A Look Back

News events of the past and their relation to the world today.
Great Barrier Grief
S4 E7

As petroleum companies rush to cash in on worldwide demand for natural gas, many fear the projects will harm one of the world's most spectacular natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef.

Gone To Pot
S4 E8

Pot farmers have become so prolific that they are diverting enormous water supplies from rivers, and using pesticides on such a scale that wildlife species are now threatened.

The Working Poor
S4 E9

What's been the fallout from the landmark Supreme Court decision on Wal-Mart vs women workers? A legal expert weighs in. Also, off to Africa to meet the world’s best marathoners.

Bones
S4 E10

In a seemingly endless forensic search, investigators using new technology continue to unearth victims from the civil war in Bosnia, a war that ended nearly two decades ago.

American Soles
S4 E11

The US shoe industry has moved almost all manufacturing and jobs to Asia but one major American company is bucking the trend. Also, are apprenticeships the key to an American manufacturing rebirth?

The Best Of Dan Rather Reports 2013
S4 E12

From Afghanistan to the International Space Station, a look back at our favorite stories from 2013.

A Greek Tragedy
S4 E13

The economic crisis is becoming a disaster to many Greeks. Some parents are sending their children to live with relatives because they can no longer afford to keep them.

Case of the Century
S4 E14

With the U.S. Supreme Court set to weigh in on President Obama’s health care bill, the public thinks that it is an unconstitutional overreach of federal power. But most legal scholars disagree.

A Dire Strait
S4 E15

It's been called the most strategically important waterway in the world, but tensions are high in the Strait of Hormuz as the United States Navy ramps up operations for a possible showdown with Iran.

A Panamanian Passageway
S4 E17

U.S officials are concerned Panama is becoming a major drug transiting point.

The Most Unconventional Conservative
S4 E19

Meet Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, a Muslim-American who believes Islamic terrorists are among us, and silence by Muslims is partly to blame. Also, an update on our "Castle Doctrine" law.

A Hunger That Never Ends
S4 E20

The US government and aid agencies are racing to prevent another global food crisis, but is there a better way to save the people?

Divided They Stand
S4 E21

A conversation on Congress with Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein, the authors of the new book It's Even Worse Than It Looks.

It's A Southern Thing
S4 E22

Dan Rather Reports investigates the skyrocketing rates of HIV infections across the southern United States, where more than 50% of new infections are reported, by far the highest area in the nation.

Best Of Dan Rather Reports 2012
S4 E23

A look back at some of our more memorable stories this year from around the world.

Finnish First
S3 E1

In just 30 years, Finland has transformed its schools from mediocre to consistently producing the greatest proportion of high achieving students in the world. They do it without standardized testing.

Bad Score
S3 E3

Whistleblowers come forward to tell how poorly standardized tests across America's schools are being scored.

Take a Lesson from Singapore
S3 E4

Singapore has one of the world’s top performing education systems. 50 years ago, it was an economic backwater with a literacy rate of40%. How did Singapore pass the US in educational excellence?

The Nuclear Option
S3 E5

The debate over the future of nuclear energy exists today. Take A look Back as Dan Rather discusses the politics, science, and economics of nuclear power with experts. Has Anything changed?

The App Bubble
S3 E6

Millions of dollars are still pouring into tech start-ups, all hoping to be the next Facebook. Has boom turned to bust?

A Fighting Chance
S3 E7

A former U.S. Army Infantryman who was wounded in Afghanistan, rehabilitates himself for a chance to play college football.

College on the Cheap
S3 E8

Building a better college, at a fraction of the price. Two California entrepreneurs say they have the answer to an affordable higher education.

El Presidente
S3 E9

Colombia, the recipient of billions of U.S. tax dollars in counter narcotic aid is now daring to tell the U.S. that the drug war is not working. Is every option been on the table?

Real Fast Rail
S3 E10

The promise of high speed trains across the United States is falling off the tracks. But in many countries super-fast trains are full speed ahead. Join us for a real fast ride.

