>>> ONE OF THE COSTLIEST RANSOMWARE ATTACKS IN HISTORY HAPPENED HERE IN LAS VEGAS. ENGLISH SPEAKING HACKERS TEAMED
UP WITH ELITE RUSSIAN HACKERS. IT MAY BE JUST THE BEGINNING. >> HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED? >> THERE'S THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
INVOLVED AT THIS POINT. >>> DID PEOPLE TRY TO KILL YOU? >> YES. >> AUTHOR SALMAN RUSHDIE HAS
BEEN MARKED MOST OF HIS LIFE. IN 2022, A KNIFE-WIELDING ATTACKER ALMOST KILLED HIM. THIS IS HIS FIRST TELEVISION
INTERVIEW. >> ONE OF THE SURGEONS WHO SAVED MY LIFE SAID TO ME, HE SAID, FIRST YOU WERE REALLY UNLUCKY.
THEN YOU WERE REALLY LUCKY. I SAID, WHAT'S THE LUCKY PART. HE SAID, THE LUCKY PART IS THE MAN WHO ATTACKED YOU HAD NO IDEA
HOW TO KILL A MAN WITH A KNIFE. >>> THIS IS A TASMANIAN TIGER, OR WAS A TASMANIAN TIGER. MOST SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THE APEX
PREDATOR TO BE EXTINCT. BUT LIKE BIG FOOT AND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER, PLENTY OF PEOPLE BELIEVE OTHERWISE, THAT THIS
TIGER IS STILL ROAMING THIS BEAUTIFUL ISLAND. >> ALL OF A SUDDEN, HEARD THIS --
>> 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." >>> IN THE PAST YEAR, HOSPITALS, PHARMACIES, TECH COMPANIES, LAS VEGAS' BIGGEST HOTELS AND
CASINOS, HAVE BEEN PARALYZED BY RANSOMWARE ATTACKS, IN WHICH HACKERS BREAK INTO A CORPORATE NETWORK, ENCRYPT, OR LOCK UP
CRITICAL FILES, AND HOLD THEM HOSTAGE UNTIL A RANSOM IS PAID. IT'S A CRIME THAT'S GROWING MORE COSTLY AND DISRUPTIVE EVERY
YEAR. NOW CYBER SECURITY RESEARCHERS FEAR IT'S ABOUT TO GET WORSE WITH THE EMERGENCE OF AN
AUDACIOUS GROUP OF YOUNG CRIMINAL HACKERS FROM THE U.S., UK, AND CANADA, THE FBI CALLS, SCATTERED SPIDER.
MORE TROUBLING, THEY HAVE TEAMED UP WITH RUSSIA'S MOST NOTORIOUS RANSOMWARE GANG. THIS PAST SEPTEMBER, ONE OF THE
MOST PERNICIOUS RANSOMWARE ATTACKS IN HISTORY WAS UNLEASHED ON MGM RESORTS, COSTING THE HOTEL AND CASINO GIANT MORE THAN
$100 MILLION. IT DISRUPTED OPERATIONS AT A DOZEN OF THE MOST RENOWNED GAMING PALACES ON THE LAS VEGAS
STRIP, MGM GRAND, ARIA, MANDALAY BAY, NEW YORK, THE BELLAGIO. ANTHONY CURTIS IS A LAS VEGAS FIXTURE.
HE'S SO GOOD AT COUNTING CARDS, HE'S BEEN BANNED FROM CARD GAMES HERE. HE NOW PUBLISHING "THE LAS VEGAS
ADVISER," A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER ON ALL THINGS VEGAS. >> INCREDIBLY, WHEN IT HAPPENED, I WAS IN AN MGM PROPERTY.
AND IT HAPPENED WHILE WE WERE HAVING DINNER. THERE JUST BEGAN TO BE A RUMBLING THAT SOMETHING WAS
GOING ON. I COULD SEE THAT SLOT MACHINES WERE SITTING DARK, PEOPLE WERE SCRAMBLING AROUND.
THE SHUTDOWN WAS STARTING TO TAKE EFFECT. >> ACROSS THE VEGAS STRIP, THOUSANDS OF SLOT MACHINES
SUDDENLY STOPPED PAYING OUT. >> ALL OF A SUDDEN, PEOPLE ARE GOING, HOW DO I GET MY MONEY? WHAT'S WRONG?
PEOPLE WERE SITTING THERE WAITING AND COULDN'T GET PAID. >> WERE THEY ANGRY? >> THEY WERE GETTING ANGRY,
YEAH. AND THIS WAS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICE BERGS. >> PARKING GATES FROZE, DIGITAL
DOOR KEYS WOULDN'T WORK. AS COMPUTERS WENT DOWN, RESERVATIONS LOCKED UP AND LINES BACKED UP AT THE FRONT DESKS.
>> ANYTHING THAT REQUIRED TECHNOLOGY WAS NOT WORKING. >> SOUNDS LIKE CHAOS. >> NOBODY KNEW WHAT TO DO.
INCLUDING EMPLOYEES. THE EMPLOYEES JUST HAD TO, YOU KNOW, BEG FORGIVENESS AND PATIENCE.
>> LOOK, IT'S CORPORATE TERRORISM AT ITS FINEST. >> THE COMPANY DECLINED OUR INTERVIEW REQUEST.
BUT AT A CONFERENCE A MONTH AFTER THE HACK, MGM'S CEO ADMITTED THE DISRUPTIONS WERE DEVASTATING.
>> FOR THE NEXT FOUR OR FIVE DAYS, WITH 36,000 HOTEL ROOMS AND REGIONAL PROPERTIES, WE WERE COMPLETELY IN THE DARK.
>> THE HACKERS DEMANDED $30 MILLION TO UNLOCK MGM'S DATA. THE COMPANY REFUSED, BUT THEY
STILL PAID A PRICE, $100 MILLION IN LOST REVENUE AND MILLIONS MORE TO REBUILD THEIR SERVERS. >> SO, HOW DID THE INTRUDERS GET
IN? THROUGH A TECHNIQUE OF DECEPTION AND MANIPULATION CALLED SOCIAL ENGINEERING.
FIRST, HACKERS ZEROED IN ON AN EMPLOYEE, GATHERING INFORMATION FROM THE DARK WEB AND OPEN SOURCES, LIKE LINKEDIN.
NEXT, A SMOOTH-TALKING HACKER IMPERSONATING THE EMPLOYEE CALLED THE MGM TECH HELP DESK AND CONVINCED THEM TO RESET HIS
PASSWORD. >> WITH THAT, THE HACKER WAS INSIDE MGM'S COMPUTERS AND UNLEASHED THE DESTRUCTIVE
MALWARE. ANTHONY CURTIS SAYS IT WAS THE CYBER CRIMINAL'S VERSION OF AN "OCEAN'S 11" HEIST.
>> THEY WANT TO GET THE MONEY. >> WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT? >> I DON'T WANT TO BE TOO GLOATING LIKE I LIKE THESE GUYS
BECAUSE THEY'RE JUST CROOKS, RIGHT? BUT THESE HACKERS WERE ABLE TO TURN THE TABLES.
