All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.

British soccer manager Bill Shankly once said that his sport isn't a matter of life or death. It's more important.

And for most of the world, that rings true. It's a game that requires virtually no equipment, so anyone anywhere can play. From the Netherlands to Nigeria, its appeal is universal.

But the United States, with its preference for high-scoring sports, has been slow to catch the soccer bug.

Not anymore. In the early games of the World Cup, U.S. viewership was up 60 percent over four years ago. Fourteen and a half million Americans watched the U.S. tie England on June 12.

And yesterday, when Landon Donovan scored America's winning goal against Algeria in the final minutes of the game, cheers reportedly rang out on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, in the White House, and right here at CBS.

Now, as the U.S. team advances to the second round, you can bet we'll be watching. It may not be life or death - but it's suddenly important and a lot of fun.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

America's top commander in Afghanistan and members of his staff went rogue in a Rolling Stone article, speaking their minds about civilian leaders, including the president himself.

One aide calls National Security Adviser Jim Jones a "clown" who is "stuck in 1985." Vice President Joe Biden takes a hit, as well, as the butt of a "bite me" joke he probably hasn't heard since tenth grade. As for President Obama, he's described as intimidated, uncomfortable and disinterested in getting to know the man running the war.

General McChrystal apologized today, but the quarrel over his quips is far from over. He's headed to the White House to explain himself.

The Constitution guarantees free speech, but it also states that President Obama is the General's boss - not the other way around.

If the comments are deemed insubordination, General McChrystal could be on his own - like a Rolling Stone.

That's a page from notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

The disaster in the Gulf may or may not be President Obama's Katrina, but, tonight, it will be his Challenger explosion, his Cuban missile crisis, his Sept. 11.

Unlike those events, this is a long simmering disaster, getting darker by the day. Perhaps that's why the White House hasn't projected the sense of urgency many people have been waiting for. But on day 57 this catastrophe demands a bully pulpit that represents the gravity of the situation, so the president chose this moment for his first oval office address.

He'll discuss one crisis, while confronting a crisis of confidence. Just 38 percent approve of his administration's response to the disaster, and Gulf residents say there's a lack of organization on the ground.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today BP has badly mismanaged this effort. The question on everyone's mind is: Why are they still managing it?

The president spent two days in the Gulf making promises. Tonight, the nation needs to hear a plan.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

Nelson Mandela once wrote that the "greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

What an apt way to describe South Africa, a country that wrestled with apartheid... and won.

As host of the World Cup, South Africa now has a chance to reintroduce itself on a giant international stage. More than 300,000 foreign visitors are expected to attend the games, which started Friday.

But beyond the stadium lights, the country is still struggling. Roughly 40 percent of South Africans live in poverty and a quarter of the work force is unemployed. Crime is rampant and more than 5 million people are infected with HIV.

Most of the visitors will never see this South Africa. Homeless people and street vendors were reportedly swept aside before the games.

Still, many say the World Cup could help unite this country, create jobs and encourage investment. And those are goals worth cheering for.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

GM sent shockwaves across the country today when a memo leaked that said that Chevrolet was no longer to be called a Chevy.

GM even made it a four-letter word, asking any employee who slipped to put a quarter in a cuss jar.

Chevy is one of the best-known brand-names around .. as American as apple pie .. immortalized in "American Pie."

You can't drive a Chevrolet to a levee. That just doesn't rhyme.

So why the change?

The memo said it's about creating a consistent, recognizable brand name.

But what's more consistent than Chevy?  We've been using it for years.

No one calls the classic '57 Chevy .. a '57 Chevrolet.

And what made Chevys like that so recognizable wasn't the name, but the distinctive styling. Today, you can't tell one car from another.

Embarrassed the memo got out, GM said it loves Chevy, and you should feel free to use the name.

Even if GM doesn't want to.

That's a page from my Notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

EBay and politics have one thing in common: The highest bidder usually wins. Just ask EBay's former CEO, Meg Whitman, who captured the Republican nod for California governor after pumping more than $70-million dollars of her own money into the race.

