On Friday, State Department Inspector General Steve Linick was fired – the fourth government watchdog to be dismissed in just a few weeks. Senator Bob Menendez is the top ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and is co-launching a congressional inquiry into Linick’s firing. He joins the program to discuss the situation.

To discuss the wider political fallout of Inspector General Steve Linick’s firing and the Trump administration’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Christiane speaks with veteran journalists Susan Glasser and Ed Luce.

Bodies are being dumped in the streets in Ecuador, as the healthcare system faces near collapse and funeral homes struggle to cope. Guillaume Long was Ecuador’s Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the UN, and is currently a senior analyst at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. He speaks with Hari about his country’s unfolding crisis and the severe challenges Latin America is facing.

Christiane speaks with journalist and surgeon Dr. Atul Gawande, whose powerful book “Being Mortal” has proven particularly relevant in the age of COVID-19.

Famed for her portrayal of every child's favorite nanny, Julie Andrews wants to help families bond during these exceptional times. Her comforting, familiar voice can be heard on “Julie’s Library,” a new podcast where she reads children’s books alongside her daughter and frequent co-author Emma Walton Hamilton.

A tussle between science and politics is defining the pandemic response of the Trump administration. How did this increasing rejection of expertise get started? Professor Tom Nichols wrote a prescient book on the subject in 2017, and joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss.

Soccer fans worldwide are rejoicing as the German Bundesliga heads back to the pitch this weekend. But the stadiums will be empty, and the teams will play behind closed doors. To discuss the impact of coronavirus on soccer and the sporting community, Christiane speaks with soccer legend Gary Lineker, who has scored the most world cup final goals of any English player.

A coronavirus vaccine by year's end: That is President Trump’s hope. He promised today a vaccine at “warp speed." But expert after expert warns that this is unlikely in the best of circumstances. The Atlantic’s Ed Yong warned in a 2018 article that the world was underprepared for the next pandemic. He has been chronicling COVID-19 and the American government’s response since the outbreak began.

It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. But during the pandemic, many of the images of those suffering and dying are withheld from public view. Sarah Lewis argues we need to see the victims to better understand the human impact of this devastating virus. She joins Walter Isaacson to explain the vital role of artists and photojournalists during a crisis like this.

Italy’s prime minister, Giuseppe Conte is threatening to leave the EU altogether if the bloc pushes ahead with its plans for a partial summer tourist season. Some countries are taking steps to reopen borders, but the stakes are high amidst fears of a second wave. Conte is opposed in his view by Italy’s former prime minister--and current EU Economy Commissioner--Paolo Gentiloni, who joins the show.

It was only a few years ago that several countries in western Africa faced the deadly Ebola virus. The disease reached Texas before it was brought under control, thanks to a united global effort. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and was Liberia’s president during the Ebola outbreak. She joins the program to discuss the importance of international unity in fighting a virus.

Rick Bright, the ousted director of a crucial agency looking for a vaccine for COVID-19, testified today before Congress. He says he was dismissed for blowing the whistle on the Trump administration’s response to the outbreak. To react to his testimony, Christiane speaks with Dr. Boris Lushniak, former U.S. Acting Surgeon General.

A billionaire investor and star of the TV show “Shark Tank,” Mark Cuban is also an advisor on President Trump’s new economic panel. He joins Walter Isaacson to discuss the return of sporting events, partisanship in U.S. politics and the state of the economy.

Brazil's COVID-19 infections are skyrocketing, but President Jair Bolsonaro consistently plays down the threat of the virus and is urging businesses to reopen across the country. Bolsonaro sparred publicly with his health minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta--a qualified physician–before firing him in April. Mandetta joins the program from Brasilia to discuss his former boss’s response to the virus.

Recessions are predicted all around the world. While governments desperately try to kickstart their economies, one crucial question is whether a fairer and more just future will emerge from the wreckage. Mariana Mazzucato is an economist and founder of the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose at University College London. She joins the program to discuss the outlook.

Imagine fleeing civil war and then ending up on the frontlines of another battle in your new home. Hassan Akkad is a Syrian refugee-turned-filmmaker, whose nail-biting journey to the UK formed part of a BAFTA-winning documentary. But now he’s joining the fight against coronavirus and working as a cleaner on a London hospital ward, a story he discusses with Christiane.

The pandemic has brought with it an overwhelming raft of information -- and with the science changing so fast, it’s fertile ground for conspiracy theories. Dr F. Perry Wilson calls it a “perfect storm,” a global crisis trapped between the medical and political worlds. He is a world-renowned clinical researcher at Yale University and is documenting his life working in a COVID-19 ward.

What is America’s roadmap out of the pandemic? Journalist Donald G. McNeil Jr. knows better than most, having covered science, health and infectious diseases for the New York Times for more than two decades. He joins the program from New York.

Nearly every U.S. state is beginning to relax restrictions, but more than 80,000 lives are lost and the official death toll continues to rise. This as the WHO cautions countries to exercise extreme vigilance as they lift COVID-19 restrictions. Donna Shalala holds the record as the longest-serving Secretary of Health and Human Services. She joins the program to react to today’s Senate hearing.

Iceland continues to record no new COVID-19 cases. The North Atlantic island nation has experienced around 1,800 cases, but just 10 reported deaths. This is in part due to rigorous testing and contact tracing. But Iceland's economy -- heavily dependent on tourism -- is taking a beating. To help recover, the government is lifting its travel ban on June 15. The Prime Minister speaks with Christiane.