Subtitles section Play video Print subtitles WELCOME BACK. SO GLAD TO SEE YOU HERE AT "A LATE SHOW." I'M YOUR HOST, STEPHEN COLBERT. IT'S WEDNESDAY-- I THINK? THAT DOESN'T HAVE THE DATE ON IT. I THINK IT'S WEDNESDAY. IT'S HARD TO TELL. BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, EVERY DAY FEELS LIKE YOU'RE BEING HUMPED. THIS IS OUR SEVENTH, I THINK-- SEVENTH SHOW? SEVENTH SHOW WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE. WE DID ONE IN THE THEATER BEFORE WE LEFT. WE DID THREE THE WEEK BEFORE THE BREAK, SO THIS IS SEVEN. HAPPY TO BE HERE. LOVELY TO SEE YOU. IT'S STRANGE, BUT IT'S LOVELY. I ACTUALLY DID THE MATH, AND I'VE BEEN SELF-ISOLATING FOR 2 IDATE NOW. DID YOU KNOW-- AND I JUST FOUND THIS OUT-- THAT THE WORD "QUARANTINE" COMES FROM THE ITALIAN "QUARANTINA," WHICH MEANS 40 DAYS WHICH IS HOW LONG PEOPLE WERE ISOLATED DURING THE PLAGUE? SO I'VE REACHED THE HALFWAY POINT IN A QUARANTINE, WHICH IS TRADITIONALLY WHEN YOU START GOOGLING THE ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD "QUARANTINE." SO THAT CHECKS OUT. OF COURSE-- AND THIS IS WHERE MY HEAD GOES-- THE WORD "QUARANTINE" IS REALLY NEAR THE WORD "QUARTER" IN THE DICTIONARY, AND QUARTER GETS YOU THINKING THE OLD RHYME "TWO BITS, FOUR BITS, SIX BITS, A DOLLAR." THAT MAKES TWO BITS A QUARTER. YOU KNOW THE FRIES, "HERE'S MY TWO BITS." WHY IS A QUARTER TWO BITS? WELL, TURNS OUT, OUR WORD "DOLLAR" COMES FROM THE SPANISH COIN "DOLLAR," WHICH WAS THE OLD PIRATE PIECES OF EIGHT. SO EACH PIECE IS A BIT. THEREFORE, TWO BITS IS A QUARTER OF A DOLLAR. ARE WE STILL BROADCASTING? GOOD, GOOD. AS YOU CAN SEE, I'M HAVING NO PROBLEM WITH FOCUSING HERE. YOU'LL ALSO NOTICE TODAY I DITCHED THE SUIT AND TIE FOR A BLAZER AND OPEN-COLLARD SHIRT, GETTING GRADUALLY MORE CASUAL AS THE SHOW GOES ON. BY MAY, I'LL BE WEARING NOTHING MORE THAN TWO BAND-AIDS AND A GRIN. SO LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. IT IS STARTING TO SINK IN TO ME AND MY FAMILY THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE HERE FOR A WHILE, RIGHT, PETER? >> RIGHT. >> THAT'S MY SON PETER WHO JUST SAID "RIGHT." SAY HI, EVERYBODY, PETER. >> HI, EVERYBODY, PETER. >> Stephen: LAST NIGHT, MY DAUGHTER INSISTED THAT WE STOP THE CHAOS AND MAKE A CHORE CHART. SHE SAID, "WE'RE ALL ADULTS NOW, SO WE'RE LIKE ROOMMATES." THAT'S WHY, WHEN I FILM THIS SHOW, I PUT A SOCK ON THE DOOR. WHAT I LOVE ABOUT PEOPLE-- AD I DO LOVE PEOPLE-- IS THAT CRISES LIKE THIS BRING OUT THE BEST IN THEM. AND THE BEST PEOPLE, OF COURSE, ARE NOT PEOPLE. THEY'RE ANIMALS. TO PROVE IT, IN COLORADO, A WOMAN TRAINED HER GOLDEN RETRIEVER SUNNY TO DELIVER GROCERIES TO A NEIGHBOR WITH HEALTH PROBLEMS URING QUARANTINE. LET'S SEE HIM IN ACTION. OKAY, HERE'S SUNNY BRINGING THE GROCERY LIST THAT THE NEIGHBOR GAVE HER TO THE OWNER. AND HERE HE IS RUNNING THE GROCERIES BACK OVER TO HIS NEIGHBOR. WORKS FINE. HE'S PART OF THE NEW DELIVERY SERVICE "DOG DASH." SUNNY'S OWNER SAYS SHE WAS INSPIRED WHEN SHE SAW A STORY ABOUT A DOG COMFORTING PEOPLE AT A HOSPITAL. SHE THOUGHT, "WAIT A SECOND. I HAVE A DOG THAT COULD HELP!" WHEN I HEARD SAID THAAD I SAID I HAVE A DOG THAT CAN HELP, BENNY. COME HERE, BENNY. LET'S GO HELP THE PEOPLE. YOU HAVE TO COME OVER HERE. THE CAMERA IS OVER HERE. NOT OVER THERE. COME ON. LOOK WHAT I HAVE FOR YOU. I HAVE A MESSAGE FOR YOU. YOU NEED TO BRING THE MEMG TO THE NEIGHBOR. I HAVE A PRESCRIPTION. I MEADE MY NEIGHBOR TO GET MY PRESCRIPTION. AN AN OLD WOMAN-- NO, NO-- I'M AN OLD WOMAN AND I'VE WRITTEN MY PRESCRIPTION ON A PIECE OF HAM. I