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It's been about a week since NBC fired former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel just days after hiring her as a contributor.

The network drew a ton of backlash for the decision after it aired an interview with McDaniel done by Meet the Press host Kristen Welker, in which McDaniel openly criticized the Republican party and reversed course on some claims she made in the years after the 2020 election.

So why was she hired? And what does this politics-to-pundit pipeline say about the state of our democracy?

We examine the role of television networks that the media plays in our elections and governance.

We also take a look at the role social media plays in moderating what kind of political information makes its way to our screens.

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A container ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore this week causing it to collapse into the Patapsco River. Now, officials have suspended the search for four missing construction workers who are presumed dead. The remains of two others were recovered.

The Supreme Court heard arguments this week in a case that could affect Americans' access to the abortion pill mifepristone.

In global news, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that "radical Islamists" were responsible for an attack on a concert venue in Moscow last Friday that killed at least 137 people and injured over 100 more.

Hamas is calling for the cessation of aid delivery by air, saying that people in Gaza and other areas to which Palestinians have fled are putting themselves in danger trying to get to packages that have fallen in hazardous places.

We cover the week's biggest headlines.

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Everything is bigger in America. The portions, the cars, and now, our water bottles.

Does it seem like everyone is carrying around a 30-ounce tumbler? The reusable water bottle industry is a multi-billion dollar business. But don't forget about plastics. The sales of single-use bottled water also continue to rise.

We discuss how much of the hype around water is marketing versus science for the latest installment of In Good Health.

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When it comes to explaining global politics and world events, few faces are more familiar to viewers than Fareed Zakaria's.

He hosts CNN's international affairs show, "GPS," which debuted in 2008. He's also a best-selling author and columnist for The Washington Post.

And now, he's gathered his insights covering and commenting on world events into a new book called "Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the present."

He highlights revolutions past to help us understand the revolutionary moment we're living in.

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Many people hear the term "psychedelics" and think of hippies, acid, and the music of the 1960s. But it may soon take on a whole different meaning for the U.S. military.

Last December, Congress passed legislation that included funding for clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted therapy for active-duty service members. And just last month, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it will also begin funding psychedelic-assisted therapy to treat veterans with PTSD and depression.

This comes at a time when suicide rates amongst active-duty service members are at an all-time high.

We dive into what psychedelic-assisted therapy is and the effect it could have on active-duty and veteran mental health.

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Shakira released her first new album in seven years, "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran."

The cross-genre, cross–culture singer's 12th album is expected to cover her most recent breakup and journey of self-discovery. She says that making the album was "an alchemical process" where "[her] tears transformed into diamonds."

We dive into the musical world that Shakira has built, including a career that's spanned multiple continents, languages, cultures, and audiences.

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This week in news, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has to come up with $454 million in under a week. The bond is part of a ruling handed down by a New York court that found that Trump, his son, and his organization conspired to inflate the value of their assets. Trump has indicated that he is unable to pay.

In news that seems somewhat overdue, the EPA has moved to ban the most common form of asbestos, which causes cancer and kills tens of thousands of Americans a year.

Meanwhile overseas, despite warnings from U.S. President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is renewing his vow to launch an attack on the city of Rafah, where many Palestinians fled for shelter from violence elsewhere in Gaza.

In expected news, Russian President Vladimir Putin won reelection to his position in another sham election.

And the U.S. is no longer one of the world's top-20 happiest countries according to the World Happiness Report, while Nordic countries, maintained their hold on the top spots.

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When you look up the word "intimate" in the dictionary, there are a few definitions. They include things like warmth, private, sex, personal, and familiarity.

Our "Ask A" series returns, this time to talk to intimacy coordinators about their work.

Parts of Hollywood production teams have practiced parts of the role for years. But the job itself is still in its youth.

We discuss what it takes to do this work and the impact it's had on workspaces so far.

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Some 170 million Americans use the social video app TikTok, according to the company.

And scrolling through it – you'll see everything from discussions about economics, and foreign policy to viral dance trends. Lawmakers are concerned that TikTok poses a national security threat because of who owns it – Beijing-based Bytedance.

Wisconsin Republican Mike Gallagher sponsored a bipartisan bill that overwhelmingly passed the house in a 352-65 vote. It calls for TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company in six months, or face a ban in the US.

President Joe Biden has said he would sign the bill into law, but it faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

We discuss the future of TikTok in the US.

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What do LGBTQ+ youth in America need right now?

The death of Nex Benedict was ruled as a suicide by a medical examiner in Oklahoma. Hundreds of anti-Trans legislation has been proposed and passed by state legislatures since 2021.

According to a Washington Post analysis of FBI data, hate crimes at schools nationwide are on the rise. The steepest increases are in conservative states that have implemented bills restricting queer expression.

We discuss what LGBTQ+ students need to feel supported in the current hostile environment.

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