How Sweet It Was
S3 E11

Milton Hershey built a chocolate empire in the middle of Pennsylvania. It was also a workers utopia. But modern corporate America has changed everything in Chocolate Town.

Sex Workers
S3 E12

An investigation into how two European countries, Holland and Sweden, are using groundbreaking and controversial strategies to deal with the worlds oldest profession.

Buzzkill
S3 E13

Honeybees are being trucked in to pollinate thousands of almond trees and fruit crops all over the country, but this year the bees are dying and there may not be enough bees left.

Suni In Space
S3 E14

Space travel was suddenly cool again after astronaut Suni Williams posted a video of life aboard the International Space Station that went viral.

Women And War
S3 E16

From the Newseum in Washington, a look back to the empowerment of women in developing countries. In conflict areas, women are seen as peacemakers where there has long been war.

Where There’s Smoke…
S3 E19

Soldiers who served in Afghanistan believe smoke that came from enormous trash fires is making them ill.

Safe Haven: Wild Animals, Tame Surroundings
S3 E21

Fearsome wild animals and glitzy Las Vegas shows have a long history. But when one magician realized his act was exploiting big cats, he started a wild animal sanctuary.

The Stem Cell Revolution, Part 1
S3 E23

The first of a three part series, we meet patients whose lives have been transformed by cutting edge stem cell treatments. A woman who couldn't walk now plays tennis and a doctor is printing organs!

The Stem Cell Revolution, Part 2
S3 E24

In the second installment of our series on advances in medicine facilitated by the use of adult stem cells, we meet a woman who spent most of her life totally blind, but now can see.

The Stem Cell Revolution, Part 3
S3 E25

The final installment of our 3-part series, “The Stem Cell Revolution.” Stunning advances in the treatment of horses can heal injuries that were devastating not long ago.

The Forgotten War & A Silent War, A Violent Peace: Uganda's Child Soldiers
S2 E1

An encore presentation of two National Headliner Award winners. 'The Forgotten War: Fighting Terror in the Philippines,' and 'A Silent War, A Violent Peace: Uganda's Child Soldiers'

The Forgotten War: Fighting terror in the Philippines
S2 E2

A National Headliner Award Winner. A Look Back to the remote jungles of the Philippines where American Special Forces quietly support the mission against a reputed Al-Qaeda affiliate.

A Silent War, A Violent Peace: Uganda's Child Soldiers
S2 E3

A National Headliner Award Winner. Examine how the decades-long civil war in Uganda has brutalized children, who are often kidnapped and forced to fight as mercenaries.

South Africa's Shame: Modern-Day Slavery and the World Cup
S2 E4

Emmy win for Outstanding Feature Story in a News Magazine. A hidden camera captures human traffickers nearly completed a purchase to acquire ten women for about $400.00 US dollars apiece.

Iran's Manhattan Project
S2 E5

Emmy Win for Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting in a News Magazine. New information about a money laundering scandal where western banks helped Iran acquire billions for its weapons program.

The Mysterious Case of Kevin Xu
S2 E6

Emmy Win for Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting in a News Magazine. A Chinese man tries to penetrate the U.S. drug chain with enormous quantities of counterfeit prescription medication.

Adopted or Abducted
S2 E7

Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Investigative Journalism in a News Magazine. An investigation into claims that women were forced to put babies up for adoption with the support of Catholic Charities.

Adopted or Abducted (Update)
S2 E8

Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Investigative Journalism in a News Magazine. An update into the investigation of claims by women that they were forced to put their babies up for adoption.

A National Disgrace
S2 E9

Emmy Nominated for Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a News Magazine. An in-depth look at the deep challenges facing Detroit Public Schools from a fierce battle with the district.

The Mysterious Case of Kevin Xu (Update)
S2 E10

Emmy Win for Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting in a News Magazine. An update to the story of businessman Kevin Xu, who tried to penetrate the U.S. drug supply chain.

