As Iraq struggles with political turmoil and a plunge in oil prices, COVID-19 is testing the country in new ways. Iraq’s President Barham Salih joins the program exclusively from Baghdad to discuss his country’s response to coronavirus and the wider issues Iraq is facing.

The International Monetary Fund predicts the world economy will shrink by 3% this year--the biggest downturn since the Great Depression. In this context, President Trump vows to reopen the world’s largest economy, potentially by May 1. To discuss all this, Christiane speaks with Trump’s former Chief Economic Adviser and former president of Goldman Sachs Gary Cohn.

Dr. Robert Gallo, who helped identify HIV in the 1980's, is leading an initiative to use the oral polio vaccine for short-term coronavirus treatment. He believes it could provide a couple of months of immunity, buying time for anyone infected to develop the antibodies to fight it. It still awaits FDA approval, but Dr. Gallo believes there is cause for hope -- as he explains to Walter Isaacson.

Early statistics show men are 50% more likely to die from coronavirus. One theory about what's giving women the advantage is their genetics. Dr. Sharon Moalem’s new book “The Better Half” is an exploration of exactly that. He joins the program alongside author and activist Caroline Criado Perez, whose book “Invisible Women” argues that there's a general data bias in research that ignores women.

Christiane speaks with Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman about the economic impacts we’re seeing as a result of coronavirus and the huge cost to ordinary workers.

California’s Democratic Congresswoman Katie Porter has gained a lot of attention for doing the math and showing her conclusions to those in power. Recently, she asked CDC Director Robert Redfield how much it would cost an American to get tested for COVID-19. In a feisty exchange that went viral, she got a pledge from him: that testing would be free for every American.

The NHS Breathe Harmony Choir has produced a cover version of Mariah Carey’s hit single, “Anytime You Need a Friend." From the U.S. to Australia, more than 100 singers from across the globe came together to send a message of solidarity to those on the front lines of the fight against the pandemic. Christiane speaks with one of the NHS workers from the choir and the project’s musical director.

As the virus spreads, the world’s faithful must reckon with how to observe Easter, Passover and Ramadan while their faith leaders tell them to stay home and away from churches, synagogues and mosques. Rev. Dr. William Barber is one of America’s leading anti-poverty activists and most widely respected spiritual leaders. He explains how to celebrate faith in this challenging time.

Nearly one billion students worldwide are staying home each day, as the pandemic forces schools and colleges to close. But remote learning pioneer Sal Khan is stepping up to help: his Khan Academy is publishing schedules and learning plans for kids, while also providing support to parents and teachers.

Coronavirus has hit Louisiana hard, with new data revealing that it has affected African Americans particularly badly: The state’s black community accounts for 70% of the deaths, even though they make up only 33% of the population. The Mayor of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell, says this disparity is reflected nationwide because of systemic problems with poverty traps and lack of resources.

Last week, the Hungarian government asked for emergency permission to rule by decree. Without imposing a time limit, the parliament approved the move. Prime Minister Viktor Orban says he will use the extraordinary powers “proportionately,” but opposition lawmakers say it puts Hungarian democracy in quarantine. Christiane discusses the controversial move with foreign minister Péter Szijjártó.

With Bernie Sanders having pulled out of the presidential race, the stage is set for a Trump-Biden showdown. So what is the former vice president’s strategy? Delaware Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, who co-chairs the Biden campaign, joins the program to discuss.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dr. Sheri Fink is shining a light on the harrowing day-to-day work at the Brooklyn Hospital Center. Author of a bestselling book about Hurricane Katrina, Fink was Executive Producer on the timely Netflix docuseries “Pandemic." She speaks with Hari about the tough ethical questions facing doctors now.

Senator Bernie Sanders has dropped out of the running for the Democratic nomination. He was the last rival to Joe Biden, leaving the former Vice President as the presumptive nominee gearing up to face President Trump in November. President Obama’s former senior adviser David Axelrod joins the show to analyze Sanders’ decision -- and Biden’s prospects for the general election.

President Trump’s daily press briefings are often criticized for inaccuracies and similar charges are leveled at Fox News. Dozens of journalism professors and leading reporters have signed an open letter lambasting the channel for spreading misinformation, while Kara Swisher wrote an op-ed titled “Fox’s Fake News Contagion.” Swisher and former Fox News correspondent Carl Cameron join the program.

Wuhan, China, where the pandemic began, is now opening up after 76 days of draconian restrictions. Meanwhile, Austria and Denmark say they'll slowly begin to open up again, and Norway says it has now got the virus “under control” and will be sending children back to school soon. How did they do it -- and what lessons can the U.S. learn? Norway's prime minister joins the show for an exclusive talk.

Jon Cohen is an award-winning journalist who has been reporting on infectious diseases for 40 years. He tells Hari Sreenivasan about the remarkable research being done now--even as many still seem determined to ignore the facts--and about his recent, revealing conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci.

In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in intensive care, suffering from COVID-19. To discuss what exactly this means, and Britain’s current situation, Christiane speaks with a former colleague of Boris Johnson: George Osborne, who served as First Secretary during Prime Minister David Cameron’s tenure.

As an infectious disease expert and adviser to the UK government, Sir Jeremy Farrar is uniquely qualified to discuss the state of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, he noted that “we have never faced something like this. Something which in less than 70 days has gone from one city in China to essentially every country on Earth.” He tells Christiane how we can combat future waves of the virus.

Tennis great Billie Jean King is contributing to the fight against coronavirus as only she can: the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home to the U.S. Open, is being pressed into service as a 350-bed emergency hospital. King welcomes the chance to serve the community while keeping a close watch on the impact of coronavirus on her sport.