American Morning
CNN Heroes: Recycling hotel soap to save lives
Atlanta (CNN) - That bar of soap you used once or twice during your last hotel stay might now be helping poor children fight disease.
Derreck Kayongo and his Atlanta-based Global Soap Project collect used hotel soap from across the United States. Instead of ending up in landfills, the soaps are cleaned and reprocessed for shipment to impoverished nations such as Haiti, Uganda, Kenya and Swaziland.
"I was shocked just to know how much (soap) at the end of the day was thrown away," Kayongo said. Each year, hundreds of millions of soap bars are discarded in North America alone. "Are we really throwing away that much soap at the expense of other people who don't have anything? It just doesn't sound right."
Kayongo, a Uganda native, thought of the idea in the early 1990s, when he first arrived to the U.S. and stayed at a hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He noticed that his bathroom was replenished with new soap bars every day, even though they were only slightly used.
"I tried to return the new soap to the concierge since I thought they were charging me for it," Kayongo said. "When I was told it was just hotel policy to provide new soap every day, I couldn't believe it."
'Golf summit:' The political history of the game
Bouncing off reports that President Obama and Speaker Boehner will be having their own "golf summit" on Saturday, our anchors gear up this morning for a round of putt and pass!
Joined by John Avlon, Newsweek columnist, and Mike Walker, senior editor at Golf Magazine, Kiran and Christine discuss the importance of relationship building and problem solving through golf, tracing the historical role the game has played for Presidents as they negotiate deals and legislation ideas.
New Spielberg series: Actor Noah Wyle's on new sci-fi show
On Sunday, TNT will premiere a new sci-fi series starring Noah Wyle, "Falling Skies." The new show, from executive producer Steven Spielberg, follows a band of survivors after an alien invasion.
Wyle joins AM this morning to talk about his new role, what life is like post-"ER" and why he thinks people are so drawn to post-apocalyptic television series.
Political panel: The aftermath of Anthony Weiner's resignation
Before Anthony Weiner's resignation yesterday, many people on both sides of the aisle, including President Obama, called the Weiner scandal a distraction.
Now that Weiner has left office, Democratic strategist Kiki McLean and former Republican advisor Robert Traynham weigh in on what is now on the agenda in Congress and what will come of Weiner's career and campaign funds.
Casey Anthony defense: Forensic evidence the focus of day one
Casey Anthony's defense team began presenting its case on Thursday, calling their first witnesses to the stand and attempting to promote their proposed theory that Casey was the victim of sexual abuse.
Former federal prosecutor Sunny Hostin talks with AM this morning about the defense's case and the strong public interest in the trial.
Question of the Day: Do you think Mitt Romney's joke connected with viewers or did he seem out of touch?
(CNN) After listening to a group of unemployed Floridians discuss the challenges they face in the job market, presidential hopeful -and multi-millionaire– Mitt Romney cheekily divulged, "I am also unemployed."
Romney's remarks were greeted with laughter from the crowd, but not everyone appreciated his humor. Many Democrats are now criticizing Romney's joke, with Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz calling his statement inappropriate and insensitive.
American Morning wants to know: Do you think Mitt Romney's joke connected with viewers or did he seem out of touch?
Post your answer here. Your response might be included in this morning’s broadcast.
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