* MV Rachel Corrie Continues Aid Mission to Gaza * Thousands Mourn Turkish Victims of Flotilla Attack * Passenger: Israeli Troops Fired at Unarmed Passengers, Ignored SOS Calls * Israeli Military Retracts Claim Passengers "Al Qaeda Mercenaries" * BP Caps Well, Awaits Results * Scientists: Spill Could Extend Up Atlantic Ocean * Gov’t Could Be Underestimating Spill Size * BP Lobbyists Have Government Ties * Report: US Special Forces Deployed in 75 Countries * UN Rapporteur: Drones Attacks Undermine "International Accountability" * Bush: US Waterboarded Alleged 9/11 Mastermind * Study: Over 1,400 Financial Lobbyists Formerly Worked in Gov’t * Report: G8 Preparing to Drop Africa Aid Pledge * UN Calls for Probe into Death of DRC Human Rights Activist * More Headlines…
As Obama Refuses to Condemn Flotilla Assault, Survivors Recount Shootings, Beatings Aboard Mavi Marmara
While the Obama administration has refused to condemn the Israeli flotilla raid outright, survivors of the assault continue to challenge Israeli military claims that soldiers acted in self-defense after rappelling onto the lead vessel, the Mavi Marmara. We speak to two passengers who were aboard the ship: Kevin Neish of the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid and Kevin Ovenden of Viva Palestina.
43 Years After Surviving Israeli Attack on USS Liberty, US Veteran Joe Meadors Seized by Israeli Forces on Gaza Aid Flotilla
Joe Meadors was on one of the other Free Gaza boats that was seized early Monday morning. For Meadors, this marks the second time he has been aboard a ship attacked by Israeli forces in international waters. In 1967, Meadors was a signalman aboard the USS Liberty, a US Navy electronic intelligence-gathering ship that was attacked by Israeli planes and torpedo boats in 1967. Thirty-four Americans were killed and more than 170 were wounded in the attack.
Nearly 5 Years After Katrina, African American Fishing Community in Louisiana’s Plaquemines Parish Faces New Struggle in Oil Spill Devastation and BP Obstruction
Democracy Now!’s Anjali Kamat visits the town of Phoenix, Louisiana on the east bank of Plaquemines Parish, an area that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. She speaks to Reverend Tyronne Edwards, a pastor and longtime community activist who spearheaded efforts to rebuild the largely African American fishing community after Katrina. In the aftermath of the BP oil spill disaster, Rev. Edwards is at the forefront of getting Washington, DC to pay attention to the needs of his community, whom he calls the "forgotten people" of Plaquemines Parish.
Family Members Fear for Life of Jailed US Attorney Peter Erlinder in Rwanda
The US State Department is calling on the Rwandan government to release attorney Peter Erlinder, the past president of the National Lawyers Guild. Erlinder has been imprisoned for the past week after being charged with denying the Rwandan genocide. The Rwandan government has been accused of using laws barring genocide denial to silence opposition critics. [includes rush transcript]