>>> WE ARE GOING TO THE -- >> WHO IS RAY EPPS? A FORMER MEMBER OF THE OATH KEEPER WHO'S SERVED IN THE
MARINE CORPS AND WAS AN ARDENT TRUMP SUPPORTER, OR AT LEAST HE WAS UNTIL CONSERVATIVE MEDIA POST JANUARY 6th BEGAN
INSINUATING THAT HE WAS A GOVERNMENT PLANT FOR THE DEEP STATE. >> WHAT EXACTLY WAS THE ROLE OF
RAY EPPS IN THE CHAOS OF JANUARY 6th? >> NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES THEY PUSH THIS CONSPIRACY THEORY,
THIS LIE, IT'LL NEVER BECOME TRUTH. >>> THE UNITED STATES IS IN THE MIDDLE OF A MATERNAL HEALTH
CRISIS. TODAY, A WOMAN IN THE U.S. IS TWICE AS LIKELY TO DIE FROM PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS THAN HER
MOTHER WAS A GENERATION AGO. >> YOU'VE LOOKED AT THIS AS A DOG, AS A POLICYMAKER. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
>> WE HAVE TO PRIORITIZE MOTHERHOOD. AS A COUNTRY, WE HAVE, AND PARTICULARLY IN THE DEEP SOUTH,
SAID THAT WE'RE PRO-BIRTH. WE NEED TO BE PRO-MOTHERHOOD AND PRO-FAMILY IF WE'RE GOING TO BE PRO-BIRTH.
>>> YOU'D BE FORGIVEN FOR DOUBLE CHECKING YOUR TICKET TO MAKE SURE YOU WEREN'T AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN.
THIS IS NEW YORK'S METROPOLITAN OPERA. AND IN THIS CORNER, YANNICK NEZET-SEGUIN, ONLY THE THIRD
MUSIC DIRECTOR IN THE MET'S 140-YEAR HISTORY. NEZET-SEGUIN'S EYES REACH FROM THE STAGE.
>>> 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 TONIGHT ON "60
MINUTE >>> FOR MILLIONS OF CONSUMERS OF CONSERVATIVE NEWS, RAY EPPS IS A NOTORIOUS VILLAIN, A PROVOCATEUR
RESPONSIBLE FOR TURNING PEACEFUL PROTESTS ON JANUARY 6th INTO A VIOLENT ASSAULT ON THE U.S. CAPITOL.
THE IRONY IS THAT EPPS WAS A PASSIONATE SUPPORTER OF PRESIDENT TRUMP WHO WENT TO WASHINGTON TO PROTEST THE 2020
ELECTION. BUT, AS WE FIRST REPORTED IN APRIL, HIS CONTRADICTORY BEHAVIOR ON JANUARY 6th SPAWNED
A FULL-FLEDGED CONSPIRACY THEORY, CASTING HIM AS A GOVERNMENT AGENT WHO INCITED AN INSURRECTION.
TODAY, EPPS IS IN HIDING AFTER DEATH THREATS FORCED HIM TO SELL HIS HOME. SO, WHO IS RAY EPPS?
TONIGHT, YOU'LL HEAR FROM THE MAN HIMSELF. >> AS SOON AS PRESIDENT TRUMP IS FINISHED SPEAKING, WE ARE GOING
TO THE CAPITOL. IT'S THAT DIRECTION. AT 6'4", IN HIS DESERT CAMOUFLAGE, BRIGHT RED TRUMP
HAT, AND MILITARY-STYLE BACKPACK, RAY EPPS STOOD OUT FROM THE CROWD ON JANUARY 6th. THAT'S HIM RUNNING TOWARD THE
U.S. CAPITOL AND ALONGSIDE THE VANGUARD OF RIOTERS WHO FIRST ATTACKED AND OVERRAN POLICE. >> WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU
SEE THIS NOW? >> BRINGS BACK SOME BAD MEMORIES. IT'S HARD TO SEE OUR CAPITOL
UNDER ATTACK. >> IT'S BEEN MORE THAN TWO YEARS SINCE THE STORMING OF THE CAPITOL, BUT RAY AND HIS WIFE
ROBYN TOLD US THEY RELIVE JANUARY 6th EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIVES. >> SOME PEOPLE HAVE SAID, "WELL,
JUST LET IT GO, AND LET IT DIE DOWN." >> IT DOESN'T. >> WHAT THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND IS
IT DOESN'T. >> WHAT EXACTLY WAS THE ROLE OF RAY EPPS IN THE CHAOS OF JANUARY 6th?
>> THE THEORY EPPS, A FORMER MEMBER OF THE OATH KEEPERS, WAS AN FBI INFORMANT WHO INCITED THE CROWD ON JANUARY 6th BUBBLED UP
FROM A RIGHT-WING NEWS SITE CALLED REVOLVER NEWS, RUN BY A FORMER TRUMP SPEECHWRITER. >> HE IS THE SMOKING GUN OF THE
ENTIRE FED-SURRECTION. >> AND LANDED ON FOX NEWS PRIME TIME. >> ACCORDING TO A NEW
INVESTIGATION FROM REVOLVER, EPPS MAY HAVE LED THE BREACH TEAM THAT FIRST ENTERED THE CAPITOL ON JANUARY 6th.
>> THE CONVOLUTED CONSPIRACY THEORY MADE ITS WAY TO CAPITOL HILL. >> IT'S NOT THE PROUD BOYS WHO
ENGAGE IN THE INITIAL BREACH. IT'S RAY EPPS AT THAT PRECISE MOMENT. >> HOW DID RAY EPPS KNOW THAT
THERE WERE GOING TO BE PIPE BOMBS? >> MS. SANBORN, WHO IS RAY EPPS? >> THAT QUESTION ANIMATED FORMER
FOX NEWS HOST TUCKER CARLSON FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS. >> RAY EPPS? HE IS ON VIDEO SEVERAL TIMES
ENCOURAGING CRIMES, RIOTS, BREACHES OF THE CAPITOL. >> CARLSON FOCUSED ON EPPS MORE THAN 20 TIMES ON HIS TOP-RATED
SHOW, A HALF DOZEN TIMES THIS YEAR. >> HE'S OBSESSED WITH ME. HE'S GOING TO ANY MEANS POSSIBLE
TO DESTROY MY LIFE AND OUR LIVES. >> WHY? >> TO SHIFT BLAME ON SOMEBODY
ELSE. IF YOU LOOK AT IT, FOX NEWS, MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, TED CRUZ, GAETZ, THEY'RE ALL TELLING
US BEFORE THIS THING THAT IT WAS STOLEN. SO, YOU TELL ME, WHO HAS MORE IMPACT ON PEOPLE, THEM OR ME?
>> EPPS, ONCE A LOYAL FOX NEWS WATCHER, TOLD US HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND HOW HE GOT CAST AS THE VILLAIN.
THE EPPS' VERSION IS MORE MUNDANE: THEY BELIEVED THE 2020 ELECTION HAD BEEN STOLEN FROM DONALD TRUMP, AND CONSIDERED
JANUARY 6th A LEGITIMATE PROTEST. >> IT WAS A SLOPPY ELECTION. AND THEN TO TOP THAT OFF, YOU
HAVE TALKING HEADS REPORTING THAT THERE'S PROBLEMS WITH THE VOTING MACHINES AND DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT.
THE ELECTION'S STOLEN. SO, YEAH, WE HAD CONCERNS. I WANTED TO BE THERE. I WANTED TO WITNESS THIS WITH MY
OWN EYES. >> EPPS WENT TO WASHINGTON WITH HIS 36-YEAR-OLD SON AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY STEPPED INTO
TROUBLE. THE CONSPIRACY THEORY STARTS HERE, THE NIGHT OF JANUARY 5th. >> GIVE ME ONE MINUTE!
GIVE ME ONE MINUTE! >> ON THE STREETS OF D.C., TENSIONS WERE RUNNING HIGH AT A PRO-TRUMP RALLY BEING LIVE
STREAMED ON THE INTERNET. THE MARINE VETERAN TRIED TO TAKE CHARGE. >> I'M GOING TO PUT IT OUT
THERE, I'M PROBABLY GOING TO GO TO JAIL FOR THIS. TOMORROW, WE NEED TO GO INTO THE CAPITOL!
INTO THE CAPITOL! >> WHAT?! PEACEFULLY! >> FED FED FED!
FED! >> TO SOME IN THE CROWD, EPPS SEEMED SO OVER THE TOP, HE MUST HAVE BEEN A GOVERNMENT AGENT --
A FED -- SENT TO ENTRAP THEM. >> WHEN YOU SAID, "WE HAVE TO GO INTO THE CAPITOL, WE HAVE TO GO INTO THE CAPITOL," WHAT WERE YOU
THINKING? >> I SAID SOME STUPID THINGS. MY THOUGHT PROCESS, WE SURROUND THE CAPITOL, WE GET ALL THE
PEOPLE THERE. I MEAN, I HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE ELECTION. IT WAS MY DUTY AS AN AMERICAN TO
PEACEFULLY PROTEST, ALONG WITH ANYBODY ELSE THAT WANTED TO. >> THE NEXT MORNING, JANUARY 6th, EPPS WAS OUT BY THE
WASHINGTON MONUMENT, STILL FOCUSED ON A SINGLE GOAL. >> WE ARE GOING TO THE CAPITOL, WHERE OUR PROBLEMS ARE.
IT'S THAT DIRECTION! >> WE'RE GOING TO WALK DOWN TO THE CAPITOL. >> WHILE PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS
STILL SPEAKING AT THE ELLIPSE, RAY EPPS WALKED TOWARD THE CAPITOL. HE TOLD US HE WANTED TO BE UP
FRONT TO HELP KEEP THE PEACE. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT AT PEACE CIRCLE WHERE PROTESTERS FIRST OVERRAN POLICE IS SEEN AS A
SMOKING GUN. EPPS PULLED THIS AGITATED RIOTER ASIDE AND SAID SOMETHING, CONSPIRACISTS SAY HE WAS GIVING
MARCHING ORDERS, BECAUSE SECONDS LATER THIS HAPPENED, THE FIRST CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER GOES DOWN.
>> AS CLOSELY AS YOU CAN REMEMBER, WHAT EXACTLY DID YOU SAY TO HIM? >> "DUDE, WE'RE NOT HERE FOR
THAT. THE POLICE AREN'T THE ENEMY." OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. >> DID ANYONE FROM THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT DIRECT YOU TO BE HERE AT THE PEACE CIRCLE AT THIS TIME? >> NO.
>> NO ONE FROM THE FBI? >> NO. >> YOUR OLD COMRADES WITH THE OATH KEEPERS?
>> NO. >> I THINK WHAT IS SO DAMNING ABOUT THE VIDEO IS THAT THERE'S A BARRIER THERE.
THE BARRIER GETS KNOCKED DOWN. AND A POLICE OFFICER, A FEMALE POLICE OFFICER GETS KNOCKED DOWN.
AND THE MOB, INCLUDING YOU, WALK OVER THE BARRIER AND MARCH ON TOWARD THE CAPITOL. >> WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP TO HELP
THIS POLICE OFFICER WHO WAS KNOCKED OVER? >> WHEN SHE WAS KNOCKED DOWN AND I STARTED TO GO TOWARDS HER TO
HELP HER UP, AND I SAW A BILLY CLUB OVER HERE IN THE CORNER OF MY EYE. AND I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE
GOING TO THINK I'M PART OF THIS. SO I BACKED OFF. >> YOU WERE PART OF IT. >> I WAS THERE.
I WASN'T A PART OF THAT, KNOCKING HER DOWN. >> AND HE WASN'T PART OF THE VIOLENCE.
THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE THERE. >> RAY EPPS WAS NEVER SEEN COMMITTING AN ACT OF VIOLENCE THAT DAY OR ENTERING THE
CAPITOL. EPPS TOLD US WHEN HE SAW THE VIOLENCE, HIS FERVOR TO ENTER THE BUILDING BECAME A DESIRE TO
PLAY PEACEMAKER. >> SO THEY'RE NOT THE ENEMY. THEY'RE NOT THE ENEMY. APPRECIATE YOU GUYS.
>> AND POLICE BODY CAM VIDEO BACKS HIM UP. >> I THOUGHT I COULD STOP IT. SO I WENT BACK AND FORTH.
I TALKED PEOPLE DOWN. AND WORKED THE LINE BACK AND FORTH. "STEP DOWN, STEP DOWN, WE'RE
GOOD HERE." THAT KIND OF THING. AND I KEPT IT THAT WAY FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
TAKE A STEP BACK! WE'RE HOLDING GROUND. WE'RE NOT TRYING TO GET PEOPLE HURT.
THEY DON'T WANT TO GET HURT. YOU DON'T WANT TO GET HURT. BACK UP! >> EPPS SAYS HE LEFT THE CAPITOL
GROUNDS TO HELP EVACUATE AN INJURED MAN. THE TIME: 2:54 P.M. >> I LOOKED BACK AT THE CAPITOL,
AND THERE WAS PEOPLE CRAWLING UP THE CAPITOL WALLS. AND IT LOOKED LIKE, IT LOOKED TERRIBLE.
I MEAN, I WAS KIND OF ASHAMED OF WHAT, WHAT WAS GOING ON AT THAT POINT. SO I STARTED TO WALK OUT.
>> HE TOLD US THAT'S WHEN HE SENT THIS TEXT TO HIS NEPHEW. CONSPIRACISTS SAW IT AS THE TRUE CONFESSION OF AN AGENT
PROVOCATEUR. >> "I WAS IN FRONT WITH A FEW OTHERS. I ALSO ORCHESTRATED IT."
EXPLAIN THIS TO ME. >> I WAS BOASTING TO MY NEPHEW. I HELPED GET PEOPLE THERE. I WAS DIRECTING PEOPLE TO THE
CAPITOL THAT MORNING. >> YOU KNOW HOW THIS SOUNDS? >> I KNOW EXACTLY HOW IT SOUNDS. I'VE BEEN SCOLDED BY MY WIFE FOR
USING THAT WORD. I SHOULDN'T HAVE USED THAT WORD. >> WHEN YOU ADD UP ALL OF THESE THINGS, AS YOUR CRITICS HAVE
DONE, YOU'VE GIVEN THEM A LOT OF AMMUNITION TO PAINT YOU AS THE INSTIGATOR. >> THERE WAS AN EFFORT TO MAKE
ME THE SCAPEGOAT. >> IF RAY EPPS WAS A COVERT PLANT, HE IS THE WORST COVERT PLANT OF ALL TIME.
IF YOU ARE PART OF SOME ELABORATE CONSPIRACY AGAINST THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON, D.C., I DON'T KNOW
WHY YOU'D WANT TO STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD THE WAY RAY EPPS DID. >> TOM JOSCELYN IS A RESEARCHER AND AUTHOR, ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S
TOP TERRORISM EXPERTS, TAPPED BY THE JANUARY 6th COMMITTEE TO HELP WRITE ITS FINAL REPORT, WHICH FOUND EVIDENCE FAR-RIGHT
EXTREMISTS LIKE THE PROUD BOYS PLANNED AND EXECUTED THE BREACH OF THE CAPITOL. HE SAYS THE COMMITTEE
INTERVIEWED EPPS AND FOUND HE WASN'T IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO PUT IN THE REPORT. >> I WOULDN'T DEFEND RAY EPPS OR
ANYBODY ELSE WHO WAS ON THE CAPITOL GROUNDS THAT DAY. I WOULD JUST DEFEND THE FACTS. SO THE IDEA THAT HE'S LEADING
THE CHARGE OR REALLY ORCHESTRATING IT IS JUST CONTRADICTED BY THIS MOUNTAIN RANGE OF EVIDENCE.
AND THAT'S WHAT THE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS WANT YOU TO, WANT YOU TO DO, RIGHT? THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO LOOK AT
THIS MOUNTAIN RANGE OF EVIDENCE. THEY WANT YOU TO TURN AROUND AND FOCUS ON THIS PEBBLE ON THE GROUND NAMED RAY EPPS.
THEY ALSO DON'T WANT YOU TO LOOK AT WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS SAYING AND DOING. HE CALLS EPPS' BEHAVIOR
BAFFLING, BUT NOT EVIDENCE OF A CONSPIRACY. >> THEY'VE GOT TO COME UP WITH SOME SORT OF CONNECTIVE TISSUE
BETWEEN RAY EPPS AND THE FBI, AND THEY'VE GOT NONE. AND SO THEY CAN MAKE UP ALL SORTS OF AD HOC ARGUMENTS TO
JUSTIFY THEIR BELIEFS, BUT THAT'S ALL THEY ARE. IT'S NOT ACTUAL INVESTIGATIVE WORK.
IT'S NOT ACTUAL EVIDENCE. >> THE JANUARY 6th COMMITTEE LOOKED AT THE EVIDENCE -- VIDEO, PHONE RECORDS, TRAVEL
RECEIPTS -- SO DID THE FBI. WHEN EPPS GOT BACK TO ARIZONA ON JANUARY 8th, A RELATIVE TOLD HIM HE WAS ON AN FBI POSTER "SEEKING
INFORMATION" ABOUT CERTAIN RIOTERS. >> WE LITERALLY HUNG UP THE PHONE AND WALKED RIGHT INTO THE
HOUSE, SAT DOWN AND CALLED THE FBI. >> DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU SAID TO THE FBI?
>> TOLD THEM WHO I WAS, AND THAT I WOULD COOPERATE IN ANY WAY I COULD. I DIDN'T BREAK ANY LAWS.
>> TWO MONTHS LATER, HE MET WITH AGENTS. >> SO WHEN WE MET WITH THE FBI, I MEAN, IT WAS LIKE, "FINALLY,
WE'RE GOING TO CLEAR THIS UP." THERE WAS NO, "I TAKE THE FIFTH." THERE WAS NONE OF THAT IT WAS
JUST LIKE WE'RE TALKING RIGHT NOW. I WENT THROUGH EVERYTHING. AND THEY HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
>> IN THE SUMMER OF 2021, THE FBI TOOK HIS PICTURE OFF THE BUREAU'S WEBSITE. EPPS THOUGHT THAT WOULD END HIS
TROUBLES, BUT IT ONLY ADDED FUEL TO THE CONSPIRACY. >> A NEW PIECE IN "REVOLVER NEWS" NOTES THAT THE FBI REMOVED
A PHOTO OF RAY EPPS FROM ITS MOST WANTED PAGE THIS SUMMER. >> HOW ABOUT THE ONE GUY? GO IN.
GO IN! GET IN THERE, EVERYBODY. EPPS. GET IN THERE!
GO, GO, GO! NOTHING HAPPENS TO HIM. >> THE EPPS WOULD DISPUTE THAT. AFTER FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP
MENTIONED EPPS BY NAME, HARASSMENT AND DEATH THREATS PICKED UP. >> "I PRAY," TO COME TO YOU TO
KILL YOU. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU OPEN A LETTER LIKE THAT? >> SCARES ME TO DEATH.
>> IT GOT SO BAD THEY WERE FORCED TO SELL THEIR FIVE-ACRE RANCH OUTSIDE PHOENIX. THEY'RE NOW IN HIDING, LIVING IN
THIS 300-SQUARE-FOOT RECREATIONAL VEHICLE, SOMEWHERE IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. WE AGREED NOT TO DISCLOSE
EXACTLY WHERE. >> IT'S SO SAD WHAT PEOPLE HAVE DONE TO RAY, AND TO US, AND TO OUR LIVES.
SOMETIMES I'VE USED MY MAIDEN NAME JUST SO THAT WE DON'T CALL ATTENTION. >> I HAVE A HARD TIME, BEING A
MAN, BEING ON THE -- BEING A MARINE, BEING ON THE RUN. I HAD TO DO THE NECESSARY THINGS TO KEEP MY FAMILY SAFE.
>> THE FBI ISSUED A STATEMENT TO "60 MINUTES" IN APRIL SAYING, QUOTE, RAY EPPS HAS NEVER BEEN AN FBI SOURCE OR AN FBI
EMPLOYEE. LAST MONTH, EPPS SUED FOX NEWS FOR DEFAMATION, ACCUSING FORMER HOST TUCKER CARLSON OF PROMOTING
A RECKLESS CONSPIRACY THEORY. CARLSON WAS FIRED BY FOX NEWS THE DAY AFTER THIS REPORT FIRST AIRED.
>>> THE UNITED STATES IS IN THE MIDDLE OF A MATERNAL HEALTH CRISIS. TODAY, A WOMAN IN THE U.S. IS
TWICE AS LIKELY TO DIE FROM PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS THAN HER MOTHER WAS A GENERATION AGO. STATISTICS FROM THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION SHOW THE UNITED STATES HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST RATES OF MATERNAL DEATH IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD.
WOMEN IN THE U.S. ARE TEN OR MORE TIMES LIKELY TO DIE FROM PREGNANCY-RELATED CAUSES THAN MOTHERS IN POLAND, SPAIN, OR
NORWAY. AS WE FIRST REPORTED THIS PAST APRIL, SOME OF THE WORST STATISTICS COME OUT OF THE
SOUTH, IN PLACES LIKE LOUISIANA, WHERE DEEP POCKETS OF POVERTY, HEALTHCARE DESERTS, AND RACIAL BIASES HAVE LONG PUT MOTHERS AT
RISK. TONIGHT, YOU WILL HEAR FROM SOME OF THE WOMEN TRYING TO IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTHCARE IN LOUISIANA
AND WHY THEY SAY LAST SUMMER'S ABORTION BAN SET OFF A "DOMINO EFFECT," MAKING A BAD SITUATION, WORSE.
>> THE STATE OF MATERNAL HEALTH IN THE UNITED STATES IS ABYSMAL. AND LOUISIANA IS THE HIGHEST MATERNAL MORTALITY IN THE U.S.
SO, IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD, LOUISIANA HAS THE WORST OUTCOMES FOR WOMEN HAVING BABIES. >> GOOD MORNING.
>> AS AN OB-GYN, LOUISIANA'S FORMER STATE SECRETARY OF HEALTH, AND FOUNDER OF NEST, A PRIMARY HEALTH SERVICE FOR
FAMILIES, DR. REBEKAH GEE SPENT A CAREER ADVOCATING FOR BETTER MATERNAL CARE. RENOWNED FOR ITS RICH CULTURE
AND LEGENDARY CELEBRATIONS, LOUISIANA ALSO HOLDS THE DISTINCTION OF BEING ONE OF THE RISKIEST PLACES IN THE COUNTRY
TO GIVE BIRTH. >> 39 OUT OF EVERY 100,000 MOTHERS IN LOUISIANA DIE DURING OR SHORTLY AFTER CHILDBIRTH.
>> HOW DID WE GET HERE? WHY IS LOUISIANA IN THIS POSITION? >> THE HIGH C-SECTION RATES HAVE
CONTRIBUTED, THE LACK OF ACCESS TO WELL WOMAN CARE BEFORE AND AFTER PREGNANCIES. 50% OF THE TIME WOMEN DON'T GET
THAT POSTPARTUM CARE WHICH MEANS THEY HAVE UNTREATED HYPERTENSION, UNTREATED DIABETES, UNTREATED DEPRESSION.
THE FACT THAT WE HAVE RACIAL BIAS IN HEALTHCARE. AND SO ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE COMPOUNDED ESPECIALLY WORSE FOR
LOW-INCOME WOMEN. >> AS LOUISIANA'S SECRETARY OF HEALTH, DR. GEE HELPED EXPAND POSTPARTUM MEDICAID COVERAGE AND
PUSHED THE STATE TO TRACK HOW RACE IMPACTED CARE AND MATERNAL OUTCOMES. >> WAS IT UNDERREPORTED?
>> ABSOLUTELY. IN THE PRIOR ADMINISTRATION, WHEN I WAS MEDICAL DIRECTOR, WE WERE TOLD WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO
SHOW DATA THAT SHOWED HEALTH DISPARITIES. >> BECAUSE WHY? >> BECAUSE THE POLITICAL
ESTABLISHMENT DIDN'T WANT TO ADMIT THAT THERE WERE DISPARITIES. >> A STATE BOARD NOW REVIEWS AND
REPORTS EVERY MATERNAL DEATH IN LOUISIANA. DR. GEE WORKED WITH THAT BOARD AND FOUND THE RESULTS ESPECIALLY
UPSETTING. DATA SHOWED 80% OF MATERNAL DEATHS IN THE STATE WERE POTENTIALLY PREVENTIBLE.
>> YOU'VE LOOKED AT THIS AS A DOCTOR, AS A POLICYMAKER. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE? >> WE HAVE TO PRIORITIZE
MOTHERHOOD. RIGHT? AS A COUNTRY, WE HAVE, AND PARTICULARLY IN THE DEEP SOUTH,
SAID THAT WE'RE PRO-BIRTH. IF WE'RE REALLY GOING TO BE PRO-BIRTH, WE NEED TO BE PRO-MOTHERHOOD AND PRO-FAMILY,
RIGHT? >> WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? >> MAKING SURE THAT WOMEN HAVE TIME OFF TO GET TO THEIR MEDICAL
APPOINTMENTS, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE, MAKING SURE THAT WOMEN HAVE ACCESS TO WELL WOMAN CARE.
>> ACCESS IS A BIG HURDLE FOR MANY WOMEN IN LOUISIANA. >> SO WHAT'S IT LIKE TO RAISE A FAMILY HERE?
>> UH, A STRUGGLE. >> 28-YEAR-OLD THERESA DUBOIS AND 32-YEAR-OLD BRITTANY CAVALIER ARE BOTH MARRIED, AND
MOTHERS OF TWO. THEY'RE EXPECTING THEIR THIRD BABIES THIS SUMMER. >> BRITTANY RUNS THE LOCAL
DAYCARE THAT THERESA'S YOUNGER DAUGHTER ATTENDS. THEY LIVE IN ASSUMPTION PARISH, A RURAL COUNTY OF 21,000 WHERE
SUGAR CANE IS PLENTIFUL. AND DOCTORS ARE SCARCE. >> SO, TO GIVE US A SENSE OF KIND OF WHERE WE ARE, HOW CLOSE
IS THE NEAREST PEDIATRICIAN? >> ALMOST 45 MINUTES. >> OB-GYN? >> AN HOUR AND 35 MINUTES.
>> WHEN YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE OB-GYN AND IT TAKES YOU AN HOUR AND A HALF -- >> OH, IT'S A NIGHTMARE.
IT'S A LOT. IT'S A LOT EMOTIONALLY. IT'S A LOT IN THE CAR. IT'S A LOT ON YOUR BODY, JUST
WAITING THAT LONG TO GET HELP. >> A THIRD OF LOUISIANA'S PARISHES ARE MATERNAL HEALTH DESERTS, MEANING THEY DON'T HAVE
A SINGLE OB-GYN, LEAVING MORE THAN 51,000 WOMEN IN THE STATE WITHOUT EASY ACCESS TO CARE AND THREE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE
OF PREGNANCY-RELATED CAUSES. THE ONLY HOSPITAL IN ASSUMPTION ISN'T EQUIPPED TO DELIVER BABIES, SO CAVALIER AND DUBOIS
HAVE TO TRAVEL MORE THAN AN HOUR TO GET TO HOSPITALS IN BATON ROUGE TO GIVE BIRTH, A HARROWING JOURNEY WHEN THERE'S AN
EMERGENCY. >> I MEAN, WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ONE OF THE BEST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD.
AND YOU'RE JUST LEAVING THE WOMEN OUT THERE TO DRY. >> STARTING WITH THE MOST MARGINALIZED.
>> LATONA GIWA SAW THOSE DISPARITIES WHEN SHE WORKED AS A DELIVERY ROOM NURSE. IN 2011, SHE CO-FOUNDED THE NEW
ORLEANS-BASED BIRTHMARK DOULA COLLECTIVE. >> HEY, TRINITY, HOW ARE YOU? >> DOULAS PROVIDE EMOTIONAL AND
PHYSICAL SUPPORT BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER CHILDBIRTH. LAST YEAR, THE COLLECTIVE WORKED WITH 2,000 MOTHERS.
>> WE WORK WITH THE MOST MARGINALIZED FAMILIES WHO ARE MOST AT RISK FOR POOR BIRTH OUTCOMES AND WE PRIORITIZE
WORKING WITH BLACK AND BROWN FAMILIES, WITH LOW-INCOME FAMILIES. >> IN LOUISIANA, BLACK WOMEN ARE
UP TO FOUR TIMES MORE LIKELY THAN WHITE WOMEN TO DIE DURING OR AFTER CHILDBIRTH. >> WHAT DO YOU SEE IN YOUR LINE
OF WORK THAT BLACK AND BROWN WOMEN ARE FACING WHEN THEY'RE PREGNANT VERSUS A WHITE WOMAN? >> WE LIVE IN A COUNTRY THAT
DOES NOT GUARANTEE INSURANCE COVERAGE AND HEALTHCARE TO EVERYONE, THERE IS DIFFERENT AND DISCRIMINATORY CARE.
BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE ON MEDICAID. THEY'RE GOING TO PRACTICES THAT ARE BUSIER, THAT TAKE MORE
PATIENTS. AND THAT'S WHERE THE DOULA COMES IN. >> SO YOU HAVE YOUR BABY
LAYING -- >> STUDIES SHOW BETTER BIRTH OUTCOMES FOR BLACK WOMEN WHO'VE HAD DOULA CARE.
