About this season
Dan Rather presents hard-edged field reports, in-depth interviews and investigative pieces. Each story emphasizes the accuracy, fairness and guts that have been a hallmark of Ratherâs illustrious career.
Episodes (39)
1. Live from the New Hampshire Primary
Aired 10 January 2012
Live election results of the nation's first 2012 presidential primary from Manchester, New Hampshire.
2. Finnish First
Aired 17 January 2012
In just 30 years, Finland transformed its school system from one that was mediocre and inequitable, to one that consistently produces some of the world's best students, while virtually eliminating an achievement gap. And they do it without standardized testing.
3. All for a Bowl of Soup
Aired 24 January 2012
One man's quest to document how the Asian appetite for shark fin soup is decimating the ocean's shark populations.
4. From the Florida Primary
Aired 31 January 2012
The Republican presidential contenders move on to the Sunshine State. Live results from Tampa.
5. A Fighting Chance
Aired 7 February 2012
A young, former Army infantryman, wounded in Afghanistan, rehabilitates himself for a chance to play college football. Plus, western businesses invade the new Libya in search of riches.
6. The Doctor Is Out
Aired 14 February 2012
A conversation with Dr. Donald Berwick, a leading expert on America's healthcare policy, discussing the controversial healthcare bill. And, an island in Japan has the longest living people in the world.
7. Stealth Spy
Aired 21 February 2012
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.
8. A Greek Tragedy
Aired 28 February 2012
The economic crisis is becoming a disaster to many Greeks with the fallout spreading to children. Some parents are sending their children to live with relatives because they can no longer afford to keep them. Also, the story of a journalist who's taking on a dictator in Europe.
9. Super Tuesday
Aired 6 March 2012
Live from New York, the latest election returns from the GOP Presidential primaries with Dan Rather and a panel of guests.
10. Case of the Century
Aired 20 March 2012
With the U.S. Supreme Court set to weigh in on President Obama's health care bill, the public seems to think that it is an unconstitutional overreach of federal power. But most legal scholars disagree. Who will win? The political, social, and legal stakes couldn't be higher.
11. A Dire Strait
Aired 27 March 2012
It's been called the most strategically important waterway in the world, but tensions are high in the Strait of Hormuz, and the United States Navy ramps up operations for a possible showdown with Iran. Back at the Navy's base on the tiny island Kingdom of Bahrain, an ongoing uprising pits the United States' democratic ideals against the cold, hard reality of oil-driven politics.
12. Queen of Green
Aired 10 April 2012
A state agency in California, and the woman who runs it, have enormous influence over everything from the air we breathe to the cars we drive. When it comes to the environment, Mary Nichols, the director of the California Air Resources Board, is the most important person you've probably never heard of. Also, the IRS and non-profits.
13. A Panamanian Passageway
Aired 17 April 2012
U.S. officials worry that Panama is becoming a drug transiting point.
14. China in the Caribbean
Aired 24 April 2012
Big money from China is buying influence in America's backyard. Small countries in the Caribbean are the beneficiaries of Beijing's largess. Also, a live discussion on what China really thinks of its place in the world, and its relationship with the United States.
15. Adopted or Abducted?
Aired 1 May 2012
An investigation into claims by women that they were forced to put their babies up for adoption, many with the knowledge and support of Catholic Charities. It has been a little discussed practice for decades but this special hour-long program will remove the veil of secrecy that has led to emotional trauma for unwed mothers around the world.
16. The Most Unconventional Conservative
Aired 8 May 2012
Meet Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, a Muslim-American who believes Islamic terrorists are among us, and silence by Muslims is partly to blame. Plus, an update on our "Castle Doctrine" report and the controversial breed of gun laws center stage in the Trayvon Martin shooting.
17. The A-List: A Conversation in Hollywood
Aired 15 May 2012
Dan Rather talks live with some of the most sought after actors in Hollywood, including Ed Helms, William H. Macy, and Don Cheadle.
18. A Hunger That Never Ends
Aired 22 May 2012
Since the last drought in 2010, hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency food aid has been spent in Africa's most needy nations. And now a brutal summer looms. While the US government and aid agencies race to prevent a food crisis, some are asking is there a better way to save Africa's starving people? Also, an update on drinking water thought contaminated at a U.S. Marine base.
