Episode 73 - Texaco's Oil

We talk to environmental lawyer Steven Donziger, actress and humanitarian Susan Sarandon, and 2020 presidential candidate and author Marianne Williamson about the fraud case Chevron pursued against Donziger after he won an historic $9.5 billion judgment against the oil giant. Chevron was found liable for polluting an indigenous community in Ecuador, resulting in an epidemic of birth defects and cancer. Donziger has been under house arrest for over 600 days, and is currently waiting for the results of a bench trial (that means no jury) that's being prosecuted not by the state, but by a law firm with financial ties to Chevron. In a departure from the American norm, the courtroom has been closed to cameras, but Sarandon and Williamson, who both attended the trial, joined us to give us a first hand account of what happened in the court room. Afterward, they engaged us in a broader conversation about the trajectory of their left activism, their disappointment with elected progressives who fail to use their leverage to extract concessions, and the professional and personal toll they've paid for standing for principle. Learn more about Donziger's case at http://freedonziger.org/ But first, Virgil delivers some news: After over four years as a co-host, co-producer, and collaborator, I am departing Chapo Trap House in order to pursue other creative projects. Our partnership together has been nothing short of an immense political and artistic accomplishment. And though it is the right time for me to explore new directions, I will always be grateful for having had the opportunity to be a part of Chapo, and I will always treasure the memories of our collaboration, our friendship, our listeners, and the tremendous success we enjoyed together. This separation is mutual and amicable, and I wish Will, Felix, Matt, Amber, and Chris the absolute best in continuing to build Chapo into an even greater success and in all future projects. Chapo can continue to be found at http://patreon.com/chapotraphouse and on Twitter @ChapoTrapHouse. Subscribe to Bad Faith on Patreon to join the Bad Faith Discord and instantly unlock our full premium episode library: http://patreon.com/badfaithpodcast Subscribe to Bad Faith on YouTube for video of this episode. Find Bad Faith on Twitter (@badfaithpod) and Instagram (@badfaithpod). Produced by Ben Dalton (@wbend). Theme by Nick Thorburn (@nickfromislands).