hurricane katrina

"Class war is when you have corporations sitting on $8 billion," says Katrina vanden Heuvel of complaints from the Right, personified by John McCain's opposition to overturning the Bush tax cuts. Until the economy is back to working for everyone, until our infrastructure is no longer crumbling, it's not time to talk about tax breaks for the rich. Instead, Katrina notes, the real class war is happening in the same direction it always has--from the top down. When people like Elizabeth Warren are demonized and deficits are a point of obsession, it's not the rich who have to worry. She joins us in studio for The Nation on GRITtv to discuss. Hurricane Katrina and the BP spill have hit New Orleans with a double whammy, but the one bright side has been the opportunity to create not just new jobs for local residents, but green jobs, jobs that help the city move into a new energy future. This video from Green for All looks at just a few of the residents of the city who've found a new purpose helping weatherize homes and better their neighborhoods. The Obama administration submitted its first report on its own human rights record to the United Nations Human Rights Council, becoming the first U.S. administration to do so--the Bush administration declined to join the council.

"Tremé is the musical heart of New Orleans just like New Orleans is the musical heart of America, and I don't just mean the United States," says Steve Earle, who knows a little something about music. The longtime singer/songwriter and activist has played a role as a street musician in the new HBO series Tremé, and has a long history both with the show's creator, David Simon, and with the city and the neighborhood in which the show is set.Earle joined us in studio to continue our coverage of the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, to discuss the city and the storm, the aftermath of the BP oil disaster, our ongoing responsibilty to change our oil consumption habits, and why the death penalty and the Iraq war are related.GRITtv viewers are surely familiar with the story of the Israeli assault on Gaza in December of 2008. But this week's featured documentary tells a more personal story from a personal friend of ours, occasional camera operator Fida Qishta. Fida is a Palestinian filmmaker, and her film tells the story of her interaction with Mona, an 11-year-old who lost her family in the invasion.You can donate to support the completion of the film here.Finally, Daryn Strauss, creator of the critically acclaimed web series, Downsized and the website, Digital Chick TV, shares her thoughts on supporting women in digital media. We know you'll agree...

Sean Bell was shot by New York City police officers four years ago on the night before his wedding day. This summer, the city settled the case against it, agreeing to pay $7 million to Bell's family and friends, including his two children. But settlement dollars aren't enough to fundamentally change police departments around the country, from Oakland to New Orleans to right here in New York. Zaire Baptiste was a friend of Bell's, and is working on a documentary about the life the media likes to ignore, and Sunita Patel is an attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights. They both join us in studio to discuss Bell's death, and what's really needed to change a policing strategy that relies on racial profiling and fundamental disregard for life--for certain lives, anyway. Trinidad, Colorado saw one of the country's bloodiest labor battles in 1913-1914, during the legendary coal miner's strike there. Now a new documentary, Way Down In The Hole, looks at the conflicts that led to the violence, between laborers and bosses, organizers, immigrants, agents for hire, and more.

Violence abounded in the anarchic days right after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, and new evidence continues to come out, even five years later, that the New Orleans police department was responsible for much of it. Investigative reporter A.C. Thompson covered "Katrina's Hidden Race War" for The Nation and helped bring attention--and accountability--to the crimes committed by officers in the days after the storm. Thompson continues to cover this beat as a reporter with ProPublica, and he joins us in studio to discuss the ongoing investigations uncovering, little by little, just what happened after the hurricane. Jacques Morial, co-director of the Louisiana Justice Institute, also joins us via phone. Look out for much, much more coverage of the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina coming in the next couple of weeks from GRITtv.