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[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/06/21/rig.worker.gi.art.jpg caption="As oil continues gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, a federal judge will hear arguments Monday from companies seeking to end a 6-month ban on deepwater drilling."]

Companies seek to end moratorium on drilling

(CNN) – As oil continues gushing into the Gulf of Mexico from a ruptured undersea well, a federal judge will hear arguments Monday from companies seeking an end to a temporary moratorium on deepwater drilling.

The six-month ban, instituted by the government last month, halts all drilling in more than 500 feet of water and prevents new permits from being issued.

But a company that provides boats and equipment to the offshore drilling industry says in a lawsuit that the government has no evidence that existing operations pose a threat to the gulf.

Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC and other oil service companies named as plaintiffs in the case say they want a court order declaring the moratorium invalid and unenforceable. A federal judge will hear their arguments Monday morning.

Government lawyers argue that the temporary suspension of deepwater drilling is necessary to assess the safety and regulation issues and reduce the risk of another environmental disaster. Read more

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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/06/18/tony.hayward.congress.gi.art.jpg caption="BP CEO Tony Hayward declines to speculate on what may have prevented disaster."]

BP chief's testimony angers lawmakers

(CNN) – As oil continued gushing into the Gulf of Mexico from BP's ruptured deepwater well Friday, the political firestorm sparked by the environmental disaster showed no signs of slowing.

Lawmakers said many questions remained after BP CEO Tony Hayward faced a bipartisan barrage of criticism during a heated day of testimony on Capitol Hill.

"It was frustrating, not just to me but to the American people," Rep. Bart Stupak said Thursday on CNN's "John King, USA."

U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government's oil disaster response manager, is expected to brief reporters on cleanup efforts Friday morning.

On Thursday, he said drilling of two "relief wells," viewed as the ultimate solution to the Deepwater Horizon gusher, was ahead of schedule, but he shied away from saying the well would be plugged early, citing the complexity of the operation. Read more

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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/06/17/hayward.tony.gi.art.jpg caption="Weeks after oil began spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, BP does not know whether its efforts to stop the flow will soon succeed, its CEO will testify Thursday."]

BP working, but cannot guarantee outcome, CEO says

(CNN) – Eight weeks after an explosion uncorked a massive oil spill into the Gulf, BP does not know whether its efforts to stanch the flow will soon succeed, its CEO plans to testify Thursday.

"We cannot guarantee the outcome of these operations, but we are working around the clock with the best experts from government and industry," Tony Hayward says in prepared testimony to be delivered before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

"The explosion and fire aboard the Deepwater Horizon and the resulting oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico never should have happened - and I am deeply sorry that they did," he says in his prepared remarks.

"None of us yet knows why it happened. But whatever the cause, we at BP will do what we can to make certain that an incident like this does not happen again." Read more

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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/06/16/obama.address.gi.art.jpg caption="A day after President Obama blasted BP for its "recklessness," he will meet with the company's top executives to discuss a fund to cover cleanup costs and claims stemming from the Gulf oil spill."]

Obama, BP set for Gulf oil showdown

(CNN) – President Obama will have his showdown on Wednesday with BP top executives and says he will tell the company it must pick up the tab for the massive oil disaster in the Gulf.

Obama vowed Tuesday to unleash whatever resources may be needed to fight the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and to keep the pressure on BP.

"We will fight this spill with everything we've got for as long it takes," Obama said after two consecutive days surveying the Gulf Coast, which is threatened by a massive oil spill that began April 20 and continues to pump oil into the Gulf waters and worry into Gulf residents.

In a prime-time speech to a national audience, the president predicted that, "in the coming days and weeks," efforts to contain the leak "should capture up to 90 percent of the oil leaking out of the well."

Ending the leak should occur later in the summer, when a relief well being drilled by BP is slated for completion, he said. Read more

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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/06/15/oil.spill.disaster/t1main.obama.jpg caption="President Obama will continue his Gulf Coast visit Tuesday with a stop in Florida's Panhandle, then return to Washington and address the nation about the situation from the Oval Office."]

Obama continues Gulf visit, preps Oval Office address

(CNN) – President Obama will continue his Gulf Coast visit Tuesday with a stop in Florida's Panhandle, where beaches have started to see signs of oil as crude continues to gush from a ruptured deepwater well.

Obama, on his fourth trip to the region since oil began spewing from the well in April, is scheduled to return to Washington later Tuesday and address the nation about the situation from the Oval Office.

But first, Obama will give a speech of support for oil-impacted communities and American troops while at Pensacola's Naval Air Station Tuesday morning, an administration official said.

Meanwhile Rep. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, will have a chance to grill executives from five major oil companies on Capitol Hill.

The witness list for Tuesday's hearing of his House Energy and Environment subcommittee includes chief executives of BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Shell Oil. Read more

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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/06/14/obama.gulf.beach.gi.art.jpg caption="President Obama will visit the Gulf states affected by the oil spill on Monday and Tuesday and then address the nation Tuesday night from the White House."]

Obama to address nation on oil disaster Tuesday night

(CNN) – President Barack Obama will visit the Gulf states affected by the oil spill on Monday and Tuesday and then address the nation on Tuesday night from the White House on the next steps in responding to the environmental catastrophe, his senior adviser said Sunday.

On his fourth visit to the Gulf region since the disaster began on April 20, Obama will make stops in Theodore, Alabama; Gulfport, Mississippi, and Pensacola, Florida, according to senior administration officials.

After returning from the two-day trip, Obama will make a televised statement from the Oval Office on the night before he is scheduled to meet with top BP officials.

David Axelrod, the senior adviser to Obama, said the president would push BP to create a BP-funded escrow account that will pay for damage claims from the worsening oil spill. In addition, Axelrod said, the plan would call for an independent third party to handle the claims process.

"The president will use every legal device at his disposal to make sure that this money is escrowed and that there is an independent administrator so that claims are not slow-walked, people can get the relief they need in a timely fashion and that we don't create more victims from this terrible disaster," Axelrod told reporters. Read more

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