Trump Ruins Everything (feat. Chandra Taylor-Sawyer)

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Daily Beans

Episode Title: "Trump Ruins Everything" (feat. Chandra Taylor-Sawyer)

Release Date: June 9, 2026

Hosts: Allison Gill & Dana Goldberg

Guest: Chandra Taylor-Sawyer (Southern Environmental Law Center)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into a particularly tumultuous political week, highlighting ongoing controversies and changes in the Trump administration, including the nomination of Trump’s personal lawyer Todd Blanche for Attorney General, new immigration and visa policies, and headline-grabbing events like the attempted UFC fight at the White House. The spotlight discussion features Chandra Taylor-Sawyer from the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), who addresses the compounding injustices facing marginalized Southern communities due to environmental policy rollbacks, particularly under the Trump administration.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump Administration Legal Controversies & News Rundown

• Todd Blanche as Attorney General:

  • Trump has formally nominated his personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, to be Attorney General.
  • The hosts express deep skepticism and concern about this, referencing previous controversial actions (IRS immunity, slush funds) used to secure the nomination.
    • "[Todd Blanche] has a hell of an audition." – Allison Gill (03:29)

• IRS & Data Sharing with ICE:

  • The IRS failed to match taxpayer information with ICE records accurately, leading to improper sharing of private data (01:03–06:51).
  • Government watchdog report finds systemic issues and redacted documentation.
  • Quote: “ICE is a lawless organization that should never have come anywhere near taxpayer data.” – Sen. Ron Wyden (06:18)

• Blocked $100K H1B Visa Fee:

  • A federal judge blocks Trump's attempt to levy a $100,000 visa fee, declaring it an unconstitutional tax (06:51–08:33).

• UFC Fight at the White House Lawsuit:

  • Public outcry and legal actions to halt Trump's planned UFC event on the White House lawn.
  • Judge Amit Mehta assigned to the case; emphasis on legal precedent and spectacle (08:33–10:22).
  • Memorable moment: “It’s like I picture the Lincoln Memorial where Lincoln’s doing the face palm.” – Allison Gill (09:47)

2. Immigration Enforcement & Community Impact

• ICE Abductions at Washington State Courts:
  • Skagit County courts limiting Zoom hearings has enabled ICE to detain individuals after court appearances, despite a state law prohibiting civil arrests at court facilities (10:32–13:25).
  • Community and legal advocates urge restoration of virtual hearing access.

3. NYC Knicks Watch Party Disruption

• Trump Visit Forces Venue Change:
  • Trump’s NYC visit led to the cancellation of fan watch parties outside Madison Square Garden, with Mayor Mamdani organizing an alternative in Bryant Park (13:25–14:49).
  • Dana: “Because the president’s a selfish prick." (13:46)

4. Human Story: André Hernández Romero

• LGBTQ Asylum Seeker Highlight:
  • André Hernández Romero, wrongfully accused under the Alien Enemies Act, shares his trauma and advocacy for other immigrants post-detention (15:24–18:19).
  • Important quote: “Evaluate people individually, respect their humanity, and judge them based on evidence rather than assumptions.” – Hernández Romero, paraphrased by Dana Goldberg (17:52)

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Main Interview: Chandra Taylor-Sawyer, Southern Environmental Law Center

Environmental Justice in the U.S. South (23:33–39:49)

The Work of the SELC

• SELC is a regional nonprofit law center operating in six states, with a robust legal staff and a focus on protecting vulnerable communities—primarily Black communities disproportionately harmed by environmental degradation.
• Projects include cleaning up toxic landfills, securing settlements for PFAS contamination, and advocating around data centers' environmental impacts.
  • “We make a particular effort to go where we know the most harm is, which is in Black communities in the South.” – Chandra Taylor-Sawyer (24:39)

Why Marginalized Communities Are Hit Hardest

• Historical context: systemic racism, redlining, and lack of generational wealth have placed many Black communities at greater risk for environmental harm, lacking resources to recover from disasters or resist polluting projects (27:38–31:09).
• “We can go back to plantation slavery and trace a direct line to how…Black communities are those same communities that, that are more likely to have polluting facilities sited near them.” – Chandra Taylor-Sawyer (27:38)

Partnerships & Examples

• Emphasizes collaboration with grassroots organizations:
  • Memphis Community Against Pollution: Fighting environmental threats, like pipelines and data centers.
  • North Carolina’s EJ Community Action Network: Partnership led to successful legal actions over landfill contamination and cleanup.
    • “These are just two examples of groups that are advocating for themselves in partnership with us and with our legal skills…” – Chandra Taylor-Sawyer (32:01–35:16)

Impact of EPA Policy Rollbacks

• The recent repeal of the EPA’s “endangerment finding” strips away protections against climate pollution, disproportionately harming already-vulnerable communities in the South (35:27–36:25).

How Listeners Can Help

• Three key actions for supporters:

  1. Don’t give up hope – collective action matters.
  2. Get involved locally via volunteer work, advocacy, or direct support to environmental justice organizations.
  3. Hold officials accountable—push for policy at every government level (37:05–39:19).
  • “We can still engage with local government. We can still engage with legislatures and executive agencies on the state level…” – Chandra Taylor-Sawyer (37:38)

• Learn more and support: selc.org

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “What a disaster. I mean, … actually, I take that back. I’m not saying it can’t be any worse than it is right now.” – Dana Goldberg (03:01)
• “It’s like I picture the Lincoln Memorial where Lincoln’s doing the face palm.” – Allison Gill (09:47)
• “Even the people who are thinking that they should engage in rollbacks. We’re all worth the fight to actually protect public health and the environment.” – Chandra Taylor-Sawyer (37:05)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Trump Nominates Todd Blanche / Hot Notes Begin: 01:03
• IRS-ICE Data Sharing Scandal: 03:31
• $100K H1B Visa Fee Ruled Illegal: 06:51
• UFC Fight Lawsuit Coverage: 08:33
• Skagit County ICE Detentions / Court Hearings: 10:32
• Knicks Watch Party Disruption: 13:25
• André Hernández Romero’s Story: 15:24
• Main Interview – Chandra Taylor-Sawyer: 23:33–39:49

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Tone & Language

Maintaining The Daily Beans' signature blend of direct, candid news commentary, progressive values, and moments of snark, Allison and Dana balance righteous outrage with hope and humor, while Chandra Taylor-Sawyer offers informative, accessible explanations and solutions-driven optimism.

