>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY, WE'RE BACK WITH OUR FRIEND

ANDERSON COOPER.

YOU HAVE SEEN A LOT OF CATASTROPHES AND A LOT OF

TRAGEDY AROUND THE WORLD, COVERING IT FOR THE NEWS.

HOW DO YOU COMPARE -- IN WHAT WAYS IS THIS SIMILAR OR

DIFFERENT THAN THE DIFFERENT CATASTROPHES YOU'VE SEEN

HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD?

>> I'M ALWAYS HESITANT TO SORT OF PAIR HUMAN SUFFERING FOR

PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING THROUGH IT, THIS IS THE WORST THING --

>> Stephen: WELL, THERE'S SCALE AND REACTION AND THE

ACTION YOU CAN TAKE TO MITIGATE.

AND SOME THINGS YOU CAN, IT IS MERELY ENDURING IT.

>> THE SCALE OF THIS IS BEYOND ANYTHING ANY OF US HAVE EVER

SEEN BEFORE.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS AFFECTED THE ENTIRE GLOBE AND

HAD THE AFFECTS -- NOT ONLY THE HUMAN AFFECTS OF LOSS BUT THE

SOCIETAL EFFECTS, THE ECONOMIC EFFECTS, THE DEVASTATION, ALL OF

THAT, IT'S JUST UNPRECEDENTED, OBVIOUSLY.

AND I THINK PART OF THE -- TO ME, THERE'S BEEN KIND OF A

DISCONNECT BECAUSE ESPECIALLY EARLY ON, THERE WEREN'T CAMERAS

IN HOSPITAL ROOMS OR, YOU KNOW, FAMILY MEMBERS COULDN'T SEE

THEIR LOVED ONES AT THE END AND CAMERAS WEREN'T IN THE EMERGENCY

ROOM, SO YOU DIDN'T LIKELY -- YOU KNOW, YOU KNEW THIS BATTLE

THAT WAS HAPPENING BIND THE WALLS OF THE HOSPITAL BUT YOU

DIDN'T ACTUALLY REALLY SEE IT, UNLIKE IN HURRICANE KATRINA OR

THE EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI WHERE IT WAS ALL AROUND AND, YOU KNOW,

BECAUSE OF CAMERAS, EVERYBODY FELT THEY WERE THERE AND THEY

WERE WITNESSING IT.

SO I THINK THAT WAS -- AND I THINK THAT CONTINUES TO BE PART

OF YOU DON'T SEE THE LOSS -- YOU KNOW, WE TRIED TO BRING THE

NAMES OF PEOPLE AND INTRODUCE EVERYBODY TO PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES

HAVE BEEN TAKEN.

BUT I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE DIFFICULTIES IN THIS, OF SORT OF

SEEING IT UP CLOSE.

WE DON'T REALLY SEE IT.

WE'RE NOT ON THE FRONT LINE IN THAT SENSE, AND THAT'S, I THINK,

YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE HARD THINGS ABOUT TRYING TO

REPORT ON THIS.

>> Stephen: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MORE CHALLENGING ASPECTS OF

REPORTING ON THIS?

>> LOOK, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, JUST -- IT'S ONE THING TO --

FIRST OF ALL, THIS IS NOT SOME STORY.

I MEAN, THIS IS LIFE AND DEATH.

THIS IS AS SERIOUS AS IT GETS, AND IT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN

EVER BEFORE THAT THINGS BE TRUE AND ACCURATE AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S

WHY I'M NOT -- ONE OF THE REASONS, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT

TAKING TIME OFF.

THANKFULLY I CAN DO WORK FROM HOME AND STUFF, BUT I FEEL LIKE

THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY TIME TO BE IN THIS BUSINESS AS A

REPORTER AND TO BE ABLE TO TRY TO HELP INFORM PEOPLE AND GIVE

PEOPLE FACTS.

RIGHT NOW, FACTS AND SCIENCE AND TRUTH, IT IS THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH FOR MANY PEOPLE.

>> Stephen: WELL, WHERE ARE YOU GETTING THOSE?

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE, MANY NEWS ORGANIZATIONS

HAVE CURTAILED THEIR FOLLOWING OF THE PRESIDENT'S PRESS

BRIEFINGS WHEN HE USED TO DO THEM BECAUSE THEY FELT THEY

WEREN'T GETTING THE STRAIGHT DOPE FROM THE PRESIDENT, IT WAS

MORE POLITICAL FAN INFORMATIVE.

SO WHERE IS YOUR INFORMATION COMING FROM NOW, PRIMARILY?

