“Sunday Morning” is back for another week of wide-ranging news, and the lineup for Sept. 20 runs from a gambling warning that compares sports betting to crack cocaine to a herd of life-size buffalo puppets roaming Manhattan. The Emmy Award-winning CBS broadcast airs Sundays at 9 a.m. ET, with a stream starting at 11 a.m. ET through the CBS News app.
This week’s cover story looks at the boom in online sports gambling. Legal betting has surged to $167 billion a year since it was allowed beyond Nevada in 2018. But the show’s own reporting finds a dark side: in states where online gambling is legal, bankruptcies and credit card delinquencies go up 25%. Correspondent Jim Axelrod talks to a gambler who wagers his entire annual income and examines how betting platforms FanDuel and DraftKings interact with customers who are now the subjects of lawsuits over design.
The Numbers Behind Sports Gambling
The numbers make the warning concrete. Sports gambling was largely limited to Nevada until 2018, when the Supreme Court decision opened the door for states to legalize it. The result has been a flood of money.
The rise in bankruptcies and credit card delinquencies is the story’s central claim. The show’s reporting ties those figures directly to online gambling, not just to the numbers being placed.
Lucas Museum Opens in Los Angeles
The arts segment this week centers on a new Los Angeles institution. The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art showcases the work of illustrators who tell mythic narratives and stories of shared humanity. The museum draws from magazines, comics, fantasy stories and motion picture design.
CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell talks with the founders: George Lucas, the creator of “Star Wars,” and his wife, businesswoman Mellody Hobson. The museum opens Sept. 22.
Nvidia’s Jensen Huang on AI
The tech segment features Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang, who has been called “the most powerful man in AI.” He spoke with correspondent Jo Ling Kent at Nvidia headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., about the latest AI developments and the ongoing debate over safety and regulation.
A preview video on the show’s website features Huang’s response to a question about AI ending the world by the end of the decade. He does not believe it will.
Ari Emanuel’s Raw Memoir
Hollywood dealmaker Ari Emanuel is telling his life story in a new memoir, “Roll the Calls.” The book covers his rise from the agency mail room to executive chairman of WGE Group and executive chair and CEO of TKO. It also touches on his dyslexia, his days as a bullied kid in the suburbs of Chicago, and his role as the inspiration for Ari Gold in the HBO series “Entourage.”
The book is out Sept. 22 in Hardcover, Large Print Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org. Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz interviewed Emanuel for the show.
Peter Max and the Buffalo Parade
The show also looks back at the life and psychedelic creativity of 1960s pop artist Peter Max. A separate arts segment covers a public arts project by St. Ann’s Warehouse, a Brooklyn theater company. A herd of 40 buffalo roamed the concrete canyons of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn as life-size puppets.
Correspondent Anthony Mason reports on the project, which is called “Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi.” The project was produced by St. Ann’s Warehouse, The Walk Productions and KBH Arts, with designs coming from the Ukwanda Puppets and Designs Art Collective in South Africa.
Charles Spencer on Princess Diana
Charles Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother, talks with correspondent Mark Phillips about his new book, “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.” Spencer describes it as his attempt to set down what he calls the true history of his sister’s life.
He also speaks about Prince Harry’s grief after Diana’s death, suggesting that a “more understanding treatment” of the young prince at the time might have led to “a happier course ahead.” The book is out Sept. 22 in Hardcover, Large Print Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org.
Andy Beshear’s Reset Plan
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a two-term Democrat, talks with “Sunday Morning” national correspondent Robert Costa about his book, “Go and Do Likewise: How We Heal a Broken Country.” Beshear advises his fellow Democrats to speak like “normal people” and not shy away from progressive politics or religious faith.
He shares that recipe for success in a deep-red state. The book is available Sept. 22 in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org.
Lonnie Bunch’s Farewell
Lonnie Bunch, the first historian and first African American to serve as Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, has announced his retirement at age 73. He talks with correspondent Mo Rocca about fulfilling and enriching the Smithsonian’s mandate and about pressure from the Trump White House questioning the patriotism of Smithsonian staff.
This Week on “Sunday Morning” (Sept. 20)
The show’s website covers each of these segments. The cover story on sports betting is followed by the Lucas Museum opening, then Nvidia’s Huang, Emanuel’s memoir, Peter Max, the buffalo parade, Charles Spencer’s claims about Diana, Andy Beshear’s reset plan and Lonnie Bunch’s farewell.
The full broadcast airs Sundays at 9 a.m. ET, with the stream starting at 11 a.m. ET.
Key Facts Box
- Sports betting: $167 billion wagered annually since 2018
- Bankruptcies and credit card delinquencies up 25% in states with online gambling
- Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opens Sept. 22 in Los Angeles
- “Roll the Calls” by Ari Emanuel out Sept. 22
- “Go and Do Likewise” by Andy Beshear out Sept. 22
- “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister” by Charles Spencer out Sept. 22
Memoirs From Three Figures
| Book | Author | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| “Roll the Calls” | Ari Emanuel | Hollywood dealmaker |
| “Go and Do Likewise” | Andy Beshear | Kentucky governor |
| “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister” | Charles Spencer | Princess Diana’s brother |
The lineup is eclectic, and that is the point. From gambling addiction to art museums to AI executives to royal memoirs, “Sunday Morning” tries to cover it all in one hour.
The paper’s view is simple: this is the kind of week that makes the show worth tuning into. The betting story carries real warning weight. The buffalo parade is pure spectacle. The memoirs and museum openings are the kind of culture stories that actually make you want to turn the page.
Source material: “This week on "Sunday Morning" (Sept. 20),” CBS News.
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