Hosted by Jane Pauley. Featured: a memorial to Operation Desert Storm; Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei; Dana White, the head of UFC; Jack Schlossberg; composer Marc Shaiman; and a digital art exhibit in the Arizona desert.
We begin with the Middle East, where American and allied strikes have escalated conflict with Iran. Forces of the United States and Israel conducted coordinated strikes aimed at regime headquarters, missile sites and other targets, and officials announced the death of Iran’s supreme leader in one strike. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks against Israel and U.S. interests across the region, striking bases and installations in countries including Qatar and Bahrain. In Washington, President Trump described the operation as aimed at defending Americans and eliminating imminent threats, and called on Iranians to seize the moment to take over their government. The strikes and subsequent Iranian counterattacks have prompted protests and heightened security domestically and abroad, and set up an intense debate in Congress over authorization and the risks to U.S. forces.
From a very different corner of military memory, David Martin reports on the long effort to build a memorial to Operation Desert Storm on the National Mall. Scott Stump, a Marine lance corporal who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, led a decades-long push to honor the more than half-million Americans who served in Desert Storm. The campaign faced skepticism — some argued the short, low-casualty conflict didn’t merit a Mall memorial — and it required persistent fundraising and congressional approval. The storm wall memorial, planned near the Lincoln and Vietnam memorials, seeks to restore a place in national memory for the war that liberated Kuwait and marked a post–Cold War U.S. military success.
Lee Cowan visits the Sonoran Desert in Arizona to see ScanLAB Projects’ digital art installation, which used 3D LiDAR scanners to capture the desert’s life and slow rhythms. By scanning the desert repeatedly, the artists created three-dimensional, time-lapse works that reveal saguaros’ subtle motions, the flow of wildlife, and human impacts such as urban sprawl. The exhibit converts millions of data points into immersive digital “time travel” that invites viewers to slow down and reconsider the desert’s vitality and fragility in the face of climate change.
Mo Rocca profiles Jack Schlossberg, grandson of John F. Kennedy, who has stepped into the political arena running for Congress in New York’s 12th District. Schlossberg, 33, frames himself as his own man while acknowledging his family’s legacy. He blends humor and policy — touting plans on tenants’ rights and cost-of-living issues — and discusses the tensions within a family that has been involved in public life for generations. Schlossberg spoke about personal challenges, including a serious back injury and the recent death of his sister Tatiana, and he emphasizes grassroots organizing and an energetic, modern approach to politics.
Tracy Smith sits down with Marc Shaiman, the composer and lyricist whose credits range from film scores to Broadway hits. Shaiman, a Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner, discusses his career working with talents such as Billy Crystal and Rob Reiner, his musical approach, and how he scored memorable moments — including the music behind some of Hollywood’s most recognizable scenes. Shaiman, who recently published a memoir, reflects on collaboration, the creative process, and the bonds formed over decades in show business.
Luke Burbank profiles Dana White, the dynamic and controversial president of the UFC, who turned mixed martial arts into a mainstream sports juggernaut. White explains how the UFC evolved from its early, rule-light days into a regulated and hugely profitable global brand. He talks about bringing fights to bigger platforms, negotiating major media deals, and expanding combat sports, including new ventures like Power Slap. The piece also looks at White’s friendship with Donald Trump, his role in popularizing the sport, and controversies that have followed him, from personal conduct to fighter pay debates amid UFC’s massive growth and recent billion-dollar streaming arrangements.
David Pogue offers an appreciation of Neil Sedaka, the pop singer-songwriter who recently died at 86. Sedaka’s career had two major arcs: the early, 1960s string of teen-pop hits and later reinvention in the 1970s with renewed success, aided in part by Elton John’s support. Pogue celebrates Sedaka’s craftsmanship, his comeback, and the joyous way he spoke of songwriting as something that “passes through” an artist.
Jo Ling Kent reports on tensions between the Pentagon and Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company behind Claude. Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei describes a standoff after the Defense Department demanded broader access to the company’s models for lawful military use. Anthropic resisted handing over systems without safeguards, citing two “red lines”: preventing mass surveillance of Americans and barring fully autonomous weapons without human oversight. President Trump later directed the federal government to halt use of Anthropic’s AI and canceled significant contracts, citing national security supply chain concerns. The move drew claims of unprecedented restriction of a U.S. company by the government and underlined deep debates over private companies’ ethical limits and government control in advanced AI deployment.
David Martin also revisits the Desert Storm anniversary with a look at the new memorial set to open near the Lincoln and Vietnam memorials and the continuing effort to ensure the war and its veterans are remembered.
Lee Cowan’s segment on the digital desert installation closes with reflections on how technology and art can reveal unseen processes in nature and prompt viewers toward conservation and respect.
A note of cultural farewell: Sunday Morning honors producer Mary Walsh, who worked alongside David Martin for decades. Her long career included coverage of wars, campaigns, and stories across the globe; the team pays tribute to her service and craftsmanship.
The program ends with a natural world moment — fur seal pups on a South Georgia Island beach — a reminder of resilience and renewal as Sunday Morning signs off until next week.
