American Morning
Fighting America's prescription drug abuse
(CNN) – In our special series, "Addicted," we brought you Melissa's story. Like many kids her age, she experimented with drugs. Not what you'd typically think – street drugs – but prescription pills right out of her family medicine cabinet.
Stories like hers happen every day and the problem is growing. The latest government figures show abuse of some of the strongest types of prescription painkillers is up 400 percent over the decade. Deaths from these drugs are up 160 percent over just five years.
Today, the White House is launching a new drug strategy focusing on prevention and treatment. It also gives real attention to prescription drug abuse. The director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Gil Kerlikowske, joined us on Tuesday's American Morning.
Teen's battle & recovery from drug addiction
(CNN) – The White House today is set to release a new strategy to battle America's drug problem, shifting the focus from law enforcement to prevention and treatment. But that can be tricky, because the problem isn't always illegal drugs.
Across the nation, more and more teens are using prescription pills and over-the-counter medicines to get high. In our ongoing series, "Addicted," we're following the story of one teen, named Melissa. She nearly lost her life, and everything she used to get high could be right inside your medicine cabinet.
Gulf oil spill threatens wildlife
(CNN) – There's a developing story out of one of the states dealing with the disastrous impact of the BP oil spill. Many animal species are now in jeopardy.
You might think their wings would carry them away from the danger, but rare birds are finding it hard to escape the brown sludge. Wildlife experts in Mississippi are calling the situation "catastrophic." Our Rob Marciano has the report.
Read more: BP execs face hearings on Capitol Hill
First responders learn to deal with terror attacks
(CNN) – It's hard to know just how bad the Times Square car bombing could have been. The device itself was not sophisticated, but we're about to give you a look at the powerful force of these bombs. Our Ted Rowlands takes us to the New Mexico desert where first responders quickly learn how to assess the danger.
BP keeping cap on hours of oil leak video
(CNN) – More than three weeks after the oil rig exploded about 50 miles off the southeast coast of Louisiana, we are getting our very first look at the actual source of the leak – 5,000 feet underwater.
Critics are blasting BP for being able to contain the flow of information much better than the leak. Our Ed Lavandera takes a closer look at the criticism.
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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 and every day. Join the live chat during the program by adding your comments below. It's your chance to share your thoughts on the day's headlines. Keep in mind, 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/images/05/11/oil.uw.leak.video.bp.art.jpg caption="This is the most revealing image we've seen so far of the actual site where oil is leaking into the Gulf of Mexico."]
BP keeping cap on hours of oil leak video
(CNN) – A wind shift could push more oil from BP's Deepwater Horizon gusher into the Mississippi Delta and areas west of the river, which is "bad news for Louisiana," Gov. Bobby Jindal said Monday afternoon.
Louisiana has been mostly spared since the oil rig exploded April 20 and sank two days later about 50 miles (80 kilometers) off the southeast coast of Louisiana. The catastrophe is sending 210,000 gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico each day. Most of the slick has been centered in an area east of the environmentally sensitive delta.
Three weeks after the explosion, BP is releasing video of the first up close look at the underwater oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. This morning, we'll take a look at why the company's been so good at controlling the flow of information, but not the oil. Read more
Teen's battle & recovery from drug addiction
The White House today is set to release a new strategy to battle America's drug problem, shifting the focus from law enforcement to prevention and treatment. But that can be tricky, because the problem isn't always illegal drugs.
Across the nation, more and more teens are using prescription pills and over-the-counter medicines to get high. In our ongoing series, "Addicted," we're following the story of one teen, named Melissa. She nearly lost her life, and everything she used to get high could be right inside your medicine cabinet. Our Kiran Chetry has the report this morning.
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.
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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.
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