American Morning
CEO of BP calls oil spill 'environmental catastrophe'
(CNN) – BP's top official, who had previously said the environmental impact on the Gulf of Mexico would be modest, upgraded his assessment Friday to an "environmental catastrophe" during an interview with American Morning's John Roberts.
Also Friday, engineers in the Gulf tried the "junk shot" method in an attempt to stop a massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, BP's chief executive Tony Hayward said.
The procedure involved shooting debris such as shredded rubber tires, golf balls and similar objects into the blowout preventer in an attempt to clog it and stop the leak. The goal of the junk shot is to force-feed the preventer, the device that failed when the disaster unfolded, until it becomes so plugged that the oil stops flowing or slows to a relative trickle.
The company plans to resume its "top kill" method, pumping heavy mud into the leak, later Friday, he said.
President Obama is scheduled to visit Louisiana on Friday for the second time since an oil rig explosion sent a historic amount of oil gushing into the Gulf. Read more
Is BP hiding wildlife deaths?
(CNN) – Volunteers and environmental experts are working around-the-clock to protect as much of the wildlife as they can across the Gulf Coast region. So, just how many animals have already died in the 39 days since the spill started? Our Rob Marciano tried to find out, but with BP calling the shots, it's a question even the feds are having trouble answering.
Coastal chopper tour with Gov. Jindal
(CNN) – Officials in Louisiana are doing what they can, as fast as they can, to stop the oil from spreading into more of the state's critical wetlands. Our Kiran Chetry took a helicopter tour of some of the hardest hit areas with Gov. Bobby Jindal. He told her that right now he's not interested in whose fault the spill is, he just wants to stop the gushing oil before things get a lot worse.
Oil industry fights back
By Bob Ruff and Carol Costello, CNN
(CNN) – Disaster doesn't begin to describe what is happening now in the Gulf of Mexico. Despite BP's efforts to "fix what's wrong," in many people's minds it remains "a villain."
So does the oil industry as a whole. No one knows that more than J. Bennett Johnston, a former senator from Louisiana turned oil lobbyist for Steptoe & Johnson.
For 24 years, Johnston served in the Senate and much of that time sat as the chairman and ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. When it comes to the power to make and break oil and natural gas policy making, it doesn't get much bigger than that.
Now that he's lobbying for an industry reeling from a the largest oil spill in American history, our Carol Costello asked Johnston, only partially tongue-in-cheek, if he now has the toughest job in the United States right now.
Gulf of Mexico oil spill worst in U.S. history
Watch CNN's American Morning on Friday as Kiran Chetry reports on the Gulf Coast oil spill from Grand Isle, Louisiana. (Photos: Getty Images and Michael Humphrey/CNN)
(CNN) – The Gulf of Mexico undersea gusher has already spilled more oil than the Exxon Valdez disaster - possibly more than twice as much, making it the largest oil spill in U.S. history - government scientists said Thursday.
Scientists observed 130,000 to 270,000 barrels of oil on the water's surface on May 17, and think a similar amount had already been burned, skimmed, dispersed or evaporated.
That would mean 260,000 to 520,000 barrels had been leaked as of 10 days ago. The Exxon Valdez leaked about 250,000 barrels into Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989. Read more
Full coverage | Track the spill | Should military take over in Gulf Coast? 
BP: Plumes are drilling mud, not oil
(CNN) – BP's "top kill" procedure is going as planned and according to expectations, U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government's point man in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill response, said Thursday. Even if the well is sealed shut today, it's still millions of gallons too late. Bob Dudley is BP's managing director and he joined us live on Thursday's American Morning.
Read more: Coast Guard admiral: 'Top kill' working as planned
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