>>> CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE HELD EVEN HIT THE WEST COAST OF FLORIDA WITH A FURY NOT SEEN SINCE HURRICANE IAN TWO YEARS
AGO. 50,000 HOMEOWNERS ARE STILL BATTLING THEIR INSURANCE COMPANIES FROM THAT STORM.
THERE ARE ALLEGATIONS THEY ARE BEING CHEATED. >> FAKING THE FACTS ON A CLAIM IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
THERE SHOULD BE LEGAL CONSEQUENCES FOR THAT. >>> VLADIMIR PUTIN TRIED TO POISON HIM TWICE.
THEN SENT HIM TO DIE IN PRISON. TONIGHT, MEET THE MAN WHOSE VOICE YOU WERE NEVER MEANT TO HEAR EVER AGAIN.
WILL PUTIN TRY TO KILL YOU AGAIN? >> WE KNOW WHAT IT ENTAILS TO BE AN OPPOSITION TO VLADIMIR PUTIN.
HE IS NOT JUST A DICTATOR. HE IS NOT JUST AN AWE TUTHORITA LADER. THAT MAN IS A MURDERER.
>>> THERE WE GO. >> BANG. YOU KNEW THAT WHEN IT LEFT YOUR HANDS.
>> CAITLIN CLARK MAY BE THE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR. >> THIS IS MY OFF DAY. YOU ARE PUTTING ME THROUGH A
WORKOUT. >> THE REAL BREAKTHROUGH STAR THIS SEASON IS THE LEAGUE ITSELF.
YOU LOOK INTO THE CROWDS, WHAT ARE YOU SEEING? >> PEOPLE, WHICH IS WHAT WE WANT.
>> I'M LESLEY STAHL. >> I'M BILL WHITAKER. >> I'M ANDERSON COOPER. >> I'M SHARYN ALFONSI.
>> I'M JON WERTHEIM. >> I'M CECILIA VEGA. >> I'M SCOTT PELLEY. THOSE STORIES AND MORE TONIGHT
ON "60 MINUTES."
>>> ON THURSDAY NIGHT, HURRICANE HELENE MADE LANDFALL. THE FULL EXTEND WON'T BEP KN KN FOR WEEKS.
REBUILDING IS LIKELY TO BE AS DAUNTING AS THE STORM ITSELF. IT HAS BEEN TWO YEARS SINCE HURRICANE IAN HIT SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA. AN ESTIMATED 50,000 HOMEOWNERS ARE STILL LOCKED IN BATTLING WITH THEIR INSURANCE COMPANIES.
TONIGHT, YOU WILL HEAR FROM INSURANCE INSIDERS WHO SAY AFTER YEARS OF DILIGENTLY PAYING PREMIUMS, HOMEOWNERS ARE BEING
MISLED BY THEIR INSURANCE CARRIERS. THE WHISTLE-BLOWERS WHO ARE ALL LICENSED ADJUSTORS TELL US AFTER
HURRICANE IAN, SEVERAL INSURANCE CARRIERS WERE USING ALTERED DAMAGE REPORTS TO DECEIVE CUSTOMERS.
AS HURRICANE IAN SLAMMED INTO FLORIDA WITH 150 MILE AN HOUR WINDS, JEFF TOOK THIS VIDEO FROM THE PORCH OF HIS HOME, ABOUT 40
MILES SOUTH OF SARASOTA. >> THE TREES ARE COMING DOWN. THEY DON'T NORMALLY LOOK LIKE THIS.
IT'S COMING APART. MY NAME IS JEFF. I LIVE IN FLORIDA. >> AN ADOPTION ATTORNEY AND HIS
WIFE RAISED THREE CHILDREN IN THE HOME AND WEATHERED MORE THAN A HALF DOZEN HURRICANES INSIDE. BU IAN, THEY SAY, WAS
DIFFERENT. >> IT SAT ABOVE OUR HEADS. IT WOULDN'T MOVE. IT WAS A NIGHTMARE.
>> IT WENT ON HOW LONG? >> 11 HOURS. IT FELT LIKE THE HURRICANE WAS INSIDE THE HOUSE.
WE COULDN'T KEEP THE WINDOWS CLOSED. >> THAT IS THE HOUSE, A NEIGHBOR JUST HAPPENED TO BE FILMING WHEN
THEIR STEEL ROOF WAS RIPPED OFF. WHEN THE STORM PASSED, THEY COULD SEE CLEAR SKIES THROUGH THE NEW HOLE HURRICANE IAN
PUNCHED IN THEIR CEILING. THERE WERE TREES ON AND AROUND THEIR HOUSE. THE ROOF WAS SHREDDED.
EVERYTHING INSIDE WAS SOAKED. THEY LINED UP THEIR LOSSES ON THE CURB AND CALLED THEIR INSURANCE COMPANY, HERITAGE, TO
BEGIN THE CLAIMS PROCESS. IT SENT A LICENSED D ADJUSTOR THE HOUSE. DID YOU GET THE FEELING SPEAKING
TO HIM AND SHOWING HIM AROUND THE PROPERTY THAT HE UNDERSTOOD -- >> YEAH.
>> WHAT WAS HAPPENING? THIS WAS SERIOUS? >> HE WAS REALLY NICE. HE WAS THOROUGH.
HE SAID, YOUR HOUSE WILL NEED TO BE COMPLETELY REBUILT. >> WHY IS WHY THEY WERE FLOORED WHEN THEY FINALLY GOT A CHECK
FROM THEIR INSURANCE COMPANY THREE MONTHS LATER. >> THEY SENT US A REPORT FROM THE ADJUSTOR WHICH SAID THAT IT
WOULD COST $15,000 TO PUT OUR HOME BACK TO PRE-HURRICANE CONDITIONS. >> THEY SENT YOU $15,000?
>> $15,000. THE DEDUCTIBLE WAS TAKEN OUT. IT WAS $10,000. THEN OUR PUBLIC ADJUSTOR TOOK
$1000 OUT, SO WE HAD NINE. >> WHEN YOU CALLED AND SAID, $9,000, ARE YOU KIDDING? WHAT WAS THE REACTION?
>> THE REACTION WAS, THIS IS THE DECISION WE HAVE MADE. I STARTED TO PRAY FOR MR. JORDAN LEE'S UNTIMELY DEMISE BECAUSE I
WAS SO ANGRY. >> WE FIND MR. JORDAN LEE VERY MUCH ALIVE. DO YOU REMEMBER THIS FAMILY?
>> YES, SIR. >> LEE IS THE ADJUSTOR WHO WENT TO THEIR HOME AFTER THE STORM. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER?
>> THEIR PROPERTY, TWO STORY HOME, METAL ROOF THAT WAS BLOWN OFF BY HURRICANE IAN. THE INTERIOR OF THE HOME WAS
JUST -- IT WAS SOAKED. >> JORDAN LEE HAS BEEN A LICENSED ADJUSTOR IN FLORIDA SINCE 2017.
AFTER MAJOR DISASTERS, MOST INSURANCE COMPANIES USE THIRD PARTY FIRMS WHO HIRE ADJUSTORS LIKE LEE TO HELP THEM WITH THE
THOUSANDS OF CLAIMS. LEE SAYS AFTER HE ASSESSES A HOME, HE ALWAYS LEAVES HIS KRILL NUMBER WITH THE HOMEOWNERS SO
THEY CAN CALL HIM IF THEY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. AFTER HURRICANE IAN, HOMEOWNERS DID.
WHAT WERE THEY SAYING? >> CUSSING ME OUT LEFT AND RIGHT, UP AND DOWN. HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US?
IT WAS BAD. OUT OF THE THOUSANDS OF CLAIMS THAT I HANDLED, I HAVE NEVER HAD PHONE CALLS LIKE THAT.
>> CONFUSED, HE WENT BACK TO COMPARE THE DAMAGE REPORT HE WROTE FOR THEM TO THE ONE THE INSURANCE COMPANY SENT TO THEM.
THAT'S YOUR WORK? >> CORRECT. >> THIS IS WHAT THEY WERE GIVEN. >> TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
>> YOU SAID THEY NEEDED A NEW ROOF. >> I DID. >> THIS REPORT SAYS WHAT?
>> IT READS AS A REPAIR. > WAS THAT ROOF ABLE TO BE REPAIRED? >> NOT IN MY OPINION.
>> LATER, JORDAN LEE LEARNED A DESK ADJUSTOR, WHO HAD NEVER BEEN TO THEIR HOME, HAD DELETED ENTIRE SECTIONS OF HIS REPORT
BUT LEFT HIS NAME AND HIS LICENSE NUMBER ON IT, MAKING IT LOOK LIKE HIS WORK. DID ANYBODY EVER ALERT YOU,
WE'RE MAKING A CHANGE TO THIS REPORT? >> NO. NOBODY TOLD ME.
THE ONLY WAY I KNEW WAS THE HOMEOWNER CALLING ME. >> IT IS STANDARD PROCEDURE FOR FIELD ADJUSTORS TO COLLABORATE
WITH THOSE BACK IN THE OFFICE TO MAKE MINOR EDITS. JORDAN LEE SAYS THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED WITH THIS REPORT.
DID YOU PUT A DOLLAR AMOUNT ON HOW MUCH YOU THOUGHT THEY WERE OWED? >> $231,368.57.
>> WHAT DID THE INSURANCE CARRIER COME UP WITH? >> $15,469.48. QUITE A BIT OF DIFFERENCE.
>> THAT'S NOT A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION. >> NO. >> JORDAN LEE SAYS AS HE DUG
FURTHER INTO HIS WORK FROM HURRICANE IAN, HE WAS STUNNED TO DISCOVER THEY WEREN'T THE ONLY FAMILY WHOSE REPORT WAS ALTERED.
