American Morning
Shell Oil president: 'We're going to need significant efficiency gains in energy usage'
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) - The national average of gas stands at $3.81 a gallon. Prices are up 24% from the start of the year. A big culprit behind the surge has been oil. While gas prices typically start to rise at this time of year, $100 oil isn't helping. Based on current oil prices, there is a 33% chance that the national average gas price could hit $4 a gallon in July, said the Energy Information Administration in its April short-term energy outlook. Shell Oil president says the rising demand of oil affects the price and alternatives need to be sought.
Aviation security expert: 'Airlines need to do more in the way of risk management and profiling'
The TSA and the FAA have been taking major criticism of late for air traffic controllers sleeping on the job to the rigorous patdown of a six-year-old. The family of the 6-year-old girl said today there needs to be a different screening process for children. In the wake of the third incident this year involving a sleeping controller, an FAA boss resigned. Will traveling the skies ever be friendly and safe again? Legal analyst, Sunny Hostin and aviation security expert, Billy Vincent speak to CNN's American Morning on these issues and the future of flying.
Good samaritan who picked up sole survivor of car drowning speaks out
New York (CNN) - Moments after the mother of four young children plunged her minivan into the Hudson River, she expressed second thoughts about killing herself and her children, the woman's lone surviving son told police and the woman who found him soaking wet by the road.
The 10-year-old boy, Lashaun Armstrong, hoisted himself out of the van's driver-side window, swam to shore, then tried to flag down help by the side of a road in Newburgh, New York, some 60 miles north of New York City, that town's Fire Chief Michael Vatter said.
Meave Ryan told HLN's Vinnie Politan on Thursday that she noticed the shivering boy "yelling and screaming, 'Help me, help me, please help me.'"
After the boy told Ryan that his mother, Lashonda Armstrong, had driven their car into the river, Ryan asked him to get in her vehicle. She said she drove toward the water, then went in knee-deep, but couldn't see any sign of the vehicle or any other survivors.
The boy eventually recalled to Ryan that, as the car was moving, his mother went into the backseat and "had all her children cradled in her arms." According to Ryan's recollection of her conversation with Lashaun, he quoted his mother as saying, 'If I'm going to die, ... you're all going to die with me.'"
Lashaun told Ryan that he resisted and broke free, yelling out the window for help. Ryan said that the boy told her that as he was trying to escape, "maybe (his mother) had a break of reality," and the boy said his mother then cried out, "Oh my God, I made a mistake."
She climbed back into the front seat and tried to put the car in reverse to pull it out of the water, the boy told Ryan and police, according to Police Lt. Pat Arnold.
But it was too late. Read More
Meave Ryan, the good samaritan who picked up the survivor and Dr. Jeff Gardere speak to CNN's American Morning about the tragedy and the psychological effects of it.
Sperling, Rogers and Wasserman Schultz react to Obama's deficit-cutting plan
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) - He may have taken his time to join the brewing debate about how to reduce long-term U.S. debt. But President Obama got some kudos from deficit hawks for the broad debt reduction framework he laid out on Wednesday.
They gave him some incompletes, too. And they found plenty in his ideas that in their eyes needs improvement. But their praise wasn't empty. That is saying something considering the group has had ample experience banging their heads in frustration whenever anyone running for re-election promises to tackle debt only to offer hollow ideas. Read More
After Obama's speech, lawmakers from both sides weigh in on American Morning. Kiran Chetry, Christine Romans and Ali Velshi speak to Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, Gene Sperling Republican Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Hal Rogers and Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Watch all of the interviews below:
How church helped sign Jackie Robinson to Brooklyn Dodgers
His first game changed the face of baseball. Sixty-four years ago, Brookyn Dodgers GM Branch Rickey stepped up to the plate, and broke baseball's color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson.
New details are now emerging about what preceded that moment, not just in baseball history but American history.
Watch Ed Henry's amazing report here, or read the full article here.
Wasserman Schultz: Obama was 'brutally honest' with the American people
Washington (CNN) - The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Thursday on about $40 billion in budget cuts for fiscal year 2011. Then within 24 hours, the package must pass the Senate and be signed by President Obama.
At the same time, President Barack Obama unveiled his long-awaited deficit reduction plan Wednesday, calling for a mix of spending reductions and tax hikes that the White House claims would cut federal deficits by $4 trillion over the next 12 years without gutting popular programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
On American Morning this morning, Future DNC chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz talked to Kiran Chetry about the criticism the President has received for his plan.
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.
