In a tentative deal announced Friday, BP estimated that it will pay $7.8 billion to victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In this appearance on Democracy Now!, Antonia Juhasz argues that the settlement contains pieces critical to help protect those affected by the disaster, and she explains why and how. But the settlement has been highly controversial, and how it will ultimately affect plaintiffs remains to be seen.

—Elizabeth Whitman