Shot Down Over Iran, The Pardon Economy, Battering Ram | 60 Minutes Full Episodes
In a Nutshell
An American F-15E crew shot down over Iran survived a massive, multi-day rescue operation involving hundreds of U.S. forces, deception operations, and the first U.S. ground presence in Iran in 46 years, with the backseater crediting faith, training, and the "leave no man behind" ethos. The pardon system has devolved into a pay-to-play marketplace where brokers charge $300K–$3M to bypass DOJ review and reach President Trump directly, with several high-profile cases showing pardons tied to donations or business favors. Rams coach Sean McVay's obsessive preparation, total-recall play-calling, and willingness to embrace vulnerability have turned the franchise into an NFL powerhouse, though he admits his identity remains dangerously tied to wins and losses.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
When an American war plane was shot down over Iran, the US military launched one of the largest rescue operations in its history to find the officer. The officer was asked how he found the strength to make it up the mountain despite his injuries. This was his first interview. Presidents have been pardoning criminals since George Washington. The question raised was how these people get their grievances in the president's ear. A speaker stated, "This is what I was led to believe. If you come with this money, you will get a pardon." Those who can pay hire pardon brokers. A broker stated, "I don't think your pardon, I don't think it'll be too difficult." The LA Rams are perhaps the premier NFL franchise, wound tightly on the team's tightly wound leader, Shawn McVey. McVey stated, "Oh, I'm a lot tormented." When asked what was tormenting him, he replied, "Uh the practice that we just had. That's why I'm in such a great mood."
When an American fighter jet was shot down over Iran on April 2nd, not one but two US Air Force officers were left stranded alone in a rugged mountain range being pursued by Iranian forces. To prevent their capture, five weeks into a costly and unpopular war that had taken the lives of 18 US service members, the US military launched one of the largest search and rescue operations in its history. The mission unfolded with newly declassified footage shown. The colonel who lived through it told the story.
When the US went to war with Iran in February, it was by sea, by land, but mostly from the air. Admiral Brad Cooper, the American commander in charge of the war, stated they had flown about 13,000 missions up to that point. They had air superiority, but were not flying over Kansas. The fighter jet was brought to a mountainous area south of the city of Isfahan, close to where Iran had been keeping much of its highly enriched nuclear material. The mission that evening was to conduct a strike on industrial facilities related to both the drone and missile program, not related to the Isfahan nuclear facility.
The plane's mission call sign was Dude 44. It was an F-15E, a type of two-seat fighter that has been a workhorse of US Air combat operations for decades. The $30 million jet was brought down by a shoulder-fired missile that can cost around $100,000. Evidence of the wreckage was shared online by Iranian media. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was woken up Thursday night with the news. When he heard that an American fighter jet was down behind enemy lines in Iran, he immediately thought about next steps: whether they were okay, whether Iran knew, and whether they were alive or not, stating the US would go get them.
One of the two officers shot down over Iran was identified as Bravo. Neither officer had spoken publicly until this interview. Bravo described the moment of being hit as "getting hit by a freight train." The weapon systems officer was called by his mission call sign Bravo due to security threats from Iran. The crew tried to save the aircraft, but it was evident that was not possible. Soon thereafter, they ejected and found themselves floating over the heart of Iran. The decision to eject happened within seconds.
Bravo stated he would be thankful to his dying day for his pilot and crew mate Alpha for saving their lives by ejecting them. After they ejected, Alpha and Bravo found themselves five miles apart, separated and alone on the ground in the rugged Iranian desert. Alpha landed safely. Bravo was lucky to be alive. His parachute was damaged in the initial attack. At one point, when he looked up and saw no parachute, that was the most terrifying thing he had ever seen. He paused right then and prayed, "Lord, your will be done. But if I'm getting through this, I need help."
