The Tokyo Olympics are set to start in under two months, but so far things are off to a rocky start. The U.S. is urging citizens to avoid traveling to Japan as it enters a fourth wave of the pandemic, while a recent poll shows 83% of Japanese people want the summer games either postponed or cancelled altogether. Veteran sports commentator Bob Costas has covered 11 Olympic Games and joins the show.

Abrahm Lustgarten is a Pulitzer Prize-winning environmental reporter and has spent years looking at how climate migration will reshape the world.

Across Europe, leaders are calling for airlines to avoid Belarusian air space, as governments accuse Belarus of “hijacking” a passenger jet.

To discuss why Belarus has taken such an extraordinary step, the work that Pratasevich was doing, and what all this augurs for relations between the west and Russia and Belarus, Bianna speaks with Franak Viačorka, a friend of Pratasevich and adviser to the exiled Belarusian opposition leader, and historian Anne Applebaum.

From “Like A Rolling Stone” to “Forever Young,” Dylan’s genius still resonates with millions all around the world. He’s the first – and to this day, the only – musician ever to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Last week, the CDC stunned many people by announcing that fully vaccinated people could ditch their facemasks. It’s something that has left a lot of Americans feeling uneasy, but Dr. Monica Gandhi is on hand to reassure them that there’s no reason to panic. She explains all to Hari Sreenivasan.

The events of the past year have sparked a conversation about bias and how it affects the decisions people make. But what if bias isn’t even the biggest flaw in human judgment? Daniel Kahneman argues that “noise” leads to errors of judgment and decision-making in virtually every field, from medicine to law to economic forecasting. The Nobel Prize-winning psychologist joins the show.

Despite the declaration of a ceasefire, the day to day circumstances of Palestinians are left unchanged, the underlying causes of this conflict unaddressed. To reflect on what she believes is needed, Palestinian writer and researcher Mariam Barghouti joins the program.

For the first time in 11 days, the skies over Israel and Gaza are quiet. But on the ground, the big thorny issues remain – indeed, hours after the ceasefire took effect, we saw new clashes at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound. More than 200 people – mostly Palestinians – have been killed since fighting began last week, but both sides are claiming victory today. Now the world is holding its breath.

his conflict was just the latest chapter in the long running tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, but something about this time feels different, from the intercommunal violence to the reaction from Washington D.C. But has anything really changed? To discuss, journalist and author Yossi Klein Halevi joins the show.

Today, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Israel is “prepared and ready to expand the campaign… as long as it’s needed.”

We take a look at what life has really been like in Gaza during this crisis by speaking with 24 year old Sarah Al Ramlawi. She lives in Gaza City and leads workshops to help young people develop their own professional skills.

Former GOP Senator Jeff Flake says the “Big Lie” that Trump really won the election is eroding trust in American democracy.

The UN General Assembly gathered today to discuss this crisis, including Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, who took to the podium to demand aid be allowed into Gaza and called for an end to “Israeli aggression.” The Foreign Minister joins the show from the U.N. to explain his position.

School closures continue to impact millions of families, and the president of the American Federation of teachers is adamant that schools must fully reopen this fall. Randi Weingarten heads up the nation’s second largest teacher’s union, and speaks with Michel Martin about how she plans on making it happen.

Africa’s vaccine supply is in doubt after India’s Serum Institute – the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer – paused shipments until possibly October. What’s more, some African countries are discarding the vaccines they do have because the expiration date has passed. Dr. Ayoade Alakija is co-chair of the Africa Vaccine Delivery Alliance and joins the show to discuss what can be done.

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry is in Europe this week ahead of the COP26 summit later this year, and he met with EU climate chief Frans Timmermans, who warns, "If we don’t fix this, our children will be waging wars over water and food.” Timmermans joins the show from Brussels.

Robert Ballard is the world’s most famous oceanographer, known for tracking down the wrecks of the German battleship Bismarck, JFK’s PT-109 and most famously, the Titanic in 1985. Not content to be known only for discovering “that rusty old boat,” as his mother called it, Ballard is ready to launch new expeditions. He joins the show to discuss what's next.

Ben Wedeman joins the show again to share an important update regarding the violence between Israel and Palestinians.

Palestinian groups today declared a general strike as the conflict between Israel and Hamas shows few signs of stopping, with thousands gathering in towns across the West Bank and beyond. Since the fighting began nine days ago, at least 213 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, and 12 Israelis have been killed.