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This week on “Sunday Morning” (August 18)
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 12:00 p.m. ET. (Download it here.)
Hosted by Jane Pauley
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COVER STORY: Now it’s the Democrats’ turn
CBS News chief election & campaign correspondent Robert Costa reports on the Democratic National Convention, which will be gaveled into session this Monday in Chicago.
Watch CBS News’ live anchored coverage starting Monday, August 19 at 5:00 p.m. ET, streaming on CBS News 24/7, Paramount+ and Pluto TV, with primetime coverage from 8:00-11:00 p.m. ET on CBS.
ALMANAC: August 18
“Sunday Morning” looks back at historical events on this date.
ARTS: Artist Mickalene Thomas and her dream of making a difference
In college Mickalene Thomas studied pre-law because she wanted to change the world. But then she saw an exhibition of photographs by Carrie Mae Weems, and she knew then what she wanted to do. The 53-year-old artist, who creates pieces celebrating women, is now being featured in an exhibition at the Broad Museum in Los Angeles titled “Mickalene Thomas: All About Love.” Correspondent Tracy Smith talks with Thomas about her muses and her mixing of media, from collage and silkscreen to rhinestones.
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U.S.: Giving wild donkeys a new life
Originally from Africa, donkeys (or burros, in Spanish) have been in North America for centuries. They were work animals that helped build the West, and today there are thousands of free-roaming donkeys on public lands, where they can overgraze and threaten delicate ecosystems. Correspondent Conor Knighton looks at efforts (such as adoption programs for wild and domestic burros) aimed at giving these social animals a better life.
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BOOKS: Carl Hiassen on “Bad Monkey” becoming a TV series
Florida native Carl Hiassen has written about his beloved state in a series of bestselling comedic novels that target the darkness which can cloud the Sunshine State. “60 Minutes’ correspondent Lesley Stahl talks with Hiassen about his love affair with Florida; and visits the Florida Keys location of “Bad Monkey,” a new Apple TV+ series adapted from Hiassen’s 2013 bestseller about a failed detective, murder, and a misbehaving monkey.
To watch a trailer for “Bad Monkey” click on the video player below:
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PASSAGE: In memoriam
“Sunday Morning” remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week.
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U.S.: The increasing hazard of black lung disease facing coal miners
Coal mining has always been a dangerous job, with one in every five miners ending up with “black lung” disease. But today, in Appalachia, miners are suffering from black lung at increasingly younger ages. “Sunday Morning” senior contributor Ted Koppel talks with miners and union officials who say coal companies routinely break the rules that could help protect their employees’ health; and looks at a new government proposal that might offer real protection for miners, but which is facing opposition in Congress. (This story was originally broadcast December 10, 2023.)
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Russell Lee/National Archives
PHOTOGRAPHY: Photographer Russell Lee’s testament to coal miners
When coal was king, coal miners risked their lives to fuel America. Photographer Russell Lee captured the hardships and privations (as well as moments of joy) in America’s mining communities in the mid-1940s. His pictures are now on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., in an exhibit titled “Power & Light: Russell Lee’s Coal Survey.” “Sunday Morning” host Jane Pauley offers us a tour.
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MOVIES: Carol Kane (and her mother) on “Between the Temples”
In her latest film, “Between the Temples,” Oscar-nominated actress Carol Kane plays a retired music teacher who is determined to be bat mitzvahed. Kane talks with correspondent Nancy Giles about how her own mother inspired her character; how Andy Kaufman taught her the “language” that their characters, Latka and Simka, spoke on the TV series “Taxi”; and how, as a student, she resisted the opinion of a doctor who said she should never set foot on stage.
To watch a trailer for “Between the Temples” click on the video player below:
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HARTMAN: Shoes
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BOOKS: H.R. McMaster on “the good, the bad and the ugly” of working for Trump
In his new book, “At War With Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House,” retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster discusses the 13 months he worked as national security adviser in the White House before former President Donald Trump fired him. McMaster talks with CBS News national security correspondent David Martin about serving in a White House where “everything was much harder than it needed to be”; about Trump’s attraction to the qualities of autocrats; and how he participated in an intervention to prevent Trump from threatening fellow members of NATO.
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NATURE: TBD
WEB EXCLUSIVES:
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Democracy and the Ballot Box (YouTube Video)
Watch stories from the “Sunday Morning” archives about the history of America’s elections, the power of one’s vote, and the fight to protect democracy. Featured: Mo Rocca on the original “birther” controversy of President Chester Alan Arthur, the “worst” president ever, the disputed election of 1876, and a classroom lesson on the Electoral College; Scott Simon on the violent 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago; Richard Schlesinger on the return of Richard Nixon; Anthony Mason on Bush v. Gore; Nancy Giles on the election of Barack Obama; Steve Hartman on a family split by competing political allegiances; Lee Cowan on how late-night comedians tackled the 2016 race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and how Trump attempted to overturn his 2020 election loss; David Martin on the violence of the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol; Seth Doane on how the world’s media reacted to scenes of political violence in America; and John Dickerson on the importance of the congressional committee investigating a president who fought against the peaceful transfer of power.
