Ben Nelson, former Democratic senator from Nebraska, built a reputation from 2000 to 2013 pushing for bipartisanship and bucking his party. He joins Chuck to talk about his new book, “Death of the Senate.”

With a little more than a year to go before the midterms, the terms of the campaign are still in flux. Kristen Soltis Anderson, Republican pollster and co-founder of Echelon Insights joins Cornell Belcher, Democratic pollster and president of Brilliant Corners Research and Strategies, talk to Chuck about the political impact of the Texas abortion law.

If you take a close look at almost every political issue today — whether it’s Covid, voting, policing or climate — you will find one problem at the root of it: Polarization. Mark Sanford, former South Carolina governor (R) and former congressman talks to Chuck about partisanship in politics and his new book, “Two Roads Diverged.”

President Biden spoke from the White House to defend his decision to pull forces out of the country, but his legacy may be more about the “how” than the “why” ... And that’s assuming that Afghanistan doesn’t once again become a haven for terrorist attacks. NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel talks about his firsthand reporting from Kabul as the U.S. mission came to an end.

For years, top universities have been overwhelmed by potentially qualified student candidates, but unable to fit them on campus … leading to a race to the top that no student can ever really win, often leaving students from diverse backgrounds struggling for a chance to get ahead. Professor David Kirp proposes a radical idea to expand the world of higher education.

Afghanistan? A pandemic and misinformation campaign? A congressional showdown coming in late September? Washington Bureau Chief for USA Today Susan Page and LA Times Columnist Mark Barabak predict what's next as President Biden fight battles at home and abroad.

How bad is it going to get in Afghanistan and what happens to our intelligence as the U.S. withdraws. Former CIA Director John Brennan talks to Chuck about what was lost in Afghanistan.

Jim Steinberg, Deputy Secretary of State for President Obama and Bill Clinton’s deputy national security adviser, plus Bruce Jentleson, professor of public policy at Duke University and the author of “The Peacemakers: Leadership Lessons from 20th Century Statesmanship“ join Chuck to talk about the worldwide implications of the Taliban’s return.

Lee Drutman, Senior Fellow at New America and author of "Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop" plus Nick Troiano, executive director of Unite America, talk about the future of nonpartisan primaries and ranked choice voting general election.