Podcast
Master Plan
Hosted by The Lever & David Sirota · EN
SEASON TWO: THE KINGMAKERS IS HERE
For early access to future episodes and exclusive bonus content, click here to upgrade to a paid subscription to The Lever.
Master Plan, the award-winning investigative podcast series from The Lever, reveals the hidden forces behind today’s biggest problems — and how small groups of powerful people engineered those problems to serve their own interests. We are exposing their schemes.
Narrated by David Sirota, an award-winning investigative journalist and Oscar nominee for his work on the film Don’t Look Up.
Master Plan has received the 2025 National Press Club Award for Audio Journalism, the New York Festivals Radio Award for Best Investigative Journalism Podcast, multiple Signal Awards for Best News & Politics Podcast and Best Writing. It was an Ambies finalist for Best Politics podcast and was named a Webby Awards Honoree.
Learn more at masterplanpodcast.com
23episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Introducing Scene on Radio’s The News
2w ago00:46:48Summary readyThe Master Plan team is hard at work on the next batch of Season 2 episodes. In the meantime, we’re sharing an episode from our friends at Scene on Radio. Their new season, The News, explores the crisis facing American journalism: collapsing local newsrooms, declining public trust, and a media ecosystem flooded with misinformation. In this first episode, the two-time Peabody Award-nominated series asks a simple but urgent question: What’s really wrong with the news? To hear the rest of the series, search for Scene on Radio wherever you get your podcasts or visit sceneonradio.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Episode 3: President Rambo | The Kingmakers
Apr 1400:40:06Summary readyEmboldened by a landslide election, the president’s men began to see themselves as 1980s action-movie heroes, willing to break the law to get what they want. The result was the Iran-Contra affair, a secret arms deal that ignited a constitutional crisis. Would Congress roll over and play dead — or actually do something? TRANSCRIPT & BONUS MATERIALS: Click here to read a transcript and to explore bonus archival documents related to the episode. Get Master Plan episodes early and ad-free 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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Episode 2: Mandate for Power | The Kingmakers
Mar 3000:51:48Summary readyHow did Project 2025 take control of the White House? It all began decades ago, when a beer-baron-backed think tank handed President Ronald Reagan an 1,100-page instruction manual for expanding presidential power. The next episode is available now for premium subscribers. Click here. TRANSCRIPT & BONUS MATERIALS: Click here to read a transcript and to explore bonus historical documents related to the episode. Get Master Plan episodes early and ad-free 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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Episode 1: After The Fall | The Kingmakers
Mar 1600:43:12Summary readyBefore Trump, there was Nixon. His attempts to seize the power of the purse and secretly expand the Vietnam War forged a constitutional crisis, a backlash, and a template for an imperial presidency. TRANSCRIPT & BONUS MATERIALS: Click here to read a transcript and to explore bonus historical documents related to the episode. Get Master Plan episodes early and ad-free by becoming a paid subscriber. Enjoy bonus episodes, exclusive content, and support this show. Visit masterplanpodcast.com. 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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Season 2 Trailer: The Kingmakers
Mar 200:01:56Summary readyA new season of Master Plan debuts on March 16. For early access to new episodes and exclusive bonus content, click here to upgrade to a paid subscription to The Lever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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A Message About The Future Of Master Plan
Feb 1700:02:16Summary readyAn important message about the future of Master Plan, from our host, David Sirota. Become A Paid Subscriber To The Lever Become A Paid Subscriber On Apple Podcasts Make A One-Time Donation Order Our Companion Book Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Master Plan Book Is Here (With Trailer)
Oct 1700:04:41Summary readyWe’ve got big news — Master Plan is now a book!Master Plan: The Hidden Plot to Legalize Corruption in America, co-authored by David Sirota and Jared Jacang Maher, is now available from all major booksellers. The 265-page book expands on the award-winning podcast with exclusive archival documents, new reporting, and never-before-seen photos. It tells the story of how corporate interests and political operatives spent decades reshaping American democracy — from Lewis Powell’s secret memo to Citizens United and the rise of dark money.In this short update, Jared shares why we turned the series into a book and what readers can expect — followed by the official Book trailer for Master Plan. (Watch on YouTube.)Get your copy: levernews.com/book — paid subscribers get a discount.Leave a quick review on Amazon or Goodreads to help others discover the project.Ask your local bookstore or library to order Master Plan.Share about the book:BlueskyTwitter/XThreads
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The Billionaire-Backed Takeover Of CBS News (Lever Time)
Oct 900:29:42Summary readyNOTE: This is the first episode in a special bonus series from our weekly podcast, Lever Time.While media giants cave to frivolous Trump libel lawsuits and muzzle late-night hosts who step out of line, CBS News’ parent company has announced that the billionaire-backed conservative provocateur Bari Weiss will be the network’s new editor-in-chief. So today, we’re going back in time to understand how we arrived at this present-day media hellscape. Who set this plan into motion, and how do we fight back?Click here to pre-order our new book, MASTER PLAN: The Hidden Plot to Legalize Corruption in America.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.
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Introducing Tax Revolt: Where the Cult of Reaganomics Began
Apr 25, 202500:47:24Summary readyFor Master Plan listeners, we’re excited to drop Part 1 of Tax Revolt, a new mini-series from Lever Time that digs into the origins of America’s obsession with dismantling the tax code.If you want to hear hear more, Part 2 is available now in the Lever Time podcast feed on all platforms. Learn more at LeverNews.com/TaxRevolt
SummaryTrailer: Tax Revolt, a new series from Lever Time
Apr 18, 202500:02:44Summary readyListen to the trailer for Tax Revolt. Part 1 is available now in the Lever Time podcast feed. Learn more at LeverNews.com/TaxRevolt
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