>> THERE YOU GO. GOOD JOB! >> BIRTHMARK'S WORK IN LOUISIANA CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF EVERY
MOTHER COUNTS. >> A MATERNAL ADVOCACY GROUP FOUNDED BY MODEL CHRISTY TURLINGTON AFTER SHE SUFFERED
COMPLICATIONS WITH THE BIRTH OF HER DAUGHTER IN 2003. >> I HEMORRHAGED. THERE WAS A LOT OF BLOOD.
THERE WAS A WHOLE SORT OF STREAM OF THINGS THAT NEEDED TO HAPPEN. >> REALLY SCARY. >> SCARY AND PAINFUL.
BUT IT WAS WHEN I GOT HOME AND REALLY STARTED TO THINK. WHAT ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD THAT THIS HAPPENS TO BUT
DOESN'T HAVE THAT TEAM OF CARE WORKING TOGETHER, UNDERSTANDING WHAT'S HAPPENING AND ACTIVELY MANAGING IT?
>> THOSE QUESTIONS LED TURLINGTON AROUND THE WORLD TO DOCUMENT THE CHALLENGES WOMEN FACE GIVING BIRTH, STORIES OF
MIDWIVES IN HAITI AND MOTHERS IN BATON ROUGE. >> HOW DO YOU COMPARE U.S. MATERNAL HEALTHCARE TO MATERNAL
HEALTHCARE IN THE REST OF THE WORLD? >> WELL, THE U.S. IS ONE OF EIGHT COUNTRIES THAT HAVE
ACTUALLY HAD AN INCREASE IN MATERNAL MORTALITY. SO, WE'RE CERTAINLY AT THE BOTTOM RUNG.
>> LAST YEAR, EVERY MOTHER COUNTS DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS TO GROUPS FOCUSED ON STRENGTHENING
MATERNAL CARE IN THE U.S., A MISSION THAT BECAME EVEN MORE DIFFICULT LAST SUMMER. AFTER ROE VERSUS WADE WAS
OVERTURNED BY THE SUPREME COURT IN JUNE, LOUISIANA IMPLEMENTED A SWEEPING ABORTION BAN. THE BAN SET OFF A DOMINO EFFECT
ACROSS THE STATE IMPACTING WOMEN LIKE KAITLYN JOSHUA, A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER. >> JOSHUA AND HER HUSBAND WERE
THRILLED TO LEARN SHE WAS PREGNANT LAST SUMMER. THE COUPLE HAVE A 4-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER AND WERE LOOKING
FORWARD TO EXPANDING THEIR FAMILY. >> WE STARTED EXPERIENCING CRAMPING.
I, YOU KNOW, LOST A LOT OF BLOOD. >> SHE TOLD US SHE WENT TO WOMAN'S HOSPITAL IN BATON ROUGE
WHERE THEY DID AN ULTRASOUND, EXAMINED AND MONITORED HER. JOSHUA SAYS, THAT'S WHERE THE TREATMENT ENDED.
>> AND SO I SAID, "OKAY, SO IS THIS A MISCARRIAGE?" AND THE YOUNG LADY, SHE SAID, "I -- I CAN'T REALLY TELL YOU
THAT RIGHT NOW. I DON'T KNOW." AND I SAID, "WELL, WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?
WE DID THE ULTRASOUND." I RECALL HER SAYING, "WE'RE JUST SENDING YOU HOME WITH PRAYERS, WE'RE GOING TO HOPE FOR THE
BEST." >> SO YOU'RE IN PAIN. >> UH-HUH. >> YOU THINK YOU'RE MISCARRYING,
AND THEY SAY, "WE'RE GOING TO SEND YOU HOME WITH PRAYERS?" >> YES. YOU KNOW WE'RE CHRISTIANS TOO,
LIKE, WE PRAY BUT IT JUST WAS VERY INSULTING IN THE MOMENT JUST BECAUSE WOMEN COME THERE FOR ANSWERS.
SO, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO GET A DEFINITE RESPONSE. >> WOMAN'S HOSPITAL TOLD "60 MINUTES," "IT'S COMPLEX WHEN
DIAGNOSES OF EARLY PREGNANCY LOSS IS UNCLEAR, THE STANDARD OF CARE IS TO WAIT." THE NEXT KAY, KAITLYN JOSHUA
TOLD US HER PAIN BECAME UNBEARABLE, SO SHE SOUGHT CARE FROM A SECOND HOSPITAL, BATON ROUGE GENERAL, WHERE A DOCTOR
ORDERED ANOTHER ULTRASOUND. >> SHE STRAIGHT UP SAID, "THIS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A BABY AT ALL. ARE YOU SURE YOU WERE EVER
PREGNANT? THIS JUST LOOKS LIKE A CYST." >> WAIT. SHE --
>> YEAH. >> SHE QUESTIONED WHETHER YOU WERE PREGNANT OR NOT? >> ABSOLUTELY.
AND THEY DISCHARGED ME MAYBE WITHIN AN HOUR AND A HALF OR SO AFTER MONITORING ME. AND ON THE PAPERWORK, IT
LITERALLY SAID, "POTENTIAL MISCARRIAGE" OR "POSSIBLE MISCARRIAGE," BUT NOTHING DEFINITE.
>> KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW ABOUT WHAT YOUR BODY WAS GOING THROUGH, COULD YOU HAVE DIED? >> WHEN I FINALLY DID GET CARE
FROM A MIDWIFE ON, LIKE, DAY FIVE, SHE SAID THAT YOU CERTAINLY COULD HAVE DIED. SHE SAID, "THE AMOUNT OF BLOOD
YOU LOST, THE AMOUNT OF FLUIDS THAT YOU WERE PASSING WAS A LOT FOR SOMEONE IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME."
>> WHY DO YOU THINK THERE WAS SUCH FEROCIOUS PUSHBACK FROM NOT ONE, BUT TWO HOSPITALS? >> I JUST HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT
IT IS JUST THE VAGUENESS OF THE ABORTION BAN IN THIS STATE THAT'S CAUSED SO MUCH FEAR AROUND PHYSICIANS DOING THEIR
JOB. >> WE REACHED OUT TO BATON ROUGE GENERAL, THEY TOLD US, "EVERY PATIENT IS DIFFERENT," AND THAT
SINCE THE BAN THEY HAVE "NOT CHANGED THE WAY THEY MANAGE MISCARRIAGES OR THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE" TO TREAT THEM.
THE HOSPITAL LEFT JOSHUA WITH ONE OPTION, TO TAKE TYLENOL AND MONITOR FOR WORSENING SYMPTOMS. IN LOUISIANA, SOME PHYSICIANS
ARE NOW AFRAID TO OFFER METHODS TYPICALLY USED TO TREAT MISCARRIAGES BECAUSE THOSE SAME METHODS ARE USED IN ABORTION AND
COULD BE SEEN AS ILLEGAL, POTENTIALLY LANDING HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IN JAIL. >> TO BE CLEAR, YOU WERE NOT
SEEKING ABORTION. >> UH-HUH. >> YOU WERE TRYING TO HAVE A HEALTHY BABY.
YOU NEEDED CARE AND NOBODY WOULD TOUCH YOU. >> ABSOLUTELY. I THINK A LOT OF TIMES WE FAIL
TO REALIZE THE INTERSECTIONALITY BETWEEN MATERNAL HEALTHCARE, REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE, AND ABORTION CARE.
UNTIL WE UNDERSTAND THAT ALL OF THOSE THINGS INTERCONNECT, WE PROBABLY WILL NOT SEE CHANGE ANY TIME SOON.
>> WE TAKE AN OATH TO DO NO HARM, AND THAT'S REALLY OUR NORTH STAR AS A PHYSICIAN. BUT WHEN THE PROSPECT OF DOING
THAT MIGHT CAUSE YOU TO BE BROUGHT UP ON CRIMINAL CHARGES, THAT'S A REALLY DIFFICULT PLACE FOR OUR PHYSICIANS TO BE.
