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- Retro Report looks at the disastrous 1993 ATF raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. After a fifty-one day stand-off with federal agents the Branch Davidian compound was burned to the ground. Decades later the confrontation continues to shape anti-government groups today.
- 2013–TV Episode
- 2013–TV EpisodeBlack women have long been at the forefront of the right to vote. Today, 100 years after the passage of the 19th Amendment and 55 years after the Voting Rights Act, their fight continues.
- White evangelical Christians are among President Trump's most important supporters. But more than 40 years ago, they were on the margins of American politics.
- 2013–TV EpisodeAn inmate population surge in the 1980s led to the growth of for-profit prisons. Today, despite their mixed record, private prison companies are overseeing the vast majority of undocumented migrants.
- 30 million people will suffer from eating disorders in their lifetime, yet decades after Karen Carpenter died from anorexia, myths about eating disorders continue.
- 2013–TV EpisodeAs deportations rise under President Trump, churches and cities are declaring themselves sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants. It's the latest chapter of a movement with a long history.
- 2013–TV EpisodeIn 1988, the murder of Chico Mendes fueled a movement of activists, celebrities and indigenous peoples that helped to make the rainforest a household name. But what happens now?
- Genetic technology is advancing, and critics are warning of a slippery slope. We spoke with the scientists working at the forefront of the research, families who have benefited and the first-ever "test-tube" baby to understand the debate.
- Our social media addiction is explained by theories pioneered by B.F. Skinner decades ago.
- 2013–TV EpisodeToday's immigration policies echo an anti-immigration movement 25 years ago in California.
- The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among wealthy countries, and Black women are dying in childbirth at more than double the rate of white women. Midwives - specialists in caring for women during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period - are using skills honed over centuries and working with obstetricians to improve those odds.
- The 1987 voyage of a barge loaded with New York garbage became a sensational fiasco, but it ended up fueling the modern recycling movement.
- Military sexual assault is not a new phenomenon. A second look at the Tailhook scandal in 1991 reveals what happened then. And what it all means now.
- Retro Report looks at the 1950 medical crisis caused by the drug thalidomide which left behind thousands of deformed infants. The drug was eventually banned around the world. The ban, however, was lifted after the drug was discovered to useful in the treatment of cancer.
- Retro Report looks at the investigation into 1996 Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta and the media firestorm surrounding security guard and suspect Richard Jewell. Although investigators later clear him of the crime, his life and reputation is seriously damaged by the media scrutiny. Years later, false accusations remain common in media and it remains unclear whether lessons has been learns from the Jewell case.
- Retro Report goes back to the 1980s and examines how government officials, journalists, and medical professionals warned the country of the growing danger of a generation of 'crack babies'. It turns out they were wrong. Scientists have discovered that there are no severe development problems associated with prenatal cocaine exposure.
- Retro Report looks at the Y2K bug and the threat it posed to computers and modern society at the end of the twentieth century. Although there was a great deal of doomsday hype, government programmers managed to prevent any great disasters.
- Retro Report examines the controversial 1988 alleged rape of Tawana Brawley in New York City. Her story becomes a lightning rod of tension between city officials and the black community. Eventually, the district attorney concludes that her story was a fabrication though some supporters of Brawley like Al Sharpton still suggest otherwise.
- Retro Report examines Biosphere 2 Project in which eight people sealed themselves into an artificial biosphere to investigate the possibility of colonizing space. The Project ran into numerous difficulties and many wondered whether it was really a worthwhile scientific investigation.
- Retro Report looks at past efforts to conserve wild horses from hunter bent on killing them for dog food. When Congress passes a bill that outlaws the killing of wild horses, the population explodes causing grass shortages for ranchers all across the plains.
- Retro Report goes back to the 1990s when entrepreneurs and scientists at Calgene introduced the first genetically engineered food to market. The Flavr Savr tomato was clearly labeled as a genetically modified food. Other companies, however, were reluctant about labeling and this eventually lead to a backlash against genetically modified food.
- Retro Report goes back to the summer of 1988 when wild fires burned nearly one third of Yellowstone National Park. The Park Service is heavily criticized in the media for its handling of the fires. What was learned from the experience has helped shape how the Park Service handles wild fires across the West today.
- Retro Report looks back at the integration of American high schools focusing on Charlotte, North Carolina. Studies show that integration for the most part was a success. In the 1990s, judicial rulings lead to the repeal of mandatory busing laws and schools have become less integrated.
