CBS Reports

Ultra Processed | Food Tech & the American Diet

Americans are among the world's biggest consumers of ultra-processed foods, which comprise more than half of an average adult’s diet and two-thirds of a child’s. As technology continues to accelerate innovations in additives, chemicals and food products, U.S. regulators are struggling to keep up. CBS Reports examines why ultra-processed foods have become so pervasive in the American diet, and what filling the gaps in federal regulation can do to ensure Americans are fed and healthy.

• Sep 7
• 21:41

CBS Reports | Does Big Plastic's Idea Work?

As America grapples with an escalating plastic crisis, the city of Houston, ExxonMobil and other partners announced a new program that promised to recycle nearly all of the city's plastic waste. However, after two years, the program has yet to fully materialize. Critics argue that the evidence suggests it never will. And yet, the company envisions similar programs in other American cities. CBS Reports and Inside Climate News investigate whether this proposed solution to our plastic recycling crisis is indeed too good to be true.

• Aug 24
• 21:41

Model Prisons: California's Push for Reform

Nearly 95% of people currently in prison will be released back into society, and historically a significant percentage are likely to reoffend. In California, authorities are trying to change that by providing inmates access to education, work and other rehabilitative privileges — programs that have been shown to reduce recidivism and increase public safety. CBS Reports examines a controversial approach some see as being “soft on crime,” which now may be preventing it.

• Jul 13
• 21:41

CBS Reports | America Unfiltered: The Voices Behind the Polls

You've seen the CBS News polls that tell you what voters think about big ideas like democracy and the American Dream. Now CBS Reports takes you behind the polls for unfiltered conversations about how their personal stories shaped their views.

• Jul 4
• 21:48

The Power of Sheriffs | CBS Reports

A murder plot discussed on tape implicating a sheriff in southeastern Oklahoma triggers a CBS News investigation, uncovering a pattern of abuses that have gone largely unchecked for years. It's a cautionary tale that reveals an unsettling reality for small towns across America: when sheriffs abuse their power, people can die and there's little to hold them accountable.

• May 19
• 21:42

Anything for Love: The Romance Scam Epidemic

Romance scammers drain billions of dollars from people seeking love, and their tactics have evolved in sinister ways in the online age. CBS News goes inside this devastating epidemic unfolding largely in secret, following the journey of an Illinois woman seeking answers after her mother’s mysterious death.

• Apr 28
• 21:41

No Place Like Home | CBS Reports

CBS Reports goes to Illinois, which has one of the highest rates of institutionalization in the country, to understand the challenges families face keeping their developmentally disabled loved ones at home.

• Mar 28
• 21:42

Raising the Stakes | CBS Reports

As more states legalize gambling, online sportsbooks have spent billions courting the next generation of bettors. And now, as mobile apps offer 24/7 access to placing wagers, addiction groups say more young people are seeking help than ever before. CBS Reports explores what experts say is a hidden epidemic lurking behind a sports betting bonanza that's leaving a trail of broken lives.

• Feb 8
• 21:41

Toxic Fog | CBS Reports

In February 2023, a quiet community in Ohio was blindsided by disaster when a train derailed and authorities decided to unleash a plume of toxic smoke in an attempt to avoid an explosion. Days later, residents and the media thought the story was over, but in fact it was just beginning. What unfolded in East Palestine is a cautionary tale for every town and city in America.

• Feb 1
• 21:38

The End of Affirmative Action | CBS Reports

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court striking down affirmative action in college admissions, CBS Reports examines the fog of uncertainty for students and administrators who say the decision threatens to unravel decades of progress.

• Dec 21, 2023
• 22:38