In Europe, a Polish immunologist is warning “we are on the brink of disaster.” COVID-19 is raging through the continent again, with some 100,000 cases per day prompting new restrictions by governments from Paris to Prague. The World Health Organization’s Europe director Hans Kluge is deeply concerned about this second wave, but says another round of national lockdowns should only be a last resort.

Black and minority communities continue to bear the brunt of the pandemic in America and worldwide, further exacerbating existing inequalities in both health and wealth. Marc Morial says that reimagining urban centers could be the key to closing those gaps. He is president and CEO of the National Urban League and a former mayor of New Orleans. He joins Walter Isaacson to explain his vision.

Day two of confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett and the stakes couldn’t be higher, with healthcare at the top of the list. Judge Barrett claims personal faith shouldn’t interfere with court rulings. But what do anti-abortion activists make of her nomination? As executive director for Heritage Action for America, Jessica Anderson is a strategist for conservative policies. She joins the show

A key aspect of Barrett’s appeal to conservative activists is her adherence to the legal doctrine of “originalism.” What exactly does this entail, and how useful is it as a legal framework? Dahlia Lithwick, a columnist for Slate, warned recently that Barrett’s confirmation hearings represent an “erosion of representative democracy” in the United States.

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey has first-hand knowledge of the devastating impact of violence in the home. She was 19 when her former stepfather murdered her mother, and that excruciating pain is the subject of her new book Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir. Michel Martin speaks with Trethewey in a raw and often emotional conversation.

Satirists and novelists have grappled with how best to cover this most unusual administration. Its idiosyncracies are proving an excellent fit for Dave Eggers, renowned for his parable-like novels on issues from globalization to technology and political polarization. He discusses his newest novella, "The Captain and the Glory."

The struggle for racial justice isn’t exclusive to America. In the UK it is currently Black History Month as the nation reckons with past and present injustice. The 2018 BBC documentary “Being Blacker” tells the story of south London record shop owner Blacker Dread. It’s an intimate portrait of a life shaped by inequality, racism, and also a deep sense of community.

Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation to the Supreme Court would decisively tilt the balance of the court to the right, and would throw into question issues of healthcare, abortion, and voting rights. Angela Davis was there at the establishment of many of those rights, as a longtime activist in the segregated south. She joins the show to discuss.

Elizabeth Neumann was assistant secretary for threat prevention at the Department for Homeland Security under President Trump. She says her repeated attempts to flag the dangers of racist groups in the U.S. were ignored. A lifelong Republican, Neumann will not vote for the GOP this election cycle, as she explains to Hari Sreenivasan.

The upcoming election will determine the country's response to the climate crisis. The issues of fracking, emissions, and energy demand are of particular interest to Daniel Yergin, who has served as an advisor on energy in the last four administrations. His latest book examines how energy shapes America’s position in the world, as he explains to Walter Isaacson.

How has the country come to where it currently stands? Former CIA Director John Brennan, who spent nearly 30 years with the agency, joins the show to discuss the president, the state of the nation, and his new memoir.

13 people were charged in an alleged domestic terror plot to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The state became a hotbed of right wing extremism during the coronavirus lockdown. Whitmer blames the president for encouraging the extremist groups, citing his infamous "Liberate Michigan" tweet. State Attorney General Dana Nessel joins the show to discuss the investigation.

If there’s one thing that can get us through 2020, it’s laughter. This also happens to be a very effective way to get under the skin of the high and mighty. Cue Emmy Award-winning producer and comedian Larry Wilmore. The former "Daily Show" correspondent is returning to late night with “Wilmore,” a new series on NBC’s streaming service Peacock.

The pandemic and the global uprising for racial justice are pushing many businesses around the world to rethink sustainability and social responsibility. These are topics that have been on Stella McCartney's mind since the beginning of her career. Christiane speaks with the designer in her London office about the roadmap for the future in fashion.

Today President Trump said he would not take part in any virtual debate, then suggested doing it in-person a week later—something the Biden campaign has rejected. Meanwhile, the White House COVID hotspot gets hotter, with at least one military aide who carries the nuclear code briefcase now infected. Veteran journalists Susan Glasser and Peter Baker weigh in on this fraught situation.

A Pew Research Center poll found at least 82% of white evangelicals are preparing to vote again for President Trump, but he also has growing support among non-white evangelicals. Pastor Sam Rodriguez is president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. He tells Michel Martin why he thinks President Trump's "heart is in the right place."

A new Harvard study led by Yochai Benkler examines how the president harnesses mass media to disseminate and reinforce disinformation about mail-in voter fraud. Benkler joins Hari Sreenivasan to explain his findings.

27 days away from the election, President Trump continues to trail Joe Biden in the polls, and questions remain over how the breakdown in stimulus talks may play into voters' thinking. Michael Steele, former chair of the Republican National Committee and now an ardent Never Trumper, joins Christiane to break it all down.

Mental health issues have skyrocketed around the world, and the WHO says COVID has disrupted mental health services in over 90% of the world's nations. The crisis is particularly urgent for young people who may be living in isolation and struggling with the stress of remote learning. Laurie Santos is a professor of psychology at Yale and host of hit podcast "The Happiness Lab."

Astronomer and UCLA Professor Andrea Ghez has been named a co-winner of the Nobel Prize in physics. She shares the honor with Berkeley colleague Reinhard Genzel and Sir Roger Penrose of Oxford University. Ghez is only the fourth woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in physics, and she joins Christiane to react to the news.