- Retro Report looks at the life of Keiko the killer whale who starred in the 1993 hit movie "Free Willy". With the help of donors and philanthropists, activists work diligently to reintroduce him to the while. Unfortunately twenty years of captivity could not be forgotten.
- Retro Report goes back to 2007 and examines the scandalous treatment of wounder veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The neglect of the injured solders outrages the nation and spurns reform. Years after these reforms, it is unclear whether anything has gotten better.
- Retro Report goes back to 1997 when Scottish scientists revealed that they successfully cloned a sheep named Dolly. Their success sent waves of future shock throughout the world though much that ended up being overblown. Nowadays the techniques used to create Dolly are used in stem cell medical research.
- Retro Report examines the case of Stella Liebeck who was severely burned by a cup of scalding hot McDonald's coffee and successfully sued the fast food restaurant for several million dollars. Although the court award was well reasoned given the severe injuries suffered, the media spins the story into a punchline which attracts extremely negative attention. Ultimately politicians use the case to argue in favor of tort reform.
- Retro Report looks back at the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast in 2005. Louisiana attempted to create programs to assist in housing recovery, but their efforts left people mired in litigation and red tape. Ultimately lessons learned in the the wake of Katrina have helped to shape the response to every major disaster since including Hurricane Sandy.
- Retro Report looks back at the story behind President Nixon's signing of the National Cancer Act. In the years that follow some argue that the War on Cancer has been a costly failure. Scientists argue that it was naive to expect a quick cure given the difficulties associated with cancer research. Cancer rates do go down, but only after society embraces prevention and early screening.
- In 1982, Lindy Chamberlain, was on holiday with her family when she claimed her daughter, Azaria, was kidnapped by a dingo. She was convicted of murder, but later exonerated. Her anguish of losing a child to a dingo became a joke worldwide.
- This episode of Retro Report delves into the problematic development of the F-35 fighter jet, and the government's quest for stealth superiority. For decades, the US has been on a mission to develop stealth technology. The F-35 is the latest incarnation of this dream. But 14 years into development, and a host of problems, will this dream ever become a reality?
- After the 1993 murder of a California child, many states passed laws to lock up repeat offenders for life, but today those laws are raising questions about how crime is handled in America.
- On a cold March night in 1989, the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground off the coast of Southern Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil into the waters of Prince William Sound, creating one of the worst oil spills in American history. This episode of Retro Report examines how the spill happened and follows its impact.
- On March 8th, 1971, a group of 8 Vietnam War protesters broke into a Federal Bureau of Investigation field office in Media, Pennsylvania, stealing hundreds of government documents that shocked a nation. These documents provided the first tangible evidence that J. Edgar Hoover had been spying on hundreds of Americans then known collectively as 'the New Left.'
- This episode of Retro Report examines the 2007 I-35 bridge collapse over the Mississippi River, the longstanding history of problems with that bridge as well as the effects it had on infrastructure across the country.
- This episode of Retro Report chronicles the McMartin Preschool trial, interviewing the case's investigators, its lead prosecutor as well as the alleged preschool victims. It recounts the trial's effects on the national psyche, causing hysteria about everything from satanic rituals to child pornography, involving dozens of day care centers across the country.
- This episode of Retro Report chronicles California's battle against the Mediterranean fruit fly during the summer of 1981. The fly wreaked havoc on backyard fruit trees, threatening the state's 14 billion dollar agricultural industry, prompting the state to authorize widespread spraying of pesticides from the air. This lead to protests as well as a showdown between then Gov. Jerry Brown and the Reagan administration.
- Melissa Stern, or as she was more widely known as 'Baby M' was born in March of 1986 to surrogate mother Mary Beth Whitehead. After answering a newspaper ad, she was inseminated with sperm from William Stern, in order to carry a baby for him and his wife. It was only when the baby was born, that Whitehead decided she could not give her baby away. It sparked a national debate about surrogacy that continues to this day.
- Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church has been in the headlines for years. When the scandal broke in 2002, there was a public outcry as well as a push for landmark reforms by US bishops. The problem with these reforms, however, is they did not address a key problem: how to handle the bishops who shielded abusive priests?
