The Jimmy Dore Show Podcast Summary

Episode: Trump Gives Cancer Causing Glyphosate Pesticide Manufacturer TOTAL IMMUNITY! w/ Zen Honeycutt
Date: February 23, 2026
Host: Jimmy Dore
Guest: Zen Honeycutt, Executive Director of Moms Across America

Main Theme

This episode dives into President Trump's recent executive order that provides significant legal protection and support to glyphosate-based herbicide manufacturers, like Bayer, and enables expanded use of these pesticides in agriculture under the justification of "national defense." Host Jimmy Dore and activist Zen Honeycutt discuss the implication of both the executive order and the proposed "Pesticide Immunity Shield" in the farm bill, arguing that these actions betray promises made around environmental health, prioritize corporate profits over public health, and erode local/state rights to regulate or restrict pesticide use. The episode further explores the broader issue of regulatory capture, health impacts, and activism against corporate-driven legislation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Broken Promises on Environmental Health

• Jimmy opens by highlighting Trump and RFK's campaign pledges to tackle environmental toxins, clean air and water, and rising childhood diseases ([02:25]–[03:09]).
  • Quote (Dore, 03:09):
    “Here’s Trump and RFK getting a room full of right wing red state Republicans to cheer for things that liberals should be saying... we got to clean up our water, food, tackle chronic disease.”
• Jimmy underscores the bipartisan nature of these concerns but asserts that Trump is breaking those promises and “lying” to voters ([03:09]–[04:18]).

2. Executive Order & Glyphosate as ‘Critical’ to National Defense

• Jimmy summarizes Trump’s executive order, which frames glyphosate and elemental phosphorus as essential for national security, not just agriculture ([04:18]–[05:56]):

  • The argument: glyphosate is necessary to maintain agricultural productivity and thus the nation’s food and military supply chain.
  • Quote (Dore, 07:18):
    “The part that he leaves out is that it gives people cancer.”

• Zen clarifies that while glyphosate is prevalent due to GMO crops engineered to resist it, its use is a choice of convenience—not necessity—and there are alternatives ([05:56]–[07:18]).

  • Quote (Honeycutt, 06:49):
    “80% of what American farmers grow is exported... only 20% is feeding Americans.”

3. Health Hazards and Scope of Glyphosate Use

• Jimmy highlights that glyphosate is recognized as a carcinogen (cancer-causing) and that Bayer (which acquired Monsanto) is settling billions in lawsuits for health damages ([07:18]–[08:40]).

• Zen lists the health risks: miscarriages, liver/kidney disease, neurological disorders, autism, sperm damage, and more ([08:40]–[09:41]).

  • Quote (Honeycutt, 08:40):
    “It’s still going to cause cancer. It’s still going to cause miscarriages... neurological disorders...”

• The discussion covers the massive volume of glyphosate used (280 million pounds per year), its global bans and restrictions, and how U.S. farmers use it both on GMOs and as a drying agent on wheat and legumes, leading to its presence in staple foods ([12:04]–[12:26]; [12:26]–[13:43]).

  • Quote (Honeycutt, 12:26):
    “Every meal you’re going to eat will have glyphosate on it... unless you’re eating organic. And even 20% of organic can have contamination.”

4. Legal Shield & Superseding Local/State Rights

• The “Pesticide Immunity Shield” section of the farm bill:

  • Would prohibit lawsuits against pesticide manufacturers for failure to warn of health risks.
  • Would supersede local/state governments and courts from enacting restrictions ([19:41]–[24:19]).
  • Quote (Dore, 19:41):
    “Trump has flipped it on its head... making it illegal for local governments to put any kind of restrictions on glyphosate.”
  • Quote (Honeycutt, 21:16):
    “The farm bill... extends the reviews of pesticides for five years... bans the local restrictions... loosens restrictions on adding pesticides into water.”

• This is described as a massive betrayal of “Maha” and populist voters, and the ultimate favor to corporate agriculture ([23:36]–[24:19]).

  • Quote (Dore, 23:36):
    “This is like a vaccine shield, but for people who make pesticides that give you cancer.”

5. Corporate Capture & Systemic Corruption

• Zen and Jimmy repeatedly argue that this is yet another sign of government and regulatory agencies captured by corporate interests ([08:40]–[09:41]; [30:20]–[31:22]).

  • Quote (Honeycutt, 31:22):
    “What we’re seeing out of this administration is that the EPA is Business First. USDA is Farmers First—which means Chemical Farmers First... What we at Moms Across America is saying: it’s time to put children first, health first, safety first.”