>> IT WAS BASICALLY ALL OF THEM. I HANDLED 46 OF THEM. 44 OF THEM WERE CHANGED. >> WERE ANY OF YOUR REPORTS
CHANGED TO GIVE THE POLICYOWNER MORE MONEY? >> NO. >> IT WAS ALWAYS DOWN?
>> IT WAS ALWAYS DOWN. > DOWN BY AS MUCH AS 98%. ONE ESTIMATE HE WROTE FOR $488,000 WAS CHANGED TO $13,000.
ANOTHER FROM $239,000 TO $3,000. ON DECEMBER 13, 2022 -- >> MY NAME IS JORDAN LEE. I WORK FOR THE INSURANCE
COMPANIES. >> JURORDAN LEE AND TWO OTHER ADJUSTORS TESTIFIED ABOUT WHAT ONE GROUP CALLED SYSTEMATIC
CRIMINAL FRAUD BY THE INSURANCE COMPANIES. >> THE SCHEME WAS REPEATED OVER AND OVER AGAIN, NOT ONLY ON MY
ESTIMATES BUT ON ESTIMATES WRITTEN BY OTHER ADJUSTORS. >> THIS MAN HAS BEEN A LICENSE LICENSED
ADJUSTOR SINCE 2017. HE SAYS 18 OF THE 20 REPORTS HE WROTE FOR ANOTHER CARRIER AFTER HURRICANE IAN WERE ALTERED.
HE SAYS HE AND OTHER ADJUSTORS WERE INSTRUCTED BY SOME OF THEIR MANAGERS TO LEAVE DAMAGE OFF REPORTS.
>> DELIBERATE SCHEME TO DO THIS. IT WASN'T JUST WITH ONE CARRIER DOING THIS. THIS WAS SIX CARRIERS THAT WE
DISCOVERED WERE DOING THIS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. THEY ALL GOT THE MEMO. >> WHICH WAS?
>> WHICH WAS, WE'RE NOT GOING TO REPLACE ROOFS, ASPHALT SHINGLE ROOFS, WE'RE NOT GOING TO REPLACE THEM.
WE'RE GOING TO REPAIR THEM. >> HE SAYS HE REFUSED TO LEAVE OFF ROOFS. >> THEY WERE ASKING ME TO DO
SOMETHING THAT WAS ILLEGAL. >> WHY WAS IT ILLEGAL? >> IT'S ILLEGAL BECAUSE WHEN I GO OUT TO MAKE A DAMAGE
ESTIMATE, I HAVE TO PUT WHAT THE DAMAGE IS NOT WHAT THEY WANT THE DAMAGE TO BE. SO IF I LEAVE SOMETHING OFF
THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE ON THERE, I CAN BE PROSECUTED FOR THAT. >> THE COMPANY IS TELLING YOU, LEAVE THE ROOFS OFF, WE'RE NOT
PAYING FOR ROOFS. BUT YOU KEEP WRITING THESE ROOFS NEED REPLACED. >> I WROTE THE WAY THEY ARE
SUPPOSED TO BE. >> YOU GOT FIRED? >> I GOT FIRED. >> NOW AND FIVE OTHER
WHISTLE-BLOWER ADJUSTORS ARE REPRESENTED BY THIS ATTORNEY. BUSH WORKED AS A PUBLIC ADJUSTOR FOR MORE THAN A DECADE.
>> WHAT THE CARRIERS ARE DOING IN SOME INSTANCES, WHAT THEY SAID IF THE POLICYHOLDER NEEDS A NEW ROOF, THEN WE WILL MAKE THEM
MAKE US PAY. IN OTHER WORDS, FILE A LAWSUIT. THEN WE WILL PAY YOU FOR YOUR ROOF.
>> UNLESS THEY DO THAT, THEY'RE NOT GETTING THE ROOF PAID FOR? >> THAT'S NOT GETTING IT. MOST PEOPLE WILL NOT STAND UP
AND FIGHT. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE SAY, WHAT WAS I GOING TO DO?
I HAD TO REPLACE MY ROOF. >> DO YOU THINK THE INSURANCE COMPANIES KNOW THAT? THEY ARE BETTING ON THOSE PEOPLE
ARE JUST GOING TO ROLL OVER? >> NO QUESTION, THEY KNOW THAT. THEY ARE PLAYING THE ODDS. THEY ARE WINNING.
>> FLORIDA INSURANCE MARKET HAS BEEN A RISKY GAMBLE FOR YEARS. AFTER A DECADE OF COSTLY STORMS, SEVERAL NATIONAL CARRIERS EXITED
FLORIDA. SMALLER REGIONAL CARE YERIERS STEPPED IN. NOT ALL WERE UP TO THE JOB.
SINCE 2021, AT LEAST NINE INSURANCE COMPANIES IN FLORIDA HAVE COLLAPSED. SOME OF THE REMAINING ONES
STEVEN BUSH SAYS ALTERED DAMAGE REPORTS. IS IT JUST IN FLORIDA? >> I HAVE EVIDENCE IN SIX
DIFFERENT STATES OF WHERE CARRIERS ARE MANIPULATING THE ESTIMATES, CHANGING THEM AND MISREPRESENTING TO POLICYHOLDERS
IT'S THE WORK PRODUCT OF THE FIELD ADJUSTOR. >> DO MOST TIMES THE POLICY -- >> NO CLUE.
>> THERE'S ALMOST NO TRANSPARENCY. >> DOUG QUINN IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE AMERICAN POLICY
POLICYHOLDERS ASSOCIATION, A GROUP HE STARTED AFTER HIS HOME WAS DESTROYED IN 2012 BY HURRICANE SANDY.
>> THE VICTIMS OF INSURANCE FRAUD ARE THE LAST PEOPLE TO FIND OUT THAT THEY WERE VICTIMS OF INSURANCE FRAUD.
>> WHEN THE INSURANCE CARRIERS SAY, IT'S OUR RIGHT, WE ARE ALLOWED TO GO BACK IN AND DO WHAT WE WANT TO THESE ADJUSTOR
REPORTS, YOU WOULD SAY? >> YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE SOMEBODY WHO HAS DUTIFULLY PAID PREMIUMS FOR YEARS AND WHEN THEY
NEED THEIR INSURANCE, CHEAT THEM AND SHAVE 70%, 80%, 90% OFF THEIR CLAIM. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT.
YOU ARE ALLOWED TO DISAGREE. BUT COMING INTO THAT DEGREE AND FAKING THE FACTS ON A CLAIM IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
THERE SHOULD BE LEGAL CONSEQUENCES FOR THAT. >> IF YOU WANT TO SEE CHANGE IN THE INDUSTRY, PUT SOMEBODY IN
HANDCUFFS. >> ATTORNEY BUSH SAYS HE TURNED OVER WHAT HE SAYS IS EVIDENCE OF INSURER FRAUD TO STATE
INVESTIGATORS INVESTIGATORS. FLORIDA OPENED A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION.
TWO YEARS AFTER THE STORM, FLORIDA HAS MADE NO ARRESTS. HE WOULD KNOW WE KNOW FRAUD IS INVESTIGATED
ALL THE TIME. >> CONTRACTORS AND PUBLIC ADJUSTORS. EVERYBODY WHO IS ALIGNED WITH
THE CONSUMER WHO COST THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY MONEY. THOSE CASES GET INVESTIGATED AND PROSECUTED RATHER QUICKLY AND
AGGRESSIVELY. ALL WE ARE ASKING IS THAT CASES THAT ARE ALLEGED TO BE PERPETRATED BY THE INSURANCE
CARRIERS OR THE VENDORS THAT THEY HIRE ARE JUST AS AGGRESSIVELY INVESTIGATED AND PROSECUTED WHEN FRAUD IS FOUND.
>> QUINN SAYS IT'S DIFFICULT TO KNOW HOW MANY POLICYHOLDERS MAY HAVE BEEN GIVEN LESS MONEY THAN THEY WERE OWED.
TWO YEARS AFTER THE STORM, EVERY UNREPAIRED HOME AND TARP TELLS A STORY. AT THIS HOME, MOLD AND MOTHER
NATURE ARE GNAWING AWAY OF WHAT'S LEFT OF THEIR HOME. UPSTAIRS -- THERE'S THE SKY. THIS IS A CRACK DOWN THE MIDDLE
OF YOUR HOUSE. I CAN PUT MY ARM UP THROUGH HERE. THAT SPLIT ROOF IS AN OPEN WOUND
FOR THEM. WHO STILL HAVE TO MOW THE LAWN AND MAKE MORTGAGE PAYMENTS ON THEIR ROTTING HOME EVERY MONTH.
THEY ARE PAYING RENT ON AN APARTMENT NEARBY AND $4,000 A YEAR TO HERITAGE FOR HOME INSURANCE.
YOU ARE STILL PAYING? >> I'M PAYING. THE PREMIUMS WENT UP. WE ARE STILL PAYING AND THE
PREMIUMS WENT UP. I CAN'T GET ANOTHER INSURANCE COMPANY, OBVIOUSLY. >> THEY FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST
HERITAGE, ACCUSING IT OF BREACH OF CONTRACT AND FRAUD. IN A STATEMENT TO "60 MINUTES" HERITAGE SAYS IT COULDN'T
COMMENT BUT AIMS TO PAY EVERY ELIGIBLE CLAIM AND HAD NO INTENTION TO DECEIVE. THE COMPANY SAYS IN ITS OWN
RANDOM SAMPLE, ABOUT 42% OF DAMAGE REPORTS WERE REVISED DOWNWARD AND 26% WERE REVISED UPWARD.
