Vice Show Summary, Upcoming Episodes and TV Guide

How the COVID-19 pandemic is being used in Cambodia as a cover for political repression by one of the world's longest-serving leaders; New York City's so-called 'last responders' battle against a pandemic to maintain dignity for the dead.

As COVID-19 sweeps across the world, Senior Correspondent Isobel Yeung explores how Asian Americans are being discriminated against in their own country; when the coronavirus pandemic hit, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis left it to local counties and municipalities to decide on safety measures in their towns. Alzo Slade visits one small town to find out how local government officials are handling a global pandemic.

A look at the role of sanctions and mismanagement in Iran's fate in the wake of COVID-19, including an interview with former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; the ACLU works across borders to reunite families that were torn apart.

Following front-line healthcare workers as they take on the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis; the nuclear legacy of the United States' atomic weapons testing in the Marshall Islands and the negative impacts on its people.

In this 1-hour episode, correspondent Seb Walker examines the spectacular rise and fall of WeWork, and delves into the world of venture capitalists willing to gamble billions on the next big startup; as the U.S. continues to grapple with its history of racial discrimination, correspondent Alzo Slade explores the vulnerability of black land owners in the South; correspondent Isobel Yeung reports from the heart of Italy's COVID-19 crisis, gaining rare access to an ICU in a hospital overwhelmed by the virus.

Correspondent Isobel Yeung gains rare access inside Idlib, Syria's last rebel-held territory, as President Assad and his allies mount a brutal bombing offensive that has civilians paying the highest price; Correspondent Dexter Thomas goes on lockdown in South Korea to search for the benefits of isolation -- ironically, just weeks before the rest of the world would join him in their COVID-19 quarantines.

VICE's team gained unique access at Camp al-Hol in Northeastern Syria, where tens of thousands of women and children who once lived under ISIS are currently being held. Correspondent Hind Hassan investigates how a power vacuum has left brigades of radicalized ISIS women revolting against Kurdish security personnel, fighting for a resurgence of the terror group in the region. The debut episode will also give an inside look at the hidden arena of cell phone hacking, as correspondent Krishna Andavolu investigates how young video-gamers-turned-criminals are devastating their victims' lives, stealing millions of dollars through an underground practice known as SIM swapping.

California is experiencing its worst wildfire season in a decade, and November's Camp Fire was the deadliest, most destructive fire in the state's recorded history. While the increasingly severe effects of climate change are partially to blame, another culprit may also be at play, according to a new government report. Gianna Toboni travels to the scorched town of Paradise to learn how California can survive a future of deadlier fires.

Gianna Toboni investigates the role firearms play in domestic violence and meets the women working to fix the shortcomings of a legal system that often fails to protect them. Isobel Yeung visits Crimea, which was seized by Russia in 2014, to see how Crimeans are faring under Russian control, and how Ukrainians are clinging to the hope of reunification.

Over the last year, the Trump administration has increased its efforts to crack down on asylum in America. Citing widespread abuse and fraud in the system, the administration narrowed protections for those fleeing domestic and gang violence, an action that disproportionately affects people from Central America. Krishna Andavolu traveled to Central America and the U.S. southern border to see the effect of these policy changes on the fates of thousands of asylum seekers.

Mystical voodoo rituals and professional wrestling converge in Catch Fétiche, a popular, polarizing sport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Until recently it was an all-male pursuit, but women have been getting into the ring lately, pushing the definition of gender roles in a country where violence against women is high. Dexter Thomas travels to Kinshasa to see the battles firsthand and meet the women who are emerging as the sport's new champions.

Thomas Morton takes a look at an emerging push to implant electronic devices inside the human body, hardwire them to our brains, and allow us to not only overcome disadvantages or injury, but open up entirely new avenues of human experience. Ben Anderson visits Rio in the aftermath of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics to find Brazil in a financial crisis, its government consumed with a monumental corruption scandal and violence is rising again as drug trafficking gangs fight for control.

Gianna Toboni travels to the Bible Belt where wide support for Donald Trump in 2016, against a backdrop of scandals, has brought heavy media scrutiny and now some faith leaders are striving to move evangelicalism away from political associations. Ben Anderson heads to the Eastern Congo where up to six million people have been killed in an underreported crisis and reports on the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces), one of the least known, but most violent groups in the world.