A National Disgrace (Update)
S2 E11

Emmy Nominated for Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a News Magazine. An update to the heartbreaking story of a student trying to succeed in Detroit Public Schools.

Home Loans From Hell
S2 E13

Emmy Nominated for Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting in a News Magazine. The number of foreclosures could top 4 million this year and efforts to stave off the process through HAMP.

Afghanistan - One Last Chance
S2 E15

Emmy Nominated for Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a News Magazine. As the President announced a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, Dan Rather traveled to the Afghan province where battle tactics are already changing.

In the Running
S2 E16

Emmy Win for Video Journalism. From a small town in Kenya come most of the world's greatest marathon runners. Why they can run so fast, so far.

All Mine
S2 E17

Emmy Nomination for Business and Financial. Did the US play a part in a modern day land grab when an American company bought a massive copper mine from the government of Congo.

Coming Home
S2 E18

Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story. A look at American soldiers returning from conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan and how their lives are forever changed.

Afghan Bride
S1 E1

One of Afghanistan's few women scholars, a young writer and poet, is about to be unwillingly sold for marriage.

Haul or High Water
S1 E2

The American economy survives because of a highly efficient transportation system that relies on trucks. But the drivers of those trucks are working longer hours and making less money than ever.

Spiritually Bankrupt
S1 E3

The Catholic Church faces hundreds of lawsuits in the wake of the sex abuse scandal. Also, a look at the fight for millions of federal dollars, all over rum.

Broken Dominican Dreams
S1 E4

The Dominican Republic supplies more MLB talent than any country except the U.S.; the lure of big money is so strong, thousands of boys give up everything, including an education, for a shot.

Over Medicated
S1 E5

Americans are so over-medicated with antibiotics that drugs once used to save lives are no longer effective. Plus we travel to Norway, a country that makes it difficult to obtain antibiotics.

Oversea Job Shifting
S1 E6

American high-tech companies have been laying off thousands of workers in Silicon Valley but they're hiring like mad in India.

One Feisty Fish
S1 E7

Scientists are worried lionfish are now a threat to wipe out native fish populations in the Atlantic; micro loans.

Honor Killings
S1 E8

Honor killings are on the rise in Great Britain. Analysis of the situation in Egypt with a Muslim advisor to President Obama.

Precarious Peace
S1 E9

Despite unrest in the region, a previously little-known U.S. program that has produced calm in the West Bank and fostered unprecedented cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians.

Just Plane Work
S1 E10

Is the White House jobs plan less than advertised? Brazilian immigrants to the U.S. returning home and NY Times statistician Nate Silver on the 2012 presidential race.

Power Play
S1 E11

A new generation of nuclear power generators is on the horizon. Plus, "corrective rape" in South Africa and an electronic voting machines update.

Betty vs. Goliath
S1 E12

The Supreme Court hears arguments in the largest class action case ever; Betty Dukes vs. Wal-Mart is about gender discrimination and the nation's largest employer.

Do Unto Others
S1 E13

How Christians can opt-out of mandatory health care coverage. Scientist Eric Lander. And cleaning up trash in the Pacific.

Mexican Standoff
S1 E14

A Look Back about Mexico's bloody U.S.-backed war on drug trafficking.

The Dissident Disappeared
S1 E15

The last U.S. television interview with Chinese activist Ai Weiwei before he was arrested by Chinese authorities.

The San Miguel Gate
S1 E16

No place on the US-Mexico border better exemplifies the problem with illegal immigration than an open gate in the Arizona desert. A Look Back to 2013 and the San Miguel Gate.

New Orleans' Toxic Trash
S1 E17

A look back at Hurricane Katrina and all the trash; an investigation into the noxious threat from post-Katrina clean-up.

The Pedophile Hunters
S1 E18

After hunting down Jared Fogle and Jerry Sandusky on Pedophile charges , American justice extends to countries like Cambodia, where American pedophiles travel to score underage sex.

