The BEST episodes of VICE News Tonight season 2017
Every episode of VICE News Tonight season 2017, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of VICE News Tonight season 2017!
The most important news of the day with context, insights, and on-the-ground reporting you won’t see anywhere else.
#1 - Episode 236 - Political Ads
Season 2017 - Episode 186 - Aired 11/14/2017
With the release of their Iron Stache ad for Wl Democrat Randy Bryce, Matt McLaughlin and Bill Hyers have received attention for changing the way political ads are made. VICE News documents their unique process as they produce an ad for PA Lt. Governor candidate John Fetterman. Watch every weeknight at 7:30 ET.
Watch Now:Amazon#2 - Episode 181 - Charlottesville: Race and Terror
Season 2017 - Episode 131 - Aired 8/14/2017
On Saturday hundreds of white nationalists, alt-righters, and neo-Nazis traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia to participate in the “Unite the Right” rally. By Saturday evening three people were dead – one protester, and two police officers – and many more injured.
#3 - Episode 260 - Paris's Last Porno & The Christmas Tree Shortage
Season 2017 - Episode 210 - Aired 12/20/2017
3:43 VICE News travels to Puerto Rico to find out why restoring power there has been so difficult after Hurricane Maria. 11:25 President Trump and congressional Republicans took a victory lap at the White House today, after final passage of their tax reform bill gave them their first big legislative win of the Trump era. 14:20 The National Retail Federation expects Americans to spend a whopping $600 apiece on presents for family and friends this Christmas. There’s just one problem: a shortage of trees to put them under. It’s a slow-moving aftershock of the Great Recession, being felt years later in places like Oregon—the heart of Christmas tree country. 17:45 The last remaining porn cinema in Paris is preparing to spin its last reel, before it closes at the end of the year. VICE News profiled its veteran pornographer-in-chief Maurice Laroche as he reflected on how digital smut and gentrification killed a Parisian tradition.
#4 - Episode 247 - Nuclear National Parks & Flynn Pleads Guilty
Season 2017 - Episode 197 - Aired 12/1/2017
The nuclear production complex called the Hanford Site was a crucial part of the Manhattan Project, the U.S. government’s secret program that produced the atomic bomb. Plutonium developed at Hanford was used in the bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945. Now, the U.S. isn’t just preserving this piece of history—it’s showing it off. Randall Woodfin won an unexpected upset over incumbent Birmingham Mayor William Bell by invigorating a grassroots network of young voters with a progressive pitch that echoed Bernie Sanders' 2016 campaign. VICE News follows him during his first day on the job as he meets with government officials, his new constituents and plots out how to turn the city around. After years of trying and failing, Republicans may finally succeed at allowing drilling for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife refuge — thanks to the Tax Reform bill. VICE News talks to Senator Cantwell about why this push to include the ANWR might be more than just a bargaining chip. Plus, Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn is expected to plead guilty to lying to the FB and Director Guillermo del Toro talks about his latest film, "Shape of Water."
#5 - Episode 239 - The Crumbling London Parliament & Healthcare Homeworkers
Season 2017 - Episode 189 - Aired 11/17/2017
Although home healthcare is one of the fastest growing professions in the United States, the workers are some of the lowest paid and least protected in the country. VICE News travels to Georgia, where domestic workers weren’t guaranteed a minimum wage until 2015. If the GOP’s new tax plan becomes law, there’ll be plenty of big winners—including large corporations and the heirs to wealthy estates. But there’ll also be quite a few losers, and among that group, oddly, will be graduate students. The London Parliament needs urgent repairs that will cost some 4.5 billion dollars and take at least six years -- and that’s only if lawmakers vote in favor of moving everybody out during the renovation. A debate on the matter is scheduled for December. Meanwhile, the asbestos-ridden, Victorian relic they’re debating the matter IN is falling apart faster than repairs can be made.
