Podcast
Lever Time
Hosted by David Sirota · EN
From LeverNews.com — Lever Time is the flagship podcast from the investigative news outlet The Lever. Hosted by the award-winning journalist, Oscar-nominated writer, and Bernie Sanders' 2020 speechwriter David Sirota, Lever Time features exclusive reporting from The Lever’s newsroom, high-profile guest interviews, expert analysis, ideas and opinions from the sharpest minds in media and politics.
35episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Spy Planes That Helped Jeffrey Epstein Take Off
1w ago00:35:39Tap to summarizeEveryone 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. Listen to “President Rambo,” our episode of Master Plan about the Iran-Contra scandal. Read Murtaza’s full investigation on Drop Site News. Check out Dylan Gottlieb’s book Yuppies. Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and extended interviews by becoming a member at levernews.com/join. To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Democratic Party’s New Dark Money Machine
2w ago00:53:25Tap to summarizeIt’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. Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and extended interviews by becoming a member at levernews.com/join. To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Will The Strait Of Hormuz Sink The American Empire? (With Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison)
3w ago00:49:35Tap to summarizeDespite 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. Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and extended interviews by becoming a member at levernews.com/join. To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Graham Platner’s Revolution Hits The Road
4w ago01:18:58Tap to summarizeDavid 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. Get ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended interviews by becoming a member at levernews.com/join. To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Untouched Power That Could Stop The Iran War
Apr 3000:52:13Tap to summarizeCongress 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. Get ad-free episodes of Master Plan and Lever Time by becoming a paid subscriber. Enjoy bonus episodes, exclusive content, and support this show. Visit levernews.com/upgrade To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Tom Steyer Opposed Single-Payer Health Care. Now He’s Running On It.
Apr 2300:33:50Tap to summarizeLast 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. Get ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended interviews by becoming a member at levernews.com/join. To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Tax Day Could Be Easy. They’re Fighting To Make It Hard.
Apr 1500:34:05Tap to summarizeTax 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. Get ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended interviews by becoming a member at levernews.com/join. To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Why Is The AI Industry Afraid Of Alex Bores?
Apr 900:47:27Tap to summarizeRight 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. To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Why Congress Won't Stop Hijacking Air Travel
Apr 200:45:50Tap to summarizeHours-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? Get ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended interviews by becoming a member at levernews.com/join. To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Why Is The FBI Buying Your Location Data? (With Sen. Ron Wyden And Sean Vitka)
Mar 2600:52:24Tap to summarizeEarlier 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? Get ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended interviews by becoming a member at levernews.com/join. To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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