This week on "Sunday Morning" (May 16)

CBSNews

May 13, 2021 at 5:59 PM·5 min read

Host: Jane Pauley

Last year the Pentagon released an official U.S. Navy video, taken from a fighter jet from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, of a 2015 UFO encounter off the Florida coast. / Credit: Department of Defense

COVER STORY: UFO studies and the possibility of alien origin | Watch VideoOur fascination with aliens has also led us to speculate about unidentified flying objects – unexplained airborne phenomena – that might be of extraterrestrial origin. Correspondent David Pogue reports on how, as the scientific community continues to question the legitimacy of possible alien visitations, the government's attention toward UFOs has become more serious.

For more info:

SETI Institute Big Picture Science (SETI)Follow Seth Shostak on Twitter "UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record" by Leslie Kean (Three Rivers Press), in Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon and Indiebound Avi Loeb, Department of Astronomy, Harvard University "Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth" by Avi Loeb (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), in Hardcover, Trade Paperback and eBook formats, available via Amazon and Indiebound Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (Dept. of Defense press release)

HEADLINES: Rocket fire, bombings in Gaza intensify (Video)Israeli bombings and Hamas rocket fire continued overnight, following an intense day which saw a 15-story building in the heart of Gaza reduced to rubble by Israeli fighter jets. Correspondent Imtiaz Tyab reports from Tel Aviv.

Silver Charm won the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, and came in second in the Belmont Stakes and the 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic, before retiring to Old Friends in Kentucky. / Credit: CBS News

EQUINE: A Kentucky home for retired racehorses | Watch VideoSince 2003, the non-profit Old Friends has provided a retirement home for thoroughbred racehorses, from the sport's champions to the less-heralded. Correspondent Mo Rocca travels to Georgetown, Ky., to meet founder Michael Blowen, a former film critic whose love of horses drew him to gamble on a new vocation, which is paying out in unexpected ways.

For more info:

Old Friends Farm, Georgetown, Ky. | Public tour information Donate Old Friends at Cabin Creek, Greenfield Center, N.Y.Bryan Waldridge, DVMChris McCarron on Twitter and Facebook

GOVERNMENT: Behind the Secret Service's veil of secrecy | Watch VideoSince the assassination of JFK, the United States Secret Service has stepped up its mission to protect the president and others. But as outlined in a new book, "Zero Fail," the USSS is an agency reluctant to examine its operational failures which, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carol Leonnig says, jeopardizes the Secret Service's mission. Correspondent Jim Axelrod talks with Leonnig; former agent Jonathan Wackrow, who served 14 years with the Secret Service; and former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, about the challenges facing the Service, including a major one: transparency.

READ AN EXCERPT: Carol Leonnig's "Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service"

FROM THE ARCHIVE: The Secret Service under fire (7/5/15)

For more info:

United States Secret Service "Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service" by Carol Leonnig (Random House), in Hardcover, Large Print Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available May 18 via Amazon and Indiebound

PASSAGE: Remembering Norman Lloyd | Watch VideoThe veteran of the Hitchcock spy thriller "Saboteur" and the '80s TV series "St. Elsewhere" died this week at the age of 106.

Brood X Cicadas are making their 17-year comeback. / Credit: CBS News

SCIENCE: The return of the cicadas | Watch VideoPeriodical cicadas, identified as Brood X, are back, providing us with a once-every-17-years opportunity to witness a remarkable natural phenomenon, as these insects emerge and breed, while producing sounds as loud as a jet engine. Correspondent Chip Reid talks with entomologists about the cicadas' cycle, and how their protein can satiate the appetites of predators (and cookie lovers).

RECIPE: Cicada cookies

For more info:

Mike Raupp, University of Maryland Paula Shrewsbury, University of Maryland Hidden Oaks Nature Center, Annandale, Va. Brood X Periodical Cicadas FAQ (National Park Service)cicadamania.com

HARTMAN: Sign wars heat up (Video)Everyone was getting along just fine in Christiansburg, Va., until Jim Bohon, who manages the Bridge Kaldro music store, fired the first salvo in what rapidly devolved into a war of signage – taunting neighboring businesses with funny and punny street signs. Over the past several months, the war has gone viral on social media, and skirmishes are flaring up as far away as Ontario, Canada. Sign war correspondent Steve Hartman reports.

