In his new book, celebrated philosopher Michael Sandel argues that the ruling class in politics, business, and higher education exploited meritocracy to lock in their status and devalue essential contributions of the working class. He joins Christiane to explain this theory.

When Svetlana Tikhanovskaya's husband's presidential campaign in Belarus was ended by his arrest and incarceration, she launched her own campaign and quickly gained enormous popularity. After the election she was briefly detained by authorities before finding refuge in neighboring Lithuania. She explains to Christiane why she is determined to fight against authoritarianism no matter what.

Erin Brockovich showed the power of individual activism when she took on California’s massive Pacific Gas & Electric Company over water contamination. Yet now, 25 years later, access to clean water is still not a guarantee in the United States. Brockovich is now calling on Americans to stand up and join her ongoing fight, as she details in her new book.

Actor John Leguizamo recently became a first-time director with “Critical Thinking,” the true story of a group of underprivileged Latinx and Black teens who qualified for the National Chess Championship in 1998. He joins Ana Cabrera to discuss the importance of education, representation in Hollywood, and the Latinx vote.

Chris Murphy became Connecticut’s junior senator in 2012 -- less than a month after the Sandy Hook massacre -- and is now one of the nation's leading advocates for gun control. He explores the country’s fascination with firearms in his new book.

The cover of Vanity Fair’s September issue, which is dedicated to “art, activism, and power in 21st century America,” is adorned with Breonna Taylor's portrait. Few contemporary writers have deconstructed racial injustice like Ta-Nehisi Coates, guest editor of the issue. He joins Christiane alongside Vanity Fair’s Radhika Jones, who as editor-in-chief has made diversity her priority.

Increasing numbers of high-level Republican Party members are admitting publicly that they just can’t vote for him. Former Arizona Senator Jeff Flake has been a leader in the Republican anti-Trump movement ever since he withheld his vote from the GOP candidate in 2016. This November he will vote for Joe Biden, calling it the only way to save conservatism.

Historian and journalist Rick Perlstein has been called the “chronicler extraordinaire of American conservatism.” His new book "Reaganland" is the latest in a series exploring how conservative politics came to dominate America. The author speaks with Walter Isaacson about how this sequence of events led to the current political climate in America.

America’s top athletes are united in an unprecedented display of solidarity and protest. From women’s and men’s basketball to major league soccer and baseball games, professional players across the United States have walked out over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. ESPN Columnist Howard Bryant joins the program to weigh in on this moment in history.

A damning bipartisan Senate Intelligence report detailing Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election passed virtually unnoticed when released 10 days ago. Moreover, Russia is believed to be interfering in the current election campaign. Former U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice joins Walter Isaacson to discuss this and the shooting of Jacob Blake.

The political fallout of the situation in Kenosha, Wisconsin was on display in Vice President Pence’s speech, which emphasized law and order above all else. Is this the party’s rallying cry for November? To discuss, Christiane speaks with Ohio’s former secretary of state and Trump campaign advisor Ken Blackwell.

The Republican Party sees a path to electoral college victory through the suburbs, and it is once again targeting the narrow coalition of voters who pushed President Trump over the top in 2016. It’s a group that is whiter, older, and more evangelical than much of America. The strategy appears to offer short-term advantages but will not prove sustainable, according to author Robert P. Jones.

To discuss the racial and political ramifications of events in Wisconsin, President Obama’s former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson joins the program.

Scientists say there's no doubt that recent extreme weather is driven by climate change. Yet the RNC will have nothing to say about it. Environmentalist and Republican Benji Backer grew up knocking on doors for John McCain and Mitt Romney. In college, he created the American Conservation Coalition to engage young conservatives on climate change and push the GOP to take action.

Mia Love broke through the glass ceiling in 2015 when she became America's first Black Republican Congresswoman. The daughter of Haitian immigrants and a Mormon convert, Love represented Utah’s fourth district until she lost her seat in 2019. A proud conservative, Love spoke at the 2012 RNC. Whether she supports President Trump today is not an easy question to answer, as she tells Michel Martin.

Alcohol is back on sale in South Africa, after previously being banned by South African President Ramaphosa to stave off domestic abuse. Josina Machel was blinded in one eye in a brutal attack by her partner five years ago. The incident led her to set up the Kuhluka Movement to empower women. She joins the program to tell her story and the discuss how the pandemic fuels domestic violence.

The effects of coronavirus on the human body are still unclear. Michael Reagan was fit and healthy before contracting COVID-19 in March. Since then he has been admitted repeatedly to New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital with serious, recurring symptoms. He speaks with Hari Sreenivasan about his experience, alongside the doctor running Mount Sinai’s Center for Post-COVID Care.

The Republican National Convention is underway. President Trump has doubled down on his unsubstantiated claim that mail-in voting is riddled with fraud. Yet in the crucial battleground state of Florida, he’s actively encouraging the practice and is making use of it himself. To discuss the latest, Christiane speaks with former Florida governor and current GOP Senator Rick Scott.

After President Trump's inauguration in 2017, one of his first guests to Mar-a-Lago was Chinese President Xi Jinping. But after three years of trade wars, tariffs, and a coronavirus war-of-words, a new U.S. intelligence report states that Beijing would prefer Trump lose the 2020 election because he is “unpredictable.” To discuss this, Christiane speaks with experts from the U.S. and China.

Beth Fukumoto served three terms in the Hawaii House of Representatives, but the GOP forced her resignation after she publicly denounced President Trump's policies and rhetoric. She's now a Democrat and openly acknowledges what she calls her "political failings." She tells Michel Martin what led to her resignation.