60 Minutes 12/19

Since taking office as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce under the Biden administration, Gina Raimondo has turned the second-tier agency into a center of national security, manufacturing, and job creation. Correspondent Lesley Stahl meets Raimondo - including in her home state of Rhode Island, where she previously served as governor - to talk about the international “chip war” after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the escalating trade tensions with China over U.S. restrictions on the sale of leading-edge semiconductors and U.S. jobs hanging in the balance. Raimondo also shares the path that brought her to lead President Joe Biden’s Department of Commerce. Less than 100 miles from Britain’s mainland lie the Channel Islands, British Crown dependencies, with a fraught and hotly debated history. 60 Minutes contributor Holly Williams visits the islands that were occupied by Germany for five years during World War II and where the Nazis operated two concentration camps. Williams speaks with historians, British government officials and longtime residents to find out what really happened. Correspondent Anderson Cooper profiles Kevin Hart, the highest grossing comedian today and bankable movie star, who is now adding a new title to his resume – entertainment and business mogul. Cooper goes backstage with Hart in Pasadena, California to watch him test out new material for an upcoming comedy tour and sits down with him at his headquarters in Los Angeles to talk about the business of being funny and his growing empire.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

SCATTERED SPIDER – A surprisingly young cohort of hackers paralyzed some of Las Vegas' biggest hotels and casinos last fall, demanding an exorbitant ransom. The FBI and cyber security researchers call them "Scattered Spider" and say they are predominantly made up of native English-speaking hackers from Western countries, including the United States. Correspondent Bill Whitaker reports on the attack that brought operations at the MGM Grand, Aria and Bellagio, among others, to a standstill, and how the hackers teamed up with the notorious Russian ransomware gang behind the recent hack on UnitedHealth Group. Graham Messick is the producer.KNIFE – In his first television interview since he was attacked at a literary festival in Chautauqua, New York almost two years ago, author Salman Rushdie details his experience to correspondent Anderson Cooper. Rushdie, who was stabbed 15 times and lost his right eye, has come to terms with the attack by writing about it in his new book, KNIFE (Penguin, 2024.) He talks to Cooper about Iran's religious decree—or fatwa—that called for his death 35 years ago, his years in hiding, and how he reclaimed his life in the U.S. before he was nearly killed by an assailant wielding a knife. Michael Gavshon and Nadim Roberts are the producers.TASMANIAN TIGER – 60 MINUTES correspondent Jon Wertheim reports from the Australian island of Tasmania on the mysterious thylacine or Tasmanian tiger – an apex predator not seen since last century, but renowned through local folklore. Though the tiger was declared extinct 40 years ago, Wertheim meets those looking for the creature in the bush and the lab, and one way or another, are certain of its enduring survival. Jacqueline Williams is the producer.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Scott Pelley travels to Izium, Ukraine, – one of the worst areas for landmines. He meets injured civilians, a doctor treating them, and the deminers working to clear their land, mine by mine. Would you replace your therapist with a chatbot? CBS News’ Dr. Jon LaPook reports on using AI-powered chatbots as a mental health support. A thief from Pennsylvania spent decades stealing priceless sports memorabilia – including Yogi Berra’s World Series rings, which he says he melted down for cash. He tells Jon Wertheim how and why he did it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the fourth installment of a five-year investigation into potential attacks on American government officials and a condition, known as Havana Syndrome, correspondent Scott Pelley reports on the intriguing case of an FBI official who says she was targeted inside the U.S., and on new information about the Pentagon's global investigation into these mysterious incidents. For the first time, sources tell 60 Minutes they have evidence that a U.S. adversary may be involved. Bill Whitaker reports from the chaotic and high-speed racetrack of “America’s original extreme sport” - Indian Relay. As horse nation tribes unite for an exciting and dangerous bareback horse race, Whitaker looks at how the sport continues to grow and offer new opportunities of pride to the next generation of Native American youth.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Supreme Court will soon decide whether social media platforms have the right to decide what users can say on their sites. Correspondent Lesley Stahl speaks with: Rep. Jim Jordan, a misinformation researcher, and a former Facebook executive. Charismatic and controversial, Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador – known by his initials AMLO – is a popular leftist. He promised to root out corruption and reduce poverty and violent crime. He sits down with Sharyn Alfonsi. The U.S. is conspicuously absent from the international race to explore deep sea mining. Bill Whitaker speaks with former diplomats and military leaders trying to break a Senate logjam, and with others standing firm in their opposition.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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

03/10/24: Rise, Jeff Koons, The Last MinuteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.