All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.

As President Obama talks big-picture economic trouble at the G-8 summit, Vice President Biden is getting to see a snapshot of its impact on real people in Ohio.

That state has been hit hard, with an unemployment rate hovering at 10 percent. Now, Ohio is historically a swing state and a good place to check the nation's temperature and right now it's getting hotter. The President's approval ratings are dropping there and only half think he's done a good job on the economy.

Experts rely on indicators like home sales and the Gross Domestic Product, but all those numbers can be mind boggling and the truth is, the number that Washington is paying close attention to is 2010--and the upcoming midterm elections.

It's only been five months since the stimulus bill became a law and most people agree it's too soon to declare victory or defeat.

But this administration will need to assure voters in Ohio and beyond that even if the train is moving slowly we are in fact on the right track.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

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Earlier today, in an exclusive interview with House speaker Nancy Pelosi, who played a key role in pushing the nearly $800 billion stimulus package through Congress, Katie asked her whether Republicans were treated fairly over the stimulus.

You can see more of the interview tonight on the Evening News – and check back here for additional transcripts and footage.

Katie Couric: Madam Speaker, you know, looking back on how this unfolded, do you think you've reached across party lines enough? Because not one Republican voted for the House version.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi: Well, that's – yes, I do think we reached across party lines. We gave them what they wanted. They wanted certain provisions in the bill. They wanted committee hearings and markups, what we call markups to the bill. We gave them 26 hours of amendment process then on the floor more amendments and a legislative opportunity. So I think ... they were treated fairly in terms of process.

Couric: But did you include them enough in the conversation and the discussion?

Pelosi: Well, they are always – the conversation is a public one here. But you have to remember that we had an election and it was about a direction for our country. We have strong philosophical differences in the Congress. This isn't inter-party bickering. This is major differences of opinion on philosophy on how our country should go forward.

We reject the failed Bush administration economic policies which got us where we are today. The proposals that the Republicans put forth were more of the same. We will not go back. In fact, even some of the Republicans in the House voted against the Republican proposal.

Katie's on assignment. I'm Michelle Miller.

A hundred billion here, $100 billion there. It's hard to comprehend the money being tossed around in the Senate. The economic stimulus bill has already grown by about $70 billion since it passed the House. It would now cost almost $900 billion and could get fatter - possibly topping $1 trillion.

One add-on to spend an additional $25 billion on infrastructure projects narrowly failed today. But there are still proposals to spend billions more for health insurance, special education, local police departments, or to lower mortgage costs.

It almost doesn't seem real, like they're paying with Monopoly money. But it is very real indeed. The current price tag breaks down to nearly $3,000 for every man, woman and child in America. The trick will be cutting the pork and picking the projects that will let the bill do what it's supposed to: stimulate the economy.

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

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The Senate successfully put its stamp on the House economic stimulus package by adding seniors living on Social Security and 250,000 disabled veterans to the rebate-recipient list.

After the Senate and House agreed to the modified package yesterday, Senate majority leader Harry Reid, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House speaker Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader John Boehner and even Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson gave a last-minute press conference. They touted their great accomplishment and praised themselves for showing they can put political differences aside and put the American people first.

The group of unlikely cohorts standing side by side in front of American flags made a pretty picture. Reid said it was "an example of how government is supposed to work."

The lesson of the last two weeks, though, is that the road to bipartisan agreement can be smooth, but it can also be treacherous.

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

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There's extra incentive this year to file tax returns as early as possible. The sooner you file, the earlier the IRS will cut that check so you can spend, spend, spend and stimulate the sluggish economy.

But don't go racking up credit card debt now assuming you can pay it off with that rebate. While the House and the Bush administration managed to compromise on a fairly simple stimulus package, the Senate can't nail down when they'll even vote on the House version and a much broader plan passed by the Senate Finance Committee yesterday. It's so broad, in fact, that opponents like Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell accused the Finance Committee of taking a "Christmas tree approach" that will delay economic growth.

Cutting through the spin on both sides, what are the real differences?

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

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At 10 a.m., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tried in vain to leave the posh Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., after a speech on healthcare.

Reporters swarmed around the speaker in the lobby wanting confirmation that House Democrats, Republicans and the White House finally reached a deal on an economic stimulus package to give the economy a boost and avoid recession.

But Speaker Pelosi would not confirm.

Would she classify it as a tentative deal?

She would not.

Pelosi said when they're ready on a deal, she'd meet with the Democratic caucus. Presumably to get the Party on the same page and ease opponent's fears.

She said they were close and that she was hopeful when she finally reached the exit.

Then, Pelosi managed to break away from the pack, hopped into her black SUV and sped away.

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