American Morning
Park51 developer discusses the opening of the first phase of the community center
Coinciding with the United Nations International Day of Peace, the first part of Park51, the planned Lower Manhattan Islamic community center that sparked an international controversy last year, is set to open today.
Park51's first big public event will be a photography exhibit comprised of portraits of children from 169 countries who now live in New York City.
Sharif El-Gamal, Park 51 developer and chairman of the board of directors, talks to American Morning today about the protests surrounding the project and where the construction of the center stands.
Photos are courtesy of Danny Goldfield.
Minding Your Business for Sept. 21, 2011
Christine Romans reports the morning business news headlines in our daily segment "Minding Your Business" on CNN’s
American Morning.
Talk Back: Is it time to re-think the death penalty?
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/08/30/costello_vert.jpg width=200 height=230 align="right"]
From CNN's Carol Costello:
Troy Davis, convicted cop killer, will be executed by lethal injection tonight despite protest and assertions of his innocence from Amnesty International, the Pope and President Jimmy Carter.
Whether you agree with them is up to you, but Davis' case aside, American juries seem increasingly reluctant to see any inmate put to death, preferring life without the possibility of parole instead.
Although it's unclear as to why, their reluctance may be due to the fact that more than 130 people have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence since 1973.
Talk Back: Is it time to re-think the death penalty?
Let us know what you think. Your response could be read on our program.
Author of controversial new book about Palin discusses allegations about drugs, sex
Joe McGinniss' controversial new book about Sarah Palin, "The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin," is set to hit stands today and it is already generating a lot of buzz.
The book touches on virtually every controversy, rumor and accusation about Palin's political and personal life. Among other claims, McGinniss alleges that Palin was an image-obsessed governor and a poor parent who once used cocaine.
The book has received a hefty amount of criticism from both Palin's supporters and other outlets like the New York Times, which calls the book "dated" and "petty".
McGinniss responds to this criticism today on American Morning and discusses the various claims he made in the book.
'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy repealed today
The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy, which has been in effect since the Clinton administration, ends today and gay men and lesbians will now be able to serve openly in the military.
The repeal comes after thousands of miltary men and women were discharged over the past seventeen years for being gay, including many high-ranking service members and Arab linguists.
The history of the policy is detailed in a new HBO documentary, "The Strange History of Don't Ask Don't Tell," which examines the consequences of the policy and the fight to overturn it.
Two people featured in the documentary, Patrick Murphy, former Pennsylvania Congressman who pushed for the repeal, and Lt Col. Victor Fehrenbach, who faced discharge under DADT, join American Morning today to talk about what the repeal of the policy means to them.
What does the Palestinian request for statehood mean for the U.S.?
While diplomats and world leaders will be tackling some tough global issues at the United Nations general assembly today, the big story of the week will be unfolding on Friday when the Palestinians formally request membership in the U.N. and recognition as a state.
The United States has pledged to block the application should it reach the Security Council but Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appears undeterred.
Is a showdown looming at the United Nations, or is there still time to come up with a solution that will work for the U.S. and Palestine?
John Negroponte, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, talks to Carol Costello on American Morning today about what statehood for Palestine would mean for Israel, the Middle East and the United States.
Negroponte is also participating in the Concordia Summit Tuesday. The Summit focuses on eliminating global terrorism and this year features an address by former President George W. Bush. Read more about the summit here.
About this Show
Welcome to the American Morning blog where you can get daily news updates from American Morning's reporters and producers. Join us for "the most news in the morning," weekdays from 6-9 a.m. ET, only on CNN.
On Twitter
