American Morning
Tea Party activists get caucus in the House
Members of the Tea Party movement protest on May 25, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Getty Images)
(CNN) – There will be a big "tea party" on Capitol Hill today. The newly-minted congressional Tea Party Caucus holds its first official meeting on Wednesday. How will the new status impact the growing Tea Party movement? Our Jim Acosta takes a look. Watch 
Agriculture secretary to review resignation of USDA official
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack testifies on Capitol Hill July 22, 2009. (Getty Images)
(CNN) – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said early Wednesday that he will review the case of a former Agriculture Department official who resigned after a video clip surfaced of her discussing a white farmer.
"I am, of course, willing and will conduct a thorough review and consider additional facts to ensure to the American people we are providing services in a fair and equitable manner," Vilsack said in a statement.
Shirley Sherrod – an African-American – resigned Monday under pressure after the video clip first appeared on a conservative website and later on Fox News. In the video, she seemed to tell an audience she did not do her utmost to help a white farmer avoid foreclosure. However, Sherrod later said the clip only shows part of her comments, and that she tells the story of her experience - from nearly a quarter century ago when she was not a federal employee - to illustrate the importance of moving beyond race. Watch
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Editor's Note: Welcome to American Morning's LIVE Blog where you can discuss the "most news in the morning" with us each week day. Join the live chat during the show by adding your comments below. It's your chance to share your thoughts on the day's headlines. You have a better chance of having your comment get past our moderators if you follow our rules: 1) Keep it brief 2) No writing in ALL CAPS 3) Use your real name (first name only is fine) 4) No links 5) Watch your language (that includes $#&*).
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/POLITICS/07/21/agriculture.employee.usda/t1main.sherod.02.usad.jpg caption="Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said early Wednesday he will review the case of a former USDA worker who quit after a video surfaced of her discussing a white farmer. "]
Agriculture secretary to review resignation of USDA worker
(CNN) – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said early Wednesday that he will review the case of a former Agriculture Department official who resigned after a video clip surfaced of her discussing a white farmer.
"I am of course willing and will conduct a thorough review and consider additional facts to ensure to the American people we are providing services in a fair and equitable manner," Vilsack said in a statement.
Shirley Sherrod - an African American - resigned this week under pressure after the video clip first appeared on a conservative website and later on Fox News. In the video, she seemed to say she withheld services from a white farmer.
The video initially brought condemnation from the NAACP, which it later retracted after the context of the clip became clear.
The NAACP said in a statement Tuesday that it was "snookered by Fox News" and conservative website publisher Andrew Breitbart.
"Having reviewed the full tape by Shirley Sherrod, who is the woman who was fired by the Department of Agriculture, and most importantly heard the testimony of the white farmers mentioned in this story, we now believe that the organization that edited the documents did so with the intention of deceiving millions of Americans," the statement from NAACP President Benjamin Jealous said. Read more
Sound off: We want to hear from you this morning. Add your comments to the LIVE Blog below and we'll read some of them on the show.
New guidelines to diagnose Alzheimer’s
(CNN) – The criteria for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease have remained virtually unchanged since the early 1980’s. However, last week new guidelines were proposed that would lead to earlier diagnosis. Although this would mean better care for patients, it would also lead to a significant increase in the number of people diagnosed with the disease. Dr. Maria Carrillo, senior director of medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer’s Association, joined us on Tuesday’s American Morning to discuss the proposed guidelines.
Contractors doing spy's work in post 9/11 world
(CNN) – A two year investigation by the Washington Post, “Top Secret America”, analyzed the United States’ security universe created after 9/11 and concluded it may be too large to be effective. In the second part of the investigation, the paper examined how the government farms out intelligence work to private contractors despite federal rules prohibiting them to do so. Dana Priest reported the story with William Arkin and joined us on Tuesday’s American Morning to explain. Watch
Read Dana's article: National Security Inc.
Ground Zero mosque ad stirs emotions
Scott Wheeler runs a small political action committee called the Republican National Trust, which has no ties to the Republican Party.
(CNN) – The fight over plans to build an Islamic center near the site of the World Trade Center continues to escalate. A new advertisement titled “The audacity of Jihad” aims to prevent the mosque from being built by using graphic footage of 9/11 and militant Muslims. CNN's Allan Chernoff talks to the man behind the controversial new ad. Watch
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