Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is well known for her bestselling novels Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah, but her latest book strikes much closer to home. Notes on Grief is an outpouring of love to her father who died in the midst of the pandemic last year and her reflections on that loss.

Some of the Afghans who have benefitted from the last 20 years of relative democracy, women’s rights and freedoms are terrified of a return to the past.

Even with the boom in legal cannabis, there were still more than one million marijuana arrests across the U.S. in 2019. In his new book, "This Is Your Mind on Plants," author Michael Pollan challenges the way we think about all drugs, from psychedelics and opioids to the caffeine in tea and coffee. Pollan speaks with Walter Isaacson about the effects of plant-based drugs on our behavior.

It’s hard to predict the future when it comes to COVID-19, but many are looking at the data from Israel for clues. The country started lifting restrictions in March, after an early vaccination drive saw over 60% of its people get at least one shot – yet cases are spiking again there too. Israel’s Health Ministry director general joins the show to discuss lessons learned.

New reports say that software produced by an Israeli company to assist governments in tracking down terrorists and criminals is now being used by its clients to target activists, politicians, and journalists. The Washington Post, in coordination with 16 media partners including PBS, reports that at least 37 smartphones were successfully hacked by a program called Pegasus. Dana Priest discusses.

Nearly all COVID-19 restrictions have today been lifted in England, on what’s being dubbed “Freedom Day.” A group of global health experts are warning that Britain could become a COVID-19 breeding ground, and that lifting restrictions now is a threat to the world. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan joins the show to discuss.

The Biden administration aims to confront homegrown racism and bigotry. Award-winning historian Kathleen Belew speaks with Michel Martin about American violence and how to combat it.

Dr. Abdullah Abdullah previously served as the Chief Executive of the Afghan government and now oversees the High Council for National Reconciliation. He speaks with Bianna about U.S. withdrawal and if Taliban advances can be stopped.

The World Economic Forum estimates that COVID-19 has added another 36 years to the goal of closing the gender gap. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is executive director of U.N. Women and is gearing up for a major conference on this topic in Paris at the end of this month.

Abigail Disney joins the show.

While the latest figures show the American engine has indeed restarted, with the economy growing at over 6% and jobless claims at their lowest level in over a year, experts are warning of a bumpy ride ahead. There’s also the paradox of still-high unemployment rates just as many industries are suffering labor shortages. To make sense of all this, Bianna speaks with economist Susan Lund.

President Biden finds himself at the center of a brawl within the Catholic Church in the U.S. over plans to deny communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights. Biden is the nation’s second-ever Catholic president and has described his faith as “the bedrock foundation” of his life. So what are the Catholic bishops saying -- and will their plan go through? John Allen discusses.

Pop icon Britney Spears broke her silence yesterday, addressing a court in Los Angeles by phone over her conservatorship. She told a judge, “I just want my life back. And it’s been 13 years. And it’s enough.” It was an emotional, desperate plea for freedom -- and a blistering attack on a system she said is “abusive.” Samantha Stark’s documentary "Framing Britney Spears" details the situation.

The first case of AIDS was reported 40 years ago this month. Since then, millions of people all over the world have lost their lives to the virus. The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus feels the pain of that tragedy particularly acutely, having lost over 300 singers to AIDS since the choir was founded in 1978. Clint Johnson has been a member of the Chorus for over 34 years.

The US State Department is calling for the released of the paper’s jailed executives, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken is overseas again to promote democracy in the face of rising authoritarianism. As number two in the department, Wendy Sherman is tasked with managing America’s relationship with China.

Award-winning British rapper, activist and author Akala is a social commentator for our time. His debut novel "The Dark Lady" is out now,

George Will joins the show.

Brian Lehrer and Christine Quinn join the show to discuss today's NYC mayoral election.

Andrey Kelin joins the show joins the show in an exclusive interview.

Hakeem Oluseyi grew up in some of the roughest American neighborhoods. His father was a drug dealer and his mother, pregnant at 16, dropped out of high school. Oluseyi might have followed their lead. Instead, he became a world-renowned astrophysicist. His new memoir is called "A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars." He tells Hari how he beat the odds.