NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel joins Chuck to take a deep dive on Middle Eastern history and its effect on today's politics.

Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley joins Chuck to weigh in on the White House transition between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, as both presidents make unprecedented use of the pardon power in a single 24-hour period.

President Trump is back. And he started off with a bang, signing 47 executive orders, giving a half dozen speeches, and generally just taking up all of the attention, all of the time. Chuck talks with Stephen Hayes, co-founder of The Dispatch, about the future of the Republican Party. 

Susan Page, Washington Bureau chief for USA Today, joins Chuck on the final full day of Joe Biden's presidency to break down the 46th president's record over the past four years.

Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group, joins Chuck to talk about China, Russia and what a second Trump administration means for global politics. 

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) joins Chuck to talk about the challenges posed by wildfires in western states, and his takeaways from the 2024 election. 

Former Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio) joins Chuck to talk about the state of the Republican Party as President-elect Trump returns to the White House in just over a week. Kasich also previews his upcoming book, "Heaven Help Us: How Faith Communities Inspire Hope, Strengthen Neighborhoods, and Build the Future."

Marc Caputo, senior politics reporter at Axios and one of the best reporters out there on the Trump beat joins Chuck to talk about reporting on President-elect Trump. Marc’s first story for Axios featured one of the hardest interviews to get in Trump’s orbit: an on the record discussion with Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles.

For the last alternative history episode of the holiday season, Chuck talks with former CIA Director John Brennan about a forward-looking scenario: What if Russia announced that they have a senior U.S. official on their intelligence service’s payroll. 

Alternative History: If George Washington ran for a third term, would the United States be here today? Chuck talks with Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky, presidential historian and the Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library.