Lever Time

Latest Episodes:

The NBA Is Monetizing A Public Health Crisis Jun 14, 2024

Show notes

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.

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

The $220 Billion Medical Debt Problem (With Rep. Ro Khanna) Jun 12, 2024

Show notes

Yesterday, the government introduced a new rule to remove $49 billion in medical debt that’s currently listed on Americans’ credit reports. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) wants to go even further by establishing a grant program to actually cancel the $220 billion in medical debt that Americans owe. If signed into law, the program could relieve the debt burden for more than 100 million people.

Today on Lever Time, Khanna sits down with senior podcast producer Arjun Singh to discuss the bill he’s cosponsoring with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the chances of the legislation making it through the Republican-controlled House, and his thoughts on the upcoming presidential election.

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

"Lauren Boebert Can't Lose" from City Cast Denver Jun 09, 2024

Show notes

Today, we're excited to share the first episode of a new series from our friends over at the podcast City Cast Denver. City Cast Denver is a daily news podcast that connects listeners with what's happening in and around Denver. In their first spinoff series, "Lauren Boebert Can't Lose," the team at City Cast Denver look at key moments from Congresswoman Lauren Boebert's life just ahead of Colorado's June 25th Republican primary, where Boebert's congressional career could come to an end.

You can find the rest of the series here.

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

America’s Biggest Tax Scam May Finally End Jun 07, 2024

Show notes

Is the TurboTax era over? Recently, the IRS announced they plan to roll out a free program that will let Americans directly file their taxes online without using expensive tax-assistance programs. The move could have happened more than two decades ago, if not for corporate lobbyists. Today on Lever Time, we look at the 20-year war waged by tax-prep companies like Intuit and H&R Block to stop the government from letting people file online for free.

In the early 2000s, alarmed by calls from the George W. Bush White House to create a public tax filing platform, Intuit, the parent company of TurboTax, went on a lobbying blitz. The government agreed to back down, but only if tax-prep companies allowed low-income taxpayers to file for free. On paper, the tax-prep firms agreed — but in reality, they used deceptive tactics to manipulate taxpayers into paying for their software.

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

The Lunch-Meat Mafia May 31, 2024

Show notes

Behind nearly every hamburger or chicken nugget handed out in a school cafeteria is JBS Foods, a multi-billion dollar conglomerate run by a billionaire butcher family who bribed their way to become the world’s largest meat processor. Today on Lever Time, we look at how JBS captured the meat market, harmed workers, pulverized the environment, and generally tainted all your lunch meats with a hefty dose of corporate corruption.

Every year, the U.S. government gives JBS Foods millions of dollars in subsidies, on top of the millions more it pays the company to supply meat for school lunches and the military. Despite JBS’ long history of illegal behavior, its market dominance has made it impossible for the government to avoid working with them, according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. JBS isn’t an outlier; today, a handful of companies control most of the country’s agricultural supply.

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

What Will It Take to Defeat Ticketmaster? May 29, 2024

Show notes

Is Ticketmaster too big to fail? It’s the question some musicians and small venue owners are asking in the wake of the Justice Department’s decision to sue Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation Entertainment over its alleged monopoly in the music industry. Today on Lever Time, Morgan Harper, an antitrust expert, and Greg Saunier, founder of the indie band Deerhoof, debate the strength of the Justice Department’s case, and whether a win in court would meaningfully benefit musicians, independent music venues, and fans themselves.

Ticketmaster has drawn the ire of musicians for decades. In 1994, members of the rock band Pearl Jam went to Congress alleging Ticketmaster was engaged in price gouging — but nothing happened. Instead, the government allowed Ticketmaster to grow even bigger, giving it massive influence over most of the music industry, gouging customers, and strong-arming musicians into signing away the rights for their tours.

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

Credit Card Companies Want To Keep You In Debt Forever May 24, 2024

Show notes

Today on Lever Time, we dive into the heart of Capital One and hear from a former employee about the credit card titan’s tactics to keep customers forever submerged in debt.

When President Joe Biden moved to cap credit card late fees in March, the financial industry revolted — filing multiple lawsuits against the administration of a man once dubbed one of the banking industry’s favorite senators.

Why are the credit card giants so threatened by losing their junk fees? How exactly have they assumed so much control of our financial lives?

In today’s episode of Lever Time, David Sirota and Arjun Singh go deep into the heart of the credit card industry and its lobbying army to hear how the industry has muscled its way into people’s wallets.

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

What Will It Take For Israel To End Its War? May 17, 2024

Show notes

Today on Lever Time, David Sirota sits down with Jerusalem-based journalist Nathan Thrall to discuss what life has been like in both Gaza and the West Bank since the Oct. 7 attack in Israel. The pair also explores what is motivating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue the war, and why Netanyahu’s iron-fisted approach to the Palestinian territories may be the norm, not an outlier, in Israeli politics.

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

Why Does America Provide So Much Support To Israel? May 10, 2024

Show notes

For months, Joe Biden has struck a defiant tone in his support of Israel despite the concerns of allies and nationwide protests. Biden has been a fervent supporter of Israel throughout his political career, but his current moves appear to be driven by three close advisors who have consolidated control over the administration’s Israel policy.

Today on Lever Time, David Sirota and Arjun Singh look at the people shaping Biden’s Israel decisions and get an on-the-ground report on how the war has played out in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank.

The Lever is subscriber supported. To become a subscriber, and get access to exclusive bonus content, head here: https://www.levernews.com/

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

What A Fracking CEO’s Text Messages Tell Us About Inflation May 09, 2024

Show notes

Since 2021, economists and pundits have tried to blame inflation on workers and rising wages. But a new bombshell exposé spotlights a different cause: oil companies engaging in an alleged price-fixing scheme with Saudi Arabia and other countries that may have fueled roughly one-third of all U.S. inflation in 2021.

A recent Federal Trade Commission case uncovered text messages and documents suggesting the founder of a big oil company colluded with the Saudi government and other oil-producing countries to keep energy prices high. Another lawsuit alleges multiple American oil companies were engaged in a price-fixing scheme.

Today on Lever Time, Matt Stoller of the American Economic Liberties Project discusses his groundbreaking reporting on the matter — and explains how this alleged collusion could have played a major role in the country’s inflation crisis.

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