Hawaii just enacted a groundbreaking law challenging Citizens United , the Supreme Court decision that unleashed unlimited corporate spending in elections. It’s a major victory against big money’s grip on democracy — but powerful interests are already gearing up for a legal showdown. On today’s Lever Time , David Sirota speaks with Hawaii state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, one of the law’s architects, about how the measure works, why Hawaii is leading the fight against Citizens United , and why ref...
Jun 04, 2026•34 min•Season 7Ep. 26
Everyone knows Jeffrey Epstein as a sex trafficker who died in 2019. But Epstein’s story goes further back than most people realize — and includes surprising links to the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s. Today on Lever Time , producer Natalie Bettendorf speaks with Drop Site News journalist Murtaza Hussain about his investigation into Epstein's ties to Iran-Contra and how Epstein built his wealth and connections in the shadows of public power. Listen to “President Rambo,” our episode of Master ...
May 28, 2026•36 min•Season 7Ep. 25
It’s primary season, and powerful political forces within the Democratic Party are stomping into local races, trying to pick winners and losers. Today on Lever Time , we’re diving into The Lever ’s exclusive investigation that exposed billionaires and party operatives pulling strings behind the scenes. Then, David Sirota sits down with two Democratic candidates, Randy Villegas from California and Matt Dunlap from Maine, who are running in hotly contested races that will likely decide control of ...
May 21, 2026•53 min•Season 7Ep. 24
Despite recent claims from President Donald Trump that the war in Iran has “terminated,” hundreds of ships are still stranded in the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the ceasefire has never fully taken hold. Meanwhile, gas prices keep climbing, shortages are spreading, and economic uncertainty is growing. Is this really Trump’s “best plan ever?” Today on Lever Time , David Sirota sits down with Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison, hosts of the foreign policy and global affairs podcast American...
May 14, 2026•50 min•Season 7Ep. 23
David Sirota buckles up for a drive through rural Maine with the Senate candidate that the Democratic establishment doesn’t want — but can't afford to lose. Just two days after Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of Maine’s U.S. Senate race, David Sirota hopped in a car with Graham Platner — the long-shot candidate who is now the presumptive Democratic nominee — for an unfiltered, on-the-road interview. In today’s episode of Lever Time , you’ll hear Platner on where he thinks the Democratic Party went ...
May 08, 2026•1 hr 19 min•Season 7Ep. 22
Congress has the power to stop Trump’s unpopular war in Iran — but lawmakers have never used it before. Their excuse? An obscure immigration case from 1983. In this special episode, David Sirota tells the wild story of how a Kenyan-born immigrant and a Ralph Nader-aligned lawyer unwittingly expanded the powers of the president — and left Congress believing that it’s powerless to stop unauthorized wars. Listen to the rest of Master Plan: The Kingmakers. Get ad-free episodes of Master Plan and Lev...
Apr 30, 2026•52 min•Season 7Ep. 21
Last week, California Democrats killed CalCare, a proposed single-payer health care bill. Will the state ever achieve its dream of universal health care? Tom Steyer — a gubernatorial candidate who ran ads against single-payer health care in 2020 — says he is now the Golden State’s best bet. He also wants higher taxes for the rich, stronger environmental protections, and the abolition of ICE. The catch? He’s a billionaire running a self-financed campaign. Today on Lever Time , David Sirota sits d...
Apr 23, 2026•34 min•Season 7Ep. 20
Tax Day sucks — confusing forms, piles of receipts, and expensive tax prep software. But it doesn’t have to be this way. A simple fix called return-free filing, proposed by Ronald Reagan decades ago, could save Americans millions of hours and billions of dollars. So who keeps shooting it down? Today on Lever Time , David Sirota traces the 40-year dogfight over your tax return. Get ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended interviews by becoming a member at levernews.com/join . To leave a tip ...
Apr 15, 2026•34 min•Season 7Ep. 19
Right now, Big Tech is mobilizing a network of super PACs with more than $100 million in the bank to influence the 2026 midterm elections. Their number-one target? One of their own: a former Palantir engineer who's running for Congress in New York’s 12th District. On this week's episode of Lever Time , David Sirota sits down with New York Assemblymember Alex Bores to find out exactly what he did to land on the AI industry's most-wanted list. Get ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended inter...
Apr 09, 2026•47 min•Season 7Ep. 18
Hours-long TSA lines, air traffic controller shortages, and skyrocketing flight prices. Deadly crashes, failing safety regulations, and international threats. There’s no doubt about it: U.S. air travel has been a hot mess in 2026. How did we hit such turbulence? And how does the current crisis tie into a decades-long master plan to hold airplane safety hostage for political gain? Today on Lever Time , David Sirota sits down with Bill McGee, senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American E...