- The mid 1990's saw a rise in juvenile crime that sparked the fear of a 'superpredator'. Coined by then Princeton professor John Dilulio Jr., it summed up the nation's fear of teen violence as well as the previous decade's spike in juvenile delinquency. This episode of Retro Report delves into that fear, as well as what exactly happened to those 'superpredators'?
- The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake of San Francisco caused 63 deaths and billions in damage, sounding an alarm for earthquake preparedness across the country. This episode of Retro Report looks at the aftermath of that disaster as well as the question of readiness in today's world. Is the country more prepared now than it was back then?
- Terri Schiavo's case sparked a national debate involving the Florida legislature, the Florida governor, the U.S. Congress, the President, and even the Pope. It raised important questions on how best to handle end of life situations in non-responsive patients. It is a question, nine years after Schiavo's death, that the medical community is still trying to answer.
- The story of the veterans who witnessed secret atomic testing and how their decades-long struggle for recognition affects soldiers today.
- Retro Report goes back to January 28, 1986 to examine the the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. It interviews key participants and examines the forces the sometimes lead groups in large organizations to make dreadfully wrong decisions. It also look how such decision making played into the 2003 Columbia disaster.
- The disaster at Three Mile Island sent shockwaves through the American people, casting a shadow on the nuclear industry. It was a disaster which effectively shut down the dream of nuclear power in the United States. More than three decades after the incident, is America ready to give nuclear energy another chance?
- The 1998 NFL draft saw one of the greatest debates in draft history, to choose Ryan Leaf or Peyton Manning as the number one overall pick? It ended up producing one of the greatest busts in history, and further emphasized the need to evaluate players not only on the field, but off as well.
- Agent Orange, the defoliant once sprayed over large swaths of territory during the Vietnam War, still affects veterans as well as the Vietnamese people today. There are steps underway to remove this toxin from the environment, but the question remains: how well will these steps work?
- The advent of DNA testing in the 80's changed the world of forensics, and how criminals were prosecuted. Prior to this, hair analysis was used in place of genetic testing. Unfortunately it was not one hundred percent accurate, putting many innocent people in jail. The justice system is now having to grapple with this fact and answer the question: how accurate was hair analysis?
- Cars have come a long way in technological development, getting to the point where they may start driving themselves soon. This technological advancement started with the air bag. Once dangerous, it has now saved more than 40,000 lives. The question now for automakers is, will further advancement lead to more safety or more recalls?
- Prozac launched in 1988, offering a new way of treating depression. The drug itself gained celebrity status, changing marketing, even affecting how drugs are sold today.
- 'Colony Collapse Disorder' or CCD came to national prominence in 2006 when a Florida beekeeper noticed 400 of his hives were suddenly dead and empty. Bees play an important role in the food chain, causing some alarm at this disappearance. The mystery, unfortunately, has not become clearer, but only deepened over time.
- The Watergate scandal is known for bringing down a presidency, but it also shed light on the corrupt world of campaign finance. In the wake of the scandal, reforms were put in place to limit the amount of money in politics. But with corruption and cash still permeating elections, as well as the political process as a whole, have we just come full circle?
- The siege at Ruby Ridge ended after 11 days with the surrender of Randy Weaver and the deaths of his wife, 14-year-old son, and a federal agent. The standoff cast a shadow over law enforcement, which continues to this day, affecting how both sides of the law handle similar circumstances.
- The Gray Wolf was reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in 1995. Lauded as one of the great success stories in conservation, the wolf population grew to over 1,600 across the northern Rocky Mountains. There is still a debate as to whether the Gray Wolf is endangered, having unintended consequences.
- The killing of four female missionaries in 1980 El Salvador revealed the violent nature of that country's civil war, and focused attention on the American involvement in the conflict. 35 years later, the story continues to take surprising turns, with family members still searching for justice.
- The 1976 TV movie 'Sybil' introduced the world to multiple personality disorder. It was little known at the time, launched to national prominence by this movie, and officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980. It is a disease that continued to face questions in the 90's even as the case numbers rose.
- News coverage in the 80's and 90's stoked fears about a national cancer epidemic propagated by supposed dangers from power lines. Children were thought to be most at risk. The national epidemic did not happen, but people still remained frightened, why?
- In 2015, an outbreak of measles in Disneyland showed how the personal beliefs of some can endanger the lives of many. Why has measles come back, and what role does the media have in spreading baseless fears?
