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/07/01/hurricane.alex.gi.art.jpg caption="Heavy rains pelting northeastern Mexico left at least one dead and thousands more in shelters as Hurricane Alex moved inland, Mexican officials said early Thursday."]

Hurricane Alex kills at least 1 in Mexico; flooding feared

(CNN) – A contractor in Monterrey died when a wall fell on him as a result of the rain, Carlos Eduardo Aguilar of Nuevo Leon's Civil Protection agency said. CNN-affiliate Televisa reported that at least three other people died when a wall collapsed on them in Acapulco, on the country's Pacific coast.

Alex made landfall along the northeast Mexican coastline late Wednesday as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of about 100 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported. Forecasters downgraded the storm to a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning and said it would continue to weaken as it moved inland.

But residents on both sides of the border braced for additional flooding and tornadoes as the storm moved west with 85 mph maximum sustained winds.

Rivers and creeks were already well above their normal levels Wednesday. Rescuers saved a young man from rushing waters, Nuevo Leon state officials said. Officials closed schools across the state Thursday as they braced for floods. Read more

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.

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/US/06/30/hurricane.alex/t1main.alex.01.cnn.jpg caption="Alex has strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico to become the first hurricane of the season. Forecasters say the storm is expected to make landfall in northeastern Mexico or southern Texas by late Wednesday or early Thursday."]

Hurricane Alex makes way toward Mexico, Texas coasts

(CNN) – Hurricane Alex gained strength early Wednesday as the storm began to take aim on the western Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center reported.

The Category 1 storm, which became the first June hurricane on the Atlantic side of the United States since 1995, is expected to make landfall in northeastern Mexico or southern Texas by late Wednesday or early Thursday.

The hurricane center's advisory issued at 2 a.m. ET said Alex was moving erratically, but generally westward, at 5 mph. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and was about 255 miles southeast of Brownsville, Texas.

President Barack Obama issued a federal emergency declaration for Texas ahead of the expected arrival of Alex, the White House said Tuesday night.

A hurricane warning was issued for the Gulf Coast from Baffin Bay, Texas, to La Cruz, Mexico. A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions and tropical storm-force winds are expected in the forecast area within 36 hours. Read more | Full coverage | LIVE: Undersea view

CNN broadcasting legend Larry King to step down

Larry King, the iconic TV interviewer, will step aside from hosting of his prime time CNN show later this year, he said Tuesday.

King, 76, made the announcement with a short posting to his Twitter account, citing his desire to spend more time with his wife and young children.

"I want to share some personal news with you. 25 years ago, I sat across this table from New York Governor Mario Cuomo for the first broadcast of Larry King Live. Now, decades later, I talked to the guys here at CNN and I told them I would like to end Larry King Live, the nightly show, this fall and CNN has graciously accepted, giving me more time for my wife and I to get to the kids' little league games," King wrote.

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.

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/US/06/29/gulf.oil.disaster/t1main.oily.jpg caption="Vice President Joe Biden is expected to visit the Gulf area on Tuesday, the 71st day of the disaster, to assess efforts to stop the massive oil spill."]

As storm strengthens in Gulf, Biden set to review cleanup effort

(CNN) – Vice President Joe Biden is expected to visit the Gulf Coast Tuesday to assess efforts to stop the massive oil spill.

Biden is expected to visit the command centers in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Florida panhandle, the White House said.

His visit will be on the 71st day of the spill that President Obama has called the nation's worst environmental disaster.

BP said it is on track to reach its August deadline of getting a relief well down to the area where the oil is leaking in the Gulf of Mexico.

The relief well has reached a depth of 16,770 feet, but engineers plan to drill an additional 900 feet vertically before cutting in sideways, said Kent Wells, BP senior vice president of exploration and production.

Meanwhile, efforts continue to increase the containment of leaking oil. The next step is to bring in a third rig called the Helix Producer at the well, which would increase the containment by 20,000 to 25,000 more barrels per day, Wells said.

But powerful Tropical Storm Alex could derail the effort.

The storm is expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it churned in the Gulf of Mexico, but was heading away from the oil spill area, the National Hurricane Center said Monday. Read more

Full coverage | LIVE: Undersea view

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.

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/US/06/28/gulf.oil.disaster/t1main.beach.jpg caption="Tropical Storm Alex churned across the Gulf of Mexico early Monday on a path that could take it away from the massive oil spill. However, forecasters have not ruled out a shift in Alex's path.."]

Tropical Storm Alex could miss massive oil spill

(CNN) – Tropical Storm Alex churned across the Gulf of Mexico early Monday on a path that could take it away from the massive oil spill.

Alex re-strengthened into a Tropical Storm on Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service.

It had temporarily weakened to a tropical depression as it passed over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The storm, with its heavy rain and maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, is expected to steer clear of oil-affected areas.

"We think the storm is going to stay on a more southern track. That would be good news because it would avoid the area near the oil spill," said Todd Kimberlain of the National Hurricane Center.

However, forecasters have not ruled out an easterly shift in Alex's path.

"We all know the weather is unpredictable, and we could have a sudden last-minute change," said Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the federal government's response manager. Read more

Full coverage | LIVE: Undersea view

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.

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/06/25/pensacola.beach.cnn.art.jpg caption="Costs associated with the Gulf oil disaster have gone up more than $300 million in less than a week, BP said Friday."]

Tab for Gulf oil disaster tops $2.3 billion

(CNN) – Costs associated with the Gulf oil disaster have gone up more than $300 million in less than a week, BP said Friday.

"The cost of the response to date amounts to approximately $2.35 billion, including the cost of the spill response, containment, relief well drilling, grants to the Gulf states, claims paid and federal costs," a company statement said. BP put the tab at $2 billion on Monday.

The company previously agreed to set aside $20 billion in an escrow account for spill-related costs, a sum that does not cover fees and penalties that could be imposed by the federal government.

"To date, almost 74,000 claims have been filed and more than 39,000 payments have been made, totaling almost $126 million," the company said.

According to BP, approximately 37,000 personnel, more than 4,500 vessels and some 100 aircraft are involved in the response effort. Read more

Full coverage | LIVE: Undersea view

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.

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/06/24/obama.two.gi.art.jpg caption="Lawmakers praise the choice of Petraeus and say Obama had no choice but to accept McChrystal's resignation."]

Obama replaces general, backs strategy

(CNN) – President Barack Obama on Wednesday replaced Gen. Stanley McChrystal as commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan and nominated Gen. David Petraeus to replace him while affirming support for a counterinsurgency strategy encountering problems.

The dramatic shift came a day after McChrystal's disparaging comments about America's civilian leadership surfaced, and reignited the national debate on the war in Afghanistan - now in its eighth year with a June death toll of coalition forces that is close to becoming the highest of the war.

Obama accepted McChrystal's resignation "with considerable regret" and named Petraeus, the head of the U.S. Central Command, to take over pending Senate confirmation.Read more

U.S. pulls off World Cup miracle

It was a stunning reversal of fortune as the U.S. soccer team came roaring back to life with only seconds to spare, beating Algeria 1 to 0 yesterday. America's greatest player, Landon Donovan, is the heart and soul of the team and he'll be joining us live this morning.

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.