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This week on Uprising:

* More than 50 days after the BP Spill, Anger Keeps Mounting
* The Real Story of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Raid
* Black Agenda Report about the Freedom Flotilla Raid
* Progressives Challenge Incumbents in Primaries Across Nation

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More than 50 days after the BP Spill, Anger Keeps Mounting

More than 50 days after the disastrous BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the struggle to cap the flow is still on-going. Even though BP has managed to install a cap that is slowing down the leak by hundreds of thousands of gallons, it is estimated that 29-39 million gallons of oil are already in the waters. Adding to that the more than 1 million gallons of a controversial chemical dispersant has made the waters of the Gulf a toxic stew. Grim photos of dead fish and oil covered birds have shocked the nation. Now, a statewide health survey in Louisiana has found more than 75 workers have been treated for symptoms related to clean-up efforts. Only recently has BP begun distributing protective gear against the thick oil fumes. The company has come under fire for strictly controlling media coverage of the spill hitting the coast, not paying out claim payments fast enough, sabotaging evidence in the form of animal and bird carcasses, and severely underestimating the rate of flow of oil. Across the country vigils were held on June 8th to mark the 50th day of the spill. Organized largely by Moveon.org, the vigils drew attention to the dangers of off-shore oil drilling, and raise awareness of alternative energy sources. On Friday June 4th more than a hundred activists from a number of environmental organizations descended on the Washington DC offices of BP to make a “Citizen’s Arrest” of CEO Tony Hayward. BP has been spending millions in an advertising campaign aimed at salvaging its reputation.

GUESTS: Richard Charter, Senior Policy Advisor for Marine Programs for Defenders of Wildlife, Tyson Slocum, Director of Public Citizen’s Energy Program

Find out more at www.defenders.org and www.citizen.org.

The Real Story of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Raid

The Israeli commando attack last week on the Freedom Flotilla bound for Gaza has left nine activists dead, and Benjamin Netanhayu’s right wing Likud government more internationally isolated than ever. The activists aboard the aid flotilla intended to break Israel’s four year blockade of Hamas-ruled Gaza by bringing supplies to Palestinians. Eight of the nine killed were Turkish citizens, and the ninth was a 19 year old Turkish American. Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak stated that there will be internal and military investigations into the clash at sea, and to determine the legality of the blockade. In subsequent events, Israel seized a another aid ship in the flotilla, the Irish flagged Rachel Corrie. And on Sunday, Israeli naval commandos killed four Palestinians when they opened fire on a “squad of militants” in diving suits off the coast of Gaza. The al-Aqsa Brigades said the divers were simply conducting training exercises. On Monday, a 21 year old American activist Emily Henochowicz lost an eye after Israeli forces shot her with a tear-gas canister during a protest in Jerusalem. Meanwhile the Israeli government has been forced to backtrack on its claims that the Mavi Marmara was infiltrated by Al Qaida members, and come under fire for sending out from its press office, emails of a racist spoof video created by right wing Israelis.

GUESTS: Mary Thompson Hughes, Co-Founder Free Gaza Movement, Norman Finkelstein, prolific scholar and author of a number of books, including Beyond Chutzpah: On the misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History, and The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering. His latest book is called “This Time They Went Too Far: Truth and Consequences of the Gaza Invasion.”

Huwaida Arraf, Chair of the Free Gaza Movement, whose interview we heard last week, spoke with reporters a few days after the Mavi Marmara was raided. She was on board another ship called The Challenger. Here is an excerpt of her press conference.

Black Agenda Report about the Freedom Flotilla Raid

Glen Ford is a writer and radio commentator and the Executive Editor of The Black Agenda Report. This week’s commentary is on Arizona.

Visit www.blackagendareport.com for more information.

Progressives Challenge Incumbents in Primaries Across Nation

On Tuesday June 8th primary elections in states across the country captured a snapshot of the political mood of the nation. Results from earlier elections revealed that incumbents were no longer safe from challenges from both sides of the political spectrum. For example, in May, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter lost his seat to Joe Sestak in the Democratic Primary. And in Kentucky, Rand Paul won an open Republican nomination for a Senate seat with heavy support from the Tea Party movement. But on Tuesday June 8th several incumbents managed to hold on to their seats. Senator Blanche Lincoln faced a runoff against Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter and narrowly retained her seat. And, in Nevada, Republicans hoping to win Harry Reid’s seat later this year elected Tea Party-favorite Sharron Angle. In South Carolina, hoping to fill disgraced Governor Mark Sanford’s seat, an ugly battle broke out over front-runner Nikki Haley who was called a “rag-head” by her opponent’s supporter on an internet radio program recently. Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrants and has been endorsed by the Tea Party and Sarah Palin. And in California where this program is recorded, Carly Fiorina, former HP CEO won the Republican party’s nomination for Senator Barbara Boxer’s seat, with Meg Whitman easily winning the GOP’s nomination for state governor. Additionally, Democrat Jane Harman, an incumbent representing California’s 36th District is faced a stiff challenge from progressive activist Marcy Winograd but managed to retain her nomination for House representative.

GUESTS: John Nichols, political writer for the Nation Magazine and co-founder of Free Press, the nation’s largest media-reform network speaking to Uprising on election day.

Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day

“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt