Inside the Americas

As the past few months have seen an increase in hate crimes across the United States, we meet some former white supremacists trying to use their new lives to stop the hate spread by the groups they once belonged to. They now give some time to an organization dedicated to fighting extremism and showing that a "live after hate" is possible. But we'll start with Donald Trump's first-ever speech to a joint session of Congress in Washington. And it was a definitely dialled down tone from the US President, what some are calling his most conventional speech to date.

And two tourists get set to fly around the moon as early as 2018. That's thanks to a program from billionaire space explorer Elon Musk and his company SpaceX. We'll discuss this project, considered as impossible for some experts.

This week, Brazil is gearing up for its annual carnival. From February 24 to 28, Rio de Janeiro will host the world-famous event. It's hoped the close to one million visitors coming to town will help bring Brazil some much-needed cash. But with the country in the grips of its deepest recession in decades, locals are having to find cheaper ways to celebrate. But first, as Donald Trump faces almost daily protests since he first took office last month, we see how that's only made his die-hard supporters even more determined to back him. 

And Haiti's prisons are in major decline, with poor hygiene, malnutrition and overcrowding sadly creating a perfect environment for disease and death.

This week, we report on how illegal immigrants across the United States are trembling over a promise from Donald Trump to increase deportations. Meanwhile, the US Justice Department is seeking close to 100 million dollars in damages against doping-disgraced cycling icon Lance Armstrong. And a small town in Brazil is trying out a financial experiment that's got people buzzing - we tell you more about this universal basic income.

Mexico is among the world's top ten destinations for tourists. But the country is also ranked in the bottom third of Transparency International's corruption ranking. One company has decided to combine these two facts and start open-air bus tours showcasing the dark side of Mexico City. The goal is to raise awareness about the endemic problem of graft. But first, we see how Donald Trump's travel ban hangs in the balance. A US appeals court is weighing up the legality of blocking the nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries. It's a battle that could go all the way to the Supreme Court.

And we focus on another key set of peace talks in Colombia. After clinching a deal with the FARC, the government is sitting down for talks with the second-largest rebel group, the National Liberation Army.

This week, we take you to the bay of Vieques in Puerto Rico, where an all-natural phenomenon has become a major tourist attraction. It's called bio-luminescence and it occurs when plankton in water turn a magical electric blue, delighting tourists with a spectacle of dancing blue light. Dheepthika Laurent checks it out. But first, we focus on the United States. The US President has fired the acting attorney general after she refused to enforce his executive order, also called the Muslim ban. Meanwhile, Donald Trump continues to make controversial appointments to key cabinet positions, but not without a political and public backlash.

Also this week, Canada mourned six people who were shot dead during evening prayers at a Quebec City Mosque. A French Canadian student known for his radical extreme-right views has been charged with the murders. It was a brazen and shocking attack in a country usually known for its multiculturalism and tolerance.

This has been Donald Trump’s first week as president of the United States. He has signed a series of executive orders, including one reversing policy on two controversial oil pipelines. Meanwhile, over in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has validated two pipeline projects there. And while some native Canadians oppose the plans, others say they need oil money to live. Our correspondent in Canada went to meet them. But first, we take a closer look at Donald Trump's quick work in pushing through on his campaign promises. As he confirmed his intention to build a wall at the Mexican border, we see how Mexico is trying to figure out what exactly that means, and what consequences it will have.

Finally, we look back at the peace agreement between the Colombian government and FARC rebels that has ended a half-century of conflict. Now, all FARC rebel fighters are due to turn over their weapons to monitors from the UN. We see how they are determined to continue their struggle, but on a political terrain.

This week, we head to Brazil, where the prison system is once again rocked by gang violence, beheadings and riots. Police fired rubber bullets as part of their battle to control a deadly riot in the Alcacuz facility, near the city of Natal. At least 26 prisoners were killed. Now a new crowdfunded docu-drama made by former inmates is turning the spotlight on the harsh reality of life in Brazil's jails. Our team in Rio went to meet the director and producer. But first, we focus on a week of massive change in the United States, as Donald Trump arrives at the White House. This inauguration won't be the one to unite the country. The wave of protests that started when Trump was elected president is showing no sign of dying down, with demonstrations taking place across the nation. Our correspondents met some of those still disgruntled by Trump's future vision of America.

And staying in the US, we take you on a tour of the most unusual piece of real estate in the country, Trump Tower, which some now call the "White House North". It's home not only to the 45th US president, but also to shops, offices and, now, a permanent media encampment at its golden elevators. We'll see that some in the neighbourhood are not so keen on the extra activity.

This week, we focus on US President Barack Obama's farewell address from his hometown, Chicago. Obama welled up as he was thanking his wife and First Lady, Michelle, for her years of support. We take a closer look at the president's tribute to his family this week and some of the more touching moments from his eight years in office. And with the end of the Obama administration comes the beginning of President Trump. His inauguration is now just days away and this week the US Senate began confirmation hearings for his cabinet picks. Mariam Saab has more on just who Donald Trump wants on his team.

Finally, we go to Canada, where the drug that killed US singer Prince is turning into a public health nightmare. A spike in overdoses and deaths linked to the painkiller Fentanyl has forced British Columbia to declare a state of sanitary emergency. Our correspondent Pierre Millet explains.

This week, we focus on Brazil's penal system after a deadly prison riot. 184 inmates escaped from two jails in Brazil in the wake of the worst prison violence there in 25 years. Close to 60 were killed in fighting between rival drug gangs at Manaus jail. Many of those slain were beheaded before being tossed over the prison walls. The violence prompted the justice minister to announce plans to completely overhaul the country's overcrowded prison system. We also head to the US, where the 115th Congress opened this week. When Donald Trump takes office on January 20th, it will be the first time Republicans have controlled both houses of Congress and the White House since 1928. The GOP has vowed to push through one of the most conservative agendas in decades. But divisions are likely to emerge over Trump's cabinet picks and allegations of Russia's interference in the election.

One of Trump's big campaign promises was bringing jobs back to the United States. This week, US carmaker Ford said it was cancelling a 1.6 billion dollar plant in Mexico in order to beef up a current factory in Michigan. Several major US companies have also started investing in production sites at home. American-made products are still more expensive than those made overseas, but consumers say they're willing to pay a little bit more to buy local.

From the USA-Cuba rapprochement to Juan Manuel Santos’s Nobel Prize, we take a look back at an extraordinarily tumultuous year in the Americas. Then, we head to the US naval base of Pearl Harbor, where Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this week offered condolences to the victims of Japan's attack 75 years ago. Finally, the world mourns one of Hollywood’s absolute royals: Actor and author Carrie Fisher – the eternal Princess Leia – who died four days after suffering a heart attack.