#6 - Episode 215 - The Front Lines Of California's Fires & Capturing Carbon
Season 2017 - Episode 165 - Aired 10/16/2017
Massive fires continue to sweep through California in one of the deadliest fires to plague the state since 1933. Early Sunday morning, VICE News began a 24-hour embed with a fire engine crew. On Friday, Trump made his statement on Iran’s nuclear program, ahead of Sunday (Oct 15) deadline. What will this mean for Iran and nuclear diplomacy? The Paris Climate Agreement was a major step forward in the fight against climate change. But experts say the goal of keeping temperature rise below 2 degrees will be impossible without physically removing carbon from the atmosphere. VICE News went to Switzerland to learn more about the technology that may help save the planet.
#7 - Episode 183 - Tunnels Underneath Palestine & Joke-Theft
Season 2017 - Episode 133 - Aired 8/16/2017
VICE News goes to East Jerusalem to explore the concealed underground tunnels, causing damage to the homes of Palestinian residents living above the excavation sites. We interview Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer after the memorial of Heather Heyer, who was killed during the white supremacist rally. Also, a look into how difficult it is to own a joke legally, and to prove it's been stolen.
#8 - Episode 180 - Narcan On The Rise & Retail Apocalypse
Season 2017 - Episode 130 - Aired 8/10/2017
VICE News meets with residents of Middletown, Ohio, to discuss how the city should address reviving overdose victims-- but sympathy seems to be wearing thin. This tech-food startup has recently faced a slew of negative coverage accusing it of classic Silicon Valley hubris and overreach. Plus, a look at the so-called ''retail apocalypse'' in the United States.
#9 - Episode 149 - Flint Charged & Russian Eviction
Season 2017 - Episode 99 - Aired 6/14/2017
A gunman opened fire as Republican members of a congressional baseball team had their practice. VICE News explains what happened. Plus, VICE News reports on the mass protests in Moscow over one of the biggest urban resettlement plans in history. And, we visit the first-ever ''wellness summit'' held by Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow's much-derided lifestyle brand.
#10 - Episode 135 - Trump in Saudi Arabia & Iran's Election
Season 2017 - Episode 85 - Aired 5/18/2017
We head to Saudi Arabia as the country awaits Trump's first foreign trip as president --and a massive arms deal with the United States. Roger Ailes, the mastermind of right wing media, died at age 77. We take a look at the political impact of the Fox News founder. We were on the ground in Tehran before Iran's presidential election. Plus, “Yesterday on the Internet” is back with a recap on millennials and their avocado toast.
Watch Now:Amazon#11 - 100 Days of Donald Trump
Season 2017 - Episode 73 - Aired 4/28/2017
VICE News Tonight takes an unfiltered look at Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office, in stories told by the people who have the most to gain or lose from Trump's administration. We spoke with people who are truly hopeful and feel validated. With people whose safety and liberty is at stake. And we talked to the insiders who understand what it's like to work with the most powerful person in the world. After all, the first hundred days (and the next hundred, and the next hundred after that) are not about what the president says in 140 characters. What matters is the impact of his policies on people across the country and the world.
Watch Now:Amazon#12 - Episode 122 - Milo Yiannopoulos & Writers Strike
Season 2017 - Episode 72 - Aired 4/27/2017
Millions of bats have died from white-nose syndrome, a disease spreading at an alarming rate across the U.S. We went to Michigan to explore one affected area with some researchers who are trying to stop its spread. Plus, The Writers Guild of America, the union representing more than 12,000 film and TV writers, is on the brink of a strike over wages. We explain what that could mean for your favorite shows. A report from Russia on workers protesting a new tax called Platon shows how deep anti-government feelings really go there - and ultimately, how impossible it is to wage a challenge against the regime. Finally, we sit down with right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopulous in Miami. Milo tells us how he is seizing the moment to return to relevance - or at least trying to.
#13 - Episode 167 - Carrier Layoffs & Bricklaying Robots
Season 2017 - Episode 117 - Aired 7/19/2017
During the White House's self-proclaimed 'Made in America' week, a Carrier factory in Indiana lays off more than 600 employees. A look at George Soros's funding of district attorney races. Plus, we go on a night trip with New York City's flower flasher.