THE CASINOS HAVE THEIR -- THEY HAVE THEIR SYSTEMS. THEY HAVE THEIR PROTECTIONS. THEY HAVE THEIR EXPERTS.
THEY HAVE THEIR SECURITY. THESE GUYS ARE BETTER. >> LATER, MGM'S BIGGEST COMPETITOR, CAESARS ADMITTED IT
ALSO SUFFERED A SOCIAL ENGINEERING ATTACK AROUND THE SAME TIME, SUSPECTED BY THE SAME GROUP.
BUT CAESARS PAID A RANSOM, REPORTEDLY $15 MILLION, AND SUFFERED NO DISRUPTIONS. >> FROM AN FBI PERSPECTIVE, OUR
POSITION IS WE RECOMMEND A RANSOM NOT BE PAID, BUT WE UNDERSTAND IT'S A BUSINESS DECISION DURING A TIME OF
CRISIS. >> BRYAN VORNDRAN IS HEAD OF THE FBI'S CYBER DIVISION. HE TOLD US FBI ATTACKS HAVE
GROWN INCREASINGLY BRAZEN. >> ANY WAY YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, IT'S A PROBLEM FOR THE GLOBAL ECONOMY AND FOR THE U.S.
ECONOMY AND FOR THE SECURITY OF THE UNITED STATES. THERE'S ESTIMATES THAT GLOBAL LOSSES EXCEED 1 BILLION U.S.
DOLLARS PER YEAR. >> HAVE YOU MADE ANY ARRESTS IN THE LAS VEGAS CASES? >> WE'RE NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT
SPECIFIC CASES OR SPECIFIC COMPANIES. >> BUT HE DID POINT US TOWARD THE PRIME SUSPECT.
>> WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE ACTORS BEHIND SOME OF THE MORE RECENT RANSOMWARE ATTACKS, THE NAME THAT'S GENERALLY RAISED IS
SCATTERED SPIDER. THAT'S A CRIMINAL GROUP THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF ATTENTION ON BECAUSE OF THE HAVOC THEY'RE
WREAKING ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. >> SCATTERED SPIDER IS WHAT THE FBI CALLS A LOOSE KNIT WEB OF
NATIVE SPEAKING HACKERS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CASINO HACKS AND DOZEN MORE. THEIR SPECIALTY IS SOCIAL
ENGINEERING. >> PART OF THEIR SUCCESS IS BECAUSE THEY ARE FLUENT IN WESTERN CULTURE, THEY KNOW HOW
OUR SOCIETY WORKS, THEY KNOW WHAT TO SAY TO GET SOMEONE TO DO SOMETHING. >> ALLISON NIXON IS CHIEF
RESEARCH OFFICER AT UNIT 221B, A CYBER SECURITY FIRM THAT FOCUSES ON ENGLISH-SPEAKING CYBER CRIMINALS.
SHE SAYS SCATTERED SPIDER IS JUST ONE OF MANY ELICIT HACKING GROUPS, ALL PART OF A SPRAWLING COLLECTION OF ONLINE CRIMINALS
CALLING THEMSELVES THE COMMUNITY, OR THE COM. >> THE COM IS A SUBCULTURE. IT IS SPECIFICALLY AN ENGLISH
SPEAKING YOUTH SUBCULTURE THAT HAS ARISEN IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. IT'S VERY NEW, BUT IT'S
SURPRISINGLY DISRUPTIVE. >> MEMBERS OF THE COM HAVE HACKED INTO COMPANIES LIKE MICROSOFT, NVIDIA, AND
ELECTRONIC ARTS. >> HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED? >> YEARS AGO, IT WAS MAYBE A FEW HUNDRED PEOPLE.
BUT SINCE 2018, THE POPULATION HAS EXPLODED BECAUSE OF THE MONEY COMING IN TO THESE GROUPS. AND THERE'S THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
INVOLVED AT THIS POINT. >> HOW ARE THEY CONNECTED? >> THEY CONNECT OVER THE INTERNET, SOCIAL SPACES WHERE
PEOPLE HANG OUT, GAMING SERVERS. IT'S ALMOST ANALOGOUS TO, LIKE, MAYBE THE BACK ALLEY WHERE THE BAD KIDS HANG OUT, BUT ON THE
INTERNET. >> HOW OLD ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? >> MALES UNDER THE AGE OF 25. >> UNDER 25 DOWN TO -- HOW
YOUNG? >> LIKE, 13, 14. >> INVOLVED THE IN PULLING OFF MAJOR CRIMES?
>> YEAH. >> MEMBERS COMMUNICATE AND POST PICTURES ON MESSAGING APPS LIKE TELEGRAM.
THEIR CHATTER, A TOXIC STEW OF RACISM, SEXISM, BOASTING ABOUT THE MONEY THEY'VE SCAMMED AND HOW MENACING THEY ARE.
>> THERE ARE THESE TOXIC ONLINE SPACES, WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE CAN SOCIALIZE AND MINGLE WITH CRIMINALS AND GANG MEMBERS.
AND THE END RESULT OF ALL OF THIS IS THIS ONLINE SUBCULTURE HAS FORMED THAT GLORIFIES CRIME, THAT MEASURES ONE'S PERSONAL
WORTH BY HOW MUCH HARM THEY CAN CAUSE THE WORLD. >> SCATTERED SPIDER IS ONE OF THE MOST SOPHISTICATED OFFSHOOTS
OF THE COM. THEIR CRIMINAL EXPLOITS CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF CYBER SECURITY COMPANIES AND OTHER HACKERS,
INCLUDING THE MOST NOTORIOUS RUSSIAN RANSOMWARE GANG, BLACKCAT. THEY SAW THE YOUNG NATIVE
ENGLISH SPEAKING WESTERNERS AS A FORCE MULTIPLIER. BOTH CLAIMED CREDIT FOR THE MGM ATTACK.
>> HISTORICALLY SPEAKING, RUSSIAN CYBER CRIMINALS DO NOT LIKE WORKING WITH WESTERN CYBER CRIMINALS.
THERE WAS NOT ONLY A LANGUAGE BARRIER, BUT ALSO THEY KIND OF LOOKED DOWN ON THEM AND VIEWED THEM AS UNPROFESSIONAL.
>> THE RUSSIAN AND WESTERN HACKERS MET IN THE SHADOWY CORNERS OF THE DARK WEB AND NOW ARE POWERFUL PARTNERS IN CRIME.
SCATTERED SPIDER USES ITS ENGLISH AND SOCIAL ENGINEERING SKILLS TO BREAK IN TO WESTERN COMPANIES' NETWORKS.
BLACKCAT PROVIDES ITS EXPERIENCE AND ITS MALWARE, USED IN SOME OF THE MOST SHOCKING RANSOMWARE ATTACKS.
INCLUDING THE 2021 ATTACK ON COLONIAL PIPELINE, WHICH CAUSED GAS SHORTAGES UP AND DOWN THE EAST COAST.
