This week on ‘Sunday Morning’ (July 26)

The Emmy Award-winning “CBS News Sunday Morning” is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET.  “Sunday Morning” also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.) 

Guest host: Mo Rocca

     
COVER STORY: Home, not alone: Helping aging seniors in rural America
According to the USDA, the number of counties where at least 20% of residents are over the age of 65 has nearly tripled since 2010 – and it’s in those older, more rural populations where the health risks associated with loneliness and social isolation are more common. Correspondent Lee Cowan goes to North Dakota, where the program Aging in Community, aimed at building connections among neighbors, takes a grassroots approach to helping rural seniors.

For more info:

• Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
• Jane Strommen, gerontology specialist, North Dakota State University, Fargo, N.D.
• Aging in Community Program

     
ALMANAC: July 26
“Sunday Morning” looks back at historical events on this date.

ARTS: Artist Derrick Adams’ depictions of Black joy
At 56, Derrick Adams is widely regarded as one of the most important artists of his generation, known for capturing the Black experience in vibrant, kaleidoscopic colors. Correspondent Nancy Giles talks with the artist about leaving his mark with his depictions of joyous scenes of everyday life. She also visits the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, home to a mid-career retrospective of Adams’ art.

For more info:

• derrickadams.com
• Exhibition: “Derrick Adams: View Master,” at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston (through Sept. 7)

THESE UNITED STATES: Revolutionary War hero Thaddeus Kosciuszko
Polish-born Thaddeus Kosciuszko (1746-1817) was a military engineer who became key to Gen. George Washington’s success against the British. Mo Rocca looks at the immigrant hero whose contributions to the Revolutionary War helped secure independence for America.

For more info:

• “The Peasant Prince: Thaddeus Kosciuszko and the Age of Revolution” by Alex Storozynski (Thomas Dunne Books), in Trade Paperback and eBook formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org
• Col. Seanegan Sculley, program director, Department of History & War Studies, U.S. Military Academy at West Point

MUSIC: Corrine Bailey Rae on the sadness of loss and the beauty of life
Twenty years after her single “Put Your Records On” made her an international star, two-time Grammy-winner Corrine Bailey Rae is embarking on a tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of her breakout debut album. The British singer-songwriter talks with correspondent Seth Doane about the inspiration of Billie Holiday and Kurt Cobain; grieving the death of her first husband; and of rebirth – a life after loss.

You can stream the 2006 album “Corrine Bailey Rae” by clicking on the embed below (Free Spotify registration required to hear the tracks in full):

For more info:

• corinnebaileyrae.com | Tour info
• “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae, illustrated by Gillian Eilidh O’Mara (‎Rocky Pond Books), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org
• Thanks to The Hi-Fi Club, Leeds, England; and to The Wardrobe, Leeds, England

      
PASSAGE: In memoriam
“Sunday Morning” remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week.

     
HEADLINES: Food safety
David Pogue reports.

     
SCIENCE: How plants feel
Science shows us that, even though plants don’t have brains, they seem to have a nervous system that responds to touch in remarkable ways. Robert Krulwich and puppeteer Barnaby Dixon explore the science of thigmomorphogenesis (the phenomenon of plants reacting to outside stimulae), a discussion that plants the seeds for a song.

For more info:

• Barnaby Dixon
• Robert Krulwich, Radiolab

SUNDAY PROFILE: The adventures of Lauren Hutton, the original supermodel
She didn’t set out to be a model, or an actress, and several agencies rejected the gap-toothed Lauren Hutton, before Eileen Ford gave her a shot. As the face of Revlon, Hutton became the highest-paid model in history, and still holds the record for most cover appearances on American Vogue. She talks with Anthony Mason about her adventurous life of no regrets – from living among the bushmen of the Kalahari, to a near-fatal motorcycle accident in 2000. Even of the low points she says, “I’d do it again in a second.” (Originally broadcast Jan. 25, 2026.)

For more info:

• Thanks to the Rauschenberg Foundation, New York City
• Photographs by Richard Avedon © The Richard Avedon Foundation

U.S.: The “magic” of worm grunting
If you are looking for live fishing bait, you could dig up some worms – or, you could use a bizarre trick involving vibrations to conjure earthworms out of the soil. Correspondent Conor Knighton looks into a little-understood process known as “worm grunting.” He also visits Sopchoppy, Florida, the self-described “Worm Capital of the World,” to attend the Worm Gruntin’ Festival – a big party celebrating the town’s favorite invertebrate. (Originally aired June 15, 2025.)

For more info:

• Worm Gruntin’ Festival, Sopchoppy, Fla.

        
NATURE: Sharks

WEB EXCLUSIVES:

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Legendary late-night producer Peter Lassally (Video)
Peter Lassally, the fabled TV executive for such late-night hosts as Johnny Carson and David Letterman, and a mentor for many rising comedians, died July 19, 2026 at age 93. In this March 11, 2018 “Sunday Morning” profile, correspondent Mo Rocca talked with Lassally (affectionately dubbed “The Host Whisperer”) about working with the kings of late-night. Lassally also talks about his childhood, part of which was spent in Nazi concentration camps, and also about whether he has had joy in his life.   

GALLERY: Notable deaths in 2026
A look back at the esteemed personalities who’ve left us this year, who’d touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.

GALLERY: Summer music highlights of 2026
Summer is the time to enjoy live music, indoors and out. Scroll through our gallery of some of 2026’s leading musical acts, featuring images by CBS News photojournalist Jake Barlow and photographers Ed Spinelli and Kirstine Walton.

The Emmy Award-winning “CBS News Sunday Morning” is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Executive producer is Rand Morrison.

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