19. Dan Rather Remembers Pearl Harbor
Aired 29 May 2012
Seventy years after the United States was launched into World War II, veteran reporter 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.
20. Divided They Stand
Aired 5 June 2012
A conversation on Congress with Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein, the authors of the new book It's Even Worse Than It Looks. Plus, an update on "The Piper," a previous story about WWII veteran Bill Millen and his legacy on the beaches of Normandy.
21. Running for Their Lives
Aired 12 June 2012
With the violence escalating, hundreds of families are escaping the hell that is Syria every day. We have first access to crowded camps on the Jordanian border where families show us the horrors of what's happening just a few miles from their safe haven. Also, middle east expert Fouad Ajami.
22. Inside the Revolution
Aired 3 July 2012
Deep inside Syria, we travel with freedom fighters as they take on a dictator. Also, a final journey for the American flag rescued from Ground Zero.
23. Red Gold
Aired 10 July 2012
From Alaska, where fishermen believe wild salmon, known here as "Red Gold", will be threatened by runoff from a planned copper and gold mine that would be one of the largest in the world.
24. It's a Southern Thing
Aired 17 July 2012
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. Also, an update on the fate of Blitz USA, a company that makes plastic gas containers that are alleged to explode.
25. In the Running
Aired 24 July 2012
From a small town in Kenya come most of the world's greatest marathon runners. These men and women could win almost any road race in the world - finishing marathons in half the time of the average American - but here they are just another face in the crowd. On the eve of the Olympics, we travel to Kenya to see why they can run so fast, so far.
26. A Crack in the Ice
Aired 14 August 2012
For centuries, explorers dreamed of a Northwest Passage. As the Arctic melts, that dream is becoming a reality. But is the world ready?
27. Adopted or Abducted
Aired 21 August 2012
An update to our original program with new information into claims by women that they were forced to put their babies up for adoption, many with the knowledge and support of Catholic Charities.
28. A Fighting Chance
Aired 28 August 2012
A young, former U.S. Army Infantryman, wounded in Afghanistan, rehabilitates himself for a chance to play college football. Plus, an update on where he will play. Also, a follow up report to our investigation into counterfeit drugs.
29. Music 2.0
Aired 4 September 2012
Dan Rather Reports travels to Austin, Texas, for an in-depth conversation with music legend Willie Nelson, along with other rising stars, about the current state of the music industry.
30. College on the Cheap
Aired 18 September 2012
Building a better college, at a fraction of the price. Two California entrepreneurs say they have the answer to an affordable higher education. Also, a rapidly growing population of pythons in Florida.
31. El Presidente
Aired 25 September 2012 âą 60 min
Colombia, the recipient of billions of U.S. tax dollars in counter narcotic aid is now daring to tell the United States that the drug war is not working. And the country's president tells Dan Rather in an exclusive interview it's time to put every option on the table including the decriminalization of narcotics. Also, we travel to the jungles of S. America where miners are digging for gold.
32. As Ohio Goes...
Aired 2 October 2012
By most estimates, the 2012 Presidential election boils down to Ohio's 18 electoral votes. An investigation into new voting hours in Ohio that some Democrats claim will suppress the turnout. Also, Republican political consultant Mike Murphy and America's contentious history of voting.
33. Real Fast Rail
Aired 16 October 2012
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.
34. Gaddafi's Last Day
Aired 23 October 2012
On the one-year anniversary of his death, an investigation into the strange circumstances surrounding the death of Libya's longtime ruler.
35. How Sweet It Was
Aired 30 October 2012
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.
36. Election Night - Live With Dan Rather
Aired 7 November 2012
Join us for the most intelligent and thought provoking election night coverage-Live from Washington D.C. With GOP strategist Mike Murphy and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.
37. Pulling Rank
Aired 13 November 2012
Dan sits down for a conversation with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, on the future of the US military and the concerns of veterans . Also, a Veterans Day salute to a sailor who was on board the USS Arizona.
38. In the Dark
Aired 20 November 2012
After Hurricane Sandy, utility customers in several states are furious that they continue to be without power, weeks after the storm. We investigate why it's taking so long. Also, a look at the rising rates of AIDS in the southern U.S.
39. Best Of Dan Rather Reports 2012
Aired 18 December 2012
A look back at some of our more memorable stories this year from around the world.