All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.

I watched the rebroadcast of the Today show's 9/11 coverage this morning - all those horrific events as they happened eight years ago.

I've seen the footage countless times, but with each viewing something new strikes me - something I might not have noticed before.

Today I saw a young girl with blonde hair who was crying as the fireman doused her head with bottled water - to wash off all the toxic ash and soot.

She was probably just nine or 10. The same age as my daughter Ellie was that day. Maybe she started college this fall, too, and had her prom last spring.

So much time has passed, and she's a young woman now. I wonder what she remembers - if her friends ever talk about what they experienced that morning.

Peggy Noonan wrote about an unexpected stage of grief, "the fear that the ache will go away."

Sometimes you think it has, and then you see an image of a little girl covered in dust and you know it never really will.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

CBS News Producer Mary Walsh recounts her first meeting in 2004 with Corporal Casey Owens, a Marine who was disabled in Iraq, frustrated with the treatment he received from the Veterans Administration.

Read full post…

Last week I participated in a conference call with a group of mommy bloggers--women who blog for the sister sites of the Silicon Valley Moms Group. The topic was “Children of the Recession,” how the economy has impacted the lives of kids all around the country. I wanted to tell them about our ongoing commitment to report these stories, but mostly I just wanted to listen…I figured they would have a good sense of what was happening in their own neighborhoods, and what resources are available for people who need them.

The truth is most families have been impacted by the recession to some degree. A recent CBS News poll found that 60% of parents have had to tell their children there was not enough money to buy some of the things they did before. For some families, that may mean cutting out vacations or extra birthday presents, but for others it may be more serious…like skipping visits to the doctor or cutting back on groceries.

The Silicon Valley Moms Blogs are devoting today to this important topic, asking their readers how the recession is impacting kids in their communities.

I wanted to give them a shout out, and encourage you to join the conversation.

This video features some beautiful scenery of Afghanistan as Katie films takeoff from the cockpit on her way from Kabul to southern Afghanistan. Viewers will also get a look inside the C-17, a cavernous and loud aircraft that carries personnel and supplies.

Read full post…

On her flight from Riyadh to Kabul, Katie takes us inside the cockpit to meet the Air Force pilots flying the plane.

Read full post…

Katie explains the rules for women in Saudi culture. They are not permitted to drive and must wear abayas and headscarves to walk in public. She then shows viewers the building that is command central for the muttaween, the religious police. With the help of a translator, she approaches a relative of a muttawa and tries to get an answer about what the group’s role is in Saudi society. Later, she shows viewers Chop Chop Square, where public executions are performed.

Read full post…

In this video, Katie introduces you to the reporters accompanying Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on his five-day trip to the Middle East and Afghanistan. She asks her fellow reporters how things have changed at the Pentagon since the Obama administration took over, and asks about the different approaches of Sec. Gates and his predecessor Sec. Donald Rumsfeld.

Read full post…

CBS' Nancy Cordes, who was recently named congressional correspondent, was profiled in the Mediabistro Web site. Cordes joined CBS' Washington Bureau in 2007 as the transportation and consumer safety correspondent. Check out the interview.

Readers and colleagues,

After more than a year working on Couric & Co., I'm packing up and heading west. The newsroom has been ringing all day with the sounds of "I left my Heart in San Francisco," and, indeed, that's where I'm destined. Of course this blog was only one of my myriad duties here, but it was really the only one in which I got regular feedback from you.

So, before I pack up my coffee mug, AP stylebook, Tums and the herd of high-heels that have taken over my filing drawer, I'd like to say a big thank you to anyone who's checked out this blog, anyone who's left a comment or given us some feedback through e-mail.

And, to all the correspondents who put up with my e-nagging and contributed some great posts and stories that otherwise might not have been heard.

Click through for a couple semi-embarassing pictures. Consider it your farewell present.

Read full post…

Hey, everybody!

Just a quick note to tell you about our plans for Inauguration Day, January 20th. In addition to daylong coverage on CBS, I'll be anchoring a live prime time special beginning at 9 p.m. And then, it's time for what we call our "After Party," our live Webcast. It begins at 10 p.m. ET.

The Webcast is live from a ball, so we're your all-access pass to the party and you don't even need a tuxedo!

But more importantly, our political team and guests we'll be answering your questions about the transition of power and the challenges facing the new administration in the coming months. If there's anything you want to know or a question you'd like to ask, just drop us a line at questions@cbs.com.

The video explains it all.

Thanks and see you at the Inauguration!