About Dan @DanSagalyn
As the deputy senior producer for foreign affairs and defense at the PBS NewsHour, Dan plays a key role in helping oversee and produce the program’s foreign affairs and defense stories. His pieces have broken new ground on an array of military issues, exposing debates simmering outside the public eye.
Over the past two decades at the NewsHour, he has booked and produced scores of exclusive interviews with foreign leaders, U.S. national security advisers, secretaries of defense and state, senior military officers, members of Congress, and other key government officials.
Dan initially joined the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer in May 1996 as a reporter, responsible for producing discussion segments on the Middle East, Asia, defense, terrorism and intelligence issues. The show promoted him to deputy senior producer in 2003. Before joining the NewsHour, Dan was one of the producers of America's Defense Monitor, a 30-minute weekly television series on defense and foreign policy issues, broadcast nationally on PBS and cable television.
Dan received a Master's Degree in International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs in 1987, specializing in international security policy. He received a BA in history from Boston University in 1984.
Dan’s Recent Stories
World Jul 06
Was the war in Afghanistan worth fighting? 3 veterans weigh inMany countries have closed or scaled back operations at consulates in Afghanistan as the Taliban have scored territorial gains since mid-April, when the U.S. announced its military withdrawal. How does the war in Afghanistan — America's longest war — look…
World Jul 01
The Taliban are winning on the battlefield as U.S. troops withdraw. Can Afghans stop them?The U.S. will soon complete the troops' withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war. Nick Schifrin talks to the lead U.S. diplomat for the region, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. Born in Afghanistan, he worked in various capacities with Presidents Ronald…
World Jun 30
Top U.S. commander in Afghanistan warns the country could descend into civil warThe U.S. is on the verge of completing a unilateral and unconditional withdrawal from Afghanistan nearly 20 years after it invaded, and the outgoing U.S. military commander has delivered a new stark warning about the future of the country: the…
World Jun 25
Biden wants to leave some U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The Taliban isn’t happyFriday at the White House, President Joe Biden met with Afghanistan’s leaders, just weeks before the U.S. completes withdrawing almost all of its forces. There was a lot on the agenda: finalizing plans on how many U.S. troops to keep…
Nation Jun 22
Defense Department moves to fix failures in addressing sexual assault in the ranksThe U.S. Defense Department on Tuesday embraced a major reform aimed at stamping out sexual assault in the military. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III issued a statement saying he supported removing commanders from having any voice on whether service…
World Jun 21
Taliban gains Afghan territory, may seek ‘complete return to power’ amid US withdrawalThe U.S. military will soon complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war. But the Afghan government is under constant attack from the Taliban and is struggling to hold onto its territory. This past weekend saw some of…
World Jun 16
Exploring the issues affecting US-Russia relations and the future of diplomacyThere was a lot at stake and a lot discussed Wednesday during President Joe Biden's meeting with Russia's president Vladimir Putin. Nick Schifrin explores the outcome of their summit with Fiona Hill. Hill served as senior director for European and…
World Jun 04
Tiananmen Square massacre casts a long shadow over modern Chinese politicsFriday marked the 32nd anniversary of the massacre in Tiananmen Square, where hundreds and perhaps thousands of people were killed by the Chinese government amid a Democratic protest movement. But many Chinese know nothing of what happened that day. Nick…
World Jun 02
A look at the Israeli coalition trying to strip Netanyahu of powerIsrael's longest serving prime minister — Benjamin Netanyahu — has been swept from office after two years of political turmoil. Opposition groups on Wednesday agreed on a new government — with potentially far-reaching implications for Israel and all of the…
Politics May 27
Veterans exposed to ‘burn pits’ struggle to get benefits approved by the VATens of thousands of U.S. Veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq are sick — many say due to the military's trash "burn pits." Veterans have had to fight to get their illnesses recognized as linked to their service and…