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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Craig Newmark, the founder of online classified-ads site Craigslist, thinks the U.S. has a cybersecurity problem.
The entrepreneur turned philanthropist has pledged to donate $100 million to help safeguard the country from potential future cyberattacks, the Wall Street Journal first reported. Newmark will allocate $50 million to protect infrastructure, like power grids, from cyberattacks, including from foreign nations. The other half of his donation will be put toward educating the general public about how to safeguard their personal information, according to the report.
Newmark, 71, retired from the company he founded in 2018.
“The country is under attack,” Newmark told the Wall Street Journal. He said that cybersecurity experts who are working to protect the country from attack “need people to champion them.”
Today, many households make use of connected appliances or smart devices that can make them vulnerable to being hacked by criminals. At the corporate level, cyberattacks have become increasingly common.
“In the current cyberwar, the fight is on our own shores, and we all need to play an active role for the protection of our country and ourselves,” Newmark writes on his website.
In June, a hacking group took down CDK Global’s software platform, crippling auto dealerships across the U.S. CDK said that hackers demanded a ransom in order to restore its systems. In February, hackers infiltrated payments manager Change Healthcare, paralyzing segments of the U.S. Health care system. They are but two examples of the tremendous repercussions a cyberattack can have on an industry.
As part of his latest commitment, Newmark, who has pledged to give away nearly all of his wealth to charity, is making donations to a project out of the University of Chicago’s public policy school that trains cybersecurity volunteers to strengthen local infrastructure. Child internet-safety group Common Sense Media, is another beneficiary, according to the WSJ report.
The large majority of the $100 million pledge has not yet been allocated, and organizations can apply for donations through Newmark’s philanthropic organization, Craig Newmark Philanthropies.
On the foundation’s website, Newmark says he likes to donate to organizations that he believes in and lets them spend the money as they see fit. “Okay, what I do is find people who are really good at their jobs, and who can tolerate my sense of humor. I provide them with resources, and then get outta their way,” he states.
In addition to cybersecurity, other causes Newmark champions include support for military families and veterans, safeguarding trustworthy journalism and pigeon rescue.
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Borrowers saddled with higher interest rates on everything from mortgages to credit cards received some welcome news on Wednesday when the Federal Reserve announced a half a percentage point cut to the federal funds rate. That brings the range down to 4.75% to 5.00%, a major reduction from the elevated position the range was frozen at for more than a year.
While it will take some time for that reduction to reverberate, it will inevitably make borrowing cheaper in the weeks and months to come. And with other cuts possible for when the Fed meets again in November and December, borrowing could become even more affordable by the end of the year.
That doesn’t mean, however, that borrowers stuck with high-interest-rate debt should wait for relief. There’s a strong argument to be made that these borrowers should take action now instead. Below, we’ll break down why.
Learn how the right debt relief service can help you here now.
Why borrowers shouldn’t wait for rate cuts to fix their debt
While waiting for rate cuts to echo throughout the economy may be tempting, particularly if you’re suffering from high-rate debt, that could be a mistake. Here’s why:
Rates may not fall dramatically
Credit card interest rates have surged in recent years, averaging over 20% right now. But those rates won’t fall as rapidly as they’ve grown. That’s because credit card rates are determined by a series of complex factors, only one of which is the federal funds rate. And even if credit card rates came down by the same half a percentage point that the federal funds rate did, that’s likely to make very little difference in what you have to pay each month, especially if you’re making minimum payments. So if you’re waiting for the Fed to help reduce what you have to pay on your credit card you could be waiting a very long time.
Start exploring your credit card debt relief options here instead.
Your debt will accrue in the interim
Even if you could rely on multiple rate cuts to come, your existing debt will continue to accrue interest and, possibly, penalties and fees if you’re already struggling to pay what you’ve borrowed. And if you can’t make adequate payments right now, it’ll become even more difficult to do so when dealing with a higher debt total (with compounded interest).
Take a multi-pronged approach
There are multiple debt relief options available right now. From debt consolidation loans to debt management programs to credit card debt forgiveness and even bankruptcy in extreme circumstances, there’s likely a path forward for you now. But that doesn’t mean that you still can’t try to position yourself to take advantage of lower rates. Since rate cuts have broad effects, you may be able to consolidate your debt with a debt consolidation loan now, for example, and then refinance it when rates drop later this year or in 2025. Just don’t sit idle, as debt, no matter the form, can quickly become debilitating if not properly addressed.
Speak with a debt relief servicer now who can help.
The bottom line
It’s never a good idea to let your debt accumulate, even if you’re confident that rate cuts on the horizon could help. Rate cuts, instead, will offer gradual relief, not the significant help you may need. Plus, your debt, fees and penalties will compound in the interim. Instead, consider taking a multi-pronged approach by researching a series of debt relief options that can help you now. And keep rate cuts in mind for the future when you may be able to capitalize by refinancing instead.