While in the air, Bravo described the situation as "free falling." He was not focused on the speed at which he was falling, but instead focused on trying to correct the problems that were in front of him and doing anything he could to unfurl or pull pieces of the parachute loose. The military trains to survive hard landings. Professionals based on Bravo's description and the injuries he had estimated he hit the ground going somewhere between 70 and 100 miles an hour. Bravo survived through what he called a "modern-day miracle," believing it was a testament to God's provision in his life.
The fall broke Bravo's back. He also sustained a broken arm, broken shoulder, sprained ankle, and was bleeding from cuts and scrapes to his head and face. Despite his injuries, he moved as quickly as he could away from the place he landed. It was dark, but like early morning hunting trips, as the sun started to come up, he could start to perceive elements of the environment around him. Iran is the size of Alaska. In the heart of Iran where they were, there are high desert valleys, but also amazing craggy cliffs. Bravo found himself in one of those valleys with cliffs on either side.
Bravo determined the safest place for him to go was up. He quickly made the decision, despite his broken bones, to hike and climb up a 7,000-foot ridge line. When asked how he found the strength to make it up the mountain given his injuries, he replied, "Never let a lack of motivation put you on Iranian TV." He was absolutely thinking that. Soon after the crash, an Iranian news anchor announced a bounty for the capture of the Americans. Videos emerged on the internet of armed groups hunting for the downed crew. Bravo stated he could tell for a fact that they were looking for him.
According to US military sources, Iranian forces got to within a few hundred meters of Bravo. General Dan Kaine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a former fighter pilot, stated there was clear intent from the Iranian ground force to come find those two guys. The risk of them being potentially paraded through downtown Tehran on TV was not a fun thing to contemplate. The US was tracking Iranian forces like BBs. There were about 1,500 within a 10-mile radius, and they were watching them very closely.
Six hours in, the US had its eye on Alpha, the pilot. Declassified video showed the risky daytime raid to pick him up. Two helicopters of the 21 aircraft deployed. Videos posted on social media showed American helicopters taking fire. It was a gunfight all the way in, all the way out, but they got Alpha back. Then they began to immediately realize the job was only half done. Bravo was still missing. Alpha's rescue force attempted to also locate him, but was unsuccessful and eventually withdrew.
As night fell on that first day in Iran, a message came from Bravo. When he was first able to send a signal, he stated that as soon as he found a spot that he felt provided some concealment, he started working on communication. In his message, when he got to the moment where he could review and think about all he had gone through, he sent "God is good" as a recognition of all that God had brought him through. There was also a message stating, "I'm hurt. I'm moving." Now they knew he was alive and moving, and they kept planning. There was the thought of maybe going on Friday night first, but it just did not line up. That was a really tough decision.
Admiral Cooper recalled being in the situation room and saying, "Okay, I guess we're going to roll 24," which meant Bravo was going to be out there for basically 24 hours more. Bravo would have to survive with almost no water and no food in the wind and the cold of the high mountain desert for another full day. In the end, it was the CIA that played a pivotal role, launching a multi-pronged campaign, which included deception to confuse Iranian forces and top-secret technology to pinpoint Bravo's exact location. To clear the way for his rescue, American bombers and drones hit Iran's Revolutionary Guard forces nearby, as seen in declassified video.
Nearly two days after Dude 44 went down, it was time to go in for Bravo. The second operation had about 92 people on the ground. This would be the first US boots on the ground in 46 years in Iran. In Iran, they had several hundred in the air, and there were probably 3,000 to 5,000 supporting overall. It was an operation inside an operation. In order to get out one, there were close to 100 other service members involved in risking their lives on the ground. General Kaine stated they would have sent more to go get the backseater. Bravo did not know the specifics of what they sent, but was glad they sent it.
The force came in on two large search and rescue planes and landed on a makeshift desert airstrip. They then unloaded small Little Bird helicopters capable of reaching Bravo on the ridge line several miles away. Declassified video showed Bravo on the ridgeline waiting to be picked up. General Kaine explained they were looking at a feed from an intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance asset, with 44 Bravo up there. Two special forces folks were coming forward and bringing him out. The two service members on either side of Bravo were elite Air Force Pararescue operators known as PJs.
