Over the past few months we have seen people of color disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. A report reveals that the COVID-19 mortality rate for black Americans is almost two and a half times higher than the rate for white Americans. Dr. Helene Gayle, the former director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention, joins Michel Martin to discuss the root causes of this.

Among the hundreds of thousands who have died from the coronavirus are music world luminaries Alan Merrill, Ellis Marsalis, and sax legend Manu Dibango -- whose passing deeply affected his good friend Angélique Kidjo. It moved her to give Miriam Makeba’s famous South African hit “Pata Pata” a COVID-themed rewrite. She joins the program to talk about the song -- and her friend.

As America reels from the pandemic, the vote in November appears all the more pivotal, pitting as it does Trump against Biden – candidates with vastly different visions for the future. With six months to go, what is the current state of the race? Amy Walter, national editor of the Cook Political Report and host of “The Takeaway," joins the show to discuss.

This is a time of stress -- the world over. In New York, the U.S. city worst hit by the pandemic, Governor Andrew Cuomo is trying to get citizens to open up about their mental health with the “How Are You Really?” campaign. Professor Jack Saul, psychologist and author of “Collective Trauma, Collective Healing," joins the show from New York to discuss treating trauma on a massive scale.

The pandemic has prompted many to reflect on how the world works and, importantly, for whom it works. This is at the heart of a new program on Vice TV called “Seat at the Table,” hosted by best-selling author Anand Giridharadas. He has made a career of questioning the seat of power and money in America, and explains to Hari Sreenivasan why society must adapt or fail.

Peter Piot is one of the world’s leading epidemiologists who co-discovered Ebola back in 1976. More than 40 years later, he was nearly felled by COVID-19--a grueling experience from which he is still in recovery. He explains what he learned.

More than a quarter of the coronavirus deaths in the UK have been in care homes. Rose Mitchell was one of those who succumbed to the virus. She died in a London care home last month, and afterwards her sister, Dorothy Duffy, wrote a powerful poem to memorialize her life. Duffy joins the program to remember her sister and read an excerpt from her poem.

Mental health is more important than ever, and studies show that connecting with nature can lift our spirits. Psychiatrist Sue Stuart-Smith is the author of “The Well-Gardened Mind,” while Ron Finley – who calls himself “the Gangsta Gardener” – has inspired dozens of community gardens around Los Angeles. They join the program to discuss the therapeutic power of gardening in these uncertain times.

We live in a complex and interconnected world. What happens in China or Russia can impact the lives of people thousands of miles away. Former State Department official Richard Haass highlights this connection in his new book, “The World: A Brief Introduction," in which he argues that we need to abandon rivalry and embrace global cooperation. Haass speaks with Walter Isaacson.

Fashion brands including Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci are stepping up to help during this unprecedented time, by converting garment and perfume factories to make hand sanitizer and masks. Joining the effort is world-renowned designer Anya Hindmarch. She caused a sensation back in 2007 with her “I’m Not A Plastic Bag” project, and now she has designed a sort-of-handbags for frontline workers.

Racial inequality in the United States is older than the country itself, an issue that Nikole Hannah-Jones highlighted in her highly influential 1619 Project at the New York Times – named for the 400-year anniversary of the landing of the first slaves on America’s shores. Hannah-Jones was recently awarded a Pulitzer Prize for the lead essay she wrote for the project, and she joins the program.

Facebook has announced a major new initiative: an independent oversight board to moderate the company’s complicated content decisions. The board is staffed with an array of legal authorities, free speech advocates, journalists, and a Nobel laureate. Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who co-chairs the oversight board, formerly served as prime minister of Denmark and as CEO of Save the Children International.

Today was the kickoff of the annual Microsoft Global Conference, which--like most mass gatherings these days--will be conducted digitally for the first time ever. Satya Nadella, the company’s third CEO, has drawn praise for transforming the company. Walter Isaacson speaks with Nadella about tech world innovations in this new reality.

Doctors Without Borders is an entity most people associate with war-torn countries. But right now, the organization is working to combat coronavirus within America itself – and few parts of the country need it more than the Navajo Nation, a community particularly vulnerable to the ravages of this disease. The nation's president Jonathan Nez joins Christiane to discuss the dire situation.

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.