09/28/2025: A Lonely Voice, The Mystery of the Eagles, Dana White

16:46Spencer Cox:based on very different principles than virtually any country in the history of the world. I think that it was naive that we could rebuild after a civil war had fractured us and we had killed 600 ,000 of our fellow Americans. So I believe that naivete with some passion can change the world. It's probably the only thing that ever has.

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18:07Bill Whitaker:Visit Dermalogica.com and use code SMOOTH at checkout for an exclusive gift with your$65 purchase. As tensions rise between Europe and Russia, Russian aircraft have pierced NATO airspace in Poland, Romania, and Estonia in recent weeks. And in the Baltic Sea, another incident has raised the stakes even higher. A tanker named the Eagle S was tracked dragging its anchor across the seafloor, leaving severed cables in its wake. Undersea cables carry the lifeblood of modern existence. Electricity, gas, digital communications, global banking, the Internet itself. Without the cables, all that would grind to a halt.

18:52Bill Whitaker:In the past two years, at least 11 cables have been cut in the Baltic, primarily in the waters off Finland, which shares an 832-mile border with Russia. Who's behind the rash of brakes is a mystery, but this much is known. Before Russia's war with Ukraine, these types of incidents were extremely rare. We cut across the Baltic Sea in this small navy dinghy, looking for clues to a nautical whodunit. We headed for the 170-foot Finnish minesweeper Vaterpa. This massive ship towering above us is a crucial part of Finland's maritime defenses, guarding these waters between Russia to the east and Estonia to the south.

19:42Bill Whitaker:Everything is quite close here. You've got Estonia, you've got Russia, you've got Finland, you've got Sweden, all come together right in this area. Chief of Staff of the Finnish Navy, Tony Jotsja, told us the ship uses remote vehicles to monitor undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland, a narrow, shallow stretch of the Baltic crowded with thousands of vessels, many of them carrying Russian oil and gas to India and China through Finnish waters day and night.

20:13Scott Pelley:We know what's happening in the Gulf of Finland at all times. That's a lot to keep an eye on. That's true. For example, Russia, 40 % approximately of their commercial traffic goes through the Baltic Sea.

20:28Bill Whitaker:And a lot of that is the oil transport?

20:31Scott Pelley:Yes, definitely.

20:32Bill Whitaker:It was one of those ships, the Eagle S, loaded with Russian gas headed to Egypt, that triggered a nationwide alarm in Finland on Christmas Day 2024.

20:44Scott Pelley:I remember it very clearly because I was here in my residence with my family, with my old father, spending Christmas Day.

20:57Bill Whitaker:Prime Minister Petteri Orpo got an urgent call from Finland's border guard that shattered the holiday calm.

21:04Scott Pelley:I was told that we have a problem with electricity cable between Finland and Estonia.

21:11Bill Whitaker:A critical undersea electric cable, S-Link 2, had been severely damaged 50 miles off the Finnish coast. Because there had been five other recent suspicious cable and gas line breaks, the border guard told the prime minister it suspected this one was deliberately severed by a ship. What did they say? They told me there is a suspected ship named Eagle S in Area. And they are on their way to the place, and they are ready to react. With the Eagle S near Finnish territorial waters, Prime Minister Orpo authorized the extraordinary step of moving to intercept the tanker.

21:57Scott Pelley:I made a phone call to the chief of the border guard, and I said to him, you can trust that you have my and my government's full support. Use all the tools you have.

22:15Bill Whitaker:Finland called all hands on deck as the Coast Guard vessel Turva sped toward the Eagle S. Police and Finland's National Bureau of Investigation monitored from shore.

22:27Scott Pelley:We had the possibility to intervene and apprehend and secure the evidence.

22:33Bill Whitaker:Helsinki Police Chief Jari Liuku says the Coast Guard radioed the Eagle S, asking if its anchors were up and secure. The reply was, yes, sir, our anchors are secured. But three hours later, at 6 p.m., as the Torva closed in, the crew could see that was not true. The anchor chain was hanging in the water. We had a strong reason to believe that it was an intentional activity from their side. The Uku was informed that a total of five crucial undersea cables along the route of the Eagle S had been broken that day, and the ship was still on the move.

23:15Scott Pelley:Of course, there was a risk that criminal activity may continue unless the authorities intervene.

23:22Bill Whitaker:Just after midnight, as the ship entered Finnish waters, Finland dispatched an armed team of special forces to the Eagle S by helicopter. They dropped onto the vessel in the dark and seized control from about two dozen crewmen from the countries of Georgia and India.

