Podcast appearances and mentions of David Sirota

Will & Felix catch up on Democrats' commitment to burning millions of dollars in search of a crumb of clout from the pod-mano-sphere, and John Fetterman's chronic senate absenteeism as he searches for good vibes. Then, we're joined by Lever News' David Sirota & Arjun Singh to discuss their new podcast series Tax Revolt & the “Big Beautiful Bill” working its way through congress. We look at the devastating consequences of GOP tax policies, the increasing unpopularity of such drastic cuts, and how they fit in with the 50 year conservative war against taxes. Find all things Lever News at: https://www.levernews.com/ And listen to Tax Revolt here or wherever you get pods: https://the.levernews.com/tax-revolt/

Charles and Alex debut "David Sirota" and run down the 10 most popular YouTube music videos of all time. Plus, who else remembers when we used to have breadcrumbs trails all over the ground? Full episode on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/252-money-should-127997622 "David Sirota" on YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Givy8DX0wJ0 On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/2oo5yoH3F4Nz0ni2mgrQIe?si=421847197a324cb9

The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum examines how our authoritarian rise is actually happening faster than usual. The Apprentice producer Darryl Silver shares what we can learn from his experience working with Trump. Plus, we have a special bonus from our YouTube channel featuring The Lever’s David Sirota on what Democrats can learn from Trump’s tariffs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Journalist David Sirota explains the political implications of Trump's tariffs in the U.S. and their potential effects on Wall Street vs. Main Street. Plus: did Biden's CBP fabricate documents in order to help Brazil imprison a Bolsonaro advisor? Finally: new polls reveal declining support for Israel while DHS unveils a program to search immigrants' social media for "antisemitic" content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Watch full episodes on Rumble, streamed LIVE 7pm ET. Become part of our Locals community Follow System Update:  Twitter Instagram TikTok Facebook LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Fain's assertion that Democrats have too often taken the labor movement for granted — especially when it comes to championing corporate-written trade policies, which he says have ended up alienating Democrats from the working class.

Asian markets took a nose dive overnight. The Nikkei dropped more than 8%. Global markets are caught in the undertow of Trump's new tariffs. Over the weekend, as Trump flew off to play golf, he said of the market downturn, “sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something.” This as markets continue to plummet. Iheart TV and radio political analyst Gary Fietrich will be in to talk about the tariff fallout and more.We welcome David Sirota to The Mark Thompson Show. David is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Lever, an investigative news site focused on exposing the negative influence of corporate corruption.Karen Dawn, of Dawn Watch, will stop through to talk about animals.The Mark Thompson Show 4/7/24Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you'd like to help, here's our Patreon Link:https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshowMaybe you're more into PayPal.  https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24And you'll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com

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 and factories leaving the United States. But will Trump's new tariffs do more harm than good? And will they open the floodgates to another deluge of corruption? To answer those questions and understand what the tariffs mean for you, David Sirota sits down with veteran New York Times reporter Peter Goodman to discuss the real-world effects of what Trump is calling “Liberation Day."

Echoing Richard Nixon's infamous Saturday Night Massacre purge during Watergate, President Donald Trump this week moved to fire both Democratic commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission, which had been investigating some of Trump's biggest corporate boosters. These weren't routine pink slips given during an administration turnover. Trump fired Senate-confirmed commissioners at an agency that Congress — by law — deliberately created to be independent from the executive branch's control. Hours after receiving Trump's termination letter, FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya spoke with Lever Time's David Sirota about why this is a battle over not just one federal agency, but over whether the presidency will end up becoming a corrupt monarchy — one that will benefit only those who kiss the king's ring. Bedoya is now taking Trump to court in a battle that he says is barreling toward the Supreme Court. This is a free version of an episode that was released earlier for paid subscribers. To hear exclusive bonus content like this regularly, become a subscriber at www.levernews.com.

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 eyes of regulators and politicians, sometimes resulting in unexpected political alliances. Today on Lever Time, Senior Podcast Producer Arjun Singh sits down with several current and former regulators, including recently dismissed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Chair Rohit Chopra, to learn how the tech sector is rapidly changing society at the expense of the working class — and what the government can do to stop it.

