Lever Time

In 2024, the cryptocurrency industry spent more than $130 million to influence elections nationwide. Their campaign donations and lobbying efforts turned the tables for their risky boom-and-bust business, which is now poised to overtake our entire financial system.

In Part Two of What Tech Wants, Lever Time’s investigation into why Silicon Valley is buying our democracy, producer Ariella Markowitz reveals how crypto companies aligned with President Donald Trump to advance their agenda.

To listen to Part One of our series, click here.

Click here to subscribe to Molly White’s newsletter Citation Needed.

Click here to read Jacob Silverman’s book, Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley.

Click here for a full transcript of the episode.

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In 2022, nonprofit neighborhood groups, backed by Silicon Valley billionaires, helped recall a progressive district attorney in San Francisco. What happened next would change the country. 

In Part One of What Tech Wants, Lever Time’s investigation into why Silicon Valley is buying our democracy, producer Ariella Markowitz uncovers how a local experiment unlocked a new formula for political power.

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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As private investment companies encroach upon youth sports, how does that hurt the players — and their families? As Lever reporter Luke Goldstein discovered, there’s more at stake than just higher prices. 

Today on Lever Time, David Sirota tells the story of how a Lever investigation into a shocking claim prompted a national outcry, one that led to a small but mighty victory against Black Bear Sports Group, one of the youth sports kingpins calling the shots.

Read Luke Goldstein’s reporting mentioned in the episode here and here. 

Click here for a full transcript of the episode.

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To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism.
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This week we’re sharing a special episode from our friends at On NOTUS, which was recently featured by Semafor and POLITICO as a must-listen podcast.

Produced by the nonpartisan newsroom NOTUS and hosted by congressional journalist Reese Gorman, On NOTUS brings on lawmakers from Capitol Hill for truly candid conversations. Each week, they go past the headlines and soundbites to hear what really makes Congressional leaders tick and what brought them to Washington in the first place. You’ll get an insider's view of the people shaping policy in the United States, from House Majority Whip Tom Emmer to Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and beyond.

And today, we’re sharing On NOTUS’ recent episode with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who breaks down how to get things done in the House, why he decided to run for office, and the assassination attempt that almost took his life. It’s a conversation that is well worth a listen. 

And for more interviews like this, make sure to follow On NOTUS on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. And tell them we sent you.
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Are we wasting our talents on meaningless jobs? Should our career choices reflect our morals? Author and historian Rutger Bregman thinks so. He argues that the most talented people in America are stuck in a real-life version of the movie Office Space  — and that we should be trying to solve the world’s biggest problems instead. 

Today on Lever Time, David Sirota sits down with Bregman to ask: When did we lose our moral ambition? Are we greedy, cynical, or are we just trying to escape an ever-increasing affordability crisis?  

Click here to learn about Bregman’s book, Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent And Start Making A Difference.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

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To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism.
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