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.

To dig deeper into what’s going on in Israel and the violence between communities within the country, Bianna speaks with journalist Noa Landau. In her latest op-ed for Haaretz, Landau argues that “the violent upheaval we’re now experiencing is a critical historical junction in Jewish-Arab relations in Israel.”

The month of May in America is dedicated to honoring the contributions of our Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Yet a recent report shows an increase of 150% in anti-Asian hate crime for 2020. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal is the first South Asian American woman in the House of Representatives, and she speaks with Aarti Shahani about political representation.

During the pandemic, many of us have had to wrestle with grief and anxiety surrounding health, finance and relationships. Anna Sale explores these difficult topics on her hit interview podcast “Death, Sex and Money.” Sale's new book, “Let’s Talk About Hard Things,” is based on what she has learned from these conversations. She shares these life lessons with Hari Sreenivasan.

Can anything stop the cycle of violence in the Middle East? Dennis Ross is a veteran U.S. diplomat who’s spent decades working to achieve peace in the region, while Khaled Elgindy is a former adviser to the PLO. They speak with Bianna Golodryga, who’s sitting in for Christiane.

The U.S. meantime moving forward on mask guidance, telling vaccinated Americans that they may refrain from wearing masks indoors. While many cheered the new guidance, others were puzzled by it. To discuss all this and other areas of COVID-19 concern, infectious disease specialist Dr. Céline Gounder joins the show.

The Associated Press, Al Jazeera and media advocacy groups are demanding answers after an Israeli airstrike destroyed a building that housed offices belonging to news outlets in Gaza on Saturday. Journalist Safwat al-Kahlout worked in that building and fled on Saturday after a warning went out that it would soon be hit. He joins the show from Gaza.

Jory Fleming first made headlines as the University of South Carolina student with near-perfect grades, and he’s just completed his Master’s at Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He speaks with Walter Isaacson about his new book “How to Be Human: An Autistic Man’s Guide to Life” and the profound value in what some regard as a disability.

Unrest is happening outside of Gaza too, with clashes breaking out in the occupied West Bank, as well as violence erupting in some mixed cities inside Israel between Arab and Jewish neighbors. Reporter Ben Wedeman joins the program from Jerusalem with the latest.

Robi Damelin lost her son David to a Palestinian sniper, while David served in the Israeli army, and Bassam Aramin lost his daughter Abir when she was 10 years old, shot with a rubber bullet by Israeli border police. And yet they have rejected revenge and chosen instead to join in spreading the message that “enemies” must talk to each other, or the cycle of violence will continue.

Oscar-winning actor and producer Matthew McConaughey rose to Hollywood stardom in romantic comedies before pivoting to heftier roles, starring in blockbuster hits like “Interstellar,” “The Wolf of Wall Street” and HBO smash hit “True Detective.” Now he’s put pen to paper, as he raids decades of diaries for his frank memoir “Greenlights.” He joins the show from Austin, Texas to discuss.

Congresswoman Liz Cheney was kicked off the House Republican leadership team for refusing to accept "the Big Lie" -- that the election was stolen from former President Trump. What does this say about democracy in America and the Republican Party’s willingness to protect it? Francis Rooney was a GOP Congressman until January this year and joins the show from Florida.

Political analyst Jamal Simmons talks to Michel Martin about “The 4% Problem” and the need for a radical rethink if corporate America really is committed to reckoning with systemic racism. Their conversation is part of our ongoing initiative about poverty, jobs, and economic opportunity in America called Chasing the Dream.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry says it’s not the right time for a ceasefire as violence escalates. Israeli airstrikes continue, and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired dozens of rockets. The dead include seven Israelis and at least 83 Palestinians. Yesterday Christiane spoke with Israel’s Ambassador in London, and today we hear from activist and lawyer Noura Erakat.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called for a meeting of four international mediators to help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The U.S. and Russia have much to discuss: cyber attacks, election interference, Ukraine and the treatment of opposition leader Alexey Navalny. All this may be discussed at a summit between Biden and Putin. The Russian Ambassador to the EU joins the show.

Hilary Mantel’s award-winning “Wolf Hall” series launched her into the literary stratosphere, as readers flocked to devour her depiction of Thomas Cromwell, who served – and then was beheaded – by King Henry VIII. The last in the trilogy, “The Mirror and the Light”, is now out in paperback, and Mantel joins the show to discuss her books and her sometimes difficult journey to late-in-life success.

The pandemic is exacerbating society’s inequalities. Globally, women account for more than 64 million jobs lost last year, which is 5% of all the jobs held by women; by comparison, men lost just 3.9%. Washington Post opinion columnist Helaine Olen has been tracking this backsliding, and speaks with Michel Martin about the longterm implications.