HERITAGE SAYS THAT SINCE HURRICANE IAN, IT HAS MADE MANY REFORMS, INCLUDING UPDATING ITS CLAIMS PROCESSING SOFTWARE,
WHICH IT BLAMES FOR NOT INCLUDING THE NAMES OF DESK ADJUSTORS WHO ALTERED REPORTS. DO YOU THINK THAT WAS A MISTAKE,
AN INNOCENT MISTAKE ?N >> ORIGINALLY. >> NOW? >> I THINK THEY DID IT ON
PURPOSE. PEOPLE GET LETTERS THAT SAY THEY AREN'T COVERED WHEN THEY ARE. THIS IS A CON.
THIS IS MAKE THEM GO AWAY AT ALL COST. WE'RE NOT PA
>>> YOU WERE NEVER MEANT TO HEAR THE VOICE OF VLADIMIR KARA-MURZA EVER AGAIN. HE WARNED FOR YEARS THAT
VLADIMIR PUTIN WOULD THREATEN THE PEACE OF THE WORLD. AT THE U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN NEW YORK THIS PAST WEEK, LEADERS
WERE DEBATING HOW TO STOP PUTIN IN UKRAINE WITHOUT A WORLD WAR. PUTIN POISONED KARA-MURZA TWICE, THEN SENT HIM TO DIE IN PRISON.
LAST MONTH, HE WAS TRADED FOR A PRIZE THAT PUTIN COULD NOT RESIST. WHY DOES THE DICTATOR STILL FEAR
VLADIMIR KARA-MURZA? >> RUSSIA DESERVES BETTER THAN TO LIVE UNDER A CORRUPT, REPRESS REPRESSIVE, KGB LEADERSHIP.
CHANGE IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN UNLESS WE DO SOMETHING. >> THIS IS WORTH YOUR LIFE? >> LOOK, THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO
STOOD UP TO APARTHEID IN SOUTH AFRICA, STOOD UP TO THE COMMUNIST REGIME, THE NAZI REGIME IN GERMANY.
THERE ARE CAUSES LARGER THAN OURSELVES. TO ME, THE CAUSE OF A FREE, PEACEFUL, CIVILIZED AND
DEMOCRATIC RUSSIA, LARGER THAN I COULD EVER BE. >> HE HAS FOUGHT FOR THAT CAUSE FROM THE START OF PUTIN'S
25-YEARS IN POWER. HE IS A PULITZER PRIZE WINNING COLUMNIST FOR "THE WASHINGTON POST" AND CAMBRIDGE-EDUCATED
HISTORIAN. LAST YEAR, THE 43-YEAR-OLD WAS TRIED FOR TREASON AFTER DENOUNCING PUTIN'S WAR ON
UKRAINE. >> WE TRIED TO WARN THE WORLD. WE TRIED TO SHOUT. WE TRIED TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT
THAT THIS REGIME IS DANGEROUS, THIS MAN IS DANGEROUS. EVEN IF YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO US IN RUSSIA,
IT'S GOING TO COME TO YOU SOONER OR LATER. >> WHAT'S IT LIKE LIVING IN RUSSIA TODAY?
>> ANYBODY WHO IS AN OWE POE INNOC -- OPPONENT OF PUTIN IS EITHER IN EXILE, IN PRISON, OR DEAD.
THINK ABOUT EVEN WHAT YOU TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT AT HOME. CHILDREN WHOSE FAMILIES ARE AGAINST THE WAR IN UKRAINE WILL,
FOR EXAMPLE, DRAW ANTI-WAR IMAGES IN SCHOOL AND THEIR PARENTS WILL GET VISITS FROM THE POLICE OR BE PUT IN PRISON.
YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT AS WELL IF YOU LIVE IN RUSSIA TODAY. >> VLADIMIR HAS BEEN HIGH ON
PUTIN'S LIST SINCE 2012, WHEN HE AND THE LATE SENATOR JOHN McCAIN FOUGHT FOR THE SO-CALLED MAGNITSKI ACT.
IT'S NAMED FOR A MAN MURDERED BY PUTIN'S POLICE. IT SEIZED THE OVERSEAS ASSETS OF MORE THAN 60 PEOPLE WHO ABUSED
HUMAN RIGHTS IN RUSSIA. KAR KARA-MURZA SAYS THIS IS WHY HE WAS POISONED BY KREMLIN ASSASSIN
ASSASSINS. >> I WAS IN A COMA FOR A MONTH WHEN THIS HAPPENED IN 2015 WITH MULTIPLE OR
MULTIPLE ORGAN FAILURE. A 5% CHANCE TO SURVIVE. AFTER I CAME OUT OF THE COMA, DESPITE ALL THE ODDS, I HAVE HAD
TO LEARN EVERYTHING ANEW. >> YOU HAD TO LEARN TO WALK AGAIN? >> YES.
>> YOU HAD TO LEARN TO EAT AGAIN? >> IT'S AMAZING HOW FAST THE HUMAN BODY JUST LOSES
EVERYTHING, JUST LOSES ALL THE STRENGTH. YOU JUST HAVE TO START ANEW. >> TWO YEARS LATER, HE WAS
POISONED AGAIN. THIS TIME, 2017, HE REHABBED IN THE U.S. HIS WIFE AND THREE CHILDREN LIVE
IN THE STATES AND KARA-MURZA HAS CURRENT RESIDENT STATUS. ONCE HE RECOVERED, HE RETURNED TO RUSSIA.
YOU WERE SAFE. >> HOW WOULD I NOT GO BACK? I'M A RUSSIAN POLITICIAN. A POLITICIAN HAS TO BE IN THEIR
OWN COUNTRY. HOW COULD I CALL ON MY FELLOW CITIZENS, MY FELLOW RUSSIANS TO STAND UP AND OPPOSE THIS DPIK
DICTATORSHIP IF I WAS TOO SCARED TO DO THAT? >> LAST YEAR, AFTER HIS TREASON CONVICTION, HE WAS HIT WITH THE
LONGEST SENTENCE EVER FOR A POLITICAL PRISONER. THE JUDGE IN THE CASE HAD BEEN AMONG THE FIRST OFFICIALS EVER
SANCTIONED BY THE MAGNITSKI ACT. WHEN YOU HEARD THE SENTENCE, 25 YEARS, YOU THOUGHT WHAT? >> FRANKLY, I THOUGHT, IT'S A
JOB WELL DONE. >> JOB WELL DONE? >> ON MY PART, YES. 25 YEARS WAS FRANKLY A
RECOGNITION THAT WHAT WE DID OVER ALL THOSE YEARS MATTERED. PUBLIC OPPOSITION TO THE WAR IN UKRAINE MATTERED.
>> HE WAS SENT TO SIBERIA AND SOLITARY CONFINEMENT. >> IN THE 2 1/2 YEARS I SPENT IN RUSSIAN PRISON, I WAS ONLY ABLE
TO ONCE CALL MY WIFE ON THE PHONE. ONLY TWICE I WAS ABLE TO SPEAK ON THE PHONE TO OUR THREE KIDS.
IT WAS A 15-MINUTE CALL. FIVE MINUTES PER CHILD. MY WIFE LATER TOLD ME, SHE WAS THERE WITH A STOPWATCH TO MAKE
SURE THAT EACH OF OUR KIDS DOESN'T GET MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES SO EVERYBODY COULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH
DAD. >> WERE YOU SITTING IN THAT CELL THINKING, I'M GOING TO GET OUT OF HERE?
>> NO. TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION HONESTLY, DID I NOT BELI DID NO CAN GET OUT.
WHAT HAPPENED ON AUGUST 1st, IT'S A MIRACLE. >> IT WAS IN THE MAKING FOR MORE THAN A YEAR.
NEGOTIATIONS BEGAN OVER AMERICANS HELD BY PUTIN WHICH EVENTUALLY INCLUDED EVAN GERSHKOVICH, A REPORTER FOR "THE
WALL STREET JOURNAL." OVER THE MONTHS, IT GREW TO INVOLVE SEVEN COUNTRIES. >> WE DON'T TRUST THE RUSSIANS
ON ANYTHING. THEY LIED ABOUT THE WAR IN UKRAINE. THEY MAKE A REGULAR PRACTICE OF
LYING. ONE THING THEY HAVE SHOWN OVER TIME IS WHEN THEY SAY THEY'RE GOING TO DO AN EXCHANGE, THEY DO
THE EXCHANGE. >> AT THE CENTER OF THE NEGOTIATIONS WAS JAKE SULLIVAN, PRESIDENT BIDEN'S NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISOR. >> NONE OF THIS HAPPENS OVERNIGHT. NONE OF IT IS STRAIGHTFORWARD.
THERE'S TWISTS APS AND TURNS, F STARTS. PERSISTENCE, RELENTLESSNESS, THAT'S THE NAME OF GAME OF
SECURING THE RELEASE OF THESE AMERICANS. >> BUT THERE WAS ONLY ONE THING PUTIN WANTED.
THAT WOULD BE HARD, MAYBE IMPOSSIBLE, FOR THE MAN WHO HELD THE KEY, THE LEADER OF GERMANY. >> HE WAS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL.
WITHOUT HIM, THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. A CENTRAL PIECE OF THE PUZZLE WAS THE RELEASE OF A RUSSIAN
AGENT. WITHOUT WITHOUT HIM, THERE'S NO DEAL. >> HE IS AN ASSASSIN AND FRIEND
OF PUTIN. HE WAS SENT TO GERMANY TO KILL AN ENEMY OF THE KREMLIN. THE DAYTIME MURDER IN THE MIDDLE
OF BERLIN WAS INFAMOUS. WHAT WAS THE DILEMMA? >> BEING ABLE TO LOOK HIS PEOPLE IN THE EYE AND SAY, WE ARE
RELEASING SOMEONE WHO HAS COMMITTED A GRIEVOUS CRIME ON GERMAN SOIL AND, THEREFORE, I CAN DELIVER SOMETHING FOR THE
PEOPLE OF GERMANY. THAT'S WHY WE ENDED UP THINKING THROUGH ENLARGING THE PROBLEM. NOT JUST TRYING TO BRING OUT
AMERICANS, BUT, OF COURSE, BRING OUT SOME GERMAN CITIZENS AS WELL. THEN THE CRITICAL MOVE OF BEING
ABLE TO SAY TO THE GERMAN PEOPLE, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, WE ARE GETTING RUSSIAN FREEDOM FIGHTERS OUT,
INCLUDING PEOPLE LIKE VLADIMIR CARE KARA-MURZA. >> THAT WAS THE PITCH.