AND THIS YEAR'S ATTACK ON UNITEDHEALTH GROUP, WHICH DISRUPTED PHARMACIES NATIONWIDE. THE STATE DEPARTMENT IS OFFERING
A $15 MILLION REWARD FOR INFORMATION ON RUSSIA'S BLACKCAT. >> THIS IS BLACKCAT'S DATA LEAK
SITE. >> JON DiMAGGIO, A FORMER ANALYST AT THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY NOW INVESTIGATES
RANSOMWARE AS CHIEF SECURITY STRATEGIST FOR THE CYBER SECURITY COMPANY. >> THERE'S A TERM CALLED
RANSOMWARE AS A SERVICE THAT'S BEEN GIVEN TO THE STRUCTURE AND FORMAT OF THESE GANGS. >> DiMAGGIO SAYS RANSOMWARE AS A
SERVICE HAS TAKEN THE CRIME TO A NEW LEVEL. THE LONG ESTABLISHED RUSSIAN GANGS, LIKE BLACKCAT, OFFER
THEIR SERVICES, MALWARE, EXPERIENCE NEGOTIATING RANSOMS AND LAUNDERING MONEY, TO WHAT THEY CALL AFFILIATES, LIKE
SCATTERED SPIDER. >> IN RETURN, WHEN A VICTIM PAYS AN EXTORTION, THE PROFIT THAT COMES FROM IT IS NOW SHARED
AMONGST THOSE CRIMINALS. >> THE MOST SUCCESSFUL RUSSIAN GANGS ARE RUN LIKE LEGITIMATE COMPANIES, WITH EASY TO NAVIGATE
PLATFORMS, 24 HOUR SERVICE DESKS, EVEN HUMAN RESOURCES TO HIRE SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS. >> THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT
SPECIALIZE IN DEVELOPING MALWARE AND RANSOMWARE, AND THEY'RE IN VERY HIGH DEMAND. >> YOU SAID YOU'VE GOTTEN TO
KNOW SOME OF THESE PEOPLE. >> YES. >> ARE THEY MOSTLY YOUNG MEN? >> THE LEADERSHIP ARE PEOPLE IN
THEIR 40s, LATE 30s. THEY'RE PEOPLE THAT HAVE EXPERIENCE, THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE A FINANCIAL BACKGROUND.
>> DiMAGGIO SAYS THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT PROVIDES A SAFE HAVEN FOR RANSOMWARE GANGS. >> AS LONG AS THEY DON'T TARGET,
YOU KNOW, AN ORGANIZATION THAT FALLS WITHIN RUSSIA OR THE FORMER SOVIET STATE, THEY DON'T GET PROSECUTED.
IT'S NOT CONSIDERED A CRIME. >> IT'S NOT CONSIDERED A CRIME TO ATTACK AMERICAN BUSINESSES? >> IT'S CRAZY, RIGHT?
THAT'S HOW IT WORKS, THOUGH. >> SO, IT'S LIKE THEY OPERATE WITH IMPUNITY. >> 100%.
THAT'S THE WHOLE REASON WHY THIS IS SUCH A POPULAR CRIME. >> RUSSIAN RANSOMWARE HAS BECOME SUCH A THREAT, THE ELITE CYBER
WARRIORS AT THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY HAVE JOINED THE FIGHT. BEFORE RETIRING LAST MONTH, ROB
JOYCE WAS NSA'S DIRECTOR OF CYBER SECURITY. HE TOLD US THE COLONIAL PIPELINE ATTACK WAS A WAKEUP CALL.
>> IT CAUSED US TO STEP BACK AND DECIDE THAT WE HAD TO PUT MORE RESOURCES INTO THIS FOREIGN THREAT.
SO, ONE OF THE THINGS NSA HAS, WE HAVE HACKERS. AND IT REALLY, AT TIMES, TAKES A HACKER TO DEFEAT A HACKER.
THAT'S THE VALUE NSA CAN BRING IS WE CAN IDENTIFY PEOPLE, SPECIFIC PEOPLE, INVOLVED IN SOME OF THESE ACTIVITIES.
>> THE NSA HELPED IDENTIFY THE RUSSIAN HACKER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COLONIAL PIPELINE ATTACK. AND IN JANUARY 2022, AFTER
MONTHS OF NEGOTIATIONS, RUSSIA ARRESTED HIM AND OTHER ACCOMPLICES. BUT FIVE WEEKS LATER, IT ALL
CAME UNDONE. >> FOLLOWING THE UKRAINE INVASION, THOSE PEOPLE WERE LET OUT OF JAIL.
>> SO, THEY'RE BACK IN BUSINESS. >> YES, SIR. >> AND NOW THEY'VE TEAMED UP WITH THE YOUNG NATIVE ENGLISH
SPEAKERS OF SCATTERED SPIDER. THE FBI'S BRYAN VORNDRAN CALLS IT AN EVOLUTION OF CYBER CRIME. >> SO, IN THE CASE OF SCATTERED
SPIDER, IS IT POWERFUL THAT THEY ARE WITH BLACKCAT? OF COURSE. I THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO
KNOW THAT WE ARE AGAINST THE VERY CAPABLE SET OF ADVERSARIES. THEY'RE VERY GOOD AT THEIR WORK. WE'RE ALSO VERY GOOD AT OUR
WORK. >> IN JANUARY, THE BUREAU ARRESTED A 19-YEAR-OLD FROM FLORIDA, NOAH URBAN, CHARGED
WITH STEALING CRYPTOCURRENCY. HE'S PLEADED NOT GUILTY. CYBER INVESTIGATORS HAVE TIED HIM TO SCATTERED SPIDER, BUT SO
FAR NOT TO THE CASINO HEISTS. THE SCATTERED SPIDER HACKERS WHO DID PULL OFF THE ATTACK ARE STILL ONLINE, HIDING IN PLAIN
SIGHT, IN UNHOLY ALLIANCE WITH RUSSIANS. ALLISON NIXON CALLS LAS VEGAS A HARBINGER.
>> THE LEVEL OF CYBER CRIME HAS RISEN TO THE POINT WHERE IT FEELS OVERWHELMING, AND EVERY YEAR IT GETS WORSE.
AND IT FEELS LIKE, AS DEFENDERS, WE'RE -- IT'S ALMOST LIKE WE'RE WINNING EVERY BATTLE AND LOSING THE WAR.
>>> SALMAN RUSHDIE HAS BEEN A MARKED MAN FOR NEARLY HALF HIS LIFE. IN 1989, IRAN'S LEADER,
AYATOLLAH KHOMEINI, DECLARED HIS NOVELS AN INSULT TO ISLAM AND CALLED FOR HIS ASSASSINATION. RUSHDIE WENT INTO HIDING WITH
AROUND THE CLOCK POLICE PROTECTION FOR TEN YEARS. HE EVENTUALLY MOVED TO THE U.S. AND THOUGHT HE WAS SAFE.
BUT IN AUG 2022, AS HE WAS ABOUT TO SPEAK AT A LITERARY FESTIVAL IN CHAUTAUQUA NEW YORK, RUSHDIE WAS ATTACKED WITH A KNIFE.