#14 - Episode 101 - London Attack & Border Patrol Power
Season 2017 - Episode 51 - Aired 3/22/2017
We examine Trump's plan to hire 15,000 immigration and border patrol agents. Seb Walker reports from Molenbeek, the Brussels neighborhood some call Europe's "jihad capital," to see what has changed since the Paris attacks. Plus, The Royal Shakespeare Company produced a unique adaption of The Tempest in honor of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, we speak to some of the people that brought the performance to life.
Watch Now:Amazon#15 - Episode 182 - Memorializing the Confederacy & The Super Bowl of eSports
Season 2017 - Episode 132 - Aired 8/15/2017
We report on the remaining Robert E. Lee statues. Where are they? What do they symbolize? How many more potential conflicts could we see? Then, we travel to Mexico and meet with a father who was deported there while his biological children remain in the U.S. He keeps up with their lives through the only window he has: Youtube. Plus, what it's like at the Super Bowl of esports?
#16 - Episode 179 - Queen of Scream & Online Charter Schools
Season 2017 - Episode 129 - Aired 8/9/2017
VICE News reports on the controversy over online charter schools in Ohio. We also interview ''Queen of Scream'' Melissa Cross, a 60-year-old singer who tours with some of the biggest names in hardcore music. The Democratic Socialists of America are growing in numbers, but the party still needs to appeal to some non-white demographics.
Watch Now:Amazon#17 - Episode 184 - Russian Radio in D.C. & Legal Bike Theft
Season 2017 - Episode 134 - Aired 8/17/2017
The Russians have taken over Washington DC's country music radio station. VICE News visits the station accused of attempting to influence the debate in the US via the media. A conversation with Tim Scott, the only black Republican senator, about Charlottesville, racism and Trump. Plus, a look inside Seattle's new Beijing-based bikesharing program that seems a lot like legal bike theft.
#18 - Episode 188 - Spain's Sea of Plastic & Opioid Emergency
Season 2017 - Episode 138 - Aired 8/24/2017
We travel to Spain where migrant workers are barely being paid and living in squalor while they pick the fruit and vegetables sold in Western European supermarkets. Then, we head to St. Louis where the increased minimum wage is about to revert back to $7.70 an hour due to state labor laws. Plus, we found one Republican not ducking his constituents in the Trump era. And, what do the air guitar national championships look like? We went to Finland to find out. go to St. Louis and interview workers and business owners
#19 - Episode 213 - Beginning of Bump Stocks & ISIS in Hawija
Season 2017 - Episode 163 - Aired 10/11/2017
We meet the man who green-lit bump stocks, Trump is going hard on America's nuclear weapons, Paul Gosar is being sued by the woman he blocked on Facebook and strong winds rippling across Northern California are refueling close to a dozen wildfires. Plus, Liam Gallagher comes back to review new music.
#20 - Episode 216 - China's Live Streaming Stars & Hepatitis Outbreak
Season 2017 - Episode 166 - Aired 10/17/2017
A deadly outbreak of Hepatitis A has forced California to declare a state of emergency. The disease is transferred by fecal matter, so people who lack access to proper sanitation are the most at risk. The city now faces an even larger issue: homelessness. Then, VICE News looks at how China's live-streaming girls rake in billions. Plus, ISIS loses its stronghold in Raqqa. And, Weezer reviews new music in a fresh installment of Music Critic.
#21 - Episode 217 - Remnants Of California Wildfires & 'Catholicism's Breitbart'
Season 2017 - Episode 167 - Aired 10/18/2017
Inside Catholicism’s Breitbart, the site 'Church Militant,' as founder Michael Voris is targeting liberal priests Chinese Communist Party began its 19th Party Congress, bringing 2,300 delegates together. President Xi Jinping is expected to be re-elected as party leader for another five years. VICE News looks at how Gen Secretary of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping, has changed the party and country. In the California neighborhood of Coffey Park, nearly every house has already burned to the ground. Instead of rows of homes, there’s now a forest of charred chimneys standing in piles of ash. And now that there’s nothing left to burn, recovery workers are beginning the search for anyone who didn’t make it out alive. Plus, VICE's Suroosh Alvi tries on a mech suit in South Korea.
