Season 2

2021 · 15 episodes

Episodes

1Talibanistan & Armed and BlackIn 2020, the US signed a peace deal with the Taliban. Hind Hassan travels inside Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to speak with civilians and fighters and see what the future of Afghanistan could look like now that American troops are leaving after more than 19 years of war; In 2020, Black Americans purchased guns at a rate 60% higher than in 2019. Alzo Slade meets the major players arming up the Black community and talks with those who’ve seen first-hand how arming oneself as a Black person can carry unique and deadly risks.
2Nigerian Uprising & The BrinkAlzo Slade meets the young Nigerians at the center of #EndSARS, and those involved in the deadly crackdown against them; Seb Walker sits with Trump's Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller to discuss his controversial days in office.
3Evicted & Haiti's New StrongmanJason Motlagh travels to Haiti to uncover the relationship between the government of the US-backed President, a local gang leader, and the recent violence; Ben Solomon meets those pulled into homelessness during the pandemic.
4El Darién & Out of SightMigrants to the US face a grueling 60-mile hike along the Columbia-Panama border through one of the world's most dangerous jungles; The police-worn body camera has yet to fulfill its promise as a silver bullet against police brutality.
5Egypt's Silent War & Chain of CommandUS armed forces are trained and readied to face violence anywhere in the world, but today alarm is growing as enlisted personnel are falling victim to violence in a most unexpected place – on stateside military bases. Gianna Toboni meets with victims and insiders to explore stories of violence and impunity across the US military; Hind Hassan travels to Egypt to investigate systematic human rights abuses under a regime propped up by the US government, only to have an interview with a whistleblower brought to a forcible end.
6Hong Kong's Resistance & Prison ProfiteersLaurel Chor reports from inside Hong Kong and meets the lawmakers and activists risking their lives to maintain the freedoms and civil liberties that Beijing is targeting; David Noriega investigates how the private prison industry pushes back against its critics to protect profits and what prison companies are doing to survive.
7Yemen's War Kids & Joint CustodyIsobel Yeung gains rare access to the frontlines of Marib and explores how the escalation in Yemen's conflict is impacting its most vulnerable citizens— children; Krishna Andavolu reports on how parents across the country who use pot can face losing custody of their kids even in states where it has been legalized.
8Shadow War & God and CountryWith unprecedented access in Iran and Iraq, Suroosh Alvi investigates a sprawling shadow war for the heart of the Middle East; Alzo Slade travels throughout the Bible Belt to see how the evangelical community is grappling with a post-Trump world and shaping the next chapter of the conservative religious landscape.
9Cancer Alley & Cuba's New RevolutionVICE News' Alzo Slade travels to “Cancer Alley,” an 85-mile stretch in Louisiana where nearly 150 petrochemical plants and oil refineries line the Mississippi river, to speak with residents about how this industrial corridor has impacted their health; VICE News' Paola Ramos travels to Cuba to find out if the 62-year-old Communist dictatorship is losing a grip on its people.
10Land of the Free & Ethiopia’s War WithinIn the wake of the chaotic 2020 election, a region in northern Idaho called “American Redoubt” has burgeoned. Vegas Tenold reports on the trend of conservatives flocking there to escape liberal cities and put their stamp on local politics; Ethiopia is steeped in the second year of a civil war between Prime Minister Ahmed Abiy’s government and the TPLF. Julia Steers covers the conflict, delving into the allegations that former Nobel Peace Prize-winner Abiy is behind an ethnic cleansing operation.
11The Taliban’s Terror Problem & Citizen’s ArrestWith the US out of Afghanistan, the Taliban are back in control. Despite the group's assurances that the war is over, ISIS-K have ramped up suicide bombings. Isobel Yeung questions the Taliban leadership about their ability to control a terrorist group; In February 2020, Ahmaud Arbery was chased and gunned down by three white men. The men argue that they had every right to pursue Arbery under Georgia’s citizens arrest law. Alexis Johnson investigates this Civil War era law and how it's still being used to justify racially-motivated vigilantism.
12State of Surveillance & Killing DissentKrishna Andavolu dives into how Big Tech’s investment in ‘big brother’ has allowed a surveillance state to slowly creep into American domestic policy; Ben C. Solomon investigates the poets of Myanmar and their push to rally protests against the military takeover even as they become targeted for death.
13Descent into Darkness & Merging With MachinesMatthew Cassel travels to Lebanon to examine the anatomy of a failed state — from sectarian violence to economic collapse — and the impact of that failure on ordinary people and the region; Alice Hines meets cyborgs, neuroscientists and tech pioneers to explore the rapidly blurring line between biology and technology and what it all means for humanity 2.0.
14Take Down the CCP & World’s Coolest DictatorGuo Wengui was one of China's richest real estate moguls until he found himself facing corruption charges. He fled the mainland and later reappeared on American soil. Isobel Yeung meets Wengui and explores his web of disinformation spreading throughout the US; El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, owes his popularity to a decline in gang violence. But true to Bukele's persona, the achievement appears to be all public relations. David Noriega travels to El Salvador to find the truth behind the supposed achievements of its millennial president.
15But I Read It Online & No Safe HavenAlzo Slade explores how medical disinformation has proliferated and been politicized under the guise of "alternative health" during the COVID-19 pandemic; Hind Hassan travels to the frontiers of Turkey and Europe, documenting a new migrant crisis and witnessing Greece’s abuse of international law as part of Europe’s response to the humanitarian crisis they helped create.