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Closing

The episode closes with a good-news segment and listener submissions celebrating activism, local events, and personal victories—a signature effort by the hosts to counterbalance heavy political news with hope and community.

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For more information on the Southern Environmental Law Center, visit: selc.org

Key quote on hope:
“Everything is hard right now does not mean that it always will be hard. We can look toward rebuilding while we take action to protect our health and our environments today.” – Chandra Taylor-Sawyer (39:13)

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Transcript

[Frangela (Frances Collier and Angela V. Shelton)]

Hi, I'm Frances Collier. And I'm Angela V. Shelton. And we're Frangela. You know what you mean in your life. The Final Word podcast. Yes, you do. That's right. It is the final word on all things political and pop cultural, where we make real news, real funny, where we inspire you so you can resist. Subscribe and get a new episode of the Final Word podcast each week. It's the news we think you need to hear. That's right. We think you need to hear it. Okay. Yeah. It's what we say. So. That's right. And because all we do is give. Every Thursday, you can listen to our hysterical podcast, Idiot of the Week. We round up the stupid. Because you know what? Somebody has to.

[Allison Gill]

Okay? All we do is give. MSW Media.

[Chandra Taylor Sawyer]

Daily beans.

[Dana Goldberg]

Daily beans. Daily beans.

[Allison Gill]

Daily beans. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Tuesday, June 9, 2026. Today, Donald Trump has formally nominated his personal lawyer, Todd Blanch, to be the attorney general. The IRS failed to match taxpayer records with ICE data accurately. A federal judge has blocked Donald's $100,000 visa fee. The lawsuit to stop the UFC fight. White House lawn has been assigned to Judge Amit Mehta. Mayor Mamdani has added a free Bryant park watch party for the Knicks after Trump's visit forced the cancellation of them. Around Madison Square Garden, Skagit county courts are limiting zoom hearings for vulnerable community members in Washington state. And Andre Hernandez Romero, that's the gay stylist that was sent to Secote prison, is rebuilding his life in Spain as an advocate. I'm Alison Gill.

[Dana Goldberg]

And I'm Dana Goldberg.

[Allison Gill]

Hello, my friend. Happy Tuesday.

[Dana Goldberg]

Happy Tuesday to you. Always nice to see your face.

[Allison Gill]

Always good to see your beautiful face. Also, we have another beautiful face joining us today. She's a senior attorney and leader of the selc. That's the Southern Environmental Law Center. She's leader of the Environmental Justice Initiative there. And we're going to be talking about, you know, environmental justice in the south and how marginalized communities are so negatively impacted by the compounding rollbacks of the Environmental Protection Agency rules in the Trump administration. Her name is Chandra Taylor Sawyer. So we're going to talk to her later. And of course, we couldn't get through the week without Todd Blanche being formally nominated for Attorney General.

[Dana Goldberg]

Douchebag.

[Allison Gill]

I'm guessing that Republicans are going to be cool with it because even though Donald Trump got his blanket IRS immunity, he walked back from the slush fund, the 1.7 billion slush fund, and they're going to be like, that's enough for me.

[Dana Goldberg]

What a disaster. I mean, it can't be. I'm going to say. Actually, I take that back. I'm not saying it can't be any

[Allison Gill]

worse than it is right now.

[Dana Goldberg]

It's definitely going to get worse. But yeah, I don't think there's anything we can do to stop this. But we'll see what happens.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. So apparently his big performance to try to get the nomination, I guess by indicting Comey for Seashells and creating a slush fund and giving Trump his tax blanket tax immunity got him the job.

[Dana Goldberg]

So he has a hell of an audition.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. Formally nominated. So we'll keep an eye on that for you. Aside from that, we do have a bunch of news to get to today. So let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, first up from Politico, the IRS failed to consistently and accurately match taxpayer information that it stole with records from Immigration and Customs Enforcement as the Trump administration accelerated its deportation efforts last summer. And that's according to to a government watchdog report that was released kind of quietly on Monday. The report from the Taxpayer Inspector General for Tax Administration is the first major examination of the Trump administration's controversial effort to identify and deport undocumented immigrants using taxpayer information. It comes more than a year after ICE asked the IRS to share confidential information, including taxpayer identification numbers and last known addresses, on more than 1.2 million people, something we said we would never do if immigrants paid their taxes. The effort, which is the subject of ongoing litigation in multiple federal courts, yielded addresses matched for about 47,000 out of the 1.2 million the IRS admitted in February it improperly shared address data in less than 5% of those cases after ICE submitted insufficient or incomplete information on the taxpayer. The inspector general's report Monday found that the systems the IRS used to match ICE data, quote, were unable to identify and match the records accurately and consistently. Huh. Wonder if that's AI. Quote, the IRS stated that it rejected records that did not meet certain conditions, according to the report. However, the process implemented by the IRS failed to identify all records that should have been rejected. The report also found the IRS faced challenges due to the lack of uniformity in the formatting of ICE data, meaning the IRS couldn't match address data for individuals whose names contained minor variations between the agencies respective databases. Oops. TIGTA also found ICE did not meet IRS's standards for safeguarding data. Big surprise. Before the agencies entered the agreement, The IRS reviewed ICE's compliance with the tax agency's data safeguarding standards. And they found several issues that remained open at the time of the data transfer, though it's unclear what those issues were because parts of the inspector general report are redacted. They are redacting inspector general reports, ladies and gentlemen. Now, unlike most of its investigations, TIGTA did not include any recommendations for the IRS in Monday's report. It plans to share its concerns privately with the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, which I'm sure will go straight into the circular file. Senator Ron Wyden, the ranking member of the Finance Committee, said the report showed that ICE mishandled taxpayer data from the earliest days of Trump's second term. Quote, ice is a lawless organization that should never have come anywhere near taxpayer data. That's what he said, and went on to say the data sharing agreement between IRS and DHS was designed to paper over widespread violations of strict taxpayer privacy laws. Those responsible for violating the law should face prosecution. Probably not with the new Todd Blanche nomination of Attorney General, but maybe in 2029. Yeah, all right.