BUT THE ASSASSIN HAD SERVED ONLY THREE YEARS. HE FACED ELECTION CHALLENGES. THE EASY ANSWER WAS NO.
IN THE END, YOU HAD TO DO A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL. >> I MADE A DEAL WITH THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT.
>> IN BERLIN, HE TOLD US HE WAS BROUGHT TO YES BY A MAN HE CONSIDERED A FRIEND. >> IT'S NOT AN EASY DECISION.
I DISCUSSED WITH MANY PEOPLE IN MY GOVERNMENT, ESPECIALLY WITH JOE BIDEN, WHO ASKED ME TO HELP. MY VIEW WAS THAT THIS IS
SOMETHING WHICH WE COULD DO, WE'RE PREPARED. AND IF WE DO IT ON A LARGE SCALE.
>> HE SAID, I REMEMBER IT VERY VIVIDLY ON THE PHONE WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN, FOR YOU, JOE, I WILL DO THIS.
>> A LARGE GROUP OF OFFICERS BURST INTO MY CELL. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S HAPPENING. IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
IT'S DARK. THEY TELL ME I HAVE TEN MINUTES TO GET UP AND GET READY. AT THIS MOMENT, I'M CERTAIN I'M
GOING TO BE LET OUT AND BE EXECUTED. >> INSTEAD OF EXECUTED, ON AUGUST 1st, EIGHT RUSSIAN
CRIMINALS AND SPIES WERE TRADED FOR SEVERAL GERMANS, THE THREE AMERICANS, AND EIGHT RUSSIAN DISSIDENTS.
AS HE STEPPED OFF THE PLANE IN TURKEY, KARA-MURZA'S CAPTORS HAD PARTING ADVICE. >> HE SAID, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU
EAT. YOU KNOW HOW THESE THINGS HAPPEN. BE POISONED AGAIN, EVEN THOUGH -
YOU ARE FREE. >> WE KNOW ATTACKS ON OWE POE NEXT OPPONENTS OF THE KREMLIN HAVE
HAPPENED BEYOND THE BORDERS OF RUSSIA. >> THE NEXT VOICE SPOKE NOT OF FEAR BUT FREEDOM.
>> A LADY DIPLOMAT CAME UP TO ME WITH A PHONE. SHE SAID, ARE YOU MR. KARA-MURZA.
SHE SAID, I'M FROM THE AMERICAN EMBASSY. THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IS ON THE LINE.
>> YOU HAVE BEEN WRONGFULLY DETAINED FOR A LONG TIME. WE ARE GLAD YOU ARE HOME. >> WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN WAS HIS
FAMILY. >> WE'RE IN THE OVAL OFFICE. >> YOU HAVE DONE A WONDERFUL THING BY SAVING SO MANY PEOPLE.
THERE WERE 16 OF US ON THE PLANE. I DON'T THINK THERE ARE MANY THINGS MORE IMPORTANT THAN
SAVING HUMAN LIVES. >> IT FELT MORE EMOTIONAL THAT I HAD EVER FELT AT ANY POINT IN MY LIFE.
>> THERE HAD BEEN MANY EMOTIONS FOR JAKE SULLIVAN WHO FOR YEARS COULD TELL DESPERATE FAMILIES ONLY TO KEEP WAITING.
>> MOST OF THE TIME AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THOSE ARE TOUGH CONVERSATIONS. NOT TODAY.
TODAY -- EXCUSE ME. TODAY WAS A VERY GOOD DAY. >> IT'S ONE THING TO SPEAK ABOUT PROTECTING FREEDOM OR PROTECTING
HUMAN RIGHTS. IT'S ANOTHER THING TO ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING TO PROTECT THEM. WHATEVER ELSE PRESIDENT BIDEN
AND THE CHANCELLOR WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR YEARS FROM NOW, THEY WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR THIS.
>> HE TOLD US HE QUOTED A JEWISH SCRIPTURE TO YOU. HE WHO SAVES ONE LIFE SAVES THE ENTIRE WORLD.
>> IT WAS VERY NICE TO HEAR IT, TO BE VERY HONEST WITH YOU. ON THE OTHER HAND, I DON'T FEEL THAT GREAT.
I DID WHAT I THOUGHT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. >> WE HAVE TRAVELED QUITE A BIT THROUGH UKRAINE.
WE HAVE SEEN THE DESTROYED HOSPITALS, THE SHATTERED SCHOOLS, THE MASS GRAVES. VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS ATTACKED A
COUNTRY THAT MEANT HIM NO HARM. I WONDER IF YOU CAN EXPLAIN WHY. >> THAT'S WHAT DICTATORS DO. ONCE THEY CONSOLIDATE, THEY
CONTROL DOMESTICALLY, ONCE THEY ELIMINATE AND DESTROY ALL THE OPPOSITION AT HOME, THEY START MOVING AGAINST OTHERS.
THIS HAS ALWAYS HAPPENED IN RUSSIA, WHETHER UNDER CZARS OR SOVIETS OR VLADIMIR PUTIN. >> WILL PUTIN TRY TO KILL YOU
AGAIN? >> WE KNOW WHAT IT ENTAILS TO BE AN OPPOSITION TO VLADIMIR PUTIN. HE IS NOT JUST A DICTATOR.
HE IS NOT JUST AN AUTHORITARIAN LEADER. HE IS A MURDERER. THAT MAN IS A MURDERER.
>> VLADIMIR KARA-MURZA IS IN THE U.S. WITH HIS FAMILY. HE TOLD US IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT, HE LEARNED THERE'S
NO LIFE WITHOUT HOPE. TRUE FOR THOSE BEHIND BARS AND FOR HIS IMPRISONED COUNTRY. >> THE AMAZING FACT AND THE FACT
THAT FRANKLY MAKES ME PROUD OF RUSSIA IS THAT THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN RUSSIA WHO HAVE PUBLICLY SPOKEN OUT
AGAINST PUTIN'S REGIME, WHO HAVE PUBLICLY SPOKEN OUT AGAINST THE WAR IN UKRAINE, EVEN AT THE COST OF PERSONAL FREEDOM.
I HOPE THAT WHEN PEOPLE IN THE WEST, WHEN PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES, WHEN PEOPLE IN THE FREE WORLD AT LARGE THINK ABOUT
RUSSIA, THEY WILL REMEMBER NOT ONLY AT GTHE ADDRESSERS AND WAR CRIMINALS, BUT ALSO THOSE WHO ARE STANDING UP TO THEM.
BECAUSE WE ARE RUSSIANS, TOO.
>>> THE RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES LET YOU WRITE >>> IN JUNE OF 1984, LARRY BIRD AND MAGIC JOHNSON MET IN THE NBA
FINALS FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE FOLLOWING WEEK, JORDAN WAS DRAFTED AND THE LEAGUE WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME.
THE WNBA ARRIVES AT A SIMILAR HINGE POINT. A ROOKIE CLASS AS GOOD AS ADVERTISED HAS MADE A SEAMLESS
TRANSITION FROM COLLEGE TO THE PROS, BLENDING WITH ESTABLISHED STARS. SPORTS HAVE A KNACK FOR BENDING
STATS TO FIT DESIRED NARRATIVES. THE GROWTH FIGURES ASTOUND. TV RATINGS HAVE SPIKED 153% FROM LAST SEASON, AND THAT'S BEFORE
THE PLAYOFFS, WHICH BEGAN LAST WEEK. GRADUALLY, THEN SUDDENLY, THIS 27-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE IS A
PROMINENT PLAYER IN THE MODERN SPORTS GAME. NEVER MIND HER SLICK DRIVES IN TRAFFIC.
THE PASSES. >> THAT'S AN ABSOLUTE DIME. >> THE THREE POINTERS LIKE THIS. >> FROM THE LOGO.
>> HELLO. >> HOW ARE YOU? >> NICE TO MEET YOU. A FEW WEEKS AGO IN INDIANAPOLIS,
WE ASKED CAITLIN CLARK -- >> ASK ME THE HARD-HITTING QUESTIONS. >> TO PINPOINT THE SIGNATURE
MOMENT OF THIS SIGNATURE SEASON. WELL, WE DIDN'T SEE THIS COMING. BUT NEITHER DID SHE. >> I REMEMBER WE WERE IN NEW
YORK. JOHN PAUL JONES HAD A GOOD SCREEN ON ME. I RUPTURED MY EARDRUM ON A
SCREEN. IT WAS A REALLY GOOD SCREEN. SHE'S A TREMENDOUS PLAYER. THAT SPEAKS TO THE PHYSICALITY
OF THE LEAGUE. SHE GOT ME IN THE RIGHT SPOT. >> YOU SMILED WHEN YOU TOLD THE STORY.
>> IT'S A GOOD STORY. IT'S SOMETHING I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER COMING INTO THIS LEAGUE.
>> IT'S THE EARDRUM RUPTURE. >> THAT'S MORE MEMORABLE. >> MAYBE IT'S FITTING. THIS IS THE SEASON THE WNBA
LOWERED ITS SHOULDER, MADE ITS PRESENCE FELT AND EXPANDED ITS REACH. THESE FANS CAME TO CENTRAL
INDIANA FROM NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA. >> WHY? >> TO SEE CAITLIN CLARK.
