Season 2

Two gripping investigations anchor this global exposé: Afghanistan and Rio de Janeiro. In Afghanistan, the United States has poured nearly $100 billion into reconstruction—more than any nation has ever spent in a single country. Yet John Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, reveals pervasive waste, misallocation, and funds that have fallen into Taliban hands. Reporter Shane Smith travels to Afghanistan to examine how American taxpayer dollars have been squandered. In Rio, the city races to polish its image ahead of the World Cup and the Olympics, while confronting a deepening crisis of crime. The Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE) is charged with pacifying the favelas, but its expanding military grip has drawn criticism for being heavy-handed. Corruption within BOPE and former police officers has spawned militia gangs that dominate many favelas through extortion, torture, killings, and disappearances. Yet hundreds of favelas remain untouched by pacification and remain under the control of drug cartels that act with near impunity. Ben Anderson peers behind the picturesque sheen of Rio’s marketing campaign to expose the city’s dark underbelly.