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A post promotes a 60 Minutes piece about white nationalists helping after disasters. A reply blasts it as biased, arguing it omits local heroes and government failures during Hurricane Helene. The user cites volunteers, Amish, Cajun Navy, veterans, and relief efforts, saying these acts sustained victims while authorities allegedly faltered, and accuses the coverage of smearing rescuers and avoiding the real story.
@60Minutes - 60 Minutes
After natural disasters, white nationalists, militias, and conspiracists often arrive, offering help. But they also want to recruit and improve their image. Watch the full 60 Minutes report: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/some-white-nationalists-swoop-in-after-natural-disasters-60-minutes-transcript/ https://t.co/C2Gc4hb4k5
Video Transcript AI Summary
A recent pattern has emerged in disaster zones where militias, conspiracists, and white supremacists arrive to offer help after natural disasters, a phenomenon described as “disaster tourism.” The report opens with April’s tornado outbreak, which produced over 200 tornadoes across more than 20 states, and notes that hurricane season is near as communities confront the aftermath.
In North Carolina after Hurricane Helene, Sheriff Lowell Griffin describes an influx of outsiders amid heavy rainfall and ruin. He recalls outsiders arriving with a mix of intentions, including an anti-government far-right presence, and notes that some groups attempted to operate as self-deployed units seeking “law and order.” One of the groups observed was members of the white nationalist Active Club, described as a rapidly growing network with about 90 chapters that is antisemitic, anti-immigrant, and anti-democracy, and that also holds mixed martial arts tournaments. A member of Active Club explains that their purpose in disasters is to “hand out flyers” and assist, while acknowledging that their presence changes public perception and may influence future opinions about these groups.
The documentary identifies “disaster tourists” as those who show up to disasters to film themselves helping—handing out water, clearing debris, and performing rescue-like activities—then leave, producing social media content to bolster their image. Freddie Cruz of the Western States Center characterizes this as a strategy to build a following rather than to provide sustained relief. By contrast, veteran and religious relief organizations like Team Rubicon and Samaritan’s Purse coordinate with authorities and stay longer, whereas disaster-tourism groups do not coordinate with local law enforcement and often leave after generating video.
Patriot Front is highlighted for its activities in North Carolina, including cutting trees and distributing bread, as part of a broader effort to cultivate a pro-white image. Watchdogs note that regardless of the group’s stated positive actions, their primary aim is to reach a wider audience and gain followers. Graphica’s John Kelly explains that disasters uniquely capture public attention and provide an opportunity for these groups to craft a narrative that normalizes their ideology, moving away from overt iconography to appeal to mainstream audiences. Robert Rundo, cofounder of Active Club, promotes a more “wholesome” image as a pathway to push fascist ideas, while online influencer Dan Bilzerian and Nick Fuentes are cited as figures who contribute to mainstreaming antisemitism and white nationalist rhetoric. Bilzerian’s profile in Florida politics and a social-media culture that praises Hitler among some young Republican leaders illustrate the permeation of extremist ideas into mainstream discourse.
The report also notes the personal histories of some figures, such as Rundo’s legal troubles and prior confrontations with anti-Trump protesters, and explains that the movement seeks to replace or modify democratic governance with more militarized or authoritarian structures. During Helene, conspiracy theories accused the government of incompetence, while rumors claimed FEMA was rationing or seizing supplies, and a debunked claim that the government used weather control to create the hurricane—an assertion described as a “directed energy weapon.” FEMA and federal responders faced delays when militia groups were perceived as threats.
Sheriff Griffin cautions that disaster-tourist groups spread misinformation and complicate recovery efforts, urging the public to rely on official sources rather than social media narratives, and he warns that this may become the new normal as such groups continue to descend on disaster sites to film content and promote their agendas.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: A surge of tornadoes tore across a large swath of the country in April, carving a path of destruction. Over 200 tornadoes hit over 20 states, closely clustered in the last couple of weeks. And hurricane season is just around the corner. Our story tonight is about what happens after these natural disasters. A pattern has emerged in recent years in which militias, conspiracists, and white supremacists show up to hard hit communities as they did last week in Texas, offering help.
But they've been called disaster tourists who are out to sow doubt in government, soften their own image, and gain followers. September 2024. Hurricane Helene barreled through North Carolina with forces so powerful, it nearly wiped the town of Batcave off the map, lifting homes and toppling trees.
Speaker 1: Imagine taking in a box of toothpicks and dumping them on your kitchen counter.
Speaker 0: Sheriff Lowell Griffin faced a daunting rescue task.
Speaker 1: We had already experienced days of heavy rain and then the hurricane comes through.
Speaker 0: Like a triple whammy.
Speaker 1: Yes. Yes.
Speaker 0: Then another whammy. Outsiders started pouring into North Carolina.
Speaker 2: So we got a lot of work to get done if you're able
Speaker 0: to Including an influx of anti government far right groups.
Speaker 1: These folks that we're talking about, they were in the minority. However, that minority can create chaos, and that's what we ran into.
