Why are Republicans rushing their massive tax cut bill through Congress? What are they hiding? And can it be stopped? As the media focuses on the vote wrangling over specific provisions, David Sirota digs into the bill’s far-reaching consequences, warning it could reshape society for generations. He calls up an old friend, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who explains how the bill would hurt working-class voters and why its rationale is, in his words, “total bullshit.” They also talk political fe...
Jul 01, 2025•21 min•Season 5Ep. 84
Seventy-two minutes. That’s how long it could take from a country launching a nuclear weapon to global nuclear winter and the end of human civilization. If that’s not scary enough, the United States is right now involved in two proxy wars involving nuclear powers — one in Ukraine, and the other in the Middle East. Today on Lever Time , David Sirota asks acclaimed investigative journalist Annie Jacobsen, author of Nuclear War: A Scenario , the big bombshell questions: What scenarios are most like...
Jun 27, 2025•39 min•Season 5Ep. 83
Donald Trump just launched America into a war with Iran, and he’s done so without any authorization from Congress. A growing group of lawmakers says this is illegal and unconstitutional, and they are calling for an emergency session of Congress to force a vote to stop him. Sirota talks to U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who is currently leading the fight to stop Trump’s escalation and pressure his fellow Democrats to follow his lead. The big question: Will there be enough votes from Democrats an...
Jun 22, 2025•23 min
Early voting in New York City’s mayoral primary race is well underway, and the rest of the country is watching. That’s because this year’s publicly funded city election is a battle for the future of the Democratic party, and the two frontrunners — a disgraced, corporate-backed Democrat and an upstart, young progressive — reveal a political schism that stretches far beyond the Big Apple. Today on Lever Time , David Sirota speaks with one of the race’s surprising front-runners, democratic socialis...
Jun 20, 2025•50 min
Just when it seemed the geopolitical horrors in the Middle East couldn’t get worse, Israel went from leveling Gaza to launching a war against Iran. The offensive started while President Donald Trump was pressing for an Iran nuclear deal that would limit the country’s capacity to build nuclear weapons — and yet still Trump reportedly greenlit Israel’s attack. Today on Lever Time, editor-in-chief David Sirota speaks with Matt Duss, former Senate foreign policy aide for Bernie Sanders and current e...
Jun 17, 2025•45 min
The national deficit usually feels like an abstract talking point: America’s permanent credit card bill that just keeps getting bigger, without ever coming due. But suddenly, our national debt has a real cost. As President Donald Trump’s proposed tax cuts threaten to add trillions to the deficit, every major credit rating agency has now downgraded the United States’ credit rating, suggesting that the U.S. is no longer a reliable borrower — a move with potentially disastrous, far-reaching consequ...
Jun 13, 2025•38 min
There’s a new evil genius on Capitol Hill, one that privacy experts warn could empower tech billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg to issue their own private currencies. The Senate is poised to pass the GENIUS Act, which would give so much free rein to such “stablecoins” that it could destabilize the rest of the economy. Today on Lever Time , Arjun Singh sits down with Lever reporter Luke Goldstein to understand the GENIUS Act, how it could turn Big Tech companies into unregulated banks...
Jun 05, 2025•29 min
He came in with a bang but is going out with a whimper. After his 24/7 role on Trump’s election stage and his high-profile rampage through the federal government, billionaire Elon Musk says he’s scaling back his work for the administration and ramping down his political spending. With his image tarnished and businesses facing turbulence, is Musk down for the count — or planning his return as America’s most infamous oligarch? Today on Lever Time , David Sirota talks to Michael Scherer, a reporter...
May 28, 2025•30 min
As part of the Tax Revolt series, Arjun Singh appeared on the podcast "Why is this Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast" to breakdown the latest developments of Trump's tax cut, which recently passed the House. This is a preview of the discussion, for the rest of this conversation, download Why Is This Happening wherever you get your podcasts or watch on YouTube at msnbc.com/withpod .
May 23, 20250
One of the most powerful Republicans in the country has been called a teddy bear . Grover Norquist, the head of the activist group Americans for Tax Reform, certainly doesn’t come across as an anarcho-capitalist power player. Recently, Norquist has waged a vendetta against “traitors” in the White House — staffers who are reportedly considering raising taxes on the rich, which may include Vice President J.D. Vance, and the architect of Trump’s first presidential campaign, Steve Bannon. On the fin...
