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Amanpour & Co.

How Libraries Became a Political Battleground

Libraries are at the center of another polarizing debate dividing the U.S. in the ongoing culture wars. Efforts by elected officials and activist groups to censor books have escalated to levels unseen since tracking began decades ago. Librarians are now on the front lines of a battle for intellectual freedom. The President of the American Library Association speaks about the year of the book bans.

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March 11, 2026
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55:53
Adel Nassar; Mostafa Daneshgar; Maryam Alemzadeh; Vivian Salama
March 10, 2026
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55:52
General Joseph Votel; Jeremy Diamond; Lilian Tintori; Senator Andy Kim
March 9, 2026
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55:21
Gideon Sa'ar; Kamal Kharazi; Jason Furman; Debbie Wei Mullin; Sarah LaFleur
March 6, 2026
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55:53
Fred Pleitgen; Mehdi Mahmoudian; Dan Shapiro; David Frum
March 5, 2026
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55:42
Frederik Pleitgen; Admiral Mike Mullen (Ret.); Scott Anderson; Abbas Milani; Noah Feldman
March 4, 2026
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55:33
Chris Murphy; Turki al-Faisal; John Sawers
March 3, 2026
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55:50
Gen. David Petraeus (Ret.); Nic Robertson; Amos Harel; Chrystia Freeland
March 2, 2026
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55:55
Jon Finer; Ellie Geranmayeh; Col. Cedric Leighton; Stephen Fowler
February 27, 2028
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55:52
Jay Inslee; Werner Herzog; Steve Boyes; David Brooks
May 13, 2025
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55:46
Daniel Kurtzer; Jordan Thomas; Kelsey Grammer
February 28, 2024
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55:48
Philippe Lazzarini; Lawrence Wright; Dr. Jonathan Metzl
December 12, 2023
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55:56
Ben Hodges; Maria Pevchikh; Marina Abramović; Rabbi David Wolpe
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