About Amna @IAmAmnaNawaz
Amna Nawaz serves as co-anchor of PBS News Hour.
Prior to joining PBS News Hour in April 2018, Nawaz was an anchor and correspondent at ABC News, anchoring breaking news coverage and leading the network’s livestream coverage of the 2016 presidential election. Before that, she served as foreign correspondent and Islamabad Bureau Chief at NBC News. She is also the founder and former managing editor of NBC’s Asian America platform, built in 2014, to elevate stories from America’s fastest-growing and most diverse population.
At the News Hour, Nawaz has reported from the White House, across the country, and around the world on a range of topics including politics, immigration, foreign affairs, education, gun violence, criminal justice reform, the climate, culture, and sports.
She also serves as an NBC News and MSNBC contributor.
Throughout her career, she has covered major events such as the January 6th attacks on the U.S. Capitol; the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas; the elections and inaugurations of President Joe Biden, President Donald J. Trump, and President Barack Obama; Hurricane Katrina; the 2010 Haiti earthquake; the U.S. war in Afghanistan; and the September 11th attacks.
Nawaz has interviewed multiple heads of state and international leaders including Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. She has interviewed numerous lawmakers and administration officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. Nawaz has also interviewed newsmakers across industries, including acclaimed director Ava Duvernay, actor Riz Ahmed, WNBA star Sue Bird, and country singer Reba McEntire.
Nawaz was part of the News Hour teams honored with a Peabody Award in 2024 for its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, in 2023 for its coverage of the gun violence epidemic in America, including her on-the-ground coverage of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and in 2022 for News Hour’s coverage of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Nawaz previously won a Peabody for her documentary work on 2019’s “The Plastic Problem,” examining global plastic pollution and efforts to address it. Her other documentaries include “Raising the Future,” a 2021 documentary on America’s childcare crisis; and 2022’s “Life After Lockup,” which followed the lives of four formerly-incarcerated people to track the challenges of re-entry after prison.
In 2020, Nawaz hosted a criminal justice podcast, “Broken Justice,” which was named a finalist for the Silver Gavel Awards, honoring work that fosters the American public’s understanding of law and the legal system. She also hosted 2021’s “The Longest Year,” a pandemic-focused podcast series on the many ways Covid-19 changed Americans’ lives.
Nawaz has hosted three seasons of the primetime PBS series, “Beyond the Canvas,” featuring profiles and interviews of some of the world’s leading artists, musicians, and creators.
In 2019, Nawaz became the first Asian American and the first Muslim American to moderate a presidential debate.
While at ABC News, Nawaz hosted the documentary, “Roberts County: A Year in the Most Pro-Trump Town,” following four families’ lives over President Trump’s first year in office. She also hosted the podcast series, “Uncomfortable” for ABC News Radio, featuring in-depth, one-on-one conversations with thought leaders on the issues dividing America.
While at NBC News, she was the first foreign journalist to gain access to North Waziristan – then the global hub of Al Qaida and the Taliban - while pregnant with her first daughter.
Nawaz was a Fall 2021 Fellow at Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Asian American Journalists Association, the South Asian Journalists Association, and the Inter-American Dialogue.
In 2023, Nawaz was named an A100 honoree by Gold House. She was the recipient of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies’ Vision Award and the Media Award from the Muslim Affairs Public Council’s Media Award in 2022. She has also been honored with the American Muslim Institution’s Excellence in Media Award in 2018 and an Emmy award as part the 2009 NBC News Special “Inside the Obama White House.”
She is the first-generation American daughter of Pakistani parents, born and raised in Virginia. Nawaz earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where she captained the varsity field hockey team and studied abroad at the University of Zimbabwe. She later earned her master’s degree from the London School of Economics.
She lives with her husband, Paul, and their two daughters in the Washington, D.C. area.
Amna’s Recent Stories
World Jul 26
Sinaloa cartel head ‘El Mayo’ arrested after flying to the U.S.The world’s most powerful drug kingpin was in a U.S. court Friday on weapons, money laundering and drug trafficking charges. Ismael Zambada Garcia, also known as "El Mayo," founded the Sinaloa cartel with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. He was arrested…
World Jul 24
U.S. athletes to watch in the Paris OlympicsThe 2024 Paris Olympics are here. The opening ceremony isn’t until Friday, but events are officially underway with men’s soccer and rugby. Millions of fans will descend on the city, as will athletes from around the globe. To preview the…
Politics Jul 23
Secret Service director resigns in wake of criticism for Trump rally security failureSecret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday, ten days after a security failure nearly led to the assassination of former President Trump. Cheatle faced bipartisan criticism during testimony Monday before the House Oversight Committee. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Carol…
Politics Jul 23
Minnesota Gov. Walz says GOP ‘playing with fire’ by ‘demonizing’ HarrisMinnesota Gov. Tim Walz is among those being vetted as a possible running mate for the Democratic ticket. Walz joined Amna Nawaz to discuss his support for Vice President Kamala Harris.
World Jul 23
‘The Russian legal system is a sham’: Alsu Kurmasheva’s family blasts her convictionRussian courts have convicted a string of journalists in recent days. Alsu Kurmasheva, a dual Russian-American citizen and journalist, was convicted and sentenced to six and a half years in prison for spreading "falsehoods about the Russian army." Her trial…
Politics Jul 22
Rep. Doggett on Democratic enthusiasm for Harris: ‘Now we have a fighting chance’With Democratic support for Vice President Kamala Harris as the nominee seems to be solidifying, some in the party still want to see an open convention. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas was the first Democratic lawmaker to call on President…
Politics Jul 22
Harris is the ‘coalition builder this country needs,’ Sen. Padilla saysWhile some Democrats are hoping for an open convention, party support for Vice President Kamala Harris solidified on Monday. Sen. Alex Padilla of California assumed Harris’ seat in the Senate when she became vice president and he has endorsed her…
Politics Jul 22
Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on why Democrats quickly lined up behind Kamala HarrisNPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Amna Nawaz to discuss the latest political news, including the future of the presidential race with President Biden dropping out and Democrats lining up to…
World Jul 19
Russian ‘sham trial’ and 16-year sentence for Gershkovich is appalling, WSJ publisher saysAfter a rushed, secretive trial, a Russian court convicted American journalist Evan Gershkovich in a case the U.S. dismisses as a sham. The Wall Street Journal reporter was sentenced to 16 years in a high-security penal colony. He is the…
Politics Jul 19
Brooks and Capehart on Trump’s familiar message and the pressure on Biden to end his bidNew York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, including former President Trump formally accepting the Republican nomination after his assassination attempt and President Biden vowing to…