Frontline, Vol. 36

Investigate who killed Kim Jong-un’s half brother and what it reveals about the leader and his regime. Amid nuclear tensions, the film examines claims the North Korean leader ordered the assassination, and sheds light on his intentions and capabilities.

How did Scott Pruitt go from fighting the EPA to running the agency and rolling back years of policy? In this gripping documentary, FRONTLINE investigates the conservative political forces and causes, like climate change skepticism, that propelled Pruitt’s takeover of the EPA. With access to key players on all sides of the issue, the film traces how the fossil fuel industry fought back against Obama-era regulations with the help of a “strike force” of industry-funded state attorneys general, led by Pruitt. It also explores how Pruitt — a former state senator and minor league baseball team owner—came to political prominence first in Oklahoma and then in Washington, D.C. by pledging to fight federal environmental regulations, and defend the oil and gas industries. With Pruitt now leading the federal agency he sued 14 times as Oklahoma’s attorney general, War on the EPA is an inside look at the triumphant ascent of the anti-regulatory movement in America.

Described by some military commanders as the deadliest urban combat since World War II, the battle to drive ISIS out of Mosul as the terror group held civilians captive there was brutal and grueling. Shot over the course of the entire nine-month fight, this vivid documentary follows the experiences of four young soldiers in a team of Iraqi Special Forces tasked with leading the battle. Visceral footage of the fighting is interwoven with intimate and searching interviews with the young soldiers. Full of hope at the beginning of the campaign, the reality of fighting an elusive and vicious enemy in a city full of trapped civilians ultimately takes its toll: By the end of filming, one of the four soldiers is dead. And for the surviving soldiers, haunted by what they have seen and done, the war goes on. Mosul is a stunning look at the high cost of the Iraqi Army’s victory over ISIS in the city, large parts of which have been destroyed, with hundreds of thousands of civilians still displaced.

With in-depth reporting from Moscow and Washington, DC, FRONTLINE tells the story of how Vladimir Putin came to see the United States as an enemy - and why he decided to target an American election. Against the backdrop of investigations by the FBI and Congress into the role Russia played in the 2016 U.S. election, this epic documentary draws on more than 60 interviews with diplomats, intelligence officials, political leaders, journalists, and primary sources to trace how Putin went from low-ranking KGB agent to long-serving president of a newly assertive Russia with the ability to wage cyber-war in the U.S. and across the globe. From Michael Kirk and the team behind The Choice 2016, Putin’s Revenge is a riveting investigation of how the U.S. struggled to confront Vladimir Putin over Russian involvement in the 2016 election, how revenge may have motivated Putin to target American democracy, and the U.S. responses under Presidents Obama and Trump.

With in-depth reporting from Moscow and Washington, DC, FRONTLINE tells the story of how Vladimir Putin came to see the United States as an enemy — and why he decided to target an American election. Against the backdrop of investigations by the FBI and Congress into the role Russia played in the 2016 U.S. election, this epic documentary draws on more than 60 interviews with diplomats, intelligence officials, political leaders, journalists, and primary sources to trace how Putin went from low-ranking KGB agent to long-serving president of a newly assertive Russia with the ability to wage cyber-war in the U.S. and across the globe. From Michael Kirk and the team behind The Choice 2016, Putin’s Revenge is a riveting investigation of how the U.S. struggled to confront Vladimir Putin over Russian involvement in the 2016 election, how revenge may have motivated Putin to target American democracy, and the U.S. responses under Presidents Obama and Trump.

The intimate stories of refugees and migrants, caught in Europe's tightened borders. Amid the ongoing migration crisis, the film follows personal journeys over two years, as countries become less welcoming to those seeking refuge.

Some 25 dead bodies have been found on Long Island since September of 2016. Dozens of immigrant teenagers are missing. Who is behind the wave of killings on Long Island - and is law enforcement's crackdown on suspected MS-13 gang members detaining the real culprits, or innocent teens?

A dangerous rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia has plunged the Middle East into sectarian war. From revolution in Iran, reaction by Saudi Arabia, and wars in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Iraq, how religion and power politics drive perpetual conflict.

Part two of a special series about how two rivals have plunged the Middle East into sectarian war. While Iran extends its power from Iraq into Syria and Lebanon, Saudi Arabia is making a stand in Yemen, with deadly consequences for the region.

