Road to Damascus; Unveiling; The House of Hermès | 60 Minutes Full Episodes

The Syrian Civil War and its Aftermath

• An entire generation of Syrians has never known freedom, with the city of Damascus being nearly 5,000 years old but having been severely affected by the war over the past decade (9s).
• The war has resulted in the deaths of half a million Syrians and the displacement of 13 million people from their homes (2m35s).
• The city's suburbs, such as East Ghouta, have been bombed into the Stone Age, with many residents still living in the area despite the destruction (2m57s).
• The Assad regime's response to unarmed protests in 2011 was to start bombing the area, forcing many residents to flee or live in difficult conditions (3m10s).
• Residents, such as Muhammad Sed zadon and his wife Niall, have been living in the area for years, despite the lack of electricity, running water, and other basic necessities (3m35s).
• The destruction in the city is widespread, with ruins stretching for miles in every direction, and many residents struggling to survive (4m22s).
• The Assad regime's rule has been marked by brutality and oppression, with the father, Hafez al-Assad, ruling from 1970 and the son, Bashar al-Assad, continuing the regime from 2000 (5m13s).
• The civil war in Syria began with an exodus of millions of people, which was the greatest humanitarian catastrophe since World War II (5m36s).
• The road to Damascus has been marked by the signs of history, including the border between Syria and other countries, and the remnants of the war (5m48s).
• The people of Syria are still trying to come to terms with the news of Bashar al-Assad's departure, with many feeling like they are in a bad dream and struggling to believe that he is really gone (4m57s).

The Hermès Fashion House

• The Hermès company is also mentioned, with Pierre-Alexis Dumas, the artistic director of Hermès, being shown selecting scarf designs, which are then screened and stitched by hand (1m4s).

The White Helmets and the Syrian Conflict

• Refugees from Syria were fleeing to Jordan, seeking safety from the relentless bombardment of civilians and rescue work by Syrian civil defense volunteers known as the White Helmets (5m51s).
• The White Helmets, a group of civil defense volunteers, have given thousands of people a second chance at life amidst the war (6m13s).
• In 2013, Assad's forces carried out nerve gas and chemical attacks that killed an estimated 1,400 civilians, and by 2015, Russia and Iran had joined the war to support Assad's forces (6m26s).
• Russian air strikes helped save Assad's regime, and hospitals in rebel territory were bombed, with many people fearing being near hospitals due to the risk of air strikes (6m41s).
• With over half a million Syrians dead, a generation of orphans has been left behind, and many Syrians have been left destitute by a massive earthquake in rebel territory (6m59s).
• Until recently, the rebels had been cornered in the north, but with Assad's allies abandoning him, the rebels saw an opportunity to sweep through major cities, including Damascus (7m34s).
• Assad's army, weakened by corruption, retreated, and the dictator fled to Moscow (7m44s).

Uncovering Assad's Atrocities

• At Damascus Hospital, examination room 2 contains the bodies of Assad's prisoners from a notorious jail, showing signs of torture, malnutrition, and lack of oxygen (7m59s).
• Dr. Iman Nasser reported receiving 35 bodies, with the cause of death likely being multiple organ failure due to malnutrition, and many more bodies are expected to be found (8m11s).
• The discovery of the bodies has brought desperate families to the hospital, searching for their loved ones who vanished into Assad's jails over the decades (8m48s).
• Many families have received death certificates but no bodies, and forensic pathologists are working to identify the remains through photos and teeth comparisons (9m52s).
• So far, 18 bodies have been identified, but the pressure from families is overwhelming, and many are seeking justice for their loved ones (10m26s).
• Families of the victims are expressing their anger and desire for justice, with some calling for Assad and his family to be executed for their crimes (10m51s).

