The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper

Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir returns with an exploration into how human life as we know it is adapting to our changing climate. He seeks answers to how humankind can survive and thrive in an age of heat, drought, flood, and fire. His quest to find the heroes and innovators on the frontlines of this issue takes him across the globe, where he finds heroes building happier, healthier, and stronger communities built to withstand extreme weather in any form it takes.

"When I became a new dad in 2020," Weir said, "I looked down at my son and thought ‘Where will he be safe? 'What kind of shelter will he need? Who is building the smartest, safest, and most resilient communities?' His arrival helped spark this worldwide hunt for inspiration and in the end, I returned with a lot more hope than fear."

From a new "policy of shade" in scorching Phoenix to a floating neighborhood outside of Amsterdam to the rise of disaster-proof construction, Weir finds those on the cutting edge of adapting our way of life. With visits to London and Silicon Valley, he reveals the inventions and startups that have the investment blessing of Bill Gates and Tom Steyer.

He returns to Paradise, California, five years after the deadliest mainland fire in the last century and gets lessons from survivors on how to build a fireproof town with stronger shelter but an even stronger community. And he tours Florida's first solar-powered town, built in harmony with nature and to withstand modern storms. Babcock Ranch has now survived two major hurricanes without flooding or losing power and their design secrets are more relevant than ever.

The result of over two years of on-the-ground reporting, Bolduan embeds with those most impacted by America's opioid overdose epidemic. As the crisis enters its "third wave," Bolduan engages with emergency medical technicians, physicians at treatment centers and people struggling with addiction themselves, all seeking new solutions to a decades-old problem. 

"These past two years have been a uniquely powerful and educational experience for our team. I am grateful to all our interviewees who bravely allowed us in and shared their stories," said Bolduan. "We witnessed first-hand the extraordinary challenges that come with breaking free from the cycles of addiction, and I am hopeful this project will illuminate the human element of the crisis and encourage others who are struggling to seek treatment." 

"Fentanyl in America" features remarkably candid and intimate interviews with people struggling with addiction. Pregnant women, families, and even drug dealers reveal to Bolduan the harsh realities of illicit fentanyl, a crisis that has propelled new treatment programs. She rides along with the first emergency medical service in the nation to carry buprenorphine, a treatment for fentanyl withdrawal that a study has associated with a nearly sixfold increase in the odds of engagement with addiction treatment. Bolduan also visits a center providing methadone treatments, where some people must visit every day for their daily dose.

CNN Senior Correspondent Donie O'Sullivan returns with a new installment in his Emmy® nominated MisinfoNation series as he investigates the rise of extremism in "MisinfoNation: Extreme America."

Over the last two years, O'Sullivan has traveled the country investigating the pervasive surge of misinformation targeting Americans and has reported everywhere from the Republican and Democratic national conventions to Mike Lindell's pillow factory, a QAnon church, and a JFK conspiracy convention. In his new report on the 30-year anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, O'Sullivan looks at the changing face of extremism in the United States. Thirty years ago, radical ideas and the search for like-minded extremists took time and effort, but now – with just a click – hate and paranoia is served to millions of Americans every day through algorithms and social media.

"From the pardoning of January 6 rioters to the celebrating of the murder of a healthcare CEO, how Americans are talking about violence is changing," O Sullivan said.  "In this episode we look at how the media we are consuming is radicalizing us."

In "MisinfoNation," O'Sullivan travels across the country meeting far-right extremists with a long history of hate, talks to pardoned January 6 rioters, and encounters a new generation of radicalized Americans justifying the murder of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.  He examines how the ongoing revolution in technology and information consumption is radicalizing us, meets a UFC fighter turned podcaster who platforms white supremacists, and visits a Texas man helping people print 3D guns at home.