This week on ‘Sunday Morning’: The Money Issue (Aug. 2)

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.) 

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This week we present a rebroadcast of “The Money Issue,” our annual special broadcast hosted by Jane Pauley dedicated to the many ways in which money underscores the way we live. 

COVER STORY: Homebuyers chase the American Dream
A growing number of young people see themselves as “forever renters” because they can’t afford to buy a home, due to short supply, higher mortgage rates, and incomes that haven’t kept up with rising home prices. Correspondent Jo Ling Kent examines the difficulties of today’s housing market, and checks out one Midwestern city’s program aimed at attracting homebuyers from out-of-state.

For more info:

• realtor.com
• “Choose Topeka”

ARTS: Art made of money
Philadelphia-based artist Stacey Lee Webber has invested small coins and bills into her sculptures and jewelry – art made entirely of money. Correspondent Nancy Giles talks with the money-making artist whose creations can cost a pretty penny.

For more info:

• Stacey Lee Webber
• Expo Chicago: Solo Exhibition by Stacey Lee Webber, Navy Pier (through April 12)

AUTOMOTIVE: Chinese EVs pull into the lead
Last year the Chinese car company BYD (which stands for Build Your Dreams) overtook Tesla as the world’s top seller of fully electric vehicles, despite the U.S. market being virtually closed to them. Correspondent Seth Doane looks at how China’s long-term investments in innovation are paying off in EVs – and how protective tariffs may end up hurting American automakers down the road. 

For more info:

• BYD
• Alan Day Motor Group
• New Automotive (U.K.)

GAMES: Bingo! New spins on an old favorite
From American Legion halls to church basements, the simplicity of Bingo and its ability to let large groups play at once is why the game raises billions of dollars for charities and non-profits. Correspondent Luke Burbank looks at the history of this popular numbers game.

For more info:

• American Legion Post 153, Olathe, Kansas (Facebook)
• The Strong National Museum of Play, Rochester, N.Y.
• Bingo Loco

HEALTH: Fighting health care insurers
With health insurance companies frequently denying coverage for medically-requested procedures, 73 percent of Americans surveyed say healthcare delays and denials are a major problem. Now, a company called Sheer Health says they will fight insurance battles on behalf of their clients. Correspondent Susan Spencer looks at how a form of insurance against health care denials may benefit consumers.

For more info:

• Sheer Health
• Katherine Hempstead, Ph.D., senior policy officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

• “Uncovered: The Story of Insurance in America” by Katherine Hempstead (Oxford University Press), in Hardcover and eBook formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org       
  

AMUSEMENTS: A new high for roller coasters
Correspondent Lee Cowan reports on how the ups-and-downs of today’s amusement park industry are being ridden via new technologies in roller coaster design, including the New Texas Giant (a hybrid wooden-and-steel roller coaster), and the Tormenta Rampaging Run (a “giga dive” coaster), at Six Flags Over Texas.

For more info:

• Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington
• New Texas Giant
• Tormenta Rampaging Run
• Rocky Mountain Construction, Hayden, Idaho
• Amusement Today
• American Coaster Enthusiasts

TECH: Does your phone eavesdrop on you?
When ads pop up on your phone for products after you’ve happened to mention them, is it an indication that advertisers are eavesdropping on you? Correspondent David Pogue checks out the facts about highly-targeted advertising, and why it sometimes gets weirdly specific.

For more info:

• Ari Paparo
• David Choffnes, professor and executive director, Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute, Northeastern University

SUNDAY PROFILE: Scarlett Johansson, skin care mogul
Actress Scarlett Johansson has played many roles in her career – and now, the Tony-winner and two-time Oscar-nominee has taken on another: launching her new line of products, called The Outset, designed for people with sensitive skin (like hers). She talks with correspondent Tracy Smith about her skin struggles, and how husband Colin Jost has been a “guinea pig” for her products.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Extended interview – Scarlett Johansson (Video)

For more info:

• The Outset: Skincare by Scarlett Johansson

TECH: Resistance grows nationwide against AI data center boom
To fuel their artificial intelligence initiatives, tech companies are building massive numbers of AI data centers, with more than 4,000 in operation across the country. But some communities, wary of the environmental and financial implications of such facilities in their backyards, are fighting back. “Sunday Morning” national correspondent Robert Costa examines the drive to construct AI data centers, and the debate between opponents and AI advocates.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Extended interview – Sen. Dave McCormick on AI (Video)
In this web exclusive, Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) talks with Robert Costa about how energy and the rise in artificial intelligence go hand-in-hand; America’s rivalry with China over AI; and nuclear power.

For more info:

• Archbald Neighborhood Association, Archbald, Pa. (Facebook)
• Digital Realty
• Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.)

TOYS: American Girl: Celebrating girl power
Founded in 1986, American Girl has created dolls, books and accessories that tell the stories of young girls in every American era. On the toy’s 40th anniversary, correspondent Faith Salie explores how making history come alive is also creating timeless bonds between generations that celebrate girlhood.

For more info:

• American Girl
• American Girl stores

NATURE: Hunting for sand dollars
In Florida, correspondent Martha Teichner goes searching for sand dollars – cousins of sea urchins and sea stars – with naturalist Kristen Williams (a.k.a. The Seashell Mermaid). She also goes to the California Academy of Sciences’ Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco to learn what makes these sea creatures so special.

For more info:

• Naturalist Kristen Williams, The Seashell Mermaid (Instagram)
• Steinhart Aquarium, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco
• Shore Goods, Marco Island, Fla.
• Florida Adventures and Rentals, Marco Island, Fla.

     
NATURE: TBD

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WEB EXCLUSIVES:

FROM THE ARCHIVES: “Once” songwriter Glen Hansard (Video)
Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, an Oscar-winner for “Once” (which became a Tony Award-winning musical), died July 29, 2026 at age 56. In this March 17, 2013 “Sunday Morning” profile, Hansard talked with Anthony Mason about growing up as a street performer in Dublin, and his meteoric rise to fame as a member of the rock band The Frames and (with Markéta Irglová) half of the duo The Swell Season. Also: A web extra featuring Hansard busking on the streets of New York City.

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

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Spider-Man creator Stan Lee (Video)
The creator of such superheroes as Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, Stan Lee (1922-2018) was a comic book genius whose characters made him a superhero himself to legions of fans. In this report that originally aired Jan. 17, 2016, Lee talked with “Sunday Morning” correspondent Lee Cowan about his marvelous life story that, fittingly, was published in comic-book form.

MARATHON: Swimming with sharks (YouTube Video)
Dive into ocean waters with this “CBS Sunday Morning” marathon all about sharks. Featuring: 

• Blue sharks off Rhode Island
• The infamous 1916 shark attacks that inspired “Jaws”
• Whale sharks feast on tuna eggs off Isla Mujeres
• Sharks patrol the Bahamas
• Sharks in Fiji
• Great white sharks near Guadalupe Island
• Whale sharks off Cancun  

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.

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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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