[Dana Goldberg]

This one's also from Politico. A federal judge has blocked President Trump's bid to slap a $100,000 fee on employers who seek to hire foreign workers for specialized roles, labeling the policy an unauthorized tax that required congressional approval. Of course it did. U.S. district Judge this is Leo Sorokin, concluded that the president's proposed payments for so called H1B visa applications, part of a September 2025 proclamation quickly implemented by the state Department of Department of Homeland Security. It violated the separation of powers. I'm glad we still have those. The ruling is a significant victory for states who sued Trump over the proclamation. It basically saying that $100,000 fee had damaged their ability to hire workers at publicly run institutions like colleges and hospitals. Yep, the Obama appointees ruling was rooted in two Supreme Court precedents. The ruling that upheld Obamacare by labeling it most controversial provision, which was a mandate for people to obtain health insurance, and they label that a tax. And the justice's recent rejection of Trump's unilateral effort to impose global tariffs, concluding the president can only exercise taxing authority when given unambiguous approval by Congress. Sorokin's ruling came six months after a federal judge in Washington, D.C. sided with the Trump administration in a similar lawsuit brought by the U.S. chamber of Commerce, concluding that Congress had granted the president the authority to levy the $100,000 fee. But U.S. district Judge Howell's ruling that came before the Supreme Court's tariff ruling in the February that helped inform Sorokin's decision.

[Allison Gill]

Ah, so long story short, the $100,000 H1B visa, that fee is a tax, and the president can't unilaterally slap a tax on people like as in the tariffs. Oh, my goodness. Good. Good for them. Thank you. All right, next up from Reuters. As we discussed yesterday, a federal judge in Washington has been asked to block Trump's plan to host an Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts bout on the White House lawn next week and to halt construction of the metal arena that's called the Claw on the South Lawn of the iconic executive residence. The Claw. The case has been assigned to Obama appointee Judge Amit Mehta. Mehta on Monday asked lawyers in the case to propose a schedule to hear the Emergency request dubbed UFC Freedom250. Pew, pew, pew. The event is set to feature fighting inside the 92 foot tall octagon shaped cage with weigh ins at the nearby Lincoln Memorial. I didn't know they were doing weigh ins at the Lincoln Memorial.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, boy. Just justify all of this. Keep going.

[Allison Gill]

I know, I know. It's like I picture the Lincoln Memorial where Lincoln's doing the face palm.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep.

[Allison Gill]

The lawsuit filed on Saturday alleges that authorization of the program by the National Park Service and Interior Department is unlawful and should be set aside. It contends that events. This event particularly violates rules barring sporting events on the South Lawn and at the Lincoln Memorial. And the construction of the large arena structure requires congressional authorization. So we'll keep an eye on this suit, but it has been assigned to Judge Amit Mehta. The guy who put Stuart Rhodes, the Oath Keeper, in prison for 22 years. That guy.

[Dana Goldberg]

I'll see what happens. I mean, he's probably already had enough life threatening emails, but which my point is, he's probably like, I've been through this before. I'm going to follow the law. But we'll see.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah.

[Dana Goldberg]

All right. This is from Skagit Scoop in Skaggit County, Washington. He complies with the law and comes to his hearing for a minor infraction in person. Now, he doesn't know to ask for a video hearing. The hearing on the district Court docket happens at the courtroom located in the same building as the Skagit County Jail. The hearing itself is uneventful, but when he exits the building, ice is waiting in the parking lot that sets the scene for all of this. Masked and armed, they shove him into an unmarked vehicle and they just take him. He doesn't know what his fate's going to be or if he'll be able to see his family again, he'll not be able to complete his local legal obligation. His family confirms no one offered him a video hearing option. He did not know that going to court would put him in danger. This outcome is entirely preventable simply by granting him the opportunity to attend his hearing by video. Now his family is torn apart by the loss of their husband and dad, and a family that was self supporting is plunged into poverty. Six times since late March. ICE abducted community members leaving their hearings at the South Mount Vernon courtroom location. The first two abductions occurred in the parking lot of the county jail building. ICE agents followed the third community member and abducted him about three quarters of a mile north. These arrests by federal agents, they're in direct violation of Washington's Court Open to All Act. That's coda, which was passed by the legislature and signed by the governor in 2020. The law expressly, and I quote, prohibits the civil arrest of any person while going to, remaining at or returning from a court facility. The Skagit County Superior Court webpage, it states, no longer allows video hearings. That's a change requiring in person attendance only with very limited exceptions. Now, this creates serious hardship for many clients, including east county residents and people with disabilities. And it creates a serious risk for community members who may be vulnerable due to their skin color or immigration status. Disappointingly, the rationale for the restrictions centers on budget savings and inconvenience for staff.

[Allison Gill]

Wouldn't Zoom be cheaper?

[Dana Goldberg]

You would think.

[Chandra Taylor Sawyer]

Yep.

[Dana Goldberg]

And it says, we urge Skagit county courts to follow the lead of our neighboring counties and make public that video hearing access is available to all have needed it. Now, we urge the county courts and public defenders to take a proactive approach to make sure all potentially vulnerable defendants, witnesses and family members know this is an option. This protects individuals, families, and the community. The technology is already installed and staff already know how to use it. So obviously they're trying to change this back. But yeah, a lot of people that are just following the law have been abducted by ice, right?

