In new book, Michael McFaul explores the global fight between autocracy and democracy

In our news wrap Friday, Cornell University announced a $60 million deal with the Trump administration to restore federal funding and end investigations into the school, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban says his country has received an exemption from U.S. sanctions on Russian energy and Denmark 's government announced a plan that would ban social media access for anyone under the age of 15. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

The former U.S. ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, has been analyzing the rise of autocracies and the threats they pose to democracy for decades. Amna Nawaz sat down with McFaul to discuss his new book, “Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder.” PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

This week, President Trump threatened to send the U.S. military into Nigeria for not doing enough to protect Christians. For years, Nigeria has struggled to curtail violence across the country, from international terrorist groups to disputes between farmers and herders. But now, its leadership must face threats from both its internal adversaries and the White House. Nick Schifrin reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

President Trump's sweeping tariff plan may be on shaky ground after a Supreme Court hearing focused on his authority to impose the measures. Several justices on the court questioned the legality of the tariffs and how much power the president has to broadly enact his agenda. Amna Nawaz discussed more with PBS News Supreme Court analyst and SCOTUSBlog co-founder Amy Howe. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

In our news wrap Monday, famine has spread to two regions of war-torn Sudan, Israel transferred the bodies of 45 Palestinians to Gaza after Hamas handed over the remains of three Israeli hostages, Nigerian officials are pushing back after President Trump suggested U.S. troops may go in "guns-a-blazing" and part of a medieval tower in Rome collapsed. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Authorities in Israel detained the military’s top lawyer, a two-star general, and accused her of leaking a video that allegedly shows Israeli soldiers assaulting a Palestinian detainee. The saga renews an intense debate about how the legal system treats Israeli soldiers and Palestinian detainees. Nick Schifrin reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

In our news wrap Saturday, Israel says the remains of three people Hamas handed over don’t belong to any hostages, Ukrainian forces say they destroyed a key fuel pipeline supplying the Russian army, emergency aid is arriving in hurricane-battered Jamaica, two new suspects in the Louvre jewel heist are in custody, and the Grand Egyptian Museum opened in Cairo. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

For decades, China’s government has reshaped the country with dramatic displays of state power, from vast infrastructure projects that have remade entire provinces to nationwide campaigns that attempt to shape citizens’ behavior. Ali Rogin reports on what those sweeping measures say about China’s ambitions and what they may mean for the future of U.S.-China competition. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

In the Indian Ocean, the Yemeni island of Socotra is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. More than a third of the plant species on the island don’t exist anywhere else on the planet. That includes a type of dragon’s blood tree now struggling to survive in the face of climate change. John Yang speaks with Associated Press oceans and climate correspondent Annika Hammerschlag for more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Sudan's civil war has entered a new and horrific phase as paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have gone on a killing rampage after taking over the key city of El Fasher in western Darfur. Hundreds of thousands have fled after witnessing mass executions and brutal violence. Nick Schifrin reports. A warning, images and accounts in this story are disturbing. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy