American Morning
Arizona immigration law faces federal challenge today
Protesters march in front of the White House as Arizona Governor Janice Brewer meets inside with President Obama June 3, 2010. (Getty Images)
(CNN) – A federal judge in Arizona will hear arguments today in two lawsuits challenging the state's controversial new law targeting illegal immigrants, including one brought by the Obama Justice Department. Arizona's law is set to take effect next week and supporters say it's a response to the federal government's failure to secure the southern borders. The feds say the borders are more secure than ever. Could both sides be right? Our Casey Wiann takes a look. 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/images/07/22/sherrod.shirley.cnn.art.jpg caption="After her father was shot to death by a white man, "I decided to stay in the South and work for change," Shirley Sherrod said."]
Shirley Sherrod: Dad was killed by white farmer
(CNN) – Shirley Miller Sherrod has spent most of her life fighting injustice.
On the Baker County, Georgia, farm where the Miller family grew corn, peanuts, cotton and cucumbers and raised hogs, cows and goats, oldest daughter Shirley despised the work.
"I swore I would never have anything to do with a farm past high school," she said Wednesday with an easy chuckle. "I would talk to the sun as I picked cotton and picked cucumbers and worked out there in that hot field, and [say], 'This is not the life for me.' I didn't want to have anything to do with agriculture ever again."
On the night in 1965 when her father, Hosie Miller, a black man and a deacon at Thankful Baptist Church, was shot to death by a white farmer in what ostensibly was a dispute over a few cows, Sherrod - then 17 years old - changed her mind.
"I decided to stay in the South and work for change," said Sherrod, now 62, who believes her father's killing was more about a Southern black man speaking up to a white man than about who owned which animals. The all-white grand jury didn't bring charges against the shooter. Read more
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says he has apologized to Sherrod, who resigned from her Agriculture Department position under pressure this week over a video showing her making comments about a white farmer.
Vilsack said he told Sherrod by phone that the USDA would have another position for her should she want it. Sherrod answered that she needed some time to think about it, Vilsack said.
Program note: Will Shirley Sherrod reconsider working again for the USDA? She'll join us live in the studio this morning at 6:30 a.m. ET.
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.
'The Blind Side' actor helps pair at-risk kids with mentors
(CNN) – The lesson of the film "The Blind Side" is that one act of kindness is all it takes to turn a life around. Actor Quinton Aaron starred with Sandra Bullock in the Oscar-winning film, and he's taking that lesson to heart. He's in Washington today promoting the nonprofit group, "Children Uniting Nations," which pairs at-risk and foster kids with mentors. He joined us on Wednesday's American Morning, along with Beatrice Franklin who was mentored through the program.
Exclusive look at Navy airship aiding Gulf cleanup effort
A U.S. Navy MZ-3A manned airship provides logistical support for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. (U.S. Navy photo via Getty Images)
(CNN) – Rough seas, high winds and thunderstorms are the last thing cleanup crews in the Gulf of Mexico need right now. It's challenging enough to spot oil slicks and skim them off the ocean surface in calm conditions. But a new tool is helping crews put a small dent in this enormous disaster. It's a blimp, and we have been granted exclusive access to climb aboard. Our Rob Marciano and Amber Lyon report. Watch
Shirley Sherrod: 'I worked for fairness'
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/POLITICS/07/21/agriculture.employee.usda/t1main.sherrod.02.cnn.jpg caption="The agriculture secretary will review the case of former employee Shirley Sherrod, who resigned after controversy over a video about her work with a white farmer."]
(CNN) – A black former Agriculture Department official who resigned under pressure after a video clip surfaced of her discussing a white farmer said Wednesday the agency's decision to review her case is "bittersweet," but said she isn't sure she would accept her job back if it is offered.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said early Wednesday that he will review the case of Shirley Sherrod, who resigned Monday after the video clip first appeared on a conservative website and later on Fox News.
In the video, Sherrod, the former USDA director of rural development for Georgia, seems to tell an audience at an NAACP function in March that 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.
"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.
The USDA's decision is "bittersweet," Sherrod told CNN's "American Morning" on Wednesday. Watch
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