Earlier this year, Republican Chuck Hagel and Democrat Chris Dodd – along with 68 other former senators – signed an open letter condemning growing partisanship in American politics. They join Michel Martin to explain why they think Congress is failing, why the Senate is to blame, and what the answer might be.

For centuries, people have turned to the words of the Bard in times of war, plague, romance and social upheaval. James Shapiro is a world-renowned Shakespeare scholar at Columbia University whose new book explores the playwright’s unique significance for Americans. As Shapiro explains to Christiane, Shakespeare has lessons and hope even for these challenging and uncertain times.

A historic $2 trillion stimulus deal was reached in the U.S., aimed at direct aid for American workers and employers. But it took time to hammer out, and while the White House and lawmakers were haggling, Denmark acted fast putting the country’s economy in deep freeze for three months. Danish Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen joins Christiane to discuss what his government is doing.

Grief is a natural part of the human condition. Amidst the pandemic, many people worldwide are united in their sadness. David Kessler, author of “Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief,” is one of the world’s foremost experts on loss and healing. He tells Michel Martin about how we can share our pain across these new boundaries.

Today, an extraordinary “virtual global summit” took place, with President Trump joining Chinese President Xi Jinping and the rest of the G20 leaders via teleconference to unite their efforts towards fighting the pandemic. The director general of the WHO has scolded world leaders for not acting fast enough against this pandemic, and his chief advisor joins Christiane to discuss the latest.

Spain has taken a particularly bad hit during this crisis, now overtaking China’s death toll with more than 3,400 COVID-19 fatalities. The situation is so dire in Madrid that an Olympic-sized ice rink was converted into a morgue earlier this week. Christiane speaks with Spain’s Foreign Minister, Arancha González Laya, about the worsening situation and the steps being taken to mitigate it.

Some governments have been forced to release prisoners to combat the spread of COVID-19. Last week, Iran released 85,000 inmates. New Jersey announced the release of up to 1,000 low-risk inmates at risk of spreading of the virus in overcrowded and often unsanitary prisons. Lawrence Bartley, director of the Marshall Project's "News Inside," speaks about what the crisis means for those incarcerated.

As America’s single largest healthcare provider, the Department of Veterans Affairs is the designated backup in times of crisis – but is it ready for this influx? Former physician and Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin speaks with Christiane about this and assesses how his former boss, President Trump, is handling the ongoing crisis.

Tufts University has transformed parts of its campus into a military-style hospital to treat the infected, and students are now using their skills to support the healthcare system. Walter speaks with the university’s president, Anthony Monaco, about their efforts.

The 2020 Olympics have now been postponed for a year. The International Olympic Committee had been facing mounting pressure to make this change, as Japan geared up to host the summer games for the first time since 1964. For reaction to this decision, Christiane speaks with IOC member Dick Pound and the greatest marathon runner in the world, Eliud Kipchoge.

Despite the logistical challenges facing the economy now, one company is thriving. Amazon is raising wages and bringing on 100,000 new employees in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Jay Carney, Amazon’s senior vice president of corporate affairs, joins Christiane to discuss the company's treatment of workers in the midst of the pandemic.

The World Health Organization warns the coronavirus pandemic is accelerating – and that the U.S. could be the next epicenter, with New York the hardest hit. Boris Lushniak is the former acting surgeon general and served as commander of the U.S. medical team fighting Ebola in Liberia in 2015. He joins the program to discuss the latest.

Paul van Zyl is a co-founder of London’s Conduit Club, a venue for social philanthropy to spur solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues. The club has laid off 160 employees since the COVID-19 crisis began. Its founder joins the program to explain the extraordinary pressures faced by businesses and organizations like his.

If this is an unprecedented crisis for rich democracies, it’s even more alarming for the developing world and nations at war, like Syria and Yemen. UN Secretary-General António Guterres is calling for an immediate global ceasefire to fight COVID-19, saying that the “true fight of our lives” is against the world’s “common enemy.” He speaks exclusively with Christiane about this global declaration.

New York is the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S., accounting for about half of the country’s total cases. Dr. Cornelia Griggs is a pediatric surgeon who has warned in the New York Times that “the sky is falling,” and she joins the show to explain to Christiane why the cracks in the country’s medical system “are being splayed open like a gashing wound.”

In Washington, D.C., the Senate has been deadlocked over a rescue package, with Democrats saying the proposed trillion-dollar stimulus fails to adequately protect workers. Former Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer argues that the U.S. cannot afford to repeat past mistakes, when these stimulus packages have protected corporate profits over working families.

Nicholas Christakis is a physician, sociologist and author who has an important message for us all: even in trying times, humans show an innate instinct for good. It’s a case he makes in his latest book “Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society." He speaks with Hari about this latest theory. He also explains the importance of social distancing and why it actually works.

Mike Chinoy has served as a foreign correspondent for over 30 years. He joins the program to compare and contrast government approaches to COVID-19 in Asia and to discuss his new book, “Are You With Me?," an exploration of the work of activist lawyer Kevin Boyle.

COVID-19 has now caused nearly a quarter million infections and over 10,000 deaths worldwide. To prevent further contagion, bereaved families are forced to mourn their loved ones alone. Karen Armstrong is a former nun and one of the most prestigious religious scholars of our time. She joins the program to speak about faith, spirituality and community during these difficult times.

Dr. David Ho is a world-renowned doctor and researcher on the frontlines of the crisis. In the 1990s, he invented the AIDS cocktail, a drug strategy recognized as a turning point in the fight against the disease. Now he's racing to battle COVID-19, leading four teams working to find a treatment. He joins Walter Isaacson to explain the lessons we should have learned from the 2003 SARS outbreak.