While billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has worked hard to help end the pandemic, he has never taken his eye off the growing threat to our natural world. Gates does not believe the situation is hopeless, but he does believe it requires immediate action – as outlined in his new book "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster." He speaks with Walter Isaacson as part of our Peril & Promise initiative.

The pandemic has seen the rise of a troubling strain of hate crimes against America’s Asian community – a group regularly impacted by racial bias. The new film "Minari" explores the story of a Korean family trying to build a new life as farmers in rural Arkansas. Steven Yeun, who plays the family patriarch, joins the show to discuss the film, Asian American identity, and representation on screen.

Loujain al-Hathloul is one of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent women’s rights activists. Her arrest in 2018 was roundly condemned by the international community. Despite denials by the Saudi government, Loujain says that she was tortured and sexually abused in detention. Al-Hathloul's sister Lina joins the program to discuss her release and human rights in the Kingdom.

Vaccine rollout in the UK is being hailed as a major success, with more than 16 million vaccinated so far. But the success rate is much lower in Black and minority communities. David Olusoga is a historian who’s helping to tackle the problem head-on as part of the new campaign #TakeTheVaccine -- aimed at increasing the rate of vaccination and fighting disinformation.

Reviving the Iran Nuclear Deal is a major priority for the Biden administration, and the White House has now announced it is ready to engage in talks with Iran. Jake Sullivan held top foreign policy positions under President Obama and played a key role in hammering out the original deal. He now serves as President Biden’s national security advisor and joins the show from the White House.

The content on sites like Facebook and Google is supposedly free of charge. But what are the hidden costs to unsuspecting users? Shoshana Zuboff warns of an information coup, with the foundations of American democracy placed under threat by the tech giants’ clandestine data collection process. She speaks with Hari Sreenivasan about the dangers of “surveillance capitalism.”

A new PBS series examines the history of the Black church in America -- from slavery to emancipation, from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter. Through struggle, discrimination and upheaval, the church has been a place for African Americans to raise their voices in prayer and song. Series producer/director Stacey Holman joins the show to talk about the epic project.

One of President Biden’s most pressing foreign policy decisions will be whether to reverse his predecessor’s withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal. Today, top American and European diplomats met to look at options. To assess the state of play, Christiane speaks with a former adviser to the Obama administration and a current adviser to the EU foreign policy chief.

Award-winning director Lee Daniels is best known for films like "The Butler" and the Oscar-winning "Precious." In his latest work he turns his attention to singer Billie Holiday. The film depicts how the jazz legend ended up on the wrong side of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, all because of her song “Strange Fruit,” which the bureau wanted to suppress. Daniels speaks with Michel Martin.

The situation in Myanmar has particular resonance for Tom Malinowski. Before he was a congressman, he worked with President Obama to open up the country and support its young democracy. He joins the show to discuss how the U.S. should react to events there, and more.

Heather McGhee is an economic policy expert and self-proclaimed data nerd who is now turning her analytical eye to racism. McGhee believes racism exacerbates inequality not just for people of color, but for all. She lays out the argument in her new book, "The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together." She joins the show from New York to discuss.

COVID numbers in general are coming down in the U.S. But the good news is tentative. Viral variants appear to be increasingly widespread, an important reminder that people must keep their guard up. Dr. Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, is one of the country's top medical researchers. He joins Walter Isaacson.

The temperature is dropping in the cold war between the U.S. and China. What comes next for this rivalry between superpowers? Former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad was America’s Ambassador to China until last October, having first met Xi Jinping when he was a young Communist Party official on a tour of rural America. Branstad joins Christiane to offer his analysis of the situation.

Former President Trump has been acquitted, but the evidence brought forward by the nine impeachment managers is still being analyzed in the court of public opinion. Stacey Plaskett was one of the managers, and the delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands stood out during the trial in how she made the case against Trump. She joins Michel Martin to take us behind the scenes of that tumultuous event.

For her feature film directorial debut, actress Robin Wright didn’t flinch from the difficult topics of trauma, grief, resilience and recovery. "Land" also stars Wright as a woman who, after great personal loss, retreats to the beautiful but brutal Wyoming mountains. Wright joins the show alongside grief expert Dr. James Gordon, who advised her on the film.

A new documentary is bringing the mainstream spotlight to the “Free Britney” campaign, as a relatively small group of activists campaign in favor of Britney Spears’ legal fight to regain control of her personal affairs and finances. The film's director Samantha Stark discusses the rise and vilification of one of the world’s most successful pop singers and the ugly side to celebrity and fame.

What does Donald Trump’s second acquittal by the Senate mean for American democracy and its reputation? Sir Peter Westmacott was the British Ambassador to the U.S. during the Obama years. He joins the show to discuss the impeachment trial, American democracy and a Biden foreign policy.

Out of 50 Republican senators, only seven dared to cross Trump and vote to convict the former president. One was Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy. The former doctor voted guilty on the charge of inciting an insurrection, knowing full well he will face the wrath of his constituents in his deeply conservative state. He tells Walter Isaacson why he's sticking to his guns.

During the pandemic, countries led by women have fared better in general than those led by men. Yet a woman's path to leadership remains littered with obstacles, from structural sexism to the challenges of childcare. Christiane discusses these issues with Julia Gillard, who was Australia's first female prime minister, and former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

The second impeachment trial of former President Trump is causing some major soul-searching among traditional conservatives. Former solicitor general Ted Olson, a veteran Republican who worked in the Bush and Reagan administrations, was horrified by the Capitol riots on January 6. Olson tells Walter Isaacson why he believes senators who don't vote to impeach are complicit in Trump's wrongdoing.