60 Minutes Reports on “The Family Farm”, “Collateral Damage” & “The Indomitable Margaret Atwood” November 9 2025
Sunday, November 9 brings a new hour of 60 Minutes to CBS and Paramount+, airing from 7:00 to 8:00 PM ET/PT. The episode features three stories that examine economic strain, political pressure, and the creative force behind one of literature’s most enduring voices. Across the hour, viewers are taken from rural farmland to university laboratories and finally into the world of Margaret Atwood, whose influence continues to reach across generations.
Each segment offers a clear look at how national issues affect real people. Farmers face a landscape reshaped by global trade tensions. Scientists at one of the country’s most prestigious institutions navigate uncertainty tied to federal funding. A celebrated author reflects on her career and the cultural power of her work. Together, the stories capture a nation in transition.
- “The Family Farm”: 60 Minutes Reveals the Hidden Cost of the Trade War on Farmers
- “Collateral Damage”: 60 Minutes Examines the High-Pressure Battle Inside University Labs
- The Indomitable Margaret Atwood: 60 Minutes Explores the Mind Behind a Cultural Icon
The Family Farm
Cecilia Vega opens the broadcast with a close look at soybean farmers in Tennessee and Missouri who are bearing the weight of China’s decision to halt purchases in response to the White House reciprocal tariffs strategy. For many families, the shift has created steep financial challenges. Rising costs and falling prices have left farmers worried about whether they can sustain operations that have been passed down through generations. Producer Michael Rey follows the day-to-day struggles these farmers face as they attempt to preserve their livelihoods in a marketplace defined by volatility.
The report highlights the broader effects of prolonged trade disputes on rural America. Farmers share the uncertainty that guides every planting season and loan negotiation. Their accounts show how global policy decisions reach deep into communities built on stability, planning, and trust in long-standing trade relationships.
Collateral Damage
The second segment, reported by Bill Whitaker, takes viewers to Harvard University, where political pressure has collided with scientific research. Following accusations from President Trump that elite universities foster liberal bias and antisemitism, federal research funding has been threatened unless changes are made. Scientists tell Whitaker that these actions could jeopardize projects aimed at life-saving medical advancements and weaken the nation’s standing as a global leader in innovation. Producer Sarah Koch captures the growing concern within research departments as they work under the shadow of potential funding cuts.
The piece underscores how deeply universities rely on federal support to sustain progress. Researchers describe the risks of interrupted studies, stalled discoveries, and diminishing morale. Their concerns reveal how vulnerable scientific work becomes when political agendas overshadow long-term research goals.
The Indomitable Margaret Atwood
Jon Wertheim closes the hour with a profile of Margaret Atwood, the celebrated Canadian author of The Handmaid’s Tale and more than sixty other books. At eighty-five, Atwood remains an influential cultural figure, known for her ability to imagine societal crises long before they enter public conversation. Her new memoir, Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts, offers a reflective look at the experiences that shaped her work. Producer Nathalie Sommer follows Wertheim as he speaks with Atwood about her creative process, her reputation as a “prophet of doom,” and the way her writing continues to resonate.
The profile also explores the lasting impact of The Handmaid’s Tale and Atwood’s firm stance against growing efforts to ban her books. Atwood discusses why the story became a cultural touchstone and how she views the rise in censorship. She continues to champion free expression and refuses to be silenced, even as debates around literature intensify.
This episode of 60 Minutes brings together farmers battling economic upheaval, scientists fighting to protect their research, and an author whose voice has shaped cultural dialogue for decades. Each segment provides a detailed, grounded look at people working through challenges that reflect larger national shifts. It is a compelling blend of storytelling that captures key issues shaping life in America today.
More 60 Minutes November 9 2025
- 60 Minutes Reports on “The Family Farm”, “Collateral Damage” & “The Indomitable Margaret Atwood” November 9 2025
- “The Family Farm”: 60 Minutes Reveals the Hidden Cost of the Trade War on Farmers
- “Collateral Damage”: 60 Minutes Examines the High-Pressure Battle Inside University Labs
- The Indomitable Margaret Atwood: 60 Minutes Explores the Mind Behind a Cultural Icon
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Hello. The story about American farmers is particularly troubling. Farmers mean food and are critically important to national security. I think this story will bother me forever. I think if you included an address , some Americans would send $5 a week, or what we could to help a little. Give our love & appreciation to the farmers . If they give an address, please send it along. Thank you, and have a great night.
The two farmers featured in the piece tonight have my sympathies for their situation. I would like to buy one of their t-shirts. It’s hard to find all cotton clothing like they said. Synthetic fabrics are taking away our choices to find durable clothing made from cotton. The best clothing fiber on earth.
The story on Harvard and the “research” they conduct was totally one sided. Not one question on why after BILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars for FIVE decades and there is NOT ONE cure for the disease(s) they are supposedly trying to cure. Not ONE question as to why there was ONE trial conducted on a 13 year old from the UK…not someone from the US but the UK…declaring her “cancer free” on a rare cancer….after just three short years. They “cured” a cancer so rare no one has ever heard of it…but Breat Cancer? Nope….nothing? Let’s visit that 16-year-old in 5 years and see how healthy she is. The Scientist that is sooooo upset that funding is not coming their way…billlllions of dollars to continue their research on breast cancer. Not one question on why they research to treat and not cure?…and thousands of women continue to die from breast cancer altho BILLIONS has been and continues to be spent on “a cure”. Not one question on how much money the “Researchers/Scientists” make from all that funding, for 50 plus years, and still…..no cure? I know why….because there is NO money in a cure…only in treatment….they study to treat the disease, not to cure the disease. So disappointed in this story and the questions that were not asked. Big Pharma will continue to rake in BILLIONS of dollars along with the Universities claiming to try and find a cure for many diseases….not just breast cancer. But huuurah, they found a “cure” for a rare cancer no one has ever heard of. Biggest SCAM of my lifetime. Let Harvard and other Ivy League Universities conducting research and raking in BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars dip into their endowments that are worth BILLIONS. Save the argument that it can’t be “used for that”…change the rule.