Morning Buzz: Aug.21, 2007

Hurricane Dean slammed into Mexico's coast this morning, missing most of the major tourist resorts. The Category 5 storm made landfall near Majahual, a popular port with cruise ships, blew through sparsely populated coastal areas, and eventually weakened to a Category 3 hurricane after a few hours. So far no deaths or major damage have been reported. NASA officials, worried that the hurricane would be a threat to Mission Control in Houston, called the Endeavour home early. The space shuttle is set to land this afternoon.

Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama would ease restrictions implemented by the Bush administration that make it more difficult for Cuban-American families to visit the Fidel Castro-controlled country or send gifts to family members living in Cuba.

Obama penned an editorial for today's Miami Herald expressing his views. "The primary means we have of encouraging positive change in Cuba today is to help the Cuban people become less dependent on the Castro regime in fundamental ways," Obama wrote.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick announced through his lawyer yesterday that he will plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges. In July, Vick said he would fight the charges, but since his first court appearance, three codefendants pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate in the government's case against the NFL football player. They said Vick funded the "Bad Newz Kennels" in southeastern Virginia and provided the operation with gambling money. In addition, two of the codefendants said Vick participated in cruelly executing underperforming dogs. The case is scheduled to go to trial in November.