American Morning
United and Continental to merge
By Aaron Smith, CNNMoney.com staff writer
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) – UAL Corp.'s United Airlines announced on Monday it will merge with Continental Airlines in a deal worth $3.2 billion, creating the world's largest airline.
The combined company, which will fly under the United moniker and Continental logo, is now larger than Delta Air Lines (DAL, Fortune 500), which became the country's largest airline when it merged with Northwest Airlines in 2008. It is expected to serve more than 144 million passengers per year and fly to 370 destinations in 59 countries.
"Combining these two companies is the best way to position ourselves ... to thrive in the changing and competitive airline [industry,]" said Jeff Smisek, chief executive of Continental, in a press conference with Glenn Tilton, chief executive of UAL Corp. "Continental is strong where United is weak; United is strong where Continental is weak. Putting these two carriers together is a match made in heaven."
Under the terms of the deal, Continental shareholders will receive 1.05 shares of United common stock for each Continental common share they own, the companies said in a statement. FULL STORY
Is oil spill President Obama's Katrina?
(CNN) – The ruptured undersea well off Louisiana is spewing about 210,000 gallons (5,000 barrels) of crude a day into the Gulf of Mexico. And efforts to corral the rapidly growing oil spill have so far been unsuccessful.
In the past few days, some of the focus has shifted to the White House and whether it sprang to action soon enough to make a difference. Some critics are calling this "Obama's Hurricane Katrina." Our Jim Acosta has the report.
Cops have 2nd video in NYC bomb scare
New York (CNN) – Law enforcement officials early Monday pored through evidence, including a 20-second video, after a failed car bombing attempt in Times Square over the weekend.
The video released by authorities showed an image of a man, who police say is possibly connected to the attempted bombing, changing his shirt along a New York street. A balding man with dark hair is seen removing a shirt and putting it in a bag before walking out of the camera's view from inside a restaurant.
Authorities plan to release another video in the case, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told CNN's "American Morning" on Monday.
Kelly said the person in the video "is seen, we believe, running north on Broadway." He said the video was obtained from a tourist.
The investigation was focusing on examinations of a Nissan Pathfinder where the attempted homemade bomb was placed. On Sunday, Kelly said the vehicle was being inspected for fingerprints, hair, fibers and other evidence that may help identify who was responsible. Read more
The 'young guns' of the GOP
By Bob Ruff and Carol Costello, CNN
(CNN) – You might think that Republican "young guns" are youthful, pro-gun members of the GOP. Actually, it's the name of a program created by the National Republican Congressional Committee (RNCC) to recruit and help promising new GOP candidates who are running for House seats.
We decided to talk a look at "young guns" to understand a bit better how national parties recruit their candidates.
For the GOP, any non-incumbent running for Congress can join the program. While many have applied (114 so far), few (10 so far) have been chosen. In order to become a full-blown "young gun" and receive the full package of financial and other help from the national party, candidates must prove they can win their district by meeting a set of criteria. The entry level position in the program is "on the radar," followed by "contender" and then "young gun".
Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas oversees the program. He insists an allegiance to conservative ideology is not the main criterion in recruiting and supporting candidates. What is? "Well, I've said for a long time, we got a big litmus test: to be able to win your district."
Times Square scare rattles New York
(CNN) – The hunt is on for a possible suspect who terrorized Times Square over the weekend. Police in New York City are going over every inch of the Nissan Pathfinder that was left on 45th street, packed with propane tanks, gas cans, and clocks.
There have already been people and groups claiming credit for the attempted attack, including a video from the Pakistani Taliban, but as the mayor says, it is still too early to know which one is for real. Our Susan Candiotti has the latest.
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