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 Podcast Producer Arjun Singh sits down with Deluzio and reporter Amos Barshad to explore the history of the Democratic Party prioritizing unregulated free markets over the American worker — and how that's now left them unable to conceive a winning economic agenda.

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 writers and journalists to hear their experiences covering climate and what mainstream discourse around climate change is missing.  ––Need a new job in 2025? Build your resume in seconds at SheetsResume.com/Lever. Lever listeners get 25% off lifetime access with code LEVER—one-time fee, no subscriptions. If money's tight, email colin@sheetsresume.com for a free membership.

Headlines for February 21, 2025; “Will Universities Surrender or Resist?” Scholar Slams Trump’s Threat to Defund Universities over DEI; “Erasing History” from the U.S. to Germany: “Wars Are Won by Teachers,” Says Yale Prof. Jason Stanley; “Gum Up the Works”: David Sirota’s Advice to Democrats on Reversing Trump’s Power Grab

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 at the American Economic Liberties Project and one of the country's foremost experts on the airline industry, to discuss the recent crashes and the state of airline safety regulations.The backbone of aviation safety in the United States of America is The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), an organization that oversees aerospace safety and efficiency and is being targeted by President Donald Trump's federal layoffs. But McGee says the FAA has been understaffed for years and has long been called “The Tombstone Agency” around Washington due to the organization's tendency to only respond with a full investigation when a tragedy occurs.To read an unedited transcript of the episode, click here.  ––Need a new job in 2025? Build your resume in seconds at SheetsResume.com/Lever. Lever listeners get 25% off lifetime access with code LEVER—one-time fee, no subscriptions. If money's tight, email colin@sheetsresume.com for a free membership.

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've known for decades just how unhealthy and addictive their products can be. Today on Lever Time, senior podcast producer Arjun Singh unpacks the food industry's colossal influence over the American food system — and how they're using the same playbook as Big Tobacco.To learn more about Andrew Gallegos' nonprofit Cultivating Community head here. 

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 history of tariffs, the complexity of the United States' trade relationships with Canada, Mexico, and China, and how the effects of these tariffs could potentially make the illegal drug trade worse. Setser was a senior adviser to the U.S. Trade Representative and writes about China's export economy in his newsletter Follow the Money.

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 podcast producer Arjun Singh sits down with journalist Nathan Tankus to discuss the depth of Musk's control and how the tycoon's recent actions could imperil the nation. Tankus is the author of the newsletter Notes on a Crisis and one of lead reporters covering Musk's takeover. 

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 reverberated throughout the country — and explores what could come next.

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-forgotten story of a small-town Indiana lawyer, as well as the vast political consequences of the high court's landmark decision. Today on Lever Time, we're sharing that episode with listeners to mark the anniversary of the ruling.

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 sitting with Trump's cabinet during his inauguration. To make sense of it all, David Sirota and senior podcast producer Arjun Singh sit down with David Dayen, executive editor of The American Prospect, and Ryan Grim, co-founder of Drop Site News, discuss the power players in Trump's orbit and the state of the nation he's about to inherit on a special Inauguration Day episode of Lever Time.

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 unpacks how California's housing policies contributed to the devastation  of L.A.'s recent wildfires, and how the city can rebuild in an era when climate disaster is becoming ever more common. 

