and ceo of the newly created aids united and holds the same position for the aids foundation of chicago. i began by asking him to go beyond the numbers of this deadly disease. >> hi, kate. thanks for having me on. yeah, i mean, this is a really important day world aids day. it's not just about the numbers which are horrific, 33 million worldwide and a million people in america living with hiv. but this is also a time of great hope. that's why i'm so excited to lead this new organization aids united, which is the result of a merger of aids action and the national aids fund. but it's not about the merger. it's about what we're going to do to end this epidemic in america. >> tell me about the merger. what is it gaining for you have? what are you guys taking on? how are you taking on this fight -- continuing the fight? where rough putting your focus? >> well, in a couple of ways. but we are so committed to unifying the fight against aids and to bringing all people into this big tent because the only