Lever Time

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: David Sirota talks with author and political activist Marianne Williamson. They discuss her repeat candidacy for the Democratic party’s nomination in the 2024 presidential election, the political media industrial complex, universal healthcare, economic reform, science denialism, and facing down neo fascists.If you'd like access to Lever Time Premium, which includes extended interviews and bonus content, head over to LeverNews.com to become a supporting subscriber.If you’d like to leave a tip for The Lever, click the following link. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. levernews.com/tipjarA transcript of this episode is available here.

On this week’s special episode of Lever Time, progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) sits down for an extended interview with David Sirota. The two discuss the breaking news of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accepting luxury trips from a billionaire Republican donor, which AOC says is grounds for impeachment (00:00), as well as the Biden administration’s "extremely risky and very perilous" swing to the right. They also tackle the railroad labor dispute, President Joe Biden’s support for a disastrous fossil fuel project in Alaska, how to pass Medicare for All, and the recent indictment of former President Donald Trump. What’s more, Sirota presses AOC on why she and other progressives haven’t withheld their votes more often to pressure Democratic leaders.Finally, in a special Lever Time Premium bonus segment for paid Lever subscribers, AOC reveals what it’s like trying to function in Washington amid the culture of money, power and pressure of massive corporate spending.If you'd like access to this bonus content and other Lever Time Premium episodes, head over to LeverNews.com to become a supporting subscriber.If you’d like to leave a tip for The Lever, click the following link. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. levernews.com/tipjarA transcript of this episode is available here.

This week, David Sirota speaks with Naomi Oreskes about the mythology of “market fundamentalism” that exists deep within the American psyche. A Harvard Professor of history, Oreskes explains how the total belief in the wisdom of the free-markets (in opposition to the ‘evil’ big government), went from being on the fringes of public debate to a dogmatic ideology that is unique to the United States. It’s a fascinating history involving key figures of the 20th century, including Herbert Hoover, industry groups, and a massively popular show called “General Electric Theater that starred a Hollywood actor named Ronald Reagan. (02:49)If you’d like to leave a tip for The Lever, click the following link. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. levernews.com/tipjarRead a transcript of this episode here.

This week, David Sirota delves into the bank panic of 2023 with Saule Omarova, a Cornell Law School professor whose nomination to be one of the government's top bank regulators was blocked due to her opposition to deregulation. She was right about everything, as it turns out. Also, Matt Stoller joins David to explore alternative methods for securing deposits and advocate for policy-makers to rethink their relationship to the Federal Reserve. (09:12)Links:  Brian Stelter’s profile of David Sirota and The Lever in Airmail. Last Friday’s live discussion with U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on the SVB collapse.  Sign The Lever’s open letter to fire Jay Powell right now www.firepowell.com. Find a transcript of this episode here.If you'd like access to Lever Time Premium, which includes extended interviews and bonus content, head over to LeverNews.com to become a supporting subscriber.If you’d like to leave a tip for The Lever, click the following link. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. levernews.com/tipjar

This week’s episode of Lever Time explores the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and its impact on the U.S. financial system. Lever reporter Julia Rock joins David Sirota to discuss banking CEOs’ lobbying efforts to roll back key regulations in the lead-up to the implosion, and Cornell University Law Professor Robert C. Hockett provides expert insight on whether uninsured deposits should be protected from such disasters. (08:25) Also discussed: The recent conviction of former Ohio House speaker Larry Householder, a Republican, on racketeering conspiracy charges in connection with a bribery scheme involving FirstEnergy Corp.If you’d like access to Lever Time Premium, which features international whistleblower expert Stephen Kohn on how to blow the whistle on corporate and government malfeasance while protecting yourself, head over to LeverNews.com to become a supporting subscriber.If you’d like to leave a tip for The Lever, click the following link. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. levernews.com/tipjarA transcript of this episode is available here.

David Sirota is joined by progressive icon Nina Turner to talk about Ohio politics and why Democrats like Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg completely fumbled the political response to the train derailment in East Palestine. A former Ohio State Senator, Nina has a keen sense of why Trump’s messaging appeals so much more to working-class residents and why Democrats must avoid the “neo-liberal cult of self-righteousness” if they want to win back voters. Also discussed: recent organizing efforts by Starbucks and Amazon workers and the 2024 presidential election.(16:42)If you'd like access to Lever Time Premium, which includes extended interviews and bonus content, head over to LeverNews.com to become a supporting subscriber.If you’d like to leave a tip for The Lever, click the following link. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. levernews.com/tipjarA rough transcript of this episode is available here.

David Sirota talks with U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Penn.) about the fear, anger, and mistrust felt by many of his constituents in the aftermath of the Norfolk Southern train derailment disaster. The freshman congressman talks about the latest efforts to hold these giant railroad companies accountable, the runaway deregulation that has put communities at risk, and his hopes for bipartisan movement toward fixing the real problems. In fact, just after taping this interview, Deluzio and Congressman Ro Khanna introduced a bill to tighten safety regulations for “high-hazard” flammable materials on trains (09:11).If you’d like to leave a tip for The Lever, click the following link. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. levernews.com/tipjarA rough transcript of this episode is available here.

This mini-episode is part of our Inside The Story series, where we highlight some of The Lever’s original reporting and speak with the journalists who wrote the story. Frank Cappello speaks with Andrew Perez who details their new story published by The Lever:“For years, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) led the fight to protect one of the most controversial provisions in the entire tax code — a loophole criticized by presidents of both parties that allows a handful of private equity executives to pay a lower tax rate than other high earners.Now, Toomey is being rewarded with a seat on the board of a private equity giant that has lobbied to preserve that tax loophole.”To read the full story, click here.If you enjoyed this story and want to support independent journalism, you can go to LeverNews.com to subscribe to our free newsletter or become a paid supporter. 

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: Producer Frank sits down with journalists Julia Rock, Rebecca Burns, and Matthew Cunningham-Cook for an in-depth conversation about The Lever’s groundbreaking reporting on the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The group explores how an environmental disaster like this can occur, including examining the influence of the railroad and chemical lobbies, as well as detailing the regulatory capture of three separate presidential administrations. The group also details how The Lever’s reporting gained national coverage, triggered a public pressure campaign, and helped lead to a response from Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (1:50).If you'd like access to Lever Time Premium, which includes extended interviews and bonus content, head over to LeverNews.com to become a supporting subscriber.If you’d like to leave a tip for The Lever, click the following link. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. levernews.com/tipjarA rough transcript of this episode is available here.

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: David Sirota is joined by investigative journalist Jefferson Morley, one of the foremost experts on the assassination of president John F. Kennedy. David and Jeff discuss the trove of classified documents pertaining to the assassination that were recently released by the Biden administration, what we learned from the materials, and the potential reasons why the CIA is still withholding an estimated 4,000 additional documents (8:49).If you'd like access to Lever Time Premium, which includes extended interviews and bonus content, head over to LeverNews.com to become a supporting subscriber.If you’d like to leave a tip for The Lever, click the following link. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. levernews.com/tipjarA rough transcript of this episode is available here.