RUSHDIE LOST HIS RIGHT EYE AND CAME CLOSE TO DYING. HE'S COME TO TERMS WITH THE ATTEMPT ON HIS LIFE BY WRITING A
BOOK ABOUT IT CALLED SIMPLY, "KNIFE," WHICH COMES OUT TUESDAY. THIS IS HIS FIRST TELEVISION
INTERVIEW SINCE THE ATTACK. >> YOU HAD HAD A DREAM TWO DAYS I THINK IT WAS BEFORE THE ATTACK.
WHAT WAS THE DREAM? >> I KIND OF HAD A PREMONITION. I HAD A DREAM OF BEING ATTACKED IN A NAZI THEATER.
IT WAS A KIND OF ROMAN EMPIRE DREAM. IT'S AS IF I WAS IN THE COLOSSEUM AND WAS JUST SOMEBODY
WITH A SPEAR STABBING DOWNWARDS AND I WAS ROLLING AROUND ON THE FLOOR TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM HIM.
AND I WOKE UP AND WAS QUITE SHAKEN BY IT. AND I HAD TO GO TO CHAUTAUQUA. I SAID TO MY WIFE, ELIZA, I
DON'T WANT TO GO. >> BECAUSE OF THE DREAM? >> BECAUSE OF THE DREAM. BUT I THOUGHT, THAT'S SILLY.
>> SALMAN RUSHDIE HAD BEEN INVITED TO THE TRANQUIL TOWN OF CHAUTAUQUA TO SPEAK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING WRITERS
WHOSE LIVES ARE UNDER THREAT. >> DID YOU HAVE ANY ANXIETY BEING IN SUCH A PUBLIC SPACE? >> NOT REALLY.
IN THE MORE THAN 20 YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN LIVING IN AMERICA, I'VE DONE A LOT OF THESE THINGS. >> YOU HAVEN'T HAD SECURITY
AROUND YOU, CLOSE PROTECTION DETAIL. >> LONG TIME, LONG TIME. WHAT HAPPENS IN MANY PLACES THAT
YOU GO AND LECTURE IS THAT THEY'RE USED TO HAVING A CERTAIN DEGREE OF SECURITY, VENUE SECURITY.
IN THIS CASE, THERE WASN'T ANY. >> THE IRONY, OF COURSE, IS YOU WERE THERE TO TALK ABOUT WRITERS IN DANGER.
>> YEAH, EXACTLY, AND THE NEED FOR WRITERS IN OTHER COUNTRIES TO HAVE SAFE SPACES IN AMERICA, AMONGST OTHER PLACES.
AND IT TURNED OUT NOT TO BE A SAFE SPACE FOR ME. >> FOR YEARS, NO PLACE WAS SAFE FOR SALMAN RUSHDIE, WHOSE
"SATANIC VERSES" OFFENDED SOME MUSS MUSLIMS FOR ITS DEPICTION OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD.
FATWA, A DECREE CALLING FOR RUSHDIE'S DEATH IN 1989. THERE WERE WORLDWIDE PROTESTS FROM LONDON TO -- THE BOOK'S
JAPANESE TRANSLATOR WAS MURDERED, AND OTHERS ASSOCIATED WITH IT WERE ATTACKED. >> DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA THAT IT
WOULD CAUSE VIOLENCE? >> NO. I HAD NO IDEA. I THOUGHT PROBABLY SOME
CONSERVATIVE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE WOULDN'T LIKE IT. BUT THEY DIDN'T LIKE ANYTHING I WROTE ANYWAY.
SO, I THOUGHT, WELL, THEY DON'T HAVE TO READ IT. >> WERE YOU NAIVE? >> PROBABLY.
IT'S EASY LOOKING BACK. NOTHING LIKE THIS HAD EVER HAPPENED TO ANYBODY. AND OF COURSE ALL THOSE PEOPLE
WHO ATTACKED THE BOOK DID SO WITHOUT READING IT. I'M OFTEN TOLD THAT I'M INTENDED TO INSULT, OFFEND PEOPLE.
MY VIEW IS, IF I NEED TO INSULT YOU, I CAN DO IT REALLY QUICKLY. I DON'T NEED TO SPEND FIVE YEARS OF MY LIFE TRYING TO WRITE A
600-PAGE BOOK TO INSULT YOU. >> RUSHDIE WAS LIVING IN LONDON WHEN HE WENT INTO HIDING. AND FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS, THE
BRITISH GOVERNMENT PROVIDED HIM 24-HOUR POLICE PROTECTION. >> DID PEOPLE TRY TO KILL YOU? >> YES.
THERE WERE MAYBE AS MANY AS HALF A DOZEN SERIOUS ASSASSINATION ATEMPS, WHICH WERE NOT RANDOM PEOPLE.
THEY WERE STATE SPONSORED PROFESSIONALS. >> AFTER DIPLOMATIC NEGOTIATIONS, THE IRANIAN STATE
CALLED OFF ITS ASSASSINS IN 1988. RUSHDIE FINALLY CAME OUT OF THE SHADOWS.
HE MOVED TO NEW YORK AND FOR THE NEXT TWO DECADES LIVED OPENLY. HE WAS A MAN ABOUT TOWN. HE CONTINUED WRITING AND BECAME
A CELEBRATED ADVOCATE FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. SO, WHEN HE RECEIVED THE INVITATION TO SPEAK AT
CHAUTAUQUA IN AUGUST OF 2022, HE GLADLY ACCEPTED. >> IN HIS NEW BOOK, "KNIFE," HE DESCRIBED WHAT HAPPENED NEXT.
>> THEN IN THE CORNER OF MY RIGHT EYE, THE LAST THING MY RIGHT EYE WOULD EVER SEE, I SAW THE MAN IN BLACK RUNNING TOWARD
ME DOWN THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF BLACK CLOTHES, BLACK FACE MASK. HE WAS COMING IN HARD AND LOW, A SQUAT MISSILE.
I CONFESSED I HAD SOMETIMES IMAGINED MY ASSASSIN RISING UP IN SOME PUBLIC FORUM OR OTHER AND COMING FOR ME IN JUST THIS
WAY. SO, MY FIRST THOUGHT WHEN I SAW THIS MURDEROUS SHAPE RUSHING TOWARDS ME WAS, SO IT'S YOU.
HERE YOU ARE. >> SO, IT'S YOU. HERE YOU ARE. >> YEAH.
>> IT'S LIKE YOU'D BEEN WAITING FOR YOU. >> YEAH. THAT'S WHAT IT FELT LIKE.
IT FELT LIKE SOMETHING COMING OUT OF THE DISTANT PAST AND TRYING TO DRAG ME BACK IN TIME, IF YOU LIKE, BACK INTO THAT
DISTANT PAST, IN ORDER TO KILL ME. AND WHEN HE GOT TO ME, HE BASICALLY HIT ME VERY HARD HERE.
AND INITIALLY I THOUGHT I'D BEEN PUNCHED. >> YOU DIDN'T ACTUALLY SEE A KNIFE.
