Lever Time

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: David Sirota is joined by The Lever’s Andrew Perez and ProPublica’s Andy Kroll, who break down their follow-up reporting on Barre Seid, the secretive Chicago billionaire responsible for the single largest political advocacy donation in U.S. history (3:25). Then, David sits down with political sportswriter Dave Zirin to discuss his new documentary about the history of the NFL’s political influence on American culture (24:16). 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.Head over to SheetsGiggles.com/LEVER to get 15% off your order!

On this week’s episode of Lever Time Premium: David Sirota discusses Joe Biden’s recent comments on what he considers the biggest threat to American democracy (2:35); Julia Rock breaks down her reporting on the dark side of Biden’s student debt policy, including how his Justice Department is fighting debtors in bankruptcy court (9:38); and Matthew Cunningham-Cook updates us on how a corporate Democrat’s big bet on pumping workers’ retirement funds into private equity is now paying off in his Rhode Island congressional race (17:00). Then, Producer Frank and Julia share their on-the-ground coverage from this past Monday’s Labor Day march which was co-organized by the Amazon Labor Union and Starbucks Workers United, including their interview with ALU President Chris Smalls (24:15). 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 The Lever’s Andrew Perez and Matthew Cunningham-Cook to discuss Joe Biden’s student debt relief plan and dissect the internet’s obsession with ‘Dark Brandon' (3:15). Then, David sits down with author, filmmaker, and co-founder of the Debt Collective, Astra Taylor, and Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Utah, Marshall Steinbaum, for an in-depth analysis of Biden’s student debt relief plan (37:55). 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 breaks down The Lever’s blockbuster story detailing the largest political donation in U.S. history — $1.6 billion — and how that money found its way into the hands of Leonard Leo, the man responsible for packing the Supreme Court with right-wing extremists. David is joined by The Lever’s Andrew Perez, who uncovered the donation, as well as ProPublica’s Andy Kroll and Justin Elliott, who co-wrote the resulting story with Andrew (3:34). Then, David interviews Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Elizabeth Kolbert about how Republicans became the party of climate denial and obstruction (47:47). 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.Head over to SheetsGiggles.com/LEVER to get 15% off your order!

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: David Sirota and Andrew Perez discuss Andrew’s recent investigative reporting on the Washington Post’s fact checker, which led WaPo to issue a correction (2:10). Then, Julia Rock interviews technology procurement expert Hassan Khan about the recently passed CHIPS Act and what it means for domestic semiconductor manufacturing and the tech giants who will benefit from it (17:25). Finally, David sits down with Stacey Walker, the first African-American elected to the Linn County Board of Supervisors in Iowa, to discuss Walker’s experience governing as a progressive Democrat in a red state during the Trump era (40:45).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 Premium: The Lever’s staff discuss the Democratic party’s favorite constituents: the Private Equity industry (3:16). Then, Julia Rock and Producer Frank sit down with journalist Alex Pareene to explore the history of centrist Democrats’ “Never-Ending War on the Woke” (24:13). Finally, Matthew Cunningham-Cook and Julia Rock interview economist Jason Furman, who was one of the top economic advisers for President Obama and one of the biggest proponents of The Federal Reserve’s controversial interest rate hikes (48:41). 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 speaks with New York Times columnist David Wallace-Wells about the strengths and weaknesses of Democrats’ surprise climate deal (10:20). He then talks to Josh Shapiro, the Democratic nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, who’s running against a right-wing extremist in arguably the most important race of 2022 (42:15). Finally, David sits down with actor and activist Susan Sarandon to discuss how she became liberals’ favorite scapegoat to blame for the Democratic Party’s glaring failures (1:10:54). 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.JoshShapiro.orgSheetsGiggles.com/Lever

On this week’s episode of Lever Time Premium: In the midst of a global heatwave, David discusses Biden’s pattern of inaction (2:20). Next, David speaks with journalist Laura Krantz about her new narrative podcast series, Wild Thing: Going Nuclear, which explores the history and potential future of nuclear energy (14:00). Then, David interviews human rights attorney Steven Donziger, the man who successfully sued Chevron for polluting the Ecuadorian rainforest, and as a result was placed under house arrest for nearly 1,000 days (34:58). 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.freedonziger.com

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: David speaks with historian Harvey Kaye and journalist Robert Kuttner about how Joe Biden will need to “go big” with his policy proposals in order to salvage his presidency and stave off rising fascism in the United States, in the same way as FDR (9:10). Next, David sits down with Lucas Kunce, who’s running in a Democratic primary for Senate in Missouri, and whose working class politics are the driving force behind his campaign (29:53). Then, The Lever interviews Amazon Labor Union (ALU) president Chris Smalls, who helped organize the first-ever union at an Amazon warehouse in the U.S. David and the team spoke to Chris about his experience testifying before Congress, his #HotLaborSummer tour, and the future of the ALU (52:51).LucasKunce.comAmazonLaborUnion.orgIf 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.Head over to SheetsGiggles.com/LEVER to get 15% off your order!

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: David speaks with Democratic strategist Mark Longabaugh about what a potential Biden 2024 presidential run could mean for the future of the Democratic Party (7:46). Then, he’s joined by the hosts of 5-4 Pod for an in-depth conversation about how the Supreme Court methodically legalized corruption, culminating in the recent decision in FEC v. Ted Cruz For Senate (32:24). Finally, David chats with president of Planned Parenthood, Alexis McGill Johnson, to discuss the overturning of Roe and the organization’s plan for dealing with the fallout (1:02:25). 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.PlannedParenthood.orgAbortionFinder.org