All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.
Katie Couric's Notebook: Climate Change
The debate over global warming is once again heating up in Washington.
Roughly half of the newly elected Republican congress members are climate change skeptics, according to one survey, and some want to roll back environmental regulations.
Continue »
"Harvest of Shame" Still Matters 50 Years Later
CBS News correspondent Edward R. Murrow in 1960's "Harvest of Shame."
/ CBSThis week marks the 50th anniversary of Edward R. Murrow's award-winning documentary "Harvest of Shame."
The hour-long special aired in 1960, on the day after Thanksgiving. It was a shocking look at the deplorable living and working conditions for America's two to three million migrant farm workers. "The best fed people in the world," as Murrow put it, gathered around the television set and watched (in black and white film) the lives of the people who picked the fruits and vegetables that fed the country.
CBS REPORTS "Harvest of Shame"
Continue »What Motivated FDR to Push For the Social Security Act
Continue »
Hunger in America
As Katie said to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the phrase "food insecure" sounds like a euphemism. It really means those people were hungry, and at some point in the year they didn't have enough food and didn't have the money to buy it.
It's the most basic of human necessities. No child should go unfed in a nation with such wealth and resources, but, sadly, too many do.
Continue »
Katie Couric's Notebook: TSA
So he probably would have liked John Tyner, the "don't touch my junk" guy, who took a stand for liberty by refusing to pass through a full-body airport scanner and resisting a thorough pat-down last week.
He's not alone. Protesters have designated this Wednesday "Opt Out day" and are urging passengers to avoid the body scan and choose pat-downs instead.
Neither one is that appealing. It's no surprise that people want less invasive scans, if they're just as effective, and clear rules on pat-downs.
But let's not lose sight of the big picture: This year, the TSA kept 130 weapons and other dangerous items off our flights -- and that's worth a bit of discomfort.
Ideally, we'll find a balance between liberty and safety that allows us to travel freely without giving up either one.
That's a page from my notebook.
I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.
Ghailani Trial Reignites Terror Justice Debate
Ahmed Ghailani listens as the verdict is read.
/ CBS/Jane RosenbergMy illusion vanished after the judge's clerk prompted the foreman to deliver the verdict for the fourth count: conspiracy to destroy American property.
"Guilty," the foreman said. It was the last time we would hear that word by itself.
Video: Civilian or Military Trials for Guantanamo Detainees?
Ghailani did not walk out of the courtroom, and the Obama Administration did not face the awkward prospect of continuing to detain Ghailani as a so-called "enemy combatant" in the war on terror.
There are two ways to look at the verdict, which has reignited a debate over civilian trials versus military commissions for terrorism suspects.
On the one hand, the conviction guarantees a long prison sentence, possibly life, and proves to some that civilian trials can still work for war on terror captives. Ghailani was captured in Pakistan in 2004 and spent five years in custody before his transfer to the federal jail in Manhattan, a period the jury heard nothing about.
On the other hand, Ghailani's acquittal on 99 percent of the counts emboldens the belief held by some that military commissions in Guantanamo - a place the jury never heard mentioned - may be a better option to secure tough justice, although the track record of military commissions is thin and punctuated by light sentences.
Continue »Katie Couric's Notebook: End of Life
A recent report by the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care found that for elderly patients with cancer, the answer may depend more on their location than on their own wishes. In Mason City, Iowa, for instance, just 7 percent of patients died in the hospital, compared to almost 50 percent in Manhattan.
According to the report, that's because certain doctors and hospitals favor aggressive treatment for terminal patients, while others encourage at-home hospice care. Studies have found that most people would prefer to die at home... and that palliative care can even help prolong life.
So don't put off that awkward conversation. The more we know, the better we can advocate for ourselves and our loved ones -- whether that means fighting to the end or letting go.
That's a page from my notebook.
I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.
Katie Couric's Notebook: Lame Duck
It's called a lame duck session.
But, with apologies to the Marx Brothers, why a duck?
The term was first used in 18th century London to describe a stock broker who could not pay his debts .. and was thus as powerless as a lame duck.
It was first applied to American politicians in the mid 19th-century - and now commonly refers to those who've lost re-election or are not running again but are still in office - their power greatly reduced.
Continue »
Katie Couric's Notebook: Daydream Believers
This falls into the category "there's a study for everything," but it dose make sense: Researchers found people who are frequently thinking about being somewhere else...are more likely to be unhappy.
Continue »
