60 Minutes Podcast – February 23, 2026: “Left Behind, South Africa’s Refugees, Is That Art?”

Episode Overview This episode of 60 Minutes explores three compelling segments: the economic and social struggles in McDowell County, West Virginia ("Left Behind"), the controversial resettlement of white South African farmers as refugees in the U.S. ("South Africa's Refugees"), and the emergence of artificial intelligence as a new medium in the art world ("Is That Art?"). The show features first-hand accounts from impacted Americans, South Africans, artists, and critics, delivering in-depth reporting on inequality, policy impacts, and cultural debates.

Segment 1: Left Behind – McDowell County, West Virginia
Timestamps: [03:59] – [17:24]

Key Discussion Points:

• McDowell County’s transformation from the nation’s largest coal producer to one of the poorest areas in the U.S., with a population that shrank from nearly 100,000 at its peak to just 17,000.
• Widespread poverty, hunger, opioid epidemic, and crumbling infrastructure—especially the lack of clean drinking water.
• The looming impact of historic federal funding cuts to SNAP (food stamps) and Medicaid, accompanied by stricter work requirements.
• Residents express feeling abandoned by both the government and broader American society.

Notable Moments & Quotes:

• On local struggle and resilience:
  • “If you would ask probably nine out of 10 individuals here, they would tell you that they feel very much forgotten.” — Scott Pelley [05:50]
• Pastor Brad Davis on rootedness:
  • “I've heard directly people say, ‘Well, why don't people just move?’ And my response is, why should we? … This is home.” [06:25]
• On food insecurity:
  • "If I go to the grocery store, I can't get out of there less than $200, and that … That's a week. … Groceries are really high. … I cut back on chicken, vegetables." — Betty Stepp [06:42]
  • “The children is what breaks my heart. … They didn’t ask to be brought into this situation, and they suffer daily.” — Linda McKinney, food bank director [08:28]
• On living on the edge:
  • “In the month of December, my electrical bill was $480.” — Tabitha Collins, local mother and sole breadwinner [11:37]
  • “We rely on the benefits very much, and it's not because we're taking advantage of the government. It's because we actually need these things.” — Tabitha [12:22]
• Political disillusionment:
  • “Economic resurgence, renaissance of the coal industry, the elimination of poverty, fixing our water systems. Big promises, and nothing ever changes.” [14:09]
• Public health crisis – Water woes:
  • “There are people in parts of this county who haven't taken a hot shower in six years or longer because the fumes from the water makes them physically ill.” — Pastor Brad Davis [15:12]
  • “This shouldn't be the case anywhere in the world, let alone in the wealthiest nation in the world.” [16:03]
• End note on hope and exhaustion:
  • “I'm tired of it, too. It's gone on long enough.” — Pastor Brad Davis [17:24]

Segment 2: South Africa’s Refugees
Timestamps: [18:35] – [31:46]

Key Discussion Points:

• The Trump administration’s decision to expedite resettlement of white South African farmers as refugees, citing so-called “genocide” claims.
• Examination of whether white farmers in South Africa face government-sponsored race-based violence and land seizures, with background from local farmers, families of victims of crime, economists, and Afrikaner community leaders.
• Context around South Africa's Land Expropriation Act, entrenched economic and racial inequality after apartheid, and how international narratives have eclipsed reality, often fueling white supremacist tropes abroad.
• South African farmers and experts overwhelmingly attribute violence to general criminality rather than targeted genocide.

Notable Moments & Quotes:

• Realities on the ground:
  • “Did you grow up knowing you would be a farmer?”
    “It was always in my blood. It's a calling.” — Darrell Brown, white South African farmer [19:25]
  • “Do you live in fear?”
    “I certainly live carefully.” — Darrell Brown [19:51]
• Trump, Ramaphosa, and the cross display:
  • “These are burial sites right here.” — President Trump, showing footage at the White House [20:43]
  • “It definitely wasn't a burial site. … Those crosses were there for less than 48 hours. It was purely an avenue of crosses that we planted there in honor of commercial farmers in South Africa that had lost their lives.” — Darrell Brown [21:02]
• Is it genocide?
  • “Well, I just thought he was using the wrong word ... In your opinion? It's not a genocide here.” — Renee Nell, widow of murdered farmer [22:34]
  • “It's about criminality in South Africa. … The fact that it happened on a farm doesn't make me special as a farmer. It's horrendous. Any murder is horrendous.” — Johan Kotza, head of South Africa’s largest agri organization [24:31, 24:39]
  • “South Africa is one of the most dangerous countries in the world. The murder rate is seven times that of the United States. … In 2024, 25,000 people were murdered here. It's estimated 37 of them were killed on farms.” [24:06]
• Economic and historic context:
  • “Poverty is the biggest driver of crime in South Africa. … South Africa remains one of the world's most economically unequal countries. 44% of blacks here live in poverty, compared to 1% of whites.” [24:51]
• White genocide narrative questioned:
  • “Donald Trump was fed this information … There is no such a thing.” — Max Dupre, journalist [27:40]
  • “There is a serious threat to property rights. There is a serious threat to the lives of farmers and that needs to be recognized.” — Kali Creel, Afriforum CEO [29:07]
  • “We've never used the term white genocide. We're saying there are tortures, people are being murdered. We are seeing a call for genocide.” — Kali Creel [29:23]
  • “Did you ever imagine that virtually the only group of refugees going to be allowed in the US would be white Afrikaners? That shows up the complete absurdity of this ... They're saying white lives are worth more than other lives.” — Max Dupre [31:00]
  • “I'm an African. I've been burnt by the African sun and I'm not going anywhere.” — Darrell Brown [31:28]

