Doctors Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci changed the course of history when their company BioNTech, alongside Pfizer, developed the first clinically approved COVID-19 vaccine. The shot was found to be 90% effective in preventing disease. The work of doctors Sahin and Türeci has saved countless lives. The doctors now turn their focus to booster shots and to deadly diseases like malaria and tuberculosis.

In its 138-year history, the Metropolitan Opera has never hosted a performance by a Black composer -- until now. Terence Blanchard's new work is based on a 2014 memoir by New York Times columnist Charles Blow. The composer speaks with Walter Isaacson about his artistic process.

In just three weeks, world leaders meet in Glasgow for the COP26 climate conference, where they'll reckon with a dispiriting report from the United Nations showing that the world is warming faster than scientists previously thought. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is on a state visit in New Delhi now, to convey the urgency of the climate crisis.

"Polexit," anyone? The term is tentatively being bandied about since tensions in Poland reached boiling point over EU membership. Meanwhile in the U.K., home of "Brexit," the economic chickens are coming home to roost with food industry supply chains in utter chaos. Michel Barnier, the EU's unflappable Brexit negotiator, has laid out his experience in a new book called "My Secret Brexit Diary."

A new ProPublica article by journalist Sarah Smith caught our eye with this warning: "We are losing our humanity." Visualize school meetings turning toxic over masks, and medical centers disrupted by violence. Is the new reality fundamentally altering our behavior and the way we interact? If so, what will the lasting impact be? To help unpack all this, we're joined by sociologist Eric Klinenberg.

For the second straight month, the U.S. economy has added far fewer jobs than expected -- only 194,000 in September. Yet the unemployment rate declined as well. What do these numbers tell us about the outlook for workers, businesses and families?

Dave Eggers has just released a gripping sequel to his bestseller "The Circle." "The Every" imagines an Amazon-Facebook type company that becomes the richest and most dangerous monopoly ever known. He speaks with Walter Isaacson about the new work.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is suing ExxonMobil, the American Petroleum Institute and Koch Industries, claiming they have deceived the public over the effects of climate change.

In 2018, the world was mesmerized by the life-and-death story of 12 schoolboys and their soccer coach trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand. A new documentary dives into this story with never-before-seen footage. "The Rescue," by Academy Award-winning directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, reveals the peril of the daring mission. They speak with Hari about the miraculous rescue.

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, there is welcome news in the fight against another deadly infectious disease: malaria. The World Health Organization has approved the first-ever malaria vaccine for use among children. Meanwhile, in the U.S., Pfizer is formally asking the FDA for emergency-use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11. Here to discuss is Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

The Biden administration is warning that the U.S. is prepared to sanction those responsible for ferrying weaponry during Ethiopia’s war effort in Tigray. Here to discuss this and other pressing matters is the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Michael McCaul.

Imagine traveling to outer space just as the pandemic started--only to return months later to a whole new earthly reality. This was the case for Chris Cassidy. The NASA astronaut took his final space mission last April to the International Space Station in a quest to find the origins of the universe. It’s all captured in a new Disney docuseries, "Among the Stars." Cassidy joins the show.

From the women's marches following President Trump’s 2016 victory to his defeat four years later, women have turned the tide in Washington – that’s according to Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin. Her new book explores how female voters, activists and politicians fought for democracy. She speaks with Michel Martin about her own political reckoning.

Ambassador J. Peter Pham, who served as the first-ever U.S. Special Envoy to the Sahel Region of Northern Africa, now sits on the Atlantic Council. He joins the show from Washington to discuss how Ethiopia’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning prime minister has become an international pariah.

In New York City, homelessness has long been an issue. The latest numbers show more than 45,000 people living in shelters. This was Dasani Coates’s reality in 2012, when she was just 11 years old. Now she is the subject of a new book, "Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival and Hope in an American City," by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Andrea Elliott. It draws on almost a decade of reporting.

Conflict has raged in Ethiopia's Tigray region for almost a year, and multiple investigations have shown evidence of Ethiopian government atrocities. Now, new evidence emerges that Ethiopian Airlines cargo carriers have been shuttling weapons between Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea in what experts say would be a violation of international law. Nima Elbagir reports on the situation.

Taiwan’s president is warning of “catastrophic consequences” if the island nation were to fall to China, as Beijing continues to send warplanes towards Taiwan in record numbers. Nearly 150 planes have been flown into Taiwan's defense zone over the past four days, in the latest sign of an increasingly assertive China. What is China’s endgame here. Sheena Greitens joins the show to discuss.

California is facing yet another environmental calamity. An offshore oil spill estimated at 144,000 gallons has prompted Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency. Orange County's beaches now face devastation as the oil moves inshore, forcing beach closures and killing wildlife. At the center of the disaster is Huntington Beach, south of Los Angeles. The city's mayor joins the show.

Fiona Hill served as President Trump’s advisor on all things Russia, with a seat on the National Security Council. She was a key witness at Trump’s first impeachment trial, where her forthcoming testimony gave warning of how our divisions can be exploited. Her new book, "There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the 21st Century," reflects on working for three presidents.

Ryan Hampton, who's in long-term recovery after a decade of using opioids, was part of a watchdog committee set up by the Department of Justice to represent all of Purdue’s Pharma's creditors, from states and hospitals to people like himself. Hampton’s new book is out today and tells the inside story of these proceedings -- a David vs Goliath tale that he discusses with Hari Sreenivasan.