Hostages, Voice of America, Left Behind

HOSTAGES – Correspondent Lesley Stahl dispatches to Israel for her 5th report since the Oct. 7 terror attack to interview freed Israeli and American hostages, including Yarden Bibas and Keith Siegel, who are speaking out to share their experiences in captivity and what they witnessed at the hands of Hamas. They are now fighting for a renewed ceasefire, to end the war and bring back the remaining hostages.  Shachar Bar-On is the producer.  

VOICE OF AMERICA – Voice of America (VOA), the storied U.S. government-funded international broadcaster with an 83-year history, is now off the air thanks to a Trump administration executive order and lockout of hundreds of its employees placed on suspended leave. Correspondent Bill Whitaker reports the action has extinguished a trusted beacon of fact-based journalism for hundreds of millions worldwide. While the White House says, "taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda," many believe the move cedes a vital soft power tool to American adversaries in parts of the world saturated with propaganda and disinformation. Graham Messick and Jack Weingart are the producers.  

LEFT BEHIND – When wildfires tore through the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods of Los Angeles three months ago, 9 billion pounds of toxic ash and debris were left behind. Now, a massive cleanup effort is underway to clear the 13-thousand properties destroyed in the fire. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi goes behind the scenes with the Environmental Protection Agency as it completes the first step: removing the hazardous waste. The rest of the debris is in the hands of the Army Corps of Engineers. Despite expedited cleanup efforts, some residents say they still don't feel safe returning home. Lucy Hatcher is the producer.