Biloxi - Flattened by Katrina
S1 E19

Flash back to Biloxi, Miss., in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; death and destruction is everywhere, wiping out virtually everything but people's individual determination to overcome the tragedy.

Best of the Best
S1 E20

A look at the role of the United States military's Special Operations Command in the hunt for Osama bin Laden; the revolution the Syrian government doesn't want the world to see; the Chinese government tries to control information on the Internet.

The Mother Lode
S1 E21

Copper about to be mined in Afghanistan by a Chinese company accused of massive bribery. Also, Kenneth Feinberg and paying the victims of the Gulf oil spill.

On Patrol Along the Coast of Somalia
S1 E22

It is pirating season off the coast of Somalia where a warship patrols dangerous waters.

Searching for Children of the Disappeared
S1 E23

Argentina's brutal military regime kidnapped thousands of men and women in the '70's and '80's, almost all were executed. But many of their children were spared and stolen by military officials.

Your iPhone Makes Me Sick
S1 E24

Chinese workers say that making iPhones makes them sick. It may make you think about your gadgets a little differently.

Private Space Race
S1 E25

Just as NASA shuts down its shuttle, private companies are in a rush to make space more accessible to scientists and thrill-seekers; they inch closer to providing relatively affordable space travel to the general public.

President John F. Kennedy Assassination
S1 E26

A look into a true eyewitness to history. 50 years after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Dan Rather remembers the dark days in Dallas.

Dan Remembers Pearl Harbor
S1 E27

Decades after the United States was launched into World War II, Dan Rather returns to Hawaii to explore the day that will live in infamy and how its meaning has changed with the passage of time.

Medical Marijuana and Driving; Wanna Live Forever?
S1 E28

Hundreds of thousands are now getting high on medicinal marijuana legally, and they are on the roads. We put some users' driving skills to the test.

Music 2.0
S1 E29

Venture back with Dan Rather for an in-depth conversation with music legend Willie Nelson, along with other rising stars from 2012, about the current state of the music industry.

Running For Their Lives
S1 E30

Take A Look Back to 2012 and the once crowded Syrian camps on the Jordanian border where families showed us the horrors happening just miles from their safe haven.

A Lot of Bad Water
S1 E31

Before lead was found in Flint, Mich., school water in 2016, a former Marine Corps drill sergeant believes toxic chemicals in the water supply at Camp Lejeune, N.C., led to the death of his daughter.

The Capture Of Osama Bin Laden
S1 E32

Osama Bin Laden was captured and killed on May 2nd 2011. Take A Look Back on the ground in Abbottabad, Pakistan, the town where Osama bin Laden was hiding for years. Did the locals know?

Only in America
S1 E33

A special edition showcasing the long-awaited re-opening of the Statue of Liberty, a celebration of a special American flag that once flew near Ground Zero.

The Chile 33
S1 E34

33 Chilean miners endured a horrible torture for 69 days, but were saved in a dramatic rescue that began on 10/13/2010 and captured the hearts of people around the world.

Mississippi Anniversary
S1 E35

A return to Mississippi to look at the recovery and rebuilding one year after the devastation Hurricane Katrina left behind.

The Trouble With Touch Screens
S1 E36

An investigation into the voting machine industry that reveals problems with the latest touch screen technology.

Immigrant Family
S1 E38

Follow a family of immigrants as they make the dangerous journey from Mexico into the U.S.

School Security
S1 E39

Are school shootings the new normal for children. We examine how they happen and what is being done to prevent future attacks.

Counterfeit Sports Memorabilia
S1 E40

We travel to Detroit for the Super Bowl to take a look at the insidious side of marketing counterfeit sports memorabilia. Millions of dollars of illegal profits go beyond common criminals; and potentially into the hands of terrorists.

Pornography Fuels Technology
S1 E41

Pornography… the days of dark seedy theaters are over! The trends in the adult film industry are exposed.