Speaker 0: Did some of these outsiders launch their own rescue operations?
Speaker 1: We had some folks wanting to act as a militia coming in to take over to, in in their mind, bring some sort of self deployed law and order to the area.
Speaker 0: With weapons?
Speaker 1: Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 0: So that's like taking your time from the real rescue to deal with them?
Speaker 1: It is. It is.
Speaker 0: The sheriff himself didn't see all the groups, but we know among those to show up were members of white nationalist group Active Club.
Speaker 2: Going to a disaster relief is directly helping our people.
Speaker 0: You're going to help white people. Yeah. Robert Rundo cofounded Active Club in 2020 as a place for disgruntled young white men to work out together while sharing their ideology. With nearly 90 chapters, it's been described by watchdogs as one of the country's fastest growing white supremacist networks that are anti Semitic, anti immigrant, and anti democracy. They also hold mixed martial arts tournaments.
Speaker 2: We get together with the boys. We box. We travel.
Speaker 0: Do you think of it as fun?
Speaker 2: Of course. You know, there's fun in fascism.
Speaker 0: Fun in fascism?
Speaker 2: I'm a nationalist.
Speaker 0: What does that mean?
Speaker 2: A nationalist? Yeah. Means I put my people first.
Speaker 0: Would you say white supremacist?
Speaker 2: No. I think that's a slanderous term.
Speaker 0: But my people are white people, European white people.
Speaker 2: You're right. And there's plenty of organizations that are geared towards other ethnic groups. Right? If we don't look out for ourselves, who is?
Speaker 0: I know that your organization has gone to floods, fires, hurricanes. What if you came upon someone who wasn't white but is suffering because of the flood?
Speaker 2: Like, there was, like, a guy on fire, would I give him water? Yeah. I'd probably give him water.
Speaker 0: When you go into these areas, are you recruiting?
Speaker 2: We hand out flyers. You know, if somebody wants to contact us later, that's that's fine. But just us showing up changes somebody's opinion, someone's mind. So the next time when they put something out and they say these evil guys, they say, wait a second, that's the guy who came when my house was on fire and helped me out.
Speaker 0: Many of these outside groups want to build, as one of their post states, a pro white parallel system. We blame America. One of the more prominent white supremacist groups that showed up in North Carolina was Patriot Front. They cut down trees and handed out bread.
Speaker 3: Are you sure just one loaf?
Speaker 0: But Freddie Cruz from the Western State Center, a hate group watchdog, says these white nationalists go to disasters primarily to build a following. These people come in, they hand out water, they help clean up the debris. Whatever their ideology, they're doing something positive, aren't they?
Speaker 4: What we're seeing is actually these groups will show up and generate a whole bunch of social media content. We're dubbing it disaster tourism.
Speaker 0: And then they leave?
Speaker 4: That's generally what we see.
Speaker 0: That's unlike veterans relief groups like Team Rubicon or religious organizations like Samaritan's Purse that come in after disasters, coordinate with authorities, and stay a while. When you go into an area that's distressed, do you coordinate in any way with the local law enforcement, with the sheriff?
Speaker 2: Absolutely not. They would probably do everything they can to prevent us.
Speaker 0: What do you say to people who argue that you go in, the purpose is to have some video shot of you handing out some water, and then you leave. And the whole point was to get that video so that you could post it by saying
Speaker 2: like what everyone does. Right? That's that's what a president does. When he goes into a community, they have the cameras there. So is that bottle of water actually being handed out?
Absolutely it is. Does our guys actually care and feel for the people that are helping out? Absolutely. Do we also video it and put it out there to show another side of us? Absolutely.
Speaker 0: These extremist groups put out videos after floods.
Speaker 3: Patriot Front is here, continuing efforts in Central Texas.
Speaker 0: They put out videos during fires.
Speaker 1: We are here in Santa Monica Pier collecting donations for victims of the wildfires.
Speaker 0: They figured out that videos about natural disasters can reach a whole new large audience.
Speaker 5: I think white nationalists are interested in natural disasters because everybody is interested in natural disasters.
Speaker 0: John Kelly heads Graphica, a firm analyzing how content spreads online.
Speaker 5: There are very few things that bring the public's attention to focus on one thing in unison, and natural disasters is one of those.
Speaker 0: These groups, through natural disasters, are trying to change their image. They're trying to say we're wholesome.
Speaker 5: That's one of the things that characterizes the current groups is that they've kind of decided to leave the more triggering iconography in the closet and try to appeal to a more mainstream audience. Not to do things that turn people off the way that marching around with swastikas would turn people off.
Speaker 2: A lot of mainstream media, how they depict us, they like to show guys in camo, trucker hat, maybe overweight, face tattoos, something like this. What I wanted to do was to create something positive for young guys like myself.
Speaker 0: The more macho, wholesome image, Robert Rundo thinks, gives young men permission to adopt his fascist philosophy. Another guy who appeals to young men is online influencer Dan Bilzerian with nearly 30,000,000 followers on Instagram. He peddles anti Semitism.