The moment a PJ showed up to Bravo on that ridgeline was one of the greatest moments of his life. He did not know how to say it more clearly than thank you for all that they did. When asked what his rescuer said when they got to him, he stated the specific conversation he would leave for another time as he did not want to release anything that was not just his story to tell. When asked what he said to them, he replied, "Let's go."
Bravo was in American hands, but not out of danger. Back at the makeshift airstrip, the rescue plane's landing gear was stuck in the desert sand, and the planes could not take off. More than 90 service members on the ground then needed to be rescued. The focus at that point was to make sure they got them safely out. It took a clandestine unit of the US Air Force to get Bravo and the 90-plus special operators out of Iran. The US then bombed its own marooned aircraft, so no technology fell into Iranian hands. Fifty hours after being shot down, Bravo was safe, rescued as the sun rose on Easter Sunday.
Back home in the US, his wife waited for a call. When asked what the call was like, Bravo stated he was really proud of her and grateful for the strength that she showed. When asked what he wanted the American people to know about this rescue mission, he stated this was not a story about what he went through. Instead, it was a story of the teamwork, of the training, of the faith, of the decisions, and the leadership to do something that would live in history as an example of what America is willing to do in order to uphold the promise and leave no man behind.
Presidents have been pardoning criminals since George Washington. It is a constitutional power. No explanation is needed. The Department of Justice does screen applicants and typically only recommends those who remorsefully seek mercy. But that has not always been the process. President Ford pardoned Richard Nixon. President Clinton pardoned Marc Rich after donations. President Biden pardoned his son Hunter and Anthony Fauci. President Trump developed his own vetting system, pardoning political allies, including all of the January 6th rioters, as well as a string of unrepentant financial conmen who argued, just like him, that they were wrongly prosecuted.
The question was how these people get their grievances in the president's ear. Donations appear to help, and those who can pay hire pardon brokers, lawyers, and lobbyists who sell their ties to the president for exorbitant fees. It is a marketplace of money and mercy. Ammon Cavino was seeking a pardon. Seated was his wife Crystal. Joining them at a Virginia hotel lounge were lobbyists Jacob Wool and Jack Burkeman who did not know they were being recorded as they pitched their services as pardon brokers.
Ammon Cavino is a felon. The Cavinos run several zoos and aquariums. A decade ago, he was convicted of illegal wildlife trafficking and served 23 months in prison. He applied for a pardon, taking the regular route through the Justice Department. They just filled out the three-page form. When the pardons came out, they were on the list of rejections. They decided to try again the new way. The goal was to interview brokers who promise pardon seekers they can circumvent the Justice Department for a hefty fee. What they do is not illegal, yet none would talk. Ammon was asked to engage with these access merchants as if he was reapplying for a pardon and let the cameras follow him.
First, he emailed a dozen of these brokers. Some got back right away and some within a day. Right away, they replied they were the people that could help. One broker after another bragged about their close relationships to President Trump's inner circle. Jack Burkeman and Jacob Wool are Trump loyalists with a long resume of political stunts. Their robocall scheme to suppress black voting in 2020 led to a criminal conviction. Now in the pardons game, they claimed they got one for the owner of a nursing home chain convicted of massive tax fraud. He paid them nearly a million dollars for their promise to reach the president. Some brokers charge as much as $3 million.
Hidden cameras were used and the Cavinos were sent to meet Burkeman and Wool. They said they did not think Ammon's pardon would be too difficult. They said they would put Ammon's pardon plea in the hands of the president and push with this particular White House. They stated you have to put pressure on the president from all directions in a consistent way to force his hand. They literally want to put the pen in his hand and get him to sign it because he is tired of hearing about it.
When Ammon went the regular route, it cost a postage stamp. This would cost $300,000. They said they have to buy tickets, go to Mar-a-Lago, attend events the president is at, possibly buy a $10,000 ticket to a fundraiser the president is attending. They have to hire contractors to do certain things, influencers that know other people that can put them in the vicinity of the people that can make a difference. They mobilize members of Congress to call, use certain influencers who have regular meetings to call him, and put him in a pincer movement.
