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This week on Uprising:

* Who’s Responsible for the Financial Meltdown?
* Empire Notes on the Surge in Violence in Iraq
* An Afghanistan Vet Speaks Out Against War
* Black Agenda Report on Crack-Cocaine Laws
* Swine Flu, Mexico and Free Trade: Beyond the Hysteria and Denial

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Who’s Responsible for the Financial Meltdown?

A new investigation by the Center for Public Integrity reveals that many of the banks receiving federal bailout money were responsible for the subprime mortgage crisis, rather than being victims of it. The prevailing myth in the mainstream media’s understanding of the crisis paints many of these banks as unwitting targets of toxic assets that have tainted their portfolios. But in fact, the banks controlled top subprime lenders that spent nearly $370 million over the past decade to fend off regulation. Bill Buzenberg, Executive Director of the Center for Public Integrity writes, “The mega-banks not only invested in subprime lending institutions — they were the enablers, bankrollers, and instigators driving high-interest lending, and they did so because it was so lucrative and unregulated.” By running a computer analysis of high-interest loans, the Center was able to determine that 25 institutions were responsible for more than 70% of all subprime loans. The majority of these institutions were owned outright or heavily financed by the biggest banks and insurance companies, names we all know well

GUEST: Bill Buzenberg, Executive Director of the Center for Public Integrity.

For more information, visit www.publicintegrity.com.

Empire Notes on the Surge in Violence in Iraq

Empire Notes are weekly commentaries filed by Rahul Mahajan, author of Full Spectrum Dominance and The New Crusade. Today’s commentary is on the Surge in Violence in Iraq.

GUEST: Rahul Mahajan, author of Full Spectrum Dominance and The New Crusade.

Visit www.empirenotes.org for more information.

An Afghanistan Vet Speaks Out Against War

A US air strike in Western Afghanistan has killed as many as 147 civilians, according to Afghan authorities. The US, initially denying the strike took place, has now admitted that US bombs were at least partially responsible for the deaths, but say that the numbers killed are far lower. Survivors, enraged at the killings, demonstrated on Thursday and were shot at by Afghan police. President Barack Obama met with his counterparts from Afghanistan and Pakistan in a high-level summit in DC earlier this week. Presidents Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan and Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan were praised for their efforts. Obama claims to have a comprehensive strategy for the region that includes both military and economic aid. But, a growing number of Americans, including vets who served in Afghanistan, are questioning the US presence in Afghanistan. Among them is Rick Reyes, a native of East Los Angeles and a former Marine, who testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Afghanistan in April. He now joins me in studio.

GUEST: Rick Reyes, a former corporal in Afghanistan, one of the first to enter Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Black Agenda Report on Crack Cocaine Laws

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

Visit www.blackagendareport.com for more information.

Swine Flu in Mexico: Beyond the Hysteria and Denial

A 33 year old school teacher has become the first US American fatality of the so-called Swine Flu. The World Health Organization announced earlier in the week that the latest global tally of confirmed cases of the new virus is more than 3000 in 24 countries. New infections are happening primarily among relatively young people. Aside from the teacher and a Mexican toddler visiting the US, all confirmed deaths from the flu have been in Mexico. While the spread of the H1N1 virus as it has been formally named, has slowed, there is a strong possibility that it could return with a vengeance this fall. The flu’s ability to rapidly mutate is of chief concern, bringing into question even the efficacy of producing a vaccine against it in six months. Perote, in the state of Veracruz, home to a huge Smithfield hog farm, was the first to report the flu. As early as March, with an overwhelming 60% of the population suffering from bronchitis, pneumonia and the flu, the local health officials declared an alert. But complaints were ignored and Mexico’s Secretary of Health tossed out the theory that neighboring hog farms were responsible. Misinformation about the flu abounds, from possible risks of eating pork, to conspiracy theories about its origins. Public reaction has ranged from panic over a possible repeat of the deadly 1918 pandemic, to nonchalance and denial that an outbreak even exists. But, examining the facts suggests that the H1N1 virus is in fact here, is potentially far more dangerous compared to the seasonal flu, and could get a lot worse, tomorrow or next year.

GUEST: Laura Carlsen, director of the Americas Policy Program in Mexico City, where she has been an analyst and writer for two decades. She is also a Foreign Policy In Focus columnist, John Barry, award winning writer and New York Times best-selling author of The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History, Distinguished Scholar at the Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane and Xavier Universities.

Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day

“Experience teaches us that silence terrifies people the most.” — Bob Dylan