Charlet Duboc travels to Colombia where a 2016 peace agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has seen the country embark on a unique experiment to try and end coca farming and production, but freeing Colombia from its cocaine problem is proving difficult. Taylor Wilson meets the scientists racing to build the first quantum computer, a device with millions of times more processing strength than all the computers currently on Earth combined. This technology will harness the unusual laws of quantum mechanics to bring unimaginable advances in fields like materials science and medicine, but could also pose the greatest threat to cybersecurity yet.

Gianna Toboni looks at the use of capital punishment in America today as some states experiment with unconventional drug cocktails and others turn to more archaic methods, and follows one death row inmate on his arduous path to the execution chamber. Isobel Yeung is in Yemen which has been ripped apart by terrorism, civil war, and famine, following resilient women, who are finding surprising ways to rise above conflict and their traditional roles in Yemen's conservative society.

Isobel Yeung examines a surge in West Virginia child welfare cases in light of the country's opioid epidemic. Krishna Andavolu travels across India to investigate the nation's increase in religious nationalism.

Thomas Morton explores how bad our infrastructure is crumbling—and if Trump is really keeping his promises. Then, Krishna Andavolu heads to India to explore what may indeed be the world's next Silicon Valley.

An exploration of how big pharmaceuticals are impacting Americans. A visit to Puerto Rico, where many residents are still reeling from the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria.

The cutting-edge research behind 3D printing innovations; nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson explores one of civilization's most perplexing questions.

Iran exerts its growing influence over the war-torn country of Iraq ahead of parliamentary elections; the dangers facing viticulture, and what they mean for agriculture everywhere.

Gianna Toboni sees how some teachers are taking up arms to protect school students, and explores the deep divisions in America that make it seem nearly impossible to prevent events such as the Parkland, Fla., school shooting.

Leaders and civilians on both sides of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict discuss the United States' plan to move its embassy to Jerusalem; investigating the blurry legal boundaries of facial recognition technology.

'Post-Truth News' - The U.S. is more divided across party lines than ever before in recent American history, and nowhere are these divisions more visible than in our media. With President Trump waging a war on mainstream news outlets and the rise of hyperpartisan sites spreading misinformation, trust in the traditional press has fallen to a record low of 32%. VICE Correspondent Isobel Yeung looks at what's driving the media's battle over facts and the polarization of the American public in the Trump era. 'Microbiome' - Powerful antibiotics and widespread sanitation practices have expanded lifespans across the industrialized world. But they have also come at a cost. Our microbiomes, or the trillions of microbes collectively working in our bodies to help regulate our immune system and food digestion, have lost much of its health-promoting bacteria because of our modern lifestyles and sanitation practices. Scientists across the world are now looking to the planet's few remaining pre-industrialized societies to see what industrialized guts have lost--and in doing so, could fundamentally change the way scientists think about germs. Thomas Morton heads to the Central African Republic to see this emerging field of microbiome science.

'Divide and Conquer' - The maps that place voters together for statehouse and Congressional races are the building blocks of a representative democracy. But today, even though those maps are manipulated more than ever in favor of one political party, partisan gerrymandering is still technically legal. All of this could change though as the question of its constitutionality heads to the Supreme Court this fall. VICE's Gianna Toboni traveled to North Carolina to see the effects of gerrymandering on American democracy. 'Crackdown in Honduras' - Created on the streets of Los Angeles in the 1980s, gangs like MS-13 and Barrio 18 were exported to Central America in a wave of deportations starting 20 years ago. Back in their home countries, these gang members found a power vacuum and only grew in strength. Without an effective judicial system, countries like Honduras struggled to deter crime or contain gang activities. But recently, the situation has begun to change and violent crimes has started to decrease. VICE visits the Honduran prison system and watches as the government tries to bring peace to the country.

Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer, but the billions of dollars it generates have not trickled down to the majority of the population. This disparity has led to rampant oil theft and large-scale attacks on oil infrastructure by locals, who vow to fight until the government allows them to profit through oil jobs and urban development. For a time, the government listened to this plea and paid militants through an amnesty program that curbed the violence. But in 2016, a new administration terminated those contracts and suspended the payouts, leading to a resurgence of militancy and oil theft. Correspondent Gianna Toboni heads to the heart of Nigeria's oil production to witness firsthand the fight of the Niger Delta youth.

Press freedom around the world has reached its lowest point in more than a decade, with many authoritarian governments imprisoning journalists in a fight to control their countries' narratives. One of the deadliest places to be a journalist is the Philippines, where the new president has openly threatened the media and silenced his critics. Correspondent Gianna Toboni heads to Manila to see the dangerous work of local journalists reporting on President Rodrigo Duterte's brutal war on drugs. Back in the U.S., legendary journalist Carl Bernstein discusses the state of our own media and the importance of a free press in holding the powerful accountable.