- The Bloody Sunday in Selma, 1965 is one of the most widely known moments of the Civil Rights Movement. But weeks prior to that, there was a push by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to vote that started a fight over a ferry which would last for decades.
- The question of a patient's right to die has been a topic for more than 20 years, starting with the assisted deaths enacted by Dr. Jack Kevorkian. It has become something of a debate, with even more mainstream doctors prescribing their patients right to die medications as well as multiple states legalizing the practice.
- The CIA's enhanced interrogation program came to notoriety after 9/11 because of its brutality. During the program's tenure, only one interrogator ever faced charges for his actions. This episode of Retro Report looks at the man involved in that case
- With over 80,000 chemicals in use today, it is difficult to avoid toxins in everyday life. The removal of the toxin TRIS 30 years ago from children's pajamas illustrates this problem. This was just the beginning with the carcinogenic toxin still found in car seats, baby cribs and furniture. It illustrated just how hard it could be to regulate chemicals.
- A 1993 outbreak of E.coli linked to Jack in the Box hamburgers sent shockwaves through consumers. It shed light on the issue of food safety, causing lawmakers to enact reforms as well as government oversight of the industry. But 20 years later is the food supply safer?
- The 1960's saw a concern in overpopulation, underscored in 1968 with the release of Paul Ehrlich's best-selling novel, "The Population Bomb". It had Americans worried about impending doom based off of an untenable population boom. But what happened to this prediction? The results showcased the flaws in prediction and the adaptability of the human race.
- The transgender community has been fighting for equal rights since the 1960's. It is a fight that continues to this day, with the emergence of Caitlyn Jenner. In addition, there is a couple in Brooklyn, Alexander Perez and Olympia Perez Alexander, who run Black Trans media, an organization dedicated to uniting and campaigning for the black trans community.
- Retro Report originally aired its episode 'Crack Babies, A Tale from the Drug Wars' on May 20th, 2013, chronicling the hysteria over fears of a generation doomed to problems because of exposure to drugs while in the womb. This updated episode looks at the present day worry over newborns exposed not to crack/cocaine but painkillers.
- The advent of Napster in the late 90's brought about a cultural shift in the way consumers obtained music. It sent shockwaves through the record industry, forever changing the way people purchased music.
- SWAT teams were created in the 60's to combat violent events. They have become increasingly militarized, used in a myriad of events, often with extreme force. It begs the question, have we become too militarized?
- Burmese pythons have been released into the Florida wild with disastrous results. The popular pet has now become an invasive species wreaking havoc on a fragile ecosystem.
- Curt Flood challenged MLB establishment when he refused a trade in 1969. The act didn't just affect baseball but all of major league sports. It changed the way athletes made money, signed contracts, as well as handled free-agency.
- Louise Woodward was a British nanny charged with the death of an infant in her care. The cause of death was shaken baby syndrome, a diagnosis that plagues countless caregivers each year. But is this malady too frequently diagnosed? Doctors have started to revisit cases with some of the accused being exonerated after spending more than a decade in jail.
- The Columbine massacre of 1999 was a disturbing and horrifying event that had Americans scrambling for answers. It affected the way school shootings were viewed, shaping people to this day.
- During Argentina's military dictatorship of the 70's, hundreds of newborn babies disappeared while their pregnant mothers were taken by the regime. Estella de Carlotto has spent the past four decades searching for her grandson, one of the countless individuals known collectively in Argentina as the 'disappeared'.
- In November of 1982, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini faced Duk-Koo Kim for a gruesome fight boxing fans would never forget. Duk-Koo Kim died from the injuries he sustained during the match and raised questions about the often horrific nature of the sport. Similar questions are being raised now about football, America's most popular sport.
- The 1960's and 70's brought about a surge in urban violence due to the heroin epidemic. The response was the War on Drugs. Devastating in its nature, many non-violent offenders were jailed with minimum sentences up to life in prison. Heroin is back now, but with a very different response.
- The early 1970's saw a boy capture the attention of a nation. Born into a world deemed toxic for the child, he was placed in a protective plastic bubble at birth. His story, to this day, continues to evolve in remarkable ways.
- Thirty-five years ago the first dietary guidelines came out. Dietary fat and cholesterol were thought to be the cause of much of the nation's heart disease epidemic. But so many years later, how much do we actually know about nutrition?