She wasn't the only one with deep pockets. Carly Fiorina, Hewlett-Packard's former CEO, far outspent her rivals to win the state's Republican Senate primary.

Voters, as we know, are fed up with incumbents, in part because they are seen as too cozy with Wall Street. More than 60 percent of Americans opposed the auto and bank bailouts, according to a CBS News poll.

So how did these two wealthy executives escape the blame? They convinced voters that their outsider status and business cred could help them beat well-known Democrats... and create jobs.

Despite the battle between Main Street and Wall Street, for now, it seems that a well-financed financier is still more popular than a Washington politician.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

I've always loved Kelsey Grammer, from the time I did a guest appearance on "Cheers" (most of which sadly, ended up on the cutting room floor) to the many interviews I did with him about "Frasier," which was one of the smartest shows on TV.

He was also one of the first stars to volunteer to be a part of a major colon cancer fundraiser I organized a few years ago. 

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A number of people performed songs from "West Side Story." From Whoopi Goldberg and Heather Hadley's version of "I feel pretty," Beyonce's gorgeous "Somewhere," to Josh Grobin's stirring "Maria" - it was a spectacular night. Kelsey, who was trained at Juilliard, started things off with a pulsing, impassioned rendition of "Something's Coming."

He's a fascinating person. His political views are not in sync with most of Hollywood, his resilience in the face of a number of personal tragedies is inspirational. Now he's up for Tony for his moving, nuanced, and yes, very sweet performance in "La Cage Au Folles," which I saw and adored.

When he said he was willing to come in for a chat, I was thrilled. Delightful sounds like such a pretentious word, but he really is. And substantive. I hope you'll agree!

In 1958, Virginia police barged into the bedroom of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple, and arrested them for being married.

The judge ruled that God put different races on separate continents for a reason. But the Supreme Court disagreed, overturning the decision in 1967and ending such laws for good.

These days, nearly 15 percent of U.S. marriages are interracial, up from 7 percent in 1980, according to a study by the Pew Research Center.

Interestingly, black men are more than twice as likely to marry outside their race than black women. And the same is true for Asian women compared to Asian men.

Those gender disparities show there are still social norms at play. More than 60 percent of Americans are fine with intermarriage - but that means 40 percent are not.

This country has long been a melting pot of races, religions and ethnicities. The natural progression are families who look more like a Benetton ad than the Cleavers photo album.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

As oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico, another body of water has become just as treacherous.

The Mediterranean Sea, the site of last Monday's deadly clash between Israel and pro-Palestinian activists is now being crossed by another ship loaded with aide for Gaza. With all eyes on Israel, the next few days are critical..

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel was defending itself...and called it a "boat of hatred"... but alienating countries like Turkey, home to 8 of the 9 killed, only makes Israel less safe.

The Obama administration, which has backed the Gaza blockade, is starting to push for change. While Israeli officials say Gaza's citizens have what they need, the blockade has become a recruiting tool for terrorists. Just like Monday's raid.

The challenge for Israel is to balance the need to protect itself while treading carefully to protect its relationships with critical allies around the world.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

It's a staple of any fitness class: the soundtrack.

Whether it's Lady Gaga or the Black Eyed Peas, the right beat gets us moving a little faster ... stretching a little further. That means a better workout. Gyms know it ... but so do musicians, who say it's time for health clubs to face the music...and pay up for using their tunes.

In Australia, the Copyright Tribunal ruled music is essential to fitness classes and artists should be paid accordingly. That struck a sour note with gyms which will see the average rights fee soar from a thousand dollars a year to 19,000. Similar plans have been proposed in Britain and Canada.

Some gyms are going to the mat over this ... playing only cover versions by unknown artists who don't get performance royalties. That will keep costs down, but it won't sound the same ... and those gyms may find customers exercising something else: their right to take their business elsewhere.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.