Burkeman and Wool made a similar pitch to Boosie Badazz, a rapper with a lengthy criminal record after he was convicted on a gun charge. Boosie stated this was what he was led to believe: if you come with this money, you will get a pardon. He gave them $600,000 up front. Texts were shown that listed influential people they supposedly recruited: Laura Loomer, Erica Kirk, Mike Johnson who is the speaker of the house. Another text mentioned Natalie Harp, the executive assistant very close to the president, suggesting she was going to personally hand the application to the president. Boosie thought this was the way it was done, that he was paying these guys and they were going to make it happen.
They did not make it happen. Boosie did not get his pardon. The four people they claimed to know denied any involvement in the case. Boosie's contract with the broker stipulated that if he was not pardoned he would get half his money back, but they would not pay, claiming the contract is invalid and denying they sent the text. The rapper is suing. He asked them to just return it since they did not get his pardon. He stated it was all a bunch of BS, and they were so cocky. There is definitely a lot of money flowing around and that makes a petri dish for corruption.
Law professor Mark Osler of the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota has spent the past 15 years helping indigent felons apply for pardons. He stated they are now locked out of the system. People think if they can get to this person who can find the president at Mar-a-Lago, if they can pay a million dollars to this friend of a White House counsel, then they will have a shot. That is not a system. That is something different entirely. It is anarchy. In the new system, there is no expression of remorse. What seems to have been a winning tactic for some people is exactly the opposite: saying the people who were wrong were the people who accused them, that they have been a victim of a weaponized Department of Justice.
Burkeman and Wool told the Cavinos to tap into the president's grievances and say that Ammon was a victim of a weaponized prosecution. It is a question of reminding the president this is an Obama prosecution that never should have happened. They told them this White House vets cases differently. Trump makes his own decisions. He relies very little on DOJ. So with Trump, DOJ is an afterthought. Until nine days ago, Ed Martin, a Trump appointee, ran the pardon office at DOJ, where 16,000 applications are awaiting a decision. People pay $300,000, a million dollars, $3 million to these brokers to get the application before the president. Meanwhile, all these other people at the Department of Justice are not getting their pardons.
When asked if that is a fair system, Ed Martin rejected the characterization of the system. He had not seen it, had not heard it. He sat with a thousand people over the last year in his office and listened to them, and some of them ended up with clemency, some of them were pardoned. About 70% of President Trump's clemencies in his second term have not gone through DOJ. If you include the January 6th rioters, that goes up to 92%. Some pardons came after well-timed donations or a business deal.
One businessman who was sent to prison for fraud conned investors with a video of the first zero-emission truck driving along. It was actually a fake rolling down a hill. After he and his wife donated almost $2 million to support Trump's reelection, he was pardoned. A CEO who failed to prevent money laundering on his crypto exchange was pardoned after his company Binance boosted a Trump family crypto venture, though both sides deny any connection to the pardon. A healthcare executive convicted of tax crimes was pardoned after his mother paid a million dollars to attend a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser.
When asked why a pardon seeker going to Mar-a-Lago and joining a fundraising event where you had to pay money and then getting a pardon is not quid pro quo or pay-to-play, Ed Martin stated he did not know about those examples, but the presidential prerogative is in the constitution. It is complete. It is plenary. When people say there are brokers, there is quid pro quo, he had never seen it. He had not seen it. He had not heard it. The point was made that they are going around him, and the whole point they are bragging about going around him. He just did not see any evidence of some magical brokers. He thought people were trying to make money. When asked if he was saying these brokers are conmen, he called them snake oil salesmen and swamp salesmen.