- The 2000 election of Bush v. Gore made history with its controversy and subsequent changes to how voters cast their ballots. In the ensuing 16 years, voting has become more politicized than ever, with new ways in which elections are impacted.
- The match between chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov, and a supercomputer shed light on the growing fear that artificial intelligence may one day take over the human race. Talking to scientists working in the field as well as taking a look at this infamous match may offer some insight as to whether these fears are valid.
- The artificial heart was thought of as a breakthrough in the early 80's. Offering hope, this euphoria soon soured as recipients of the new device faced complications and setbacks. The FDA soon ruled against the artificial heart, and it faded from the public's eye. Even though it may not have been a success, the artificial heart affects medicine even to this day.
- Nuclear war once brought about fears having not only to do with the grave destruction, but the aftermath as well. It was thought that a nuclear war could trigger an ice age and possibly the end of humanity. Fears were never realized and there was no nuclear volley, but the questions raised, specifically man's ability to control the environment still reverberate today.
- Dungeons and Dragons was once thought of as a path towards Satanism, causing hysteria mostly among conservative Christian groups. Today, however, the game is not thought of as a problem, but a solution. Many parents use it as a social tool, getting their children out from in front of the TV, and playing with their peers.
- Bill Clinton's welfare reform in 1996 was supposed to end welfare as we know it, putting countless individuals back to work on a path to self dependence. 20 years later, the results have not been as expected.
- Psychedelic drugs such as LSD helped fuel the counter-culture of the 1960's. Today the drug is being used, not as a tool for mind altering trips, but as an instrument for scientists to use and study.
- In the age of social media, how do you strike a balance between free speech and public shaming? When someone takes a misstep, with everybody watching, when is too far, and when does outrage turn into a cyber mob?
- Mothers in today's world have a difficult decision: to enter the work force or stay home and tend to the family. It is a debate that has raged for many years producing misleading statistics aimed at getting the public to lean certain ways. What is right? And is there any validity to what experts are saying on both sides of the debate?
- Back in 1976, the GOP nomination was up for grabs. It was between President Ford and Ronald Reagan, the charismatic former governor of California who was the winning hearts and minds of conservatives everywhere. Reagan would soon find out, however, that winning the hearts and minds of conservatives would be much different than winning the nomination.
- The 1968 DNC convention was one of conflict, anger and protest representative of its time period. There are plenty of lessons to be learned for both this year's Democratic and Republican conventions from that tumult filled event.
- Today's Republican party nominated Donald Trump, an outsider with populist leanings and policies as their party's nominee. This is not the first time something like this has happened. It's very reminiscent of the1964 RNC convention in which Barry Goldwater was nominated, another party outsider with populist leanings, very much against the Republican establishment.
- 1831 saw the advent of a third party which had a new idea for selecting presidents. It is a system that remains intact today, and that is the presidential nominating convention.
- This year's conventions have seen a lot of controversy with regard to the delegate process. It wouldn't be the first time this process has come under attack. Today's voters will find contempt for this year's conventions similar to a past year, the 1912 contest between Republicans Taft and Roosevelt.
- The 1924 Democratic convention saw a tremendous amount of upheaval, especially with regard to immigration. Today's political debate on the issue seems very similar to the one had during that tumultuous convention.
- Sometimes it isn't a convention's candidate who gives the best speech, but the keynote speaker. No where was this notion clearer than in 2004, when a young state senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, dazzled the DNC crowd. Little did the audience know, his speech would lead him to national prominence and eventually the White House.
- The 1860 Democratic convention revealed great divisions in the party, especially over the issue of slavery. Similar to the then Democratic party's divisions, today's two parties face similar divisions, with the bases in each party driving the discussion. These differences, as then, could have lasting effects on each party.
- Phyllis Schlafly honed her political skills in the conservative movement of the 1950s and 1960s, and then put them to work to stop the ERA. She traveled the country decrying the proposed amendment, which sought to ensure equal rights for women under law, as "anti-family" and un-American. In the process, she built a coalition of evangelical Christians and political conservatives that influenced the modern conservative movement. Schlafly helped send the ERA down in defeat in 1982, but the battle for equal rights continued. Since then, many of the goals the ERA aimed for have been achieved by other means. And the predictions Schlafly made about what would happen if the amendment succeeded - from women serving in the military to gay rights - have also come to pass.