>> CLARK, 22 IN NUMBER AND AGE, LET THE FEVER TO THE PLAYOFFS. SHE'S UNQUESTIONABLY THE MAIN ATTRACTION.
NOT THE ONLY ONE. ANOTHER ROOKIE, ANGLEEL REESE ME HER MARK AS WELL. THE REAL BREAKTHROUGH STAR OF
THIS WNBA SEASON IS THE W ITSELF. BUILDING OFF A COLLEGE SEASON IN WHICH UNIMAGINABLE JUST A FEW
YEARS AGO THE WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP GAME OUTDREW THE MEN. W GAMES CAN DRAW MORE EYEBALLS
THAN NBA GAMES DO. ATTENDANCE IS UP 48%. IN MINNESOTA, THIS IS THE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR.
>> TARGET PRACTICE. >> SHE DROPPED 80 POINTS IN THE FIRST TWO PLAYOFF GAMES. COLLIER WAS DRAFTED IN 2019.
HOME AND AWAY, LOOK INTO THE CROWD, WHAT ARE YOU SEEING? >> PEOPLE, WHICH IS WHAT WE WANT.
IT MAKES THE GAME SO, SO FUN. IT'S LIKE YOUR SIXTH MAN. YOU CAN'T WAIT TO SILENCE THE CROWD.
>> YOU FIGURED OUT A WAY TO BENEFIT EVEN WHEN IT'S ROOTING AGAINST YOU? >> YEAH.
IT'S ALMOST MORE FUN WHEN YOU ARE IN A PACKED ARENA WITH THE OTHER TEAM AND YOU HIT A BIG THREE OR A BIG BLOCK OR
SOMETHING. YOU HEAR THEM GO OH. I LOVE THAT FEELING. >> COLLIER DEFENDING.
>> THAT'S AS MOTIVATIMOTIVATING? >> IT IS. >> SILENCING CROWDS WHEN IT DEBUTED.
EIGHT TEAMS WITH EIGHT EXISTING NBA TEAMS. FROM THE JUMP, FRANCHISES CAME AND WENT.
THE HOUSTON COMETS WON THE FIRST FOUR TITLES, ONLY TO FOLD. AMID THE INSTABILITY, THE WNBA WAS GIVING GIRLS ASPIRATION AND
INSPIRATION. WHEN CLARK WAS GROWING UP IN IOWA, ALREADY RUNNING CIRCLES AROUND THE BOYS, HER DAD TOOK
HER TO SEE A WNBA GAME IN MINNESOTA. SHE RETURNED HOME BENT ON ADDING DISTANCE TO HER JUMP SHOT.
>> BEGGING MY DAD TO TEAR UP GRASS AND POUR MORE CONCRETE SO I COULD HAVE A THREE-POINT LINE IN MY DRIVEWAY.
>> DID THAT HAPPEN? >> YEAH. IT WAS KIND OF SLANTED. I ONLY HAD A THREE-POINT LINE ON
ONE SIDE. I TOLD MY DAD HE HAD TO TEAR UP THIS GRASS. HE DID.
>> LIKEWISE, HER TEAMMATE, BOSTON, LAST SEASON'S ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, HAD GRAND AMBITIONS. >> WHEN I PICKED UP A
BASKETBALL, AT FIRST I WAS LIKE, I WANT TO GO TO COLLEGE. THAT WAS MY GOAL UNTIL SOPHOMORE YEAR.
YEAH, EVERYTHING I DO IS FOR THE NUMBER ONE PICK. >> MAKING THE WNBA, THAT BECAME A SECONDARY GOAL AT SOME POINT.
YOU WANTED TO BE THE NUMBER ONE PICK. >> NUMBER ONE PICK. >> SHE WAS.
THEN THIS SPRING CAME CLARK, REESE, BRINK AND THE 2024 VINTAGE. DID YOU HAVE THE LEVEL OF
CONFIDENCE THAT THIS DRAFT CLASS SEEMS TO ?N >> I DON'T THINK ANYBODY DOES. I THINK WHAT'S SO AMAZING IS
THEY DON'T ACT LIKE ROOKIES. IT FEELS LIKE NOTHING GETS THEM DOWN. >> A LOT OF IMPOSTER SYNDROME?
>> NOT A LOT. >> THIS IS THE LEAGUE OF CHOICE FOR THE BASKETBALL PURIST. ALL PASSING AND PRECISION.
>> STEWART TO JONES. HAD SOME TIME. >> OBVIOUSLY, THE MEN ARE FUN. THEY ARE ATHLETIC.
THEY CAN DUNK. IF YOU ARE A TRUE FAN OF BASKETBALL, I THINK THAT OURS IS INTERESTING BECAUSE WE PLAY IT
THE RIGHT WAY. WE PLAY IT SMART. OUR SEASON IS SHORTER ALSO. WE GO A LOT HARDER IN OUR GAMES.
>> 12 TEAMS OF 12 PLAYERS. 144 OF THE WORLD'S BEST. ASIA WILSON OF THE LAS VEGAS ACES, THE REIGNING CHAMPS, IS A
THREE TIME MVP, INCLUDING THIS SEASON. HER GAME, GRACE AND POWER. >> THAT'S PRETTY.
>> AND THERE'S THE OG, STILL DOING THIS IN HER EARLY 40s. >> A LOT OF THE PLAYERS ARE WHO I GREW UP WATCHING ON TV AND
WANTING TO BE LIKE. NOW I GET TO PLAY AGAINST THEM. >> THEY ARE GUARDING YOU. >> IT'S VERY COOL.
>> CLARK HERSELF ALREADY HAS A TRADEMARK SHOT. A JUMPER FROM JUST INSIDE MIDCOURT.
THE LOGO THREE. >> ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE ME SHOOT IN THESE NICE CLOTHES. >> WE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOU.
>> I'M NOT WARMED UP. >> I ONLY SHOOT BACK THERE IF I GOT A COUPLE. >> A FREE PASS WITH YOURSELF OR
THE COACH? >> BOTH. >> WHAT WOULD YOU SAY YOUR RANGE IS?
>> I DON'T KNOW. SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE I'M CLOSER THAN I AM. I DON'T FEEL THAT FAR BACK,
ESPECIALLY IN A GAME. I JUST LOSE SIGHT OF WHERE I AM, WHICH IS PROBABLY A GOOD THING. >> YOU KNOW YOU ARE ONE DRIBBLE
PAST MIDCOURT SOMETIMES. >> A COUPLE. >> PART OF THE PROCESS, GAUGING THE DISTANCE.
THIS ISN'T LIKE SHOOTING A FREE THROW. LOGOS VARY COURT TO COURT. >> I WOULD WANT TO SEE HOW BIG
THE LOGO IS. SOME PEOPLE HAVE BIGGER LOGOS AT CENTRE COURT. SOME HAVE SMALLER ONES.
IF IT'S BIG, I CAN USUALLY GET THERE. I CAN PROBABLY GET IT FROM HERE. DO YOU WANT ME TO TRY?
>> YEAH. >> OKAY. YOU HAVE TO TRY SECOND. >> ALL RIGHT.
>> LET'S SEE. THIS IS MY OFF DAY. YOU ARE PUTTING ME THROUGH A WORKOUT.
IT'S CRAZY. I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS SIGNING UP FOR THIS. THERE WE GO.
>> THE BOTTOM OF THE NET SUCCESS HAS CHANGED THE W'S BALANCE SHEETS. CORPORATE SPONSORS HAVE ARRIVED.
>> EVERYBODY. >> EVERYBODY IS WEARING SKINZ. >> SHE SIGNED A MEDIA RIGHTS DEAL THAT WILL PAY $200 MILLION
A SEASON, MORE THAN A THREEFOLD INCREASE. THIS IS THE COMMISSIONER. >> THE CAITLIN CLARK PHENOMENON,
HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE IT. >> SHE'S AN UNBELIEVABLE PLAYER. CAME IN WITH AN UNBELIEVABLE FOLLOWING.
BROUGHT A LOT OF FANS TO THE LEAGUE. ANGEL, TOO. THIS CLASS OF ROOKIES WE WILL
TALK ABOUT THEM A GENERATION FROM NOW. >> I NOTICE WHEN YOU WERE ASKED ABOUT CAITLIN CLARK, YOU BRING
UP OTHER ROOKIES. >> NO LEAGUE IS ABOUT ONE PLAYER. THAT PLAYER COULD GET HURT.
IT'S TO GIVE RECOGNITION THAT IN SPORTS, PEOPLE WATCH FOR COMPELLING CONTENT AND RIVALRY. YOU CAN'T DO THAT ALONE AS ONE
PERSON. >> THE COMMISSIONER TOUTS LEAGUE RIVALRIES, COMPETITION HAS ALSO BROUGHT OUT A CERTAIN UGLINESS.
THIS SEASON SAW AN ONSLAUGHT OF VITRIOL TARGETING PLAYERS. THIS IS A LEAGUE THAT'S 75% BLACK.
>> THERE'S NO PLACE FOR THAT IN OUR SPORT. >> HERE IS BRIANNA STEWART EARLIER THIS MONTH, WELCOMING
NEW FANS BUT DEMANDING THEY ACT RESPECTFULLY. A HAPPIER EARMARK OF GROWN, THE WNBA ANNOUNCED PLANS TO EXPAND
FROM 12 TEAMS TO 16. AD FOR FIRST TIME THIS SEASON, PLAYERS TRAVEL ON CHARTER FLIGHTS.
>> THAT'S AMAZING. I MISS MY POINTS A LITTLE BIT. IT'S OKAY. >> YOUR MILES?
>> I MISS MY POINTS. >> NO DELTA MILES. >> IT'S OKAY. THIS IS GREAT.
