American Morning
Obama congratulates Sestak
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/05/19/art.sestak.cnn.jpg caption="Rep. Joe Sestak said that President Obama called to congratulate him Tuesday night."]
From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
(CNN) – Rep. Joe Sestak said that President Obama called to congratulate him Tuesday night following his victory over Sen. Arlen Specter, the Republican-turned-Democrat who was backed by the president in this primary.
Obama "couldn't have been nicer," Sestak said in an interview Wednesday on CNN's American Morning. Watch Sestak on AM 
Sestak also said that president told him, "I'm there for you and I look forward to working with you and getting you in the United States Senate."
When Specter switched political parties last year, Obama and Vice President Biden publicly pledged their support for him in the primary. While the president appeared in radio and television ads for the veteran senator, Obama did not appear on the campaign trail with Specter in the closing days of race.
Rand Paul says his victory sends a message
(CNN) – The Tea Party has put its stamp on yet another election, helping Dr. Rand Paul win the Republican primary in Kentucky's Senate race.
He beat out Secretary of State Trey Grayson, who was backed by the state's Republican establishment, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Dr. Paul joined us live on Wednesday's American Morning to discuss his win.
Read more: Specter's loss, Paul's victory shake up murky political map
Saving wildlife covered in crude
(CNN) – BP is releasing new pictures of the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. What used to be the Deep Water Horizon is now deep trouble for the environment.
Plumes of oil and gas are pouring from the damaged well. BP claims their latest fix captures about two fifths of the oil. That's prompted authorities to expand the federal fishing ban. It now covers more than 47,000 square miles.
We're seeing images of the threat this oil spill poses to wildlife. In this American Morning original report, our Rob Marciano sees first-hand the efforts to clean and release these animals.
Militants attack Bagram Air Base
From Atia Abawi, CNN
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) – Nearly a dozen insurgents and a U.S. contractor were killed when a group launched an early morning attack on Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan on Wednesday, officials said.
Nine service members were wounded and a building received minor damages during the attack, which included rockets, small arms and grenades. Four of the slain insurgents were "intended suicide bombers," the military said.
U.S. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Clarence Count Jr. said the insurgents failed "to breach the perimeter" and were "unable to detonate their suicide vests."
"The quick defensive reaction by the Bagram security forces likely saved a lot of lives," he said.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told CNN that 20 armed men wearing suicide vests stormed the base around 4 a.m. (7:30 p.m. Tuesday ET), with four them detonating at the entrances to allow the other men to move in. Mujahid said that a "major firefight" took place inside the base. Read more
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[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/05/19/specter.arlen.loss.gi.art.jpg caption="Sen. Arlen Specter, a former Republican, lost to Rep. Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania's Democratic Senate primary."]
Specter's loss, Paul's win shake up murky political map
(CNN) – Voters sent mixed signals in Tuesday's primary elections in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Arkansas. They tossed out a veteran senator, nominated a Tea Party-backed candidate and also chose a longtime aide to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by the death of Democratic Rep. John Murtha.
In another closely watched race, Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln failed to win more than 50 percent of the vote and faces a June 8 runoff in the Arkansas Senate primary to decide the party's candidate in November.
The results reinforced the perception of anger across the country against Washington politics-as-usual, but also showed the public discontent may be aimed at both Democrats and Republicans.
In Pennsylvania, voters rejected longtime incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter's bid to run for a sixth Senate term, choosing Rep. Joe Sestak as the Democratic nominee for Senate in November. Read more
Latest: Arkansas | Kentucky | Penn.
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.
Excerpt: Teaching the Pig to Dance
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/05/19/thompson.fred.gi.art.jpg caption="Former U.S Senator Fred Thompson has written a new book, "Teaching the Pig to Dance." "]
From Teaching the Pig to Dance
By Fred Thompson
Chapter One: My Hometown
In the part of the country where I come from, most people are proud of their hometown. Folks in Linden, Tennessee, are a good example of that. Situated in rural country in Middle Tennessee, about fi fty-seven miles from where I grew up, Linden had about a thousand residents.
One day during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, the coffee drinkers at the drugstore on the town square noticed out the window that one of the local good old boys had his pickup truck loaded with what appeared to be his worldly possessions.
As he walked into the drugstore to buy supplies, one of the coffee-drinking busybodies said to him:
“Lem, looks like you’re moving out. What’s up?”
“Ain’t you boys heard about the missile crisis?” Lem replied.
The fellow answered, “Yeah, but what makes you think they’re gonna bomb Linden?” Lem said, “It’s the county seat, ain’t it?”
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