A New Syria Under Rebel Control

• The city of Damascus, with a population of around 2 million people, remains largely intact as it was the stronghold of the dictator, and most of its residents have never known freedom or been able to openly discuss politics (12m13s).
• The rebel leaders, who are Sunni fundamentalists, have taken control, but it is unclear how minority Muslim sects and Christians will be protected (12m48s).
• The leader of the rebels, 42-year-old Ahmed al-Sara, was previously named a terrorist by the US and had a $10 million bounty on his head, but he has maintained order in the city so far (12m57s).
• Despite the relative calm, the shooting has not entirely stopped, and external forces such as Israel and the US are still involved in the conflict (13m25s).
• Russia has also withdrawn its ships from its naval base on Syria's Mediterranean coast (13m49s).
• The rebuilding of Syria is expected to cost hundreds of billions of dollars, a daunting task for a destitute country (14m3s).
• For many Syrians, such as Muhammad Zidan and his wife, the end of Assad's rule brings a sense of hope and renewal, but also uncertainty about the future (14m41s).
• A new Syria is likely to be built by people who have experienced despair but still see a future for their country (15m3s).

AI-Generated Nude Images and Their Impact

• In a separate incident, a 14-year-old girl named Franchesca Mani discovered that her picture had been doctored using a "nudify" website or app, which creates fake nude images using artificial intelligence (15m26s).
• This incident is part of a larger trend of similar cases in schools in the US and around the world, highlighting the need to address the issue of these websites (15m52s).
• Franchesca Mani and her school were affected by the rapid spread of rumors and the lack of action to stop the use of these websites (16m22s).
• A website called Cloth Off allows users to upload photos and use AI to remove clothing, with over 3 million visits last month, and it now offers to nudify males as well, but female nudes are far more popular (17m10s).
• The website asks users to upload a photo or get a free demonstration, where an image of a woman appears with clothes on, then a few seconds later her clothes are gone or blurred, making the results look very real (17m25s).
• Franchesca Mani never saw what had been done to her photo, but according to a lawsuit, at least one girl's AI nude was shared on Snapchat and seen by several kids at school (17m41s).
• The girls found out they were victims when they were called by name to the principal's office over the school's public address system, which Franchesca says was a major violation of their privacy (17m59s).
• The principal sent an email to all high school parents informing them that some students had used artificial intelligence to create pornographic images from original photos, and the school was investigating (18m26s).
• Franchesca's mom, DOA, was not convinced that the school did enough, and she filed a police report, but no charges had been brought (19m6s).
• The school district wouldn't confirm details about the photos, the students involved, or any disciplinary action, but the school superintendent said the district revised its harassment policy to incorporate AI (19m36s).
• Colina Colai, a senior researcher at Bellingcat, has been looking into Cloth Off and other nudify sites for over a year, and she notes that the website claims to have rules, but there is no verification process to check the user's age (20m32s).
• The website Cloth Off allows users to upload explicit photos and offers a "poses" feature, which includes different sex poses, as a premium feature, with users often sharing before and after AI-generated nude images on social media, including those of minors. (20m40s)
• Some of these images are of high school girls, with their original photos found through reverse image search, indicating that adult content is being created and shared non-consensually. (21m7s)
