WE'RE BACK WITH "60 MINUTES" JOHN DICKERSON.

JOHN, AS YOU SAID EARLIER, THIS ALSO COMES AT A TIME WHEN THE

REPUBLICANS ARE PUSHING THROUGH AMY CONEY BARRETT TO REPLACE

RUTH BADER GINSBURG.

DO YOU THINK THIS WILL AFFECT THAT IN ANY WAY?

I KNOW-- I KNOW McCONNELL SAID THEY'RE GOING TO PUSH AHEAD, BUT

IS IT GOING TO BE ZOOM CONFIRMATIONS?

BECAUSE THERE MAY BE CASCADING EFFECTS THROUGHOUT THE

REPUBLICAN HIERARCHY BECAUSE OF THEIR CONTACTS WITH PEOPLE AT

THE WHITE HOUSE.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

AND IT MAY-- THERE MAY HAVE BEEN AN EVENT-- IT MAY HAVE BEEN

BARRETT'S ANNOUNCEMENT AT THE WHITE HOUSE THAT WAS AN EVENT

WHERE SPREADING TOOK PLACE.

SENATOR MIKE LEE FROM UTAH IS ISOLATING BECAUSE HE TESTED

POSITIVE.

THE ONLY DELAY OR DIFFERENCE IS MITCH McCONNELL MAY-- HE HAD

WANTED IN-PERSON HEARINGS AND IN-PERSON SENATE AND HE MAY NOW

BUCKLE ANDEB MIGHT BE ON A REMOTE CALL TO MAKE THIS GO

THROUGH.

BUT MITCH McCONNELL IS SO FOCUSED ON THIS, I DON'T THINK

THERE'S GOING TO BE ANY DELAY.

>> Stephen: YOUR "ATLANTIC" PIECE "SPARE A MOMENT FOR

SORROW" WHICH YOU WROTE IN MARCH, ABOUT THEN A MUCH SMALLER

DEATH TOLL FOR COVID-19 IN THE UNITED STATES.

IT TALKED ABOUT A LACK OF CENTRAL A PUBLIC FIGURE WHO WAS

LEADING OUR COUNTRY IN GRIEF AND ADDRESSING THE LOSS OF OUR

FELLOW CITIZENS, AND LEAD US TOWARD THE HUMANITY OF THIS

MOMENT.

NOW THAT THE MAN IN THE CENTER OF OUR NATIONAL STORY, THE ONE

WHO DID NOT LEAD US, IS THE PERSON WHO IS NOW AFFECTED BY

THIS TERRIBLE DISEASE, IS THERE A WAY THAT THE COUNTRY ITSELF

CAN SET THAT TONE IN THE ABSENCE OF HIS LEADERSHIP?

BECAUSE I THINK NOW WE ESPECIALLY NEED IT.

BECAUSE HOWEVER YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PRESIDENT, HE IS THE CENTRAL

FIGURE OF OUR NATION.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

SO I THINK IT IS-- IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ALL CAN

PRACTICE IN NOT MIXING THE HUMAN WITH THE POLITICAL.

AND THAT'S ALREADY HAPPENED A LOT WITH THIS IN THE GRIM KIND

OF GHOULISH COUNTING OF WHAT NUMBERS ARE REAL AND WHAT

NUMBERS AREN'T REAL.

AND WHAT STRIKES ME IS THAT WHEN THOSE CONVERSATIONS TAKE PLACE,

OR WHEN SOMEBODY WHO MIGHT WANT TO HAVE A PARTISAN RESPONSE TO

THE PRESIDENT'S ILLNESS, WHEN THEY DO THAT, WE ARE ALL KNIT

TOGETHER IN THIS MOMENT OF SORROW.

THERE ARE PEOPLE AND FAMILIES OF THE 207,000 WHO HAVE DIED WHO

ARE AFFECTED BY OUR PUBLIC CONVERSATIONS.

THEY ARE-- WE ARE ALL AT THIS MOMENT TOGETHER AS OPPOSED TO

GRIEF, WHICH OFTEN HAPPENS ALONE.

AND YOU LOOK AT THE REST OF THE WORLD, AND YOU THINK, "THEY

DON'T KNOW ABOUT MY SORROW" WE ALL DO KNOW.

WE ARE ALL GOING THROUGH IT TOGETHER.

SO THAT PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A LEADER TO SPEAK TO THAT

MOMENT AND BRING EVERYBODY TOGETHER, AND ALSO JUST SPEAK TO

A HOLE IN EVERYBODY'S HEART.

BUT IT ALSO SPEAKS TO A MOMENT FOR ALL OF US TO PARTICIPATE IN,

WHICH IS TO RECOGNIZE OUR COMMON HUMANITY AND MAYBE LAY OFF FOR A

MINUTE WHEN THE MOST POWERFUL PERSON, EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE

HIM, HAPPENS TO BE GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING.

>> Stephen: JOHN, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

>> THANK YOU, STEPHEN.

>> Stephen: JOHN DICKERSON, EVERYBODY.

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.

♪ ♪ ♪