Lever Time

Latest Episodes:

How The Lever Forced Buttigieg To Do His Job Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: Producer Frank sits down with journalists Julia Rock, Rebecca Burns, and Matthew Cunningham-Cook for an in-depth conversation about The Lever’s groundbreaking reporting on the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The group explores how an environmental disaster like this can occur, including examining the influence of the railroad and chemical lobbies, as well as detailing the regulatory capture of three separate presidential administrations. The group also details how The Lever’s reporting gained national coverage, triggered a public pressure campaign, and helped lead to a response from Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (1:50).

If you'd like access to Lever Time Premium, which includes extended interviews and bonus content, head over to LeverNews.com to become a supporting subscriber.

If you’d like to leave a tip for The Lever, click the following link. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. levernews.com/tipjar

A rough transcript of this episode is available here.

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The JFK Files And The CIA Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: David Sirota is joined by investigative journalist Jefferson Morley, one of the foremost experts on the assassination of president John F. Kennedy. David and Jeff discuss the trove of classified documents pertaining to the assassination that were recently released by the Biden administration, what we learned from the materials, and the potential reasons why the CIA is still withholding an estimated 4,000 additional documents (8:49).

If you'd like access to Lever Time Premium, which includes extended interviews and bonus content, head over to LeverNews.com to become a supporting subscriber.

If you’d like to leave a tip for The Lever, click the following link. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. levernews.com/tipjar

A rough transcript of this episode is available here.

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INSIDE THE STORY: Rail Companies Blocked Safety Rules Before Ohio Derailment Feb 09, 2023

Show notes

This mini-episode is part of our Inside The Story series, where we highlight some of The Lever’s original reporting and speak with the journalists who wrote the story. Frank Cappello speaks with Julia Rock and Rebecca Burns who detail their new story published by The Lever:

“Before this weekend’s fiery Norfolk Southern train derailment prompted emergency evacuations in Ohio, the company helped kill a federal safety rule aimed at upgrading the rail industry’s Civil War-era braking systems, according to documents reviewed by The Lever.

Though the company’s 150-car train in Ohio reportedly burst into 100-foot flames upon derailing — and was transporting materials that triggered a fireball when they were released and incinerated — it was not being regulated as a “high-hazard flammable train,” federal officials told The Lever.”

To read the full story, click here.

If you enjoyed this story and want to support independent journalism, you can go to LeverNews.com to subscribe to our free newsletter or become a paid supporter.

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Meet Alaska’s First Democratic Rep. In Almost 50 Years (w/ Rep. Mary Peltola) Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: David Sirota sits down with freshman Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), who recently made history as the first woman elected to represent Alaska in the House of Representatives, and the first Democrat to represent the state in the lower chamber in almost 50 years. David speaks with Mary about how she pulled off her historic win, why she opposed forcing the railroad unions to accept the contract brokered by the Biden administration, and Alaska’s economic dependency on the oil and gas industry in the face of climate change (12:40).

If you'd like access to Lever Time Premium, which includes extended interviews and bonus content, head over to LeverNews.com to become a supporting subscriber.

If you’d like to leave a tip for The Lever, click the following link. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. levernews.com/tipjar

A rough transcript of this episode is available here.

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

INSIDE THE STORY: Fear And Loathing Among The Union Busters Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

This mini-episode is part of our Inside The Story series, where we highlight some of The Lever’s original reporting and speak with the journalists who wrote the story. Frank Cappello speaks with Julia Rock who details their new story published by The Lever:

“The restaurant industry has long coordinated efforts to suppress labor costs through the NRA, a multimillion-dollar lobbying machine funded both by its restaurant members and by the fees workers pay for required food-safety classes. The group has spent its war chest on lobbying campaigns to preserve a subminimum wage for tipped workers — who are disproportionately young, women, and people of color, and far more likely to live in poverty than regular minimum wage workers — and to help block state and federal sick leave proposals and minimum wage increases.”

To read the full story, click here.