• The multi-billion dollar payouts by Bayer are framed as “the cost of doing business,” with companies ready to settle, relabel, or reformulate only when forced ([26:17]–[27:48]).

  • Quote (Dore, 27:48):
    “This is basically the same thing they’re doing here... Look at all the billions of dollars we’re going to make by killing people and giving people cancer.”

6. Activism & Urgent Call to Action

• Zen urges mass action to lobby Congress, noting past successes getting similar provisions removed from appropriation bills ([30:25]–[31:22]).

  • Key dates: Feb 23–25, markup and Ag Committee vote; opportunity to pressure lawmakers before bill hits the full House.

• She also encourages people to “grow your own food, connect with your neighborhood,” and “take your health back” ([33:11]–[35:02]).

  • Quote (Honeycutt, 33:11):
    “We need the courage to make that happen. The only way is if the people rise up...”

• Moms Across America offers resources and community calls to organize around food safety and environmental toxins.

7. The Surveillance State Segment

• The latter part of the episode (starts approx. [53:42]) pivots to the increasing pervasiveness of surveillance through consumer tech—smart TVs, cars, routers, smart watches—framing it as the corporate-state partnership enabled under the guise of “convenience and safety.”

  • Quote (Tech Analyst, 57:07):
    "The Orwellian surveillance state isn’t going to be announced in a presidential address. It’s already being set up in our homes..."

• The group jokes about the extent of digital surveillance, referencing “1984,” “Animal Farm,” and the loss of privacy as worse than imagined ([60:17]–[61:10]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Biden/Trump Broken Promises:
  • Jimmy Dore ([07:18]):
    “The part that he leaves out… is that it gives people cancer.”
• On the Farm Bill:
  • Zen Honeycutt ([21:16]):
    “It would override any type of state rights or courts... the EPA label [would be] law—so we are immune from your lawsuit.”
• On Regulatory Capture:
  • Zen Honeycutt ([33:11]):
    “EPA is Business First... USDA is Farmers First... elected officials, campaign contributions first. We at Moms Across America say it's time to put children first.”
• On Activism:
  • Zen Honeycutt ([35:02]):
    “When we know better, we do better... Please go to momsacrossamerica.org and support us.”
• On the Surveillance State:
  • Tech Analyst ([57:07]):
    "The Orwellian surveillance state isn't going to be announced one day in a presidential address. It's already being set up in our homes..."

Important Timestamps

• 01:35: Guest Zen Honeycutt introduction and origin of the discussion.
• 02:25–03:09: Campaign montage of Trump/RFK pledges regarding environmental health.
• 04:18–05:56: Jimmy reviews the contents of Trump’s Executive Order.
• 05:56–07:18: Zen explains glyphosate’s role in U.S. agriculture and exports.
• 07:18–08:40: Discussion of glyphosate’s carcinogenic risks and Bayer’s liability.
• 08:40–09:41: Corporate corruption and health harms beyond cancer.
• 12:26–13:43: How U.S. food system use of glyphosate extends beyond GMO to everyday foods—even into “organic.”
• 19:41–24:19: Jimmy and Zen describe how the proposed law strips local rights and shields pesticide companies from litigation.
• 26:17–29:53: Legal settlements, the playbook of corporate malfeasance, Bayer as producer of both “cause and cure.”
• 30:25–31:22: Pathway for activism: legislative deadlines and lobbying strategies.
• 33:11–35:02: Zen’s closing rally for a “health first” movement and community-based resistance.
• 53:42–57:41: Deep-dive segment on consumer surveillance and loss of privacy.
• 60:10–61:10: Final reflections on how bad things have gotten—themes from classic dystopian fiction now reality.

Tone and Language

The episode is combative, direct, and urgent, echoing classic Jimmy Dore outrage. Both Dore and Honeycutt use plain, emotive language (“middle finger to Maha,” “scam,” “betrayal,” “racket"), and frequently frame the discussion as a populist struggle against corporate and government collusion. There is informality, some humor, and recurring calls to action.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

This episode offers a deep, unapologetic critique of how the U.S. government and regulatory agencies are favoring corporate interests in agriculture at the expense of public health, local democracy, and transparency—with the glyphosate (Roundup) controversy as the focal point. It is also a primer on the growing landscape of corporate-driven legislation, regulatory capture, and the need for citizen activism. The closing surveillance segment is a bonus—connecting data privacy issues to the episode’s broader themes of systemic control and erosion of personal and community sovereignty.

Actionable Next Steps Provided

• Contact House Ag Committee and House Representatives before March 25 vote.
• Visit momsacrossamerica.org for resources, lab reports, activism guides, and community connection.