Vice Show Summary, Upcoming Episodes and TV Guide

The fight to retake Mosul, the biggest city in ISIS' so-called caliphate, lasted more than ten months and was the biggest urban battle since World War II. As civilians of Mosul endured the impossible choice of hiding in their homes or fleeing and running the risk of being killed by ISIS, the war raged on, destroying everything in its path. With unparalleled access, VICE followed the Iraqi army as it fought the terrorist group, room to room, house to house and street to street, often fighting for days on end and suffering horrendous casualties on a slow crawl to liberation.

The outbreak of an infectious disease sparks worldwide panic nearly every year, and as humans cluster themselves in denser cities and further encroach on wildlife harboring disease, the chance of a devastating global pandemic only intensifies. However, scientists are finding that diligent surveillance of these threats could help keep the next nightmare illness at bay. VICE founder Suroosh Alvi went to Uganda to see how vulnerable humans are to a new pandemic and explore the options for staving it off.

Nowhere in America can the coal industry's hurt be seen and felt more than in Appalachia. The region's economy revolves around coal, and more miners are losing their jobs each year. The controversial industry became a focal point of the 2016 election, when President Trump made the return of coal jobs a central campaign promise, but the economics behind this suffering industry extend beyond policy and regulations. VICE's Isobel Yeung goes to the heart of coal country to see what it will take to save Appalachia.

In early 2017 Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced moves that would turn the world's most oil-rich nation from a democracy into a dictatorship. This sparked a crisis, igniting longstanding anger over inequality, misrule, hunger and crime. VICE founder Suroosh Alvi and correspondent Ben Anderson traveled to Venezuela as Maduro seized the country's political institutions with an alleged 'sham election' and violently suppressed growing opposition to his rule.

Last year, thousands of Native Americans and environmental activists from across the country converged at Standing Rock in an effort to block construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. By winter, a lean-to encampment had grown into a massive protest site the size of a small town, and clashes between protestors and local police and corporate security flared. In December, VICE traveled to the Sacred Stone Camp in North Dakota, following the story over subsequent months as the Trump administration moved quickly to resume work on the pipeline, and examining how resource extraction has affected Native American communities.

The firearms industry experienced unprecedented growth in the last decade. Fear of government regulation drove much of that growth as President Obama repeatedly tried to pass gun control laws in the aftermath of numerous mass shootings. Now, with the political landscape fundamentally changed, the industry and gun rights advocates are looking for new ways to expand upon their 2nd amendment rights and the bottom line - with some surprising results. VICE takes a closer look at the future of firearms in America.

Taking Back Iraq

The city of Mosul has been central in the war to defeat Islamic State. In 2014, Iraqi troops surrendered Iraq's second largest city to Islamic State, who in turn declared an Islamic caliphate and used the city as a base for operations in the region. In October 2016, a U.S. supported coalition of Iraqi and Kurdish troops announced a long-awaited offensive to retake the city. VICE embedded with Iraqi forces on the road to Mosul as they began their assault on Islamic State's last stronghold in Iraq.

Lost Generation

Iraq has one of the youngest populations of any country in the world. The majority of people living there today have grown up in the shadow of the 2003 invasion, knowing nothing but war and chaos. With Islamic State seemingly on the verge of defeat in the country, the question of what happens next is far from certain. VICE travels to Iraq to see what the future looks like through the eyes of the youth.

Looming breakthroughs in genomics, pharmaceuticals and stem cell research bring humanity to a second longevity explosion; robotics and the computers that power them are poised for a leap forward with the emergence of artificial intelligence.

There are thousands of types of bananas but Americans have eyes for only one kind - the very marketable yellow Cavendish, which accounts for 95% of global banana exports. But this multi-billion dollar industry is under threat. A fungus called Panama Disease is rapidly infecting portions of the world's Cavendish crops and could spell disaster for the monoculture-dependent worldwide banana trade. VICE heads to the heart of banana country in Latin American and the Philippines to see the devastating effects of the disease and to investigate what the loss of the banana would really mean besides a less colorful lunchbox.

In St. Louis, activists and police officers talk about race and policing; recent advancements in bioengineering bring about scientific breakthroughs in rehabilitation for people with disabilities.