>> DR. JENNIFER AVEGNO HAS BEEN AN E.R. DOCTOR FOR 22 YEARS AND IS THE CURRENT DIRECTOR OF THE NEW ORLEANS HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
LAST SUMMER, ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF LANDRY SENT A LETTER TO DOCTORS ABOUT THE NEW ABORTION BAN THAT AVEGNO SAYS PARALYZED
MATERNAL HEALTHCARE ACROSS THE STATE. >> THE LETTER WAS SOMETHING THAT I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE AS A
PRACTICING PHYSICIAN. A NONMEDICAL LAYPERSON INSERTING THEMSELVES INTO MEDICAL CARE. AND THERE WAS A DIRECT LINE
ABOUT ANY PHYSICIAN WHO VIOLATES THIS WILL LOSE THEIR LIBERTY AND MEDICAL LICENSE. AND SO REALLY IT WAS A THREAT.
>> WHAT KIND OF CRIMINAL PENALTIES DOES A DOCTOR FACE? >> AT LEAST ONE YEAR AND UP TO TEN YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT WITH
HARD LABOR. >> THIS IS ABOUT GOING TO JAIL -- >> THIS IS ABOUT GOING TO JAIL.
DOCTORS DON'T WANT TO BE IN A WAR WITH THEIR OWN STATE. THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO JUST PRACTICE.
>> AS THE NEW ORLEANS HEALTH DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR, DR. AVEGNO HAS SEEN HOW DOCTORS ARE STRUGGLING TO INTERPRET THE
LANGUAGE OF LOUISIANA'S NEW ABORTION BAN. >> WHAT THEY'RE BEING TOLD IS, WELL, YOU CAN CONSULT WITH THE
HOSPITAL ATTORNEY. BUT I DON'T KNOW OF ANY OTHER DISEASE OR PROCESS WHERE ROUTINELY YOU'RE BEING TOLD,
WE'LL GET THE HOSPITAL ATTORNEY INVOLVED. THAT ALSO BRINGS UP WHAT IF THE ATTORNEY ADVISES SOMETHING THAT
THE PHYSICIAN REALLY FEELS IS HARMFUL. SO, REALLY, WHAT OUR PHYSICIANS ARE FACING IS A TERRIBLE CHOICE,
TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT MIGHT NOT BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PATIENT, OR RISK GOING TO JAIL. >> WE REACHED OUT TO THREE URBAN
HOSPITALS, RURAL HOSPITALS, PROVIDERS. AND THEY SAID, WE'D LOVE TO TALK TO YOU, BUT WE'RE AFRAID.
>> YES. THAT HAS BEEN THE CONSISTENT ECHO FROM PROVIDERS. THERE ARE SEVERAL PROVIDERS I
THINK THAT WOULD LOVE TO SPEAK OUT BUT WERE TOLD BY THEIR HOSPITALS THAT IT'S TOO RISKY. >> SO WHY ARE YOU SITTING HERE
TODAY? >> I AM CONCERNED THAT WE ARE GOING TO SEE A WORSENING OF OUR MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY RATES.
SIMPLY BECAUSE OF ACCESS AND SIMPLY BECAUSE OF FEAR.
>>> YANNICK NEZET-SEGUIN IS A CONDUCTOR OPERATING AT TRIPLE TEMPO, AT ONCE THE DIRECTOR OF THREE MAJOR ORCHESTRAS IN
PHILADELPHIA, IN HIS HOMETOWN OF MONTREAL AND AT THE METROPOLITAN OPERA IN NEW YORK, WHICH HAS PINNED ON HIM THE HOPES FOR
REBOUNDING FROM FINANCIAL CRISIS AND THE BOLD REVAMPING OF ITS ARTISTIC MISSION. NOT THAT YOU'LL CATCH
NEZET-SEGUIN SWEATING IT. AT 48, HE'S OBLITERATING THE STEREOTYPE OF THE STRICT, UNAPPROACHABLE MAESTRO, JOYFULLY
KEEPING HIS MUSICIANS IN TIME, HIS HAIR BLEACHED PLATINUM BLONDE AND A SMILE ALL BUT WELDED TO HIS FACE.
KNOWN AS MUCH FOR HIS VERSATILITY AS HIS VIRTUOSITY, NEZET-SEGUIN, AS WE FIRST TOLD YOU IN MAY, IS RE-IMAGINING THE
ROLE OF THE MODERN ORCHESTRA, AND ITS PLACE IN THE SOUNDTRACK OF THE MODERN CITY. ♪
YOU'D BE FORGIVEN FOR DOUBLE-CHECKING YOUR TICKET TO MAKE SURE YOU WEREN'T AT MADISON
SQUARE GARDEN. THIS IS NEW YORK'S METROPOLITAN OPERA. AND IN THIS CORNER, THE MAESTRO,
YANNICK NEZET-SEGUIN, ONLY THE THIRD MUSIC DIRECTOR IN THE MET'S 140-YEAR HISTORY. >> HE'S CONDUCTING A
JAZZ-INFUSED OPERA ABOUT A REAL-LIFE BOXING CHAMPION OF THE 1960s AND '70s. ALL THIS IS A RADICAL KEY CHANGE
FROM THE STANDARD MET LINEUP OF PUCCINI AND VERDI AND WAGNER. ♪ NEZET-SEGUIN'S EYES REACH
MUSICIANS IN THE PIT AND VOCALISTS ON STAGE, SEEMINGLY ALL AT ONCE. THE BOUNCE IN HIS BATON
CONSECRATES EVERY NOTE. >> IT'S THE CATHARTIC MOMENT WHERE, "OH, MY GOD, THIS IS SO AMAZING. THIS IS SO IMPRESSIVE.
THIS IS SO INTENSE. THIS IS SO EMOTIONAL." AND THIS CATHARTIC EXPERIENCE WE FEEL TRANSFORMED AS A DIFFERENT
PERSON BEFORE AND AFTER LISTENING TO THESE PIECES. >> THERE SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING SACRED ABOUT YOUR MAKING MUSIC.
AM I OVERSTATING THAT? >> NO. NO, YOU'RE NOT. I TRY NEVER TO TAKE MYSELF TOO
SERIOUSLY. BUT MUSIC HAS TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. >> A PIANIST BY TRAINING WHO'S
CONDUCTED THE GREAT PHILHARMONICS OF EUROPE, NEZET-SEGUIN BRINGS HIS SENSIBILITY TO BEAR UP AND DOWN
THE EASTERN SEABOARD. IN PHILADELPHIA, HE IS THE CURRENT CUSTODIAN OF WHAT'S BEEN A WORLD-RENOWNED ORCHESTRA FOR
MORE THAN A CENTURY. WE VISITED IN FEBRUARY, AS THE CITY CELEBRATED THE CONTRACT EXTENSION THROUGH 2030 OF A
MAESTRO KNOWN TO ALL BY HIS FIRST NAME. THAT MORNING, YANNIYK AND HIS MUSICIANS MADE THE PILGRIMAGE UP
THE FAMED ROCKY STEPS, CLAD IN EAGLES GEAR. HE SEES THE ORCHESTRA -- NOT UNLIKE A SPORTS TEAM -- AS AN
INSTRUMENT OF COHESION IN THE COMMUNITY. >> HEY. HI, EVERYONE, HI!