Speaker 4: I believe that Jewish supremacy is the greatest threat to America, and I think it's the greatest threat to the world today. I truly believe that.
Speaker 0: Some of these ideas are seeping into mainstream politics. Bilzerian is running for congress in Florida. In a group chat, young Republican leaders praised Hitler. And then there's Nick Fuentes, the online hate monger who's even more explicit.
Speaker 3: And I was thinking, what is it about Hitler that's cool? Why does it tickle? Because kids love Hitler. Kids love Hitler. Young men see the
Speaker 0: More people are advocating these ideas in the open. The young men of Active Club hide their faces when they post pictures from natural disasters.
Speaker 2: Our people come first.
Speaker 0: Rundo is their spokesman even though he himself hasn't gone to disasters. For the past few years, he was out of pocket, so to speak. Why were you in prison?
Speaker 2: Which time?
Speaker 0: Oh, boy.
Speaker 2: I was in prison twice.
Speaker 0: The 36 year old from New York was first incarcerated as a teen for a gang fight. Did you stab somebody?
Speaker 2: Allegedly. Well, yeah. Know? Well, he had a weapon too. It wasn't like I just, you know, I just randomly showed up on somebody.
Speaker 0: And the second time?
Speaker 2: Second time is for what I'm most known for.
Speaker 0: In 2017, he got into a series of fights with anti Trump protesters at rallies. That's him pounding and pounding. He was on the lam when he got this idea to launch a more clean-cut white pride group. But it's just a new image.
Speaker 2: We're ultra nationalist, far right, fascist, you know. I mean, this is I'll lean a little bit into these terms, you know.
Speaker 0: Is your ultimate goal to turn America into a completely white Christian nation.
Speaker 2: I would also add like a more militant nation as well, you know, military rule.
Speaker 0: Like having a military person run the country?
Speaker 2: Well, just more of of democracy. Is that
Speaker 0: it what did you mean democracy and like Oh, it's terrible.
Speaker 2: It's just such a it's such a scam democracy, I believe. It's politicians that get lobbied. They never have the interest. Anything that's important, do they ever ask us?
Speaker 0: No. But if you have a military, you'll never decide anything. They'll
Speaker 2: decide We don't decide anything right now.
Speaker 0: Going to natural disasters like Hurricane Helene also gives these groups an opportunity to slam the government.
Speaker 5: Government didn't help whatsoever.
Speaker 0: Their videos claimed the government did a lousy job in the rescue, it was chaotic, clueless, and corrupt.
Speaker 2: And I am disgusted.
Speaker 0: The criticisms got more outsiders to descend. These militiamen from Virginia came to clear houses.
Speaker 5: When the government fails, the people come together.
Speaker 2: This is a staging area
Speaker 0: that we And Arizona vigilante conspiracist group, Veterans on Patrol, came to organize supplies. But according to law enforcement, they created chaos and did more harm than good. Just look at this car. Sheriff Griffin in North Carolina says many of these disaster tourists spread conspiracies and misinformation to help their videos go viral.
Speaker 1: The misinformation took a bad situation and actually complicated a bad bad situation.
Speaker 0: But sheriff, they they're coming in because they think the government isn't doing anything.
Speaker 1: So what I would say for all of these outside folks that are really wanting to help, they need to get their information from official sources and not from TikTok or Facebook or whatever the flavor of the day is with social media.
Speaker 0: What was some of the misinformation that was being spread?
Speaker 1: That there were people that were still stranded, that there were bodies floating in the river, that FEMA was rationing supplies and seizing supplies. None of that was was true.
Speaker 0: FEMA, the federal agency on the ground at natural disasters, is a main target of these outside groups. During Helene, FEMA rescuers had to back away for a few days when there were fears that militias were coming to hunt them. Also, a wild rumor spread that the government actually created hurricane Helene using weather monitoring towers as a weather weapon.
Speaker 4: Now this is a directed energy weapon utilized to manipulate the weather. These are weapons of mass destruction.
Speaker 1: So, basically, the rumor was that, you know, the government controls the weather and that this was a direct attack on the area.
Speaker 0: Is this usual now in disasters? One, that there are these false rumors, conspiracies being spread, and two, that outside groups sort of stream in and make it more difficult for law enforcement.
Speaker 1: So what I'm afraid of is from what I've seen, this will be the new normal.