Apr 02, 2026•46 min•Season 7Ep. 17
Earlier this month, FBI Director Kash Patel admitted under oath that the FBI has been buying Americans’ location information from data brokers, sidestepping traditional warrant requirements. Lawmakers like Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) have been on the front lines trying to ban this practice, but that requires reforming FISA Section 702, one of the country’s most powerful — and least understood — surveillance laws. Today on Lever Time , David Sirota sits down with Wyden and Sean Vitka, executive direc...
Mar 26, 2026•52 min•Season 7Ep. 16
This week on Lever Time , we’re sharing an excerpt from our investigative series Master Plan: The Kingmakers . In this new season of our award-winning podcast, David Sirota and our team of journalists expose the decades-long plot to turn the president into a king. Visit MasterPlanPodcast.com to hear the full episode and subscribe to Master Plan: The Kingmakers . Get ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended interviews by becoming a member at levernews.com/join . To leave a tip for The Lever, ...
Mar 19, 2026•12 min•Season 7Ep. 15
When American bombs dropped on Iran, a mysterious shortwave radio station began broadcasting a list of numbers in Farsi across the globe. Reminiscent of Cold War spy communications, the broadcast raises serious questions: Where is the broadcast coming from, and who is listening to it? Is Iran sending messages to terrorist sleeper cells in the United States? And how is the Trump administration addressing these concerns, if at all? Today on Lever Time , David Sirota sits down with Shane Harris fro...
Mar 12, 2026•44 min•Season 7Ep. 14
On February 28, the United States and Israel began bombing Iran — with no congressional declaration, public debate, or clear endgame. For those who grew up watching the Ayatollah cast as America’s original supervillain on the nightly news, it wasn’t exactly a surprise. Donald Trump pitched the idea 46 years ago. We’ve been expecting this for decades. But why? On today’s episode of Lever Time , Iranian-born journalist Hooman Majd and Drop Site News founder Ryan Grim help us grapple with some big ...
Mar 05, 2026•46 min•Season 7Ep. 13
On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump’s tariffs were illegal, striking a blow to his favorite geopolitical strategy. The decision could make it far harder for any president to wield tariffs as a weapon, but how will the ruling affect your wallet? Today on Lever Time , David Sirota sits down with trade expert Lori Wallach, director of the Rethink Trade program at the American Economic Liberties Project. Lori and David unpack the weaponization of trade policy, the messy re...
Feb 26, 2026•56 min•Season 7Ep. 12
In October, a Philadelphia man emailed an attorney for the Department of Homeland Security, criticizing a government policy. Hours later, federal agents and local police were banging on his door to interrogate him without a warrant. It feels like something out of a movie, but it's real. Today on Lever Time , David Sirota sits down with ACLU attorney Steve Loney to ask some big questions: How are federal agencies obtaining your private data without a warrant? How are tech giants like Google enabl...
Feb 19, 2026•33 min•Season 7Ep. 11
An important message about the future of The Lever's Master Plan podcast , from our host, David Sirota. Become A Paid Subscriber To The Lever Become A Paid Subscriber On Apple Podcasts Make A One-Time Donation Order Our Companion Book, Master Plan: The Hidden Plot to Legalize Corruption in America Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Feb 17, 2026•2 min
In February 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, setting off a chemical disaster. Politicians and lawyers promised justice, and the railroad company swiftly settled for a historic $600 million. Three years later, many victims haven’t seen a dime. Where did all that money go? Today on Lever Time , producer Natalie Bettendorf is joined by Lever reporter Katya Schwenk, who scoured court documents and traveled to East Palestine to uncover the toxic secrets behind ...
Feb 12, 2026•38 min•Season 7Ep. 10
While one tech CEO warns that artificial intelligence could “destroy all life on Earth,” other industry giants have declared war on rules that could limit AI’s power. Their battlefield? The 2026 midterm elections. In Part Three of What Tech Wants , Lever Time ’s investigation into why Silicon Valley is buying our democracy, producer Ariella Markowitz explores Big Tech’s latest obsession — artificial intelligence — and its crusade against anyone who stands in its way. Click here for a transcript ...
Feb 05, 2026•46 min•Season 7Ep. 9
In 2024, the cryptocurrency industry spent more than $130 million to influence elections nationwide. Their campaign donations and lobbying efforts turned the tables for their risky boom-and-bust business, which is now poised to overtake our entire financial system. In Part Two of What Tech Wants , Lever Time ’s investigation into why Silicon Valley is buying our democracy, producer Ariella Markowitz reveals how crypto companies aligned with President Donald Trump to advance their agenda. To list...
