American Morning
Oscar's story: College degree, but no papers
Self-deported Oscar Vazquez waits in Mexico. (Joel De La Rosa/CNN)
(CNN) – Oscar Vazquez is a young man with a family and a bright future, caught in the middle of the immigration debate. He's a college grad who earned his engineering degree from Arizona State University. Now, he's back in Mexico by choice while his American dream remains across the border. John Zarrella has Oscar's story. Watch 
Legal & illegal immigrants leaving Arizona out of fear
(CNN) – At the 11th hour yesterday, after all the anger and arguments, a federal judge blocked the most controversial parts of Arizona's new immigration law. The case now heads for higher courts, but still, some of the estimated 500,000 undocumented immigrants who went to Arizona are leaving the state out of fear. Our Thelma Gutierrez introduces us to some of them. Watch
Gulf fishermen still skeptical of seafood
A man poses with fish he caught while sport fishing off a pier in Grand Isle, Louisiana. (Getty Images)
Editor's Note: The sea has lost its lure for hundreds of men and women who make a living off the Gulf of Mexico. Many of them have been idled for months as the BP oil spill keeps thousands of square miles of ocean off-limits to fishing. Last week, a ban on one-third of those waters was lifted. Now, seafood industry officials and Louisiana's governor want the rest of the Gulf reopened. But as our Jim Acosta reports, a lot of fishermen are going to need a little incentive to get them back in the water. Watch
By Jim Acosta and Bonney Kapp
(CNN) – With the oil dissipating faster that expected, Louisiana seafood officials want BP to lure the state's fishermen back to the water.
Many of Louisiana's 12 thousand fishermen have gotten accustomed to serving as cleanup workers since the oil spill began, drawing paychecks from BP instead of from the Gulf of Mexico.
Ewell Smith, executive director of the state's Seafood Promotional and Marketing Board, is asking BP to offer a bonus to fishermen who return to their old jobs.
"It's a commonsense approach to put fishermen back to work to help mitigate claims against them," Smith said.
Under the state's proposed "Back to the Docks" program, BP would pay fishermen an additional 30 cents for every dollar of seafood they catch. Now that BP is closing in on killing the well, company spokesman Larry Thomas said the oil giant is considering Smith's proposal.
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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/07/29/arizona.immigration.law/t1main.arizona.jpg caption= "Portions of an Arizona immigration law go into effect Thursday - after a federal judge granted an injunction that blocked the most controversial parts of it."]
Portions of Arizona's controversial immigration law go into effect
(CNN) – Parts of an Arizona immigration law go into effect Thursday as it was passed - after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction that blocked the most controversial aspects of it.
The injunction, issued Wednesday, means that, at least for now, police are prevented from questioning people's immigration status if there is reason to believe they are in the country illegally.
U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton also blocked provisions of the law making it a crime to fail to apply for or carry alien registration papers or "for an unauthorized alien to solicit, apply for, or perform work," and a provision "authorizing the warrantless arrest of a person" if there is reason to believe that person might be subject to deportation.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said the state would file an expedited appeal to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, signaling a legal escalation that some expect will end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The parts of the law that go into effect include a ban on so-called sanctuary cities, and the criminalization of hiring day laborers who are in the country illegally. The parts of the law dealing with sanctions for employers who hire illegal immigrants also withstood the first legal test. 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.
Incoming BP CEO says worst may be over
(CNN) – One hundred days after an oil well operated by BP ruptured in the Gulf of Mexico, and 13 days after crews finished capping the well to contain the previously-gushing crude, the company's incoming Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley says the worst may be over.
"I think - no guarantees - but I believe there will be no more oil flowing into the Gulf as of the 15th of July," Dudley told CNN's "American Morning" on Wednesday.
Dudley, who BP elevated Tuesday to replaced current Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward on October 1, said resolving the crisis is "the single-highest priority for BP going forward."
"The only way you can build a reputation is not just by words, but by action," Dudley said. "I picked up that people think that, well, once we cap this well, we're somehow going to pack up and disappear. That is certainly not the case. We've got a lot of cleanup to do. We've got claims facilities. We've got 35 of those around the Gulf coast.
"As of this morning, we wrote a quarter of a billion dollars in checks, for claims. There's still more to go. We know that. We haven't been perfect at this. But it's a deep, deep personal commitment from me for BP and the many people in the Gulf coast to make this right in America." Read more
Interactive: Not over yet: A story of many threads
The Gulf Coast oil disaster is made up of many facets: the lives, the numbers, the science, the economy, the wildlife and more. The worst U.S. spill began April 20, and the consequences could last decades. Explore some of the threads of this unfolding story. See full page interactive
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