President Joe Biden promised to restore the soul of America. He took office during a time of crisis. Can his administration pull the country together? Since Franklin Delano Roosevelt, it’s become a tradition to take stock after a president’s first 100 days in office. While Washington DC has felt quieter, the president and his administration have been quick to work: from signing executive orders, to passing multi-trillion dollar legislation through Congress, and sailing past vaccination targets. But the challenges are acute – with the pandemic dragging on, a crisis on the border, widespread rac ..read more

This week’s guest wears many hats. Dr Atul Gawande is a medical doctor, a surgeon and a best-selling author, and has also been an advisor to presidents, including on the Covid pandemic. Katty Kay of the BBC World Service and Carlos Watson of Ozy Media discuss a wide range of issues with Dr Gawande, including how we should face up to death and dying, and how we should speak to our loved ones about it. A BBC World Service and OZY Media co-production ..read more

Katty Kay and Carlos Watson discuss police brutality and shooting cases in the US. What needs to change? Last year 1127 people were killed by the American police; most of them were shot. People of colour were disproportionately the victims. Katty and Carlos speak to the civil rights attorney John Burris, who has taken on hundreds of police brutality cases, including most famously the case of Rodney King after he was beaten by LAPD officers in 1991. The second guest is Mecole Jordan-McBride, a community advocacy worker for the Policing Project, which is seeking police reform in Chicago ..read more

America’s Covid-19 vaccination programme is progressing at a staggering pace and states are beginning to reopen. But the country also tops world rankings when it comes to deaths from the virus. As worrying new variants emerge, could they now undermine America’s progress? Across the US, communities of colour have been impacted disproportionately by the pandemic. Despite that, vaccinations of Black and Hispanic Americans have lagged. One person who’s trying to change that is retired clinical social worker, Cynthia Finch, in eastern Tennessee. By keeping an ever-expanding list of people in her co ..read more

With China on the rise, how will America react? Chinese influence across the world is growing, in economic and political terms. This raises serious questions for the new Biden administration. The US and China are economically interdependent, and need to have shared interests, particularly in trade and climate change. But the rhetoric in recent weeks has been anything but friendly. The two superpowers are going head-to-head in trade wars, retaliatory sanctions, and accusations of human rights abuses. Katty and Carlos take a step back and look at what is at stake for both sides, and whether ther ..read more

It was in 2017, with numerous allegations against Harvey Weinstein, that #MeToo went viral around the world. One of the most outspoken people was the actress Rose McGowan, who accused Weinstein of raping her. A number of other women also accused the disgraced movie producer. He was found guilty of rape and sentenced to 23 years in prison in February 2020. Katty Kay and Carlos Watson speak to Rose McGowan about her personal story, and what drove her to speak out and “fight the system.” They also discuss what more needs to be done to prevent sexual abuse – of girls and women, and of boys and men ..read more

How can we feel good again? It goes without saying that it’s been a tough year, but as things start to open up again, can Americans regain some sense of positivity, or has the traditional idea of American optimism been changed forever? Dr Cicely Horsham Brathwaite is a therapist and career coach. Many of her clients are African American, and she says the constant discussions around racism add an extra layer of stress and anxiety to an already impossible year. She says getting involved in activism, volunteering and reading positive stories about your community can help. Adam Grant is an organiz ..read more

Once again, the cryptocurrency Bitcoin is making headlines for rocketing in value. As more companies back it, could it be here to stay? And if so, how is it changing our world? Katty Kay and Carlos Watson look at Bitcoin’s latest price surge and discuss how it and other digital currencies are being adopted around the globe - from the U.S., to Venezuela, to China. Nathaniel Popper is a New York Times technology reporter and author of Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money. He’s been following the Bitcoin story for nearly a decade, and ..read more

In the last 15 years, America has lost around 25% of its local and regional newspapers. Many others have shrunk dramatically in size. This has led to an increasing number of so-called “news deserts” across the US. There is growing evidence that this has a detrimental impact on local democracy, as well as the local economy. Emily Brindley is a 25-year-old reporter on the country’s longest continuously published newspaper, the Hartford Courant, in Connecticut. The paper has recently lost dozens of newsroom staff, as well as its physical newsroom, and is set to be taken over by a hedge fund that ..read more

At the height of the pandemic, Native Americans were dying of Covid at twice the rate of white Americans. Huge inequalities have been highlighted, not just in terms of health, but also housing, education and wealth. Twenty-three percent of Native Americans live below the poverty line, compared to 10 percent of white Americans, and Native Americans are 19 times more likely to live without running water in their home. But there’s some good news too. If confirmed, Deb Haaland will make history as the first Native American in a cabinet secretary role. She’ll be the Secretary of the Interior, which ..read more