>> I DIDN'T SEE A KNIFE. AND I DIDN'T REALIZE UNTIL I SAW BLOOD COMING OUT THAT THERE HAD BEEN A KNIFE IN HIS FIST.
>> WHERE WAS THAT STAB? >> HERE. >> IN YOUR NECK? >> IN MY NECK.
THEN THERE WERE MORE. THE WORST WOUND -- THERE WAS A BIG SLASH WOUND LIKE THIS ACROSS MY NECK.
AND THERE'S A PUNCTURE, STAB WOUND HERE. AND THEN OF COURSE THERE'S THE ATTACK ON MY EYE.
>> DO YOU REMEMBER BEING STABBED IN THE EYE? >> NO. I REMEMBER FALLING.
THEN I REMEMBER NOT KNOWING WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO MY EYE. >> HE WAS ALSO STABBED IN HIS HAND, CHEST, ABDOMEN, AND THIGH,
15 WOUNDS IN ALL. >> HE WAS, BOTH, STABBING AND ALSO SLASHING. >> I THINK HE WAS JUST WILDLY --
>> THE ATTACK LASTED 27 SECONDS. TO FEEL JUST HOW LONG THAT IS -- >> THIS IS WHAT 27 SECONDS IS.
[ SILENCE ]
>> THAT'S QUITE A LONG TIME. THAT'S THE EXTRAORDINARY HALF-MINUTE OF INTIMACY IN WHICH LIFE MEETS DEATH.
>> WHAT STOPPED IT FROM BEING LONGER? >> THE AUDIENCE PULLING HIM OFF ME.
>> STRANGERS TO YOU. >> TOTAL -- TO THIS DAY I DON'T KNOW THEIR NAMES. >> SOME OF THE STRANGERS
RESTRAINED THE ATTACKERS, WHILE OTHERS TRIED TO STEM THE FLOW OF RUSHDIE'S BLOOD. >> THERE'S REALLY A LOT OF
BLOOD. >> I WAS WATCHING IT SPREAD. AND THEN I REMEMBER THINKING THAT I WAS PROBABLY DYING.
AND IT WAS INTERESTING BECAUSE IT WAS QUITE MATTER OF FACT. IT WASN'T LIKE I WAS TERRIFIED OF IT OR WHATEVER.
AND YEAH, THERE WAS NOTHING. NO HEAVENLY CHOIRS. NO PEARLY GATES. I MEAN, I'M NOT A SUPERNATURAL
PERSON, YOU KNOW. I BELIEVE THAT DEATH COMES AS THE END. THERE'S NOTHING THAT HAPPENED
THAT MADE ME CHANGE MY MIND ABOUT THAT. >> YOU HAVE NOT HAD A REVELATION.
>> I HAVE NOT HAD ANY REVELATION EXCEPT THAT THERE'S NO REVELATION TO BE HAD. >> HIS ATTACKER, THE MAN IN
BLACK, WAS HUSTLED OFF THE STAGE. >> IN THE BOOK, YOU DO NOT USE THE ATTACKER'S NAME.
>> I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT HIS NAME IN MY BOOK. AND I DON'T USE IT IN CONVERSATION EITHER.
>> THAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU TO NOT GIVE HIM SPACE IN YOUR BRAIN. >> YEAH.
HE AND I HAD 27 SECONDS TOGETHER. THAT'S IT. I DON'T NEED TO GIVE HIM ANY
ORE OF MY TIME. >> PARAMEDICS FLEW RUSHDIE TO A HOSPITAL IN ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, 40 MILES AWAY, WHERE A TEAM OF
DOCTORS BATTLED FOR EIGHT HOURS TO SAVE HIS LIFE. WHEN HE FINALLY CAME OUT OF SURGERY, HIS WIFE, ELIZA, A POET
AND NOVELIST, WAS WAITING. >> I MEAN, HE WASN'T MOVING AND HE WAS JUST LAID OUT. >> HE LOOKED HALF DEAD TO YOU.
>> YES, HE DID. HE WAS A DIFFERENT COLOR. HE WAS COLD. I MEAN, HIS FACE WAS STAPLED --
JUST STAPLES HOLDING HIS FACE TOGETHER. >> RUSHDIE WAS ON A VENTILATOR, UNABLE TO SPEAK.
ELIZA AND THE DOCTORS HAD NO IDEA WHETHER THE KNIFE THAT HAD PENETRATED HIS EYE HAD DAMAGED HIS BRAIN.
>> SOMEONE FROM THE STAFF SAID THAT WE WOULD USE THE SYSTEM OF WIGGLING THE TOES. >> TO COMMUNICATE.
>> DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST QUESTION YOU ASKED? >> I THINK I SAID, SALMAN, IT'S
ELIZA, CAN YOU HEAR ME. AND THERE WAS -- THERE WAS A WIGGLE. AND ASKED HIM, I THINK, CAN
YOU -- DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE? WIGGLED. AND IT WAS -- IT WAS A VERY
BASIC, SIMPLE QUESTIONS. >> YOU CAN'T EXPRESS YOURSELF WITH ANY SUBTLETY WITH YOUR TOES.
>> WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE THING. >> AFTER 18 DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL AND THREE WEEKS IN REHAB, RUSHDIE WAS DISCHARGED.
>> ONE OF THE SURGEONS WHO SAVED MY LIFE SAID TO ME, FIRST YOU WERE REALLY UNLUCKY. THEN YOU WERE REALLY LUCKY.
I SAID, WHAT'S THE LUCKY PART? HE SAID, THE LUCKY PART IS THAT THE MAN WHO KILLED YOU HAD NO IDEA HOW TO KILL A MAN.
>> YOU'RE NOT A BELIEVER IN MIRACLES, BUT YOU WRITE IN THE BOOK BELIEVE THIS IS A MIRACLE. >> THIS IS A CONTRADICTION.
I CERTAINLY DON'T FEEL THAT SOME HAND REACHED DOWN FROM THE SKIES AND GUIDED ME, BUT I DO THINK SOMETHING HAPPENED WHICH WASN'T
SUPPOSE TO HAPPEN. AND I HAVE NO EXPLANATION FOR IT. >> HIS ATTACKER WAS A
24-YEAR-OLD FROM NEW JERSEY, WHO LIVED IN HIS MOTHER'S BASEMENT. HE'S BELIEVED TO BE A LONE WOLF. HE'S PLEADED NOT GUILTY TO
ATTEMPTED MURDER AND IS AWAITING TRIAL. IN AN INTERVIEW, HE TOLD "THE NEW YORK POST," HE'D ONLY READ A
COUPLE OF PAGES OF "THE SATANIC VERSES." HE SAID HE DIDN'T LIKE HIM VERY MUCH BECAUSE RUSHDIE HAD,
ATTACKS ISLAM. >> DOES IT MATTER TO YOU WHAT HIS MOTIVE WAS? >> I MEAN, IT'S INTERESTING TO
ME BECAUSE IT'S A MYSTERY. IF I HAD WRITTEN A CHARACTER WHO KNEW SO LITTLE ABOUT HIS PROPOSED VICTIM AND YET WAS
WILLING TO COMMIT THE CRIME OF MURDER, MY PUBLISHERS MIGHT WELL SAY TO ME THAT THAT'S UNDERMOTIVATED.