After being notified of the hidden camera operation, Jack Burkeman and Jacob Wool agreed to sit down to discuss the new pardon economy. They stated there is nothing corrupt about it, nothing improper about it. When it was stated it seems that you have to have money to get a pardon these days, they replied they do not work for free any more than others do. They are well paid for what they do. Navigating Washington is not an easy thing. The average person, the average rich person, they need help doing that. The question was how the president becomes aware of these cases unless lobbyists have been hired for two centuries to do just that. There have always been lawyers who are willing to prepare a clemency petition, often for a couple thousand dollars. What has changed is the amount of money that people are charging.
Professor Osler hopes the pardon system is not beyond repair. The White House has become sensitive to the perception that the president is selling pardons. If you go that route, all the brokers warned the Cavinos to avoid donating. You cannot blame people who want to get out of prison for doing what they are told works, but the people who are making that the system can be blamed. It is really in the end the brokers and the lobbyists and the lawyers in this game. It really falls on the administration in the end. The Cavinos told that the pardon economy feels like cheating. It feels unfair. When asked if the money was not an issue and $300,000 was just fine, would they do it, they said yes. They do not like the fact that you have to pay such a huge amount of money because of who you know. But if that is how the game is played, then that is how the game is played.
The White House stated anyone spending money to lobby for pardons is foolishly wasting their money. President Trump performs his constitutional duties in an ethically sound manner, and to suggest otherwise is either ill-informed or malicious.
The next Super Bowl will be held in Los Angeles. While it is still early days this season, the odds are not half bad that for one team, the big game will be a home game. The Rams are perhaps the premier NFL franchise. Blue chip gold standard. This preseason, they were invited inside their huddle. The organization wins with contradictions: prudence and gunslinging, change and continuity. Brawn, yes, but also brain. The Rams are wound tightly on the team's tightly wound leader, Shawn McVey. In the decade since the Rams made McVey the youngest head coach in NFL history, he has become a generational talent, pacing toward the best ever: Lombardi, Shula, Belichick. But that push comes at a price. McVey stated he was a lot tormented. When asked what was tormenting him right now, he replied the practice they just had, which was why he was in such a great mood.
Rams coach Sean McVay was dissatisfied after a practice a month before the NFL season. He stated his mind was still on that practice, making him feel he couldn't give proper attention to the interview. McVay acknowledged he felt rude and apologized, though no apologies were necessary.
The Rams built a super team with quarterback Matthew Stafford, the NFL's reigning MVP leading the offense. The team traded for Miles Garrett, the league's best defender, to anchor the defense. Aaron Donald, considered perhaps the best defensive lineman ever, came out of retirement to rejoin the team.
McVay stated the team is wired to achieve and when they take the field, expectations are to win. He doesn't buy into external narratives about winning Super Bowls or the roster's inability to get it done, instead focusing on who the team becomes during the journey rather than the final destination.
In 2016, the Rams had not had a winning season and were finishing below .500 for the 10th consecutive season. General Manager Les Snead's job was on the line. Backed by ownership, the Rams gambled on the unproven 30-year-old McVay, making him the youngest head coach in NFL history.
An observer noted that McVay changes the math tactically, making it like defending 12 players instead of 11 when he's in flow.
In his first season, McVay took the Rams to the playoffs and won coach of the year. Offensive coordinator Nate Schillhouse noted McVay's play calling prowess stems from his power of recall.
Examples of McVay's memory include recalling specific plays from years earlier: a wheel route to Jameson Crowder with 58 seconds left in the fourth quarter ending in a Jordan Reed touchdown in 4x1 individual ISO slant formation. He also remembered the exact play call for Puka's first career reception: "Y motus south left clamp jacks right Y corners palm" - a curl route.
McVay explained his philosophy: "I always feel like if you're remembering you're moving faster than somebody that's learning." Schillhouse added that McVay remembers pragmatically and can fix problems based on that recall.
McVay grew up in Atlanta as a star high school quarterback. When injuries derailed his college career at Miami of Ohio, he followed his grandfather John McVay, a Super Bowl winning executive with the 49ers, into NFL administration. McVay credits his grandfather's influence for giving him opportunities he didn't deserve.
