Lever Time

Latest Episodes:

We’re Still Living In The 2016 Election Jul 16, 2026

Show notes

Ten years ago this week, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) ended his first presidential run and endorsed Hillary Clinton. Now, his chief strategist says the primary process was rigged.

Today on Lever Time, David Sirota sits down with Tad Devine, longtime political consultant and chief strategist for Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign. Devine reveals why he believes the Democratic National Committee tilted the scales against Sanders, why his populist message has staying power, and why the biggest obstacle in future elections is the Democratic Party itself.

Check out Devine’s book, How The Democrats Screwed Bernie.

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Abdul El-Sayed Isn’t Messing Around About Healthcare Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

Last week, The Lever’s David Sirota traveled to Michigan to meet with Democratic Senate candidate and former public health official Abdul El-Sayed, who has become a political lightning rod as he campaigns in one of the country’s most consequential primaries.

Today on Lever Time, we’re airing Sirota’s exclusive interview with El-Sayed. Speaking at a coffee shop in Macomb County — the Michigan county that birthed the term “Reagan Democrats” and where Trump won twice — they discuss how El-Sayed plans to pass Medicare For All, why AIPAC is spending millions to defeat him, and why he doesn’t want corporate Democrats’ invitations to cocktail parties.

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What New York’s Socialists Know That Democrats Don’t Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

Candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani swept the state’s Democratic primaries this week, to the chagrin of corporate interests and party elite. Pundits are calling the political insurgency “Blue MAGA” or “the Democrats’ Tea Party,” but the group behind the victory already has a name — the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) — and its grassroots strategy is paying off at the polls.

Today on Lever Time, David Sirota sits down with law professor Zephyr Teachout and Jacobin founder Bhaskar Sunkara to break down New York City’s primary results, the rise of the DSA, and whether the socialist revolution could take root in the rest of the country.

Want more essential midterm coverage? Check out The Lever’s new weekly newsletter, Midterm Madness, for election updates.

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Why Is Newsom Fighting California’s Billionaire Tax? Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

California voters are poised to vote on a one-time billionaire tax that would fund schools, food assistance, and Medicaid. Silicon Valley is spending big to keep the precedent-setting initiative off the November ballot, but the campaign's most powerful opponent isn’t a tech oligarch — it’s California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Democratic power broker and potential presidential candidate.

Today on Lever Time, David Sirota sits down with Dave Regan, the union leader who engineered the billionaire tax, to find out why Newsom and his allies are racing to kill the measure — and what this fight reveals about oligarchs’ control of the Democratic Party.

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The Movie Trope That Explains American Politics Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

Perhaps the key to understanding modern American politics isn't an academic think tank report, but instead rambunctious cult classic films, like Caddyshack and Animal House, that pit low-status underdogs against high-status bluebloods, preps, and jocks. In an essay for Politico, author Dan Brooks argues that movies like these hardwired Americans to root for the rude, rule-breaking outsiders over the buttoned-up establishment, and it’s shaping how people vote.

Today on Lever Time, David Sirota sits down with Brooks to discuss how the “slobs versus snobs” movie trope can be a metaphor for American political parties, why candidates like Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner may be finding traction with voters, and whether Democrats can ever rewrite their role in this story.
Read Brooks’ essay here.

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Hawaii Is Overthrowing Citizens United Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

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 reformers believe they finally have a path to victory.

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The Spy Planes That Helped Jeffrey Epstein Take Off May 28, 2026

Show notes

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.

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The Democratic Party’s New Dark Money Machine May 21, 2026

Show notes

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 Congress — and who are now facing opposition from House Democrats’ big-money machine.

Click here to read Luke Goldstein and Katya Schwenk’s investigation into political action committees like Majority Democrats and The Bench.

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Will The Strait Of Hormuz Sink The American Empire? (With Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison) May 14, 2026

Show notes

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 Prestige. They examine the deeper meaning and long-term consequences of Trump’s war in Iran — including the Republican Party’s internal divisions over U.S. foreign policy, the role of Israel and China in the conflict, whether high gas prices are the new normal, and why, despite everything, they’re hopeful about our future.

You can check out the American Prestige podcast here.

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Graham Platner’s Revolution Hits The Road May 08, 2026

Show notes

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 wrong, why he thinks the United States went from President Barack Obama to President Donald Trump, how he feels about combat and war, his latest views on gun policy, and, if he wins, what kind of senator he intends to be.

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