A Charlie Rose Global Conversation

America celebrates its 250th birthday this July 4, 2026. It has become a time to ask: What is the American idea, and how is it doing after 250 years?Across America, celebrations and evaluations are taking place. Questions are being asked. We have listened to those voices.We begin this evening with the great historian David McCullough, who died in 2022 after receiving two Pulitzer Prizes and two National Book Awards, and who engaged...

Clive Davis, the music empresario responsible for so many talents in the music industry, died today. He was 94.

It's an interesting time to talk about the life of Clive Davis as the music industry undergoes so many changes because of the digital revolution. We talked of many things including Clive Davis's philosophy of music, what makes a great talent, his famous parties, and the changes in the music industry.

Interviews from Charli...

Alan Greenspan, a powerful voice in shaping the American economy as Chairman of the Federal Reserve for 20 years, died today. He was 100.Greenspan was a champion of capitalism, markets, and managing interest rates to fight inflation. His critics argued he did not do enough in regulating the new financial instruments that were responsible for the financial crisis.Greenspan, along with his wife, the respected NBC News correspondent A...

General David Petraeus is a soldier-scholar of extraordinary talent: a 4-star Army general, battlefield commander, West Point graduate, PhD from Princeton, author of books on warfare, creator of counterinsurgency strategies, and architect of the surge in Iraq. He was famous for building relationships with local populations in war zones.

After service in Iraq and Afghanistan, Petraeus became Director of the CIA. He has held academic ...

Evan Osnos won the prestigious National Book Award for Nonfiction in 2014 for his book Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China. The rise of China has been a focus of his reporting career, along with American politics and the impact of our wealthiest individuals.Osnos graduated from Harvard and, since 2008, has been a staff writer for The New Yorker. Previously, he was a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, ...

A Charlie Rose Global Conversation.David Ignatius is the internationally admired foreign affairs columnist and associate editor at The Washington Post.He joined the paper in 1986, later served as foreign editor, and has written his twice-weekly column since 1998.From 2000 to 2003, he was executive editor of the International Herald Tribune in Paris.Earlier in his career, he was a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, covering the S...

Nicholas Thompson has been one of the definers of thedigital revolution in all of its impact on our life. After graduating fromStanford and engaging in freelance writing, he became editor of NewYorker.com.Later, he became Editor-in-Chief of Wired as the power of social media becamemore pervasive. Now he is the CEO of The Atlantic as artificial intelligencebecomes more involved in our daily life.

Thompson has written two books. The f...

Barney Frank was described as legendary and the funniest person in Congress by liberals and conservatives for his actions in Congress from 1981 to 2013, as a smart, quotable, liberal, iconic representative from Massachusetts.He became a pioneer in human rights in 1987 as the first sitting member of the U.S. Congress to voluntarily disclose his sexual orientation, and for his legislative achievements as the co-author of the Dodd-Fra...

Richard Haass is one of the best and best-known interpreters and explainers of foreign policy, the relationship between nations, and the management of their ambitions.He has bridged the two poles of diplomacy and public intellectual at the Council on Foreign Relations, where he served as President and is now President Emeritus. A graduate of Oberlin College and a Rhodes Scholar, he served in government under Presidents Carter, Reag...

A Charlie Rose Global Conversation from 7/23/2004.Ted Turner died May 6, 2026. He imagined himself a great man. He was, in multiple ways. He created a huge institution: CNN. He changed things. After CNN, global news was not the same.He won things. The America’s Cup in sailing is the fiercest challenge, not only against other sailors, but against fast boats and the weather. He fulfilled other men’s dreams: owning a major...

A Charlie Rose Global Conversation:Bret Stephens is a popular opinion columnist for The New York Times. He has held the position since 2017.He was previously a foreign affairs columnist and deputy editorial page editor at The Wall Street Journal. In 2013, he received the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. From 2002–2004, he was editor in chief of The Jerusalem Post in Israel.Stephens holds degrees from the University of Chicago a...

A Charlie Rose Global Conversation:

Bret Stephens is a popular opinion columnist for The New York Times. He has held the position since 2017.He was previously a foreign affairs columnist and deputy editorial page editor at The Wall Street Journal. In 2013, he received the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. From 2002–2004, he was editor in chief of The Jerusalem Post in Israel.Stephens holds degrees from the University of Chicago a...

We live in historic times and stand at three significant milestones. Year two of President Trump’s second term begins on January 20, 2026. One quarter of the 21st century began on January 1, 2026. And on July 4, 2026, America will celebrate its 250th birthday.I am asking, on camera, a series of extraordinary people to help take the temperature of America in 2026. They come from around the world and from every walk of life spa...

We begin tonight a series of conversations about the United States military’s mission to arrest the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and bring him to the United States for trial on drug charges. Is it part of the controversial new initiative in American foreign policy?We start with Thomas L. Friedman of The New York Times. He is one of the world’s most influential foreign affairs columnists and a speaker at confe...

* This conversation was recorded on Dec 22nd 2025, before the events in Venezuela. We hope to follow up with David Ignatius soon on Venezuela and more.America is at an interesting moment.We are approaching one year into the second Trump administration and are one quarter of the way through the 21st century. On July 4, 2026, we will celebrate our 250th birthday. I am asking a series of extraordinary Americans - many without fame or ...

Freedom was at the heart of America 250 years ago on July 4th, 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed. Freedom of speech was recognized as an American right. It was essential to the responsibility of journalism in America to hold power accountable. How was journalism doing as America celebrates its 250th birthday, enters the second quarter of the 21st century and the second year of the second Donald Trump presidency....

Fareed Zakaria has spent decades explaining the forces shaping the modern world, and America’s place within it.He is the host of Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN, a weekly international affairs program he has anchored since 2008. He writes a weekly foreign affairs column for The Washington Post. He previously served as Managing Editor of Foreign Affairs and as Editor of Newsweek International.Zakaria is the author of four books: The...