This week on "Sunday Morning" (July 13)
Guest host: Norah O'Donnell
COVER STORY: Genetic genealogy: Building the family tree of a serial killer | Watch VideoRetiree Barbara Rae-Venter never anticipated that her hobby of researching her family tree would lead to the capture of one of the most notorious criminals in California, the Golden State Killer. A pioneer in the use of genetic genealogy, Rae-Venter has since become an important partner for investigators seeking to solve cold cases. "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty reports.
For more info:
"I Know Who You Are: How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever" by Barbara Rae-Venter (Ballantine Books), in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.orgBarbara Rae Venter, Firebird Forensics
ALMANAC: July 13 (Video)"Sunday Morning" looks back at historical events on this date.
GAMES: Candy Land, the game that still hits a sweet spot (Video)For the last 75 years, generations have taken turns weaving through a rainbow road, surrounded by all things candy. Correspondent Faith Salie looks at the enduring appeal of Candy Land, and talks with authors Sandra A. Miller and Margaret Muirhead about the origin of the board game, which was invented by Eleanor Abbott to help alleviate the suffering of young polio patients.
For more info:
Candy Land (Hasbro)sandraamiller.commargaretmuirhead.com
ARTS: Joop Sanders, last of the original Abstract Expressionists | Watch VideoThe Dutch-American painter Joop Sanders was the last surviving member of the Abstract Expressionist movement when he died in 2023 at the age of 101. Now, his granddaughter Isca Greenfield-Sanders has curated a retrospective in New York City that brings light to the artist's work. Correspondent Serena Altschul reports.
For more info:
"Joop Sanders: The Last Abstract Expressionist," at the Milton Resnick and Pat Passlof Foundation, New York City (through July 19)joopsanders.comIsca Greenfield-Sanders
TV: Richard Kind is quite happy being just a little famous | Watch VideoYou may not know his name, but there's a good chance you've seen Richard Kind – on TV, in films or on Broadway. CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook finds out how the Tony-nominated actor (recognizable from shows like "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Only Murders in the Building") measures success, and goes behind-the-scenes of the Netflix show, "Everybody's Live with John Mulaney," where Kind serves as announcer and sidekick.
EXTENDED INTERVIEW: Richard Kind (Video)
For more info:
realrichardkind.com"Everybody's Live with John Mulaney" (Netflix)The Second City, Chicago Citi Field, New York City
PASSAGE: In memoriam (Video)"Sunday Morning" remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week.
AGRICULTURE: The secret to a successful cherry crop? Helicopters (Video)Central Washington's long, sunny summer days and cool evenings make the region ideal for growing sweet cherries. But summer rainfall can cause cherries to become waterlogged and rupture. To protect their crops, farmers use an unusual method to blow-dry their cherry trees: helicopters. Correspondent Conor Knighton reports on a fruitful alliance of agriculture and aviation.
For more info:
Cherries from Stemilt Growers, Wenatchee, Wash.North Wind Aviation, Chelan, Wash.
Thanks to:
Professor Clive Kaiser, Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Sciences, Lincoln University"Understanding and Preventing Sweet Cherry Fruit Cracking" (Oregon State University)
HARTMAN: Student's unique talent that's for the birds (Video)Eleven-year-old Samuel Henderson, of Choctaw, Oklahoma, wanted to compete in a school talent show, but no student from special education had ever participated. Yet, he had a unique talent that he wanted to share: He can perfectly imitate about 50 birds. Steve Hartman reports.
MUSIC: Billie Eilish on what she's found "liberating" | Watch VideoSinger-songwriter Billie Eilish is just beginning to know herself. With her latest album, "Hit Me Hard and Soft," and her current tour (her first without brother Finneas and her parents), the music superstar is discovering parts of herself she didn't know were there. She describes to correspondent Anthony Mason finding a new voice as a songwriter, and about stretching her singing after starting vocal lessons. (This story was originally broadcast Dec. 8, 2024.)
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Extended interview – Billie Eilish (Video)In this web exclusive, Anthony Mason sits down with music superstar Billie Eilish to talk about performing on her "Hit Me Hard and Soft" tour (her first without brother Finneas). She also discusses welcoming the label of "songwriter"; what she learned from writing the "Barbie" song "What Was I Made For?"; the perceived criticisms of her singing voice and the liberation she discovered after starting vocal lessons; and the power that she says comes from expressing vulnerability in her art.
You can stream the Billie Eilish album "Hit Me Hard and Soft" by clicking on the embed below (Free Spotify registration required to hear the tracks in full):
For more info:
billieeilish.com (Official site) | Tour info
THESE UNITED STATES: The Louisiana Purchase (Video)Correspondent Lee Cowan reports on a moment in American history that changed our nation like no other before or since.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Charles Kuralt on the Louisiana Purchase (Video)President Thomas Jefferson's acquisition of more than 800,000 square miles of land from France in 1803 was a remarkable chapter in American history, all the more fascinating for it being so unexpected – and so cheap. CBS News' Charles Kuralt tells the story, and does so in a bizarrely appropriate location: the middle of an Arkansas swamp. (Originally broadcast Feb. 13, 1976.)
CRIME: The hunt for sexual predator John Doe #147 | Watch VideoIn 1997, a nine-year-old Ohio boy was sexually assaulted, but his assailant could not be found. Using genetic genealogy, a recent tool for tracing family histories through DNA, Cuyahoga County prosecutors, aided by researcher Barbara Rae-Venter, were able to solve the nearly-three-decade-long crime. "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty reports.
For more info:
"I Know Who You Are: How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever" by Barbara Rae-Venter (Ballantine Books), in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and bookshop.orgBarbara Rae Venter, Firebird ForensicsCuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, Special Investigations G.O.L.D. Unit
BOOKS: New York Times bestseller lists (Video)Check out this week's top-selling titles on The New York Times fiction and non-fiction lists.
NATURE: Pumas in Patagonia
WEB EXCLUSIVES:
EXTENDED INTERVIEW: Richard Dreyfuss on filming "Jaws" (YouTube Video)In this web exclusive, actor Richard Dreyfuss talks with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz about fighting for the role that would launch his career into the stratosphere: the shark expert Matt Hooper in Steven Spielberg's "Jaws." He also discusses the notoriously problem-plagued production; his awe of co-star Robert Shaw; and the most valuable lesson he learned during the film's 159-day shoot on Martha's Vineyard.
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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