60 Minutes

The Veterans Administration announced it would begin funding clinical trials to explore the use of psychedelic drugs for treating post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and addiction. However, these trials are small, and even if successful, it will likely be years before veterans can access psychedelics at the VA. Many U.S. veterans struggling with PTSD aren’t waiting. Thousands of them are traveling overseas seeking relief at psychedelic retreats where these substances are legal to use, mostly in indigenous ceremonies. Correspondent Anderson Cooper follows nine veterans on a psychedelic journey to the west coast of Mexico, where they hope to find healing. Katie Brennan is the producer.
Every year on Mardi Gras, Black revelers roam the backstreets of New Orleans in dazzling hand-sewn suits that take an entire year to create. Correspondent Bill Whitaker meets the Mardi Gras Indians, also known as Black Masking Indians, one of America’s last secret societies, who are preserving a culture that dates to at least the 1800s. It’s a tradition marked by resilience and resistance that honors their ancestors. Nichole Marks is the producer.
Correspondent Jon Wertheim profiles literary titan Margaret Atwood, author of the dystopian classic The Handmaid’s Tale. At 86, with 64 books to her name, Canada’s best-known author has been called the “prophet of doom” for her uncanny ability to write about catastrophes in her fiction before they happen in real life. Wertheim talks to Atwood about her memoir, Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts, why she thinks The Handmaid’s Tale became a cultural touchstone, and how she refuses to be silenced by an increasing number of bans on her books. Nathalie Sommer is the producer.

As an increasing number of Americans across the political spectrum voice concerns about the health risks of ultra-processed foods, correspondent Bill Whitaker speaks with Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Dr. David Kessler. Whitaker reports on a decades-old government classification for substances in our food and why Kennedy and Kessler are calling for change. Sarah Koch is the producer.
Sixteen years after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the government has all but collapsed and gangs battle for control of the capital Port-au-Prince. Correspondent Anderson Cooper visits an orphanage in the besieged city where children have been sheltered from the violence for more than four years. Run by bestselling author Mitch Albom, the organization Have Faith Haiti takes in vulnerable children and, with an emphasis on education and faith, gives them a chance at an extraordinary future. Denise Schrier Cetta is the producer.
An unscripted underdog saga is unfolding in the most unlikely setting this college football season. Indiana University’s perennially overlooked and outmatched Hoosiers have transformed into the #1 ranked team in the country. Correspondent Jon Wertheim speaks with head coach Curt Cignetti and dives into how this remarkable turnaround took shape – as the undefeated Hoosiers contend for a national championship. David M. Levine is the producer.

Correspondent Bill Whitaker reports from the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, a Marian shrine in Southern France and the site of 72 medical miracles recognized by the Catholic Church. 60 MINUTES goes inside the Lourdes Office of Medical Observations, where world-renowned doctors and researchers conduct decade-long investigations into the dozens of claims of miraculous cures made every year. They determine which cases can be medically explained and which cannot. Nichole Marks is the producer.
How did an NBC Sports soccer promo become a full-fledged series and cultural phenomenon that earned more Emmy nominations than any other new comedy in television history? Norah O’Donnell goes behind the scenes of the Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso,” on set and on location in London, to interview Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt and other writers and cast members who brought the Greyhounds of AFC Richmond to life. Keith Sharman is the producer.
In the mountains of western Colombia, correspondent Anderson Cooper travels off-the-beaten track, searching for rare species of birds you can’t find anywhere else in the world. He reports on how decades of armed conflict in Colombia preserved the birds’ habitat, and how birds might help heal old wounds in this beautiful but still bitterly divided country. Andy Court is the producer.

With vaccinations increasingly a point of political tension, correspondent Jon Wertheim reports on the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program – a “no fault” vaccine court that balances the public health benefits of widespread vaccination with rare cases of harm to individuals. Founded in the 1980s, the program has paid out billions of dollars to thousands of Americans. Denise Schrier Cetta is the producer.
Brains meet brawn in the world of chess boxing, a sport in which competitors face off on the chess board and also in the boxing ring. Chess boxers win by checkmate or knockout — whichever comes first. Correspondent Bill Whitaker reports from the World Chess Boxing Championships in Serbia and meets Team USA as they go for gold. Heather Abbott is the producer.
Correspondent Anderson Cooper profiles painter Amy Sherald, best known for her portrait of Michelle Obama. He traces her rise from obscurity to becoming one of America’s most celebrated living artists. Sherald explains why she canceled her own career retrospective at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, and reflects on the resilience behind her vibrant, optimistic work. Graham Messick is the producer.

It’s rare for 60 MINUTES to follow a story for 15 years, but Lesley Stahl reports on Jennifer Thompson, a rape victim who learned years after her attack that an innocent man had been sent to prison, a story Stahl covered in 2009. In this era of DNA exonerations, Thompson has come to believe that crime victims are forgotten, and even blamed, when the justice system gets it wrong. She has created Healing Justice, an organization that brings together the wrongfully convicted, crime victims and family members for multi-day intensive retreats and invites 60 MINUTES to come along as they share their stories and move together on a path of healing. This is a double-length segment. Shari Finkelstein is the producer.
One of the most awe-inspiring and mysterious migrations in the natural world is currently taking place, stretching from Mexico to the United States and Canada. This incredible spectacle involves millions of monarch butterflies embarking on a monumental aerial journey. Correspondent Anderson Cooper reports from the mountains of Mexico, where the monarchs spent the winter months sheltering in trees before emerging from their slumber to take flight. Denise Schrier Cetta is the producer.