American Morning
Oiled pelicans are washed, released
(CNN) – Much help is needed in the Gulf, especially for the most helpless victims of this unprecedented disaster. Pictures of oil-soaked birds, choking on crude and gasping for air, break you heart. But there have been some hopeful and heartwarming moments in the midst of all the despair. Our Rob Marciano tagged along with one team as they released some newly-cleaned pelicans back into the wild. Watch 
Building Up America: Florida is open for business
(CNN) – Today is the first official day of summer, but across the Gulf Coast, beaches sit empty. People who depend on tourism dollars are wondering how they're going to make ends meet. But in Florida, most of the state's beaches are still untouched by the oil. Businesses are banding together to get the word out that they're still open for business. Our Tom Foreman reports from Pensacola Beach, Florida for today's "Building Up America" report. Watch
Fund overseer: BP must speed up payments
(CNN) – Shrimpers, oystermen and businesspeople all across the Gulf have their lives on hold as they wait for checks from BP for claims they've already filed. The oil giant says it has issued more than 32,000 checks already. Last week, BP agreed to a $20 billion escrow fund to compensate spill victims. Ken Feinberg is the man overseeing that fund and he joined us on Monday's American Morning to talk about the complications of paying out claims. Watch
Read more: BP pushed to speed up emergency claims
Collecting from BP proves challenging for fishermen
(CNN) – BP is calling the release of its "worst case scenario" document "irrelevant," but critics call it one more reason not to trust the company. Many people on the Gulf Coast already feel that way about BP after filing claims with the oil giant, including charter boat captain Stu Scheer.
It took 40 years for Scheer to build his business running charter fishing boats for tourists in the Gulf. Now it's all falling apart – between the oil spill that shut down business and haggling with BP over his claim. Our Chris Lawrence has his story. Watch
New Orleans spends $5 million of BP cash on tourism ads
(CNN) – Even with the oil coming ashore in waves, New Orleans wants you to know it is open for business. The city is fighting back with $5 million – money it got from BP. Our Chris Lawrence has the story. Watch
Town builds iron curtain to keep oil out of river
(CNN) – One town along the Alabama coast is running out of time. They say the river that runs through their town like an artery is their lifeblood. If the oil gets in it will literally be in people's backyards, so the community decided not to wait. Our Mary Snow has their story.
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