@mattvanswol - Matt Van Swol
Out of every disgusting, dishonest piece of filth the mainstream media has produced about Hurricane Helene... This is the worst. 60 Minutes has NEVER done a story on the families FEMA denied. They NEVER mentioned the Amish, who are STILL in the mountains rebuilding homes 550 days later. They NEVER mentioned Jake Jarvis, who has worked 550 days STRAIGHT FOR FREE for Hurricane Helene victims. Instead, they dug up some fringe conspiracy angle to smear the people who actually showed up as White Nationalists. I'm so angry. Let me tell you what 60 Minutes will NEVER report on I was there. I lived it. I am still here. I shared every story I could find. Me, my wife, hundreds of volunteers delivered RVs to mothers holding babies who were sleeping in TOOL SHEDS AND TENTS in the freezing cold, in the mountains. Because their homes had been ripped off the side of a mountain and washed down the French Broad. So tell me 60 Minutes... WHERE WAS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? Tell me, WHY did all these volunteers NEED to show up? Any thoughts on that?!!!!! Any investigation AT ALL into the federal or state government's response to Hurricane Helene? Please tell me... if the federal government was doing such a GREAT JOB, why did we need to put victims in RVs... ...A MONTH AFTER THE HURRICANE?!!!!!!! Literally every single victim you talk to in Western North Carolina has a horror story about dealing with FEMA... ...and guess who they will all say actually cam through for them? Neighbors. Church groups. The Amish. The Cajun Navy. Shawn Hendricks. Samaritan's Purse. MercuryOne. The Mission Mules hauling insulin up washed-out roads, ONLY ACCESSIBLE by mules. Greg Biffle burning his own fuel in helicopters. Veterans like Adam Smith who organized helicopter rescues with other veterans BY HIMSELF and then was demonized by the media for it. Volunteers like Jake Jarvis working TO THIS DAY, 550 days later without ANY PAY AT ALL. THOSE ARE THE STORIES FROM HURRICANE HELENE WORTH TELLING. But 60 Minutes won't tell ANY OF THEM. Because the truth makes the federal government the villain and the "deplorables" are actually the heroes in this story and they can NEVER admit that. So instead they smeared the rescuers as white nationalists. This is unforgivable. I was there. I saw it with my own eyes. And I will BE DAMNED if I let CBS rewrite the history of what happened to my mountains.
@60Minutes - 60 Minutes
Sunday, meet Mike Moore, the self-professed “country lawyer from Mississippi” who took on big tobacco and big oil. His next target? Manufacturers and distributors of opioids. https://cbsn.ws/2LiCWtN
Video Transcript AI Summary
Opioid overdoses have increased in the last eighteen months. Mike Moore, who helped engineer the 1998 settlement with big tobacco, is now taking on opioid manufacturers and distributors. Moore believes a verdict against these manufacturers and distributors could bankrupt them and put them out of business. Moore says the evidence against the industry is damning and believes a jury will quickly reach a verdict.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: The opioid overdoses have increased in the last, you know, eighteen months. They've gone up.
Speaker 1: Mike Moore helped engineer the historic 1998 settlement under which big tobacco had to pay out billions. Now he's taking on opioid manufacturers and distributors.
Speaker 0: If we want a verdict against these manufacturers and distributors, it could bankrupt them. It put them out of business.
Speaker 1: Tonight, you'll hear evidence against the industry, which Moore calls damning. He believes a jury will too.
Speaker 0: You know what those jurors gonna do? They're go in the backroom. They're gonna spend about thirty minutes thinking about it. Gonna come back out and bam.
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@60Minutes - 60 Minutes
“What does reconciliation look like for you?” Jeremy Ellis asks the family whose ancestor commissioned a slave ship that captured and enslaved his ancestors. https://cbsn.ws/49FHrJr
Video Transcript AI Summary
Reconciliation involves Africatown becoming a thriving place in ten years, with efforts made to aid its transformation through relationship building and giving back.
As a first step to make amends, two individuals sold land in Africatown to the city for $50,000, a fraction of its appraised value, for community development. They still own about 14% of the land in historic Africatown.
There are specific requests to see accomplished, including land ownership within the historic district via a land trust, which could then be leased out for businesses. A partnership with a company like Walmart was suggested.
A trust could provide services currently lacking, such as access to basic necessities and improved infrastructure. Educational trust funds could also help descendants avoid student loans.
Descendants believe that they should have the same level of education that the Mere family experienced. Focus should be on Africatown, but also on other survivors impacted by this story.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: What does reconciliation look like for you?
Speaker 1: Well, I told this to Anderson yesterday. I hope he comes back in ten years and Africa Town is a thriving place, and that we've been able to play a part in helping that that transformation. And I think about building relationships and and seeing what ways, you know, we can give back.
Speaker 2: Helen grew up just a few miles from Africa Town, but had never been there until last year when she started volunteering at a food bank. As a first step to make amends, in 2021, Helen and Meg sold this plot of land in Africatown to the city of Mobile for $50,000, a fraction of its appraised value. It'll be home to community development organizations and a new food bank. Meg and Helen still own about 14% of the land in historic Africatown.
Speaker 0: We have some ask, some specific ask that we would like to see accomplished.
Speaker 2: You're talking about plots of land?
Speaker 0: We believe that within that historic district of Africatown, there are parcels of land that we should have ownership in. Land trust.
Speaker 2: A land trust. Mhmm. And that that land would then be leased out for a business.
Speaker 0: Wouldn't it be great if a company like Walmart could partner with Descendants and lease out land from Descendants?