When the Earth Melts
Correspondent: Ben Anderson
With climate change warming the Arctic at an alarming rate, the frozen earth that covers almost a quarter of the Northern Hemisphere's landmass is beginning to thaw. There are more greenhouse gases trapped in these deep layers of permafrost than all human fossil fuel emissions released since 1850 combined. Now that trapped carbon is escaping into the atmosphere. If this thaw continues unchecked, scientists warn we could awaken 'a sleeping giant' of climate change. VICE travels across the Arctic to see the devastating impact of thawing permafrost, and the astonishing solution that might keep it frozen.

The Displaced
Correspondent: Gianna Toboni
2016 was the deadliest year yet for refugees making the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea in the hopes of reaching Europe. And as borders tighten across an increasingly nationalist Europe, the prospects of building a new life are growing darker for the more than 180,000 refugees who arrived in Italy alone this past year. From an emerging underground railroad at the Italian border to the demolition of France's largest refugee settlement, VICE follows the journey of these refugees left in limbo.

After six years of civil war, Bashar al-Assad, Syria's longtime dictator, is poised to re-take full control of his country; the economic stakes of denying climate change for decades.

When the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was killed during the 2011 revolution, it seemed like good news for democracy in the Muslim world. But in 2012, the American ambassador and three other Americans were killed in a bloody attack in Benghazi, and today, a split between government factions has ceded large portions of the country to ISIS fighters and other extremists. Simon Ostrovsky reports from the front lines, where rival militias fight to save Libya as we know it.

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked details of massive government surveillance programs in 2013, igniting a raging debate over digital privacy and security. That debate came to a head this year, when Apple fought an FBI court order seeking to access the iPhone of alleged San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook. Meanwhile, journalists and activists are under increasing attack from foreign agents. To find out the government's real capabilities, and investigate whether any of us can truly protect our sensitive information, founder Shane Smith heads to Moscow to meet Snowden.

Last year, the US reached an unprecedented agreement with Iran, lifting economic sanctions in exchange for Iran's agreement to limit its nuclear capabilities. VICE founder Shane Smith looks at the deal from both sides. 'VICE correspondent Thomas Morton reports from Kolkata, India where entire tribes of homeless children run rampant along the tracks of Howrah Station.

At the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris last December, world leaders agreed that climate change is an urgent threat, cementing green energy production's place as a new frontier of innovation. VICE founder Shane Smith takes an in-depth look at the future of how we make and use energy, and how we can meet growing demand as we cut carbon emissions.

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin reports from Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah and East Jerusalem to explore what life is like for young Palestinians in 2016; Shane Smith visits the 2015 Summit of the Americas to see the political thawing of relationships between Cuba and the United States, and then Havana, Cuba to speak to Cubans about bridging the divide between two former enemies.

Massive factory farms are springing up to meet the world's meat demand. But they also dish out enormous environmental harm. Isobel Yeung travels to where our meat is made, to see the true costs of our burger habit; Water is the most vital resource we have--but it's also one of the most threatened. Vikram Gandhi reports from California and Sao Paulo on the depths of the crisis.

When California enacted the End of Life Option Act amid fierce debate last October, the number of terminally ill Americans with the right to a doctor-assisted death effectively quadrupled. But in parts of Europe, euthanasia is also administered to people other than the terminally ill, including those with autism, depression and personality disorders. VICE explores the moral, political and personal questions raised by how and when we end our lives.

The terrorist group Boko Haram is responsible for thousands of deaths in Nigeria. Now, the government is determined to drive these militants from the country. But is the hunt for insurgents causing as much harm as it's preventing? Former Navy SEAL and new VICE correspondent Kaj Larsen travels to Nigeria to see what this cat-and-mouse game means for the people caught in the middle of the fight. 'Unnatural Selection' - For centuries, scientists have been working to change the genetic traits of plants and animals. Now, a new gene-editing method called CRISPR has made that process astonishingly simple--so simple that it could easily be used on humans. Isobel Yeung reports from Brazil, Scotland, China, and the United States on the technological advances that could reshape evolution as we know it.

Ben Anderson returns to Helmand, Afghanistan's most violent province, to investigate the security situation in the country as American involvement winds down. With deep religious and cultural tensions rocking France, Vikram Gandhi goes to Paris to gauge the causes of the growing hate in the City of Lights.

Tracing the worst Ebola outbreak in history; sexual assaults and cover-ups on American campuses.

Genetically modified seeds have been planted around the world and hailed as a solution to global hunger. But these crops have also sparked heated protest. Isobel Yeung traces the path of these super-crops. Tania Rashid goes to India to investigate how the country hasn't been able to provide adequate clean water and sanitation systems for its growing population.

