CNN’s Wolf Blitzer concluded his interview with Pres. Obama in Iowa yesterday by inviting Obama to his “Situation Room” back at CNN’s DC studios. “And if you invite me to yours, I’ll be happy to come to yours as well,” Blitzer added.

“Thank you, Wolf. You can visit any time,” said the president, adding “Just, you can’t bring cameras.”

Today, CBS’s Senior Business Correspondent Anthony Mason gets a sit down with the president in Illinois. Part of the interview will air on the “CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley” tonight with the full interview running on “CBS Sunday Morning.” Obama is in the Illinois towns of Atkinson and Alpha as part of his “listening tour.”

In the first day of trading following S&P’s downgrade on Friday, the Dow tumbled more than 600 points and closed below 11,000 for the first time since November. Shortly before 4 p.m.’s market close, the broadcast networks all broke in with short special reports. 

The network anchors have been busy today — Brian Williams anchored for NBC, George Stephanopoulos for ABC and Anthony Mason for CBS. All three were also on the air at close to 2 p.m. today for a special report, as President Obama spoke on the downgrade from the White House.

At  approximately 1 PM ET, President Obama will make an address about the S&P downgrade of the U.S., as well as the Navy SEALs killed in Afghanistan over the weekend.

ABC’s special report anchored by George Stephanopoulos (Diane Sawyer is on assignment for the network) with Jake Tapper reporting from the White House. NBC will offer a special report to be anchored by Brian Williams, who will be joined by CNBC’s David Faber. CBS’ special report will be anchored by Anthony Mason, with Norah O’Donnell reporting from the White House.

This morning, the billboard on CBS’s West 57th St. Broadcast Center featuring Katie Couric was removed and replaced with one that is an ensemble of CBS News anchors, reporters and programs, as Couric has now officially left the building.

Signage inside featuring Couric has also been replaced, say insiders.

The show will simply be called the “CBS Evening News” until Scott Pelley takes over on June 6. Radio News reports CBS Radio News has revamped its “Katie Couric’s Notebook” feature with the new “Reporter’s Notebook” with contributions from Bob Schieffer, Lara Logan, Anthony Mason, John Blackstone and Chip Reid.

Another interesting note, in the 56 largest U.S. markets, the so-called Metered Markets, Couric’s final “Evening News” delivered a 3.8 overnight rating. By contrast, her former show NBC’s “Today” yesterday drew a 4.0 rating.

The network news Pentagon correspondents have just been briefed on the massive intelligence trove taken during the raid on Osama Bin Laden‘s compound last Sunday. MSNBC immediately aired the videos of a beard-dyed Bin Laden as NBC’s Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski was making his way to his camera position. Miklaszewski and MSNBC anchor Alex Witt discussed the videos as they played. At one point, a video shows Bin Laden watching TV (above). Miklaszewski describes Bin Laden with the remote control, “working it like most American men watching sports on the weekend…as he’s flipping channels to find reports about himself.”

Around 1:05pmET, after MSNBC had aired most of the five as-yet unreleased Bin Laden videos at least once, CNN began playing the videos. Fox News chose not to take the videos directly to air, instead broadcasting still images from the video showing the black-bearded Bin Laden.

CNN’s Barbara Starr had an interesting behind the scenes observation, telling anchor Fredicka Whitfield, “You had perhaps 50 reporters here in the Pentagon for a background briefing from a senior intelligence official, we were not allowed to record it, we could take no pictures, we can broadcast nothing from this briefing in terms of what was said, but the Obama administration had an official in the room taking pictures of us.”

Jennifer Griffin on Fox News characterized the intelligence take as “the mother-load” describing Bin Laden in one video looking “like an old man on the floor just watching Al Jazeera.”

Fox News anchor Jamie Colby explained FNC’s policy: “We are only showing you these stills, and not the video. It is our position that we will not ever air video that would serve as propaganda.”

CBS News produced a special report around 12:58pmET with Anthony Mason anchoring in New York and Bob Orr at the Pentagon. ABC News produced a special report around 1:08pmET anchored by David Muir and Martha Raddatz at the Pentagon. Both CBS and ABC aired the videos, none of which had audio.

> More: The DOD video release is changing up cable news afternoon programming. Fox News’ “America’s News HQ” will air until 3pmET; “Journal Editorial Report” and “FOX News Watch” will air at 3 and 3:30pmET, preempting a John Stossel special. MSNBC went live until 2pmET while CNN/U.S. and CNNI have been simulcasting for much of the afternoon.

NewsPro, a news trade magazine produced by the team behind TVWeek.com, has announced its “10 Most Powerful in TV Financial News” for 2010.

All three cable business networks–CNBC, Bloomberg and Fox Business–made the cut, as did a number of talent from the channels. CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo and Jim Cramer are on the list, as are Bloomberg’s Margaret Brennan and FBN’s Neil Cavuto.

The broadcast networks were represented by PBS’ “Nightly Business Report,” CBS News correspondent Anthony Mason and legendary newsmagazine “60 Minutes:”

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Katie Couric and her special guest Betty White at the CBS cocktail party ahead of the Correspondents’ Dinner.

Katie Couric arrived with two multi-generational funny ladies for tonight’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner: Chelsea Handler and Betty White. Handler, author of “Are you There Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea,” asked Evening News E.P. Rick Kaplan if he was taking drink orders — she found the bar all on her own. (We spotted FishbowlDC’s Betsy Rothstein chatting up Chelsea, so look for that interview later on FBDC).

Dave Price got his picture taken with White, thanks to D.C. colleague, White House Correspondent Chip Reid and his Blackberry.

Other CBS Newsers we spotted: Rita Braver, Anthony Mason, Bob Orr, and execs Sean McManus, David Friedman, and Friedman pere, Paul, talent exec Barbara Fedida nd DC Bureau Chief Chris Isham.

CBS News contributor Ayla Brown along with her dad Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA), and her mom and sister made the rounds at the CBS fete.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Attorney General Eric Holder and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) rounded out the politico showing.

More photos after the jump…

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TVNewser has learned ABC’s Diane Sawyer and NBC’s Brian Williams will anchor special reports this afternoon for their networks as Pres. Obama makes remarks about stepped up airport security after the attempted attack on Northwest Flight 253 on Christmas Day.

CBS News tells us they will monitor and cover on CBSNews.com. The cable news networks will also carry the statement live.

The president, who has not spoken publicly about Friday’s incident, is expected to make a statement around 3pmET from Hawaii.

> Update: CBS News switched course and carried the statement live from the Marine Corps Base near Kailua, Hawaii. FOX broadcast did as well. The president took no questions. Anthony Mason anchored on CBS. Harris Faulkner anchored on FOX.

In an interview taped Tuesday, two days before he testified before a Manhattan grand jury in the alleged extortion case involving him, David Letterman sat down with CBS’ Anthony Mason for an interview for “Sunday Morning.”

It’s for a story on Letterman’s sidekick of 27 years Paul Shaffer. Shaffer has a new book coming out. The story airs this Sunday morning.

For the second year in a row, the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric has won the Edward R. Murrow award for best evening newscast. CBS News submitted the broadcast of Nov. 12, 2008 to the RTNDA judges. The program led with the economic bailout coverage from correspondents Anthony Mason and Sharyl Attkisson. Other reports came from Armen Keteyian, Seth Doane, Mark Strassmann, and Steve Hartman.

Rick Kaplan is the EP of the CBS Evening News. Katie Couric is the managing editor.

CBS News and Sports president Sean McManus says the broadcast, “simply is the best daily news program on television,” adding, “once again, the industry experts are giving CBS Evening News the critical acclaim it deserves.”