In a normal year, the United Nations would be celebrating progress toward its development goals in the realms of poverty, hunger, education, and gender equity. But there is no progress to show this year due to COVID-19. In response, Melinda Gates is sounding the alarm on what the Gates Foundation calls “mutually exacerbating catastrophes” that are unfolding before our eyes.

This has been a summer of nationwide unrest over racial injustice in America -- a field in which Eddie Glaude Jr. is an expert. He chairs the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University and his latest book is titled "Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own." Glaude Jr. tells Walter Isaacson what we can learn from Baldwin's personal struggle.

Wildfires of historic destructive power are ravaging America’s West Coas. The fingerprints of the climate crisis are all over the fires, teeing up another political brawl as Democrats accuse President Trump of denying that reality. Here to discuss these crucial tests of leadership and the race for the White House is military veteran Senator Tammy Duckworth.

Images from the West Coast wildfires are truly apocalyptic: buildings in ashes, searing red skies cloaked in smoke, and entire communities destroyed. Kent Nishimura has risked his life to document all this in his role as photojournalist for the Los Angeles Times. He joins the show to share his images and experiences from the past few days.

After the killing of George Floyd and the global outcry that followed, Jelani Cobb – one of the nation’s foremost journalists on race and politics – felt compelled to revisit his 2016 documentary, "Policing the Police." Set in Newark, New Jersey, the film focuses on the city's efforts to reform its police force. Now, four years later, Cobb reflects on what has changed – and what hasn’t.

COVID lockdowns forced working parents to find a way to reconcile their jobs with the burdens of homeschooling and household management. And who is doing the lion’s share? Working moms, says Joan C. Williams. She is the founding director of the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California, and she tells Michel Martin about the increasingly impossible dilemma of the working mom.

Coronavirus has killed 64 times more Americans than were lost on 9/11, and the pandemic is casting a particularly harsh light on America’s healthcare system. Its dysfunctions nearly cost historian Timothy Snyder his life. His new book takes the reader through his near-death experience and makes the case that universal healthcare is in fact key to American freedom.

Does our growing dependence on social media have a dark side? A new docudrama, "The Social Dilemma," warns that it is breaking down our shared reality. Director Jeff Orlowski joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss this, alongside Tristan Harris, who heads up the Center for Humane Technology and also appears in the film.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is currently trying to secure a peace deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Women’s rights campaigner Fawzia Koofi will be wearing an arm cast at the negotiating table after surviving an assassination attempt last month. To assess Afghanistan's future, Christiane speaks with two women who refuse to let their country go backwards.

Virtuoso pianist Lang Lang has conquered many musical mountains, but now he takes on what he considers his Mount Everest: Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Unable to perform for live audiences during the pandemic, the pianist has taken to Zoom to offer a special performance for Christiane, and to explain just what this masterwork means to him.

The fallout continues over Bob Woodward's latest book, which shows President Trump downplaying the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic from the beginning. Where next can the world look for global leadership in these difficult times? Christiane speaks with Jonathan Powell, an architect of the Good Friday Agreement, and veteran journalist Mark Landler.

As tens of millions of Americans face unemployment, President Trump continues to claim that the economy has been the “strongest ever” on his watch. Journalist Jim Tankersley might disagree. His new book, “The Riches of This Land,” tells the story of what exactly has happened to America’s middle class. He joins Michel Martin to explain the fallacy of restricting immigration to boost wages.

Former FBI agent Ali Soufan's 2011 memoir "The Black Banners" was heavily redacted by the CIA, and only now – after a protracted legal fight – have the redactions finally been lifted for the whole world to see. He joins Christiane to explain the most important revelations.

Reed Hastings, co-founder and co-CEO of Netflix, says the secret of the company’s success is a smash-the-conventions culture. He writes about it in his new book, “No Rules Rules.” He joins Walter Isaacson to explain his strategy for success, as well as why he’s not worried about young people becoming video addicts.

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.