• Parents may be unaware that posting a picture of their child on social media could lead to the creation and sharing of naked photos of their child. (21m22s)
• Cloth Off offers a free registration for the first time, with subsequent uses costing between $2 and $40, and provides various payment options, including crypto, credit cards, PayPal, and Google Pay. (21m31s)
• However, these payment services often have policies against being used by websites like Cloth Off, and the website redirects payments through phony websites to disguise the true nature of the transaction. (22m4s)
• For example, when using PayPal, the website redirects the payment through a dummy website, making it appear as though the user is purchasing something unrelated, such as motorcycles or beekeeping lessons. (22m15s)
• PayPal has banned Cloth Off from its platforms and shuts down accounts for these redirect sites when discovered, but Cloth Off continues to create new ones. (22m46s)
• Cloth Off's website lists a fake address in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a fake CEO with an AI-generated headshot, indicating a lack of transparency and shadiness in its operations. (23m3s)
• The website claims that processing images of minors is impossible, but did not respond to requests for evidence or comment on other questions. (24m3s)
• Victims of AI-generated nude images often suffer from humiliation, mental health distress, and reputational damage, which can be amplified in a school setting due to the involvement of their peers, leading to a loss of confidence and trust (24m19s).
• Yoda Surus, Chief Legal Officer at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, works with tech companies to flag inappropriate content, but notes that responsiveness to victims is a recurring problem across tech companies (24m35s).
• In at least three cases, Snapchat was reportedly used to circulate AI-generated nude images, with one instance taking over 8 months to get the accounts that shared the images taken down (24m49s).
• Tech companies can be notified to take down content, but the process is often slower than when a third-party organization makes the request, highlighting a need for tech companies to assume responsibility immediately (25m19s).
• Social media companies are shielded from lawsuits involving photos posted online due to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a law from 1996 that provides near complete immunity for liability arising from user-generated content (25m50s).
• The Section 230 protection allows a loose ecosystem to exist, enabling notify apps and websites that cause harm to children, and there are no ramifications for tech companies that fail to remove exploitative content (25m57s).
• Snapchat claims to have efficient mechanisms for reporting and addressing such content, but a spokesperson was unable to locate a request from a parent who reported an issue that took 8 months to resolve (26m30s).
• AI-generated nude images of minors are illegal under federal child pornography laws if they depict sexually explicit conduct, but there is a gap in the law regarding images that do not meet this definition (26m48s).
• The gap in the law means that a nude image of a child without sexually explicit conduct is not illegal, posing a serious issue for real children and those created by nudify apps (27m9s).
• Franchesca Mani and her mom have advocated for schools to implement policies around AI and worked with members of Congress to pass federal bills, including the Take It Down Act, which would create criminal penalties for sharing AI nudes and require social media companies to take photos down within 48 hours (27m31s).
• The Take It Down Act, co-sponsored by Senators Ted Cruz and Amy Klobuchar, has passed the Senate and is awaiting a vote in the House (27m43s).
• Implementing laws with criminal consequences and civil remedies can help deter offenders and provide justice for victims, but the current system is far from achieving this goal (28m8s).