For bonus content, please join us on Patreon at - https://www.patreon.com/posts/live-now-special-11972532 This special show on what REALLY caused the LA wildfires features David Sirota, Yasha Levine, Natali Segovia, Steven Donziger, Meagan Day & Josh Olson. David Sirota is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author living in Denver, Colorado. He was nominated for an Academy Award for helping Adam McKay create the story for the film DON'T LOOK UP. Sirota is the founder and editor of The Lever, the creator of Audible's MELTDOWN podcast and . the MASTER PLAN podcast. Natali Segovia (Quechua) is an international human rights attorney who currently serves as Executive Director of the Water Protector Legal Collective. Natali's work focuses on the protection of the Earth and the rights of Indigenous Peoples affected by forced displacement, and human rights violations as extractive industry and mass development projects. Over the past 15 years, her international work has focused on addressing human rights violations as a result of extractive industry and mass development projects in rural, "unseen" areas in countries including Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. She currently serves on the Scientific Committee of the Monique and Roland Weyl People's Academy of International Law and on the Board of Directors for Indigenous Peoples Rights International. Yasha Levine is a Russian-American investigative journalist, writer, and filmmaker. He's the author of "Surveillance Valley: The Secret Military History of the Internet," "A Journey Through California's Oligarch Valley," "The Koch Brothers: A Short History" and "The Corruption of Malcolm Gladwell." He's the co-host of The Russians podcast and writes at https://yasha.substack.com/ Steven Donziger is a human rights and environmental lawyer who was imprisoned for successfully suing Chevron for poisoning the water in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The prosecution of Steven Donziger, which has been condemned by the United Nations, Greenpeace, Amnesty International, Amazon Watch, and 64 Nobel Laureates, was a literal corporate prosecution. After the Southern District of New York refused to prosecute Donziger, the judge assigned a corporate firm which had represented Chevron to go after him. The judge also made the unusual move of handpicking the judge to oversee the case and chose a judge who is part of the Right Wing Federalist Society which gets funding from.... you guessed it... Chevron! Meagan Day is a writer and editor focusing on class, labor issues, economic inequality, and US politics. She is an editor at Jacobin, where she was previously a staff writer. The author of Maximum Sunlight (2016) and co-author of Bigger than Bernie (2020), her articles have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian, and The New Republic In 2022 she addressed the Oxford Union on the topic of the "American Dream" in a global context. Josh Olson is an Oscar nominated screenwriter, writer of the "Bronzeville" podcast, and host of "The Movies That Made Me." Dave and Josh co-hosted the podcasts "West Wing Thing" and "The Audit." ***Please support The Katie Halper Show *** For bonus content, exclusive interviews, to support independent media & to help make this program possible, please join us on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/thekatiehalpershow Get your Katie Halper Show Merch here! https://katiehalper.myspreadshop.com/all Follow Katie on Twitter: @kthalps

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 what makes this blaze different from past fires — and how we prepare for the next one.

Over the holidays, when President-elect Donald Trump said he would appoint an Indian-American immigrant to serve in the White House, key members of Trump's base were apoplectic. On X, formerly Twitter, prominent Trump supporters like Steve Bannon and Laura Loomer argued the move was antithetical to Trump's pledge to scale back immigration. That put them at odds with billionaire advisor Elon Musk and other tech executives who are leaning on Trump to embrace the use of H-1B visas, which allow highly skilled foreign workers to work in the U.S. and have proven to be a boon for the tech industry. Today on Lever Time, senior podcast producer Arjun Singh unpacks the history of high-skilled immigration to the United States and why the matter has become a flash point within Trump's coalition. 

Master Plan host David Sirota has a big announcement about a possible Master Plan Season 2. But we need your help. Go to masterplanpodcast.com 

Lever Time is taking a break this week, but we'll be back next week with a brand new episode. Today, we wanted to re-air one of our favorite episodes from 2024.  --The National Basketball Association wants you to gamble. Since 2014, the league has championed the legalization of sports betting nationwide, partially due to its own business interests in gambling. But the emergence of online gambling has coincided with a rise in troubling health outcomes like increased rates of depression and substance abuse. Today on Lever Time, we explore the recent growth of online gambling, sitting down with sports writers and an addiction expert to learn how it's impacted society and changed the very nature of sports and fandom. Sports fans are familiar with the companies DraftKings and FanDuel. In the NBA, their commercials are now as synonymous with the game as slam dunks — and both have transformed how viewers watch the game. In 2018, the Supreme Court struck down a federal law prohibiting gambling in most states — within the same year several states swiftly moved to legalize sports gambling, leading to more widespread usage of online sportsbooks. Today, millions of fans include betting as part of their viewing experience, but it's a trend that worries public health experts, athletes, and longtime fans, who believe the NBA's promotion of gambling will have long-term negative consequences.

In today's special VPM Daily Newscast episode, Editor Dave Cantor speaks with the minds behind Master Plan — it's a a shorthand phrase for how David Sirota sees wealthy businessowners working to relax campaign finance laws.  In the series, a number of Richmond connections come up, including a former U.S. Supreme Court justice and a former Virginia governor.  You can listen to Master Plan wherever you get podcasts.  We'll be back with another special newscast on Friday, Dec. 27.

