In such a difficult year, sometimes all you can do is laugh to stay sane. That’s the attitude of friends, comedians and "Politically Re-Active" podcast co-hosts W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu. They speak with Hari Sreenivasan about what they call the “dumpster fire that is American politics.”

With COVID deaths at an all time high, America is facing a bleak winter before the rollout of a vaccine takes effect. New York City was one of the hardest hit places in the country and is once again suffering a significant rise in cases. Mayor Bill de Blasio joins the show to discuss how the city is coping and what lessons he learned from the spring.

UK health regulators gave emergency authorization for the Pfizer BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. Britain is the first country to place its seal of approval on this extraordinary feat of science. To discuss Britain’s approval of the vaccine and the projected rollout in the U.S., Christiane speaks with public health experts on both sides of the Atlantic.

For musicians, sound is their life. What if it all falls silent? The new film "Sound of Metal" follows a heavy metal drummer whose life is thrown into free fall when he loses his hearing. British actor Riz Ahmed stars in the lead role as a man trying to hold together his career, his sobriety, and his relationship all at once. He joins the show to discuss the project alongside the film’s director.

Jonathan Alter is an award-winning journalist and author of three bestselling presidential biographies. His latest, "His Very Best," examines the life and career of one-term president Jimmy Carter. Alter tells Walter Isaacson why he believes President Carter’s tenure in the White House has been grossly underrated.

Three senior members of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) -- one of Egypt's most respected human rights groups -- have just been arrested and jailed on terrorism charges. Karim Ennarah is one of them. His wife Jess Kelly and EIPR founder Hossam Bahgat discuss the situation.

In her latest 10-part series, "Sincerely Michelle," Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary gets personal about race and finance. In an emotional conversation, she tells Michel Martin why she wrote this series and what she hopes readers will take away from it.

In the new National Geographic series "Trafficked," award-winning investigative journalist Mariana Van Zeller pulls back the curtain on black markets across the world. She joins Christiane to explain what she learned from this project.

Today is World AIDS Day, and this year marks the 30th anniversary of "Red Hot + Blue," an album created by John Carlin and Leigh Blake to raise money and awareness for the AIDS crisis. The album brought together musicians like Debbie Harry, Annie Lennox, David Byrne and k.d. lang, to re-interpret the music of Cole Porter. John Carlin and k.d. Lang join Christiane to reflect on the project.

Even before assuming office, President-elect Joe Biden faces major issues on the global stage. Most immediate is the Thanksgiving weekend assassination of Iran’s top nuclear scientist, which could thwart Biden’s aim to bring the U.S. back into the Iran nuclear deal. The EU called the assassination criminal and Iranian hardliners have sworn revenge. Ellie Geranmayeh joins the show to discuss.

European leaders are watching the waning days of the Trump administration, many hoping for a return to multilateral norms. Now, against the advice of his own top brass, President Trump is aiming to remove half of all U.S. forces from Afghanistan before January 20. NATO's Secretary General speaks with Christiane about the possibility that President Biden will usher in a U.S./NATO reset.

Ta-Nehisi Coates’ 2015 book "Between the World and Me" has become a modern classic, addressing essential questions of racial justice and identity in today’s America. Now it has been transformed into a star-studded adaptation for HBO. Actor Wendell Pierce joins the show to explain why he felt compelled to be a part of this unique project.

America is bracing for a coronavirus winter. The numbers nationwide continue to rise, and every day in November the number of new infections surpassed 100,000. Best-selling author Scott Galloway speculates about what the country could look like after the pandemic in his new book "Post Corona: From Crisis to Opportunity." He speaks with Hari Sreenivasan about the road ahead.

The Justice Department has scheduled the executions of five federal prisoners in the final days of President Trump’s term -- despite President-elect Biden's stated wish to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level. It will be the first multiple execution during a presidential transition since 1884, as well as being the first federal execution of a woman in nearly 70 years.

As of Tuesday, 88,080 people are currently hospitalized for COVID-19. This is the highest number of hospitalizations in American history. Chelsea Walsh is a traveling crisis nurse who moves from one COVID hotspot to another, serving those hardest hit by the pandemic. She speaks with Hari Sreenivasan about what she has learned along the way, from Texas to New York.

What will a Biden administration mean for U.S. relations with Venezuela? Christiane asks opposition activist Leopoldo López, who -- after six years in custody -- fled Venezuela last month for Madrid, where he now lives in exile.

In 2017, Sheku Kanneh-Mason shot to fame playing the cello at Harry and Meghan’s Windsor Castle wedding. But he is not alone in his talents; in fact, he’s one of seven musical siblings. Together they have just released their first joint album, "Carnival of the Animals." Four members of this unusually musical family join the show to discuss their creative collaboration during lockdown.

The transition from the old administration to the new is now officially underway. The necessary funds and machinery to make way for President-elect Joe Biden are now authorized and he is wasting no time, today unveiling key members of his incoming administration. Christiane speaks with two foreign policy experts who know this team well.

Six mayors from four continents have joined together in founding a new international initiative called CHANGE. Together, these mayors hope to find local government solutions to problems of inequality facing women. Christiane speaks with the mayors of London and Mexico City to learn more.

Creating conversations to bridge differences is hard enough, but online it can be even tougher -- especially when one perceived misstep can see someone “called out” or “cancelled.” These two things can close down dialogue without addressing the problem, according to Loretta J. Ross. She tells Michel Martin about a class she's teaching on this subject at Smith College.