>> YOU NEED TO DEVELOP THAT CHARACTER? >> NOT ENOUGH OF A REASON, NOT CONVINCING.
BUT YET THAT'S WHAT HE DID. >> RUSHDIE'S "KNIFE," HIS 22nd BOOK, IS ONE HE INITIALLY DID NOT WANT TO WRITE.
>> IT WAS THE LAST THING I WANTED TO DO. >> BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T WANT THIS TO, YET AGAIN, DEFINE YOU.
>> YEAH. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME AFTER "THE SATANIC VERSES" WAS PUBLISHED THAT THE ONLY THING
PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT ME WAS THIS DEATH THREAT. IT BECAME CLEAR TO ME THAT I COULDN'T WRITE ANYTHING ELSE.
>> YOU HAD TO WRITE THIS FIRST. >> I HAD TO WRITE THIS FIRST. I HAD TO FOCUS ON -- TO USE THE CLICHÉ -- THE ELEPHANT IN THE
ROOM. THE MOMENT I THOUGHT THAT, KIND OF SOMETHING CHANGED IN MY HEAD AND IT BECAME A BOOK I REALLY
WANTED TO WRITE. >> YOU SAID, THE LANGUAGE WAS MY KNIFE. MAYBE THIS WAS THE KNIFE I COULD
USE TO FIGHT BACK TO TAKE CHARGE OF WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, TO OWN IT, MAKE IT MINE. >> YEAH.
I MEAN, LANGUAGE IS A WAY OF BREAKING OPEN THE WORLD. I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER WEAPONS, BUT I'D BEEN USING THIS
PARTICULAR TOOL FOR QUITE A LONG TIME. SO, I FELT THIS WAS MY WAY OF DEALING WITH IT.
>> IT'S BEEN ALMOST TWO YEARS SINCE THE ATTACK, AND RUSHDIE IS BACK HOME NOW IN NEW YORK, SLOWLY GETTING USED TO
NAVIGATING THE WORLD WITH ONE EYE. >> HOW MUCH TIME DID IT TAKE TO, KIND OF, READJUST?
>> I'M STILL DOING IT. >> YOU STILL ARE? >> YEAH. >> DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE A
DIFFERENT PERSON AFTER THE ATTACK? >> I DON'T FEEL I'M VERY DIFFERENT.
BUT I THINK IT HAS CAST A SHADOW. I THINK THAT SHADOW IS JUST THERE.
SOME DAYS IT'S DARK, AND SOME DAYS IT'S NOT. >> YOU FEEL LESS THAN YOU WERE BEFORE?
>> NO. I JUST FEEL MORE THE PRESENCE OF DEATH. >> IN AN INTERVIEW ALMOST 25
YEARS AGO, YOU SAID OF THE FATWA, I WANT TO FIND AN END TO THIS STORY. IT IS THE ONE STORY I MUST FIND
AN END TO. HAVE YOU FOUND THAT ENDING? AND AN ENDING TO THIS STORY AS WELL?
>> I THOUGHT I HAD, AND THEN TURNED OUT I HADN'T. I'M HOPING THIS IS JUST A LAST TWITCH OF THAT STORY.
I DON'T KNOW. I'LL LET YOU KNOW.
>>> SALMAN RUSHDIE ON CENSORSHIP IN AMERICA TODAY. >> THERE'S -- FROM THE LEFT AND FROM THE RIGHT.
>>> THERE'S THE LOCH NESS MONSTER IN SCOTLAND. AND IN THE HIMALAYAS, THERE'S THE YETI, THE ABOMINABLE
SNOWMAN. IN TASMANIA, THERE'S THE THYLACINE, A CREATURE THAT BRINGS OUT FOLKLORE AND FOLKS
ARMED WITH GRAINY IMAGES, CONVINCED THEY'VE SEEN THE THING. BUT UNLIKE OTHER MYTHICAL
CREATURES, THE THYLACINE, ACTUALLY INDISPUTABLY EXISTED. WHICH GIVES HOPES TO SO MANY OBSESSIVES, DREAMERS, AND TRUE
BELIEVERS LOOKING FOR THE TASMANIAN TIGER IN THE BUSH, AND AS YOU'LL SEE, IN THE LAB. THIS IS A STORY THAT SAYS AS
MUCH ABOUT HUMAN NATURE AS IT DOES NATURE NATURE, FURTHER PROOF THAT EVEN IN THE FACE OF SCIENCE AND LOGIC, PASSION
SURVIVES IN THE WILD JUST FINE. >> YOU'VE BEEN DOING THIS HOW MANY YEARS NOW? >> I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR OVER
30 YEARS, AND EVERY DAY IS AN ADVENTURE. >> ALL RIGHT. HERE WE GO.
>> GETTING THERE WASN'T EASY, BUT ADRIAN "RICHO" RICHARDSON, RETRACED HIS STEPS. TRAMPING AROUND THE DENSE
OUTBACK OF TASMANIA ON JANUARY 28, 2017, 1245 :45 P.M., HE HEA THE SOUND. >> AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WAS THIS
MIGHTY HELL LIKE THIS. I WAS GOB SMACKED. THE HAIRS ON MY NECK STOOD ON END.
AS THAT CALL FINISHED, ANOTHER ONE CALLED FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FOREST. ANOTHER HOWL LIKE THAT ONE.
>> WHAT DID THAT ONE SOUND LIKE? >> EXACTLY LIKE -- >> RICHO CRANED HIS NECK BUT SAW NO CREATURE.
STILL, HE'S SURE OF WHAT IT WAS, A TASMANIAN TIGER. >> THE WHOLE ENVIRONMENT WENT QUIET FOR ABOUT A MINUTE.
THERE WAS THIS UNBELIEVABLE FEELING. I JUST CAN'T EXPLAIN IT. >> YOU'RE STILL EMOTIONAL
TALKING ABOUT THIS. >> LOOK, I'M GOING TO REMEMBER THAT CALL TO THE TIME I DIE. THEN I HAD TO TRY AND PROVE TO
OTHERS WHAT I'D HEARD. >> WHEN HE RETURNED TO HIS HOME IN HOBART, TASMANIA'S CAPITAL, HE DIDN'T GO TO THE PUB TO SHARE
HIS ACCOUNT. HE STAYED UP AT HIS DESK. >> WHAT MY PASSION IS THE THYLACINE.
I KNOW IT'S THERE. >> AND THIS ONLY REINFORCED YOUR FAITH. >> OH, WITHOUT A DOUBT.
