Now to our special report tonight. The coronavirus pandemic is upending our lives in ways many people could not have imagined.

Work and socializing now mostly confined to homes. Schools obviously closed. Most long-term plans canceled.

And while some in the federal government seemed caught off guard, this very problem is something some leaders did warn about.

One of the world's most accomplished

innovators took to a public stage five years ago, warning about pandemics. It all sounds

quite prescient now to hear Bill Gates' advice then. If anything kills over 10 million people

in the next few decades, it's most likely to be a highly infectious virus rather than a war.

We have invested a huge amount in nuclear deterrence.

But we've actually invested very little in a system to stop an epidemic.

We're not ready for the next epidemic. That was 2015. Gates going public

with the evidence showing the U.S. was not ready for this kind of pandemic. So as part of our

ongoing special coverage, right now we turn to our report on these warnings, what they reveal

about the U.S. response today, and more critically, how they can inform our approach in the future

and potentially save lives. You know, of all the experts out there in areas ranging from medicine

to disaster prep, Bill Gates excelled in several critical fields, computer innovation, which requires

original thinking, business, which excels on ruthless execution, and then his current chapter,

public health philanthropy, where Gates takes on all kinds of medical challenges around the world

with both his skills and his money. Gates became the richest person in the world by leading

a tech revolution, and he became increasingly famous as a nerd with a can-do spirit.

Here he was on David Letterman back in 1995, sporting a hard hat and lab coat.

What are the things that you've designed for the house that really you're very excited about?

I've got a trampoline room that I can go and use.

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