Lever Time with David Sirota The Lever

David Sirota sits down with U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) for a wide-ranging interview. They discuss the proposed debt ceiling deal and whether Democrats could have done more to stop Republicans from holding the U.S. economy hostage. 
They also discuss Murphy’s key legislative focus: social media’s harmful effects on Americans, particularly children, and what can be done to stop it.
According to a survey by Common Sense Media, teenagers report spending nearly nine hours every day in front of screens, 38 percent of kids ages eight to twelve say they use social media, and more than 60 percent report trying and failing to quit social media. All of these findings are possible signs of dependency and addiction. Social media companies won’t address this problem on their own, since their business model is predicated on keeping users scrolling as long as possible. 
That’s why Sen. Murphy, along with a bipartisan group of lawmakers, recently proposed the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, legislation that would limit some of the most harmful aspects of social media from endangering America’s children. David speaks with Sen. Murphy about his proposal, and the larger issues of social isolation and depression plaguing Americans. 

A transcript of this episode is available here.
Links:


We are senators from both parties. It’s time to protect kids on social media. (Washington Post, 2023)

This Democratic Senator Is Making an Unusual Enemy (The New Republic, 2023)
BONUS: Last Monday's bonus episode of Lever Time Premium, exclusively for The Lever’s supporting subscribers, included David’s interview with political theorist Adolph Reed Jr. about his new book No Politics But Class Politics. To get access to Lever Time Premium, click here.

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On this week’s episode of Lever Time: David Sirota sits down with writer and executive producer Frank Rich to discuss the series finale of HBO’s Succession. 
As the award-winning series comes to an end this Sunday, David and Frank take a look at Succession’s role in popular culture over the last five years, particularly its satire of the media industrial-complex and the American political system. Frank explains how the show offers a larger commentary on power and influence but above all, tells a story about a broken family. David also asks whether it’s plausible for an “intellectual fascist” like the character Jeryd Mencken to succeed in the Republican primary system. 
A transcript of this episode is available here.
Links:

Frank Rich Bids Farewell to Succession (Vanity Fair 2023)BONUS: Next Monday’s bonus episode of Lever Time Premium, exclusively for The Lever’s supporting subscribers, will include David’s interview with political theorist Adolph Reed Jr. about his new book No Politics But Class Politics. To get access to Lever Time Premium, click here.
If you’d like access to Lever Time Premium, which includes extended interviews and bonus content, head over to LeverNews.com to become a supporting subscriber.
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On this week’s episode of Lever Time: After corporate pundits spent the last year gaslighting the American public into believing that rising corporate profits were definitely not driving inflation, now economists and financial institutions are arriving at consensus that rising corporate profits are in fact driving inflation.
David Sirota sits down with Lindsay Owens, the Executive Director of the Groundwork Collaborative, and Hal Singer, the Managing Director of Econ One, who have both been sounding the alarm for over a year about corporate price gouging and profiteering which have been driving inflation. The group digs into the origins of the false inflation narrative, which corporate pundits and beltway economists are most responsible, and how policymakers can push back.
A transcript of this episode is available here.
Links:


How Pundits’ Inflation Myth Crushed The Working Class (The Lever, 2023)

The Real Inflation Problem: Corporate Profiteering (Groundwork Collaborative, 2022)

With the New Consensus on How Profits Are Driving Inflation, We Must Pivot to New Policies (The Sling, 2023)
BONUS: Next Monday's bonus episode of Lever Time Premium, exclusively for The Lever’s supporting subscribers, will include our interview with Tara Raghuveer, the campaign director for the People’s Action Home Guarantee campaign, to discuss the skyrocketing rent prices across the U.S. Tara explains who’s profiting off rising rents and what policies can be put in place to help renters.
If you'd like access to Lever Time Premium, which includes extended interviews and bonus content, head over to LeverNews.com to become a supporting subscriber.
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/tipjar

Thanks to our sponsor Sheets & Giggles. To get 20% off your order, head over to SheetsGiggles.com/lever. Make sure to use the discount code LEVER at checkout. 