ESPECIALLY FOR RECOVERY. YOU GET ON THE PLANE, GET BACK HOME AFTER A GAME. THE WOMEN THAT CAME BEFORE US,
IT'S LIKE, THIS IS BECAUSE OF YOU. YOU GUYS WORKED ALL THIS AND NOW HERE WE ARE AND WE ARE ABLE TO
STEP INTO THAT. IT'S A BLESSING. >> COLLIER RECALLS STAYING TWO TO A ROOM.
>> WE HAD TO STAY IN THE TEAM ACCREDITED HOTELS. NOW WE CAN STAY WHEREVER. A LOT MORE FIVE STAR HOTELS,
WHICH IS NICE. >> FIVE STAR HOTELS. FLYING PRIVATE. >> WE ARE LIVING THE LIFE.
WE ARE LIKE PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES OR SOMETHING. >> THE SURGE IN SUCCESS IS ABOUT MORE THAN THE BASKETBALL.
THE ARRIVAL WALK TO THE LOCKER ROOM IS NOW A FIXTURE IN PRO SPORTS. W PLAYERS ABSOLUTELY OWN THIS
SPACE. SOCIAL MEDIA ROCKET FUEL THAT ENGAGES FANS. PLAYERS LOVE IT.
CAITLIN CLARK INCLUDED. >> EVERYTHING. WHO DID THIS? WAS THIS YOU?
>> CONSISTENT WITH THE LIFECYCLE OF OTHER SUCCESSFUL PRO SPORTS LEAGUES, THE PLAYERS ARE DONE TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM.
THEY WANT TO GET PAID. NOTE THE UPCOMING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE LEAGUE AND THE PLAYERS.
A ROOKIE SALARY FOR THE 42-GAME SEASON, $76,000. BASE SALARY FOR THE MVP, $200,000.
YET THE MEDIAN NBA PLAYER SALARY THIS SEASON, ROUGHLY $12 MILLION. TALK ABOUT THIS GROWTH AND THESE
RATINGS. WHAT'S A FAIR SALARY? >> I MEAN, SOMEONE LIKE ME, I LOVE MULTIPLE COMMA BECAUSE WE
DESERVE IT. WE COME IN AND WE WORK HARD. YOU SEE THE VIEWERSHIP UP. YOU SEE EVERYTHING UP.
I'M ALL FOR IT. I LOVE A COMMA. >> IN THAT SALARY? >> YEAH.
>> AS A UNION LEADER, COLLIER WILL BE AT THE BARGAINING TABLE. THE NBA SHARES REVENUE WITH ITS PLAYERS 50/50.
IS THE W WILLING TO DO THE SAME? AS FOR COMMAS -- >> I DON'T KNOW HOW REALISTIC. THAT'S THE GOAL.
I HOPE WE CAN GET THERE. >> HOW MUCH SHOULD WE COMPARE NBA AND WNBA? >> WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR THE SAME
SALARY. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR IS REV SHARES. THAT'S WHAT WE ARE WANTING.
THAT'S HOW WE CLOSE THAT GAP. >> HOW WE'RE SHARING THE PIE? >> YEAH. >> BUILDING ON THIS WATERSHED
SEASON, THE WOMEN OF THE WNBA WILL KEEP SHOOTING THEIR SHOTS. >> THERE WE GO. >> BANG.
YOU KNEW THAT WHEN IT LEFT YOUR HANDS. >> I KNOW WHEN I'M GOING TO MISS.
THE WORST IS WHEN IT FEELS GOOD AND YOU MISS. >> YOU KNOW AS SOON AS IT LEAVES YOUR FINGERTIPS?
>> YEAH. IF I MISS AND IT FEELS GOOD, THAT'S FINE. YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOUR SHOT.
>> WITH THAT AS ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THIS SEASON'S ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, WE FINALLY GAVE IN. >> I THINK YOU HAVE TO GO NOW.
COME ON. LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN GET IT THERE. >> I HAVE NO LEG.
>> I FEEL CONFIDENT. LET'S SEE. >> I'M WEARING THIS JACKET. >> THAT'S NOT BAD.
GET IT THERE. >> OH, MY GOD. >> YOU GOTTA JUMP. >> TIGHT RIMS.
>> NO. I THINK THAT MIGHT BE YOU, HONESTLY.
>>> THE LAST MINUTE OF "60 MINUTES" IS SPONSORED BY UNITED HEALTHCARE. RELIABLE COVERAGE FOR YOUR WHOLE
LIFE AHEAD. >>> ONCE AGAIN, THIS FALL, WE ARE BRINGING YOU EXPANDED EDITIONS OF "60 MINUTES" THAT
WLL RUN 90 MINUTES. TONIGHT, WE GO TO MEXICO WHERE TOURISTS ARE POURING INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE FOR A SPIRIT MADE BY
HAND. >> THE AGAVE IS ROASTED IN UNDERGROUND PITS FOR DAYS. THEN IT'S CRUSHED BY HORSE-DRAWN
MILN. IT'S FERMENTED AND DISTILLED. NO TEMPERATURE DIALS OR CONTROLS.
BUBBLES INDICATE THE ALCOHOL CONTENT. >> WE WILL BE RIGH >>> FOR YEARS, MEZCAL SHAT IN TE
SHADOWS OF TEQUILA. NOT ANYMORE. ONCE BANNED AND LATER SOLD FOR PENNIES, THE HANDCRAFTED SPIRIT
FOUND ITS WAY INTO COCKTAIL BARS AND MICHELIN-STARRED RESTAURANTS. NO OTHER LIQUOR HAS SEEN A
GREATER INCREASE IN PRODUCTION IN THE PAST DECADE. IT GETS ITS NAME FROM AN AZTEC WORD FOR COOKED AGAVE.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF MEZCAL IS MADE WHERE FAMILY-OWNED DISTILLERIES DOT THE LANDSCAPE. WE MEANT TO MEET THE PEOPLE AS
THEY LABOR TO QUENCH THE WORLD'S THIRST FOR MEZCAL. THEY HARVEST AGAVE YEAR ROUND. IT'S NO LOW HANGING FRUIT.
PRIED FROM THE EARTH, THE SPIKES ARE REMOVED BY MAMACHETE, REVEALING THE HEART, WHICH LOOKS LIKE A 100-POUND PINEAPPLE.
IT TAKES ITS SWEET TIME TO RIPEN. UP TO 30 YEARS FOR SOME. IT GROWS IN THE VALLEYS THAT RUN
BETWEEN THE SIERRA MADRE MOUNTAINS. THE CROSSROADS OF INDIGENOUS AND SPANISH COLONIAL CULTURES.
THE BIRTHPLACE OF MEZCAL. THESE BROTHERS ARE FOURTH GENERATION MAKERS. THEY LEARNED THE CRAFT FROM
THEIR FATHER. TODAY, THEY RUN ONE OF THE LARGEST DISTILLERIES. >> Translator: WE MAKE MEZCAL
WITH NO HURRY, MEANING EVERYTHING IN ITS TIME. WE DON'T ADD OR DO ANYTHING TO SPEED UP PRODUCTION.
WE MAKE IT NONSTOP, 365 DAYS A YEAR, THE ENTIRE DAY. >> IS IT DIFFERENT FROM THE WAY YOUR FATHER MADE IT?
>> NO. IT'S THE SAME. WE CONSERVE ALL THE TRADITIONS, EVERYTHING WE WERE TAUGHT, AND
EVERYTHING IS DONE BY HAND. >> AGAVE WAS FIRST DISTILLED HERE IN THE 1600s. MEXICANS HAVE BEEN DRINKING
MEZCAL AT BAPTISTS AND FUNERALS AND EVERY OCCASION IN BETWEEN EVER SINCE. LET'S CLEAR THIS UP EARLY.
TEQUILA IS A TYPE OF MEZCAL, MADE WITH BLUE . MOST HAS MASS PRODUCED, MADE BY MACHINES SINCE THE '70s.
ARTIS NAL ARTISI ARTIS IT'S CRUSHED BY HORSE-DRAWN
MILL. IT'S FERMENTED AND DISTILLED TWICE IN COPPER VATS. NO TEMPERATURE DIALS OR
CONTROLS. BUBBLES INDICATE THE ALCOHOL CONTENT. WHO KNOWS MORE ABOUT THE
PROCESS? >> Translator: I THINK HE MAY KNOW MORE. BUT I DRINK IT MORE.
>> HERE THEY OFFER NAPA-STYLE TOURS OF THEIR FIELDS. Z IT'S A HALF BILLION DOLLAR A
YEAR INDUSTRY. IN THE 1980s AND '90s, THEY TOLD US PRODUCTION COULD BARELY HELP THE FAMILY.
>> Translator: THE PRICE WAS VERY LOW. >> WHAT WAS IT. >> Translator: SEVEN PESOS FOR A
LITER. WE WERE TEN CHILDREN. SUNDAY WAS THE ONLY DAY WE COULD AFFORD A CUP OF MILK AND A PIECE
OF BREAD. WE DECIDED TO GO. >> HE LEFT MEXICO FIRST ALONE. BOUND FOR CALIFORNIA.
DO YOU REMEMBER THE DAY YOU LEFT? >> Translator: YES. IT WAS THE 3rd OF DECEMBER,
1992. I WAS 12 YEARS OLD. I HAVE CHILDREN OF MY OWN NOW. I COULD NEVER BRING MYSELF TO
LET THEM CROSS THE BORDER ALONE. IT WAS A SAD GOOD-BYE. VERY PAINFUL TO LEAVE THE FAMILY BEHIND.
>> HOW DID YOU GET THERE? >> Translator: LIKE MIGRANTS, WITH A COYOTE SMUGGLED ACROSS THE BORDER.
>> HIS BROTHER EVENTUALLY JOINED HIM. THEY SPENT A DECADE WORKING IN BARS AND RESTAURANTS.
