As the debate rages over how and whether to reopen schools and universities, few are better placed to assess this dilemma than Janet Napolitano. She is the first female president of California’s sprawling public university system, and was also the first female secretary of homeland security under President Obama. She speaks with Walter Isaacson about what her university is doing to help students.

Ava DuVernay’s 2016 documentary "13th" has come back into focus as the U.S. confronts its history of racism. The film contends that, although the 13th amendment outlawed slavery over 150 years ago, it was essentially allowed to continue via the side door of mass incarceration. Christiane speaks two experts featured in this documentary on the subjects of racism, capitalism, and the war on drugs.

As Europe exits lockdown, parts of the U.S. are in reverse gear, shutting down again amidst a vicious surge and record numbers of coronavirus cases. Anthony Fauci is warning that the nation’s public healthcare is “in tatters” and that doctors are “building the plane while they are flying it.” How close are we to a vaccine? Dr. Richard Hatchett joins the program to discuss.

After George Floyd’s death, Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart (Ret.) felt compelled to speak up for future generations of Black Americans, writing an op-ed titled “Please Take Your Knee Off Our Necks So We Can Breathe.” He speaks exclusively with Walter Isaacson, in his first TV interview since the article was published.

Country musician Margo Price is making waves with her latest album, “That’s How Rumors Get Started,” which weaves together issues from motherhood to healthcare. Price has experienced prison and homelessness, and funded her first album by selling her car and wedding ring. She joins the program alongside her collaborator and husband, Jeremy Ivey, to discuss her new record and to play a track.

President Trump today retweeted an assertion that doctors, the CDC, the media and the Democrats are lying about COVID-19. This doesn’t seem to be helping his polling, where he is flagging in key states that he won in 2016. Some polls show the race tightening in Texas, which last turned blue in 1976. Former presidential contender Beto O’Rourke joins the show to talk about the pandemic and politics.

The latest COVID-19 research shows that coronavirus can damage major organs and ravage the body with blood clots, while a new study from King’s College London reports that any immunity earned from having the illness could be lost in months. Ed Yong, The Atlantic’s top science and health writer, joins the program to explain the latest on the virus.

Could a slaveholder also be an advocate for equality for all? That is the riddle left behind by one of America’s founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson. Pulitzer Prize-winning historians Annette Gordon-Reed and Jon Meacham join Walter Isaacson to discuss Jefferson's monuments and whether or not they should come down.

The hard work of social change falls largely to young people, leading marches and organizing resistance all across the world. Christiane is joined by two such leaders, from two generations, united in their demand for equal justice: 19-year-old Parkland survivor Aalayah Eastmond and Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter.

Lemn Sissay has been described as a literary luminary. He is a poet, author, playwright and Chancellor of Manchester University here in the U.K. His new book "My Name is Why" is a brutally honest account of growing up and going on a journey that is the very embodiment of systemic racism in Britain. He joins Christiane to discuss.

DJ Patil has written a report on necessary preparations for this next wave of COVID-19. Patil was America’s first Chief Data Scientist under President Obama. Currently head of technology for a healthcare company, he is taking unpaid leave to help California fight the pandemic. He tells Hari Sreenivasan how data science can help the U.S. mitigate the pandemic.

"A serious violation of international law" is how U.N. chief Antonio Guterres is describing Israel’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank. But after three close elections, a corruption scandal, and a forced "unity government," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to cement his legacy. Former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who was also Israel's peace negotiator, discusses.

Occupied by Israel since 1967, the West Bank has been the sticking point in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians for decades.The UN and the international community have long called for a two-state solution -- which would see the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. Diana Buttu, a former legal advisor to the Palestinian side, joins Christiane from Ramallah.

Melania Trump is First Lady to one of the most divisive presidents in American history. But she remains a mysterious figure. In her new book "The Art of Her Deal," Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Mary Jordan sets out to uncover the real Melania, and the picture she paints is one of a political power broker who holds serious sway in the White House. She joins Christiane to discuss.

Some 45 million Americans have filed for unemployment since mid-March. What might a successful economic recovery plan look like? Glenn Hubbard believes he has an answer. He was President George W. Bush's economic adviser and is now a professor of finance and economics at Columbia University Business School. He explains bipartisan solutions to the current crisis.

Artist Kadir Nelson is behind some of the defining images of these times, including the New Yorker's June cover and Rolling Stone's July cover. He joins Christiane to explain his inspiration and reflect on racial justice in the U.S.

Were yesterday's primaries a harbinger of things to come in November’s mail-in ballot Presidential election? Interesting trends are already apparent: Progressive Democrats in New York and Kentucky have the advantage against party establishment figures. Mark McKinnon, host of "The Circus," and Faiz Shakir, former campaign manager for Bernie Sanders, analyze yesterday's events.

After a brief respite from carbon emissions under lockdown, the numbers are rising again as the economic engine switches back on. Recent polls show two-thirds of Americans, as well as majorities in Europe and many other parts of the world, consider climate a key election issue. Will our leaders step up? Christine Todd Whitman, former Governor of New Jersey, joins Christiane to discuss.

Norm Stamper was a cop for 34 years and spent six of them as Seattle’s police chief. Stamper resigned over his handling of the 1999 World Trade Organization protests -- after he authorized the use of tear gas. Stamper has been a vocal advocate of police reform ever since. He tells Michel Martin how he became aware of what he calls the "dark side" of police culture and how to fix the problem.

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton's tell-all memoir, "The Room Where It Happened," hits shelves today. Once the dust settles, what will this country's relationship with the rest of the world look like? To answer that question, Christiane speaks with another person who sat in "The Room Where it Happened" during a different presidency.