[Allison Gill]

Absolutely. All right, thanks for that. A listener sent that story in and wanted us to report on it. Somebody from Skagit County. Next up from the Gothamist, there will be no watch party outside Madison Square Garden for game three of the NBA Finals Monday night. As you know, we record this episode Monday afternoon when the New York Knicks return home for their first championship game in nearly three decades.

[Dana Goldberg]

Because the president's a selfish prick.

[Allison Gill]

Yes, he is. But the city is adding mum. Donnie is adding a watch party at Bryant park for free to give fans a new spot to gather. A spokesperson for the NYPD said the decision was made in coordination with Secret Service because of President Trump's visit. The spokesperson added that watch parties were expected to resume outside Madison Square Garden for Game four, which is on Wednesday. Fans will still be able to gather at watch parties in Central Park, Brooklyn bowl and now Bryant Park. The city announced the addition of the Bryant park watch Party early Monday. The party, which will host up to 5,000 people, Will is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Quote these watch parties have become a celebration of New York City itself. That's Mayor Zoran Mamdani in a statement. The Knicks are in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 and they're seeking their first championship since 1973. Game three on Monday night will be the Knicks first home game of the Finals matchup against the San Antonio Spurs.

[Dana Goldberg]

He's just a dick. I also want to point out that, yes, Zora Momdani is going. He paid $1,000 to stand in the stadium. Meanwhile, you know how much it's going to cost taxpayers for this douchebag to go to a game he doesn't even care about? And they're giving the mayor a hard time that he spent a thousand of his own dollars to stand in the arena.

[Allison Gill]

I just in nosebleed seats. I mean, the good tickets are at least 10 grand.

[Dana Goldberg]

So yeah, I know it's wild, but go next.

[Allison Gill]

Would you rather he got it as a gift from somebody who wants something from him?

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep.

[Chandra Taylor Sawyer]

All right.

[Dana Goldberg]

This is from one of my favorite magazines, the Advocate. Nearly a year after he emerged from El Salvador's notorious Sea Coat Prison, where he was deported after the Trump administration accused him of gang affiliation, Andre Hernandez Romero is still traumatized by the events. Said if I'm walking down the street and I see a police officer carrying handcuffs or a baton, this is what he told Advocate. It affects me. Hernandez Romero became one of the most recognizable phases of the Trump administration's use of the Alien Enemies act against Venezuelan migrants. In March 2025, he was among hundreds of Venezuelan men sent to El Salvador's terrorism confinement center, known as seco. Despite never being charged with a crime in the United States, advocates and attorneys argued that officials relied on deeply flawed evidence, including tattoos, to label men as gang members. For LGBTQ Americans, Hernandez Romero became more than just an immigration case. He was an Al gay asylum seeker who said he fled persecution in Venezuela only to find himself at the center of one of the Trump administration's most controversial and dystopian immigration actions. Today, Hernandez Romero is focused less on his own story than on the people he left behind. Many of the messages he receives come from mothers. Others come from men who shared cells with him inside Cekote. And I quote, I receive messages every day from my companions and from their mothers. They ask for advice, they ask for help. They ask for visibility. Many of these conversations are no longer about what happened inside Cekote. They're about what came afterward. Some former detainees are trying to rebuild their lives. Others remain trapped in legal uncertainty, struggling with trauma, stigma, and the challenge of proving that they were never gang members in the first place. Hernandez Romero says he feels an obligation to keep telling their stories because many lack the public platform he now has. For Hernandez Romero, that principle extends beyond the Venezuelan men deported to Cecope. It also shapes how he thinks about LGBTQ immigrants currently navigating the US Detention system. He said the LGBTQ community right now has many people in detention centers who are being treated unfairly now. For now, he is waiting for asylum, his asylum case to be resolved. He hopes to return to work as a makeup artist and a fashion designer and eventually build a life in Los Angeles, a city he speaks about not as a dream, but as his home. He said the final destination for Andre is Los Angeles, California. Now, Hernandez Romero hopes to share those ideas directly with political leaders, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, one day. The proposal itself is still taking shape, but the principle behind it is very evaluate people individually, respect their humanity, and judge them based on evidence rather than assumptions. Imagine that, Alison.

[Allison Gill]

What a world it would be.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep.

[Allison Gill]

So that's amazing. I know we reported a lot on Andre when this was first happening back in March of 2025, when they kidnapped 240 plus men and sent them to Seacote.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