Today, one in 68 children will be diagnosed with the developmental condition autism, a number that has more than doubled in the last two decades. VICE's Gianna Toboni explores the transformative work being done at the forefront of autism research, meets families trying out some of the newest treatments and discovers a growing self-advocacy movement in the autism community that wants to refocus the science.

When factions of the Turkish military attempted to stage a coup last year, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government reacted with a forceful crackdown. More than 100,000 people have been detained or dismissed, including civil servants, teachers and journalists. Isobel Yeung travels to Turkey as the country heads to the polls in a nationwide referendum that grants Erdogan unprecedented power.

'Cyber Supremacy' - Ben Ferguson travels to Tel Aviv to find out how Israel is on its way to becoming the world's top cyber superpower. 'Japan Rising' - VICE sends Gianna Toboni to Tokyo to see the consequences of Japan's rising nationalism.

The Politics of Terror

While Donald Trump's election in the U.S. came as a surprise to many, his victory is part of a global trend. In the wake of terror attacks and the migrant crisis, a new wave of populist candidates are cropping up across Europe, and the fate of the EU hangs in the balance. VICE examines the rise of Europe's far right -- and the hyper-charged climate fueling nationalist ideologies across the continent.

End of the EU?

Silvio Berlusconi was in many ways Europe's original populist, shaping the mold for today's right-wing European leaders. VICE travels to the home of the former Italian Prime Minister to discuss why this message resonates across the continent, how the Left fails to grasp populist anger, and the need for a unified response to rebuild Syria.

The number of women incarcerated in the U.S. has increased 700% since 1980, overwhelming prisons and jails originally designed for men. The majority are nonviolent offenders and mothers serving out sentences in facilities often unprepared to address their most basic needs. Isobel Yeung spends time in prisons across the country, discovering what it means to be an American woman behind bars.

The Taliban now control more territory than they have at any point since they were overthrown in 2001. Yet the war in Afghanistan barely gets mentioned today, even as civilian and security deaths continue to rise. Ben Anderson returns to the conflict he's covered for ten years, re-uniting with several Afghans - an Army Major, a Policeman who dismantles IEDs and a family who were forced to fight to defend their home - for a shocking report that questions what America's longest war has actually accomplished.

'Fast Food of Arabia' - Gianna Toboni travels to Kuwait, now one of the most obese countries on the planet, to witness the health effects on a country deep in the throes of an unlikely obsession with U.S. fast food. 'Nollywood' - Thomas Morton explores the explosive productivity of Nigerian cinema, from DIY horror movies to big budget blockbusters, by becoming a Nollywood actor himself.

College athletics have seen explosive revenue growth in the last decade, fueled by media contracts and corporate sponsors. In order to enter this system, the NCAA requires players to forego profits, and instead offers them scholarships and access to state-of-the-art facilities. But with college sports now a multi-billion-dollar industry, the question being asked in federal court remains whether that compensation is enough. Gianna Toboni travels the U.S. college sports landscape, meeting athletic directors, coaches, sports marketers and the players themselves to see the role money plays in amateur athletics today.

Two strain hunters scour the Democratic Republic of Congo searching for one of the rarest species of cannabis; nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson meets the scientists working to unlock the secrets of the Universe.

Families and doctors rewrite the rules as they decide when and how to start medical intervention before transgender youth hit puberty.

'The New $pace Race' - Decades after the Apollo missions, a new era of manned spaceflight is dawning -- and this time, the destination is Mars. NASA and a growing community of private companies have set their sights on the Red Planet, and they're developing the technologies that will actually get us there. VICE reports on the preparations for humanity's next great adventure. 'Closing Gitmo' - The American prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is one of the most controversial issues of the post-9/11 era. President Obama promised to close the facility, but months from the end of his presidency the facility remains open -- and the reality of life there remains a mystery. VICE meets with ex-detainees who survived Gitmo, and the general who built it in the first place, to find out what really happens behind the camp's walls.

The 2014 Ice Bucket Challenge raised millions of dollars for ALS, a fatal neurodegenerative disease, but while the social media wave gave new life to ALS research, there is still no viable treatment and access to experimental drugs is limited. Battling ALS herself, VICE editor Angelina Fanous meets with patients and top researchers across the U.S. to find out what's being done to tackle this devastating disease and the regulatory hurdles faced by ALS patients and drugmakers alike.