23:39Scott Pelley:The police and the border guard and the defense force were actually taking over the Brits. Is that unusual? Well, it was first time when, after Second World War, when Finnish troops boarded a boat.

23:57Bill Whitaker:The first time since the Second World War?

23:59Scott Pelley:Yeah, that's why. Because we had to do something in that case. There was an imminent threat that other critical infrastructure between Finland and Estonia would be damaged.

24:10Bill Whitaker:Risto Lohi, overseeing the Eagle S case for Finland's National Bureau of Investigation, told us the next cables in the Eagle S's path could have strained Estonia's electricity and gas supply.

24:23Scott Pelley:So there was also a necessity to intervene.

24:27Bill Whitaker:This is underwater video of the crime scene. Finnish investigators determined the Eagle S had raked its anchor across the sea bottom for more than six hours. When the ship was ordered to haul it up, the anchor was so battered it snapped off the chain.

24:44Scott Pelley:We found the anchor and the track mark on the seabed started from the first damaged cable and the track mark was continuous until the location when the vessel was stopped.

24:57Bill Whitaker:Police handed their evidence to Finnish prosecutors, who charged the captain and the Eagle S's two senior officers with aggravated criminal mischief and interference with communications. They pleaded not guilty. The damaged cables cost$70 million to repair. The case is still underway. In court, the captain claimed the anchor had been dragged by accident. How far did they drag this anchor?

25:24Scott Pelley:Approximately 100 kilometers altogether.

25:27Bill Whitaker:That's 66 miles before the Coast Guard cutter, Torva, confronted and ultimately stopped the Eagle S. Commander Miko Simola told us the tanker's behavior raised serious alarm. There are fail-safe measures on the anchor to keep it from dropping accidentally, are there not?

25:48Scott Pelley:Certainly there are safety mechanisms.

25:51Bill Whitaker:There are like three different safety mechanisms.

25:54Scott Pelley:Yeah, different safety mechanisms.

25:55Bill Whitaker:The captain of the ship says that he didn't know that the anchor had been lowered and dragged for 66 miles. Is that believable?

26:06Scott Pelley:It's hard to believe, being a Coast Guard officer, certainly. A captain of the vessel must always know whether the anchor is hoisted or in the sea. So interesting comment, this is what I could say.

26:19Bill Whitaker:An interesting comment.

26:20Scott Pelley:Yeah, certainly.

26:22Bill Whitaker:More suspicious, the ownership of the 20-year-old Eagle S. A seven-month investigation by 60 Minutes found its owners hidden behind layers of shell companies. Public records list the primary owner as a woman from Azerbaijan with an office in Dubai. The ship is managed by a company in India and leased to a major Russian oil company. That oil company has financed a fleet of hard-to-trace tankers to move Russian oil, evading Western sanctions.

26:55Scott Pelley:This phenomenon is called Russian shadow fleet. Shadow fleet. Shadow fleet. It is pumping money to Putin's war machine.

27:08Bill Whitaker:He's still making profit off of Russian oil, even though the sanctions are in place. Yes. Prime Minister Orpo told us the Shadow Fleet's constant presence in the Baltic Sea is raising the temperature with Russia, barely 200 miles across the water. Do you consider Russia a threat?

27:27Scott Pelley:Of course Russia is a threat. We can see what they have done against Ukraine. And also in Finland, we have seen many hybrid attacks.

27:38Bill Whitaker:What do you mean by hybrid attacks?

27:40Scott Pelley:We have seen these incidents by Baltic Sea. We have seen sabotage in Europe. So we are not in the war, but we are under attack. You're not in war. No, we are not in war. But you're under attack. Because we are the target.

28:05Bill Whitaker:Beyond recent Russian aircraft incursions into NATO airspace, EU officials have connected Russia to numerous attacks in Europe. Fire bombings, assaults on rail and arms depots, explosive packages, and now the mystery of the Eagle S. This breaking of the undersea cables This was not happening before the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine?

28:33Scott Pelley:No. We didn't have any of this kind of incidents before Russian aggression against Ukraine. But after that, we have had many.

28:41Bill Whitaker:So I have to ask what seems to be the obvious question. Is this Russia?

28:47Scott Pelley:I can only say that there is clear connection between Russian shadow fleet and these incidents. It's clear.

28:55Bill Whitaker:Does it feel as though Russia is probing and prodding to find soft spots in not just Finland's defenses but NATO's?

29:05Scott Pelley:This is their way to try to harm us, make us afraid.

29:12Bill Whitaker:Prime Minister Orpo says the Eagle S was a test of Finland's resolve.