If you enjoyed this story and want to support independent journalism, you can go to LeverNews.com to subscribe to our free newsletter or become a paid supporter.

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

Why Republicans Want To Defund The IRS Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: A few weeks ago, House Republicans passed a bill to cancel new Internal Revenue Service funding. David Sirota sits down with journalist and tax policy expert Jesse Eisinger, who provides much-needed context on the GOP’s push to defund one of our most integral government agencies. (Yes, the IRS really is necessary.) Jesse explains how the modest investments passed by Democrats would help the beleaguered IRS hold accountable our worst tax cheats and create billions of dollars in new revenue, and how Republican efforts to defund the agency would lead to even more of its chronically lax oversight (12:08).

If you'd like access to Lever Time Premium, which includes extended interviews and bonus content, head over to LeverNews.com to become a supporting subscriber.

If you’d like to leave a tip for The Lever, click the following link. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. levernews.com/tipjar

A rough transcript of this episode is available here.

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

INSIDE THE STORY: The Lawsuit That Could Freeze Speech Against Billionaires Jan 20, 2023

Show notes

This mini-episode is part of our Inside The Story series, where we highlight some of The Lever’s original reporting and speak with the journalists who wrote the story. Frank Cappello speaks with Jordan Uhl who details their new story published by The Lever:

“Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, the national debate over free speech has narrowly focused on tech companies’ social media censorship. But offline in a Texas court, a lawsuit could send an intimidating message to political candidates across the country: If you suggest billionaire donors buy political influence, you could face severe punishment.”

To read the full story, click here.

If you enjoyed this story and want to support independent journalism, you can go to LeverNews.com to subscribe to our free newsletter or become a paid supporter.

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

INSIDE THE STORY: Pfizer Pays To Change The Story Jan 19, 2023

Show notes

This mini-episode is part of our Inside The Story series, where we highlight some of The Lever’s original reporting and speak with the journalists who wrote the story. Frank Cappello speaks with Andrew Perez who details their new story published by The Lever:

“Pfizer recently made headlines for hiking prices on roughly 100 drugs in the United States, shortly after the company announced plans to quadruple the price of its COVID-19 vaccine. Now, the pharmaceutical giant is paying news outlets to tell a different story — a fawning tale about how the company has been altruistically working to expand access to its products overseas.”

To read the full story, click here.

If you enjoyed this story and want to support independent journalism, you can go to LeverNews.com to subscribe to our free newsletter or become a paid supporter.

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

The State Of Congress (w/ Rep. Ro Khanna) Jan 18, 2023

Show notes

On this week’s episode of Lever Time Premium: David Sirota sits down with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) for a substantive conversation on the latest congressional developments. First, they discuss Ro’s ongoing House Oversight Committee investigation into fossil-fueled disinformation campaigns. The two also cover the U.S. airline industry debacle, the debate around banning gas stoves, and the recent votes for House Speaker — and why progressives have yet to wield the same power as right-wing Republicans (9:16).

If you'd like access to Lever Time Premium, which includes extended interviews and bonus content, head over to LeverNews.com to become a supporting subscriber.

If you’d like to leave a tip for The Lever, click the following link. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. levernews.com/tipjar

A rough transcript of this episode is available here.

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

INSIDE THE STORY: Insurers Are Fighting To Protect Their Medicare Fraud Jan 13, 2023

Show notes

This mini-episode is part of our Inside The Story series, where we highlight some of The Lever’s original reporting and speak with the journalists who wrote the story. Frank Cappello speaks with Andrew Perez who details their new story published by The Lever:

"This year, for the first time, a majority of seniors eligible for Medicare will be on privatized Medicare Advantage plans. Now, the insurance companies raking in giant profits from these for-profit plans are mounting a pressure campaign and planning to sue the government to protect years of overpayments they’ve extracted from Medicare."

To read the full story, click here.

If you enjoyed this story and want to support independent journalism, you can go to LeverNews.com to subscribe to our free newsletter or become a paid supporter.

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

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