This Week On “Sunday Morning” (April 7)

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

     
COVER STORY: Flash: Menopause is no longer stigmatized
It’s a topic that for generations was just whispered about: the challenges for women undergoing “the change.” But today more and more women are speaking openly about the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, the treatments, and the lingering stigma. Correspondent Tracy Smith talks with experts about the pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy, and the difficulties of underfunded research in women’s health. She also visits a gathering of women called Menopause Mondays; and talks with the producers of the show “Menopause: The Musical,” which takes a lighthearted look at the challenges of the change, from hot flashes to weight gain.

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ALMANAC: April 7
“Sunday Morning” looks back at historical events on this date.
      

U.S.: Stumpy, the Washington, D.C. Tidal Basin’s “celebri-tree”
A homely, hollowed-out husk of a cherry tree in Washington, D.C., is not the prettiest or the healthiest. Still, tourists and locals alike can’t get enough of “Stumpy.” Correspondent Faith Salie pays tribute to an underdog of a tree that one photographer calls “so ugly, it’s beautiful.”

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HISTORY: Captain James Cook and the controversial legacy of Western exploration
The British explorer Captain James Cook, who sailed the uncharted Pacific Ocean in the 1700s, created detailed maps of places he was the first European to visit, including New Zealand, Australia, the Cook Islands (which still bear his name), and the islands of Hawai’i. But Cook’s legacy – initiating a period of colonization that obscured the histories of Native Islanders – is being reexamined today. Correspondent Ben Tracy looks back on Cook’s voyages and imperial ambitions with historian Hampton Sides, author of a new book, “The Wide Wide Sea.” He also visits the Big Island of Hawai’i, and talks with native islanders about efforts to teach the “true history” of Pacific island cultures. 

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MOVIES: An America fighting itself in “Civil War”: “It’s a warning”
“Civil War,” the latest film by writer-director Alex Garland (“Ex Machina”), imagines an America divided, in which rebel forces from breakaway states try to depose an autocratic president. Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz talks with Garland about the hot-button film, told through the eyes of journalists covering a domestic war. Stars Kirsten Dunst, Nick Offerman, Wagner Moura and Caylee Spaeny also discuss what the movie says about a polarized America today, and whether the collapse of democracy could happen here.

To watch a trailer for “Civil War,” 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.

       
U.S.: “Stolen” benefits for foster youth: How a loophole affects the most vulnerable children
In many states, young people in foster care who are entitled to survivor and disability benefits are having those benefits taken by state agencies that apply for the benefits themselves without giving notice to the child or his or her relatives. More than 25,000 children nationwide are affected by this practice. “48 Hours” correspondent Erin Moriarty talks with young people who were denied tens of thousands of dollars; and with experts and officials trying to correct a situation which, though not illegal, is depriving those in foster care of their rightful benefits.

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HARTMAN: TBD
       

STAGE: “The Wiz” eases on down to Broadway
The ’70s Tony Award-winning musical “The Wiz,” a soulful retelling of L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” is back on Broadway. Contributor Kelefa Sanneh talks with members of the cast (including Wayne Brady, who is stepping into the shoes of the Wiz), and with director Schele Williams and writer Amber Ruffin, who are revising the show for today’s audience.

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ASTRONOMY: The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse: What to expect, from the awe-inspiring to the “very strange”
On Monday, April 8, a rare total eclipse of the sun will be viewable across a swath of 13 states. Correspondent David Pogue talks with amateur astronomer Ed Ting about what to expect during the minutes of totality; and with Cari White, chairman of the Eclipse Oversight Committee for Jonesboro, Arkansas, where the town is expecting to temporarily double in size due to eclipse tourism traffic.

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MILEPOST

     
NATURE: TBD

WEB EXCLUSIVES:

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Writers on writing IV (YouTube Video)
Enjoy a look back at “Sunday Morning” conversations with some of the most celebrated writers of our time. Featured: From 1994, Patrick O’Brian talks with David Culhane about his series of Napoleonic-era naval adventures featuring Captain Jack Aubrey; from 1997, “The Color Purple” author Alice Walker talks about literature and activism with Jerry Bowen; from 1979, William Styron discusses the writing of “Sophie’s Choice” with Heywood Hale Broun; from 1995, Barbara Kingsolver talks about her novels, and her collection of essays, “High Tide In Tucson,” with Anthony Mason; from 1990, Bill Geist joins counter-culture author Ken Kesey and some Merry Pranksters aboard a replica of the celebrated “magic bus” of the 1960s; and from 2010, Serena Altschul visits fantasy and comic author Neil Gaiman for a conversation about his novel “Coraline,” recently made into an Oscar-nominated animated film.

EXTENDED INTERVIEW: Steve Martin and director Morgan Neville (YouTube Video)
Comedian Steve Martin’s career has spanned standup, TV, albums, movies, novels, music, plays – and now, a documentary film, “STEVE (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces.” In this extended interview, correspondent Tracy Smith sat down with Martin and the film’s director, Morgan Neville, to talk about what Martin learned doing standup, and what his father thought about his line of work; making a documentary and the difficulties of looking back on one’s career; and how Martin’s current live shows with Martin Short continue to evolve.    

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 12:00 p.m. ET. (Download it here.) 

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