29:17Scott Pelley:We sent a clear signal to the shadow fleet and maybe to the actors behind that we have our limits.

29:26Bill Whitaker:Finland joined NATO in 2023. The alliance recently launched Operation Baltic Sentry, deploying ships and planes to monitor the shadow fleet and safeguard critical seabed infrastructure. British Admiral Keith Blount, NATO's Deputy Supreme Allied Commander, told us the Eagle S incident was a provocation that demanded a response.

29:50Scott Pelley:We launched a response to try and deter, prevent similar incidents happening again in the Baltic. So it was kind of a triggering event for us. And of course, we haven't seen another incident since we established Baltic Century.

30:08Bill Whitaker:What is the message that Baltic Century is sending? We're not going to be pushed around, interfered with.

30:18Scott Pelley:We're not going to be subject to illegal behaviors that either threaten the rule of law or worse, threaten the safety and security of our people.

30:28Bill Whitaker:Because of its connection to the Shadow Fleet, the Eagle S was sanctioned by the EU, England and Canada, restricting its access to ports. On the face of it, the incident seems to be a small thing. But when I see your reaction, when I see NATO's reaction, that Eagle S incident has turned out to be quite a big deal.

30:53Scott Pelley:Yes, it was a big deal. We have to react. And it was first time we react. We show that we are ready to defense our critical infrastructure, our property. And that's why it was turning point.

31:08Bill Whitaker:I have a saying in the United States, enough is enough.

31:13Scott Pelley:Yes, enough is enough.

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32:59Scott Pelley:He holds no championship belt, but Dana White is the most prominent and pugnacious figure in the UFC, the ultimate fighting championship. The CEO-slash-hype man is the embodiment of the league itself, long on unapologetic force, short on precious formality, intoxicating to some and acquired taste to others. And much like the UFC, White has penetrated the defense of mainstream culture, moving in from the fringes to join the ultra-rich, serve on the board of Meta, and befriend the current president. A small disclosure, we've been speaking with White for years about his appearing on this broadcast.

33:35Scott Pelley:A heavyweight disclosure. This was before Paramount Skydance, parent company of CBS, recently paid almost$8 billion for the UFC's media rights. Yes, cage fighting on network television. Perhaps the ultimate sign of how far this sport and its no-holds-barred leader have come.

34:03Scott Pelley:Tuesday night's all right for fighting. We sat outside the octagon for Dana White's Contender Series, a streaming show that doubles as the UFC's farm system.

34:12Bill Whitaker:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

34:15Scott Pelley:If the fighters entertain White, like this first-round knockout artist, he rewards them with a UFC contract.

34:21Bill Whitaker:Good fight. Thank you very much. Incredible.

34:23Scott Pelley:An invitation by the big boss to the big show. White is chief author of the greatest sports business story of this century, maybe ever. Oh, that looks good. In his 30s, he helped buy the UFC, then a renegade cage-fighting operation for$2 million. Now 56, he runs a global league valued at more than$15 billion. 675 fighters under contract.

34:57Scott Pelley:A brutal mashup that includes kickboxing, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu.

35:02Bill Whitaker:Fire away. You know me, man. You've known me for a long time. Fire away. I don't give a s***.

35:06Scott Pelley:The entire business is built more on White's force of personality than on a traditional playbook. We met him at UFC headquarters in Las Vegas.

35:15Bill Whitaker:Whenever I read stories about the business of UFC, I literally laugh and say, nobody knows anything about the business side of this thing. So what is everyone missing? For 25 years, people have been trying to figure it out and people have been trying to do it. Someone told me it all starts with Dana's gut. That's absolutely true. I don't know who told you that, but that's right. We got a sellout crowd here, 5 ,000 people.

35:39Scott Pelley:It was his gut that got him into the game. He managed boxers in Boston, then fighters in Vegas in the fledgling sport of MMA, mixed martial arts. When White caught wind UFC's owners were out of money, his first call went to two high school buddies, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, Las Vegas casino heirs.

35:58Bill Whitaker:I said, I think they're going out of business. We could probably buy this thing and we should.

36:03Scott Pelley:The Fertitas put up the money. White got 10 percent, but he had to run the damn thing. The UFC wasn't just unprofitable, it was largely unsanctioned. In February 2001, White needed a home for the first fight of his regime.

36:20Bill Whitaker:None of the venues wanted this. You know, they didn't believe in it, they didn't like it, and they were worried about the type of crowd that would show up for this type of event.

36:30Scott Pelley:He found hospitality at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, then owned by a familiar fight fan, Donald Trump.