Speaker 3: If there is a trust and there's land and people can have services that they don't currently have. Today, you couldn't get, you know, a loaf of bread without having to drive miles away. The street lights are so poor, The roads are so bad. The dilapidated housing is so terrible. Or maybe there can be educational trust funds that somebody would go to college and not be saddled with student loans.
Speaker 0: I have a daughter, and I believe that she should have the same level of education that the Mere family experienced, but we believe that the same level of education should be provided to all descendants. A lot of focus as it should be is on Africa Town, but as the president of the organization, I have to be intentional about those other survivors that maybe didn't grow up in Africatown, but they still were impacted
Speaker 3: by
Speaker 0: this story.
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reSee.it AI Summary
I shared a quote from scientist Bruce Beehler about the untouched Foja Mountains in Indonesia, highlighting its pristine nature with no signs of human activity. I also mentioned that a full report is available for those interested in learning more.
@60Minutes - 60 Minutes
"We're basically at the edge of the Earth, as we would know it," said scientist Bruce Beehler in 2007, describing the Foja Mountains in Indonesia. "There's no sign of human activity, there are no footprints, there’s no trails, and there’s no Coke cans.”
Video Transcript AI Summary
We ventured into a remote rainforest in the Foyer Mountains, the same area where new species were discovered a couple years ago. After a helicopter drop-off, we were isolated from the world and ready to explore.
We quickly found a new bird species, naming it the wattled smoky honeyeater. It's a quiet bird with unique wattles. Our main goal was to find the elusive black sicklebill bird of paradise. After spotting one, we focused on its display site, a dead stump where the male performs a mating dance. We were lucky enough to film this otherworldly display at dawn.
Nearby, we observed a male golden-fronted bowerbird constructing his elaborate "tower of love." He decorates it with colorful objects to attract females and performs a dance on a mossy runway. We filmed the bowerbird's display, capturing the female's initial inspection and the male's attempts to impress her.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: We were going to a rainforest in what's known as the Foyer Mountains, to the very place where Bruce and other scientists had discovered new species two years ago. The only place where we could set the helicopter down was a bomb if we could find it amidst the clouds. Then suddenly, at 6,000 feet, there it was. We hopped out, said goodbye to the helicopter, and hoped it would come back in ten days as promised. We were now closed off from the outside world.
Speaker 1: We're about as far away from home as you can get.
Speaker 0: You don't just mean geographically? We're basically
Speaker 1: at the edge of the Earth as we would know it. There's no sign of human activity. There's no footprints. There are no trails. There are no Coke cans.
No sounds except the sounds of the birds.
Speaker 0: Only a handful of humans are known to have walked this ground. Bruce had been here once before. He'd always wondered what might be hidden in this forest. But it took him twenty four years of begging before the Indonesian government would let him set foot here. To help us set up a camp, we brought a few villagers from Papasena.
This was it. Our home for the next ten days. And I see you're already wearing your binoculars.
Speaker 1: I'm looking for new birds. Or all birds that I saw last time that only live here. No place else on Earth except the Foyah Mountains.
Speaker 0: In 02/2005, Roos and his fellow scientists needed only ten minutes to find their first new species, an odd looking bird. It didn't take us much longer to spot it.
Speaker 1: You could see these, bizarre little wattles hanging down. That seems to be unique.
Speaker 0: A new bird, a new species, needs a new name. What did you come up with?
Speaker 1: Well, I've got a wife. And I thought, wouldn't it be nice to name it after her? So I named it after Carol, Melopodes carolii. It actually has an English name too. That's the wattled smoky honeyeater.
Speaker 0: Wattled smoky honeyeater.
Speaker 1: That's a mouthful, isn't it? Most birds make a sound. As far as I know, this bird either never makes a sound or very rarely makes a sound. So we've encountered it now perhaps forty, fifty times, and it's always quiet.
Speaker 0: Bruce was on the march to find what are called birds of paradise. The black sicklebill bird of paradise was of particular interest. The sicklebill has a distinctive call. The bird is so rare, it took Bruce thirty years to see his first sicklebill. We were trying to find one in ten days.
Speaker 1: Can you see a pop? He's definitely curious. He's not far.
Speaker 0: And then we saw one. It was only a glimpse, but it was long enough to marvel at his extravagant tail. The key to finding the sicklebill, it turns out, was a dead stump.
Speaker 1: That is a very special place. That is the display site of that black sicklebill, bird of paradise, that we glimpsed. This is the first time I've ever seen a display site. Now what I see, this is where the male does his dance for the female, only on the top of that perch.
Speaker 0: Literally does a dance.
Speaker 1: He does a dance, and he completely transforms himself into some otherworldly creature.
Speaker 0: The dance is part of the mating ritual, and it only happens between 05:20 and 05:45AM. That's when our cameras were focused on the dead stump every morning, trying to become the first camera crew to film a male sickle bill doing its display for a female. Sure enough, one morning, an early bird arrived before dawn. What we saw next really was otherworldly. The male flashed his yellow mouth hoping to lure a female.
One took the bait. The male transformed himself, a metamorphosis from bird to Batman. We don't know if a female was blown away by this display, but we certainly were.
