Dan Rather Reports - Season 7

First aired: 1/10/2012 39 episodes
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Episodes

1. Live from the New Hampshire Primary

Aired: 1/10/2012

Live election results of the nation's first 2012 presidential primary from Manchester, New Hampshire.

2. Finnish First

Aired: 1/17/2012

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: 1/24/2012

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: 1/31/2012

The Republican presidential contenders move on to the Sunshine State. Live results from Tampa.

5. A Fighting Chance

Aired: 2/7/2012

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: 2/14/2012

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: 2/21/2012

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: 2/28/2012

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: 3/6/2012

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: 3/20/2012

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: 3/27/2012

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: 4/10/2012

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: 4/17/2012

U.S. officials worry that Panama is becoming a drug transiting point.

14. China in the Caribbean

Aired: 4/24/2012

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: 5/1/2012

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: 5/8/2012

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: 5/15/2012

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: 5/22/2012

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: 5/29/2012

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: 6/5/2012

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: 6/12/2012

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: 7/3/2012

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: 7/10/2012

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: 7/17/2012

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: 7/24/2012

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: 8/14/2012

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: 8/21/2012

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: 8/28/2012

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: 9/4/2012

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: 9/18/2012

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: 9/25/2012

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: 10/2/2012

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: 10/16/2012

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: 10/23/2012

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: 10/30/2012

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: 11/7/2012

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: 11/13/2012

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: 11/20/2012

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: 12/18/2012

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