TELEVISION: Ewan McGregor on recreating the life, and obsessions, of "Halston" | Watch VideoThe actor who rose to fame with "Trainspotting" and wielded a light saber as Obi-Wan Kenobi, is now starring as a '70s icon, fashion designer Halston, in a new Netflix series. Correspondent Tracy Smith talks with Ewan McGregor about how he prepared for the role; his familiarity with his character's addiction; and about returning to the "Star Wars" universe in a new TV series.

To watch a trailer for the Netflix series "Halston" click on the video player below:

For more info:

"Halston" debuts on Netflix Friday, May 14

JUSTICE: The unapologetic Ben Crump | Watch VideoThe civil rights lawyer who has sought justice for victims of police brutality and civil rights abuses talks with "Sunday Morning" special contributor Ted Koppel about his pursuit of liberty and justice against what he calls "legalized genocide," and his battle against the "enemies of equality."

For more info:

bencrump.com

"Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People" by Ben Crump (Amistad), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon and Indiebound | Read a sample

A redwood forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains. / Credit: Derek Reich/CBS News

NATURE: Santa Cruz Mountains (Extended Video)"Sunday Morning" takes us to California's Santa Cruz Mountains, where a Redwood forest scarred by fire shows signs of rebirth. Videographer: Derek Reich.

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

Dozens killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza City as bombardment intensifies

Open: This is "Face the Nation," May 16

Nature: Santa Cruz Mountains

Reuters
UAE reports illness linked to contaminated water after floods
A small number of people in the United Arab Emirates have shown symptoms associated with contaminated water after heavy rains and floods, the health ministry said. There have been "a very limited number of cases that showed some symptoms of being affected by the mixed water" and they received hospital treatment, the ministry said. It did not say what the water had been contaminated with.
6m ago
Associated Press
Colleges nationwide turn to police to quell pro-Palestine protests as commencement ceremonies near
With graduations looming, student protesters doubled down early Thursday on their discontent of the Israel-Hamas war on campuses across the country as universities, including ones in California and Texas, have become quick to call in the police to end the demonstrations and make arrests. While grappling with growing protests from coast to coast, schools have the added pressure of May commencement ceremonies. At Columbia University in New York, students defiantly erected an encampment where many are set to graduate in front of families in just a few weeks.
22m ago
AFP
The Myanmar 'water brothers' salvaging shipwrecks on the tide
Diving into the darkness of the Yangon River, Than Nyunt starts another murky sortie in his months-long mission to salvage a sunken ship using the power of the moon.He says he has salvaged around 40 ships, from cargo boats to passenger ferries, since he started diving over four decades ago.
41m ago
TODAY
Where is Jennifer Pan's ex-boyfriend, Daniel Wong, now?
Netflix documentary “What Jennifer Did” explores the story behind a young Canadian woman, Jennifer Pan, who is accused of planning to kill her parents in a murder-for-hire plot.
45m ago
Associated Press
Stock market today: Asian benchmarks mostly slide as investors focus on earnings
Asian shares mostly declined Thursday as investors awaited a flood of global earnings reports, including updates from U.S. tech companies known as the “Magnificent Seven.” Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slid 2.1% to 37,670.50. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained nearly 0.1% to 17,215.51, while the Shanghai Composite was virtually unchanged at 3,044.41.
1h ago
AFP
Taiwan president-elect names cabinet ahead of inauguration
Taiwanese president-elect Lai Ching-te named his cabinet and security team appointees on Thursday as he prepares to take office next month.Lai named security council head Wellington Koo as his new defence minister, replacing Chiu Kuo-cheng.
1h ago
AFP
Heatstroke kills 30 in Thailand this year as kingdom bakes
Thailand issued fresh warnings about scorching hot weather on Thursday as the government said heatstroke has already killed at least 30 people this year.The health ministry said late Wednesday that 30 people had died from heatstroke between January 1 and April 17, compared with 37 in the whole of 2023.
2h ago
AFP
US Supreme Court to hear Trump immunity claim
The US Supreme Court will hear arguments Thursday on whether Donald Trump, as a former president, should be immune from criminal prosecution for acts he committed while in office.Two lower courts flatly rejected that argument but the Supreme Court agreed in February to hear the case.
2h ago
Associated Press
UN report says 282 million people faced acute hunger in 2023, with the worst famine in Gaza
Nearly 282 million people in 59 countries suffered from acute hunger in 2023, with war-torn Gaza as the territory with the largest number of people facing famine, according to the Global Report on Food Crises released Wednesday. The U.N. report said 24 million more people faced an acute lack of food than in 2022, due to the sharp deterioration in food security, especially in the Gaza Strip and Sudan.
2h ago
AFP
Philippine court blocks GMO 'golden rice' production over safety fears
A Philippine court has blocked the commercial propagation of genetically modified golden rice because it said conflicting scientific views gave rise to "severe" health and environmental safety concerns."By reason of the conflicting scientific views and uncertainties on the risks and effects of Golden Rice and Bt Eggplant, potential severe and grave threats to the welfare of people and the environment arise," the court said.
2h ago
Associated Press
Polish foreign minister will lay out his government's vision at historic moment with war in Ukraine
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski is to give a speech to parliament on Thursday in which he will lay out the government's vision at a historically crucial moment with war across the border in Ukraine. Sikorski will lay out the priorities of the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk as it seeks to show leadership in Europe with growing fears that Russian aggression will not stop in Ukraine. Sikorski's speech is aimed at both the world and the domestic audience in the nation of 38 million people located along a geopolitical fault line.
2h ago
CNN
Trump can’t be in two places at once in double courtroom drama
For most people, sitting in court at their own criminal trial would represent a defining moment of their life.
2h ago
Time
In China, Blinken Tries to Fix the Unfixable
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has put on a friendly face during his visit to Shanghai, but the Washington-Beijing relationship remains broken.
2h ago
Reuters
North Macedonia's opposition rightist leads ahead of May 8 presidential poll runoff
North Macedonian presidential candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova held a big lead over incumbent Stevo Pendarovski with votes counted from 99.03% of polling stations on Thursday, but both were short of the 50% backing needed to win outright. Siljanovska-Davkova of the rightist VMRO-DPMNE had 40.08% of votes while pro-European Pendarovski, who has the support of the Social Democratic party, stood at 19.93%, the State Election Commission said.
2h ago
Reuters
Exclusive-China harbors ship tied to North Korea-Russia arms transfers, satellite images show
China is providing moorage for a U.S.-sanctioned Russian cargo ship implicated in North Korean arms transfers to Russia, according to satellite images obtained by Reuters, as U.S. concerns grow over Beijing's support for Moscow's war in Ukraine. Britain's Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank said the Russian vessel Angara, which since August 2023 has moved to Russian ports thousands of containers believed to contain North Korean munitions, has been anchored at a Chinese shipyard in eastern Zhejiang province since February.
2h ago
Associated Press
Climate change is bringing malaria to new areas. In Africa, it never left
When a small number of cases of locally transmitted malaria were found in the United States last year, it was a reminder that climate change is reviving or migrating the threat of some diseases. Take Funmilayo Kotun, a 66-year-old resident of Makoko, an informal neighborhood in Nigeria’s Lagos city. Its ponds of dirty water provide favorable breeding conditions for malaria-spreading mosquitoes.
2h ago
Reuters
US Supreme Court weighs Trump's bid for immunity from prosecution
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday confronts a major test of the power of the presidency in arguments over Donald Trump's bid for immunity from prosecution for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat. The justices at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) will hear Trump's appeal after lower courts rejected his request to be shielded from four election-related criminal charges on the grounds that he was serving as president when he took the actions that led to the indictment obtained by Special Counsel Jack Smith. Trump, the Republican candidate challenging Democratic President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 election, is the first former U.S. president to be criminally prosecuted.
2h ago
Reuters
Russian programmers play 'cat and mouse' game to outsmart censors
When Antony Rudkovsky was about 15, he began to teach himself how to build virtual private networks (VPNs) to access Internet content unavailable in Russia. At first, the young programmer just wanted to listen to music on the Spotify streaming app in his bedroom in Nizhny Novgorod, a city roughly 270 miles (430 km) east of Moscow. Three years later, Rudkovsky, now 18, snagged $1,200 – the biggest share of the prize money – at a competition last month organised by a civil society group to design a VPN to evade Russia's censors.
2h ago
Associated Press
Malaria is still killing people in Kenya, but a vaccine and local drug production may help
As the coffin bearing the body of Rosebella Awuor was lowered into the grave, heart-wrenching sobs from mourners filled the air. It was the latest of five deaths in this family attributed to malaria. The disease is common in Kenya, and it is preventable and curable, but poverty makes it deadly for those who can't afford treatment.
2h ago
AFP
Car giants vie for EV crown at Beijing's Auto China show
Chinese car giants locked in a cut-throat price war descended on the capital for the start of the Auto China show Thursday, vying to draw consumers and headlines in the world's biggest electric vehicle market and abroad.Beijing's Auto China show, which lasts until May 4, sees dozens of firms square off in a bid to draw customers at one of the country's biggest car shows.
2h ago

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