Speaker 1: How could she not be impressed? It's the most fantastic thing I've ever seen.
Speaker 0: Just yards away from the dead stump, we met another character of the rainforest, a male golden fronted bowerbird found only in the Foyer Mountains were sprucing up. He's known as the architect of the forest for good reason.
Speaker 1: I like to call this the bowerbird's tower of love. It looks sort of like a nest, but certainly it's not a nest. You can hear the male. He's up there. He's making weird sounds.
He's created this love bower that he builds, and it's artful. He adds different colors.
Speaker 0: The bowerbird decorates his tower with fruits, snails, anything he thinks will make it stand out. And all this is to attract the girls.
Speaker 1: Yes. Basically, this is his playboy pad. Right? He's a single male here, polygamous.
Speaker 0: He's more discriminating in how he builds his tower than he is in the females he makes for.
Speaker 1: That's what the evolutionary biologists say. Yes. Generally, the females are choosy. Mhmm. And the males are, shall we say, horny.
Speaker 0: This tower, three feet tall, consists of about 500 sticks, all put together by this one male bowerbird. Surrounding it is a mossy runway where he will dance for the female as part of his display. It had never been filmed before, so our cameraman Chris Everson had a hiding spot built for him near the tower. Once the camera was safely tucked away behind camouflage, it was a matter of waiting and hoping. We weren't disappointed.
First, a female dropped in to check out the tower. The male arrived bearing fruit in his mouth. He finally got up the nerve to lift his crest and strut his stuff. What some guys won't do. Apparently, he'll need work on his routine because the female left.
According to Bruce, it may have just been too early in the season.
@60Minutes - 60 Minutes
Watch the full report: https://cbsn.ws/419HuuT
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@60Minutes - 60 Minutes
“Twelve days ago, people knew where their next paycheck was coming from. They knew how they were going to pay for their kids' daycare, their medical bills. And then, all gone overnight,” says Kristina Drye, who was fired in the USAID shutdown. https://cbsn.ws/3CU2X1y
Video Transcript AI Summary
People are scared. Just days ago, they knew where their next paycheck was coming from, how to pay for day care and medical bills. Now, it's all gone overnight due to the chaotic shutdown of foreign aid distributed by USAID.
More than 8,000 USAID employees were sent home. This administration isn't looking for competency, but pure loyalty. If you don't give it, you will be punished.
People with decades of public service across multiple administrations, from George Bush to Obama to the first Trump administration, were forced to leave the building and never allowed back in. They received an email, and if they didn't leave, they were escorted out. There was no explanation.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: People are really scared. I think that, you know, twelve days ago, people knew where their next paycheck was coming from. They knew how they were gonna pay for their kids' day care, their medical bills, and then all gone overnight.
Speaker 1: All gone overnight for Christina Drey and Adam Dubard fired this month in the chaotic shutdown of foreign aid distributed by the US Agency for International Development, USAID. More than 8,000 USAID employees were sent home by the administration. They're not looking for competency. They're not looking for if you're good at your job. They're looking for pure loyalty tests.
And if you don't give it, you you will be punished.
Speaker 0: And they had to leave the building. And these are folks who had decades and decades of public service serving USAID across administrations from, you know, George Bush to Obama to the first Trump administration. And they were never able to walk back in the building again.
Speaker 1: There was no process? No one explained to them why they were being relieved?
Speaker 0: To my knowledge, they received an email, and then if they didn't leave the building, they were escorted out of the building.
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@60Minutes - 60 Minutes
“If you've got dirt under your fingernails, you're the ones that should be getting the money, nobody else,” says a South Dakota farmer about people living in big cities – not working on farms – who are able to collect farm bailout money. https://cbsn.ws/35sjsN4
Video Transcript AI Summary
Many farms today have absentee owners who receive bailout money, including individuals from major cities like New York, Miami, and San Francisco. Among these recipients are professionals such as bankers, architects, and musicians, which doesn't align with the traditional image of a farmer. The view is that the real farmers, like those working the land, should be the ones receiving financial support. The sentiment is that only those who are directly involved in farming, with hands in the dirt, deserve the aid, not those who are disconnected from the day-to-day operations.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: Many farms today have investors, call them absentee owners, who also collect bailout money. When we checked, we found hundreds of recipients living in big cities, including New York City, Miami, San Francisco. Among them, a banker, an architect, a composer, a classical musician. Not South Dakota's Doug Somkie's idea of a farmer.
Speaker 1: I mean, my sons are the ones out here working. They're the ones that should get the money. If you got dirt on your fingernails, you're the ones that should be getting the money. Nobody else.
