Vanita Gupta is a civil rights lawyer who was acting assistant attorney general under President Obama, during which time she led the investigation into the Ferguson, MO police department after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in 2014. Today she heads the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, with a mission to protect the rights of all Americans – as she explains to Hari Sreenivasan.

When riot police routed peaceful protesters outside the White House, very few Republican lawmakers condemned the incident, leading many to question how the Party came to this. In a new article for The Atlantic, “History Will Judge the Complicit,” Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum looks at enablers and collaborators all the way back to WWII and Soviet communism.

The job of making the case against the officers charged in George Floyd’s death falls to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. He is no strange to controversy: as America’s first Muslim congressman, he was a prime target of the right wing smear machine. Now he faces an unprecedented challenge, winning a conviction in a justice system that traditionally favors the police.

For protests that turned violent, President Trump blames the far left, and saying he wants to designate Antifa – short for ‘Anti-Fascists’ – as a terrorist organization. But activist and Occupy Wall Street organizer Mark Bray hits back in a piece for the Washington Post. Bray joins Michel Martin to explain why he believes Trump’s bluster is a diversionary tactic.

Today is a day to mourn George Floyd’s killing and to celebrate his life, as a memorial service in Minneapolis takes place – the first of many to come. But while people call for accountability, President Trump continues his tough-talk response to the outrage. This has prompted backlash from former military officials. Retired Rear Admiral John Kirby joins the program to discuss.

The most famous conflict resolution to emerge out of institutionalized racism came from South Africa. White supremacy was legally sanctioned under apartheid in the country until 1990, when Nelson Mandela led the majority black nation in a peaceful transition to democracy. Paul van Zyl and Vincent Warren discuss what lessons the U.S. can learn from South Africa.

General John Allen led NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan and headed up the international anti-ISIS campaign. He now leads the Brookings Institution, and joins the show to react to President Trump’s military threats this week.

"The Breakfast Club” radio show has become a must-stop for Democratic presidential contenders. But last month, it sent shockwaves through the VP Joe Biden's campaign when he said in an interview with co-host Charlamagne tha God that if voters choose Trump, they aren’t Black. questions were raised about whether the Democratic Party is taking the support of African American voters for granted.

President Trump’s threats to involve the military continue to provoke unease – most notably at the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Mark Esper publicly broke with his commander-in-chief over the issue. Jim Clyburn grew up under segregation and rose to become the senior African American member of Congress.

President Trump is facing increasing criticism from his traditional supporters. What is his strategy -- and how will it play out come November, when Americans are called upon to choose their next president? Marc Lotter is strategic director for the president’s 2020 re-election campaign.

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights has launched an investigation into the practices of the Minneapolis Police Department over the past ten years. Is this enough -- or is there a need for more radical solutions to purge systemic racism from the nation’s police departments? Cedric Alexander is a former police officer who served on President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

Addressing the root causes of racial injustice in America is fundamental to achieving lasting change. As a leading civil rights lawyer, Bryan Stevenson has dedicated his life to doing just that. He speaks with Walter Isaacson about solutions, from a change in the culture of policing to an embrace of truth and reconciliation.

Today Joe Biden called on Congress to act now on systemic racism. For starters, he wants to see a bill outlawing police chokeholds on the president’s desk within days. Congresswoman Karen Bass is chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and is coordinating the formulation of new policing legislation in the House of Representatives.

President Trump’s Bible-wielding photo opportunity has proved controversial. Many evangelical leaders have given it their full support. What do most Republicans make of the president’s handling of the ongoing crisis and his embrace of a "law and order" posture? Scott Jennings has worked for George W. Bush and Mitch McConnell and joins the show to discuss.

Former Vice President Joe Biden gave an impassioned speech today, making the case, he said, for the soul of the American nation, traditional American values, and the unfulfilled promise that all are born equal. Democratic strategist Symone Sanders, a senior adviser to the Biden campaign, joins the show to discuss his plans to address racial inequality.

Amidst widespread images of police brutality were also striking clips of some officers kneeling and marching with the protesters. In Houston – George Floyd’s hometown – police chief Art Acevedo condemned Floyd’s death and, as an immigrant himself, spoke up for people of color. His impromptu speech went viral, and he joins the program to talk about why he felt compelled to join with the protests.

One of America’s leading human rights activists is urging people to make themselves heard at the ballot box this November. Martin Luther King III tweeted about why we are seeing the violence: “As my father explained during his lifetime, a riot is the language of the unheard.” King joins the program alongside prominent Black Lives Matter campaigner DeRay Mckesson.

The images of protests rolling through more than 100 American cities since the death of George Floyd have stunned the world. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) is a feminist and civil rights leader who took part in the Freedom Summer of 1964. She joins the program from Washington, D.C., to reflect on this long, difficult weekend.

Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones explains that racism is in America’s DNA, starting with the original sin of slavery over 400 years ago. She spearheaded the New York Times’ groundbreaking 1619 Project last year, which re-framed American history from the moment the first enslaved Africans were shipped over. She joins the program to reflect on that history and how it informs our present moment.

Eric Fischl is a renowned contemporary artist whose most recent work includes the painting “American Hula.” He first became known for portraying the relationships and dynamics between people and communities in suburban America. He joins the program to talk about the place of art in tragedy and trauma.