The pandemic has finally brought the U.S. economy to its knees. Numbers released today show the U.S. economy contracted by nearly 33% from April to June, in its worst drop on record. To discuss this catastrophic downturn and its effect on global trade, Christiane speaks with the outgoing director-general of the World Trade Organization.

The pandemic has made clear the crucial importance of public health – something Andy Slavitt knows all too well. For two years, he served under President Obama as acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. More recently he helped Senator Bernie Sanders draft the “Masks for All” Bill. Slavitt joins Hari Sreenivasan to explain how the U.S. should tackle the pandemic.

Right now there are more than 165 coronavirus vaccines in development, with 27 already in human trials. Carl Zimmer is an award-winning science writer with a weekly column in the New York Times, and he speaks with Walter Isaacson to break down the biology of vaccines.

The murder of George Floyd sparked reflections on race, and a wave of demonstrations, around the world -- including in France, where protests challenge the culture's idea of itself as “color-blind.” This is where French comedian Fary comes in. As the star of Netflix's first French comedy special, he has sparked a renaissance in stand-up comedy at home in Paris.

The growth of the tech industry is a great American success story: Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google have created numerous jobs and raked in trillions of dollars around the world. But today, for the first time, four tech titans – Sundar Pichai of Google, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Tim Cook of Apple and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook – are joining Congress to face the question: Is big tech just too big?

The presidential election is 99 days off, and events in the U.S. are moving fast. Federal troops are continuing a violent face-off with protesters in Portland, triggering further protests in other U.S. citites -- in stark contrast to the outpouring of grief in the nation’s capital, where Rep. John Lewis lies in state. To discuss all of this, Christiane speaks with veteran politician Jerry Brown.

The global pandemic has impacted nearly every industry -- including local journalism, which was on shaky ground even before COVID-19. Margaret Sullivan is the media columnist for the Washington Post, and in her new book she sounds the alarm on the disappearance of local media outlets. She speaks with Michel Martin about the danger this poses -- and what needs to happen before it’s too late.

After World War II, Germany de-Nazified and demilitarized its law enforcement system in order to eradicate the specter of a force that had not only participated in the horrors, but had actually helped develop them. As the U.S. seeks to reform its own police force, what can be learned from the German experience? Christiane speaks with experts from both Germany and the United States.

A new Hulu mini series called “Mrs. America” examines the controversial 1970s anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly, who was determined to defeat the equal rights amendment. Amma Asante directed two episodes of the series. She joins Christiane to discuss the feminist movement and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's electrifying floor speech lambasting what she calls a “faux apology” by Rep. Ted Yoho.

A new documentary on PBS called “The Definition of Insanity” examines mental illlness and the prison industrial complex. Steven Leifman, a judge for the eleventh circuit court of Florida, joins the program alongside Norm Ornstein, a resident scholar at The American Enterprise Institute, who helped commission the documentary.

With the presidential election fast approaching and many states expanding postal voting in an effort to keep people safe amid the pandemic, problems with recent primaries are ringing alarm bells. Charles Stewart is a professor of political science and the director of the MIT Election Data and Science Lab. He speaks with Hari Sreenivasan about why this has become so politically charged.

Wendy Sherman was U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs under President Obama and an architect of the Iran nuclear deal. She says Americans tell her they are in despair at the vacuum in moral leadership in Washington at a time of worldwide crisis.

Jason Stanley is a professor of philosophy at Yale University, and in his new book "How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them," he explores the inner mechanics of fascism and the forces that drive dictatorships. Stanley joins Hari Sreenivasan to explain his concern at signs of fascism on the rise in the U.S.

As coronavirus continues its lethal spread, governments and private companies across the world are racing to develop a vaccine. Results look promising, but while the science leaps ahead, human psychology could still be a major stumbling block. Growing suspicion of vaccines could impede progress in the coronavirus battle. How can this dangerous trend be counteracted?

Compared with the U.S., most of Europe has fared better in handling COVID-19. But one country in particular has drawn a lot of attention by being something of an outlier: sparsely-populated Sweden did not order a lockdown or close its economy. Was staying open worth the loss in life? Christiane speaks with the architect of the policy: the country’s top epidemiologist Dr. Anders Tegnell.

The film "Radioactive" portrays the life of Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize -- with her husband Pierre -- for discoveries in radioactivity. Faced with a succession of obstacles as a female scientist, she went on to win a second Nobel in her own right. Christiane speaks with the film’s director, Marjane Satrapi, who came to prominence with her graphic novel memoir "Persepolis."

The presidential election is just over 100 days away, and the race is increasingly dominated by two issues: coronavirus and the reckoning over racism. Joe Biden is forging a remarkable bond with his main rival for the nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders, who says Biden could be the most progressive president since FDR.

An online playbook seems to be emerging around some of the political conversations taking place: someone says something deemed offensive or troubling, social media goes into a frenzy, and that person is effectively “cancelled.” An open letter recently published in Harper’s Magazine argues that this threatens free speech. The letter’s co-author, Thomas Chatterton Williams, joins the program.

Results from Oxford University suggest a vaccine that researchers are developing there is safe and can produce immune responses. But these findings come amidst a fumbled pandemic response by the UK government, as the country reaches the second highest death rate in Europe. Professor Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh and discusses the country's response.

Georgia’s governor, unlike Maryland's, is on the same page with President Trump. In fact, Governor Brian Kemp is going so far as to sue the mayor of Atlanta to block the city’s mask mandate. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms was elected in 2017 and is reportedly on Joe Biden’s short list as a potential running mate. She speaks with Walter about all this, and why she opposes defunding the police.