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@60Minutes - 60 Minutes
60 Minutes wondered how—despite all the international sanctions on Russia—the Kremlin is still making so much money from its oil. It’s the world’s third-largest producer. We found the answer in an unexpected place. https://cbsn.ws/48lKrur
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@60Minutes - 60 Minutes
Cecilia Vega asks: “Is there a way to carry out mass deportation without separating families?” “Of course there is. Families can be deported together,” says Tom Homan, head of ICE during Trump’s family separation policy. https://cbsn.ws/4fixO5w
Video Transcript AI Summary
One estimate claims it would cost $88 billion to deport one million people a year. A speaker questions whether that is what American taxpayers should expect. Another speaker asks what price should be put on national security and whether it is worth the cost. A speaker asks if mass deportation can occur without separating families. Another speaker claims families can be deported together.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: We have seen one estimate that says it would cost $88,000,000,000 to deport a 1000000 people a year.
Speaker 1: I don't know if that's accurate or not.
Speaker 0: Is that what American taxpayers should expect?
Speaker 1: What price do you put on national security? Is that worth it?
Speaker 0: Is there a way to carry out mass deportation without separating families?
Speaker 1: Of course there is. Families can be deported together.
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@60Minutes - 60 Minutes
Though there is a cap to how much money farmers can receive from bailouts, some farms are able to collect millions of dollars by exploiting permissive eligibility rules, allowing farms to collect payments on behalf of many people. https://cbsn.ws/2YtcR3z
Video Transcript AI Summary
USDA data indicates that farms are collecting millions of dollars over the payment cap by exploiting eligibility rules adopted from Congress's farm bills. These rules allow large farms to collect maximum payments on behalf of multiple individuals, including relatives. Even if someone lives in New York City and doesn't farm, they can receive payments simply by having an ownership interest in the farm and making a few phone calls a year. They don't have to live on or visit the farm to receive these payments.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: The USDA data Cook obtained through a search of public records show farms are actually collecting 1,000,000 of dollars way over the cap. They do it by exploiting permissive eligibility rules that the administration adopted from Congress's farm bills. Those rules allow big farms to collect maximum payments on behalf of not just the farmer, but many others.
Speaker 1: Cousins, uncles, aunts.
Speaker 0: So let's say, I have a cousin who's a farmer, and I'm a reporter in New York. I sit here. I don't do any farming, but I'm a cousin.
Speaker 1: That's right.
Speaker 0: I can get money?
Speaker 1: You can get money. Maybe you have to make a phone call a couple of times a year.
Speaker 0: But I don't have to go even go there?
Speaker 1: No. You don't have to live on the farm or visit the farm. These payments aren't just going to farmers who are out there climbing up on a tractor every morning. These payments are going to people who are living in the middle of New York City because they happen to have an ownership interest in the farm.
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@60Minutes - 60 Minutes
“I was helpless … They did not want to protect me. They wanted to guard their trophy.” Yarden Roman-Gat was captured by Hamas – dragged in her pajamas into a car and driven into Gaza where crowds were celebrating. https://cbsn.ws/3tmRB1m
Video Transcript AI Summary
Yaden, a hostage, describes her terrifying experience of being captured and taken to Gaza. She pretended to be dead, but her captors realized she was alive and dragged her back to the car, causing her clothes to come off. Yaden feared she might be raped. Fortunately, they didn't harm her in that way. She was paraded as a trophy to the crowds in Gaza before being taken to a house where she was constantly guarded by men. Yaden tried to make them care about her as a human, which may have helped her survive. Despite feeling watched and helpless, she never shut down emotionally.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: Hours earlier, Yaden, too exhausted to keep running, fell to the ground as her captors closed in.
Speaker 1: I played dead, but holding my breath was next to impossible. So they said, no, she's not dead. There's no blood, So pick her up and they grabbed my arms and started dragging me on the ground forwards, Back to the car, I was in pajamas and my clothes started to swipe off my body. And it was one of one of the most frightening moments because my thoughts were, Even if they didn't have that intention, now they might have. And I'm half naked, so.
You're worried about rape? Yeah. Yeah. I was worried to get raped.
Speaker 0: Yeah. Of course.
Speaker 1: And Fortunately enough, they didn't do it. They were the the goal was Get me into Gaza.
Speaker 0: Like other hostages, she was driven into Gaza through thick crowds celebrating.
Speaker 1: My kidnappers could not help themselves showing me off As a trophy and showing my face as an object, it I was not a person.
Speaker 0: But but the windows were up. Right? No one could
Speaker 1: No. They were not up. There were a lot of people around and as we Yelling and Yeah, partying.
Speaker 0: After similar gauntlets of terror, many other hostages were taken down into the dark, airless tunnels. Yarden was never underground. And where did they take you?
Speaker 1: Eventually, we got, to a house. I was alone, but I was never alone because I had My guarding guarding Guards. Guards with me 247 From the 2nd I got to Gaza to the 2nd I left.
Speaker 0: Were they men or women or both or?
Speaker 1: Only men. Only men. You cannot object to anything. It could cost you your life.
Speaker 0: She was given a hijab that covered most of her body.
Speaker 1: I got a very strong feeling. This is my that that fabric is my only protection That I don't know, it's effectiveness, but it was the only thing I got.
Speaker 0: You could feel hidden A little bit behind that formless
Speaker 1: The word hidden has no place. I was watched and seen at all times. I was not hidden, Not for a moment. They could do anything to me. I had You were helpless?
