01/15/2023: Breakthrough Fusion Research, Hide and Seek, Rick Rubin

After President Biden and former President Trump’s visits to the Texas-Mexico border this past week, correspondent Cecilia Vega reports from Eagle Pass, Texas, where she interviewed Governor Greg Abbott. The governor’s controversial border enforcement effort, known as Operation Lone Star, has led to a showdown with the federal government. Correspondent Scott Pelley reports on the battle to ban 97 books in one South Carolina public school district and the role played by the national movement for “parental rights” inspired by a group called Moms for Liberty. The group says it is “fighting for the survival of America" but the book banning attempt was met with strong opposition in Beaufort, South Carolina. Bill Whitaker reports on NASA’s plans to send Americans back to the moon with hopes of building a lunar outpost and traveling onward to Mars. With a stated target date of late 2026, Whitaker reports from Kennedy Space Center, interviews NASA’s top watchdog, and visits one of its contractors, Blue Origin, where he asks tough questions around costs and timeline as they work towards this historic undertaking.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For nearly five months, Israeli forces have unleashed unrelenting airstrikes and a heavy ground offensive inside Gaza - decimating cities and displacing more than a million - all in response to the October 7th terror attacks by Hamas. It’s been reported that more than 29-thousand Palestinians have died. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi reports on the ongoing war and what’s been happening inside Gaza's collapsing humanitarian aid and healthcare system. Through CBS-shot footage and first-hand accounts of an American doctor and aid worker inside Gaza, Alfonsi offers a rare window into the dire situation that international journalists have been barred from independently covering inside the 25-mile-long enclave. Correspondent Lesley Stahl reports from China as one of the few Western journalists to enter the People's Republic since 2020, when the Chinese government under the direction of President Xi Jinping expelled some journalists and restricted access to others in the foreign media. Stahl interviews U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns on the contentious U.S.-China relationship, American and foreign investment in the wake of expanded espionage laws and intellectual property theft under Xi and the state of China’s floundering economy as its population ages and shrinks. Stahl also reports on the mood of the country after its oppressive zero-COVID policy.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East and the Iran-allied Houthi militia launch strikes against commercial and U.S. Navy ships in the southern Red Sea, Norah O’Donnell was the first journalist to report from the region in the air, on the water, and inside the 5th Fleet’s Command Center at Naval Headquarters in Bahrain. O’Donnell speaks with the Deputy Commander of U.S. Forces in the Middle East, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper and other Navy officers about a new kind of warfare on the high seas involving anti-ship ballistic missiles, as well as the disruption of international shipping traffic and whether an endgame is in sight. In the aftermath of President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, Republicans in seven states where he won, including Wisconsin, banded together and cast fake electoral votes for Donald Trump. Correspondent Anderson Cooper reports on Wisconsin's fake presidential electors and interviews Andrew Hitt, an attorney and former GOP state chair, who claims he and his fellow fake electors were tricked into signing the documents. Special Counsel Jack Smith alleges the fake votes were part of a plan, orchestrated by Donald Trump and conspirators, to try to overturn the election. Ahead of the 96th Academy Awards, correspondent Scott Pelley joins enigmatic actor Cillian Murphy in Ireland for a candid interview since being nominated for Best Actor in the blockbuster film Oppenheimer. Pelley talks to the Oscar front-runner about how he transforms for roles, his secret to maintaining a low profile and more. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Following the Federal Reserve’s announcement to hold interest rates steady, correspondent Scott Pelley interviews Fed Chair Jerome Powell in Washington, DC on inflation risks and the economy, the timeline for cutting rates, the health of the country’s banks, and more. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi reports on the fastest growing group entering the U.S. through the southern border – Chinese migrants. Alfonsi speaks with the migrants about following instructions posted on TikTok that guided them on their 7-thousand mile journey to the California desert where Chinese asylum seekers cross the border from Mexico through a 4-foot gap in the border fence. Technology has helped spur a sports betting boom. Correspondent Jon Wertheim examines what this has meant for sports fans, betting companies, and the gamblers – overwhelmingly young men – making snap bets anytime, anywhere.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cecilia Vega interviews the woman charged with reforming the Federal Bureau of Prisons, director Colette S. Peters, as her agency is facing a major staffing crisis, aging, and deteriorating prison infrastructure and an alarming pattern of abuse that has persisted for years. Interpol, responsible for coordinating worldwide police cooperation, has come under some fire. Some members are accused of abusing its red notice system. Bill Whitaker speaks with Interpol's Secretary General Jürgen Stock. Pat Craig, founder of The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado, has emerged as the go-to guy for orchestrating high-stakes animal rescues around the world. Jon Wertheim reports on Craig’s most ambitious mission yet.