American Morning
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 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/04/29/gulf.oil.slick.gi.art.jpg caption="The amount of oil leaking from a sunken rig in the Gulf of Mexico has increased to as much as 5,000 barrels a day, a Coast Guard official said late Wednesday."]
Oil rig leak may be 5 times bigger than first believed
(CNN) – The estimated amount of oil leaking from a sunken rig in the Gulf of Mexico has increased to as much as 5,000 barrels a day - five times more than what was originally believed, a Coast Guard official said late Wednesday.
Rear Adm. Mary Landry told reporters that the increased estimate is based on analysis from the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She noted that there are "a lot of variables" in calculating the rate of the spill.
"This is not an exact science when you estimate the amount of oil," she added. "However, NOAA is telling me now that they prefer we use the 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons) a day as an estimate of what has actually leaked from this well and will continue to leak until BP secures the source."
Some 250,000 gallons of oily water has been collected from the scene, she said. Read more
Senate to begin debating Wall Street reform bill
Let the debate begin. The Senate agrees to take up the Wall Street reform bill after Republicans back down and drop their opposition. But now comes the hard part. Both parties still need to work out their differences. So how close are we to changing the way Wall Street does business? We're live in Washington this morning with new information.
Happy doctors, satisfied patients
Picture this: A medical facility where doctors are not over-worked, waiting rooms are not jammed to capacity, and patients are thrilled with the quality of care they receive. It's an experiment that's leaving some health care critics speechless in Seattle. Our Elizabeth Cohen reports for the final installment of our special series, "Prescription for Waste."
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.
The Teaser
"The Teaser” is a preview of the guests we have lined up for the next day – so you know when to tune in (and when to set your alarm!). Guests and times are always subject to change.
6:05AM/7:05AM Independent on independent- John Avlon's thoughts on Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's move to break away from the GOP for his bid for Senate.
6:30AM Searching for E.T. – within our solar system. Dr. James Green on possible missions in the works at NASA.
7:30AM Financial reform bill – what's next? We'll ask Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.
8:30AM 4 students, 1,500 miles walked – all to stop the detentions and deportations of undocumented students like them. We'll talk to the group about their mission, live.
Got questions for any of our guests?
Tweet 'em at Twitter.com/amFIX or post them below and we'll try to use 'em!
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E-mail us your story ideas and questions at am@CNN.com.
Sarah B. Wessling is Natl. Teacher of the Year
(CNN) – Headlines about schools in America too often involve budget cuts, kids dropping out, or teachers not doing their jobs. But there are educators out there, lots of them, doing an amazing job teaching your kids.
Sarah Brown Wessling is one of them. She teaches high school English in Johnston, Iowa. Tomorrow, President Obama will name her National Teacher of the Year. She joined us on Wednesday's American Morning.
Building Up America: Turning biking into business
(CNN) – Our "Building Up America" series has profiled small business owners across the country who are succeeding in hard economic times. Today, we take you to Cleveland where our Deb Feyerick shows us the degree of difficulty for one man turning a dream into reality.
In defense of 'dirty girl' culture
Editor's Note: Jaclyn Friedman is the executive director of Women, Action & the Media and a charter member of CounterQuo, a national coalition challenging the way we respond to sexual violence. Her anthology, "Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape," was named one of Publishers' Weekly's Top 100 Books of 2009.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/04/29/friedman.art.jpg caption="Author Jaclyn Friedman says we should stop worrying about "bad girls" and focus on the men who put them in danger."]
By Jaclyn Friedman, Special to CNN
Last Friday, Carol Costello interviewed me for a story about what she called a "dangerous," "dirty girl" trend, (embodied by pop-star-come-lately Ke$ha) saying it involved girls being "rude, crude, and sometimes very, very drunk," and asking if mothers should worry.
While Carol and I agree about the importance of women's safety, watching the final edit of the piece made me realize how much we disagree about how to get there. Kindly, she's invited me to share my perspectives with you.
Now, I'm no Ke$ha fan. (I just cringed as I typed that ridiculous "$" in her name.) Her lyrics and videos embrace shock value for no reason beyond shock. But pop stars being blandly offensive are nothing new – Elvis was no different. Except for one tiny detail: Elvis was male.
And that's what's really at issue here. Bad boys make us shriek and faint. Bad girls make us worry. Don't they know that acting like that is dangerous?
Of course they do. That's why they're doing it. Know what else? All the girls dancing to their music know it's dangerous, too. That's why they like it.
Young adulthood has long been a time for rebelling against social norms, and that's not likely to change anytime soon. Want to keep girls safe while they figure out where their limits are? Don't ask them to be good girls in order to stay safe, when they can see that no one asks boys to do the same thing. That's not just unfair – it doesn't work.
Prescription for Waste: Should states regulate hospital rates?
Editor's Note: Tomorrow on American Morning, we'll show you a medical clinic where a bold experiment is panning out. Doctors are happier and patients and bottom lines are healthier. Our Elizabeth Cohen profiles what could be the proto-type for health care of the future.
(CNN) – Would you shop in a store where they charge three times more than their cost for everything they sell? Not likely. But that's what thousands of Americans are doing every day when they check into a hospital.
Hospitals in this country, on average, charge 180% above cost for every procedure performed. Except in Maryland, where state regulation means patients pay a lot less, and often get more. Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen reports for part three of our original series, "Prescription for Waste."
Sound off: Share your health care horror stories with us. Post your comments below.
About this Show
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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