>> IN THE AFTERNOON, NEZET-SEGUIN STOPPED BY PHILLY'S PREMIER PERFORMING ARTS HIGH SCHOOL TO GUEST CONDUCT THE
STUDENTS. >> I THINK IF WE WERE TO AGREE TO BITE EVEN MORE IN EVERY NOTE LIKE TA TA TA TA TA TA TA.
♪ ♪ >> THAT'S IT, THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!
>> 450 MILES DUE NORTH, BACK HOME IN MONTREAL, THEY SPEAK HIS LANGUAGE IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE. HE HAS A LIFETIME CONTRACT WITH
THE ORCHESTRE METROPOLITAIN. NEZET-SEGUIN HAS LED THESE MUSICIANS FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS, THAT'S HIS HUSBAND
PIERRE TOUREVILLE ON VIOLA. THE DEPTH OF HIS CONNECTION HERE PRODUCES HYPNOTIC SOUND. LISTEN TO THIS, A REHEARSAL IN
SIBELIUS' FIFTH SYMPHONY. ♪ ♪ SOME WEEKS YANNICK LEADS
PERFORMANCES IN ALL THREE CITIES. JUST LAST SATURDAY, HE CONDUCTED A MATINEE IN NEW YORK AND THE
EVENING PROGRAM IN PHILLY. THEN AGAIN, WHAT IS A CONDUCTOR IF NOT SOMEONE ABLE TO SYNCHRONIZE?
>> I CAN'T DENY THAT IT'S A VERY DEMANDING SCHEDULE. AND EVEN THE WORD "SCHEDULE" IF SHOULD I EVER RETIRE, I WANT TO
BAN THAT WORD FROM MY LIFE. >> DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE CHILD AMONG THE THREE ORCHESTRAS YOU CONDUCT?
>> YOU CANNOT ASK ME THIS. >> YET ONE CHILD IN PARTICULAR -- AND ISN'T THIS ALWAYS THE CASE? -- DEMANDS
EXTRA ATTENTION AND TLC. >> CAN WE HAVE MORE IMPORTANCE IN THE THIRD... >> AT THE MET, THE COUNTRY'S
LARGEST PERFORMING ARTS INSTITUTION, WE WATCHED HIM WRANGLE 250 MUSICIANS AND SINGERS FOR A PRODUCTION OF
WAGNER'S LOHENGRIN, A STALWART OPERA THAT GAVE US THE BRIDAL CHORUS. ♪
AND NEZET-SEGUIN'S INTERPRETATIONS DO RIGHT BY THE MASTERS. >> WHAT I WANT IS TO RESPECT
WHAT WAGNER WROTE IN THE SCORE. ♪ >> SO IT'S VERY POETIC AND MAGICAL.
WHAT'S REALLY INDIVIDUAL IS ME BEING COMPLETELY AT THE SERVICE OF THE COMPOSER. >> YANNICK TOOK OVER THE PODIUM
HERE IN 2018, AFTER HIS PREDECESSOR WAS FIRED FOR ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT.
FACING WEAK TICKET SALES AND PERPETUALLY STRAPPED FOR CASH, THE MET HAS HAD A HARD TIME REBOUNDING FROM COVID AND HAS
DIPPED INTO ITS ENDOWMENT TO COVER AROUND 10% OF ITS $300 MILLION OPERATING BUDGET. >> MAESTRO TO THE PIT, PLEASE.
>> THEY'VE TRIED COURTING A YOUNGER, MORE DIVERSE CROWD HERE BEFORE, BUT NEZET-SEGUIN IS DOING IT PRESTISSIMO, SPEEDING
UP THE TEMPO OF CHANGE. HE'S BETTING THAT NEW COMPOSERS AND CONTEMPORARY OPERAS -- SOME ADAPTED FROM BESTSELLING BOOKS
AND HOLLYWOOD HITS -- WILL BRING IN A WIDER AUDIENCE AND SHORE UP THE BOTTOM LINE. >> AND EARLY RESULTS SUGGEST
HE'S RIGHT. ♪ >> A RECENT PREMIERE OF THE OPERA "FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES"
-- BASED ON A MEMOIR BY JOURNALIST CHARLES BLOW AND COMPOSED BY JAZZ LEGEND TERENCE BLANCHARD -- SOLD OUT AND
OUTSOLD VERDI'S CLASSIC RIGOLETTO HERE THAT SEASON. WHAT'S MORE, HALF THE SEATS WERE FILLED BY FIRST-TIME MET GOERS.
>> IT'S GREAT, SUCH A SUCCESS. AND YET I'M THINKING THAT MEANS THAT ALL OF THESE PEOPLE NEVER FELT COMPELLED, OR, DARE I SAY,
WELCOME TO COME HERE. AND THAT IS MY MISSION. >> FIRST TIMERS WERE 50%. YOU SAW THAT AS BOTH A TRIUMPH
BUT ALSO SOUNDS LIKE AN -- AN INDICTMENT. >> MOSTLY IT'S A TREMENDOUS ENCOURAGEMENT TO CONTINUE IN
THAT VEIN. >> THE MET WILL PUT ON 17 NEW AND RECENT WORKS OVER THE NEXT FIVE SEASONS, THIS AT A PLACE
THAT ONCE WENT NEAR DECADES WITHOUT STAGING A NEW OPERA. THIS SPRING BROUGHT "CHAMPION," ANOTHER TERENCE BLANCHARD
COMPOSITION BASED ON THE COMPLICATED LIFE OF EMILE GRIFFITH, A BISEXUAL PRIZEFIGHTER.
>> WHAT CAN'T YOU WRITE AN OPERA ABOUT? >> NOTHING. >> HOW DO YOU THREAD THAT NEEDLE
BETWEEN EXPERIMENTING AND BRINGING IN NEW AUDIENCES, BUT ALSO NOT UPSETTING THE TRADITIONALISTS?
>> THE TRUTH IS I'M NOT NECESSARILY CONCERNED ABOUT NOT UPSETTING TRADITIONALISTS. I THINK PEOPLE WHO LOVE OUR ART
FORM ARE STILL GOING TO LOVE IT BECAUSE WE'RE STILL GOING TO PLAY SOME PUCCINI AND VERDI. TO ME, IT'S -- IT'S NEVER ABOUT
NOT UPSETTING. AND IF SOME PEOPLE ARE UPSET, WELL, TOO BAD. THEY JUST DON'T HAVE TO COME TO
EVERYTHING WE DO. >> AND THAT'S ABOUT AS PRICKLY AS YOU'LL HEAR HIM GET, BEYOND YANNICK'S MUSICIANSHIP, HIS REAL
HALLMARK MIGHT BE HIS LIGHT TOUCH. >> OKAY, LET'S DO IT ONE MORE TIME.
>> TAKE THIS REHEARSAL FOR "CHAMPION," THE FIRST-TIME THE ORCHESTRA, RHYTHM SECTION, AND SINGERS PLAYED THE PIECE
TOGETHER, BUT ALSO THAT RARE COLLABORATION BETWEEN A CONDUCTOR AND A LIVING COMPOSER. >> HE GETS IT.
>> TERENCE BLANCHARD, A SEVEN-TIME GRAMMY WINNER, IS THE FIRST BLACK COMPOSER IN THE MET'S HISTORY.
>> HE GETS THE STORY. HE GETS THE WHOLE NOTION OF BRINGING THESE DIFFERENT STYLES OF MUSIC TOGETHER.
>> ONE OF THE REHEARSALS WITH THE ORCHESTRA, HE SAID, "LISTEN, DON'T FOLLOW ME, LISTEN TO THE DRUMS."
