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.