This week on "Sunday Morning" (Sept. 15)

Updated

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.) 

Hosted by Jane Pauley

WATCH THE FULL SEPTEMBER 15 EPISODE!

 / Credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
/ Credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

COVER STORY: Experts warn against vaccine skepticism | Watch Video
Thanks to vaccinations, measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. But measles cases are now back, and one big reason is that, across the country, more families have exempted their children from routine immunizations than ever before. CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook looks at how the views of "anti-vaxxers" are precipitating new health crises; and talks with health experts about the dangers posed by anti-vaccine and anti-science movements.

For more info:

Medical historian and pediatrician Dr. Howard Markel"Origin Story: The Trials of Charles Darwin" by Howard Markel (W.W. Norton & Co.), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via AmazonBarnes & Noble and Bookshop.orgElena Conis, historian of medicine, public health, and the environment, University of California, Berkeley"Vaccine Nation: America's Changing Relationship with Immunization" by Elena Conis (University of Chicago Press), in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.orgDr. Peter Jay Hotez, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital"The Deadly Rise of Anti-science: A Scientist's Warning" by Peter J. Hotez (Johns Hopkins University Press), in Hardcover, Trade Paperback and eBook formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org

     
ALMANAC: September 15 (Video)
"Sunday Morning" looks back at historical events on this date.

For 12 years Pete Wells was restaurant critic for The New York Times.  / Credit: CBS News
For 12 years Pete Wells was restaurant critic for The New York Times. / Credit: CBS News

FOOD: Pete Wells dishes on life as NY Times restaurant critic | Watch Video
Since he began writing restaurant reviews for The New York Times in 2012, Pete Wells became arguably the world's most powerful restaurant critic, until filing his final review this summer. With correspondent Martha Teichner, he reflects on dining out five nights a week for the past twelve years, all in the line of duty; the disguises he's worn to avoid detection by restaurant staff; and the health implications of eating at some of the world's best (and not-so-best) restaurants.

WEB EXTRA: Restaurant critic Pete Wells: A face on the wall (YouTube Video)
For 12 years New York Times food critic Pete Wells tried to stay anonymous as he visited restaurants. But his was one picture on the wall used by restaurant staffers to spot reviewers. In this web extra, he talks with correspondent Martha Teichner about his ability to dine incognito.

For more info:

Pete Wells, The New York TimesThe 100 Best Restaurants in New York City in 2024, by Pete WellsErnesto's, New York CitySemma, New York CityTrinciti Roti Shop, Queens, N.Y.Ewe's Delicious Treats, Brooklyn

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose new book is
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose new book is

BOOKS: Hillary Clinton on Harris' White House run, Trump's criminal conviction, and more | Watch Video
Hillary Rodham Clinton has lived one of the most public of lives, but has kept much private during her years as first lady, senator, secretary of state and presidential nominee. Now, she opens up about personal matters in her new book, "Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love, and Liberty." She talks with CBS News' Erin Moriarty about her marriage to President Bill Clinton and the loss of friends and family; her personal association to Vice President Kamala Harris' run for the White House; and how she interpreted news of the criminal conviction of former President Donald Trump.

READ AN EXCERPT: "Something Lost, Something Gained" by Hillary Rodham Clinton

For more info:

"Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love, and Liberty" by Hillary Rodham Clinton (Simon & Schuster), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available September 17 via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.orgHillary Rodham Clinton (Official site)Exhibit: "Changing the Face of Democracy: Shirley Chisholm at 100" at the Museum of the City of New York (through July 20, 2025)

     
PASSAGE: In memoriam (Video)
"Sunday Morning" remembers some of the notable figures who recently left us, including renowned stage and film actor James Earl Jones, who appeared on screen in "Field of Dreams," and "off screen" as the voice of Darth Vader in "Star Wars."

MUSIC: The return of LL COOL J, the rapper | Watch Video
As a teenager LL COOL J was the first artist signed to the Def Jam label, becoming one of the first major hip-hop stars, with hits like "Going Back to Cali" and "Mama Said Knock You Out." He turned to acting, starring for 14 seasons on "NCIS: Los Angeles." Now 56, he's returned to the thing he loves most – rapping – with his first album in more than a decade, "The FORCE." He talks with "Sunday Morning" contributor Kelefa Sanneh about the origins of his career, and the magic of making a hip-hop record.