>> LOOK, I THINK WE DO REPORTING, AND THERE'S A LOT OF

GOOD PEOPLE DOING A LOT OF GOOD REPORTING, AND I THINK THAT'S

ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THE WAY THIS HAS BEEN HANDLED IS,

SUDDENLY, EVERYTHING BECAME FUNNELED THROUGH, YOU KNOW, THE

WHITE HOUSE, THE VICE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE, AND YOU

HAVE THESE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE BRIEFINGS THAT STARTED

OFF, YOU KNOW, YES, WITH VICE PRESIDENT PENCE, YOU KNOW,

CONSTANTLY SAYING EVERYTHING -- YOU KNOW, STARTING THE SENTENCE

WITH, AT THE DIRECTION OF THE PRESIDENT, YOU KNOW, HE KNEW

BETTER THAN TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE HIMSELF -- EVERYTHING WAS DONE

AT THE DIRECTION OF THE PRESIDENT SO HE COULD STAY IN

THE PRESIDENT'S GOOD GRACES, BUT YOU AT LEAST HEARD FROM THE

SCIENTISTS, AND SUDDENLY THE PRESIDENT REALIZED, WELL, I

SHOULD GET IN ON THESE, THESE ARE POPULAR, AND THE SCIENTISTS

ARE GETTING -- THE NUMBERS ARE GOING UP, PEOPLE ARE RESPECTING

THEM, HE WANTS TO GET IN ON IT, SO HE HAS HIJACKED THESE

CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE BRIEFINGS.

YOU KNOW, I WATCHED THEM A AS A CITIZEN WAITING FOR THE

SCIENTISTS TO COME ON TO ACTUALLY SAY SOMETHING, AND IT'S

LARGELY THE PRESIDENT USING IT AS A MINI-CAM PAIN RALLY, A -- I

DON'T KNOW WHAT HE ACTUALLY CONSIDERS IT, AND SAYING THINGS

WHICH ARE DEMONSTRABLY FALSE AND RWRITING HISTORY ABOUT HIS

ADMINISTRATION'S RESPONSE AND, AT THE SAME TIME, GIVING OUT

BOGUS MEDICAL INFORMATION, YOU KNOW, WITH THE IDEA OF DOING

STUDIES, INJECTING PEOPLE WITH DISINFECTANTS IS -- I MEAN, YOU

COULDN'T MAKE THAT UP THAT A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

WOULD ACTUALLY SUGGEST THAT, AND JUST THINK OF IT, MUSE OUT LOUD

ABOUT IT AND HAVE A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL SORT OF NOD HIS HEAD

AND SAY WE'LL TRY TO FIND THE RIGHT PEOPLE FOR THAT OR THE

PEOPLE WHO CAN FIGURE THAT OUT.

YEAH.

I MEAN, YOU SEE THE PRESIDENT TALKING ABOUT LIBERATE MICHIGAN.

YOU KNOW, HOW ABOUT LIBERATING THE SCIENTISTS, LETTING THE

C.D.C. HOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE OF THEIR OWN EVERY DAY OR THE

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, JUST LIBERATE THE SCIENTISTS TO

JUST SPEAK TRUTH.

SCIENCE WILL SAVE US.

>> Stephen: ANDERSON, WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THE RUMORS THAT YOU

AND YOURER PAST INJECTED BLEACH AND THAT'S WHY YOU'RE

MONOCHROMATIC.

( LAUGHTER ) >> THAT IS NOT TRUE.

>> Stephen: NO?

WELL, ONLY TIME WILL TELL.

CAN I SEE THE HAIRCUT YOU GAVE YOURSELF?

HAS IT GOTTEN BETTER?

>> NO, IT'S HEALED OVER.

>> Stephen: YES?

YEAH, THAT WAS KIND OF -- >> Stephen: IT DID?

I'LL BRIEFLY TELL YOU THE STORY.

I GOT MY SECOND D.M. -- THIS HAS ONLY HAPPENED TWICE -- FROM A

LADY WHO SAID, HEY, THIS IS A DEMOCRAT M. ON INSTAGRAM AND SHE

SAID I'M REACHING OUT BECAUSE MY DAUGHTERS HAS ALBINISM AS DO

OTHER PEOPLE AND I'M REACHING OUT TO GET INSPIRATION.

I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO RESPOND, AND LITERALLY, I PROMISE YOU,

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED, I WAS, LIKE, I MEAN I

CAN'T -- I'M NOT ALBINO, NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH

THAT.

AND PEOPLE WITH ALBINOISM ARE TREATED TERRIBLY IN MANY

SOCIETIES SO I HAVE GREAT COMPASSION FOR THE CONDITION,

BUT I'M JUST LIKE A MIDDLE-AGE WHITE GUY WHO'S REALLY PALE AND

TRANSLUCENT AS YOU POINTED OUT, SO I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO RESPOND

TO HER BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO SAY, WELL, I'M NOT AN ALBINO

BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE IT SEEM THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG

WITH THAT BUT AT THE SAME TIME I DIDN'T WANT TO CLAIM MEMBERSHIP

IN THE ALBINO COMMUNITY BECAUSE I WOULD BE #METOO'D IN THE

ALBINO COMMUNITY A FEW YEARS FROM NOW AND I DIDN'T KNOW HOW

TO RESPOND.

I FEEL TERRIBLE.

>> Stephen: NOW SHE'LL KNOW.

I'M SORRY.

>> Stephen: WE'LL TAKE A BREAK.

BACK WITH MORE MR. SANDERSEN COOPER.

♪ ♪