Segment 3: Is That Art? – AI and the Art World
Timestamps: [32:06] – [44:44]

Key Discussion Points:

• Introduction to Rafiq Anadol, Turkish-American artist and pioneer in AI-generated visual art.
• Exploration of Anadol’s process: using big data (as “pigment”) and artificial intelligence as a “co-creator” to generate immersive, ever-evolving visual installations.
• Success in the art and tech world: Major exhibits (e.g., at the MoMA), high-profile partnerships (Google, MIT), sales of AI pieces for over $1 million.
• Debate over whether AI-generated art is genuine art, including approval, skepticism, and outright opposition from art critics and traditional artists.
• Intellectual property concerns: Art critics like Molly Crabapple call mass training of AI on artists’ work without consent the “greatest art heist in history.”

Notable Moments & Quotes:

• Artistic philosophy:
  • “So I'm a media artist and I'm using data and AI in my work. … I paint with a thinking brush.” — Rafiq Anadol [34:06]
  • “I tried my very best last 10 years to make a 50% machine, 50% human.” — Anadol on working as a co-creator with AI [37:28]
• MoMA’s Glenn Lowry on ‘Unsupervised’:
  • “People sat in front of it for hours, literally transfixed by what they were seeing. It's an amazing painting.” — Glenn Lowry, MoMA Director [38:22]
• Mixed critical reactions:
  • “It's like a giant lava lamp that you can't take your eyes off of.” — Jerry Saltz, art critic [39:25]
  • “AI is art. AI will be art. … Most of what you see in AI Sharon is crap. ... 90% crap. But 90% of the art made during the Renaissance was also crap. Things take time.” — Jerry Saltz [40:38, 41:08]
• IP debate & ethics:
  • “You've called this the greatest art heist in history.” — Leslie Stahl
    “Yes. ... They stole billions and billions of images.” — Molly Crabapple [41:54]
  • “As an artist, I only use my own data.” — Rafiq Anadol [43:20]
  • “There are some people that say AI can never truly create art because it lacks emotion, it lacks lived experience, and it lacks intent.” — Leslie Stahl [44:21]
  • “That's why I believe human machine collaboration. ... Just be sure that it's done right and its shared rights and celebrate this new age of imagination.” — Rafiq Anadol [44:34]

Closing:

• [46:12] A brief, reflective epilogue with Mike Eruzione, captain of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, on American resilience and the power of collective effort in the face of doubt.
  • “If you believe in something and you're willing to work for it, you can accomplish it. And our team exemplified that.” — Mike Eruzione [46:12]

Episode Flow:

• The show moves from the intimate and urgent economic and social challenges of an American county left behind, to contested and politicized stories of migration and violence in South Africa, and finally plunges the listener into the debate over what defines art in the digital age.
• The voices of those affected remain front and center, with correspondents offering pressing questions and thoughtful context.
• The tone is serious, sometimes indignant, and challenges the audience to reconsider easy assumptions on poverty, migration, and creativity.

Recommended Listening:

• [06:25] – Pastor Brad Davis on community and home (“Why should we have to move?”)
• [15:12] – Pastor Brad Davis describes water crisis (“There are people … who haven’t had a hot shower in six years …”)
• [19:51] – Darrell Brown on living in fear as a farmer in South Africa
• [21:02] – Darrell Brown on the reality of “burial sites” of white farmers
• [29:23] – Kali Creel on the meaning behind government land policies
• [34:06] – Rafiq Anadol on “painting with a thinking brush”
• [40:38] – Jerry Saltz on the future of AI art (“AI is art. AI will be art.”)
• [46:12] – Mike Eruzione on the “Miracle on Ice” and American greatness

For Viewers:
To see the AI art segment and decide for yourself, visit 60minutesovertime.com for immersive visuals and more.