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This week on ‘Sunday Morning’ (July 26)

By WTOP Staff

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.

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

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An installation view of “Derrick Adams: View Master,” at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. 

Photo by Mel Taing; Courtesy of Derrick Adams/ICA Boston

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.

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Tadeusz Kosciuszko (1746-1817), Polish soldier and patriot.
An engraving of Polish soldier and engineer Tadeusz Kosciuszko. 

Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images

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.

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Singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae with correspondent Seth Doane.

CBS News

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):

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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.

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Modeling shots of Lauren Hutton taken by Richard Avedon. 

CBS News

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.)

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  • Thanks to the Rauschenberg Foundation, New York City
  • Photographs by Richard Avedon © The Richard Avedon Foundation
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Collecting the results of “worm grunting.” 

CBS News

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.)

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NATURE: Sharks

      

WEB EXCLUSIVES:

From the archives: Legendary late-night producer Peter Lassally

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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.   

Notable Deaths in 2026

Notable Deaths in 2026

45 photos

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.

Summer music highlights of 2026

Summer music highlights of 2026

85 photos

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.

“Sunday Morning”: About us

DVR Alert! Find out when “Sunday Morning” airs in your city 

“Sunday Morning” also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.) 

Full episodes of “Sunday Morning” are now available to watch on demand on CBSNews.com, CBS.com and Paramount+, including via Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon FireTV/FireTV stick and Xbox. 

Follow us on Twitter/X; Facebook; Instagram; YouTube; TikTok; Bluesky; and at cbssundaymorning.com.  

You can also download the free “Sunday Morning” audio podcast at iTunes and at Play.it. Now you’ll never miss the trumpet!

Do you have sun art you wish to share with us? Email your suns to SundayMorningSuns@cbsnews.com. 

US measles cases surpass 2,000 for the 2nd year in a row: CDC

Human crowd surrounding an injectable measles vaccine bottle on purple background. Horizontal composition with copy space. ( MicroStockHub/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- Measles cases in the United States have surpassed 2,000 for the second year in a row, according to data updated Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).So far in 2026, 2,030 confirmed cases have been recorded in 38 states and the District of Columbia, CDC data shows.Cases have been confirmed in: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.Just 10 measles cases were reported among international travelers so far this year, according to CDC data.Last year, 2,288 confirmed measles cases were reported for all of 2025. Prior to this, measles cases had not surpassed 2,000 in the U.S. since 1992.The U.S. also saw its first measles deaths in more than a decade last year, including two among unvaccinated school-aged children in Texas and one among an unvaccinated adult in New Mexico.The majority of measles cases in 2026 have been confirmed among children and teenagers aged 19 and younger, according to the CDC.About 92% of cases are among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, CDC data shows.Meanwhile, 4% of cases are among those who have received just one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and 4% of cases are among those who received the recommended two doses, according to the CDC.Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, referred to the latest figures as "very disappointing and very concerning.""It indicates that an increasing number of parents are either postponing or withholding their children from vaccination, and this is very concerning because it permits this virus back now into in the United States to continue to spread and obviously to cause illness in the children affected," he told ABC News.January 2026 marked one year since measles cases were first detected on Texas. It’s unclear if the cases confirmed on Jan. 20, 2025, are linked to those that have been found other states; if so, it would mean the U.S. has seen a year of continuous transmission.If it's determined that the U.S. has experienced 12 months of continuous measles transmission, it could lead to a loss of the country's elimination status that was earned in 2000. Measles would once again be considered endemic or constantly circulating.The review of the measles elimination status in the U.S., which is determined by the Pan-American Health Organization, will take place in November 2026.Schaffner said the U.S.'s measles elimination status is threatened as a result of so many cases."Measles, because it's the most contagious virus, is like the canary in the coal mine; it's the alert that lets us know that we're also opening ourselves up to other transmissible diseases that vaccines could prevent," he said.The CDC currently recommends that people receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective against measles, the CDC says.However, CDC data show vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years. During the 2024 to 2025 school year, 92.5% of kindergartners received the MMR vaccine, according to data. This is lower than the 92.7% seen the previous school year and the 95.2% seen in the 2019 to 2020 school year, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.Schaffner said that public health specialists need to listen carefully to parents who are skeptical or hesitant of getting their children vaccinated."Have them speak to their own family doctors and pediatricians, have those conversations, and our pediatricians and family doctors have to provide a level of comfort and reassurance," he said. "Facts are fundamental, but more importantly, these parents need reassurance and a level of comfort that what their doctors ... are recommending is in the best interest of their child and the communities in which their children live.""These diseases are bad and can be really bad. The vaccines are good and really good," Schaffner added.Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
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