Vladimir Putin
S1 E42

Putin gets what he wants. Many are describing Russia as 'post-democratic;' that while there are elections and the surfeit of democracy, one man really controls everything. Take a look back for a revealing look into the present.

American Guns, Mexican Crime
S1 E43

The bloody war in Mexico spills over the border into the American Southwest is waged by drug cartels and is fought with American guns. Tens of thousands flow south in what is called the 'Iron River.'

Cohen On Russia
S1 E44

Step back as Dan Rather interviews Russian expert Steve Cohen.

Israel's Iron Dome
S1 E45

A look at the highly successful Israeli missile defense system known as Iron Dome. Also, what country banned assault weapons after a mass killing?

Just Hang Up
S1 E46

A telephone scam is targeting American seniors and bilking them out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Our investigation leads to Jamaica where con artists have built a thriving crime network.

Stealth Spy
S1 E47

An American engineer was convicted of espionage after selling stealth secrets to China. But were they really secrets? An investigation of American technology transfer to countries around the world.

Justice on the Shelf
S1 E48

When a woman is sexually assaulted, she is asked to submit to a so-called "rape kit," a highly invasive and laborious process that aims to extract DNA. Thousands sit on shelves, untouched, untested.

Long Road to Freedom for North Korean Refugees
S1 E49

A look back on a harrowing journey with three North Korean refugees; after escaping their country's brutal regime, they are sold into virtual slavery, and must attempt a dangerous escape for freedom.

American Kids, International Terror
S1 E50

A Look Back to 2010 and an investigation into American kids recruited to fight with a fundamentalist Islamic terror group. Is this still happening today?

Traumatic Brain Injury and The U.S. Soldier
S1 E51

Hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops are returning from war with Traumatic Brain Injury - many with little hope of returning to normal lives. Why has the U.S. Army resisted a promising new treatment?

Firearm Fantasies
S1 E52

Las Vegas has seen a boom in new gun ranges where you can rent any firearm imaginable.

Longest Living People In The World
S1 E54

We visit an island in Japan that has the longest living people in the world. What's the secret?

Airport Body Scanners
S1 E55

A Look Back to 2010 and the debut of Airport body scanners. Have they made traveling safer?

Concussions
S1 E56

A look back to a report on football and dementia. The topic was and is still a major area of concern. Has the National Football League taken enough aggressive action since this report in 2010?.

Multiple Concussions
S1 E57

A Look Back to Zack Lystedt, a young football player disabled by multiple concussions. His goal? To walk across the stage at his high school graduation. Are kids any safer today?

Ground Zero Flag Rescue
S1 E58

A Look Back to the final journey of an American flag rescued from Ground Zero.

Muammar Gaddafi's Death
S1 E59

A Look Back to 2012, the one one-year anniversary of Muammar Gaddafi's death and the investigation into the strange circumstances surrounding Libya's longtime ruler.

Veterans Day Salute
S1 E60

A Veterans Day salute to a sailor who was on board the USS Arizona. Also, A Look Back to 2012 and a conversation with General Martin Dempsey, on the future of the military and veteran concerns.

Pearl Harbor Remembered
S1 E61

Dan Rather returns to Hawaii in 2011 to explore the day that will live in infamy and how its meaning has changed with the passage of time.

If It Ain't Broke
S1 E62

A look back to 2013 and the nation’s infrastructure, particularly our bridges. Not enough money coming from Washington has left local authorities overwhelmed. Has anything changed?

Texas Abortion Battle
S1 E63

New state restrictions on abortions have had consequences for the health care of thousands of low income women, as many clinics that provide services beyond pregnancy termination have closed.

A Crack In The Ice
S1 E64

For centuries, explorers dreamed of a Northwest Passage. As the Arctic melts, that dream is becoming a reality. But is the world ready?

All for a Bowl of Soup
S1 E65

One mans quest to document how Asian appetite for shark fin soup is decimating the ocean's shark populations.