When Iron Man hit theaters in 2008, it didn't just launch the wildly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe — it also, with the Pentagon's help, became a bombastic symbol of modern military might in the digital age. Now, can the same comic book character be used to critique the military-industrial complex and the War on Terror?When Marvel wanted to make an Iron Man film in the early aughts, executives turned to a longstanding relationship between Hollywood and the Pentagon, allowing the Defense Department to approve the movie's storyline in exchange for access to military equipment. The U.S. military was able to alter significant parts of Iron Man's script, allowing the film to also serve as a marketing device for the military. Now, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Spencer Ackerman is flipping the script. A veteran war reporter, Ackerman is writing a new Marvel comic book series of Iron Man, in which he's applying the lessons he learned over two decades of covering the War on Terror. Decidedly more critical of the military-industrial complex that the movies championed, the books are reshaping the iconic hero into a parable about the impact of excessive wealth concentrated in the hands of one billionaire, Today on Lever Time, senior podcast producer Arjun Singh sits down with Ackerman and Dave Gonzales, co-author of the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios and the host of the podcast Trial By Content, to discuss how the Pentagon pushed Marvel to use Iron Man as a piece of propaganda, and how events like 9/11 and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars influenced the way superhero is seen today.Read Spencer Ackerman's newsletter Forever Wars by clicking here. 

David Sirota reflects on the shocking murder of United Health CEO Brian Thompson and the surge of public anger it unleashed against America's broken health insurance system. Why hasn't this longstanding outrage translated into universal health care — a system every other wealthy nation already has?Tracing decades of broken promises and corporate influence — from the Clinton and Obama administrations to today — Sirota looks at how political corruption has trapped Americans in a system that profits from their suffering. Drawing on JFK's 1960s warnings about social stability and justice, this audio essay explores the health care crisis as a symptom of a deeper democracy crisis — and asks what it will take for Americans to finally demand change.Click here to read the written version of David Sirota's essay, "Murder By Spreadsheet". This episode was made possible by Lever Premium subscribers. Consider becoming a paid member to get more content like this, early and ad-free. www.levernews.com/subscribe/

Amid the shocking assassination of a health insurance executive and an upswell of anger towards the country's fragile health care safety net, the health insurance industry is suddenly facing a reckoning. Among the best experts to make sense of it all is Wendell Potter.When Wendell Potter left his job as a public relations executive for a health insurance company he was sure of one thing: his former employer was harming people every day. Potter, a former vice president of the insurance giant Cigna, became a whistleblower over a decade ago, and though he does not condone the recent murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, he understands the fury many in the country feel towards the insurance industry. Today on Lever Time, Potter shares what he learned about how insurance companies hurt patients and more than a decade as an insurance industry insider. Journalist Jonathan Cohn, a veteran health care reporter and the author of the book The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage, also joins the show to unpack the decades-long political battle to reform the health care industry. 

On Rising today, Robby Soave delivers his radar on President Biden's possible preemptive pardon of former chief of NIH'S National Institutes of Allergy And Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci. Joyce Karam, senior editor at Al-Monitor, weighs in on toppling of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. President-elect Donald Trump gives his first major sit down interview to "Meet The Press" host Kristen Welker. The Lever's David Sirota discusses the fraud and greed within the health insurance industry, and the reaction over murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. A Manhattan jury acquits former marine Daniel Penny in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely. This and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President-elect Donald Trump's penchant for exaggeration has pushed the boundaries of how elected officials communicate with the public. Trump's conspiracy theories and shock-and-awe approach to campaigning propelled him back into the White House — leaving millions wondering how he was able to pull it off.Recent studies into the science of magic, examining how magicians utilize deception to manipulate their audiences, may provide an answer. Today on Lever Time, Lois Parshley, a senior investigative reporter at The Lever, explains why a recent groundbreaking magic contest holds the keys to understanding how people can be manipulated in a post-truth world. 

