Lever Time

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: On this week’s episode of Lever Time Premium: Joel Warner speaks with attorney and drug policy expert Shaleen Title about Joe Biden’s recent announcement on marijuana decriminalization and reform. Joel and Shaleen break down every aspect of Biden’s plan, as well as the corporate interests hoping to turn a profit from marijuana legalization (6:03). Then, David Sirota interviews Gary Chambers, a progressive Democrat running for a U.S. Senate seat in Louisiana. David talks with Gary about his roots as a community organizer, the resistance he’s met from the Democratic establishment, and how he hopes to become the state’s first Black senator (34:06). 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.ParabolaCenter.comChambersForLouisiana.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: David is joined by comedian Dave Anthony and screenwriter Josh Olson, hosts of the Lever’s new “educational” podcast, The Audit. David, Dave, and Josh break down the news of the week, including shocking revelations about Herschel Walker and Dr. Oz, new GOP Facebook ads attempting to monetize their cruelty towards migrants, and the new slate of high-profile Supreme Court cases this session (3:58). Then, David is joined by media theorist Douglas Rushkoff to discuss his new book, Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires, which details how the ultra-wealthy are currently preparing for a “world-ending” event (33:08). 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: David Sirota is joined by Andrew Perez and Jacobin staff writer Luke Savage to analyze a moment of open corruption during a House committee meeting (1:57), discuss how Joe Manchin’s dirty pipeline bill is getting “greenwashed” (12:46), and score an inside look at Savage’s new book, The Dead Center, about the failures of modern Liberalism (23:03). Then, David and Julia Rock press Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) on his support for Manchin’s permitting reform deal (30:54).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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: David is joined by New York Times’ global economics correspondent Peter S. Goodman and Labor Notes reporter Jonah Furman to break down the looming railroad workers strike, which could potentially bring the U.S. economy to a screeching halt (7:03). Then, David interviews Charlie Crist, the Democratic nominee running for governor of Florida against Ron DeSantis. David and Charlie discuss DeSantis’ recent horrible political stunt, plus what it would take to unseat him this November (35:24).https://charliecrist.com/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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices