60 Minutes Tonight: “Elemental Crisis, The Knowledge, Banana Ball” July 5 2026

CBS’s 60 Minutes returns on Sunday, July 5, 2026, with an encore edition featuring three memorable reports that have been updated for the program’s postseason broadcast. Airing from 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+, this week’s broadcast explores the global race for rare earth minerals, the enduring tradition of London’s famous black cab drivers, and the baseball phenomenon that has turned a traveling exhibition team into one of the hottest tickets in sports.

From international trade and national security to the future of transportation and a reimagining of America’s pastime, the hour showcases the range of stories that have become a hallmark of the long-running newsmagazine.

Elemental Crisis Examines America’s Rare Earth Race

Jon Wertheim travels to the Mojave Desert near the California-Nevada border for a report on one of the most strategically important industrial sites in the United States. Hidden in the desert is the country’s only active rare earth mine, where efforts are underway to reduce America’s dependence on China for materials that have become essential to both modern technology and national defense.

Rare earth elements are critical components used in smartphones, electric vehicles, robotics and countless consumer electronics. They are equally important in military hardware, including fighter aircraft, drones, radar systems and advanced weapons technologies. For years, China has dominated the global supply chain, giving it enormous leverage over industries around the world.

The report explores how geopolitical tensions and the ongoing trade rivalry between the United States and China have elevated the importance of securing domestic supplies of these strategic materials. As China has threatened to restrict exports, the urgency to establish an independent American supply chain has only intensified.

Wertheim visits the mining operation now expanding beyond simply extracting rare earths. Backed in part by the federal government, the private company is investing in processing facilities and magnet manufacturing in an effort to rebuild capabilities that largely disappeared from the United States decades ago. The report offers a look at the enormous economic, technological and national security stakes surrounding one of the world’s least understood but most valuable resources.

Anderson Cooper Explores the Legendary Knowledge of London’s Black Cab Drivers

Artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries around the world, with autonomous vehicles frequently presented as the future of transportation. But in London, one centuries-old profession continues to resist technological disruption through an extraordinary test of human memory and navigation.

Correspondent Anderson Cooper spends time with London’s iconic black cab drivers to learn about “the Knowledge,” a qualification that has challenged aspiring cabbies for more than 160 years. Long before GPS navigation and smartphone mapping applications, drivers were expected to know London’s streets from memory, and that tradition continues today.

The Knowledge requires candidates to memorize thousands of streets, landmarks, hotels, theatres, government buildings and points of interest, along with the fastest routes connecting them. It is widely regarded as one of the world’s most demanding professional examinations, often taking years to complete.

Cooper rides through London’s historic streets and medieval alleyways while exploring why the profession continues to value human expertise over algorithms. Even as autonomous vehicle developers promise revolutionary changes to urban transportation, London’s taxi drivers argue that local knowledge, judgment and experience remain difficult for technology to replicate.

The segment examines how tradition, craftsmanship and professional pride have helped preserve one of Britain’s most distinctive occupations in an increasingly automated world.

Banana Ball Brings a New Kind of Baseball Spectacle

Lesley Stahl heads to Savannah, Georgia, to meet the team that has transformed baseball into one of the country’s fastest-growing entertainment attractions. The Savannah Bananas have built a devoted following by throwing out many of the sport’s traditional conventions in favor of nonstop entertainment they call Banana Ball.

The team’s games blend baseball with theatrical performance, featuring choreographed dances, backflips, lip-sync performances and constant fan interaction. The result resembles a cross between professional sports, live entertainment and a circus, creating an atmosphere unlike anything found in traditional baseball.

Banana Ball also introduces a radically different rulebook designed to keep games moving. Contests are limited to two hours, bunting is prohibited, walks are eliminated, mound visits are banned and fans become active participants by recording outs if they catch foul balls before they reach the ground. Every rule has been created to maximize excitement while minimizing downtime.

Stahl meets founder Jesse Cole, whose bright yellow suit has become synonymous with the organization. Cole explains how rethinking nearly every aspect of the fan experience has turned the Savannah Bananas into a national sensation capable of selling out Major League Baseball stadiums across the country.

The report explores how the organization has challenged long-held assumptions about what baseball can be, attracting families, casual sports fans and first-time attendees through an experience that prioritizes entertainment without abandoning the fundamentals of the game.

How to Watch

This encore edition of 60 Minutes airs Sunday, July 5, 2026, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and will also be available for streaming on Paramount+. Updated for this postseason broadcast, the episode revisits three standout stories examining America’s strategic competition with China, the remarkable skill behind London’s legendary taxi drivers, and the wildly successful reinvention of baseball by the Savannah Bananas.