Billionaire families contributed roughly 18% of all money raised during the 2024 election cycle. And many of those mega donors are being tapped for high-level positions in the incoming Donald Trump administration. This begs the question: Is the U.S. government controlled by the ultra rich? David Sirota, founder and editor in chief of The Lever, said he believes the U.S. resembles an oligarchy. On the show today, Sirota explains how the erosion of campaign finance regulations has created a culture in which big money in politics is normalized. Then, we’ll get into China’s latest move in the ongoing chip trade war with the United States. Plus, what’s the correct way to pronounce “pecan”? Here’s everything we talked about today: “Election 2024: How Billionaire Avengers Destroyed Democracy” from The Lever “What's different about billionaire donor Elon Musk's relationship with Trump” from Vox “How billionaires are influencing the 2024 U.S. election” from Axios “Battle of the billionaires: the mega rich spending to swing the US election” from Financial Times “Remember that study saying America is an oligarchy? 3 rebuttals say it’s wrong.” from Vox “China bans export of critical minerals to US as trade tensions escalate” from Reuters “SpaceX Weighs Tender Offer Raising Valuation to $350 Billion” from Bloomberg “​​Yes We Pecan, with Martha Stewart” from NPR It’s Giving Tuesday! Your donation will be matched today when you support Marketplace.

Billionaire families contributed roughly 18% of all money raised during the 2024 election cycle. And many of those mega donors are being tapped for high-level positions in the incoming Donald Trump administration. This begs the question: Is the U.S. government controlled by the ultra rich? David Sirota, founder and editor in chief of The Lever, said he believes the U.S. resembles an oligarchy. On the show today, Sirota explains how the erosion of campaign finance regulations has created a culture in which big money in politics is normalized. Then, we’ll get into China’s latest move in the ongoing chip trade war with the United States. Plus, what’s the correct way to pronounce “pecan”? Here’s everything we talked about today: “Election 2024: How Billionaire Avengers Destroyed Democracy” from The Lever “What's different about billionaire donor Elon Musk's relationship with Trump” from Vox “How billionaires are influencing the 2024 U.S. election” from Axios “Battle of the billionaires: the mega rich spending to swing the US election” from Financial Times “Remember that study saying America is an oligarchy? 3 rebuttals say it’s wrong.” from Vox “China bans export of critical minerals to US as trade tensions escalate” from Reuters “SpaceX Weighs Tender Offer Raising Valuation to $350 Billion” from Bloomberg “​​Yes We Pecan, with Martha Stewart” from NPR It’s Giving Tuesday! Your donation will be matched today when you support Marketplace.

Billionaire families contributed roughly 18% of all money raised during the 2024 election cycle. And many of those mega donors are being tapped for high-level positions in the incoming Donald Trump administration. This begs the question: Is the U.S. government controlled by the ultra rich? David Sirota, founder and editor in chief of The Lever, said he believes the U.S. resembles an oligarchy. On the show today, Sirota explains how the erosion of campaign finance regulations has created a culture in which big money in politics is normalized. Then, we’ll get into China’s latest move in the ongoing chip trade war with the United States. Plus, what’s the correct way to pronounce “pecan”? Here’s everything we talked about today: “Election 2024: How Billionaire Avengers Destroyed Democracy” from The Lever “What's different about billionaire donor Elon Musk's relationship with Trump” from Vox “How billionaires are influencing the 2024 U.S. election” from Axios “Battle of the billionaires: the mega rich spending to swing the US election” from Financial Times “Remember that study saying America is an oligarchy? 3 rebuttals say it’s wrong.” from Vox “China bans export of critical minerals to US as trade tensions escalate” from Reuters “SpaceX Weighs Tender Offer Raising Valuation to $350 Billion” from Bloomberg “​​Yes We Pecan, with Martha Stewart” from NPR It’s Giving Tuesday! Your donation will be matched today when you support Marketplace.

In a special Lever Time post-election bonus episode, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) details how he was nearly excommunicated from the Democratic Party after he raised early concerns about the party's electability in 2023.The group discusses how Democrats' culture of blind loyalty to the party elite and extreme deference to wealthy donors leave them hopelessly out of touch with voters — and what can be done to change that.

Arjun Singh interviews Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney about The Bibi Files, a new documentary he produced that uncovers explosive new police footage from the corruption trial of increasingly besieged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The podcast comes the same week the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu — and the U.S. Senate voted down a measure to block military aid to Netanyahu's government. The conversation touches on the broader implications of Netanyahu's actions, his role in the Gaza conflict, and how his leadership has contributed to widespread division within Israel. Gibney draws comparisons to other corrupt leaders he's documented, exploring the psychology behind political misconduct, right-wing authoritarianism, and the lengths some will go to stay in power.

