August 3, 2021

This summer, we've seen extreme weather spread everywhere. Turkey is one of the latest countries to be hit where at least 8 people have died in more than 100 wildfires in the last week. We are witnessing the slow destruction of the natural world -- an issue highlighted by the award-winning Turkish-British novelist Elif Shafak in her latest book, "The Island of Missing Trees."

President-Elect Ebrahim Raisi was officially accepted by Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ahead of Thursday's inauguration. Raisi is a much more hardline and anti-western politician than the outgoing president Hassan Rouhani. Correspondent Fred Pleitgen takes a look at what's top of Raisi's to-do list and gives an update on the nuclear deal.

California Governor Gavin Newsom faces a rare recall election this September and is trying to rally . In addition to COVID spiking in the state again, he's dealing with contentious debates over mask mandates, raging wildfires, and drought plaguing nearly half the state. A lot to talk about with the Chief Executive of America's most populous state. He joins Christiane from Sacramento.