May 09, 2025•36 min
Former President George H.W. Bush once thought supply-side economics was so ludicrous he deemed it “voodoo economics.” But that was before Ronald Reagan transformed the Republican Party into a trickle-down, tax-cutting cult. To follow in Reagan’s footsteps, Bush promised conservatives that he would never raise taxes — but then did something nobody expected. That decision would seal his fate, with the anti-tax movement making sure no Republican ever dared cross them again — and that included Bush...
May 02, 2025•53 min
How a small group of economists shaped Reagan’s tax policy and the future of the Republican party. This is Part 2 of Tax Revolt , a new miniseries from Lever Time revealing how free-market radicals hijacked American politics and set the stage for Elon Musk, DOGE, and Donald Trump’s presidency. Want more? Become a paid subscriber to get ad-free episodes and exclusive bonus content, like an exclusive interview we conducted with the godfather of trickle-down economics. By doing so, you’ll be suppor...
Apr 25, 2025•46 min
In the 1970s, an eccentric anti-tax crusader launched a radical campaign to dismantle California’s tax system — a movement that still defines American politics today. This is Part 1 of Tax Revolt , a new mini-series from Lever Time revealing how free-market radicals hijacked American politics and set the stage for Elon Musk, DOGE and Donald Trump’s presidency. Want more? Become a paid subscriber to get ad-free episodes and exclusive bonus content — and support independent journalism: levernews.c...
Apr 18, 2025•46 min
Listen to the 3-min trailer for Tax Revolt , a new limited series from Lever Time . Part 1 of 4 premieres April 18. Learn more at LeverNews.com/TaxRevolt Get ad-free episodes and exclusive bonus content — and support independent journalism — by becoming a paid subscriber to The Leve r: levernews.com/subscribe
Apr 11, 2025•3 min
The president of one of America’s largest industrial unions made headlines last month when he declared that some of Trump’s tariffs are the beginning of the end of a trade policy that has harmed America’s working class. On this episode of Lever Time , David Sirota speaks to United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain about blue-collar workers’ experience with 30 years of existing free trade policies. They discuss whether Trump’s new tariffs will end up doing more harm than good. They also discuss F...
Apr 09, 2025•45 min
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump unveiled his plans for far-reaching new tariffs on almost all imported goods entering the United States. The move has plunged the global economy into turmoil amid fears of a wider trade war and higher consumer prices. The tariffs are the culmination of a populist backlash simmering since NAFTA and the 2000 China trade deal. The elimination of trade barriers at the time hammered America’s industrial heartland amid warnings of a “giant sucking sound” of jobs an...
Apr 04, 2025•45 min
If you own a Fortune 500 business, you probably incorporated it in Delaware . The state has long been favored by corporate America, offering tax benefits and a bespoke, pre-Revolutionary War court system tailored to business needs. But now Delaware’s standing as the country’s top corporate haven is under attack. This week on Lever Time, senior podcast producer Arjun Singh sits down with The Lever ’s Katya Schwenk and Luke Goldstein to learn why the tiny East Coast state has been the United State...
Mar 28, 2025•33 min
In a special interview recorded just hours after his illegal firing, FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya speaks with David Sirota about Donald Trump’s unprecedented move to purge the Federal Trade Commission. Echoing Nixon’s infamous Saturday Night Massacre, Trump has fired both Democratic commissioners at the FTC—an agency that by law is supposed to operate independently from the White House. The FTC had been investigating several of Trump’s biggest corporate allies. Bedoya explains why this isn’t j...
Mar 21, 2025•22 min
Does Donald Trump have what it takes to challenge Big Tech? Despite the elevation of Silicon Valley billionaires and insiders within his administration, the Department of Justice is still pursuing antitrust cases against Google and Microsoft. But some worry these efforts may be too little, too late. Today, technologies owned and operated by Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft are so deeply embedded in society that it’s hard to imagine life without them. It’s a situation that has caught the eye...
Mar 14, 2025•28 min
Chris Deluzio, a young Democratic representative from western Pennsylvania, just penned an unorthodox op-ed in The New York Times urging Democrats to embrace Trump’s contentious tariffs. Could he be on to something? Deluzio, who outperformed his party in a working-class swing district last November, says Democrats’ failure to address the economic concerns of everyday Americans is the reason they lost the 2024 election — and why they’re still struggling under Trump. Today on Lever Time , Senior P...
