This week on "Sunday Morning" (August 7)

Host: Jane Pauley

WATCH THE FULL AUGUST 7 EPISODE!

COVER STORY: Due to climate change, Nevada says goodbye to grass | Watch Video
In a state where every drop of water counts, ornamental grass – which accounts for a large percentage of outdoor water use – has been banned in Southern Nevada. Correspondent Tracy Smith talks with climate and water experts about the steps being taken (or not) to address rising temperatures; and with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson about the lack of urgency he says is hampering humanity's ability to counter this existential threat to our planet. 

For more info:

• Las Vegas Valley Water District
• Southern Nevada Water Authority
• Climate scientist Peter Kalmus
• United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• Neil deGrasse Tyson (Hayden Planetarium)
• "Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization" by Neil deGrasse Tyson (Henry Holt and Co.), available in September 2022 via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Indiebound
• Climate Ad Project
  

      
WORLD: How one Afghan family escaped the Taliban | Watch Video
When Afghanistan fell to the Taliban last year, Afghans who had helped the U.S. during the war were targeted for retaliation. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin talks with Elliot Ackerman, author of "The Fifth Act: America's End in Afghanistan," who became part of a digital network of veterans working to get Afghans out, about their efforts to help one Afghan and his family to safety.

READ AN EXCERPT: "The Fifth Act," on one American's role in Afghanistan

For more info:

• "The Fifth Act: America's End in Afghanistan" by Elliot Ackerman (Penguin Press), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available August 9 via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Indiebound | Author tour info

GARDENING: Nurturing the magic of hydrangeas (Video)
The big, bountiful blooms known as hydrangeas are abundant on Cape Cod, and available in hundreds of varieties. Correspondent Mo Rocca tiptoes through the hydrangeas, and talks with aficionados to learn the secrets to growing these showy summer shrubs. (This story was originally broadcast August 8, 2021.)

For more info:

• Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival (Chamber of Commerce) (July 14-23, 2023)
• gardenlady.com (C.L. Fornari)
• Chatham Bars Inn, Chatham, Mass.
• Heritage Museums and Gardens, Sandwich, Mass.
• Mal the Hydrangea Guy

BOOKS: Michael Mann on the prequel/sequel novel "Heat 2," and going deep on the life of cities | Watch Video
Michael Mann, the director behind such films as the acclaimed Los Angeles heist drama "Heat" and the upcoming "Ferrari" (now in production in Italy), talks with correspondent Seth Doane about his fascination with cities, and his new novel, "Heat 2," a prequel/sequel that translates his cinematic obsessions to the printed page.

READ AN EXCERPT: "Heat 2" by Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner

For more info:

• "Heat 2" by Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner (William Morrow), in Hardcover, Large Print Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available August 9 via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Indiebound
• Follow @MichaelMann on Twitter
• meggardiner.com

    
PASSAGE: In memoriam (Video)
"Sunday Morning" remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week, including legendary sports broadcaster Vin Scully.

GALLERY: Notable Deaths in 2022

SPORTS: Picking up pickleball | Watch Video
In the summer of 1965, seeking to keep their bored kids entertained, some dads on Bainbridge Island, Washington, invented a game using a plastic ball, some wood, and a badminton court. "Pickleball" was born. It has since become the fastest-growing sport in America, with nearly five million people now playing the game. Correspondent Luke Burbank looks at Pickleball lore, and takes a whack at playing against Pickleball Hall of Famer Jenn Lucore.

For more info:

• USA Pickleball Association
• How to Play Pickleball (pickleball.com)
• Pickleball Hall of Fame
• International Federation of Pickleball
• World Pickleball Federation

HARTMAN: A tale of lost and found (Video)
In 2006, Jason and Liz McKenry's baby – their cat, Ritz – bolted out the door of their Annapolis, Md., apartment building, and never returned. Their sliver of hope that they would see Ritz again lasted for 16 years, until an automated text message was received. Correspondent Steve Hartman reports.

MUSIC: Lionel Richie: A life written in song | Watch Video
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, lead singer of the Commodores, solo artist, and "American Idol" judge was awarded the Library of Congress' 2022 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song earlier this year. Lionel Richie talks with correspondent Kelefa Sanneh about growing up on the campus of Tuskegee University, as well as his 50-year career – from opening for Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5, to his solo success, and what the lyrics of "All Night Long" really mean. (This story was originally broadcast May 15, 2022.)

For more info:

• lionelrichie.com | Tour info
• "American Idol" (ABC)
• Gershwin Prize for Popular Song (Library of Congress)

DRINK: Moxie, Maine's homegrown soft drink | Watch Video
Created in the 1880s as Moxie Nerve Food (touted to cure everything from nervous exhaustion to loss of manhood), the soft drink is celebrated today by Mainers with a taste for something other than Coke, Pepsi or root beer. Correspondent Nancy Giles looks back at how Moxie's marketing blitz created a sensation – and a plucky dictionary entry. 

For more info:

• drinkmoxie.com
• The Moxie Festival, Lisbon, Maine
• "Moxie: Maine in a Bottle" by Jim Baumer (Down East Books), in Trade Paperback and eBook formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Indiebound

     
HEADLINES: Alex Jones judgment - The cost of lies | Watch Video
On Friday a jury in Texas decided to punish Alex Jones for his on-air rants claiming that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. CBS News legal analyst Rikki Klieman talks with correspondent Martha Teichner about the "whole world of trouble" Jones continues to face.

     
COMMENTARY: David Sedaris on Alaska, land of eagles and no neckties | Watch Video
Returning from "America's Last Frontier," the humorist says he gained an appreciation for a state where people give you things (and not just COVID). 

For more info:

• davidsedarisbooks.com
• "Happy-Go-Lucky" by David Sedaris (Little, Brown), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Indiebound

     
NATURE: Black sea bass (Extended Video)
"Sunday Morning" takes us among black sea bass in the waters of La Jolla, California. Videographer: Lance Milbrand.

     

"HERE COMES THE SUN": Gabby Giffords and artist Sean Scully
Former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords sits down with Ben Tracy to talk about her recovery after being shot at a congressional campaign event in 2011. Giffords and her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly, also discuss the new documentary, "Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down." Then, Serena Alstschl travels to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to learn about Sean Scully's masterpieces. 

The Emmy Award-winning "CBS Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Executive producer is Rand Morrison.

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