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.

The world’s G20 economies have pledged to fairly share any vaccine and ensure affordability and accessibility to all, a condition requested by major philanthropists and faith leaders. To discuss all this and the importance of the UK's international aid commitments, Christiane speaks with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who is head of the worldwide Anglican community.

While technology and social media have kept us connected throughout the pandemic, they have also caused indisputable damage. Nicholas Thompson is editor-in-chief of WIRED Magazine and argues that to prevent the spread of harmful misinformation, sites like Facebook need to change their algorithms. Thompson speaks with Walter Isaacson about how information gets distorted and how we get trapped in ec

Can private schools work for the common good? Leon Botstein believes they can. He has spent the past 45 years promoting that very ethos as president of Bard College. Botstein’s approach to the common good at Bard College has seen the school extend education opportunities to disadvantaged youth around the world and to inmates inside America’s sprawling prison system. He joins the show to discuss.

Pfizer and BioNTech are today asking the FDA for emergency use authorization for their coronavirus vaccine, with Moderna soon to follow. This week Moderna announced preliminary results showing its vaccine to be nearly 95% effective at preventing COVID-19. To discuss these findings and how the vaccine might be distributed, Walter Isaacson speaks with Moderna co-founder and chairman Noubar Afeyan.

Film director Steve McQueen's new project "Small Axe" is a series of five original feature-length films that offer an intimate and historical perspective on life in London’s Caribbean community. They’re based on true stories, and the entire project is deeply personal to McQueen. He joins the show to discuss why he felt compelled to tell these stories.

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is calling for a royal commission in Australia to investigate Rupert Murdoch’s global media empire and its dominance in his home country. He joins Christiane to discuss.

G20 leaders are getting ready for a virtual summit hosted by Saudi Arabia this weekend. In anticipation, human rights organizations are calling for accountability for Jamal Khashoggi. His widow, Hatice Cengiz, famously waited for hours outside the consulate after he entered -- and he never emerged. Now she is calling on world leaders to boycott the Saudi summit, as she explains to Christiane.

Months of protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd undoubtedly put racial justice at the front and center of American politics. Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, tells Michel Martin how BLM mobilized the Black vote in this month’s election and what she believes the slogan “Defund the Police” really means.

The new documentary "The Dissident" traces Jamal Khashoggi’s life and career from insider to outcast -- and the harassment and monitoring of other critics of the Saudi regime. Director Bryan Fogel is well versed in challenging oppressive governments. His last feature "Icarus" exposed the Russian doping scandal and won an Oscar in 2018. He joins the program to reflect on Khashoggi's legacy.