American Morning
Oil spill cleanup gets political
(CNN) – The mother of all oil skimmers, a converted supertanker aptly named "A Whale," has moved into the Gulf. It offers promising results, able to skim 300,000 barrels in less than ten hours time. But there are nagging concerns that too much of the cleaning equipment is just sitting there doing nothing. Our Allan Chernoff reports on one Republican's accusations that the government is holding out on resources.
Petraeus heads to Afghanistan as U.S. battles Taliban
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/02/kunduz.afghan.gi.art.jpg caption="Afghan children walk along a street as smoke rises from a building in Kunduz, Afghanistan on July 2, 2010."]
(CNN) – Gen. David Petraeus is on his way to Afghanistan today. It's been two days since he was confirmed for the job and now he's got to study the battle plan, get his staff in place and turn things around after the deadliest month of the nine year war.
Paying for progress isn't cheap. President Obama asked for billions more to win this war. And late last night, despite the growing discord between Democrats and the president's policy, the House approved $37 billion to fund the fight in Afghanistan.
And the war is raging on during the change in command. Overnight, the Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack on a U.S. aid agency in northern Afghanistan, which killed at least four people. Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has the report. Watch 
Read more: Taliban attack U.S. agency compound
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[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/02/oil.cleanup.gi.art.jpg caption="Oil cleanup workers try to remove thick oil that washed ashore on July 1, 2010 in Gulfport, Mississippi."]
With Alex fading, Gulf crews set sights on oil cleanup efforts
(CNN) – Now that former Hurricane Alex has lost nearly all of its punch, many in the Gulf states were hoping that Friday would be the day that they could get back to cleaning up the massive oil spill.
The dangerous storm had created choppy seas in the Gulf of Mexico and caused hundreds of oil skimmers to be docked.
"We had to stand down because of the storm activity. Now that oil has been spewed all over the Chandelier Islands," Craig Taffaro, the president of St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana, said Thursday. "We are going out again (Friday) to start cleaning it up. We have to go back out, basically start over."
Also in the area Friday will be Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa P. Jackson. Jackson is headed back to the Gulf Coast, a day after her agency gave BP a new directive on how to deal with the cleanup of the massive oil spill.
Jackson will hold a town hall meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, and tour areas of Pensacola, Florida, on Friday. It will be her sixth trip to the area since the April 20 oil disaster, the EPA said. 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.
Harvard reaction mixed on Kagan military controversy
(CNN) – Elena Kagan yesterday defended her decision to briefly bar military recruiters from Harvard's career office because of the Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Her handling of the controversy has drawn mixed reaction from leaders on campus. Our Jim Acosta has the report.
AZ rancher murder may have been turning point
(CNN) – President Obama will deliver a speech today making his case for comprehensive immigration reform. The federal government is feeling the heat now that states like Arizona are acting on their own to deal with illegal immigration. The murder of an Arizona rancher earlier this year by a suspected illegal immigrant may have been a turning point in the debate. Our Casey Wian has the report.
Read more: Obama makes immigration reform push
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