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: David Sirota is joined by Josh Olson and Dave Anthony, hosts of The Audit podcast, to discuss the dangerous influence of the conservative media network Prager University (also known as PragerU). 
PragerU has become one of the most successful peddlers of right-wing propaganda, as their professionally produced short-form videos often go viral on YouTube and Facebook. Though they originally made videos for adults, PragerU’s “educational content” has pivoted towards children and their parents in recent years. Now, shockingly, PragerU videos are finding their way into the American education system, as teachers across the country use PragerU content in their classrooms, with or without the consent of students and their parents. 
This season of The Audit focuses specifically on PragerU, digging into how this propaganda organization got its start, where it gets its money from, and how it's attempting to indoctrinate America’s children.
A transcript of this episode is available here.
Links:


The Right Curriculum? How PragerU Infiltrates Schools. (The American Prospect, 2021)

Right-wing propaganda organization PragerU begins targeting children (The Hawk Talk, 2022)

Inside the Right-Wing YouTube Empire That’s Quietly Turning Millennials Into Conservatives (Mother Jones, 2018)
BONUS: Next Monday's bonus episode of Lever Time Premium, exclusively for The Lever’s supporting subscribers, will include David’s dual interviews with with Brendan Ballou, author of the new book Plunder: Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America, and Josh Rosner, co-author of These Are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs – And Wrecks – America. Brendan and Josh break down everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the private equity industry, which is arguably one of the most destructive industries within the American economy. 

If you'd like access to Lever Time Premium, which includes extended interviews and bonus content, head over to LeverNews.com to become a supporting subscriber.
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/tipjar

Thanks to our sponsor Sheets & Giggles. To get 20% off your order, head over to SheetsGiggles.com/lever. Make sure to use the discount code LEVER at checkout. 

David Sirota sits down with Dr. Max Tegmark, president of the Future of Life Institute and one of the world’s leading experts in artificial intelligence, to dive into the growing debate around AI. In this deep-dive conversation, Dr. Tegmark breaks down recent breakthroughs in generative AI technology like ChatGPT and explains how it could replace most forms of human labor — for better or worse. They unpack why private interests are barreling forward with commercial AI development and why the Future of Life Institute has publicly called for an immediate pause on all AI experimentation. Dr. Tegmark also explains how AI could be the most transformative technology in human history — and the (small!) probability it becomes the Terminator. 
Next Monday's bonus episode of Lever Time Premium, exclusively for The Lever’s supporting subscribers, will include David’s extended conversation with Dr. Tegmark. In this special bonus segment, Dr. Tegmark describes the safety measures that could prevent the emergence of the most dangerous forms of AI. If those precautions are put in place, he argues, AI could cure disease, stop climate change, end poverty, and just maybe set us free. 
Links:


Pause Giant AI Experiments: An Open Letter (Future of Life Institute, 2023)

EU lawmakers' challenge to rein in ChatGPT and generative AI (Reuters, 2023)
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A transcript of this episode is available here.

Thanks to our sponsor Sheets & Giggles. To get 20% off your order, head over to SheetsGiggles.com/lever. Make sure to use the discount code LEVER at checkout. 

On this week’s episode of Lever Time: David Sirota speaks with Philadelphia Inquirer journalists Barbara Laker and David Gambacorta about their recent blockbuster investigation, which details how chemicals found in the AstroTurf at Veterans Stadium may be linked to the deaths of six Philadelphia Phillies baseball players. The three discuss how hazardous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” are now being discovered in a variety of different products. They also unpack why the conditions at Veterans Stadium may have been uniquely hazardous — and what, if anything, is being done to regulate PFAS.
Links: 


Field Of Dread (The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 2023)

Toxic PFAS Chemicals Found In Artificial Turf (The Intercept, October 2019)
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A transcript of this episode is available here.

Thanks to our sponsor Sheets & Giggles. To get 20% off your order, head over to SheetsGiggles.com/lever. Make sure to use the discount code LEVER at checkout.