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With hybrid work hardening from trend to new normal, correspondent Jon Wertheim looks at the crisis in commercial real estate, specifically in New York City's office sector. As occupancy rates have hit historic lows and interest rates have spiked, the value of office buildings is tanking. It's a growing problem nationwide, with more than a trillion dollars in commercial real estate loans set to expire in the next two years. Wertheim speaks with industry players about how they're staying afloat in a sector of the economy that's been rocked to its foundations. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi reports on a groundbreaking approach to brain surgery that could revolutionize the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and drug addiction without any incisions. Alfonsi follows neuroscience pioneer Dr. Ali Rezai for more than a year as he tests experimental procedures at the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute in Morgantown, West Virginia. The results of Rezai’s clinical trials are changing the lives of his patients and may offer hope to others suffering from brain disorders. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With brains six times larger than humans and most of their lives spent in the darkest depths of the ocean, sperm whales are largely misunderstood. Cecilia Vega searches the Caribbean Sea to find these massive mammals. Lesley Stahl travels to an island completely inhabited by monkeys. It’s not open to the public. Researchers have been studying the monkeys for decades. Learn about the behavioral scientific discoveries that may apply to humans. Sharyn Alfonsi reports from Costa Rica on sloths and their superpower of slowing down. Alfonsi examines how these mammals have mastered the art of survival for more than 60 million years and the new threats of climate change to the species. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Almost three months into the Israel-Hamas war, correspondent Lesley Stahl returns to the region and speaks with a freed Israeli hostage ​in her first interview since spending more than 50 days in captivity by Hamas in Gaza. Stahl visits the remnants of her family's home in the kibbutz following the Oct. 7 attacks and speaks with the survivor and her relatives. A year-long investigation by 60 MINUTES examines what might be the greatest art heist in history: the theft of thousands of sacred stone, bronze and gold artifacts from religious sites across Cambodia. Correspondent Anderson Cooper reports on Douglas Latchford, the British dealer who masterminded the looting amidst genocide, civil war and political turmoil and sold to the world's wealthiest collectors and most prestigious museums. Cambodia's government has spent the last ten years tracking it all down and wants their history and heritage brought home. Correspondent Bill Whitaker traces the musical legacy of Gnawa music that for centuries was only played in secret ceremonies by enslaved Black Africans brought to Morocco during the Middle Ages. Those ancient rhythms helped give rise to the American Blues. Today, Gnawa is exploding in popularity. Whitaker joins hundreds of thousands of music fans to travel to the Ground Zero of Gnawa: the seaside town of Essaouira on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. Whitaker meets Gnawa masters and the Western musicians who join them for a taste of the Moroccan Blues.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, people were faced with the decision to flee or fight. Correspondent Scott Pelley reports from the capital city of Kherson, a mile from ongoing Russian shelling, and speaks with civilians who resisted the occupation about how they defended their region. Correspondent Bill Whitaker reports from the conservative state of Wyoming and meets with its surprisingly climate-crusading Republican governor, Mark Gordon. Currently in his second term, Gordon has set a goal to make Wyoming not just carbon-neutral but carbon-negative in CO2 emissions. It’s an audacious idea, since Wyoming is the nation’s largest coal-producer by far. Despite heat from climate change deniers in his own party, Gordon tells Whitaker he’s sticking to his goal, and to his “all of the above” approach to energy. At 36-years-old, Novak Djokovic is one of the most dominant athletes in professional sports, having captured 24 major tennis singles titles, more than his longtime rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. He is now considered the greatest men’s tennis player of all time. Correspondent Jon Wertheim goes inside the mind of the record-breaking star in his hometown of Belgrade, Serbia and speaks with him about his vaccination controversy at the Australian Open, his work promoting tennis player equity and the reason why he plans to stay on the court.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bill Whitaker witnesses pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel student rallies at Columbia University and department-led campus forums at Dartmouth in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and ensuing Israeli bombardment of Gaza. Whitaker speaks with Jewish and Palestinian students, and Middle East Studies professors, about the antisemitic and Islamophobic rhetoric that has raged across campuses, the continuing situation unfolding and a path forward. Scott Pelley reports on the pioneering technology of quantum computing, a new kind of computer that could answer impossible questions in physics, chemistry, engineering, and medicine. Pelley travels to California to see Google’s quantum lab, visits one of the first quantum computers outside the lab at Cleveland Clinic, and gets a first look at IBM’s newest quantum computer, its most advanced to date. Sharyn Alfonsi profiles the brains behind BARBIE - filmmaker Greta Gerwig, whose outside-the-box blockbuster smashed box office records this summer. Alfonsi speaks with Gerwig about pulling off a delicate balancing act: giving voice to the iconic Barbie doll while appealing to her fiercest critics, and details Gerwig's journey from indie darling to billion-dollar director.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.