The year 2020 marked an inflection point in U.S. history that tested the mettle of its citizenry, its government and the soul of the republic itself. On this edition, host Jane Whitney takes a look back at the most important issues impacting our world, in a round-up of interviews from 2020 featuring nationally recognized experts on topics ranging from life after COVID-19 and the economic recovery to the election results, U.S. foreign policy and more. Discover how Americans weathered the perfect storm of two pandemics — one, a deadly virus; the other the scourge of racism playing out against the backdrop of a bitterly divided nation during a presidential election year. See what Jon Meacham, Madeleine Albright, Steve Kornacki, and Joy Reid said about the issues that then were foremost in our minds and if their predictions were accurate.

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A panel of guests join Jane Whitney for a discussion of the state of the country in the shadow of the pandemic but through an intensely personal lens, a series of vignettes with influencers and thought leaders that, like a jig-saw puzzle, provide a view of the broad landscape when pieced together. The headliners, interviewed one-on-one, include:

• Tim Daly, actor and president of The Creative Coalition
• Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the hosts of MSNBC's Morning Joe
• Danielle Ponder, the singer and former public defender
• John Lithgow, actor and author
• Dr. Kavita Patel, epidemiologist and nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution

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The defining political question of the moment, many pundits claim, probably is: Whither the GOP? When Donald Trump was sworn into office, the GOP held both houses of Congress and was considered untouchable. Two years later, the Democrats won back the House; two years after that, the Senate and the presidency. While the GOP dominates the South and still controls the majority of state legislatures and governorships, moderate Republicans have been marginalized and are fleeing. Demographic trends are challenging its recruiting, creating a potential existential crisis for the party, and it no longer has a platform beyond the support of Donald Trump. The eleventh show of the season examines the future of the GOP, the party culture and politics and the role of the two-party system.

A panel of four distinguished experts join Jane Whitney to discuss the future of the GOP:

• Robert L. Gibbs, former White House Press Secretary
• Matthew Dowd, Author, Political Pundit and Consultant
• Kristen Soltis Anderson, Founding Partner at Echelon Insights and Columnist at the Washington Examiner
• Tara Setmayer, Former GOP Congressional Communications Director

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