Even before the deadly floods in Texas last week, the United States had a problem. For years, the federal government has been ignoring calls for a nationwide network of flood monitors in American waterways. According to reporting from The Lever, 99 percent of waterways in the U.S. are not being tracked, largely because of governmental funding limitations. Today on Lever Time, David Sirota sits down with Lever reporter Freddy Brewster to explore how underutilized sensors called streamgages could protect communities from flooding disasters — and why they haven’t been fully funded. You can read The Lever's exclusive reporting on streamgages here.Get Lever Time Premium, with ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended interviews, by becoming a member at levernews.com/subscribeIf 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/donate
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The Case For Calling Gaza A Genocide
Since Israel launched its war in Gaza a year and a half ago in response to Hamas’s October 7 attack, Israeli armed forces have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in their quest to destroy Hamas. But more and more experts say what’s happening in Gaza isn’t just a war — it’s genocide.Today on Lever Time, David Sirota sits down with Washington Post columnist Shadi Hamid to talk about why so many have trouble using the word “genocide” to describe Israel’s mass violence, why that word must be in the discourse, and why linguistic choices can have lasting consequences.You can read Shadi Hamid’s op-ed here.Get Lever Time Premium, with ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended interviews, by becoming a member at levernews.com/subscribeIf 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/donate
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Why Did Trump Rush To Pass The Tax Cut Bill?
Why did Republicans rush their massive tax cut bill through Congress? What are they hiding? As the media focuses on specific provisions, David Sirota digs into the bill’s far-reaching consequences, warning it could reshape society for generations. He calls up an old friend, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who explains how the bill will hurt working-class voters and why its rationale is, in his words, “total bullshit.” They also talk political fear, arson, and whether lawmakers will be held accountable.Get Lever Time Premium, with ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended interviews, by becoming a member at levernews.com/subscribe 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/donate
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Are We Closer Than Ever To Nuclear War?
Seventy-two minutes. That’s how long it could take from a country launching a nuclear weapon to global nuclear winter and the end of human civilization. If that’s not scary enough, the United States is right now involved in two proxy wars involving nuclear powers — one in Ukraine, and the other in the Middle East. Today on Lever Time, David Sirota asks acclaimed investigative journalist Annie Jacobsen, author of Nuclear War: A Scenario, the big bombshell questions: What scenarios are most likely to trigger a nuclear conflict? What can be done to pull us back from the brink? And just how close are we to the worst-case scenario?As a bonus to our paid subscribers, we're also releasing our full interview with Annie Jacobsen, exclusively on Lever Time Premium. Click here to access that interview.
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Can Trump’s War Be Stopped?
Donald Trump just launched America into a war with Iran, and he’s done so without any authorization from Congress. A growing group of lawmakers says this is illegal and unconstitutional, and they are calling for an emergency session of Congress to force a vote to stop him. Sirota talks to U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who is currently leading the fight to stop Trump’s escalation and pressure his fellow Democrats to follow his lead. The big question: Will there be enough votes from Democrats and MAGA Republicans to halt a conflict that could escalate into World War III?
From LeverNews.com — Lever Time is the flagship podcast from the investigative news outlet The Lever. Hosted by 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, and expert analysis from the sharpest minds in media and politics.
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