This week on "Sunday Morning" (August 9)
Host: Jane Pauley
WATCH THE FULL AUGUST 9 EPISODE!
COVER STORY: Higher education during a pandemic – Giving it the old college try | Watch Video
The coronavirus is leaving its mark on colleges and universities, perhaps permanently. With schools working hard to keep COVID-19 off-campus, 13% percent of colleges will offer online-only classes, while 35% will offer a mix of virtual and socially-distanced in-person classes. CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger reports on how educators and students are adjusting to an on-campus experience that will be, as one university professor describes it, "some combination of a monastery and a minimum security prison."
For more info:
- Noel Wilkin, provost & executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, University of Mississippi
- Robert Kelchen, Co-Chair, Department of Education Leadership Management and Policy, Seton Hall University
- Frank Wu, president, Queens College, City University of New York
ART: Pop art, by bubble wrap artist Bradley Hart | Watch Video
Wielding a syringe instead of a brush, artist Bradley Hart injects paint into the plastic bubbles of bubble wrap, turning the ubiquitous packing material into pointillist portraits. Correspondent Lee Cowan reports.
For more info:
- Bradley Hart (Official site)
- Follow Bradley Hart on Instagram
- Bradley Hart (Anna Zorina Gallery)
- Sealed Air
MILEPOST: Atomic bomb anniversary
The Japanese city of Hiroshima marked the 75th anniversary of the world's first nuclear attack on Thursday. The United States said the bombing led to Japan's surrender in World War II, and prevented the need for an invasion. Some historians believe Japan was already close to surrender. An estimated 140,000 people died as a result of the blast (about 40% of the city's population).
TRAVEL: RV life booms during the pandemic | Watch Video
Looking to take a vacation while avoiding COVID? Many families are heading out AND staying home, exploring public spaces while avoiding public bathrooms and hotels, by traveling in an RV. The pandemic is driving up sales of midrange recreational vehicles, which have nearly doubled compared to last summer. And as The New Yorker magazine's Kelefa Sanneh finds out, some motorhomes have amenities you may not even have in your own home.
For more info:
- Garick RV, Oak Ridge, N.J.
- "See America First: Tourism and National Identity 1880-1940" by Marguerite Shaffer (Smithsonian Books), in Trade Paperback and eBook formats, available via Amazon
- Bella Terra of Gulf Shores RV Resort, Foley, Ala. (Facebook)
- Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Van Buren, Mo.
- Camping and the Novel Coronavirus (National Park Service)
POLITICS: Dr. Jill Biden on family, teaching, loss and levity | Watch Video
A community college teacher, even while serving as the second lady during the Obama administration, Dr. Jill Biden says she wants to continue to teach even if her husband, former vice president Joe Biden, wins the presidency. In an interview with correspondent Rita Braver, Jill talks about her childhood, her marriage, standing up for her family, the loss of a child, the challenges of campaigning, and seeking joy even in challenging times.
FROM THE ARCHIVE: From 2009: Jill Biden, second lady of the land (Video)
When you watch Dr. Jill Biden shaking every hand in sight, stuffing gift bags for soldiers, or inviting veterans and their families to the vice president's house, you may be tempted to say, "Isn't she nice!" That would be a mistake, as correspondent Rita Braver points out. According to Biden, she'd accept "'energetic,' 'interesting,' 'vivacious,' but 'nice' is blah. It's just too bland. So, I never want to be 'nice.'" (Originally broadcast December 13, 2009.)
For more info:
- Follow Dr. Jill Biden on Instagram and Twitter
PASSAGE: In memoriam (Video)
"Sunday Morning" looks back at three notable figures who left us this week: Pianist and educator Leon Fleisher; journalist and author Pete Hamill; and former national security advisor to two presidents, Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft.
COMMENTARY: Jim Gaffigan on acquiring a green thumb | Watch Video
During these unsettling times, the comedian has found a measure of control by planting seeds, watering them, and growing something where there used to be just dirt.
For more info:
PHOTOGRAPHY: One photographer's intimate view of the presidency | Watch Video
On August 9, 1974, Richard Nixon resigned in the face of Watergate investigations and impeachment hearings, and Gerald R. Ford became the 38th President of the United States. Ford's hand-picked official photographer was 27-year-old Pulitzer Prize-winner David Hume Kennerly, who was granted unheard-of access to the First Family. Correspondent Jim Axelrod talks with Kennerly about his remarkable time in the Ford White House; and with Ford's son, Steven, who remembers his father's close relationship with the photographer.
WEB EXTRA VIDEO: The story behind an iconic Betty Ford photo
Pulitzer Prize-winner David Hume Kennerly was the official White House photographer during the Ford administration. In this web extra, he talked with correspondent Jim Axelrod about how he captured a remarkable photo of first lady Betty Ford – and about President Gerald Ford's reaction once he finally saw it.
For more info:
- Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum
- David Hume Kennerly (Official site)
- Follow David Hume Kennerly in Instagram
- Steve Ford (Gerald Ford Foundation)
MUSIC: James Taylor on how memories feed his memoir and music | Watch Video
Life these days is pretty sweet for James Taylor, the musician-songwriter famed for such hits as "Fire and Rain," "Carolina In My Mind" and "Sweet Baby James." Jane Pauley visited Taylor at his home in the Berkshires of Massachusetts to talk about his audio memoir on his early days in North Carolina, and a new album exploring the songs Taylor loved growing up, titled "American Standard." (This story was originally broadcast on February 2, 2020.)
To stream James Taylor's latest album, "American Standard," click on the player below (Free Spotify registration required to hear the tracks in full):
For more info:
- jamestaylor.com
- "American Standard" by James Taylor (Fantasy), available on CD (Amazon, Barnes & Noble), Vinyl (Amazon, Barnes & Noble), Digital Download (Google Play, iTunes) and Streaming (Spotify)
- "Break Shot: My First 21 Years" by James Taylor (Audible)
PULSE: CBS News poll
SUNDAY JOURNAL: Aftermath of catastrophic Beirut blast (Video)
The death toll continues to climb from the horrific explosion in Beirut Tuesday that leveled much of the Lebanese city's port area and left a quarter-million people homeless. Correspondent Imtiaz Tyab reports.
HISTORY: A historical reckoning for the global slave trade | Watch Video
The Black Lives Matter campaign, which was propelled by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, has become a worldwide movement, particularly in Britain, where the former colonial power is struggling to come to terms with the global stain of racism and its slave-trading history. Correspondent Mark Phillips talks with art curators and historians about how countries like Britain profited from the triangle trade, and how slave owners profited even after slavery was abolished.
For more info:
- Tate Modern, London
- Keith McClelland, University College London
- Kehinde Andrews, School of Social Sciences, Birmingham City University
NATURE: Beluga whales (Extended Video)
"Sunday Morning" takes us among beluga whales near the town of Churchill, in Manitoba, Canada. Videographer: Mauricio Handler.
WEB EXCLUSIVE:
MUSIC: Remembering Jerry Garcia
The lead guitarist of the Grateful Dead died 25 years ago, on August 9, 1995. Today, the band's music is more accessible than ever before.
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