I was helpless.
Speaker 0: Did you Try to engage them so they would see you as a human?
Speaker 1: I tried to make them care.
Speaker 0: Did it work? Do you think they began to want to protect you?
Speaker 1: They did not want to protect me. They wanted to guard their trophy. But I do think I managed to make them care, I don't know, in some levels. And I do think it helped me survive.
Speaker 0: Do you think that at some level you just shut down? You know, just almost as if it was happening to another person?
Speaker 1: No. No. You were It was happening to me.
Speaker 0: Yeah.
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@60Minutes - 60 Minutes
60 Minutes discovered the U.S. is financing more than weapons in Ukraine. The government is buying seeds/fertilizer for farmers, paying the salaries of 57,000 first responders and subsidizing small businesses. https://cbsn.ws/466Ketc
Video Transcript AI Summary
American taxpayers are not only funding weapons, but also providing support to Ukraine in various ways. This includes buying seeds and fertilizer for Ukrainian farmers, covering the salaries of 57,000 first responders, and funding rescue teams like the one training a dog named Joy to search for survivors in the aftermath of Russian strikes. The US also supports divers who clear unexploded ammunition from rivers, making them safe for swimming and fishing. Due to Russia's invasion, Ukraine's economy has shrunk by about a third, and to help sustain it, the US government is subsidizing small businesses.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: American taxpayers are financing more than just weapons. We discovered the US government's buying seeds and fertilizer for Ukrainian farmers and covering the salaries of Ukraine's first responders, all 57,000 them. That includes the team that trains this rescue dog named Joy to comb through the wreckage of Russian strikes looking for survivors. And the US also funds the divers who we saw clearing unexploded ammunition from the country's rivers to make them safe again for swimming and fishing. Russia's invasion shrank Ukraine's economy by about a third.
We were surprised to find that to keep it afloat, the US government is subsidizing small businesses.
What U.S taxpayers are getting for their money in Ukraine
America has pumped nearly $25 billion into Ukraine's economy since the Russian invasion began. 60 Minutes went to Ukraine to learn how the money is being spent.
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@60Minutes - 60 Minutes
60 Minutes hired an ethical hacker to show how easy it is to be scammed. She conned our unsuspecting colleague using artificial intelligence. https://cbsn.ws/3MOhmia
Video Transcript AI Summary
Ethical hacker Rachel Toback demonstrates how easy it is for criminals to use online information to scam people. Using an AI-powered app, Toback mimics a colleague's voice and successfully tricks her into revealing personal information. She explains that anyone can be spoofed, even if they are not a public figure, by changing the pitch and modulation of their voice. Attackers often target individuals who have a relationship with someone else and impersonate them to gain trust. This highlights the importance of understanding how criminals think in order to protect oneself online.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: If you don't know how a criminal thinks, then you really don't know how you can protect yourself online.
Speaker 1: Rachel Toback is what's called an ethical hacker. She studies how these criminals operate.
Speaker 0: So ethical hackers, we step in and show you how it works.
Speaker 1: Toback is the CEO of Social Proof Security, a data protection firm that advises Fortune 500 companies, the military, and private citizens on their vulnerabilities. We hired her to show us how easy it is to use information found online to scam someone. We asked her to target our unsuspecting colleague, Elizabeth. Toback found Elizabeth's cell phone number on a business networking website. As we set up for an interview, Toback called Elizabeth, but used an AI powered app to mimic my voice and ask for my passport number.
Oh, yes. Yes. Yes. I do have it. Okay.
Ready? It's Toback played the AI generated voice recording for us to reveal the scam. Elizabeth, sorry. Need my passport number because the Ukraine trip is on. Can you read that out to me?
Speaker 0: Does that sound familiar?
Speaker 1: Yes. And I gave her wow. I had
Speaker 0: the best foot in the house.
Speaker 1: I was sitting over there. Did what did it say on your phone? Sharon, how did you do that?
Speaker 0: So I used something called a spoofing tool to actually be able to call you as Sharon.
Speaker 1: That's why I was hacked, and I fail I failed.
Speaker 0: No. But everybody would get tricked with that.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 0: Everybody would. It says, Sharon, Why would I not answer this call? Why would I not give that information?
Speaker 1: Toback showed us how she took clips of me from television and put it into an app that cloned my voice. It took about 5 minutes. I am a public person. My voice is out there. Could a person who's not a public person like me
Speaker 0: Right.
Speaker 1: Be spoofed as easily?
Speaker 0: Anybody can be spoofed. And oftentimes, attackers will go after people, they don't even know who these people are, but they just know this person has a relationship to this other person, And they can impersonate that person enough just by changing the pitch and the modulation of their voice that I believe that's my nephew and I need to really wire that
How con artists use AI, apps, social engineering to target parents, grandparents for theft
Losses from digital theft have doubled over the past two years, according to the FBI. Sharyn Alfonsi shows how cyber scammers are using AI, apps and social engineering to target seniors.
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