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The Untouched Power That Could Stop The Iran War Apr 30, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Tom Steyer Opposed Single-Payer Health Care. Now He’s Running On It. Apr 23, 2026

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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 down with Tom Steyer, a former hedge fund manager turned philanthropist, to discuss the collapse of Rep. Eric Swalwell’s (D-Calif.) campaign, whether billionaires are a policy failure, and the chaotic governor’s race that has left Republicans leading in the polls.

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Tax Day Could Be Easy. They’re Fighting To Make It Hard. Apr 15, 2026

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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.

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Why Is The AI Industry Afraid Of Alex Bores? Apr 09, 2026

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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 interviews by becoming a member at ⁠levernews.com/join⁠.

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Why Congress Won't Stop Hijacking Air Travel Apr 02, 2026

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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 Economic Liberties Project, to answer the question everyone is asking: Is it still safe to fly?

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Why Is The FBI Buying Your Location Data? (With Sen. Ron Wyden And Sean Vitka) Mar 26, 2026

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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 director of Demand Progress, to ask some big questions about the executive branch’s abuse of spy powers: How has a post-9/11 loophole quietly allowed federal agencies to access Americans’ phone calls, texts, and emails? Why have efforts to rein in these executive powers repeatedly stalled? And what happens as AI gives the government new tools to conduct warrantless surveillance?

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How Did The President Gain The Powers Of A King? Mar 19, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Did Iran Just Launch A Shadow War On American Soil? (With Shane Harris) Mar 12, 2026

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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 from The Atlantic to get some answers.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

Read Shane's original story in The Atlantic.⁠

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Who Sold America On The Iran War? (With Hooman Majd & Ryan Grim) Mar 05, 2026

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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 questions: Why has the United States long been unable — or unwilling — to make peace with Iran? Who bankrolled the push for this new war, and what do they hope to gain? And now that bombs are falling, does Congress have the power to stop it?
Click here to read more of The Lever’s reporting about Iran.

Click here for a full transcript of the episode.

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The Court Disarmed Trump’s Tariff Weapon. Who Will Pay? (With Lori Wallach) Feb 26, 2026

Show notes

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 reality of tariff refunds, and who will pay — or get paid — following the court’s decision.

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Tired of the doom scroll? Click here to subscribe to Lever Daily, a free once-a-day email that delivers the most important and underreported news in less than five minutes.

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