In 2011, the state of Alabama passed one of the harshest anti-immigrant laws in U.S. history. Thomas Morton goes to Alabama to see what it would look like if undocumented workers just 'disappeared.' After a massive earthquake ravaged Haiti in 2010, the international community provided nearly $10 billion in aid. But where did all that money go?

VICE correspondent Hamilton Morris meets the godfather of modern synthetic drugs at his remote lab in New Zealand in this look at the rise of these dangerous chemicals among young people in the U.S. Plus, VICE follows the stories of homosexuals and transsexuals in Iran as they navigate a terrifying cultural landscape.

VICE investigates the skyrocketing phenomenon of patriot groups in the U.S., training and taking up arms along the border. Plus, correspondent Isobel Yeung heads to the Mozambique Channel and the Gulf of Mexico to get an idea of how much we've overfished our oceans, and what we can now do to reverse that trend.

VICE founder Shane Smith travels to the bottom of the world to investigate the instability of the West Antarctic ice sheet and see firsthand how the continent is melting. VICE also follows the rising oceans to Bangladesh for a glimpse into the world's underwater future. This extended report covers all sides of the issue and features an interview with Vice President Joe Biden.

'Heroin Warfare' Since the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, heroin production has skyrocketed and led neighboring Iran into the worst heroin use problem in the world. 'The Coldest War' - With the polar ice caps shrinking due to global warming, new trade routes are being exposed, along with billions of dollars' worth of natural-resource reserves, leading to a new Cold War.

'Crude Awakening'- Shane Smith heads to Louisiana to report on the lasting effects of the BP oil spill. 'The Enemy of My Enemy' - Yemen is at the top of the worry list for President Obama's national security team, and the rise of Al Qaeda there is only half the reason why. The real trouble is a little-known Houthi rebel movement in the north of the country.

'The Pink Gang Rebellion' - The details of a 2012 gang rape on a Delhi bus focused attention on India's rampant rape issue. One woman, Sampat Pal, has galvanized a group to fight back. 'Genetic Passport' - In a radiation plagued former nuclear-testing site in Kazakhstan, a doctor has tried to implement a mandatory 'genetic passport.'

'Terrorist University' - Dagestan is Russia's hotbed for Muslim extremism; Shane Smith heads there to follow in the footsteps of Boston Marathon Bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev who spent six months there. 'Armageddon Now' - Thomas Morton looks at the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the surprising Evangelical support for the Jewish State.

'American Scrap' - David Choe looks into the life cycle of scrap metal, from the people who risk their lives to find it, to the yards that buy it, all the way to the Chinese traders who take it back home to build their economy. 'Children of Drones' Suroosh Alvi investigates the effects of drone strikes in Pakistan, where extremism and militancy are growing as a result.

'Afghan Money Pit' - The U.S. has spent nearly $100 billion on reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, but much of that money has been wasted and misused--or fallen into the hands of the Taliban. 'The Pacification of Rio' - Rio de Janeiro's futile efforts to clean up corruption before the Olympics.

The lethal combination of gangs and guns has turned Chicago into a war zone. VICE visits the city's most dangerous areas; oil theft has become big business in Nigeria. In this segment, VICE travels to Africa's oil-producing region to meet with oil thieves, and follows one farmer's attempt to sue a foreign oil company for poisoning his family's land.

In Indonesia, VICE visits a clinic that promises cures to a plethora of modern ailments through tobacco and smoking. Ibogaine is a drug made out of the African iboga root, whose intense, hallucinogenic properties have many believing it can cure heroin addiction if used in conjunction with a voodoo-type ritual that involves face paint and chanting.

'Mormon Lost Boys' Young men have been thrown out of their homes because of an edict allowing polygamist church elders to monopolize young girls. 'The Fat Farms of Mauritania' In the West African country of Mauritania, parents send their daughters to rural fattening camps. 'Mumbai Slumscraper' A visit to Mumbai, where slums sit below billion-dollar, single-family skyscrapers.

'Gun School' VICE visits the New Life Baptist Church & Academy in Albuquerque, NM, where Pastor Larry Allen preaches guns and teaches guns. 'Toxic Iraq' After ravaging Iraq over the past decade, the U.S. is finally exiting the country--leaving behind a toxic cesspool of military waste.

In the Philippines, election season is more like hunting season as rivals simply rub out their opponents instead of defeating them at the polls. In Afghanistan, senior members of the Taliban are now manipulating children and teenagers into carrying out their suicide bombings.