WHEN THE PLOT TWISTED, IT BECAME HIP AND MEZCAL'S POPULARITY BOOMED. HE DREAMED OF RETURNING TO THE
FAMILY BUSINESS. >> Translator: I HAD PLANS DRAWN UP. I SHOWED MY BROTHER.
>> Translator: HE CAME IN WITH A PLAN. HE SPREAD IT ON THE BED AND SAID, I'M GOING TO DO THIS.
I TOLD HIM, YOU ARE CRAZY. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE A LIVING? >> HE WAS SKEPTICAL.
UNTIL HE NOTICED SHOTS OF MEZCAL GOING FOR $10. HE LOOKED DOWN AT THE LABEL ON A BOTTLE ONE DAY AND IT WAS FROM
THEIR HOMETOWN. YOU TOLD YOUR BROTHER, I TOLD YOU SO? SO THEY WENT BACK HOME TO RAMP
UP THE FAMILY BUSINESS. ENTER JOHN REXER AND ALBERTO. HOW FAR OUT DOES THE AGAVE GO? IS THIS IT?
>> THERE'S 2,500 PLANTS PER ACRE. THERE'S FIVE ACRES OUT HERE. >> A LOT.
TODAY, IT'S ONE OF THE TOP SELLING MEZCAL BRANDS. IT STARTED HUMBLY. REXER WAS IN SEARCH OF A STEADY
SUPPLY TO SERVE AT A BAR HE OWNED IN GUATEMALA. >> I WOULD TAKE A BUS UP FROM GUATEMALA.
24-HOUR BUS RIDE. ALONG THE WAY, PULL A STRING AND SAY, I WANT TO STOP HERE. WALK TO A VILLAGE.
WAIT UNTIL LIGHTS CAME ON SOMEWHERE. DO YOU KNOW ANYBODY WHO MAKES GOOD MEZCAL?
SOMEONE WOULD HAVE AN ANGUNCLE, BROENL BROTHER, COUSIN. >> EVERYBODY HAS AN UNCLE.
AS THE NAME SUGGESTS, HIS OPERATION WASN'T EXACTLY LEGAL. IS IT TRUE YOU ONCE DRESSED LIKE A PRIEST TO GET THIS ACROSS THE
BORDER? >> LISTEN, I WENT THROUGH 12 YEARS OF CATHOLIC SCHOOL. >> ME, TOO.
>> I KNEW HOW TO PLAY THE ROLE. >> HIS FRIEND INTRODUCED HIM TO THE BROTHERS. >> WE ROLLED DOWN HERE.
IT WAS VERY, VERY TINY. THEY WERE MAKING SMALL AMOUNTS. >> Translator: HE ASKS, DO YOU HAVE MORE OF THIS?
WE SAID, YES. WE HAVE 10,000 LITERS. IT TOOK US TWO YEARS TO MAKE. JOHN SAYS TO US, I WANT IT ALL.
>> A SIDE BAR, THIS MAY GO WITHOUT SAYING, REXER SWIGGED HIS FAIR SHARE. >> EXCUSE ME.
>> DO YOU WANT A WATER? YOU ARE GOOD. DO I WANT A WATER? >> THERE'S AN EXPRESSION, THE
BEST IS THE ONE IN FRONT OF YOU. IT'S NOT TRUE. YOU DON'T WANT TO COVER IT IN SMOKE.
YOU WANT TO TASTE THE AGAVE. >> A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T LIKE MEZCAL BECAUSE OF THE SMOKE. >> OBVIOUSLY, YOU ARE IN A SMOKY
ENVIRONMENT WHEN YOU DIG UP THE PIT OVEN, THERE'S SMOKE. THERE'S A LOT OF EARLY MEZCAL THAT ARE HEAVY SMOKED.
>> HAS IT GOTTEN A BAD RAP ON THAT FRONT? >> IN THE EARLY DAYS. PEOPLE BEGAN TO DISCOVER, THE
AGAVES HAVE UNIQUE FLAVORS. >> HE ASKED THE BROTHERS TO GO INTO BUSINESS. HE MADE A PROMISE.
IF THEY COULD PRODUCE THE MEZCAL, HE WOULD SELL IT AROUND THE WORLD. THEY HAD BEEN BURNED BY FALSE
PROMISES BEFORE. THEY WEIGHED HIS OFFER IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE. >> YOU SPOKE SO HE WON'T
UNDERSTAND? >> I SAID, DO YOU BELIEVE HIM? HE SAID, I DON'T KNOW. WE FIGURED, LET'S SEE.
>> I WILL PAY YOU UP FRONT SO THAT WE CAN GET STARTED. >> Translator: TWO DAYS LATER, WE HAD THE DEPOSIT IN OUR
ACCOUNT FOR 10,000 LITERS. HE SAID, EACH MONTH, I WILL KEEP MAKING DEPOSITS. WE MADE MORE.
500, 2,000 LITERS. IT GREW LIKE THAT. >> NOW THEIR PARTNERSHIP PRODUCES 3,000 BOTTLES A DAY.
ALMOST ALL OF THEM FOR EXPORT. EVERY BOTTLE IS CERTIFIED BY THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT, STAMPED WITH A HOLOGRAM TO MARK DENOMINATION
OF ORIGIN, LIKE CHAMPAGNE. WE HEARD THERE ARE RULES ABOUT HOW TO DRINK THIS. THE GOOD STUFF ISN'T FOR SHOTS
OR DILUTING IN COCKTAILS. IT'S FOR SIPPING. SO WE ASKED THE FORMER BARTENDER WHO PROMOTES IT.
FAVORITE WAY TO DRINK IT? >> SPICY MARGARITA. >> I THOUGHT YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO DRINK IT IN A
MARGARITA. >> YOU WANT TO ENJOY IT NEAT. BUT THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING IT IN A COG TCKTAIL,
ESPECIALLY IF WE GET PEOPLE TO TRY IT FOR FIRST TIME. >> HE POURED US THE COLORLESS MEZCAL YOU FIND IN MOST BOTTLES.
>> THIS IS 100% YOUNG, UNAGED. >> SALUTE. THIS ONE TASTES SPICY TO ME. >> SMOKE IS NOT THE FIRST THING
YOU TASTE. >> IT'S THERE. BUT I WOULD NOT CALL THIS SPOKY. AGING IT IS A TRADITION.
>> THIS IS AGED 15 MONTHS. >> THE COLOR IS DARKER. WOW. SO GOOD.
HOW WOULD YOU DRINK THIS? >> ABSOLUTELY NEAT. 100%. >> HAS ANYONE EVER SAID TO YOU,
WHAT'S A GRINGO LIKE YOU DOING -- >> IN A PLACE LIKE THIS? YES.
I HAVE GOTTEN PUSHBACK OVER THE YEARS. YOU ARE A FOREIGNER. I'M SOMEONE WHO FELL IN LOVE
WITH THE RHYTHM AND THE PACE OF THE AREA AND FELL IN LOVE WITH MEZCAL. >> HE IS NO LONGER THE ONLY
FOREIGNER. BACA BACCARDI ACQUIRED IT LAST YEAR IN A DEAL WORTH $100 MILLION.
>> A QUESTION I ASKED MYSELF, HOW DO YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH SOMETHING AND NOT DESTROY THE THING YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH BY
MAKING IT GROW. >> CAN YOU DO THAT WITH AN INTERNATIONAL CONGLOMERATE? >> IT'S NOT JUST THE BEAUTIFUL
LIQUOR BUT CERTAIN THINGS WE ARE TRYING TO PRESERVE AND BELIEVE IN. THIS IS A FAMILY BUSINESS.
WE HAVE TO RESPECT THE PRODUCTION. WE CAN NEVER LET THIS BECOME INDUSTRIAL.
>> WHAT DOES THE DEAL MEAN FOR YOU? >> Translator: WHAT'S GOING TO CHANGE IS MANY PEOPLE'S LIVES IN
THIS COMMUNITY. IT'S A BENEFIT FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY. >> THEY EMPLOY 100 PEOPLE,
INCLUDING THEIR 87-YEAR-OLD FATHER. THEY TRANSLATED TO SPANISH. WE ASKED WHAT HE THOUGHT OF HIS
SONS' MEZCAL. DOES IT LIVE UP TO THE FAMILY NAME? >> Translator: THAT'S WHY I
DRINK IT. IF NOT, I WOULDN'T DRINK IT. >> THE BROTHERS ARE EXPANDING THE FAMILY BUSINESS.
CONSTRUCTION IS ALREADY UNDERWAY. IF THERE'S THE AMERICAN DREAM, IS THIS THE MEXICAN DREAM?
>> Translator: IT'S THE MEXICAN DREAM. IT'S SOMETHING WE NEVER IMAGINED.
>> WHEN WE COME BACK, HOW MEZCAL TOURS ARE HELPING TO FUEL THE ECONOMY, EVEN AS SOME PRODUCERS FEAR IT IS ALL MOVING A BIT TOO
FAST.
>>> A DIVERSE PATCH OF 4 MILLION PEOPLE ON THE SOUTHWEST CURL OF MEXICO'S TAIL MAY BE ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S POOREST STATES, BUT IT
BOASTS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING ECONOMIES. BOEBL PILL AGRICULTURE AND TOURISM HAVE
BEEN REVITALIZED FOR THE DEMAND FOR MEZCAL. THEY PRODUCE IT FOR A LIVING IN SMALL BATCHES.