Mar 08, 2025•25 min
Are extreme weather events becoming normalized? Over the past few months, devastating wildfires have scorched Los Angeles, and Hurricane Helene left a trail of carnage across the Southeast. The science is clear: The planet is heating up, and it’s because of us. But then why does it feel like nobody is taking the problem seriously? Despite the growing threat, climate change still struggles to capture people’s attention. Today on Lever Time , David Sirota sits down with a group of environmental wr...
Feb 28, 2025•51 min
A Delta flight flipping over while landing in Toronto. A missing commuter plane in Alaska. A medical transport jet crash in Philadelphia. A catastrophic midair collision over Washington, D.C. Plane accidents seem to be happening at a greater frequency than ever before. But is that actually the case? And what, if anything, do these disasters tell us about the state of aviation safety? Today on Lever Time , Senior podcast producer Arjun Singh sits down with Bill McGee, senior fellow for aviation a...
Feb 19, 2025•20 min
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was just confirmed to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, overseeing the nation’s food and health standards. He’s drawn controversy for opposing many positions of the medical establishment — except when it comes to junk food. Kennedy has repeatedly said ultraprocessed foods are harmful to public health, a position shared widely among medical professionals and nutritionists. Food companies reportedly tried to thwart Kennedy’s confirmation, in part because they’...
Feb 14, 2025•34 min
President Donald Trump is implementing sweeping tariffs to ostensibly tighten border security and crack down on the fentanyl trade. The moves include a 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, blanket 10 percent tariffs on Chinese imports, and potentially steep tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods. These actions could have monumental consequences for the global economy. Today on Lever Time , senior podcast producer Arjun Singh sits down with economist Brad Setser to discuss the hist...
Feb 12, 2025•31 min
Elon Musk has bought his way into the Trump administration and is now busy muscling his way into every federal agency. But the unelected billionaire who’s been forcibly installing his allies while purging career civil servants throughout the federal government just faced his first roadblock when a judge prevented him from accessing the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, a move that would have given him an unprecedented amount of leverage over trillions of public dollars. Today on Lever Time , senior ...
Feb 06, 2025•26 min
Donald Trump has been president for less than two weeks, and the government is already in chaos. Amidst a flurry of executive orders, Trump suspended all federal spending earlier this week. The move sent panic throughout the federal government and upended critical services like Medicare and school funding. Is there an ideology behind the chaos? Or was the chaos the point? And what should the country make of it? Today on Lever Time , senior podcast producer Arjun Singh recaps how Trump’s orders r...
Jan 31, 2025•18 min
Fifteen years ago this week, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a ruling that fundamentally changed American politics — In a 5-4 judgment in Citizens United v FEC , the court struck down restrictions on corporate spending in elections and paved the way for the mountains of dark money in our politics today. But there’s more. In The Lever’s recent series Master Plan , David Sirota and a team of journalists dove deep into the litigious roots of the Citizens United case, starting with the nearly-for...
Jan 24, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Donald Trump is back — and this time, he’s bringing corporate America. Trump’s decisive victory in November sent a shockwave through corporate C-suites. Now, Trump is preparing to outsource much of his governing to a small cabal of the nation’s wealthiest people. In anticipation, many of the nation’s most powerful CEOs have pledged loyalty to Trump. That includes Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who are funding his inauguration festivities and reportedly sitt...
Jan 20, 2025•37 min
Los Angeles is infamous for its sprawling urban landscape that has prioritized low-density housing, often at the behest of the state’s powerful real estate industry. Despite the known risks of building in fire zones, developers continued to do so with the approval and encouragement of government regulators. But in the wake of the devastating fires in L.A., some are questioning the wisdom of urban sprawl, particularly in California. Today on Lever Time , senior podcast producer Arjun Singh unpack...
Jan 17, 2025•25 min
The Los Angeles fires pose huge questions about the future of life in America: Where is it safe to live? How can you protect yourself from such disasters? Is home insurance even obtainable anymore? And will our society finally respond in a serious way to the climate emergency? In the first of a two-part Lever Time series, David Sirota speaks with New York Times writer David Wallace-Wells, New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert, and former California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones about wha...
Jan 10, 2025•52 min