Heroin Crisis - America is facing the worst drug epidemic this country has ever seen: more people are dying from overdoses than from car accidents-and at the center of it is an explosion in the use of heroin. Thomas Morton traces the causes and impacts of the crisis, from the poppy farms of Mexico to the hills of West Virginia, and investigates how users, first responders, and government officials are responding to the new reality of American drug use.

New Age of Nukes - Twenty-five years after the end of the Cold War, America's vast nuclear arsenal is beginning to show its age, and the government has embarked on the largest nuclear modernization effort in our history, costing American taxpayers as much as $1 trillion. Kaj Larsen goes aboard a ballistic missile submarine and visits the facilities on the front line of our nuclear weapons program to see why the military wants to upgrade the nukes we have-and why that might be a dangerous idea.

Pakistan is the last battleground in the fight to eradicate polio. Ben Anderson travels to Karachi to meet with the health workers putting their lives on the line to fight this disease. Land mines are deadly weapons of war that remain a threat for years after the fighting is over. Kaj Larsen travels to Myanmar and Laos to see the devastating effects of unexploded ordnance.

Ben Anderson investigates the plight of migrant workers in Dubai--many of them employed on a project bearing the name of a man who might be our next president; China is financing more infrastructure projects and selling more goods to Africa than any other trade partner in the world. Isobel Yeung looks at this increasingly prominent business relationship.

With the Taliban gaining ground again, Isobel Yeung reports from Kabul on the fight for dignity and rights for women in Afghanistan. VICE co-founder Suroosh Alvi reports from one of many floating armories--private military contractors and their network of weapons storage ships afloat in lawless international waters--to take a closer look who's protecting global commerce today.

Ben Anderson returns to Yemen, where Saudi Arabia continues a massive and ruthless bombing campaign against Yemen's Houthi rebels; While many cheered the Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage, the fight for equality is far from over. Gianna Toboni meets families who are navigating this new landscape, and hears from supporters of religious freedom laws.

'Beating Blindness' - Doctors and researchers are making incredible strides in the fight against blindness. New assistive technologies and advances in surgical techniques mean that many patients who've lost sight entirely can now regain visual perception, and the independence that comes with it--a process that can be as disorienting as it is freeing. Isobel Yeung reports from the front lines of this latest medical frontier. 'White Collar Weed' - Small-scale weed farmers have been fighting to legalize marijuana for generations--but the closer they get to ending the prohibition on pot, the closer they get to a new threat: corporate takeover of their way of life. VICE's Hamilton Morris travels to California's infamous Emerald Triangle to meet struggling mom-and-pop growers, and visits with the investors and entrepreneurs eager to cash in on the next big consumer market--even if it could put the small guys out of business.

With the war in Syria now in its fifth bloody year, half the country's population has been displaced, and four million have fled. Many are heading to the safety and relative prosperity of Europe, but getting there is a long, life-threatening journey. New VICE correspondent Ahmed Shihab-Eldin follows the refugee trail from the Syrian border to Europe, meeting Syrians determined to find a better life. 'Cycle of Terror' - The bloody ISIS attacks in Paris stunned the world. And as rumors circulated that one of the attackers may have posed as a Syrian migrant, politicians in Western countries, including the U.S., raced to declare their territory off-limits to refugees from countries like Syria and Iraq. Gianna Toboni travels to France and around the U.S. to see how the global reaction to the violence in Paris is affecting the fight against terrorism.

For 45 years, America was locked in the Cold War with the Soviet Union, and fear of global nuclear annihilation was constant. The end of the Cold War in 1991 was supposed to usher in a new era of peace and cooperation, but it didn't last. Tensions between the U.S. and Russia have been simmering for years. And now, the conflict in Ukraine has pushed the relationship to the brink of full-blown crisis. VICE Founder Shane Smith met Kremlin officials and American leaders to figure out what's really driving the new standoff between the powers, while correspondent Simon Ostrovsky reported from the front lines of the bloody war in Eastern Ukraine.

Saudi Arabia's role as both U.S. ally and terrorist spawning ground; the global appeal of ISIS.

Virulent homophobia is on the rise in Uganda. Isobel Yeung travels there to meet some of the anti-gay leaders teaching intolerance to Uganda's youth. Vikram Gandhi goes to Dhaka, Bangladesh to explore the thriving illegal market for kidneys, and to see why so many of the country's poor are willing to take such a drastic step for the cash they need.

