60 MINUTES

As President Trump tests the traditional limits of presidential power, Scott Pelley spoke with Georgetown University legal scholar and constitutional expert Stephen Vladeck about what's legal, what's unprecedented, and what could come next. Scott Pelley: How would you describe this moment in American history? Stephen Vladeck: I think we're at a crossroads. We're at a political crossroads because there's just such a wide gap between the two parties. And I think we're at a constitutional crossroads because we just have not seen this kind of sustained effort by a president to arrogate to himself not just executive power, but legislative power, and increasingly to suggest that even the courts don't have much of a role in checking him. So, you know, I don't think we've seen anything quite like this, certainly in our lifetimes, probably not since Reconstruction in the Civil War. Scott Pelley: Can a president dismantle or defund an agency that was created by Congress? Stephen Vladeck: The short answer is no. The longer answer is there are about 16 different statutory questions baked into that process. But no. Congress is also part of the story. Congress creates agencies like USAID. Congress creates cabinet departments of the Department of Education. The president may get to choose who runs those departments. The president may get to set policy priorities for those departments. But structuring them, funding them, that has always been Congress's prerogative. And if Congress says, "Hey Mr. President, you must spend X on foreign aid, on USAID, on education," it's never been the view, it's never even been a plausible argument, that the president can say no. https://lnkd.in/eHurJwC4 #60Minutes #politics

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When the longest-serving Senate leader in U.S. history stepped down at the end of the last Congressional term, the most significant legacy he left was not in the halls of the Capitol. Instead, Sen. Mitch McConnell's impact as leader of the Senate Republicans ripples throughout the judiciary. Under his leadership, the United States Senate confirmed three Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices and more than 200 lower-court judges, tilting the courts in favor of conservatives for a generation. In a recent interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl, McConnell said putting his focus on the judiciary was his way of attaining enduring influence. "It's a lifetime appointment," McConnell said. "The normal legislative activities we involve in, they take over, taxes go up. We take over, taxes go down. In other words, it's very hard to get any kind of lasting impact. I felt that the way to get lasting impact is to put the right kind of men and women on the courts who hopefully will be there for a while." What will likely also last a while is the controversy over how he did it. https://lnkd.in/e6RtjyjK #60Minutes

The nonprofit Heroic Hearts Project has helped more than 1,000 U.S. veterans with combat-related PTSD access psychedelics by traveling overseas. 60 Minutes documented a psychedelic retreat last March, interviewing and filming a group of veterans before, during and afterward.  To qualify, the veterans needed to have "combat-related trauma." But 60 Minutes found that many of them, including Giardina, had struggled before their military service. "We realized that a lot of the trauma that they had experienced occurred long before they ever got to the military. In some cases, that trauma, the experience, may have led them to join the military," Cooper told 60 Minutes Overtime. https://lnkd.in/eExnFi4f #Mentalhealth #60Minutes #veterans

Beyoncé, who is the most-nominated artist in Grammy Awards history, once told 60 Minutes she was fortunate to have had gradual success. That gradual success has turned into a massive career, with 11 nominations this year for "Cowboy Carter" and 99 total nominations across her years in the music industry. Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga Eminem, Chris Stapleton and, most recently, Samara Joy, are among the singers who've sat down with 60 Minutes over the years. Here are highlights from their interviews ahead of the Feb. 2 Grammys, hosted this year by comedian Trevor Noah. https://lnkd.in/eN7DCyPS #Grammys #GrammyAwards #60Minutes

At least 160 journalists, translators, fixers, and others who help with newsgathering have been killed, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. It has been the deadliest period for reporters since the organization began keeping track in 1992, and the vast majority of those killed have been Palestinian. "It's been journalists and even their families," said former American diplomat Hala Rharrit. "And it has appeared to practically be systematic targeting of journalists to silence the truth that's been coming out." https://lnkd.in/efvw8c-H #journalists #reporters #press #60Minutes #newsgathering

This week, FBI Director Christopher Wray, who is resigning before President-elect Trump takes office, spoke with 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley about a wide range of subjects, including China's cyber espionage threat, the terror attack in New Orleans, and his decision to resign, ending his tenure as director of the FBI nearly three years early, and before Trump takes office. Wray also discussed the Trump investigations and the security of the inauguration next week.  https://lnkd.in/e2hhPcJ5 #FBI #60Minutes

This week on 60 Minutes, we meet jazz singer Samara Joy. She's 25 years old, but her voice is ageless. It has already earned her three Grammys, and she is now nominated for two more for her Christmas release. In the spirit of the holiday, we thought we'd give you the gift of watching - and listening - to her sing a holiday classic with her family. https://lnkd.in/eqmbeeWq #60Minutes #SamaraJoy #Jazz #Grammys

Birkin bags, which retail for around $9,000 and can fetch upwards of hundreds of thousands at auction, are not expensive, Hermès artistic director Pierre-Alexis Dumas told 60 Minutes. He instead uses the word "costly" to describe the coveted handbags — and he sees a difference between costly and expensive purchases. Cost is the price of making a quality luxury bag properly, even if it leaves customers waiting years for a chance to own one. Expensive objects, on the other hand, fail to deliver what customers want. The difference between the two is why clients need to be patient, Dumas says. "We're about craft, we're not machines," he said. "And we are not compromising on the quality of the way we make the bags." https://lnkd.in/eEk_qBzT #hermes #craft #60Minutes #luxurybrand

This week, 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi stepped behind the silk curtain of Hermès, the iconic French fashion house. Hermès was founded in 1837 by its namesake, Thierry Hermes, a master craftsman who made the highest quality harnesses, bridles, and saddles to outfit the horse carriages of well-heeled Europeans. Today, you can still buy a handmade bespoke saddle, along with ready-to-wear fashion, luggage, fragrances, and of course, the brand's beloved scarves and handbags. https://lnkd.in/eBwi-yTz #Hermes #60Minutes #craftsmen