But one guy had an autism awareness tattoo for his brother. Andre had innocuous tattoos, and ICE decided that those tattoos meant that these folks were gang members affiliated with Trend Aragua, which is couldn't be further from the truth. Gang experts say that Trend Aragua doesn't even have any tattoos delineating membership. So, yeah. Wow. That's really incredible and selfless of him, by the way, and super brave. So hats off to Andre, and I hope he makes it to Los Angeles soon to live his dreams. All right, everybody, we're going to be right back. As I promised, at the top of the show, Chandra Taylor Sawyer, the senior attorney and leader of the Southern Environmental Law Center's Environmental Justice Initiative, is going to be with us. Stick around. We'll be right back after these messages. We'll be right back. Hey everybody. As you know, I've had my Helix mattress for years now and every summer I'm reminded why I'm so glad I made that sw. Hot nights can wreck your sleep fast. And if the room is warm, if you're already dealing with night sweats because of, you know, perimenopause, or if you're the kind of person who struggles to fall asleep in the first place, summer only makes these things worse. That is one reason I keep coming back to how much I love my Helix. On top of being a great mattress, they offer cooling upgrades so you don't have to spend your nights suffering until it starts to cool off again. And before I switched, I had trouble falling asleep, staying asleep way too many mornings where I woke up sore and groggy wishing I could stay in bed. But my Helix mattress changed all of that. Starting on the first night. It gave me the kind of support my body needed to make it easier to settle in and stay comfortable and actually sleep through the night. I also started seeing the difference in my Apple watch numbers. My sleep tracking improved, which only validated what I already knew. Another great reason to choose Helix. They make an entire process simple. You don't have to go to a mattress store, there's not delivery fees and white glove setup services and all that stuff they ship straight to your door. Free shipping in the US they back it up with 120 night sleep trial and a lifetime limited warranty. They also offer happy with Helix guarantees which era a lot of the stress if you're making a big purchase online. And on top of that, Helix has been tested and reviewed by places like Forbes and Wired and they're the most awarded mattress brand by far. So I'm happy with my Helix and I am never going back. So go to helixsleep.comdailybeans for 20% off site wide. That's helixsleep.com dailybeans for 20% off site wide helixsleep.com dailybeans all right, let me tell you how much I love Wild grain. It's amazing. The first bake from frozen subscription box for sourdough bread and artisanal pastries fresh pasta. So if you've been looking for like at the ingredients list in your store bought options, you'll be happy to know Wild Grain uses simple ingredients. You can pronounce them and they have a slow fermentation process which is much easier on your gut while being richer in nutrients and antioxidants. Wild Grains boxes are fully customizable. Not only do they have a variety box, but they also have a gluten free box as well and a vegan box and now a protein box which is incredible. And all the items conveniently bake in 25 minutes or less without having to wait for anything to thaw. You can bake from frozen and this episode of Daily Beans is brought to you by Wild Grain. So check this deal out. Right now, Wild Grain is offering you $30 off your first box, plus free croissants in every box. Just head to wildgrain.com dailybeans and start your subscription. Or you can use promo code dailybeans at checkout. Two of my favorites thus far have been the sourdough loaf and the fresh fettuccine. Oh it's so good. The sourdough tastes like real bakery bread. It makes my house smell amazing and the fettuccine makes dinner fast without tasting like a shortcut. That's why Wild Grain work me. It's convenient on busy days and the simple ingredients fit much better with my health goals. So imagine having fresh bakery quality bread, pastries and pasta at home without any trips to the store. And don't just take my word for it. They have over 40,000 five star reviews and they've been voted the best food subscription box by USA Today for three years in a row. Now and for a limited time, Wild Grain is offering our listeners $30 off your first box plus free croissants for life. Just head to wildgrain.com dailybeans to start your subscription today. That's that's $30 off your first box and free croissants for life. Hello, when you visit wildgrain.com dailybeans or you can use promo code dailybeans at checkout, you'll be glad you did.

[Amanda Sturgill]

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[Allison Gill]

But don't let them fool you.

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[Allison Gill]

Hey, everybody. Welcome back. I'm really excited to speak today to a senior attorney and leader of the Southern Environmental Law Center's Environmental Justice Initiative. This is such important work. We're going to talk about the compounding effects of rollbacks of protections, environmental protections, and environmental justice initiatives by this administration, how we can fix that, what we should be focusing on and the work that the Southern Environmental Law center is doing. Please welcome Chandra Taylor Sawyer. Hi, Chandra, how are you?

[Chandra Taylor Sawyer]

Thanks for inviting me to speak with you today. I'm doing all right.

[Allison Gill]

That's the kind of the generic answer that I talked to my friends, my co host Dana, and our friend Mary Trump. We kind of made a deal to stop asking each other how we were just to sort of give a hat tip to all the work that people are doing. Talk really quickly about the important work that's being done. You're the senior attorney and you're leading the Environmental Justice Initiative at the Southern Environmental Law Center. Talk about the work the Southern Environmental Law center is doing.

[Chandra Taylor Sawyer]

So SELC is a regional nonprofit law center. We have offices in six states, nine total offices, about 240 staff. Half of the staff are attorneys. And as the leader of the Environmental Justice Initiative, my work is making sure that as an organization, we're meeting our objectives to reduce environmental threats, to clean up harms, to promote environmental amenities for communities that have been underserved, communities that have been dumped on, and communities that are otherwise particularly vulnerable. So the communities due to the impact of systemic racism, prior lawful discrimination through denial of federally backed loans for community improvement, most of the time, these communities are black communities. So as an organization, we protect the public health and the environment of the south, but we make a particular effort to go where we know the most harm is, which is in black communities in the South. So we're doing work all across the south to do something about that. That looks like cleaning up landfills in North Carolina, mega landfills, and getting settlements to get PFAs out of drinking water wells. It looks like data center advocacy. So these huge data centers that are the engines for AI, they often use lots of water. They use lots of power. They result in increased power bills. There's not a lot of transparency in the process. Well, across our region, we are engaged in advocacy to make sure that people know what they should be expecting and to get the best outcomes possible, Whether that is stopping a data center from locating or trying to find ways that these data centers can operate in a way that is less Harmful. So doing that work in Tennessee and Mississippi and Alabama and North Carolina. So in collaboration and partnership with groups that are environmental justice advocates, I could go on about what the work looks like across the region. But I'll pause just in case you had a clarifying question.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, I want to talk about those partnerships in a moment, but I would love it if you could explain to folks who might not understand why certain groups and communities are more negatively impacted by this kind of inequity through systemic racism and how black communities tend to suffer more harm and negative impact from things like pfas, dirty water, data centers. How did it come to be where we are now? I mean, I realize we could probably go back to reconstruction and start all the way at the beginning, but. But in general, I'm hoping people understand why and how these types of policies or inability to create policies to protect vulnerable communities end up negatively impacting these communities more.