The Legacy and Craftsmanship of Hermès

• In Greek mythology, Hermes, the son of Zeus, was known for his speed, and the French fashion house Hermès, which shares his name, is famous for its elegant accessories, such as scarves, ties, and handbags (28m47s).
• Hermès has been preserving its craft and culture for nearly 200 years, with the brand being owned by one family and rarely seen by outsiders (29m22s).
• The artistic director of Hermès, Pierre-Alexis Dumas, carefully selects designs, colors, and patterns for the brand's products, with some designs taking up to two years to make (29m48s).
• Hermès began as a seller of bespoke harnesses in Paris in 1837, eventually expanding to luggage and handbags, and is now a more than $200 billion luxury brand (30m26s).
• Pierre-Alexis Dumas is the sixth generation of his family to lead the company, and he believes that the brand's success comes from its focus on quality and craftsmanship rather than cost (30m50s).
• The brand's flagship store in Paris is a symbol of luxury, featuring high-end products such as a $48,000 purse and a $272,000 pool table (31m22s).
• Dumas distinguishes between "costly" and "expensive," believing that Hermès products are costly due to their high quality, but not expensive because they deliver what they promise (31m48s).
• The company has never had a marketing department, instead relying on its reputation for superb craftsmanship and serendipity to attract customers (32m21s).
• The iconic trapezoid-shaped purse, designed by Dumas' grandfather in 1935, became a hit after Grace Kelly used it to hide her belly from paparazzi, and was eventually renamed after her (32m31s).
• Hermès products, such as the Kelly bag and scarves, have been favored by American and actual royalty for decades, offering a kind of product placement that money cannot buy (32m50s).
• The company's famous Citrus-colored boxes were a happy accident of the 1940s, resulting from a shortage of beige paper in 1946, which led to the use of orange paper that was initially unwanted (33m1s).
• The Birkin bag, designed in 1984 by Jean-Louis Dumas, was created after he was seated next to British actress Jane Birkin on a flight to London, where she expressed her dissatisfaction with her current bag and described her ideal design (33m35s).
• The Birkin bag is the most coveted and costly handbag in the world, retailing around $9,000 and fetching upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction (34m15s).
• Despite its high demand, the Birkin bag is often unavailable in stores, and customers must be patient and go through a long process to acquire one, which may involve waiting lists and appointments with salespeople (34m40s).
• Store managers act as gatekeepers for the brand, and there are stories of years-long waiting lists for bags and waiting lists to get on the waiting list (35m12s).
• Hermès has been accused of creating artificial scarcity to pump up demand, but the company claims that it simply cannot keep up with demand due to a lack of artisans to build the bags (35m38s).
• The company's bags have been made from start to finish by a single craftsman for over a century, and Hermès is working to train more artisans to meet the growing demand (36m13s).
• In 2021, the house opened a training center in leather work, where 400 graduates a year are schooled in the profession (36m53s).
• Hermès' signature saddle stitch is a technique that requires mastering the art of making things by hand, which includes mastering the signature saddle stitch, a hallmark of Hermès' bags (37m5s).
• The saddle stitch technique was originally used to ensure the strength and functionality of equipment used with horse-drawn carriages, and it is now a distinctive feature of Hermès' bags (37m18s).
• To create the saddle stitch, artisans use a combination of gentle pressure from their thighs and precise stitching with needles in both hands, pulling a strong linen thread coated in beeswax into precise loops (37m49s).
• The crisscross of needles that make the knot in the saddle stitch cannot be replicated by a machine and can take years to master (38m16s).
• Those who master the saddle stitch are typically offered positions at one of Hermès' 23 leather workshops in villages and towns across France (38m23s).
• Hermès' workshops are quiet, with artisans performing a silent dance with dueling needles, and there are no manuals or cheat sheets, relying on their training and muscle memory to make every bag (38m41s).
• The Kelly bag is the most difficult bag to build, starting with 30 distinct cuts of leather and taking 20 hours to complete, with 4 hours dedicated to just the handle (38m52s).
• Hermès' artisans, like Almondine, undergo 2 years of training and must memorize the process of making each bag, with no looming clocks or quotas, just the slow pursuit of perfection (39m27s).
• When a bag is completed, it is authenticated by a secret stamp, known only to Hermès, which is how they verify the authenticity of their bags (39m50s).
• Hermès' approach to craftsmanship allows them to produce more handbags than ever, although they won't disclose the exact number, and some customers have sued the company due to the long wait times for certain bags (40m8s).
• Pierre-Alexis Dumas, Hermès' creative director, emphasizes that building something timeless takes time and urges patience, comparing the process to craft rather than industrial production (40m24s).
• Hermès prioritizes quality over speed, and if a crafts person is not at the required level, their bag will not be sold, even if they've invested 20 or 30 hours making it (41m1s).
• The world's increasing obsession with speed and immediate satisfaction may not be the only way to relate to the world, as there is another form that values patience and taking the time to make things right, which cannot be achieved by compressing time without compromising quality (41m22s).
• Hermès creates one-of-a-kind products from leftover materials (41m52s).

Investigating Havana Syndrome

• The 60 Minutes investigation into Havana syndrome, a mysterious brain injury, has been ongoing for five years, with reported cases from White House staff, FBI agents, CIA, and Military Officers, and their families (42m12s).
• The House Intelligence Committee published the results of its new investigation, indicating that many of the Havana syndrome cases were attacks committed by a foreign adversary, contradicting the intelligence community's previous claims (42m31s).
• The Congressional report accused the intelligence community of obstructing its investigation and referenced a story about a military investigator, Greg Edgreen, who claimed to have seen evidence of who was behind Havana syndrome (42m52s).
• Greg Edgreen expressed his personal opinion that the attacks were carried out by Russia (43m5s).
• The investigation into Havana syndrome will continue, with more information to be revealed in future editions of 60 Minutes (43m19s).