The year 2020 saw an unprecedented rise in urban crime across America. Fast-forward to today, with protests in Minnesota entering their fifth day over the killing of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man shot by police during a traffic stop on Sunday. Sociology professor Patrick Sharkey, founder of AmericanViolence.org, speaks with Michel Martin about strategies for confronting violence.

In Georgia, Stacey Abrams has called the state's broad new voting restrictions “Jim Crow in a suit and tie.” The bill restricts both absentee and in-person voting, giving the Republican-controlled state government new powers over conducting elections. Prominent corporate executives are speaking up and at least one movie has pulled its production from the state. Senator Jon Ossoff joins to discuss.

As Afghanistan’s President Ghani puts on a brave and diplomatic face, there are real fears – particularly among Afghan women – that their rights will be crushed if the Taliban were to seize control again. To discuss, Christiane speaks with Fawzia Koofi, formerly a member of parliament and now part of Afghanistan’s negotiating team in the ongoing peace talks.

Legendary songwriter Diane Warren has had three decades of hits like Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time” and Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” Italian pop music star Laura Pausini is another veteran hitmaker, and now the two have come together to create the theme song for an acclaimed new feature film, “The Life Ahead,” which stars Sophia Loren, which they join the show to discuss.

Three U.S. presidents have tried and failed to end the war in Afghanistan, and President Biden says he refuses to be the fourth. By September, he will withdraw thousands of troops from the country known as “the graveyard of empires,” and NATO is likely to follow. William McRaven was the commander of the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden, and joins the show to talk about the latest news and his

The contributions of female journalists Kate Webb, Catherine Leroy and Frances Fitzgerald have long been overlooked, but now Elizabeth Becker – herself a former war correspondent – is telling their story in her new book, “You Don’t Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War.”

Is all that we know about the laws of the universe about to change? Physicists are over the moon about the discovery that a subatomic particle is behaving in a way nobody could have predicted. It means that there may be a new theory of nature out there, yet to be discovered. It’s a complicated matter, but for theoretical physicist Michio Kaku, it is truly thrilling. He joins Walter Isaacson.

How will rising tensions between Israel and Iran impact ongoing talks to revive the Iran Nuclear Deal? Senator Chris Coons is a close confidant of President Biden with an eye on foreign policy, having recently returned from a trip to Ethiopia. He joins the program from Capitol Hill.

What is going on between Israel and Iran, and what is the endgame? To explain what is happening and where it could lead, Christiane speaks with reporter Ronen Bergman.

In 1991, 15-year-old Latasha Harlins was killed by an LA convenience store owner who falsely accused her of stealing. Her death and the beating of Rodney King by the LAPD prompted the devastating LA riots in 1992. A newly released, Oscar-nominated documentary shines a light on the life of a young girl whose promise went unfulfilled. The film's director, Sophia Nahli Allison, joins the show.

Automation, an increasingly dominant force in all of our lives, is the subject to which journalist Kevin Roose turns his attention in his new book "Futureproof." The book looks at how to navigate a future dominated by algorithms and AI -- and how not to be replaced by a machine at work. Roose speaks with Hari Sreenivasan about ways we can peacefully coexist with machines.

"The Trial of the Chicago 7" is a riveting courtroom drama with a host of acclaimed actors – including the man behind Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen. Christiane spoke with Baron Cohen alongside “Chicago 7” writer/director Aaron Sorkin to discuss the resonance of that trial today, the Capitol Hill insurrection, and the very real danger in making the Borat sequel.

Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for eight years, was the Obama Administration's longest-serving cabinet member. Now Vilsack has returned to head the Department of Agriculture for the Biden administration. He joins Walter Isaacson to discuss the assistance the department has provided to farmers throughout the pandemic, as well as his plans for reform.

While countries like the UK and the U.S. are moving quickly towards vaccine-backed herd immunity, too many other countries are nowhere near this goal. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown joins the program to discuss global mass vaccination -- which he believes must receive highest priority -- as well as the life and death of Prince Philip.

Prince Philip passed away peacefully this morning just two months shy of his 100th birthday. In a statement, Buckingham Palace spoke of the Queen's "deep sorrow" at losing her beloved husband of more than 70 years. Simon Lewis joins Christiane to reflect on Philip's legacy in the monarchy. Lewis served as communications secretary to the Queen from 1998 through 2000.

In Vienna, momentum is building on the vital effort to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The United States and Iran are still not talking directly, and plenty of sticking points remain. For insight into the Iranians' position on the issues, Christiane spoke with Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh.

Prince Philip was just 26 when he married then-Crown Princess Elizabeth -- in full pomp and pageantry -- in 1947. No one could have foreseen that the union would last some 73 years -- outlasting wars, scandals and countless global challenges to the monarchy. To reflect on the past 70 years, Christiane speaks with legendary historians Margaret MacMillan.

Like the Queen, Prince Philip was deeply committed to the commonwealth. Leaders of those nations have been paying tribute to the Duke including Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison who said, "the commonwealth family joins together in sorrow and thanksgiving for the loss and life of Prince Philip." The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations reflects on the Duke's impact.

Dorothy A. Brown is a law professor and nationally recognized scholar in tax policy. She chose her field because she believed it was free from racism. She soon discovered how wrong she was. Her new book, "The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans and How We Can Fix It," draws on decades of research and personal histories, as she explains to Michel Martin.

The film "One Night in Miami…" is a fictional reimagining of an historic night. In 1964, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown gathered in a Miami hotel room to celebrate the world heavyweight victory of Cassius Clay, soon to be known as Muhammad Ali. The film is the feature directorial debut of Oscar-winning actor Regina King. She joins the show alongside screenwriter Kemp Powers.