#22 - Episode 218 - Macron’s Labor Battle & Mexico Aftershocks
Season 2017 - Episode 168 - Aired 10/19/2017
On Tuesday, thousands of French public workers staged their first nationwide strike under President Emmanuel Macron to express their anger with his labor reforms. VICE News looks at how Macron's battle with France's totemic unions could define his presidency. Last month’s earthquake left thousands without homes. Many remain displaced amid fears of collapsing structures. VICE News returns to the city to follow a resident who can show what life is like one-month on. Today marks the 30th anniversary of Black Monday – the most disastrous single day in U.S. stock market history. Since Oct 19, 1987, financial markets have been transformed by the march of time and technology and regulatory change. Plus, undocumented immigrant teenager talks to Vice about her abortion battle, Xi Jinxing’s speech that’s been made into a clapping video game, and a look at the cities bidding for the second Amazon HQ.
#23 - Episode 219 - Somalia’s Youth Task Force & The Recovering Winery Workforce
Season 2017 - Episode 169 - Aired 10/20/2017
VICE News follows the young female activist leading the youth task force that has formed in response to the terrorist attack in Somalia, where the government does not have nearly enough resources to provide emergency services. California's undocumented workers without social security numbers are already fighting for disaster assistance after the wildfires. In wine country, these migrants are a critical labor force behind a celebrated product. Now, some aren’t sure where they can get help. Plus, the Car Audio Championships World Finals in Louisville, KY and Obama’s visit to Richmond brings some rare Democratic power to the Virginia governor’s race.
#24 - Episode 232 - Kurdistan Tensions & The Belieber Behind Hillsong
Season 2017 - Episode 182 - Aired 11/8/2017
Iraq’s central government took back disputed territory and oil from the Kurds in the northern region. Kurdistan continues to reel from its losses, and the resignation of its president, following a historic independence referendum which left their dream of autonomy in tatters. VICE News reports from the north of Iraq. During the 2016 campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump infamously told rally goers in Iowa "I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters." Now that he's president, VICE asks his supporters what (if anything) Trump could ever do to lose their support. The shooting of Kate Steinle was the first in a series of events that carried Donald Trump to the White House. Jose Ines Garcia Zarate is the undocumented immigrant who stands accused of killing her. Now, his trial is playing out in court. Even though the trial itself is limited to the facts of the case, the politics around it are unavoidable. VICE News takes a look at the Australia-based megachurch called Hillsong and it’s U.S. headliner Carl Lentz, as the religious brand wins over the hearts of young worshippers. Plus, 365 days after Donald Trump won the presidency, frustrated and horrified Democrats finally landed a serious counterpunch on Tuesday night.
#25 - Episode 237 - Registering The Rohingya & Roy Moore's Apologists
Season 2017 - Episode 187 - Aired 11/15/2017
Several women have now stepped forward to accuse Roy Moore, the Republican nominee for a Senate seat in Alabama, of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. VICE News sits down with a group of Alabama residents to talk about Moore’s controversial candidacy and what it means for their state. Mugabe is “safe and sound” under house arrest as his own political party dukes it out and “purges the criminals around him.” No violence on the streets and life goes on in Harare, but everyone asking ‘who’s in charge?’ China’s high profile fugitive and exiled billionaire, Guo Wengui, made his name when he launched sensational accusations of corruption against China’s top leaders on Twitter and Youtube. VICE News goes to his $68 million apartment overlooking Central Park in Manhattan to meet the China's most wanted man. Leonardo da Vinci’s painting Salvator Mundi, broke the world record for the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction at $450.3 million. VICE News went to Christie's for a private viewing of Salvator Mundi with contemporary Brazilian artist Vik Muniz. Plus, the Bangladeshi man helping document the Rohingya refugees on his own watch.