American Morning
'Magic happened' after she gave ex-cons a chance at new lives
By Kathleen Toner, CNN
Los Angeles, California (CNN) – At the bus terminal in downtown Los Angeles, they're easy to spot. Dressed in blue jeans, they carry boxes, bags or large envelopes with their name and a number on it. They are ex-offenders, just released from California's prison system. When they step off the bus with $200 in "gate money" in their pockets, many have hopes of making a fresh start.
But in this seedy area just blocks from Skid Row, the new arrivals are easy targets for pimps and drug dealers. For some, the temptation is too much. While not everyone succumbs to the streets so quickly, nearly 60 percent return to prison within three years, according to California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
It's a cycle that Susan Burton is striving to break through her reentry program. Having served six prison terms for drug offenses in the 1980s and '90s, Burton knows from experience how hard it can be.
"Every time I was released, I swore I wasn't going back," said Burton, 57. "But I know now that without the resources and support, it's next to impossible. ... If you don't have a new door to walk through, the only thing is the old door." Read more
Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes
Nuke the oil well?
(CNN) – With BP running out of options to control and eventually stop the biggest oil spill in U.S. history, there are some scientists saying it's time to go nuclear. Our Deb Feyerick takes a look at whether it's a serious and safe option.
Cleanup crew of 1,500 sets up shop in BP's tent city
(CNN) – BP is bracing for the long haul in the Gulf, pitching tents for cleanup teams left jobless and penniless by the disaster. And there's plenty to do. Miles of tarred coastline and oil-slicked wildlife and reserves have to be cleaned. Our Jim Acosta takes a closer look at the operation.
Estimated size of oil spill doubles
(CNN) – Researchers have doubled estimates of how much oil has been spewing from a ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico, reporting Thursday that up to 40,000 barrels (1.7 million gallons) a day may have escaped for weeks.
Well owner BP has been able to capture a varying percentage of that oil, first with a siphon inserted into the well riser and since June 3 with a cap that allowed workers to draw nearly 16,000 barrels to a ship on the surface Wednesday.
But scientists from the Flow Rate Technical Group reported Thursday that the amount of oil that has been leaking into the Gulf since late April was roughly twice the amount they previously estimated.
"The lowest estimate that we're seeing, that the scientists think is credible, is probably about 20,000 barrels," U.S. Geological Survey Director Marcia McNutt said. "And the highest that we're seeing is probably a little over 40,000, maybe a little more, depending on whether there are any systematic issues with gas."
Two weeks ago, researchers put the amount of oil escaping into the Gulf at between 12,000 and 19,000 barrels (504,000 to 798,000 gallons) per day. Read more
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[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/06/11/gulf.boat.boom.gi.art.jpg caption="Workers pick up oil soaked absorbent boom near Grand Isle, Louisiana. "]
USGS: More oil gushing than believed
(CNN) – Scientists now estimate the leaking BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico was releasing 20,000 to 40,000 barrels - or 840,000 to 1.7 million gallons - per day through last week, the head of the U.S. Geological Survey said Thursday.
The scientists' previous estimate was 12,000 to 19,000 barrels per day.
The new estimate is of the well's flow rate prior to BP's cutting of the damaged riser pipe extending from the well's blowout preventer last week, U.S. Geological Survey Director Marcia McNutt said. After BP cut the riser on June 3, it placed a containment cap over the preventer's lower marine riser package to capture some of the leaking oil.
Scientists estimate that the spill's flow rate increased by 4 to 5 percent after the well's riser pipe was cut last week in order to place the cap atop the well.
BP says that with the cap, it is capturing about 16,000 barrels daily and funneling it to a ship on the surface. Before that, BP was capturing some oil through a siphon inserted into the well riser. Read more
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Families of oil workers killed go to White House
(CNN) – President Obama plans to visit the Gulf Coast again next week. It will be his fourth visit here since the Deepwater Horizon explosion in April. Today, the Gulf oil disaster takes on a deeply personal tone when the president meets with the families of those who died. Our Suzanne Malveaux talks to the family of a worker whose son was born after he died in the oil rig explosion.
Read more: Obama to meet victims' families
Program note: On "AC360°," survivors of the BP oil rig explosion talk to Anderson Cooper about their 11 "fallen brothers." Watch "AC360°" live from the Gulf at 10 p.m. ET Thursday.
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