In Washington, McVay rose quickly and at age 27 was promoted to run the offense, which broke team records.
Under McVay, the Rams don't just try to beat opponents - they try to hack them by exploiting defensive patterns. Matthew Stafford explained that on every play, a defender has responsibility to a gap or area, and the Rams create conflict through endless hours of studying tape, understanding defensive responsibilities and adjustments.
Stafford noted the thrill when they scheme something up, know what they're about to get, and execute it successfully.
McVay is in Stafford's ear throughout games, radioing each play call into the quarterback's helmet. Stafford described hearing McVay in his helmet as "a lot" but also "a whole lot of fun." There's no talk-back button, though Stafford sometimes wishes he had one to say "Yeah, I got it. We're good."
In Stafford's first season in LA, the Rams made the Super Bowl. Before the game, the team practiced a complicated jet sweep play that didn't work in practice. Stafford gathered teammates to rehearse and refine the play, then told McVay he could trust the team to execute it.
On fourth and one with the Super Bowl on the line, McVay didn't punt but called the jet sweep. The Rams drove down and scored. McVay became the youngest head coach ever to win a Super Bowl.
After winning the Super Bowl, the Rams had a losing season. McVay admitted the lies he told himself were that winning a Super Bowl would make him happy, and that he wouldn't be happy until they won one. He described this as selfish thinking and was embarrassed looking back.
McVay went to a dark place after the losing season, revealing insecurities tied to winning and losing games. His identity and self-worth were wrapped up in game outcomes, revealing how fragile he was.
McVay considered stepping away for a career in broadcasting, ready to run away from coaching and hide behind media opportunities. He told his wife Veronica he might take a year off, but she said that never sounded like the kind of leader he wanted to be.
McVay acknowledged this was the wakeup call he needed. He admitted he would have been quitting because he couldn't handle the losses.
McVay didn't quit and the Rams have made the playoffs every season since. He won his 100th career game before turning 40. McVay concedes he's still a work in progress, noting success is never linear - always up and down.
He emphasizes awareness of triggers that make him become someone he doesn't want to be, and how quickly he can snap out of those moments. He acknowledged having such a moment during the interview, feeling bad that he wasn't in a good place due to the poor practice.
Rams culture is demanding. Every Sunday, other teams mirror the Rams' play designs. Every offseason, other teams raid McVay's staff - seven assistants have been poached to become NFL head coaches, with Nate Schillhouse likely next.
Schillhouse noted that even with starters out during second day of training camp, McVay's standard remains the same whether it's Matthew Stafford or a third-string left guard. The staff and players respond by putting their noses down and going to work.
McVay's bluntness is an organizing principle within the Rams locker room. The team values getting as close as possible, which comes with vulnerability. McVay challenges false narratives about what the sport and men need to be, believing being close and open with the head coach leading the way brings the organization closer together.
A viral photo of McVay showing his abs on a boat made rounds on social media. Stafford noted the team felt they better hit the weight room because their coach was shredded, acknowledging McVay puts in the time and effort.
The Rams' success also depends on the Kroenke family's willingness to spend on coaches, players, and facilities. SoFi Stadium cost $5 billion, making it the world's most expensive sports venue.
Ownership invests in even small edges. Military personality tests help GM Les Snead identify leaders using the equation of character over talent.
Nicole Blake leads the Rams' new high-tech drive into AI. She believes AI could fundamentally change NFL coaching by identifying significantly more patterns that the human eye would never catch. Pattern recognition remains at the essence of winning football games.
A statue of Sisyphus in Snead's office reminded of McVay straining upward against the rock of expectation. After nearly a decade, as the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL, McVay has learned there's honor in the pushing itself.
McVay stated: "You're either in a storm, you're coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go back into it. And it's one of those three things, but how you handle that is the separator."
He wants to be proud of who the team becomes in the midst of the journey, believing this gives the best chance to be the best team trying to achieve outcomes on a weekly basis.
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