[Chandra Taylor Sawyer]

Well, I mean, you're absolutely right. We can go back to plantation slavery and trace a direct line to how in the present day black communities are those same communities that, that are more likely to have polluting facilities site near them. All communities suffer from environmental threats. But if you are a community that has been economically stymied, so you don't have as many resources to rebound, then in the event of, let's say, extreme weather events that are driven by the climate crisis, when those extreme weather events happen, then you already don't have enough money, so you're not going to be able to go to, you know, you might not even have a car number one to leave the area of harm. You are more likely to be a renter. Renters receive less assistance after emergencies than homeowners. If you own your land, but because the land has been passed down to you, but it hasn't been deeded, then you might not even be able to prove that you own the property that you live in. So how can you then get financial resources to help rebuild from a threat? You are less likely to be a part of a family that has extensive resources that you can go to them in the face of the aftermath of an extreme weather event. So I spoke a little bit about the process of black communities being denied federally backed loans. That was legal discrimination, redlining where black communities. There was a decision that these neighborhoods, neighborhoods of black people were not going to be approved for federally backed mortgage loans, which then put them in the position of not being able to do the repairs to their home that would help maintain value. That that ends up leading to blight. In that Community. If you have blight, you have reduction in the property value, then you have these market forces where if there is a facility, it could be a facility that has a polluting facility, where they're going to go to where land is cheap. Well, land has. That land has been lessened in value because of not having the ability to improve the property over the course of time. So really we engaged in a project called Plantations to Pollution Black Communities, Legacy pollution, A path forward that really shows this through line from plantation slavery to today and looks at how systemic racism has now led to worse outcomes for black communities across the South. So that's where we are today. That's how we see that black communities are often the communities that are most vulnerable to environmental harm, that are least likely to have access to environmental amenities like parks, more green space. Those areas are going to be healthier areas to live in. So I think it's important to make sure that we acknowledge the connection and that we go where the harm is, that we prioritize where we know harm exists and do the work that we can to address that harm.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, hundreds of years of stymying generational wealth, then we can get into Jim Crow, we can get into redlining, and then we can get into that kind of environmental impact. And you know, when I think about now, the Supreme Court, for example, gutting the Voting Rights act, again, that's why I think that organizations like SELC are so important. Because now not only are especially black communities being impacted, more negatively impacted by these environmental issues, and that's why you need to seek environmental justice, but they are now trying to stymie their way of voting their way out of it. And so that is why I think SELC and organizations like it are so very important to stand up for that and for those communities. Talk a little bit about the SELC's partnerships that you mentioned a moment ago.

[Chandra Taylor Sawyer]

Right.

[Allison Gill]

To do that work.

[Chandra Taylor Sawyer]

So SELC is a place based organization. So we take very seriously knowing what is happening in our communities, listening directly to people who are frontline to environmental threats and environmental harm. Our environmental justice initiative in particular has an objective to make sure that we are doing work to grow new relationships with vulnerable communities, black communities across the south, and do work to maintain the relationships that we already have with people who are frontline to environmental harm. So there are dozens of groups that we engage with across the south who know this is what's happening on the ground. So in Memphis, Memphis Community Against Pollution, they were formally Memphis Community against the Pipeline. We have been working with Them since the Bahalia pipeline fight started several years ago to address really significant environmental threats in South Memphis. You know, this is, you know, a predominantly black area. There are so many threats to the environment in that area. They are, you know, facing huge data centers. Xai and the impacts of those data centers on air quality for their community. They're consistently not in attainment for air quality, according to guidance from the epa, but yet there are then these additional facilities that continue to pollute. So in North Carolina, Environmental Justice Community Action Network, that's an example of an organization that we have partnered with and represented. They are our clients in a big landfill settlement. I referenced that. That is an effort to make sure that the groundwater that has been contaminated from that landfill, that it's getting cleaned up. That's part of the work with EJ can they recognize the problems on the ground? They did outreach. We collaborated with them. We did the testing. We discovered, yes, there are really significant problems with this landfill, other than how it smells, that it is huge, that it's in a black community in eastern North Carolina. But there's people who drinking water has PFAS in it. That is a problem. You know, this is a compound that causes really severe health risk over time. So it was important for EJ Kan to address the issue. And we worked with EJ Kan to file litigation to come to a settlement. And then we'll work with them. You know, we are continuing to work with them on settlement implementation to make sure that the outcomes that were negotiated in the settlement, that they are actually achieved. So that's in partnership with that organization. And I could all over the South. These are just two examples of groups that are advocating for themselves in partnership with us and with our legal skills that we have with the assistance of policy, with the assistance of scientists and the background that they provide to actually improve lives and the environment right there in those communities.

[Allison Gill]

And can you talk a little bit about. I know you mentioned PFAS compounds, but can you also talk about the repeal of the EPA's endangerment finding and how that is impacting communities?

[Chandra Taylor Sawyer]

Right. So in February of this year, the EPA released a final rule that did away with EPA's authority to regulate and protect the public from climate pollution from vehicles. So it denies established climate science. And what it ends up being is an attempt to basically serve fossil fuel companies at the expense of all of us. There's economic growth that is pointed to as the reason why this should happen, but it doesn't at all address what the expense is to our health as you know, as a nation to individual health. So the repeal of the endangerment finding is a significant blow to protections for communities all across the nation and definitely in the South.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. So what can listeners do to help support the work of SCLC and to help help combat the inequities and the impacts of these rollbacks? And like you said in the beginning, all of these rollbacks, they're compounded in so many ways. It's like the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. It's exponentially getting bad and will continue to get worse. And you add AI data centers into the mix, and it just blows it off the charts. But what can we do to help support SCLC and help support your partners and this work that you're doing?

[Chandra Taylor Sawyer]

I mean, first of all, don't give up hope. Like, we're all worth the fight, each and every one of us, even the people who are thinking that they should engage in rollbacks. We're all worth the fight to actually protect public health and the environment. We've seen the dismantling of infrastructure that's specifically for environmental justice on the federal level, but we still have protections that exist on the state level and in municipalities. We still can use those tools, and we still should use those tools like

[Allison Gill]

city councils banning data centers and things like that. Local context.

