All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.

When President Obama accepted the Peace Prize in Oslo this morning, his 35-minute speech probably wasn't quite what the Committee had in mind.

Rather than slam the Bush Administration or extol the virtues of pacifism, he defended the concept of a "just war."

Perhaps he had to. After all, the U.S. is fighting on two fronts, and the president just ordered 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan.

Yet his speech seemed like more than a political calculation. Some pundits have already dubbed it the "Obama Doctrine," a window into his foreign policy views.

While military action should be a last resort, he said, understanding its necessity "is a recognition of history, the imperfections of man and the limits of reason."

The president doesn't take the use of force lightly.

But justifying war while winning a Nobel Peace Prize is a dichotomy that captures the complicated world he and we inhabit.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

While diplomats in Copenhagen are discussing the future of the world, we just got word it's about to stop turning ... and it has nothing to do with global warming.

The word came from CBS -- it's canceling the long-running soap opera "As the World Turns."

It first started spinning tales of the people of Oakdale in 1956.

Helen Wagner .. now 91 .. has been on the show since day one.

Even if you've never watched, you've no doubt seen the famous clip of Wagner being interrupted by Walter Cronkite .. with the bulletin that President Kennedy had been shot.

Over the years, the cast has included Marisa Tomei and Meg Ryan. In 1988, it was the first daytime drama to introduce a gay character.

It's the last soap still produced by a soap-maker -- Procter and Gamble.

In the end, ATWT became the victim of a changing world -- fewer women home to watch.

And when the show goes off next September, the rest of the world will in fact be turning. But some of the drama will be gone.

That's a page from my Notebook.
I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

Remember how maternity wards were portrayed back in the old days?

Nervous men pacing in the waiting room getting ready to pass out cigars.

These days, you'll find most men in the delivery room -- one hand on their partner's shoulder, the other hand gripping a cam-corder.

But now, a leading childbirth specialist in Britain says it's time for the men to go back outside.

Michel Odent tells The Observer newspaper that birthing should be a low-profile affair.

No husband. And ..no doctor. Just the mother and an experienced midwife.

He says the presence of a male partner causes added stress for the mother -- leading to longer labor and more births by caesarean section.

His assertions have met with criticism from professionals AND parents in Britain.

Here in the U.S., the average labor lasts about eight hours.

That's a long day at work for mom and if dad wants to be there too, that's nobody's business but their own.

That's a page from my notebook.
I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

An ominous cloud is hanging over the climate change summit in Copenhagen, as toxic as carbon emissions. It's a cloud of doubt about the science behind global warming.

There's a scandal in the scientific community right now...known as Climategate. Hacked emails reveal a handful of scientists may have manipulated or concealed evidence that would have weakened their argument...that the earth's temperature is in fact rising.

But at least 97 percent of climatologists believe global warming is real...and largely man-made.

A picture is worth a thousand emails...and pictures of the polar ice caps show a 20 percent decrease since 1979. NASA images of Arctic ice show a thinning of more than 7 inches a year since 2004.

What the scientists did was absolutely wrong, but most experts agree that the science itself is not...and the health of the earth should not be a political issue.

The atmosphere after all can't handle too many more people blowing smoke.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

I'm Kelly Wallace, Katie is on assignment.

It's a classic story: Boy meets Girl. They flirt, they date, it starts to get serious. But for thousands of American teens, that's when things go terribly wrong.

Dating violence is on the rise, fueled in part by email, Instant Messaging and texting, which give kids new ways to keep tabs on - and control - their partners.

On tonight's CBS Evening News, Katie interviews an 18-year-old girl who was routinely beaten and raped by the young man she considered her "boyfriend."

Even younger girls are at risk. A recent survey found that 25 percent of tweens report physical abuse in their relationships.

Laws that mandate education on dating violence have passed or are pending in 14 states. That's a start… but it's not enough.

As parents, we need to make sure all our schools teach this important lesson - and teach it ourselves at home. Sons and daughters both need to know that love should never come with bruises.

I'm Kelly Wallace, CBS News.

It's a decision that some say could ultimately define his presidency.

President Obama announced that he'll send an additional 30-thousand troops into Afghanistan, with a preliminary drawdown of forces expected to begin in the summer of 2011.

While the strategy has elements of compromise in it, the White House is taking heat from both sides…the liberal democrats who want U.S. troops out, and the hawks who say projecting an exit date only emboldens the enemy.

And then, there's the matter of cost...as much as 30-billion dollars more and no clear way to pay the bill.

Congressman Dave Obey and Senator Carl Levin have each proposed a war tax...calling for shared sacrifice from the American people during this difficult time.

But tax or no tax, the administration now has the unenviable task of selling this new strategy to those same American people...and coming up for a palatable plan to pay for it, perhaps the biggest test yet of his power of persuasion.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

Those of you who've heard me speak about colon cancer through the years probably know the line, "nobody should die of embarrassment."

I think the same message applies today...on World AIDS Day. It's estimated that more than one million Americans have HIV, as many as 33 million people worldwide.

If you've never been tested, you should be. It's painless and quick...and it's the right thing to do.

Here in the United States, education and access to treatment have brought the number of AIDS related deaths down over the past decade. That isn't the case in Africa. There are currently more than 12 million orphans...children who've lost one or both parents to AIDS...and the number is going up...not down.

Africa is losing a generation to a preventable plague.

Safe sex and HIV testing are our personal responsibilities. Caring for children who were never given a choice...that's the responsibility of the world.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

It's an historic week in an already historic year.

That's the way White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel described the days ahead...as President Obama faces critical moments on some of the most crucial challenges of his administration.

The Senate will begin debate on the health care reform bill, a bold and sweeping initiative that some critics say could be his Waterloo. The Democrats need 60 votes, but battles over a public option and federal money for abortions will may make that number tough to reach.

Tomorrow night, it's all about Afghanistan. In a primetime address from West Point, the president is expected to announce plans for moving forward, including a troop increase.

And then later in the week, the discussion turns to jobs....and an unemployment rate hovering above 10 percent.

The President inherited a world of problems...this week will test his ability to convince impatient Americans his policies will lead to solutions and change they can still believe in.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

Remember how Mom always yelled turned down that music? In the days of the boom box the volume was just plain annoying. But now that the soundtrack of our lives goes straight into our ears...it can be downright dangerous.

Some European officials want to force makers of M-P-3 players...like i-pods...to lower default volume settings for a maximum of 80 decibels. That's a little louder than normal conversation ... about the same as the dial tone from a phone. Right now, many players can pump out ear-splitting levels equivalent to a lawn mower...almost as loud as an airplane.

Researchers say listening at that volume for just an hour a day can cause permanent damage after just a few years. In fact, one study found as many as 13 percent of 16 to 19-year-olds already have some hearing loss.

It could take a year or two before these standards are finalized, but Mom may finally get what she wanted ... and a lot of us will still be able to hear her.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

Millions of American families will gather at the table tomorrow and say Grace...offering thanks for gifts "from thy bounty."

The United States is a bountiful land of plenty...We have grocery stores offering 20 different kinds of cheese and row upon row of every type of apple or lettuce that grows. We throw out more than a quarter of our food supply every year.

There is no excuse for the staggering number of hungry Americans. Last year, 49 million people were in danger of going hungry. More than 4 million children didn't get enough to eat. I'm not talking about Sub-Saharan Africa. I'm talking about states like Mississippi and Texas and Ohio...perhaps right in your neighborhood.

We have all the amber waves of grain we can handle. But as a nation, we must reach out to struggling families and share that bounty.

Hunger is not a political issue, and no child should have so little to eat in a nation that has so much.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.