MOST CONDUCTORS DON'T DO THAT. >> I'M THERE FOR YOU, OKAY, COOL. >> WE SAW FIRSTHAND YANNICK'S
RESPONSIVENESS WHEN SOPRANO LATONIA MOORE ASKED HIM TO SLOW THINGS DOWN. CAN WE DO IT A HAIR SLOWER?
I JUST WANT TO REALLY GET EVERYTHING OUT. >> YEAH. SO, RIGHT FROM THE BASS.
>> IS THERE A WORRY, THOUGH, THAT YOUR AUTHORITY MIGHT BE UNDERCUT BY ALL THESE GOOD VIBES?
>> I THINK IT'S THE OLD CONCEPT OF AUTHORITY, WHICH IS BECAUSE I SAY SO AND BECAUSE I CAN FIRE YOU, I'M GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT
TO DO. THAT'S NOT WORKING ANYMORE. AND I WILL GO EVEN FURTHER. EVEN THE MASTERS OF THE PAST,
TOSCANINI, FOR EXAMPLE, FANTASTIC MUSICIAN. OF COURSE I RESPECT A LOT OF THIS.
BUT YOU CAN HEAR WITH SOME RECORDINGS WITH TOSCANINI, ESPECIALLY WITH SINGERS. YOU COULD HEAR THE FEAR IN THEIR
VOICE. AND, TO ME, THAT'S NOT EXPRESSIVE. >> YOU CAN DISCERN THAT?
>> OH YEAH. OH, I'M SURE YOU COULD. LIKE THEY'RE TREMBLING, BECAUSE THEY FEAR.
BECAUSE ALREADY TO OPEN YOUR MOUTH ON THE STAGE IS ALREADY NERVE-WRACKING. IF YOU HAVE A CONDUCTOR WHO IS
WAITING FOR YOU TO FAIL, IT'S GOING TO BE EVEN MORE NERVE-WRACKING. THE MUSIC DOESN'T WIN.
>> THE MUSIC WINS WHEN EVERYBODY FEELS FREE TO EXPRESS WHO THEY ARE. >> YANNICK FOUND THAT FREEDOM
FOR HIMSELF AS EARLY AS GRADE SCHOOL, HERE HE IS LEADING AN IMAGINARY ORCHESTRA IN FRONT OF CLASSMATES.
HE STUDIED AT THE CONSERVATORY IN MONTREAL, A MUSIC TOWN WITH A CHURCH ON EVERY CORNER. HE LED THE CHURCH CHOIR IN HIS
TEENS AND TRAINED HIS EAR IN LESS FORMAL WAYS, TOO. >> I WOULD GO TO A RECORD STORE AND BUY CDs AND DISCOVER
REPERTOIRE AFTER REPERTOIRE, EVERY SYMPHONY BY BRAHMS, EVERY SYMPHONY BY BEETHOVEN, BY BRUCKNER, BY MAHLER.
I WANTED THEN TO HEAR EVERY VERSION AND BUY EVERY VERSION OF EVERY SYMPHONY. AND IM NOT SHY TO SAY THAT
IT -- IT'S SHAPED A LOT OF WHO I AM AS A MUSICIAN. BECAUSE EVENTUALLY IT BECAME A COLLECTION OF, LIKE, 12,000 CDs.
>> LAST WINTER, WE VISITED HIS PARENTS AT YANNICK'S CHILDHOOD HOME, THE KIND OF FOLKS WHO KEEP EVERY CLIPPING.
>> YANNICK TOLD US WHEN HE WAS A BOY HE COLLECTED THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS, MAYBE 10,000, CDs. >> YEAH --
>> OH, MORE THAN THAT. >> HE WASN'T EXAGGERATING? >> OH, NO, NO, NO. >> NOT AT ALL.
>> WHERE DID YOU PUT THEM? >> HE MADE THE SHELVES FOR HIM. [ LAUGHTER ] >> AND IT WAS HIS MOM WHO
MANAGED YANNICK'S SCHEDULE THROUGHOUT HIS 30s, AS HE WORKED THE INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, LONDON, VIENNA, ROTTERDAM, GUEST
CONDUCTING 100 ORCHESTRAS. >> HE MADE HIS MET DEBUT IN 2009, PERSISTENCE PAYING OFF. AND IF TODAY HE'S LIVING THE
DREAM, HE'S ALSO CONSCIOUS TO LIVE HIS LIFE, HE AND PIERRE GO ON THE ROAD TOGETHER. WE MET THEM AT A SPOT IN OLD
MONTREAL, WHERE THEY HAD CELEBRATED THEIR WEDDING. THEY MAKE A POINT OF GOING OUT AFTER EVERY PERFORMANCE.
>> FRIENDS, FAMILY, MEMBERS OF THE ORCHESTRA -- >> COLLEAGUES -- >> SOME PEOPLE TOGETHER TO EAT
WELL AND DRINK A LITTLE. >> OF ALL THE MUSICAL MOMENTS IN THE COUPLE'S HISTORY, WE WERE SURPRISED WHEN YANNICK
HIGHLIGHTED THIS ONE -- THE TIME PIERRE AND CELINE DION SERENADED HIM ON A POPULAR QUEBEC TALK SHOW, A KIND OF MUSICAL "THIS IS
YOUR LIFE." >> OF COURSE, IT'S ONE OF THE MOST MOVING MOMENTS OF MY LIFE. >> NOT EVERYBODY CAN SAY THAT
THEY'VE SUNG A -- >> DUET -- >> DUET WITH CELINE -- [ LAUGHTER ]
>> BOCELLI AND BARBRA STREISAND AND, YEAH, THAT'S -- >> AND PIERRE -- >> -- PAVAROTTI --
>> AND PIERRE. [ LAUGHTER ] AND PAVAROTTI. >> WOW.
>> MAYBE IT'S A HARD TURN FOR CELINE TO THE MET FOR MOST CONDUCTORS, NOT SO FOR YANNICK NEZET-SEGUIN.
YES, HE TAKES MUSIC SERIOUSLY, BUT RESISTS BEING TOO PRECIOUS ABOUT IT. >> YOU HAVE TO TRUST THE
ACOUSTICS. >> HE'S TOO BUSY SMUDGING BOUNDARIES THAT HAVE LONG KEPT SOME AUDIENCES AWAY FROM
CLASSICAL MUSIC AND OPERA. ♪ >> I WOULD LOVE THAT WHEN I FINISH MY TIME ON EARTH THAT NO
ONE EVER SAYS AGAIN, "OH, CLASSICAL MUSIC IS NOT FOR ME. IT'S FOR THE EDUCATED. IT'S FOR THE RICH.
IT'S FOR THE WHITE." WHATEVER IT IS, YOU KNOW, I WANT EVERYONE TO FEEL, "OH, YEAH, I COULD LIKE IT, SOME OF IT.
I DON'T LIKE MOZART BUT I LIKE BLANCHARD." FINE, BUT AT LEAST YOU FEEL THAT YOU COULD GO THERE BECAUSE THERE
WOULD BE SOMETHING FOR YOU. [ APPLAUSE ] >> WHAT WOULD PUCCINI AND VERDI AND WAGNER MAKE OF ALL THIS?
ONE SUSPECTS THEY WOULD JOIN IN THE APPLAUSE. THEY, AFTER ALL, WERE ONCE MUSICAL BOUNDARY-PUSHERS, TOO.
>>> FOR A LOOK AT HOW "60 MINUTES" REPORTS ITS >>> I'M BILL WHITAKER. WE'LL BE BACK NEXT WEEK WITH
ANOTHER EDITION