All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.

While Bernard Madoff, the financier accused of running a $50 billion Ponzi scheme, was in a New York courtroom Monday answering to prosecutors, lawmakers in Washington held their first hearing on Madoff's investment scandal.

Democratic lawmakers charged that the Securities and Exchange Commission had “failed miserably” in ignoring warnings that could have uncovered wrongdoing years ago.

But as CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports on the CBS Evening News, a crucial witness in helping determine how Madoff's scheme evaded regulators was a no-show: whistleblower Harry Markopolos.

He agreed to testify at first, but ended up telling Congress he was too physically worn down and needs more time.

Markopolos, A derivatives expert, first alerted officials ...

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I don't mean to sound like Jerry Seinfeld, but what's the deal with all the MP3 players like iPods these days? It's like a whole new species of human has evolved with earbuds and two white cords trailing them everywhere they go.

I guess it's better than the old days of boom boxes. Now, the soundtrack of your life can stay in your own head - unless you're playing it too loud. And if the person sitting next to you can sing along, you are.

A new study from the European Union found that listening to loud MP3 players over a prolonged period of time can cause significant hearing loss. Blasting the maximum volume right into your ears is as bad as working in a noisy factory or being near an airplane at takeoff.

Noise at a decibel level that high for too long? Let's just say "can you hear me now" won't be a joke anymore.

Turning it down is not only considerate to those around you, it's good for your health - and music to your ears.

Mark Knoller is a White House correspondent for CBS News.

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I’m not much of a baseball fan and I don’t get all the hubbub over steroid use.

So explain to me why it’s different than taking vitamins, which can also be said to enhance player performance.

If a player undergoes eye surgery that gives him better than 20/20 vision, is that cheating?

If a trainer tapes up a players arm, leg or chest, is that cheating?

If a doctor numbs up a painful elbow for a player, is that cheating?

If right before a game, a ball player downs a can of soda enriched with caffeine, is that cheating?

The only reason steroids can be seen as cheating is that it’s against the rules, which are certainly arbitrary and subject to change.

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Jill Jackson is a Capitol Hill field producer for CBS News.

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At 6:30 this morning, baseball fans and critics started lining up for an ugly moment in baseball history.

Potential hall-of-famer Roger Clemens and former trainer-turned-foe Brian McNamee were both due at the congressional hearing room at 10 a.m. to answer lawmakers' questions about Clemens' alleged steroid use … with the help of McNamee.

The public wanted to witness this event. The line went all the way from one end of a long hallway to the other. Some wore Clemens shirts to show their support.

When Clemens finally walked past, surrounded by police, the crowd's reaction was staid and quiet.

McNamee slipped into the hearing through a side entrance.

Two teenagers from Arlington, Va., waited in line for four hours. They said they are both big baseball fans – but think Clemens is a cheater. After 20 minutes in the hearing, both teens said the wait was completely worthwhile. They had gotten brief access to two of the handful of seats available for the public to rotate in to watch just a few minutes of the hearing.

It was their first congressional hearing – and they said they had witnessed history.

Plus, their parents let them skip school.