WAS OUT OF PAPER. IT'S HEART MEDICATION. I NEED IT, VERY IMPORTANT. TAKE THIS TO THE NEIGHBOR WHO WILL TAKE IT TO THE PHARMACY. ARE YOU READY? THERE YOU GO. HE REALLY WANTS TO HELP PEOPLE! YOU WANT TO HELP SOME MORE? HERE YOU GO. THIS IS-- THIS IS A LETTER-- THESE ARE MY TAXES. I HAVE TO GET MY TAXES IN OR THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE AWAY MY FARM, ALL RIGHT. TAKE THIS-- TAKE THIS TO THE POST OFFICE. DON'T FRGET TO PUT A STAMP ON IT. OKAY. HE'S SO HELPFUL. THERE'S MORE HELPING. YOU WANT TO HELP SOME MORE. THIS IS MY GROCERY LIST. THERE YOU GO. THERE YOU GO. AND THAT'S JUST-- THAT'S JUST-- THAT'S JUST FOR YOU, BECAUSE YOU LOVE HELPING. OKAY, AND THAT'S HOW IT WORKS. OKAY, COME HERE. COME HERE. HE'S GOT-- COME HERE. RIGHT HERE. LOOK AT THIS. COME HERE YOU, THIS. LICK THIS. NOW HE'S GOT THE MESSAGES AND HE'LL DELIVER THEM ON TO MY NEIGHBOR'S LAWN IN ABOUT TWO HOURS. GIVE ME A KISS! BOOIB, BUDDY. HE LOVES HELPING PEOPLE. WHAT CAN YOU SAY? IT'S TRAINING. YOU'VE GOT TO BE FIRM. NOW, WHILE SOCIAL DISTANCES IS WORKING, WE KNOW THE WORST IS YET TO COME IT'S LIKE WE SAW THE ASTEROID COME IN AND HIT SOMEWHERE OUT IN THE EXPOSITION WE'RE WAITING FOR THE WAVE TO COME OVER THE HORIZON. WELL, I THINK THE TIDE IS RISING, BECAUSE YESTERDAY THE WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCED THEY PROJECT BETWEEN 100,000 DEATH, AND IT SEEMS PRESIDENT TRUMP UNDERSTANDS THE GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION WE'RE IN. HE HELD A TWO-HOUR BRIEFING YESTERDAY, AND HIS TONE WAS FAR MORE SERIOUS. >>IMENT MENTION TO BE PREPARED FOR THE HARD WEEKS AHEAD. >> Stephen: THE PRESIDENT POINTED OUT AS DANGEROUS AS THIS VIRUS IS, AT LEAST IT'S SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT. >> IT'S AN INCREDIBLY DARK TOPIC, AN INCREDIBLY HORRIBLE TOPIC AND IT'S INCREDIBLY INTERESTING. THAT'S WHY EVERYBODY IS-- IT'S-- THEY'RE GOING CRAZY. THEY CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF IT. >> YES, THIS PANDEMIC WHICH IS CRIPPLING THE GLOBAL ECONOMY IT REMINDS ME OF WINSTON CHURCHILL: IT REMINDS ME OF WINSTON CHURCHILL: >> Stephen: NOW, EVEN THOUGH THE PRESIDENT APPEARS TO BE TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY, HE STILL HASN'T ISSUED ANY ORDER TO SHUT DOWN THE WHOLE COUNTRY. HE WANTS TO LEAVE IT UP TO THE STATES, WHO HAVE BEEN COMING UP WITH SOME PRETTY INTERESTING EXCUSES, LIKE ALABAMA, WHOSE GOVERNOR RECENTLY SAID THIS: >> Y'ALL, WE ARE NOT LOUISIANA. WE ARE NOT NEW YORK STATE. WE ARE NOT CALIFORNIA. AND RIGHT NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO ORDER PEOPLE TO SHELTER IN PLACE. >> Stephen: OH, NO, NO. NOW IS EXACTLY THE TIME TO ORDER PEOPLE TO SHELTER IN PLACE. YOU DON'T WANT TO BECOME NEW YORK OR CALIFORNIA. SHELTERING IN PLACE IS PREVENTATIVE. THIS IS LIKE SAYING, "Y'ALL, WE'RE NOT PREGNANT. NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO START USING BIRTH CONTROL. LET'S GET IT ON, RAW DOG." BUT MAYBE THE WORST POLICY COMES FROM FLORIDA, WHICH IS CURRENTLY SUFFERING FROM A RAGING CASE OF BEING FLORIDA. EVEN THOUGH THE STATE'S INFECTIONS ARE RAPIDLY GROWING, THE GOVERNOR REFUSED TO SHUT DOWN THE STATE UNTIL TODAY, BECAUSE LEAVING IT UP TO THE COUNTIES WASN'T WORKING. HERE'S A RECENT PHOTO WHERE ONE FLORIDA COUNTY CLOSED ITS BEACH BUT ITS NEIGHBOR DIDN'T. THAT'S A TOUGH CHOICE FOR THOSE SPRING BREAKERS: "OKAY, MY DUDES. SHOULD WE GO DO BODY SHOTS AT SENOR FROGS OR SIT QUIETLY SIX FEET APART AT SENOR RESPONSIBLE'S?" ONE GOVERNOR WHO'S GETTING GREAT REVIEWS FOR HIS LEADERSHIP IN