)

Stephen Sackur speaks to John Madden, an Oscar winning director whose latest film is set in the murky world of Washington politics. The Academy Awards are upon us and Hollywood is awash with speculation, spin and self-importance. But this year, with Donald Trump in the White House and in a deeply divided America, real life has thrown up a melodrama which makes the movies look tame. Is Hollywood accurately reflecting the times we are living in?(Photo: Film director John Madden. Credit: Getty Images)

HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Jens Spahn, a rising star in Chancellor Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union. With so much focus on America's new president, it's easy to forget Europe is facing its own period of prolonged uncertainty. Brexit negotiations are about to begin, the Greek debt crisis is going through another convulsion. It is also a year of key elections, most particularly in the continent's dominant economy, Germany. Is German politics going to reshape Europe?

Zeinab Badawi speaks to humanitarian activist and one of Hollywood’s best known and versatile actors, Forest Whitaker. One role for which he won numerous accolades including an Oscar for best actor was his portrayal of the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. But how far is he concerned that his portrayal of Idi Amin played into racist stereotypes of Africans and their continent?

HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Myron Ebell, who led President Trump’s transition team on environment policy and has long been an advocate of radical reform of the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The Trump administration seems intent on a radical reset of America's energy and environment policies. The implications will be profound on everything from fossil fuel production to climate change policy. In America's new politics will the interests of big business consistently overshadow environmental concerns?Image: Steam and exhaust rise from a power station, Credit: Lukas Schulze/Getty Images

In America's new politics will big business consistently trump environmental concerns?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the former Mexican president Vicente Fox, whose strongly worded Twitter responses to Donald Trump have caused a storm on social media. The new US president has wasted little time delivering on his signature campaign promises. He has already ordered the construction of the contentious wall along the US-Mexican border. The US congress will fund it, but ultimately, Mr Trump says, Mexico must pay. Can Mexico afford to provoke the new US administration?(Photo: Former Mexican President Vicente Fox gestures while speaking during an interview with AFP, 2016. Credit: AFP)

Stephen Sackur speaks to Petula Clark, a much loved child performer during World War Two. Getting to the top in show business is hard - staying there is much, much harder. Few stars can match the sustained success in music, film and theatre as her. She went on to have a host of hits in the UK, France, the US and pretty much everywhere else. She has worked with legendary names from Fred Astaire to Serge Gainsbourg, and she is still singing and touring. So what makes her tick?(Photo: Petula Clark performs at the Songwriters Hall of Fame 44th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner, New York Marriott Marquis, 2013. Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Belgium's former Prime Minister and current MEP Guy Verhofstadt, an EU politician who'll be at the heart of the complex negotiations over a Brexit deal. He has warned Britain not to expect special treatment as it heads for the exit, but how confrontational is he prepared to be?

The UK Parliament is about to vote on the Government’s plan to trigger the formal process which will end in Britain leaving the EU. There's little doubt MPs will give Prime Minister Theresa May a green light, but much has changed since last June's Brexit referendum. The government has clarified its vision of what Brexit means, while President Donald Trump is shaking up global politics. The influential advocate of Brexit, Conservative MP Dominic Raab tells Hardtalk's Stephen Sackur he is confident Britain has a bright post-Brexit future on the world stage.(Photo: Dominic Raab, UK Conservative MP. Credit: Getty Images)

Is NATO obsolete? Or an organisation that can change and adapt? Jens Stoltenberg is chief of an alliance of 28 nations that's supposed to work by consensus, but his job just got a whole lot harder. Donald Trump is now in charge of NATO's dominant member, the United States, and he's been very public with his grave doubts about NATO's future. Will the ascent of Trump hasten the demise of NATO?HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur is in Brussels to speak to NATO Secretary General. Image: Jens Stoltenberg, Credit: Jack Taylor/Getty Images

Oil-rich with plenty of farmland, why can't Nigeria feed its own people? Zeinab Badawi speaks to one of the delegates at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, the Nigerian Agriculture Minister Audu Ogbeh. The Nigerian government, in power for 18 months, had raised hopes that it would reform the country. But engulfed by the worst recession in 20 years and with continuing militant attacks, why can’t the nation with enjoy greater stability?

Does the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House along with Brexit mark a shift in power away from Europe and spell the start of a new world order? Zeinab Badawi speaks to Ursula Von Der Leyen, Germany’s Defence Minister from the World Economic Forum in Davos. She is also deputy chairman of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU Party. (Photo: Ursula Von Der Leyen. Credit: Markus Hibbele/Getty Images

Stephen Sackur is in Moscow to speak to President Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov. US intelligence chiefs have accused the Kremlin of authorising a covert effort to influence the presidential election in favour of Donald Trump but what is the truth behind the swirl of allegations? And, what can we expect from Russia-US relations now?(Photo: Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends the opening of the Central House of Chess Player. Credit: Sergei Savostyanov/Getty Images)

Despite intimidation, harassment and legal challenges, Russia's most prominent opposition leader Alexey Navalny says that he will fight Vladmir Putin with 'People Power' in Presidential elections which are scheduled for 2018. How risky is it to challenge Vladimir Putin?Image: Alexey Navalny, Credit: Vasily Maximov/AFP/Getty Images

Stephen Sackur speaks to Akram Khan - globally renowned as one of the great contemporary dancers and choreographers. In every culture on earth dance is a physical, joyful form of expression and communication. It is, in a way, the world's most basic common language. Khan epitomises the ability of dance to cross borders of time and space - he is British by birth, Bangladeshi by family heritage. His performances weave together influences from East and West, past and present. How would he define his dance?(Photo: Akram Khan (R) and Tamara Rojo (L) perform during a dress rehearsal of English National Ballet's Lest We Forget, 2014. Credit: Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

Taken hostage in Syria and held by the Nusra Front, which is allied to al-Qaeda, American journalist Theo Padnos was beaten and abused for nearly two years. He says the most bitter moment of his captivity was the realisation that it was he himself who was mostly responsible for his ordeal.(Photo: Theo Padnos in the Hardtalk studio)