David Sirota of The Lever, a site dedicated to facts and rooting out corruption, joins the show to discuss American systems that are succeeding despite rampant corruption, why politicians need to shift their focus to healthcare to combat Trump's administration that is looking to privatize Medicare, why education is not a priority for Republican politicians, and why Jamal Murray needs to get his shit together. Wait, what? Then, Dan calls Michael Malone an underachiever after a Nikola Stat of the Day. Plus, Amin, Izzy, and Jeremy discuss the emergence of Evan Mobley for the Cleveland Cavaliers and his similarities to Bam Adebayo, Dan explains how he goes to the bank, and Billy does his best to efficiently explain how expensive his haircuts are. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

No matter what, the cryptocurrency industry was going to win the election. After spending hundreds of millions to influence politicians in both parties, the industry defeated some of its fiercest critics and scored bipartisan support, particularly from President-elect Donald Trump, despite crypto's potential risks for consumers and the financial system. Today on Lever Time, Lever reporter Freddy Brewster discusses crypto's emergence as a political power broker and what industry insiders are hoping for in return for their massive donations. Then, Senior Podcast Producer Arjun Singh sits down with documentarian Cullen Hoback to discuss his new film Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, in which Hoback alleges to have discovered the identity of the enigmatic inventor of the groundbreaking cryptocurrency Bitcoin. 

David Sirota, of the The Lever and “Don't Look Up,” joins us to discuss the conversations around why Democrats should focus more on class and strong, populist economic policy in future elections, with less of an emphasis on identity and cultural issues. You can watch our full interview with David here: https://youtu.be/DOhxgIMA7mcOur most recent premium episode for paid subscribers is available here: https://www.insurgentspod.com/p/ep-328-the-dirty-general This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.insurgentspod.com/subscribe

How did our democracy get replaced by a kleptocracy?  Discover the truth on Master Plan, a new podcast from The Lever. Hosted by David Sirota, former speechwriter for Bernie Sanders and Oscar-nominated co-writer of Don't Look Up, Master Plan exposes the deliberate scheme to legalize corruption in the U.S., allowing the wealthy to buy policies that benefit themselves and screw everyone else.  The Lever has unearthed never-before-reported documents proving this 50-year plot was a coordinated effort by wealthy individuals and political ideologues. Over the course of 10 episodes, the series follows the historic thread from Watergate in the '70s through the Citizens United decision and the current Supreme Court scandals. It's a tale of famous villains you already know like President Richard Nixon, Senator Mitch McConnell, and Fox News boss Roger Ailes, plus operatives and oligarchs you've never heard of. Listen to more episodes of Master Plan at https://link.chtbl.com/sIXXlFys?sid=Drilled Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Sirota, founder and editor-in-chief of The Lever, host of the podcast Master Plan, co-creator of the movie Don't Look Up, and former presidential campaign speechwriter for Bernie Sanders, offers analysis of why he believes Harris lost the election from his perspective on the political left.

The Lever's David Sirota examines VP Harris's campaign and considers what we can do better in the future. Pollster John Della Volpe parses how Gen Z's vote shaped the electorate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump easily won reelection with the help of voters who were once considered bedrocks of the Democratic base. In this election, the former president managed to win over more working-class voters than in his 2016 campaign and made historic inroads with nonwhite voters. Why did this happen — and how can Democrats win them back?Today on Lever Time, senior podcast producer Arjun Singh sits down with political analyst Krystal Ball, host of the show Breaking Points, to discuss why Trump's authoritarian, populist rhetoric may have struck a chord with voters. Then David Sirota speaks with Jeff Weaver, architect of Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) two presidential runs, to hear how Sanders built a similar multiracial coalition of working class voters during his campaigns and why those voters may have now migrated to Trump.Have a comment or a pitch about the show? Reach out to Arjun directly at asingh@levernews.com or follow him on X and Instagram at lever_singh. 