36:37Bill Whitaker:When the Trump brand was here and the UFC brand was down there, he saw it and said, I'd love to have this at my casino. He showed up the first prelim fight of the night and stayed till the main event was over. He watched the whole card? Watched the whole card. What did the balance sheets look like back in those early days? It was so bad that at one point Lorenzo called me and said, Dana, I can't keep doing this, man. I'm literally blowing all my family's money. And obviously that night I'm thinking, we're done. It's a wrap. This is over. He calls me the next day and literally this is what he said to me.

37:16Bill Whitaker:Let's keep going.

37:17Scott Pelley:So they did. Do you want to be a fighter? A reality series and its storylines helped draw in millions of fans. Obviously a massive, massive accomplishment. Electric matchups, and Joe Rogan on the mic kept it rolling. Oh, he's done. He's done. From the beginning, White imposed his will. Just ask the guys in the live TV production truck that didn't follow his direction.

37:39Bill Whitaker:I literally got up from my seat, went back there and kicked the door open to the truck. Kicked the door open to the truck. You know, I was basically like, you ever do this again, I'm firing every one of you. Long story short, we ended up firing everybody. It's been an honor calling your fight, sir. Thank you very much. You're welcome.

37:57Scott Pelley:By 2016, the sport sanctioned in every state, the UFC sold for$4 billion, on the condition White stay on as CEO.

38:09Scott Pelley:President Trump still routinely shows up at UFC fights, but now makes a grand entrance.

38:16Bill Whitaker:The relationship that he and I have, and when we get together, and I have dinner with him, we don't talk politics. What are you talking about? We talk about goofy guy stuff that all guys talk about. You know what I mean? Like what? We talk about Rocky movies. We talk about different fights that have happened.

38:31Scott Pelley:That's a real samurai. White's office is a shrine to guy stuff, the mother of all man caves.

38:38Bill Whitaker:This is a piece of art that represents war. War is all about money.

38:43Scott Pelley:You once used a term with me that I quoted you on, the wussification of America. I think I said, but yeah, I get it.

38:50Bill Whitaker:We're on 60 Minutes, yeah. Has the pendulum swung the other way? I feel like it's starting to.

38:57Scott Pelley:Cage fighting has always celebrated male bravado. But White is intent that more women than ever follow the sport. He bristles at the suggestion that UFC fandom is taking on new edge. You don't think there's this cultural movement. It's a lot of guys. Call it the manosphere.

39:17Bill Whitaker:You're one of the leaders. You know when you talk about knowing your fan base and knowing who they are? Who are they? 18 to 34-year-old males and growing global. We are definitely unapologetically masculine.

39:33Scott Pelley:Can this bubble over too much? When you hear toxic masculinity... What's that mean? You tell me. You just said it.

39:41Bill Whitaker:What's the definition of toxic? How can somebody be too masculine? Is that a possibility? Can you be too masculine? You tell me. No. Do you think so? The answer is hell no.

39:51Scott Pelley:Hang out with Dana White in Vegas, and odds are good you'll end up here, at the Bellagio. Hi, how are you guys?

39:58Bill Whitaker:Good to see you.

39:59Scott Pelley:Thank you. Enough of a regular, he's plied with whiskey and a cigar before heading to a private Baccarat table.

40:05Bill Whitaker:In this city, nothing is off limits. How much are we betting here? $400 ,000. The$400 ,000 hand?

40:12Scott Pelley:Mm-hmm. Because these sissies won't give me a million a hand. A few hands in, Fortune was not in his corner. God damn it. Ooh, no bueno. We're down$1 ,240 ,000. You heard right. He was down$1.2 million. What's this feeding in you? I'm a sick, sick guy. That's the only explanation I can give you. Not 10 minutes later. Boom, let's go. Come on, where's the stance? He was cashing out, up$700 ,000.

40:50Bill Whitaker:This is how we do it.

40:52Scott Pelley:Another win for White's instincts. His gut proved golden once again in August when Paramount Skydance outbid others and offered the UFC$7.7 billion over seven years for U.S. media rights, putting the UFC right up there with other major sports leagues. You still have 10 % of this enterprise?

41:14Bill Whitaker:I have a deal here that would make Roger Goodell and every other guy go, holy ****. Meaning what? I got a damn good deal. Listen, man, this business has worked just fine. The model isn't broken. You know, I love when people who have no **** idea what they're talking about.

41:33Scott Pelley:One question that hounds white. Here we go, round two. Does enough of the UFC's big money see its way to the fighters? Tom Aspeno. The big stars can make millions per fight. But so-called bottom-of-the-card fighters are paid as little as$12 ,000. Earlier this year, the UFC settled a class-action antitrust lawsuit with fighters for$375 million. Your media rights deal basically doubled. Is fighter pay going to increase proportionally?

