This week on "Sunday Morning" (March 16)
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 MARCH 16 BROADCAST!
COVER STORY: Government expert on Elon Musk and DOGE's "slash-and-burn exercise" | Watch Video
In the opening weeks of the Trump administration, drama has been in high gear, thanks in part to Trump campaign funder and government disrupter Elon Musk, who has moved to quickly eliminate thousands of federal jobs and shutter entire programs and agencies, using tactics that have raised questions about transparency. "Sunday Morning" national correspondent Robert Costa talks with Katie Drummond, of Wired, which has investigated Musk's and the broader tech industry's efforts to exert power within the U.S. government; Elaine Kamarck, who headed the Clinton administration's efforts to "reinvent" government and cut regulations; and former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who supports the speed and scope of Musk's efforts.
For more info:
- Wired
- "The United States of Elon Musk Inc." (Wired Magazine)
- Elaine Kamarck, founding director, Center for Effective Public Management, Brookings Institution
- Newt Gingrich (gingrich360.com)
ALMANAC: March 16 (Video)
"Sunday Morning" looks back at historical events on this date.
WORLD: The enduring glow of London's historic gas lights (Video)
London's gas lamps, which have cast their glow on the city for more than 200 years, have been nearly extinguished by the prevalence of cleaner, more efficient and brighter light sources, like LEDs. Correspondent Seth Doane talks with one of London's last lamplighters, and with gaslight enthusiasts who have fought to protect these historic fixtures.
For more info:
GARDENING: Martha Stewart on seed starting (Video)
In preparation for spring planting time, Martha Stewart, author of "Martha Stewart's Gardening Handbook," offers "Sunday Morning" viewers tips on how to select and start the seeds for your vegetable garden.
READ AN EXCERPT: "Martha Stewart's Gardening Handbook"
For more info
- "Martha Stewart's Gardening Handbook: The Essential Guide to Designing, Planting, and Growing" by Martha Stewart (Harvest), in Hardcover and eBook formats, available March 18 via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org
- marthastewart.com
EDUCATION: Restoring classic cars in the classroom (Video)
McPherson College, about an hour north of Wichita, Kansas, is home to the nation's first, and only, four-year automotive restoration program. There, car-crazy students restoring classic vehicles (from a 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300S Cabriolet, to a 1965 Porsche 356C) learn to become mechanics and detectives, artists and historians. Correspondent Lee Cowan reports.
For more info:
- Automotive Restoration Program, McPherson College
- The Amelia Concours d`Elegance, Amelia Island, Fla.
PASSAGE: In memoriam (Video)
"Sunday Morning" remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Overcoming division: The friendship of Norman Mineta and Alan Simpson
Former Republican Senator Alan Simpson, of Wyoming, has died at the age of 93. In this 2018 "Sunday Morning" story, Lee Cowan talked with Simpson and with Democratic Congressman Norman Mineta, whose friendship began when both were Boy Scouts, separated by the barbed-wire fence of a World War II Japanese-American internment camp.
U.S.: How DOGE cuts are jeopardizing our national parks, "America's best idea" | Watch Video
As part of the Trump administration's effort to shrink the size of the federal workforce, approximately 1,000 employees have been laid off by the National Park Service. In the weeks since, protests have erupted at many of the 433 units of the park system, from Acadia to Zion. Correspondent Conor Knighton visits Grand Canyon National Park, and talks with rangers and park employees about how the cuts will impact the public; and with a "Resistance Ranger," one of hundreds of employees tracking the cuts and speaking out on behalf of their fired coworkers.
For more info:
- Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (National Park Service)
- Grand Canyon Conservancy
- "Resistance Rangers" on Instagram
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona/Utah (National Park Service)
HARTMAN: Alabama community turns out to support bullied autistic boy (Video)
When 10-year-old Hunter Blankenship, of Clanton, Alabama, was bullied over his rainbow glasses, he was nearly driven to self-harm. But the car-loving autistic boy instead received an outpouring of love from the community, when car buffs were asked to share their automotive enthusiasm with Hunter – and hundreds answered the call. Steve Hartman reports.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.
