American Morning
Contractors doing spy's work in post 9/11 world
(CNN) – A two year investigation by the Washington Post, “Top Secret America”, analyzed the United States’ security universe created after 9/11 and concluded it may be too large to be effective. In the second part of the investigation, the paper examined how the government farms out intelligence work to private contractors despite federal rules prohibiting them to do so. Dana Priest reported the story with William Arkin and joined us on Tuesday’s American Morning to explain. Watch 
Read Dana's article: National Security Inc.
Ground Zero mosque ad stirs emotions
Scott Wheeler runs a small political action committee called the Republican National Trust, which has no ties to the Republican Party.
(CNN) – The fight over plans to build an Islamic center near the site of the World Trade Center continues to escalate. A new advertisement titled “The audacity of Jihad” aims to prevent the mosque from being built by using graphic footage of 9/11 and militant Muslims. CNN's Allan Chernoff talks to the man behind the controversial new ad. Watch
USDA employee says statements on white farmer misconstrued
(CNN) – A black Agriculture Department employee who resigned after a video clip showed her talking about a white farmer said Tuesday her remarks were taken out of context.
Shirley Sherrod, the department's former state director of rural development for Georgia, told CNN on Tuesday the incident she discusses in the clip took place more than two decades ago - and she recounted it to an audience to make the point that people should move beyond race.
"I was speaking to that group, like I've done many groups, and I tell them about a time when I thought the issue was race and race only," Sherrod told CNN's "American Morning" from her home in Albany, Georgia. The incident took place in 1986, while she worked for a nonprofit and before she worked for the USDA, she said. "I was telling the story of how working with him helped me to see the issue is not about race. It's about those who have versus those who do not have."
Sherrod resigned Monday after conservative media outlets aired the video, in which she says she did not give the white farmer "the full force of what I could do" to help him avoid foreclosure.
James Peterson, assistant professor of English and Africana Studies at Bucknell University, also joined Tuesday's American Morning to discuss Sherod's resignation. Peterson says this is especially ironic given the recent controversy surrounding the NAACP and the Tea Party. Although he condemns Sherrod’s statements, he believes that the video was likely taken out of context. Watch
The science of 'Inception': Can your dreams be manipulated?
(CNN) – Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page star in Christopher Nolan's summer blockbuster, "Inception." The movie deals with stealing and planting thoughts inside someone's mind while they dream, a sort of nocturnal espionage. Is it real or science fiction? Deirdre Barrett is a clinical psychologist with Harvard Medical School and a leader in the field of dream research. She joined us on Tuesday's American Morning to discuss the possibilities of dream manipulation. Watch
'Scammed:' Your tax dollars buying smokes & beer
All 50 states and U.S. territories now provide Food Stamp Program benefits with EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) cards instead of traditional paper coupon stamps pictured above. (Getty Images)
(CNN) – For nearly 50 years, the government has helped feed struggling families across the nation through its Food Stamp Program. These days, instead of stamps, the government sends out debit cards funded by your tax dollars. The problem? Some people are illegally using those cards to get cash, beer, cigarettes, and worse. Our John Zarrella reports for the second part of our AM original series, "Scammed." Watch
LIVE Blog: Chat with us during 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://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/US/07/19/gulf.oil.disaster/mattingly.bp.letter.cnn.416×234.jpg caption="Scientists look at whether to resume collecting oil from BP's ruptured deepwater well after a seep was detected in the Gulf of Mexico, the company said Monday."]
Gulf well tests held over another day
(CNN) – Tests on the ruptured BP well in the Gulf of Mexico will go on for another 24 hours as federal and company officials try to explain "anomalous" pressure readings and possible leaks, the federal government's point man on the spill said Monday.
"There is no indication at this time this is any indication of a significant problem in the well bore, but we are running every one of these anomalies down," former Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen told reporters Monday afternoon.
The pressures recorded on the well in the four days since it was temporarily "shut in" are lower than expected, Allen said. Meanwhile, there are possible leaks of methane gas from around the well and from the inoperative blowout preventer, as well as a separate and possibly unrelated seep from the ocean floor about 3 kilometers (about 2 miles) away, he said.
Allen said scientists and engineers are still debating whether the low pressure is caused by either the well's depletion after three months of oil spewing into the Gulf or whether oil is leaking from the well into the surrounding sea floor.
"There are arguments to be made on both sides," he said. "But those discussions continue, and we're trying to develop information that will allow us to do that."
He said a joint in the capping stack placed over the damaged well appeared to be leaking a combination of oil and methane, but there appeared to be no sign that it was hindering the equipment now being used to contain the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Read more
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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.
