I was about to launch a travel show, but then coronavirus happened. So here’s how my team and I are pivoting.

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the world in a rapid and destructive way. Images of worn-out doctors, overrun hospitals and empty cities have become commonplace. But Italy with the most deaths at over 7,500 has become the center of the pandemic. Italians have an aging population and initially weren’t appearing to take the novel coronavirus seriously. Now, the whole country is on lockdown and serves as a warning to others around the world. With cases in the U.S. rapidly increasing, it’s predicted to be just days behind Italy. What can the U.S. learn from Italy’s handling of the crisis? Is it already too late? And how are the two countries set up differently to deal with an unprecedented health crisis?

Vieques, Puerto Rico: The island that was used by the U.S. Navy as a training ground for war for 60 years. Today, half of Vieques is a toxic Superfund site because the Navy is still cleaning up their leftover bombs – by literally exploding them.

Locals say toxins from the munitions are making them sick. And yet, that’s not stopping wealthy Americans from the U.S. mainland from buying their second homes in Vieques. AJ+’s Dena Takruri visits Vieques to explore these issues.

The Camp Fire was California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire, nearly wiping the town of Paradise off the map and killing 85 people last year. The private energy corporation PG&E, or Pacific Gas & Electric, recently admitted its equipment was likely the cause. But it’s not the first time the billion-dollar utility has sparked fires in the state. Now, the company is filing for bankruptcy protection, which may leave the victims of the Camp Fire with nothing. In this episode of Direct From, Dena Takruri asks why the private company, which provides a public service, is not being held accountable for the hundreds of lives ruined and the thousands of acres scorched. #CampFire #CaliforniaWildfire

Dena Takruri gets rare access inside Monsanto’s Puerto Rico operation, where they get huge tax breaks to test and grow GMO seeds. Meanwhile, thousands of plaintiffs across the U.S. are suing the corporation, claiming that its weedkiller Roundup has caused cancer. In Puerto Rico, locals are blaming Monsanto for getting them sick.

Nestle, the world’s largest food and beverage company, bottles Michigan’s water for next to nothing and sells it at great profit. And the state has just approved its request to pump even more, despite the failed promise of jobs and 80,000 public comments against Nestle. Meanwhile, just two hours away, Flint still doesn’t have clean water. AJ+’s Dena Takruri meets those who have a stake in this fight, including local environmentalists, a tribal citizen, ordinary residents and a Nestle spokeswoman.

AJ+’s Dena Takruri returns to Flint for the 4-year anniversary of the water crisis. Officials here say the water is safe, but residents still don’t trust them. And since the state of Michigan stopped providing free bottled water, people here are forced to pay some of the highest bills in the country for water they don’t even use. When will this crisis be over?