>> ONE SLIGHT HITCH, ONE CRIMP ON THE BARBIE, AS IT WERE, THE CREATURE RICHO DESCRIBED SO BREATHLESSLY, IT WAS DECLARED
EXTINCT ALMOST 40 YEARS AGO. >> THOUGHT MAYBE IT'S A DINGO. MAYBE IT'S A WOLF. >> IN TASMANIA, WE DO NOT HAVE
ANYTHING REMOTELY LIKE IT. WE DO NOT EVEN HAVE WILD DOGS IN ANY FORM. THE ONLY FERAL THING WE HAVE
AROUND HERE IS DEER OR CATS. >> I DON'T THINK DEERS ARE MAKING THAT NOISE. >> NO, SIR, THEY DID NOT.
>> THE TASMANIAN TIGER ROAMED THESE PARTS FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. MORE WOLF THAN TIGER, IT WAS --
IS -- A MARSUPIAL WEIGHING ABOUT 55 POUNDS. >> THE TASMANIAN TIGER. >> IT WAS ALSO A CARNIVORE THAT
PREYED ON FARMERS' SHEEP. RECALLING THE FATE OF THE WOLF OF THE AMERICAN WEST AROUND THE SAME TIME, THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT
PAID OUT BOUNTIES TO HUNTERS PRESENTING CARCASSES. THE POPULATION DWINDLED ONE, CAPTIVE AT THE ZOO, WHERE IT
DIED IN 1936. WITH THE REQUIRED 50 YEARS ELAPSES WITHOUT A CONFIRMED SIGHTING, THE TIGER WAS PUT ON
THE EXTINCT LIST IN 1986. YET PUTTING THE MANIA IN TASMANIA, THE SEARCH BECAME A NATIONAL OBSESSION.
IN THE TASMANIAN TIGER, NOT THE TASMANIAN DEVIL, BECAME A LOCAL MASCOT. ITS IMAGE ADORNS TASMANIA'S COAT
OF ARMS AND GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS. HERE'S THE ISLAND'S CURRENT LICENSE PLATE.
AT LOCAL WATERING HOLES, THE REGULARS PUT DOWN THEIR BEER LONG ENOUGH TO TELL YOU THEY'VE SEEN THE ANIMAL, OR KNOW SOMEONE
WHO HAS. >> HELD A TORCH ON IT FOR 40 SECONDS, I RECKON. >> WHEN NICK MOONEY WAS A
BIOLOGIST, IT FELL TO HIM TO INVESTIGATE THE VARIOUS TASMANIAN TIGER ACCOUNTS. >> I KNOW SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO
HAVE GOT CLASSES OF CAMERAS IN VERY REMOTE AREAS, SERVICED REMOTELY BY SATELLITE, AND WHO GO AND CHECK ON THE CAMERAS WITH
THEIR OWN HE WILICOPTER, ALL SO OF THINGS. >> YOU MOVED WAY BEYOND THE GUY WITH BINOCULARS SAYING, I THINK
I MAY HAVE SEEN SOMETHING. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> HE CAN'T HELP BUT NOTICE, NO ONE EVER QUITE CAPTURES A CLEAR
IMAGE. >> HAVE YOU EVER GOT A REPORT THAT GAVE YOU A LITTLE PAUSE? >> SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE DEAD
ACCURATE WITH THE TIMES, THE PLACES, THE DISTANCES. AND VERY GOOD NATURALISTS OFTEN DON'T EXAGGERATE.
IT'S VERY HARD TO SAY TO THOSE PEOPLE, I DON'T THINK YOU SAW A THYLACINE. >> FOR THE DEVOTED ARMY OF
SEEKERS, THE INVESTMENT ISN'T JUST ONE OF HOPE AND TIME. EACH YEAR, RICHO SPENDS MORE THAN HE CARES TO ADMIT DOLLARS
ON TRAIL CAM BATTERIES ALONE. >> HOW MUCH HAVE YOU SUNK INTO THIS OBSESSION? >> SIR, I WOULDN'T LIKE TO
SPECULATE, AND PLEASE DON'T TELL MY WIFE. >> IT CAN BE OUR SECRET. >> SHE OFTEN ASKS AND I DON'T --
CAN WE STOP THAT ONE? CAN WE READ THROUGH THAT ONE AGAIN? >> IN THE BUSH, WE MET ANOTHER
ENTHUSIAST, CHRIS REHBERG, AND APPROACHES THE MATTER IN THE MANNER OF A CSI DETECTIVE. >> APART FROM THE CAMERAS,
YOU'VE BEEN SCOURING FOR PRINTS, FIR, EVEN POO. >> YEAH, EVERYTHING. FOOTPRINTS IS A BIG ONE.
I FOUND A SERIES OF 18, 19 INDIVIDUAL STEPS IN A TRACK LINE THAT ARE AN EXCELLENT MATCH FOR TASSIE TIGER.
THE QUALITY OF THE PRINTS IS PRISTINE. CHECK IT OUT. WHAT'S THE ANIMAL BEEN EATING?
>> THERE ARE EVEN TRACKING COLLECTIVES. RICHO WAS PART OF A BOOTH RICHARDSON TIGER TEAM.
>> THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON WHAT WE BELIEVE IS A HISTORIC DAY. >> WHICH MADE WORLDWIDE NEWS IN
2017, AFTER CALLING A PRESS CONFERENCE TO ANNOUNCE A SIGHTING. BUT WHEN THEY PROVIDED THIS
IMAGE AS PROOF, NICK MOONEY ASSESSED IT AS A CHANCE BUT NOT AN OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION. >> WHAT IS THE MIDDLE GROUND.
YOU CAN BE RIGHT. YOU CAN BE LYING. OR YOU CAN HAVE AN ILLUSION. >> AND THERE'S ALL SORTS OF WAYS
THAT OUR MEMORY CAN BE AFFECTED BY TIME. I'VE HAD LOTS OF TALKS WITH SIGH PSYCHIATRISTS AND DETECTIVES
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THIS. YOU REALLY OFTEN HAVE TO MAKE A CHOICE, A PERSONAL CALL IN THE END TO ESSENTIALLY TELL THEM
THEY'RE WRONG AND THEIR MIND IS DECEIVING THEM. YOU CAN'T TELL THEM THAT BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW.
IF YOU WEREN'T THERE, YOU DON'T KNOW. >> RICHO AND THE OTHER SEEKERS WON'T HAVE TO WAIT LONG.
THEY WON'T EVEN HAVE TO GO INTO THE BUSH IF A GROUP OF INVESTORS DELIVER ON THEIR GOAL. ANDREW PASK COMES TO THE QUEST
ARMED WITH A MICROSCOPE. >> IT WOULD BE LIKE TO BE IN THAT LANDSCAPE AND TO SEE ONE WALKING PAST IN THE PUSH, AN
ACTUAL ONE RATHER THAN A CRAPPY PHOTOGRAPH. >> TELL US WHAT YOU'RE DOING. >> WE CAN'T MAGICALLY BRING THE
TASMANIAN TIGER BACK. WE HAVE TO START WITH A LIVING CELL AND ENGINEER OUR THYLACINE BACK INTO EXISTENCE.
YOU FIND THE CLOSEST LIVING RELATIVE TO YOUR ANIMAL THAT HAS GONE EXTINCT. FOR US, THAT IS A SMALL
MARSUPIAL. >> A DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGIST, PASK HAS RAISED $15 MILLION FOR A DEEXTINCTION PROJECT THAT
RECALLS "JURASSIC PARK." LEONARDO DiCAPRIO, PARIS HILTON, AND EVEN THE CIA AMONG ITS ADVOCATES.
WE'LL LET HIM EXPLAIN. >> WE EXAMINE ALL OF ITS DNA. WE COMPARE THAT TO THE DNA OF YOUR EXTINCT SPECIES, THE
TASMANIAN TIGER, AND WE LOOK AT THE TWO GENOMES OR TWO PILES OF DNA, HOW THEY'RE DIFFERENT. AND ONCE YOU'VE IDENTIFIED THE
DIFFERENCES, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF THEN GOING IN AND MAKING ALL OF THOSE EDITS TO TURN YOUR FAT TAIL DUNNART INTO A CELL.
>> YOU'RE SAYING THAT DUNNART IS CLOSER THAN THE TASMANIAN DEVIL. >> THAT LITTLE DUNNART IS A FEROCIOUS CARNIVORE EVEN THOUGH
AND IT'S A VERY, VERY SURROGATE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO DO ALL THIS EDITING IN. >> A NATIVE OF MINNESOTA, KRIS
HELGEN IS CREATIVE OF THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN SYDNEY. HE UNDERSTANDS THE PUSH TO DEEXTINCT THE TASSIE TIGER.
>> THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE MAMMALS. AND I LOVE ALL MAMMALS. I AM A MAMMAL GUY.
THIS IS A SPECIAL, SPECIAL ANIMAL. >> HE TOOK US UPSTAIRS TO HIS LAB TO SHOW US WHY.
>> SO, THIS IS TASMANIAN TIGER OF THE 19th CENTURY. >> SEE THE STRIPES, SEE THE THICK TAIL, SEE THE GAPING MOUTH
WITH THE SHARP TEETH. >> WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS DE-EXTINCTION EFFORT WITH RESPECT TO THE TASMANIAN TIGER.
>> I WOULD BE THE FIRST PERSON TO LINE UP TO SEE THIS ANIMAL IF IT COULD BE SOMEHOW BROUGHT BACK FROM EXTINCTION.
>> THAT SAID, HELGEN IS THE SKEPTIC, EXPLAINING THAT WISHING TASSIE TIGERS WERE RUNNING RAMPANT DOESN'T OVERCOME
SCIENCE. >> THE IDEA THAT YOU COULD ACTUALLY TWEAK THE DNA OF THIS MOUSE-SIZED ANIMAL INTO MAKING
THIS APEX PREDATOR OF AUSTRALIA, IT STRETCHES IMAGINATION IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. THIS IS AN IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT.
>> WE ALL LOVE OPTIMISM. WE ALL LOVE INNOVATION. >> WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS WE'RE GOING TO MODIFY THE GENOME OF A
DUNNART TO CREATE A GENETICALLY MODIFIED DUNNART THAT MIGHT LOOK A LITTLE MORE LIKE A THYLACINE. MAYBE WE'LL BE ABLE TO TWEAK IT
GENETICALLY AND IT GETS BIGGER. MAYBE WE'LL BE ABLE TO TWEAK IT GENETICALLY AND IT HAS STEPS ON IT.
BUT THERE'S ABOUT 1,001 STEPS IN BETWEEN. >> HELGEN HAS THOUGHT ABOUT THE SOURCE OF THE TASSIE TIGER
OBSESSION AND WONDERS HOW MUCH IS DRIVEN BY REMORSE. >> IT'S A SPECIAL SYMBOL ABOUT AUSTRALIA AND ABOUT WHAT WE'VE
LOST. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF EXTINCTIONS HERE IN THE LAST 100, 200 YEARS. 30 MAMMAL MAS ALONE.
SO, IN THE UNITED STATES, ONLY ONE OR TWO MAMMAL SPECIES HAVE DISAPPEARED ENTIRELY. >> WHY AREN'T PEOPLE TAKING THIS
SERIOUSLY? >> SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE DREAM, IF WE CAN JUST GET THIS ANIMAL BACK.
MAYBE IT WOULD HELP US THINK DIFFERENT ABOUT EXTINCTION OR THE GUILT THAT WE MIGHT FEEL OF HAVING REMOVED SUCH A SPECIAL
ANIMAL FROM THE PLANET, WHETHER, YOU KNOW, THEY IMAGINED IT MIGHT BE STILL HIDING IN TASMANIA OR IN A LAB TO BE REBORN.
THERE IS THIS BURNING HOPE. >> RICHO RECKONS THAT IF HIS COUNTRYMEN IN THE DNA SEQUENCING LABS CAN RESURRECT A TASSIE
TIGER, GOOD ON THEM. BUT REGARDLESS, HE'LL CONTINUE COMING HERE. FAITH UNSHAKEN, HE'S CERTAIN
THIS ANIMAL, MOST FAMOUS FOR BEING EXTINCT, IS NOT EXTINCT AT ALL. >> IF SOMEONE ACCUSE YOU OF
BEING OBSESSED, WOULD YOU PLEAD GUILTY? >> CERTAINLY. YOUR HONOR, I AM GUILTY.
>> YOU'RE TASMANIAN TIGER OBSESSIVE. >> I AM, INDEED. IT'S BEEN MY LOVE.
>> WHY IS THAT? WHY HAVE YOU CONTINUED TO SEARCH SO LONG FOR THIS? >> I JUST KNOW IT'S THERE.
IN MY OWN HEART, I KNOW IT'S THERE. >> AND IF IT ISN'T THERE, WELL, WE SAY, WHAT'S THE HARM IN
SEARCHING? COMING TO THE PLANET SUBBASEMENT, BUSH BASHING THIS GORGEOUS TERRAIN, THERE ARE
WORSE WAYS AND PLACES TO SPEND YOUR DAYS.
>>> NOW, THE LAST MINUTE OF "60 MINUTES." >> NOW, AN UPDATE ON OUR STORY FROM NOVEMBER ABOUT THE SOCIAL
SECURITY ADMINISTRATION DEMANDING REPAYMENT FROM PEOPLE THE AGENCY HAS MISTAKENLY OVERPAID, SOMETIMES YEARS OR
EVEN DECADES AGO. LAST MONTH, SOCIAL SECURITY COMMISSIONER MARTIN O'MALLEY TOLD THE SENATE HEARING, HE'S
MAKING SOME CHANGES. >> MANY OF YOU PROBABLY SAW THE TELEVISION JOURNALISM PIECE DONE BY "60 MINUTES," HIGHLIGHTING
THE INJUSTICE THAT WE DO TO AMERICANS WHEN, THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN, WE OVERPAY THEM AND THEN CLAW BACK IN A RATHER
BRUTAL AND SUMMARY WAY 100% OF THEIR CHECK. >> SOCIAL SECURITY WILL NOW WITHHOLD NO MORE THAN 10% OF THE
MONTHLY PAYMENT AND MAKE IT EASIER FOR BENEFICIARIES