PostLive

As national support for police reform and racial equality grows, the value of listening to different points of view only increases. On Friday, Aug. 14 at 12:00 p.m. ET, Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart spoke with former mayor of Minneapolis Betsy Hodges about her view that white liberals were often the obstacle to change during her tenure, and how her experience in a traditionally progressive city shaped her ideas on how cities can best move forward. In a Washington Post Live conversation, we asked why she thinks liberals too often “settled for the illusions of change,” and her thought process when faced with an 18-day protest surrounding a Minneapolis police precinct after two officers shot and killed an unarmed Black man in 2015.

As the nation and economy continue to face the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19, many colleges and universities are delaying plans to begin their fall semesters with in-person instruction to limit the risk of spreading the virus. With several states now experiencing spikes of coronavirus cases, particularly among young adults, school administrators are examining more cautious strategies to employ such as online learning and canceling athletic events altogether. Washington Post Live will examine the outsized impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the U.S. higher education system from students to faculty and what the college experience could look like in the years to come. Spelman College president Mary Schmidt Campbell and Montgomery College president DeRionne P. Pollard will discuss the many challenges and decisions facing American colleges right now.

Health-care challenges in America were substantial even before COVID-19. The lack of cohesive data sharing and a fragmented system often resulted in poor yet expensive care for patients. What has been learned through this unprecedented time is also offering the opportunity to reimagine today’s approach to health care. Washington Post Live will host a program that examines new and innovative ways those in the medical community are exploring to improve how care is provided, from the rapid growth of telehealth, to analytics platforms for data sharing, to new technologies that may vastly improve the way health care is delivered in a post-coronavirus world. Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Tom Frieden, MD, National Institutes of Health executive Josh Denny, MD and 23andMe CEO and Co-Founder Anne Wojcicki will join the Washington Post's Paige Winfield Cunningham for conversations about how COVID-19 and the expansion of mass data during the pandemic could lead to a more integrated health-care delivery system in the future.

Lockdowns and travel restrictions have shown the fragility of global supply chains. With food systems disrupted worldwide, distribution was thrown into disarray and vulnerable populations were left increasingly at risk, exposing stark inequalities. Across the world at large, food and food suppliers are abundant. But COVID-19 has magnified what we have known for many years – our systems for distribution are inefficient and the economically disempowered survive on razor thin margins. Leading experts, former executive director of the World Food Programme Ertharin Cousin and the director of the Food & Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientist Ricardo Salvador and president and CEO of Heifer International Pierre Ferrari, came together to discuss how we can create more resilient food systems, as communities, public and private entities innovate, adapt and rise to meet the crisis.

With the potential of America's youngest voters to sway the 2020 election, March For Our Lives, the youth movement led by student activists from Parkland, Florida, has released a new political ad urging Generation Z to embrace their power. Washington Post Live will examine efforts to get young voters to the ballot box in November and discuss the issues that young Americans care most about ahead of the election. David Hogg, co-founder of March For Our Lives, and the organization's executive director, Alexis Confer, joined Washington Post Power Up anchor, Jacqueline Alemany.

Nationwide demonstrations over police brutality have renewed the debate over how we memorialize America’s past. Monuments, statues, and the names of schools, streets and military bases across the country that honor Confederate leaders and those connected with slavery and oppression have increasingly become a flash point. On Friday, Aug. 7 at 12:00 p.m. ET, Washington Post Live spoke with former mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu about his 2017 decision to remove Confederate monuments and what his experience can tell us about the current debate. He was joined by New Orleans native and world-renowned trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, whom Landrieu credits with challenging him and compelling a reckoning regarding his view of the statues.

When Albert Bourla took over as CEO of Pfizer in January 2019, he said he wanted the pharmaceutical giant to be a more focused, innovative, science-based company. Bourla now finds himself at the forefront of developing and testing a COVID-19 vaccine in partnership with Germany's BioNTech. Underway with a late-stage clinical trial for its vaccine, if successful, Pfizer said they could supply up to 100 million doses of the vaccine by the end of 2020. Bourla discussed the timeline for a safe and effective vaccine and the state of the health industry during these uncertain times.

As the number of coronavirus cases passes 400,000 in Texas, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) has been critical of the new stimulus packages debated on Capitol Hill and argued for a long-term recovery bill to get the American people safely back to work. He also believes Democrats want to keep businesses and schools locked down to hurt President Trump in November. Cruz discussed the COVID-19 health crisis, the ongoing unrest in Portland, tensions with China and the 2020 election.

Humans are changing the planet in unprecedented ways. Natural resources are being utilized at record levels to support exponential population growth, a faltering food system and a struggling global economy. Washington Post Live welcomed two internationally recognized authorities on climate change – former president of Ireland Mary Robinson and former executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Christiana Figueres – to examine what is being done to address human impact on the natural environment and the disproportionate burden placed on vulnerable populations worldwide. Following their conversation, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti will talk about preparing a major U.S. city for the effects of global warming and more extreme weather and harnessing technology to ensure a sustainable future. The Washington Post’s Frances Stead Sellers will moderate both discussions with a focus on the ways conservation and sustainability spur innovation.

As the national conversation about race continues, Washington Post Live brought together two American style icons to talk about inequality and exploitation in fashion, music and American society at large. Supermodel, activist and CEO Beverly Johnson discussed her trailblazing career, including being the first African American woman on the cover of Vogue. She was joined by designer, activist and philanthropist, Tina Knowles-Lawson, the mother of international superstar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and singer-songwriter Solange Knowles. Washington Post global opinions editor Karen Attiah moderated the wide-ranging discussion about the power of representation, current movements for social justice and opportunities for meaningful societal change.

With more than 80 percent of travel at a near standstill, airlines are adapting to a new reality. As some push for a return to business as usual, Delta Air Lines has continued to block middle seats, cap plane capacity and ban passengers who refuse to wear masks. CEO Ed Bastian joined Washington Post columnist David Ignatius on Monday, Aug. 3 at 11:30 a.m. ET to discuss the airline’s commitment to safety despite economic uncertainty, its program for ongoing, company-wide testing and what travel will look like in the future.