[Chandra Taylor Sawyer]

There have been so many moratoria that have come out of counties that recognize we need more information about what's happening with these data centers. Our communities have spoken up. We've heard them. They're issuing moratoria. So we can still engage with local government. We can still engage with legislatures and executive agencies on the state level that have mandates to do something about protecting the environment. We can also make sure that we are supporting environmental justice advocacy organizations that may be with volunteer time, like you finding a volunteer environmental justice advocacy organization in your community and being there first, you may be able to support them with some set of skills that you have, whether that is fundraising, whether it's scientific analysis, whether it's helping with drafting fact sheets. You may be able to help with your own particular talents. You may be able to provide financial support. Another thing that people can do, recognizing, you know, we still have hope, we still have power. We can still make sure that decision makers remain accountable, making sure that elected officials, that appointed officials, people who are empowered to do something that is for the public good, that they know that we expect them to do something for the public good. So to engage in that way, understand, like everything, because everything is hard right now, does not mean that it always will be hard. We can look toward rebuilding while we take action to protect our health and our environments today.

[Allison Gill]

Well, I really appreciate you coming on and giving us kind of this breakdown of the selc. Can you let folks know where they can find information about SELC and perhaps support that your organization as well? Yeah.

[Chandra Taylor Sawyer]

Selc.org please take a look.

[Allison Gill]

Easy enough, easy enough. Anyway, I really appreciate your time today and helping us understand these impacts, the compounded nature of it, what's going on and how folks can help. It's, I think really meaningful and I really appreciate all the work that you're doing. So thank you so much.

[Chandra Taylor Sawyer]

Thank you for the conversation.

[Allison Gill]

No problem at all. Everybody. Check out the Southern Environmental Law center, selc.org and thanks again to Chandra Taylor Sawyer for spending some time with us today. We really appreciate it.

[Chandra Taylor Sawyer]

Thank you.

[Amanda Sturgill]

It's no surprise that newsmakers try to manipulate the audience. They want you to believe that they are the one holding the line and they'll use any trick they can to get you there.

[Allison Gill]

But don't let them fool you.

[Amanda Sturgill]

Get Unspun I'm Amanda Sturgill. I've been a reporter and today I teach future reporters to cut the spin and think critically about what newsmakers say. My podcast, Unspun shows you how to know when you're being manipulated by the news, learn to spot the tricks and how to make up your own mind about what's true. So if you're tired of being fooled by the news, subscribe to UNSPUN today. Unspun because you deserve the truth.

[Allison Gill]

Everybody welcome back. It's time for the good news everyone. Then good news everyone. Good news. And if you have any little bit of good news, please send it into us. Help us microdose like in your hope. We need to smile a little more during these times and we need to find community. So please send it all to us. Big or small, recent or in the distant past. It can be a fun story you like to share. Maybe a shout out to a loved one or a government program or yourself. We love a self shout out if you have that let us know. We want to hear why you're awesome. Because you are. You can also shout out a non profit maybe you want us to hear about or a small business in your area that could use a boost. You can also send in your good trouble suggestions and all you've got to do to get your stuff read on the air is attach a photo. It can be anything. It started off as podpet tags and you can attach your pet or an adoptable pet in your area. We can try to guess the breeds in your shelter pup. You can send random animal photos from the Internet, baby pictures, family photos, sunsets, chickens, goats, what you're making or creating, knitting, crocheting, painting, anything at all. Please send it to us dailybeanspot.com and click on contact. First up is your Good Trouble. Good Trouble Today is Sunday, June 14th at a town hall in New York City. A concert for the First Amendment and an evening to build community. And here's a quote. While the Committee for the First Amendment leads and hosts this powerful concert, indivisible and no kings are proud to partner with them to build the durable hyperlocal infrastructure that our movement needs to win and counter the president's spectacle on June 14. The National Concert event celebrates the freedoms that belong to all of us. Speech, assembly, protest, religion, press and expression. Across the country, communities are gathering for local watch parties to sing along, make art, share food, connect with neighbors and take meaningful action together. So this is alternate programming to the UFC fight on the front lawn.

[Dana Goldberg]

Awesome.

[Allison Gill]

So join a Rise Up Sing out event near you. That's what it's called. Rise Up Sing Out. Or you can host one in your community yourself. Or you can watch from home. All the info will be at riseupsingout.com and nokings.org lineup Rufus Wainwright, Bette Midler, Patti Smith, Sasha Allen, Joy Reid, Peppermint Julia Roberts Broadway Inspirational Voices Wilson Cruz, Lily Gladstone, Jen Colella, Alex Joseph Grayson Singing Resistance Rude Mechanical Orchestra. Love that. Kayla Davion, Reverend Audrey Thorne and of course the incomparable Jane Fonda. So. So check out an event near you riseupsingout.com or nokings.org that's going to be amazing.

[Dana Goldberg]

All right, next up from Jody pronouncing her hello Beans Queens. I just trolled the White House. I reported bias that I found on whitehouse.gov on their media Bias page to the White House. I learned about the White House media bias list on the David Pakman podcast as he reported that he found his podcast in the I encourage my fellow trolls to peruse the site and choose your favorite summary of bias published by the White House to report right back to the White House as Bias Media. We're going to have a link in the show notes. This is awesome. I am so curious if we are on this list.

[Allison Gill]

I know, I know. I don't think so. I think it's just like BTC and David Pakman and like that's it.

[Dana Goldberg]

Got it.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. All right everybody. Next up from Christy Pronoun. She and her I've missed a few episodes recently, but if you haven't covered it already, there are Dan Sullivan candidate shenanigans. In Alaska, there were two Dan Sullivans running serious hilarious ads with no distinction between the two. Now I hear there's three Dan Sullivans running for this Republican seat. Now we have a note from the producer. This was just a rumor. There is not a 3rd dan Sullivan. The filing deadline was June 1st, so no more Dan Sullivans will be entering the race. But the Republicans are actually accusing the Democrats of running a Democrat named Dan Sullivan as a Republican to take votes away from the Republican Dan Sullivan.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh my God, that's funny.