Jan 29, 2026•33 min•Season 7Ep. 8
In 2022, nonprofit neighborhood groups, backed by Silicon Valley billionaires, helped recall a progressive district attorney in San Francisco. What happened next would change the country. In Part One of What Tech Wants , Lever Time ’s investigation into why Silicon Valley is buying our democracy, producer Ariella Markowitz uncovers how a local experiment unlocked a new formula for political power. Get ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended interviews by becoming a member at levernews.com/j...
Jan 22, 2026•34 min•Season 7Ep. 7
As private investment companies encroach upon youth sports, how does that hurt the players — and their families? As Lever reporter Luke Goldstein discovered, there’s more at stake than just higher prices. Today on Lever Time , David Sirota tells the story of how a Lever investigation into a shocking claim prompted a national outcry, one that led to a small but mighty victory against Black Bear Sports Group, one of the youth sports kingpins calling the shots. Read Luke Goldstein’s reporting menti...
Jan 16, 2026•36 min•Season 7Ep. 6
Are we wasting our talents on meaningless jobs? Should our career choices reflect our morals? Author and historian Rutger Bregman thinks so. He argues that the most talented people in America are stuck in a real-life version of the movie Office Space — and that we should be trying to solve the world’s biggest problems instead. Today on Lever Time , David Sirota sits down with Bregman to ask: When did we lose our moral ambition? Are we greedy, cynical, or are we just trying to escape an ever-incr...
Dec 18, 2025•53 min•Season 7Ep. 5
2025 has been a tremendous year for the artificial intelligence industry. Stock prices for AI companies skyrocketed, soaring beyond expectations and propping up an otherwise stagnant U.S. economy. But everywhere, there’s talk of an AI bubble — one even bigger and more threatening than the 2008 housing bubble or the dot-com bubble of the early 2000s. What makes this bubble so different? When is it likely to pop? And if it does, what does that mean for the rest of us? In this episode of Lever Time...
Dec 11, 2025•54 min•Season 7Ep. 4
As parents, we’re told homicidal maniacs, drug peddlers, and creeps are lurking in every shadow, waiting to grab your children. But is that true? Is our obsession with keeping our kids safe doing more harm than good? Today on Lever Time , David Sirota investigates the difference between good parenting and overparenting — and the political history behind our fear that kidnappers are roaming the streets. David enlists the help of author and advocate Lenore Skenazy, a champion for “free-range paren...
Dec 04, 2025•30 min•Season 7Ep. 3
From flying to online shopping to using social media, everything seems to be getting worse. It’s all — pardon our language here — shittier. According to today’s Lever Time guest, that’s no accident. Cory Doctorow is the author of Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It . In this episode, Doctorow explains how enshittification works, how it’s infected our online spaces, and what we can do to stop it. Plus, as an exclusive bonus to our paid subscribers, click he...
Nov 25, 2025•35 min•Season 7Ep. 2
The U.S. House just voted to force the Trump administration to release every document it has on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful associates. The move comes after Congress released 23,000 pages of Epstein emails and text messages, a data dump that references Donald Trump more than 1,500 times and has so thoroughly tarnished former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers that he’s stepped back from public commitments. Now, many more revelations are likely to come. In this special e...
Nov 18, 2025•54 min•Season 7Ep. 1
Maine overwhelmingly voted last year to end Super PACs. A federal judge blocked the ballot measure — but left a kill switch inside the ruling. Larry Lessig, a professor at Harvard Law School and head of the nonprofit Equal Citizens , is ready to flip that switch and take his case to the Supreme Court. In our final episode of Lever Time’s MONEYBOMB series , David Sirota speaks with Lessig about the legal battle against Super PACs and why he believes that we can stop Citizens United without touchi...
Nov 13, 2025•42 min•Season 6Ep. 6
For the first time in the Citizens United era of billionaires and corporate money buying U.S. elections, change may be afoot. This week, Democrats campaigning on a populist message won resounding victories in the face of big-money opposition. An aging party establishment is still calling for Democrats to be more moderate and centrist, but what if the center has moved? What if populism is the new centrism? On this new episode of Lever Time’s MONEYBOMB series , David Sirota sits down with Stanford...
Nov 06, 2025•41 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Ahead of the closely watched New York City mayoral race, everyone is looking for a lesson from progressive Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani’s rise to political stardom. The real answer may be a vastly undervalued political strategy: public money. Could public financing of elections overcome Citizens United and the flood of corporate cash and corruption in American politics? In the latest episode of Lever Time’s MONEYBOMB series , we explore the importance of publicly funded campaigns. David Sir...
Nov 03, 2025•42 min•Season 6Ep. 4