Harvey Weinstein was once one of the most successful producers in Hollywood. But beneath the glitz and glamour, there was a pattern of sexual misconduct going back to the very start of his career. FRONTLINE investigates the disgraced mogul’s spectacular downfall, the efforts to silence his accusers, and what Hollywood itself knew. Drawing on exclusive insider accounts, Weinstein, a one-hour special co-produced with the BBC, examines how Weinstein used lawyers and private detectives to help him suppress sexual harassment allegations. The film shines new light on what those around Weinstein knew about his behavior, and when. Filled with fresh insights from those who worked with Weinstein, those who tried to confront him, and the journalists who ultimately broke the story, Weinstein is an in-depth look at the long history of allegations against the powerful producer.

President Donald Trump's time in office has been marked by ongoing turmoil - including in his own Republican Party, where presidential tweetstorms, inflammatory rhetoric and high-profile dissent have fueled open conflict. In Trump's Takeover, FRONTLINE's acclaimed political team tells the inside story of a president who vowed to take down the Washington establishment, and who has fought an intense war for control of the GOP. Through interviews with longtime Republican legislators like Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), House Freedom Caucus members including Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), current and former senior White House officials including Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer, authors, and journalists, Trump's Takeover examines how the president is remaking the GOP in his own image, counter-punching when criticized and publicly attacking those who defy him. The film traces the president's relationship with the GOP-led Congress, from his Twitter attacks on fellow Republicans after the failed Obamacare repeal-and-replace effort, to a split over what many in the party said was the president's inadequate response to deadly violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, to when Congress ultimately delivered a major legislative victory for Trump with the passage of tax reform. Gripping and revealing, Trump's Takeover is a window into the potential lasting impact of the Trump era on the Republican Party and the American political system as a whole. It's the story of President Trump's takeover of the Republican Party - from the perspective of Republican lawmakers and insiders themselves.

McCain is an exploration of Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.)’s complicated relationship with President Trump and the Republican Party, as well as his life and politics. Drawing on both new interviews and FRONTLINE’s deep archive of reporting, McCain traces the conservative standard-bearer’s motivations and his political history - from his experience as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, to speaking out against torture during the Bush administration, to his dramatic vote against the GOP’s health care bill last year. The film also examines how, with his 2008 nomination of Sarah Palin as running mate, McCain himself contributed to a growing challenge to the party establishment.

Trafficked in America investigates how teenagers from Central America were smuggled into the U.S. by traffickers who promised them jobs and a better life—only to force them to live and work in virtual slavery to pay off their debt. This documentary shines new light on a labor trafficking case in which Guatemalan teens were forced by a third-party contractor to work against their will at Trillium Farms in Ohio, a major egg producer. The investigative team exposes a criminal network that exploited undocumented minors, the companies who profited from their forced labor, and how U.S. government policies and practices helped to deliver some teens directly to their traffickers.

More than seven months after Hurricane Maria devastated the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, more than 100,000 Americans are still without power, as part of the worst blackout in U.S. history. FRONTLINE and NPR investigate how the federal response in Puerto Rico left millions of Americans in the dark for months - and the storm before the storm: how Wall Street, Puerto Rico’s government, and Washington fueled a debt crisis that left the island’s economy in ruins and its infrastructure crippled even before Maria hit. The investigative team uncovered a trove of insider documents that show a government relief effort in chaos, struggling with key contracts, basic supplies, and its own workforce. The film, produced with the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University, uncovers a series of shortcomings after Maria, including how half of FEMA’s staff on the island were trainees or unqualified, how contractors FEMA turned to failed to deliver hundreds of thousands of tarps, and how the Army Corps’ temporary roof repair program was glaringly slow compared to other storms - putting up just 439 roofs in the first 30 days after the storm compared to more than 4,500 in the first month after Irma in Florida. Underpinning it all, Blackout in Puerto Rico delves into Wall Street’s role in the island’s economic demise - a crisis that left it dangerously vulnerable to a storm like Maria - and the relationship between Puerto Rico and the U.S., including how Congress’s withdrawal of a special tax break helped spur the Puerto Rican government’s cycle of debt and borrowing. Gripping and riveting, Blackout in Puerto Rico is a must-watch look inside the ongoing recovery effort in Puerto Rico - and the economic crisis that devastated the island long before Maria.

Secret footage going back years shows the effort to kill and expel Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar. With accounts from victims and witnesses, the film examines evidence that security forces committed crimes against humanity.