You can stream the LL COOL J album "The Force" by clicking on the embed below (Free Spotify registration required to hear the tracks in full):

For more info:

llcoolj.com (Official site)"The FORCE" by LL COOL J

DESIGN: New methods, building designs aim to cut down on bird strikes (Video)
According to experts, up to a billion birds die every year from flying into buildings and skyscrapers – distracted by lights or reflections, or unaware of the hazards posed by glass. But some architects are using new bird-friendly glass in their construction, while public-awareness campaigns are having a dramatic effect on creating safer environments for migrating birds. Correspondent David Pogue reports.

For more info:

Ornithologist Andrew Farnsworth, Cornell Lab of OrnithologyFXCollaborative Architects

BOOKS: Connie Chung's secrets to her success | Watch Video
Veteran CBS journalist Connie Chung broke down barriers in TV news to become the first Asian woman to co-anchor a nightly network news program. She reflects on her four-decade career in a new memoir, "Connie," and sits down at her home in Montana with "Sunday Morning" anchor Jane Pauley, to talk about fighting sexism and racism in what she called "a sea of men," and the lengths she would go to, to land the big interviews.

READ AN EXCERPT: "Connie: A Memoir" by Connie Chung

For more info:

"Connie: A Memoir" by Connie Chung (Grand Central Publishing), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available September 17 via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org

Former
Former

MOVIES: "Will & Harper": Will Ferrell embarks on a unique road trip with his best friend | Watch Video
Comedy legend Will Ferrell and former "Saturday Night Live" head writer Harper Steele had been buddies since the mid-1990s. Two years ago, Steele sent an email announcing that she had transitioned to a woman. How the two approached the changing dynamics of their friendship became the basis of a new Netflix documentary, "Will & Harper," in which the two embark on a cross-country road trip – 17 days of laughter, tears and beer. Correspondent Tracy Smith talks with Ferrell and Steele about their adventure and what they learned about themselves, and the nation they navigated.

To watch a trailer for "Will & Harper" click on the video player below:

For more info:

"Will & Harper," now playing in theaters, and streaming on Netflix beginning September 27

    
FLASHBACK: Meryl Streep (Video)
Twenty-six years ago, CBS News' Harry Smith interviewed actress Meryl Streep, asking her the secret to her uncanny ability to inhabit every role she takes.

WATCH THE FULL 1998 INTERVIEW HERE (YouTube)

     
NATURE: Wildflowers of New York State (Extended Video)
We leave you this Sunday among wildflowers at the Buttercup Farm Audubon Sanctuary in the Hudson Valley of New York State. Videographer: Elijah Bhagat.

      

WEB EXCLUSIVE:

FROM THE ARCHIVES: James Earl Jones (YouTube Video)
Acclaimed actor James Earl Jones, renowned as a Tony-winning stage presence, film star, and voice of Darth Vader, died on September 9, 2024 at age 93. In this "Sunday Morning" profile that originally aired March 16, 2008, Jones talked with correspondent Michelle Miller about overcoming his childhood stutter; described how he "got lucky" with his voiceover job for George Lucas' "Star Wars," and how he voiced a "dopey dad" in "The Lion King"; and discussed his return to Broadway as Big Daddy in Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

FROM THE ARCHIVES: The SS United States (YouTube Video)
On Friday, September 13, 2024, a federal judge agreed to mediation in a years-long rent dispute case involving the SS United States Conservancy, a group that has sought to preserve the fabled ocean liner. The ship may be destined to be sunk to become an artificial reef in Florida. Watch Mark Strassmann's Feb. 17, 2013 "Sunday Morning" report about the glamorous history of the ship – longer than the Titanic, faster than any ocean liner, ever – and how it came to inhabit a berth in Philadelphia.

GALLERY: Summer music heats up 2024
Live performances are in full swing this summer. Scroll through our concert gallery, featuring pictures 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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"Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.) 

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

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