Chevron’s Vendetta Against Environmentalists; Echo Park “Cleanup”; Chauvin Trial Testimony

Political Misfits

Steven Donziger, lawyer, writer, former journalist and environmental advocate, tells us about a case involving environmental devastation in the Amazon where plaintiffs won a huge case against oil giant Chevron, how it then engaged in a legal vendetta against the activists and lawyers representing Ecuadorian communities, and how judges in the U.S. colluded with Chevron to persecute and fabricate bogus charges against Mr. Donziger, including hiring private law firms connected to the oil industry. We also talk about how this represents a violation of human rights, how big corporate interests can pervert justice in the U.S., and what this means for the communities seeking justice for the environmental destruction of their lands.
Tina-Desiree Berg, host of the District 34 podcast and reporter for Status Coup, talks to us about the recent violent demolition of homeless encampments at Echo Park in California, the background and history of the area, the justification for clearing out this community, the methods and tactics used to clear the area, where the people will go after, what’s going to happen to those arrested, and what this can tell us about perceptions of homelessness, policing, and the criminalization of poverty.
Dr. Shayla Nunnally, professor of political science and chair of the Africana Studies Program at the University of Tennessee and former president of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists, joins us in a conversation about the Derek Chauvin trial in Minneapolis court and the gut-wrenching testimonies testimonies by bystanders, first responders and Chauvin’s former supervisor. We also talk about a proposed expansion of voting rights in and intra-party infighting and how young voters could show the way forward to enact change in the country.
In our Working for the Weekend segment, hosts Bob Schlehuber and Michelle Witte talk about media coverage of Biden’s dogs going number 2 in the White House, the ongoing controversy involving Nike and “satanic” shoes, John Boehner’s new book, celebrities shilling for the Well Building Institute, and SpaceX raining debris over a wildlife refuge after their rockets exploded mid-air.