42:04Bill Whitaker:I can't sit here right now and tell you, you know, it's double, it's one and a half, it's triple. But, yeah, fighter pay is, yeah, it's going to be good. Do you pay fighters a fair wage? Absolutely. People don't know how much a lot of these guys make. If you want to know what LeBron James makes, it's two keystrokes away. We're different in a lot of ways. We're different than most major sports.

42:27Scott Pelley:And this is the only sport where the athletes get to say whatever they want. Another difference. In most sports, offensive speech by athletes can result in suspension. Not so the UFC. We don't have to agree with it. We don't have to like it. So is there anything a fighter can say, tweet, do that you say, you know what, there got to be consequences?

42:50Bill Whitaker:I'm a big believer in free speech. And unfortunately, probably the most important speech to protect is hate speech. You're not a fan of cancel culture. No, I hate it. On both sides. It's like all the stuff that's going on with Charlie right now, you know, these people are going out and saying stuff and you know you're seeing people getting fired or kicked out of school you don't you don't think they should be fired i think you're a disgusting human being if you're celebrating the death of another human being but people make mistakes and people are going to do dumb things i don't like trying to destroy people's lives um over doing something dumb so we're going to be here on the white house lawn top of mind for white a fight card next summer So the fighters will walk out of the Oval Office to come to the octagon.

43:40Scott Pelley:The same man who once offered White a casino for staging the UFC now has offered his backyard. What can you tell me about the card? Everybody wants to fight on the card. There's going to be a fight on the south lawn of the White House, weigh-ins at the Lincoln Memorial. I still can't believe I'm saying those words. Even an optimist like you. I can't believe I'm hearing them. Inspiring the awe. This will hardly mark White's first trip to the halls of power. At President Trump's inauguration, he got the equivalent of a cage-side seat. What do you say to the fans who say, I feel like the UFC is taken a side?

44:15Bill Whitaker:I am an American citizen. Biden was my president. Trump is my president. I was at the inauguration, and I was sitting behind all the ex-presidents. And there was this stuff going around, like Dana's mad dog and President Obama. President Obama turned around, the only president that did. and shook my hand and said, congratulations on all your success. And I said, thank you very much, Mr. President. That's what you were, people wondered what you guys were talking about. That's what happened. I've never talked about that publicly. If President Obama called and said, hey, I'd like to come see a fight, we'd be like, yeah, buy some tickets and good luck here, whatever.

44:54Bill Whitaker:No, the sitting president or an ex-president of the United States wants to come to your event, you treat them with respect.

45:03Scott Pelley:Meanwhile, White's tent is expanding. Two weeks ago, he promoted championship boxing under the UFC umbrella.

45:10Bill Whitaker:Almost 71 ,000 people, and it was the third biggest fight ever in the history of boxing.

45:15Scott Pelley:You're saying it went well. It didn't suck.

45:19Bill Whitaker:Enjoy yourself tonight and have a good time.

45:21Scott Pelley:After a big fight weekend, most execs might give their staff a pat on the back.

45:26Bill Whitaker:Relax, drink, and smoke some cigars. Have a good night.

45:29Scott Pelley:White, the bluntest instrument in all of sports, threw his staff a weeknight bash. We asked around about you one word came up again and again. You know what it was? loyal boom Got some detractors too You want to guess this one? What? Bully. Bully. Yeah, that makes sense.

45:51Bill Whitaker:You don't seem so bothered by that. Yeah, I love it Listen, if you want to be my friend, I'm the best friend you'll ever have. You want to be my enemy? I'm really good at being that too

46:06Scott Pelley:Now, a look ahead to next week's 60 Minutes. We'll profile Rob Reiner, who went from a character nicknamed Meathead to director of some of the most memorable movies ever. Including his unlikely first film, This is Spinal Tap, a cult classic that mocked rock and gave new meaning. The numbers all go to 11. to the number 11. One louder. Why don't you just make 10 louder and make 10 be the top number and make that a little louder? These go to 11. All right, here we go. We joined Reiner on set as he directs. Okay, tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap. And stars in a sequel 41 years later. You got him right here.

46:55Scott Pelley:You're the director directing yourself. I know, it's crazy. And the document.

46:58Bill Whitaker:It's crazy. It's making me nuts.

47:02Scott Pelley:I'm Leslie Stahl. We'll be back next week with another edition of 60 Minutes.

47:30Spencer Cox:Mommy's buying a car.

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