THE DEEPER YOU TRAVEL INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE, THE HARDER THEY CLING TO THEIR ANCESTRAL METHODS AND THE LOUDER THEY WILL TELL
YOU, THERE'S A PRICE TO PAY FOR THIS MEZCAL BOOM. INSULATED BY PEAKS AND VALLEYS, IT HAS ITS RUGGED TERRAIN TO
THANK FOR ITS DIVERSITY. THE PEOPLE FLOURISHED HERE FOR NEARLY 1,000 YEARS. THEIR ANCESTRAL CAPITAL
PRESERVED HERE. NOW A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE. ♪
IT'S HOME TO 16 DIFFERENT INDIGENOUS GROUPS, MORE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY. THE STATE CAPITAL IS A TECH
TECHNICOLOR HUB OF MARKETS AND VENDORS. WITH ITS CATHEDRAL TOWERING OVER THE STREETS.
ON THE COAST, THE HIDDEN PORT, DRAWS SURFERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD, WHO COME TO RIDE A MASSIVE BREAK IN THE PACIFIC
CALLED THE MEXICAN PIPELINE. THEN THERE'S THE FOOD. IT'S CALLED THE LAND OF SEVEN MOLES, AFTER ITS RICH STEW.
TO WASH IT DOWN, HUNDREDS OF VARIETIES OF SMALL-BATCH MEZCAL. MANY MADE FROM WILD AGAVE. THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER IS CRAFTED
DEEP IN THE RURAL COMMUNITIES AND HAS TOURISTS VENTURING OUT THERE. AT THIS DISTILLERY, WE MET JOHN
DOUGLAS, A BAR OWNER WHO MAKES REGULAR TRIPS DOWN FROM BOURBON COUNTRY, KENTUCKY. >> IT'S DELICIOUS.
THERE'S A STORY BEHIND IT ABOUT FLAVOR, ABOUT PEOPLE, ABOUT LIST HISTORY. >> HOW MANY BOTTLES YOU BRING
HOME? >> YOU ARE NOT THE TSA, ARE YOU? >> IT'S A WELL-CHOREOGRAPHED BALLET.
EVERYONE KNOWS THEIR PART. IN CHARGE, THE PERSON IN CHARGE WITH A REPUTATION. HER FAMILY HAS BEEN MAKING
MEZCAL SINCE IT WAS MORE BOOT DID BOOTLEG THAN ABOVE BOARD. >> YOUR GRANDMOTHER SOLD IT?
>> MY GREAT GRANDFATHER PRODUCED IT AND SHE SOLD IT. SHE SOLD IT BECAUSE NOBODY INSPECTED WOMEN AT THE TIME.
SHE MADE A SPECIAL KNOCK AT THE DOOR, OPEN THE DOOR. THE WOMAN WITH THE DONKEY TAKES OUT THE MEZCAL.
>> OPENS HER STORE. THE FAMILY DISTILLS IN CLAY POTS. 11,000 LITERS A YEAR, SOME 8,000
BOTTLES. MANY GO FOR UPWARDS OF $100. MAKING THIS MEZCAL IS PART SCIENCE, PART INTUITION.
IT COMES WITH A FUNK. WE SAW AND SMELLED INSIDE THE FERMENTATION ROOM. >> Translator: RIGHT NOW IT'S
NOT TOO FERMENTED. YOU CAN TRY IT. >> VERY BITTER. >> Translator: YES.
YOU CAN TASTE THE ALCOHOL. >> IT TASTES LIKE BEER. SHE SHOWS US HOW SHE KNOWS WHEN IT'S READY FOR THE NEXT STEP.
>> Translator: IF I PUT MY EAR TO IT, LISTEN. IT'S LIKE A STOMACH. >> IT IS LIKE A STOMACH.
WOW. HOW MUCH TIME LEFT? >> Translator: I THINK MAYBE ANOTHER FOUR DAYS.
>> THIS IS WHERE THE FLAVOR COMES. THIS IS YOUR MAGIC. >> SI.
>> THREE HOURS SOUTH, AT THE PEREZ FAMILY DISTILLERY, WE MET A FIFTH GENERATION PRODUCER. THAT'S THE NEXT GENERATION
HOLDING HIS HAND. THE FAMILY HAD JUST PULLED AN ALL NIGHTER, TENDING THE FIRE FOR THE ROAST.
A COMMUNITY RITUAL. NEIGHBORS CAME BY TO HELP STOCK IT. HIS FATHER WATCHED OVER.
HOW WAS THE ROAST LAST NIGHT? >> Translator: AROUND 8:00 IN THE MORNING, WE STARTED STACKING.
>> WE JOKED ABOUT BEING BEAT FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE. BUT HE SAYS MAKING MEZCAL DOESN'T FEEL LIKE WORK.
>> Translator: FROM THE MOMENT I GO OUT TO HARVEST AGAVE, I FEEL LIKE I WANT TO TASTE IT ALREADY. >> YOU ARE SMILING WHEN YOU TELL
ME THIS. >> Translator: IT'S THE JOY THAT MEZCAL BRINGS ME. IF YOU DRINK FIVE GLASSES, IT
BRINGS YOU EVEN MORE JOY. >> HE WALKED US THROUGH I HAD HAVE A -- HIS VARIETIES.
HE TOLD US EACH GIVES A UNIQUE TASTE, HERBAL, MINERAL, EARTHY. HE INSISTED WE TASTE FOR OURSELVES AND LED US TO HIS
PRIVATE STASH. THIS IS THE WINNER. HE HAS TAKEN OVER MOST OF THE MANUAL LABOR FROM HIS DAD, USING
WOODEN MALLETS TO CRUSH THE ROASTED AGAVE. HE DISTILLS BATCHES OF 250 BOTTLES AT A TIME.
HERE IS THE THING. MEZCAL PRODUCED BY THE PEREZ FAMILY CAN'T BE CALLED MEZCAL. IT IS MADE IN THE RIGHT REGION,
USING THE RIGHT METHODS TO QUALIFY FOR DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN. BUT HE TOLD US HE DOESN'T BOTHER
WITH THE BUREAUCRACY OF GETTING IT CERTIFIED BY GOVERNMENT APPROVED REGULATORS. YOU DON'T PUT THE WORD MEZCAL ON
YOUR BOTTLES. DOES THAT BOTHER YOU? >> Translator: ON THE CONTRARY. TO CERTIFY IT, THEY PRACTICALLY
TELL YOU HOW TO MAKE YOUR MEZCAL. AN INSPECTOR TELLS, YOU DON'T CRUSH WITH WOODEN MALLETS.
WATER IT DOWN SO IT WILL PASS LAB TESTS. THEN I WILL CERTIFY IT SO YOU CAN SELL IT.
WE DON'T NEED A GOVERNMENT CERTIFIER TO TELL US HOW TO MAKE MEZCAL. >> THERE'S NO DOUBT IN YOUR MIND
THAT WHAT IS INSIDE YOUR BOTTLES IS MEZCAL? >> IT'S MEZCAL. >> MAYBE SO, BUT THE BRAND THAT
BATTLES THE PEREZ FAMILY PRODUCT HAS TO LABEL THE UNCERTIFIED MEZCAL DISTILLED AGAVE. IN BARS AROUND THE WORLD, THAT'S
BECOME A SELLIN POINT. SMALL BATCH ENTHUSIASTS CLAMOR FOR OBSCURE, LIMITED RUN BOTTLES AND MEZCAL BY ANY OTHER NAME
STILL SMELLS AS SWEET. THIS WOMAN DROPPED IT TWO YEARS AGO. HER MAIN FOCUS IS HER PLANTS.
THIS IS NOT LIKE GRAPES. THE CROP DOES NOT GROW BACK EACH YEAR. >> Translator: YOU CAN ONLY
BENEFIT FROM IT ONCE IN ITS LIFETIME. IT TAKES 30 YEARS TO GIVE YOU ITS BEST.
>> IF THEY OBSESS OVER THEIR AGAVE, IT'S BECAUSE THEY ARE TRYING TO AVOID REPEATING TEQUILA'S MISTAKES.
OVERPLANTING OF BLUE AGAVE RENTERED IT MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DISEASE. SHE WORRIES THE SAME COULD HALF
TO MEZCAL'S WORKHORSE VARIETY. TO. >> Translator: IT'S LIKE TEQUILA TEQUILA.
THE IRONY IS ON THE WORLD MARKET, WHAT PEOPLE WANT MOST IS NOT THIS. IT'S WILD AGAVE.
>> BUT IT HAS ITS OWN PROBLEMS. AS PRODUCTION OF MEZCAL HAS INCREASED 700% FROM TEN YEARS AGO, SOME SPECIES OF AGAVE ARE
VANISHING. SO SHE GERMINATES THE SEEDS FROM 12 VARIETIES IN HER NURSERY. HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU ABOUT THE
FUTURE OF THE AGAVE PLANT HERE? >> Translator: WHERE DO I START? ON THE ONE HAND, WE HAVE ECONOMIC SUCCESS BECAUSE THE
SPIRIT THAT CAME FROM OUR COMMUNITY IS NOW SERVED IN THE MOST FAMOUS BARS IN THE WORLD. THAT MAKES ME HAPPY AND PROUD AS
A MEXICAN. WHAT WORRIES ME IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COST. THE CULTURAL COST.
BECAUSE IT WILL NOT BE FREE. I THINK THE CROSSROADS RIGHT NOW IS RECOGNIZING THAT WE NEED TO SLOW DOWN A LITTLE.
>> SHE TOLD US, MEZCAL IS A REMINDER TO TAKE A MOMENT. SO THAT'S WHAT WE DID. LATER, I WILL TELL YOU THE
PERCENTAGE OF ALCOHOL. >> Translator: THE MAIN POINT IS NOT TO GET DRUNK. IT'S TO ENJOY IT.
ONE BOTTLE AND ENJOY IT. SALUTE. >> SALUTE.
>>> A PROGRAM NOTE. WE WILL NOT SEE YOU NEXT SUNDAY BUT RATHER ON MONDAY AT 8:00 FOR A PRIMETIME "60 MINUTES"
ELECTION SPECIAL.