60 Minutes

Vladimir Putin has killed nearly all internal opposition to his unprovoked war in Ukraine. Tonight, Scott Pelley travels to a foreign city that’s become a haven for courageous Russians defying Putin and speaking out.

It’s something no one else has tried and perhaps only she could pull off. Jennifer Thompson, a rape victim, is bringing together crime survivors and people who were wrongfully convicted. 

03/10/24: Rise, Jeff Koons, The Last Minute

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

As Ukrainian families grieve the losses of their loved ones in Russia’s continued conflict, correspondent Scott Pelley joins a group of widows and children of the war on a mountain climb in the Austrian Alps, a journey of recovery and resilience. Welcome to Sealand. To enter, Jon Wertheim sat on a backyard swing and was winched over the North Sea. If you think entering Sealand is peculiar, wait until you hear its story. A country the size of West Virginia offers more than 40 varieties of wine, each with a tongue-twisting name from vines centuries old. Sharyn Alfonsi visits the country of Georgia.