[Allison Gill]

And if they are high five. Right podpet tariff is our 17 year old blank Vino who has some cataracts, sleeps a lot but still gets around fine. Barks for treats, gets the zoomies. He's the best family dog for our two kids and we're cherishing every minute we have left with him. 17 years old. What do you suppose this little gu is?

[Dana Goldberg]

He looks like a tiny malty poo.

[Allison Gill]

He does look like a multi poo. My BFFs have a multipoo but with the chihuahua in there. But this looks like. Yeah, let's see. Yep, multipoo Cutie pie. What a sweet baby. Oh and look at the picture.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh my God.

[Allison Gill]

I know. Handsome baby. And I'll go ahead and take this next one here from anonymous pronoun. She and her my mom and I adopted a 10 year old blank named Ducky Jones. His owners had passed away and the family decided to send him to the Appalachian Pug rescue. So Ducky is the best and looks like an Ewok. My mom is 93 and they are best friends. I also had some good trouble on Twitter, commented on a ridiculous post by little Greg Bevino and he responded, he's still a douchebag. Thanks for all you do to keep us sane. Did you hear he's thinking about running for President in 2020.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh for God's sake.

[Allison Gill]

Well, hope he does. What do you think this is? It looks like a Brussels griffon but large.

[Dana Goldberg]

But I think it must be a pug mix because they got it at the pug sanctuary. The Appalachian Pug Rescue. So maybe it's a pug Brussels.

[Allison Gill]

It's a pug Brussels griffon mix.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh my God.

[Allison Gill]

And look at this amazing mom here with this sweet baby. Oh, we have the Bovino tweet where he tweeted you replied to me. So I must be relevant to you. Probably the only good decision you've made in quite a while. And they said the LOL is the only relevant thing about this joke. Remember the two Americans you murdered? Ooh, nice, buddy. Good one. That's some good trouble on Twitter right there. And this is an adorable dog. Thank you. Anonymous.

[Dana Goldberg]

All right, we have Claudia N. Pronoun. She n her a Daily Beans fan before there were any Daily Beans. Oxalotalization. Axolotlization.

[Allison Gill]

Axolotlization.

[Dana Goldberg]

I think axolotlization. You axolotl enthusiasts needed to know about this. The widespread presence of images of Mexico City's World cup mascot, the axolotl, throughout the city, Mexico's native salamander everywhere. And some residents are complaining about the axolotlization. But if that means, and I quote, filling what was once gray with color, then yes, we are axolotlizing the capitol, said Mayor Clara Brugada to reporters at the reopening of a light rail system service renamed the Auxolotl. Wow, they're really going for this. We're gonna have a link to that in the show notes. But that's just a fun little story.

[Allison Gill]

Axolotls are having a moment and I'm here for it. All right, next up from Briana Borka, pronoun she and they I want to shout out Bonnie and Thomas of Friends of the Minnesota Non Game Eagle Cam. My husband's aunt Lori recently passed unexpectedly. She'd been fighting breast cancer for over a year but had been in remission. Bonnie and Thomas announced that to honor her, they were naming the current Eaglets after her and her dog Birdie. I can't bring her back, but Laurie was a longtime employee of the Minnesota DNR who was possibly most known for her creation and the passionate leadership of the DNR Eagle Cam. She was only my aunt through marriage, but I know she touched many and I appreciate the lasting tribute. The first photo shows Lori, Noel and Birdie. The second photo shows my lovely auntie holding a kestrel that she was assisting with banding. If you want to see the eagle cam, we'll have a link in the show notes. And look at these eagle babies. Oh, and there she is holding a kestrel. Amazing. Thank you for that wonderful tribute, Brianna.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah. All right. This. Oh my God, look how sweet. All right, this is from Michael. Hhh Those are the pronouns. He, him, his, hello, beans, queens. My wife introduced me to Mueller. She wrote back during the kitchen table days and we've with listeners ever since. We had the joy of celebrating your birthday Sunday, as part of the festivities, we partook in some bird watching in Chicago. Keep at it. Fight the good fight. Every moment. Cheers. And the whole family's flipping the bird. I love it. I love it.

[Allison Gill]

I love it. That is pretty great. Amazing. Thank you, everyone, for sending that in. Yeah, if you've got bird watching photos, everyone's got somewhere in their phone a picture of them flipping off some sort of Trip Trump property. Feel free to send that to us as well. Tell us about it, along with any of your other good news. Dailybeanspod.com click on Contact. Do you have any final thoughts, my friend?

[Dana Goldberg]

Not today.

[Allison Gill]

All right, everybody, we'll be back in your ears tomorrow. Until then, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health, and take care of your family. I've been ag.

[Dana Goldberg]

I've been dg.

[Allison Gill]

And them's the Beans. The Daily Beans is written in executive produced by Allison Gill with additional research and reporting by Dana Goldberg. Sound design and editing is by Desiree McFarlane with art and web design by Joelle Reader with Moxie Design Studios. Music for the Daily Beans is written and performed by they Might Be Giants. And the show is a proud member of the MSW Media Network, a collection of creator owned podcasts dedicated to news, politics and justice. For more information, Please visit msw media.com MSW Media.

[Frangela (Frances Collier and Angela V. Shelton)]

Hi, I'm Frances Collier. And I'm Angela V. Shelton. And we're Frangela. You know what you mean in your life. The Final Word podcast. Yes, you do. That's right. It is the final word on all things political and pop cultural, where we make real news, real funny, where we inspire you so you can resist. Subscribe and get a new episode of the Final Word podcast each week. It's the news we think you need to hear.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's right.

[Frangela (Frances Collier and Angela V. Shelton)]

We think you need to hear it. Okay.

[Chandra Taylor Sawyer]

Yeah.

[Frangela (Frances Collier and Angela V. Shelton)]

It's what we say, so. That's right. And because all we do is give. Every Thursday, you can listen to our hysterical podcast, idiot of the Week. We round up the stupid. Because you know what? Somebody has to.

[Dana Goldberg]

Okay.

[Allison Gill]

All we do is give.