For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@nami.org.
BROADWAY: Sarah Snook on "The Picture of Dorian Gray" | Watch Video
Sarah Snook, the Emmy-winning star of "Succession," earned an Olivier Award for playing multiple characters in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" in London. And now, she's bringing her chameleonic performance to Broadway. The Australian actress talks with correspondent Faith Salie about capturing the horror, humor and humanity of the characters in Oscar Wilde's original story; why she was most attracted to Disney villains growing up; and how acting with a camera crew as part of the show's mix of illuminating projections and live performance is like dancing on the Broadway stage.
EXTENDED INTERVIEW: Sarah Snook (Video)
In this web exclusive, the Emmy Award-winning star of "Succession," Sarah Snook, talks with correspondent Faith Salie about returning to her many roles in "The Picture of Dorian Gray," a technologically ambitious adaptation of the Oscar Wilde novel, as the production moves to Broadway. She also talks about how she was drawn to acting, and working with Kieran Culkin in HBO's "Succession."
To watch a trailer for "The Picture of Dorian Gray" click on the video player below:
For more info:
- "The Picture of Dorian Gray," at the Music Box Theatre, New York City | Ticket info
SCIENCE: Fusion energy: Unlocking the power of the stars | Watch Video
Scientists are conducting experiments to generate clean energy through fusion, the same sub-atomic reaction that powers our Sun, with the aim of constructing plants that produce more energy than they consume. Correspondent Ben Tracy visits the National Ignition Facility, in Livermore, Calif., where the largest laser ever built is used as part of the process; and Commonwealth Fusion Systems in Massachusetts, where super-heated plasma burns around 180 million degrees Fahrenheit.
For more info:
- Fusion Energy Initiative, National Ignition Facility, Livermore, Calif.
- Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Devens, Mass.
COMMENTARY: Adm. William McRaven and Kelly Marie McRaven on the power of storytelling | Watch Video
The retired Navy four-star admiral and his daughter, who have co-authored the children's book "Be a Hero with Skipper the Seal," discuss a family tradition of telling stories – and the lessons that they teach.
For more info:
- "Be a Hero with Skipper the Seal" by Admiral William H. McRaven (Ret.) and Kelly Marie McRaven, illustrated by Howard McWilliam (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available March 18 via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org
NATURE: Yosemite Valley (Extended Video)
We leave you this Sunday morning with signs that spring is coming, at Yosemite Valley in California. Videographer: Scot Miller.
WEB EXCLUSIVES:
FROM THE ARCHIVES: The Forgotten Pandemic - Lessons from 1918 (YouTube Video)
Two years into the coronavirus pandemic, correspondent Martha Teichner looked at the cost, in lives, of ignoring history, with a look back on the Spanish influenza pandemic, which killed 675,000 Americans a century earlier, often referred to as the "forgotten flu." Also forgotten: the lessons it might have taught us for how to deal with COVID-19.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: The real-life "80 for Brady" fans
Elaine St. Martin, who died earlier this month at age 97, was part of a group of fans devoted to NFL quarterback Tom Brady called "Over 80 for Brady," whose passion for the game inspired a film about football and friendship.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Buena Vista Social Club on its U.S. tour (YouTube Video)
After years of obscurity, the Cuban musicians who recorded 1997's "Buena Vista Social Club" became a worldwide phenomenon. Their album won a Grammy, and enabled them to perform worldwide. But their music – while seeming to cross the barriers of U.S.-Cuba politics – also enflamed passions among anti-Castro exiles in America, then in the midst of a tug-of-war over young Elián González. In this "Sunday Morning" report that aired March 5, 2000, correspondent Martha Teichner talked with "Buena Vista Social Club" singers Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo and pianist Ruben Gonzalez (then on their third tour of the United States); Miami club owner Debbie Ohanian; anti-Castro lawyer Nick Gutierrez; and Cuba expert Pamela Falk, about the intersection of art and politics.
GALLERY: Notable deaths in 2025
A look back at the esteemed personalities who left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.
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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