Correspondent Gianna Toboni goes to Egypt to meet some of the people behind the black-market trade of rare artifacts. Among China's growing upper class, nothing spells 'cool' like importing a European butler, or having a white businessman appear at your event. Thomas Morton heads to China to check out unusual jobs, whose only requirement is that the applicant be white and male.

The more we use antibiotics, the more we help dangerous superbugs build up their resistance. Thomas Morton travels along as they search deep in the jungle, and deep underground, for these life-saving drugs. With Palm oil demand exploding, growers in Indonesia are pushing farther and farther onto rainforest land, torching the forests as they go.

Ben Anderson follows the cocaine highway from the streets of Venezuela, to drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean, to the ports of West Africa, and finally to desert territories controlled by Islamic extremists. VICE looks at the boom in one of the world's newest billion-dollar industries: gestational surrogacy.

Thomas Morton goes to Ferguson, Mo--the scene of the Michael Brown shooting--for this look at how U.S. SWAT teams and police are being trained and how they are getting military-grade equipment to police their communities. Suroosh Alvi visits El Salvador to see the conditions that are motivating mass migration on top of a network of trains, called 'The Beast,' to get to the U.S.

'Surveillance City' - Camden, New Jersey is one of the poorest and drug-ridden cities in the country, prompting the state to install an experimental 'Metro' security apparatus equipped with futuristic technologies. 'The Forgotten War' - Though the genocide in Darfur continues, media attention has waned and the rebels stand poised for civil war.

'Playing with Nuclear Fire' - Three years after the Tohoku earthquake in Japan, citizens and the international community are left wondering if Japan really does have the situation under control. 'No Man Left Behind' - Ryan Duffy talks with veterans struggling with mental illness, addiction and PTSD who are often overprescribed narcotics and other pharmaceuticals.

'The Resource Curse' - In Papua New Guinea, America's Exxon Mobil has staked its claim to a $19 billion liquid natural-gas project. 'Deliver Us from Drought' - Texas has experienced the worst drought in its recorded history, but while many feel human activity is a contributor, many Texans do not--and have taken few if any initiatives to limit the state's CO2 emissions.

'Rocky Mountain High' - The legalization of marijuana in the U.S. became a reality when Colorado lifted its prohibition on recreational marijuana use. David Choe looks at the impact of this ever-growing trade on the local and national economy. 'North Korean Defectors' - A look at the hardships faced by North Koreans defectors and their new lives in modernized South Korea.

'A Syria of Their Own' - Thomas Morton goes to the frontline of the battle for a Kurdish state to follow the story of Syria's forgotten ethnic group, the Kurds. 'White Gold' - Rhino horn has been coveted in Eastern medicine for centuries. Vikram Gandhi traces the trade from Southern Africa to Vietnam to understand this illicit phenomenon which has been on the rise.

'Greenland Is Melting' - Shane Smith embarks on an expedition to Greenland with climate scientist Jason Box to investigate why Greenland is melting, and how the resulting sea level rise will mean devastation sooner than expected. 'Bonded Labor' - Millions of men, women, and children are working as bonded laborers in Pakistan's brick kilns.

VICE makes history on a trip to North Korea to play hoops and meet with supreme leader Kim Jong-un. With NBA great Dennis Rodman and a trio of Harlem Globetrotters in tow, VICE traveled to the capital of Pyongyang for a tour of the city, a basketball clinic, an exhibition game, and a first-ever meeting between the leader and an American delegation.

The most popular sport in the West African country of Senegal isn't soccer--it's laamb, combining Greco-Roman wrestling moves with eclectic pre-fight rituals and dances. The global sea level rose by 22 cms in the past 100 years--and is expected to rise even faster in the years to come. The evidence can be seen in Venice, the Maldives, and beyond.

Fifteen years ago, China changed its policy so people could buy their own homes. Real-estate investments boomed, and new cities began popping up. The problem is: people don't live in what have become 'ghost cities.' Over two years ago, Arab Spring climaxed in the overthrow of President Mubarek in Egypt. But for many Egyptians, the situation has actually gotten worse.

'Chinese Cockblock' In China, where marrying-age men outnumber women by the millions, VICE looks at a lucrative business catered to matchmaking and the bachelors who use such services. 'European Meltdown' With their economy in the toilet and no jobs to be had, Europe's youth are taking to the streets to demand radical changes.

North Koreans cross the border into China illegally every year--some via a modern-day underground railroad to freedom and eventual citizenship in South Korea. VICE visits the most dangerous place in the world: Kashmir's line of control, which partially occupies the Indian state and separates India from Pakistan.