If elected, former president Donald Trump has promised to implement mass deportations, target journalists, and carry out other unprecedented actions. How could he pull it off? Project 2025, a radical plan to reshape the government under Trump, highlights the key to his sweeping agenda: Schedule F, a policy that would expose federal workers to political interference and give the president broad leeway to govern through fear. Today on Lever Time, senior podcast producer Arjun Singh unpacks this radical strategy for Trump's second term — and explores the religious fundamentalism and free-market ideology driving the creators of Project 2025, the right-wing think tank called The Heritage Foundation. In the early 1980s, the Heritage Foundation became the intellectual backbone of the conservative movement and today wields huge influence over the Republican party. Unlike other conservative think tanks, the Heritage Foundation was unique in blending the principles of free market capitalism with Christian nationalism, creating a blueprint for conservative politics that has now become the status quo. Over the past four years, a brain trust within the foundation has been drawing up Project 2025, laying the groundwork for how Trump could warp the tools of government and deliver ineradicable changes.

We're sharing a special bonus episode of The Lever's flagship podcast, Lever Time, founder David Sirota and award-winning screenwriter and director Adam McKay discuss Democrats' bid to win over GOP voters by repeatedly touting endorsements from former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney. Critics say the move could alienate swing-state voters, but others say it's a shrewd gambit to attract disaffected Republicans. McKay's Oscar-nominated film Vice is widely considered the definitive biopic of Dick Cheney.Subscribe to Lever Time wherever you listen to podcast or visit LeverTimePod.com to hear more episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A biopic of former president Donald Trump released right before the election seems ripe for box office success. But when screenwriter Gabriel Sherman looked for a distributor for his new film The Apprentice, Trump threatened legal action, and major studios got cold feet. Today on Lever Time, Sherman sits down with David Sirota and Arjun Singh to discuss the battle to release The Apprentice and how Wall Street's Hollywood takeover is making it more difficult for political films to get made.In the early 2000s, a seismic shift happened in Hollywood. After decades of movie-studio dominance, media deregulation and favorable market conditions opened the doors for Wall Street to move in and consolidate the industry. the balance of power shifted from filmmakers to bankers. Now, with a potential Trump presidency looming, some filmmakers are concerned it could cast a chill over the industry and frighten studios from backing films that could be seen as critical of Trump or his allies.

Here's a preview of the final episode of MASTER PLAN, The Lever's investigative audio series exposing the 50-year plot to legalize corruption in America—winner of awards for Best Writing and Best News & Politics Podcast. To listen to the whole series for free, search Master Plan in your podcast app or visit MasterPlanPodcast.com.

Corruption in politics is a trope that's been around ever since we had politics. And it can feel inevitable. Regardless of anticorruption legislation and executive orders, it seems like it will never go away.David Sirota, editor in chief of The Lever and host of the podcast Master Plan, argues the opposite.  Today on Civics 101 we learn about what corruption is, how it influences (or doesn't influence) policy, and what needs to be done to eradicate it from our political system. CLICK HERE: Visit our website to donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more!

This week we're sharing a special episode from our friends at The Lever. This is an excerpt from the first episode of their new investigative series Master Plan, which was recently named a must-listen by The Guardian and Apple Podcasts. In each episode of Master Plan, The Lever's David Sirota and his team of journalists expose the secret scheme that legalized corruption for the wealthy. With the help of never-before-reported documents, they look back at where this plot began, how it is accelerating in the 2024 election - and how it can be stopped.  In this epic tale, you'll learn things you never knew about icons like President Richard Nixon, Fox News founder Roger Ailes, and Supreme Court justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito. You'll learn how their master plan to legalize corruption affects you and your family - and undermines American democracy today.  Listen now to the full first episodes of Master Plan (https://link.chtbl.com/sIXXlFys?sid=BreakingPoints), and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to their Premium feed to hear episodes early and exclusive bonus content. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Abnormal co-host Danielle Moodie was appalled at reports this week alleging a “physical altercation” between a Trump employee and Arlington National Cemetery official. Then, David Sirota, the founder and editor-in-chief of The Lever, joins the pod to talk about their new 10-part investigative podcast series Master Plan, which chronicles exactly how corporate forces and politicians worked to legalize corruption in the United States, putting in place a plan to turn our democracy into a kleptocracy. Plus! A conversation with journalist Tiffany Cross, who kicks it off with a discussion on what it means that Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are finally, finally sitting down for a major interview with a mainstream media outlet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.