The Lever

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Award-winning, reader-supported media outlet holding power accountable. LeverNews.com

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Trump’s brazen climate denialism is being ignored or downplayed — have news outlets given up on even pretending they care about climate?

Trump Wants The End Of The World As We Know It, And Corporate Media Feels Finewww.levernews.com Trump’s brazen climate denialism is being ignored or downplayed — have news outlets given up on even pretending they care about climate chaos?

🚨 SCOOP: A leaked memo suggests the Biden administration is undermining strict new standards for a new global carbon market at #COP28 The U.S. is effectively undercutting emissions regulations — and angering their EU allies.

Internal Doc Reveals Biden’s Troubling Climate Summit Planswww.levernews.com Government memo suggests the Biden administration is angering allies by undermining strict standards for a new global carbon market.

The country’s largest health insurer — @UHC — is using artificial intelligence to deny rehabilitation services for older and disabled Americans.

Why Drugs Are Disappearing From Your Insurance Coveragewww.levernews.com Powerful companies are removing hundreds of medicines from insurance plans — and they’re spending millions to stop attempts at reform.

Unbeknownst to many patients, insurers can change drug coverage throughout the year, removing medications that enrollees need. Those who lose access to their meds are usually barred from immediately moving to a different insurance plan. The problem is widespread.

The health insurance industry is full of exploitation and abuse, as companies look out for their shareholders while screwing over patients and providers. Is there anything you can do to protect yourself from corporate insurers’ worst practices?

Protecting Yourself From The Health Insurance Racketwww.levernews.com Expert advice on how to navigate the growing pitfalls of Medicare, Medicaid, and the health insurance marketplace.

Leonard Leo’s dark money network spent $18 million trying to defeat the Ohio abortion rights ballot measure. He lost.

Leonard Leo’s Fight Against Abortion Accesswww.levernews.com Leo’s dark money network has spent $18 million opposing the campaign to enshrine abortion rights in Ohio’s constitution.

Banks are doing everything they can to prevent consumers from shopping around for better options. Now, there could be a fix.

Your Bank Traps You. Here’s The Fix.www.levernews.com Financial institutions are doing everything they can to prevent consumers from shopping around for better banking options.

A dark money network has spent $18 million trying to block a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in Ohio’s constitution.

Leonard Leo’s Fight Against Abortion Accesswww.levernews.com Leo’s dark money network has spent $18 million opposing the campaign to enshrine abortion rights in Ohio’s constitution.

🚨BIG NEWS: The GOP's new Israel aid bill would defund the federal agency that's been working to block illicit money flowing to Hamas terrorists. The agency recently notched a huge win against Hamas - but would face a giant cut to its enforcement budget.

How The GOP’s Israel Bill Could Help Hamaswww.levernews.com Republicans aim to slash funding for the agency that recently blocked funds flowing to the terrorist group.

Bandcamp's recent sale to Songtradr and the layoffs that then took place (including of @bandcampunited's entire bargaining unit) are illustrative of a disturbing trend we see across the larger economy. We dig into it with Greg Saunier of Deerhoof and writer Robin James.

The Corporate Takeover Of Music (Lessons From Bandcamp)www.levernews.com The Lever explores the recent corporatization of the online music platform Bandcamp, amid a sale to Songtradr, and what it means for the music industry.

Partisans on both sides want us polarized rather than unified in defense of all human lives — and the right of both Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security.

The Fog Of War In Israel And Palestinewww.levernews.com As the long-running quagmire erupts into more bloodshed and destruction, we need to stop dehumanizing the conflict and acknowledge both sides’ pain and suffering.

LISTEN: Why the economic numbers don't reflect how working people feel about the economy. 👇

LEVER TIME: The Hidden Flaws Of ‘Bidenomics’www.levernews.com David Sirota speaks with Matt Stoller about the flawed data and faulty policies behind Biden’s economic plan.

Private insurers are systematically exploiting Medicare while delivering worse care to the nation’s most vulnerable patients. The gov is losing up to $140 BILLION every year by subsidizing Medicare Advantage plans. We explained a bombshell new report 👇

Insurers Are Gaming Medicare — To The Tune Of $140 Billionwww.levernews.com Private health insurers are systematically taking advantage of Medicare while denying care to seniors, a new report shows.

🚨NEWS: To preemptively — and permanently — block a wealth tax on the ultrarich, corporate dark money groups are employing top Democrats to plead their case before the Supreme Court. One insider includes former Obama admin Neal Katyal.

Top Dems Press Supreme Court To Block Billionaire Taxwww.levernews.com Obama’s former acting Solicitor General and a senator-turned-lobbyist are helping a dark money group pressure the high court.

🚨 INVESTIGATION: Some of the wealthiest people in the world are using the H-2A visa system to exploit some of the poorest, using a program intended to help struggling family farmers.

Billionaires Cash In On Abusive Farm Worker Scamwww.levernews.com To staff their agricultural properties, Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch, and other tycoons are using a controversial visa program linked to labor abuses and human trafficking.

What's happening to American men? And why should we care?

The American Masculinity Crisiswww.levernews.com On this week’s Lever Time, Richard Reeves explores the tensions within the modern male identity.

🚨NEW: As California considers precedent-setting climate legislation, lobbyists are playing both sides of the climate crisis. They're representing victims of climate change and the fossil fuel companies causing it.

California’s Climate Crisis Double Agentswww.levernews.com Exclusive: A watchdog group finds that lobbyists in California are working for both the culprits of climate change and its victims.

🚨INVESTIGATION: How a famous billionaire's son took over an American city and imposed his personal law enforcement ideology on it. Warren Buffett's son eventually got himself appointed sheriff without ever standing for election.

American Oligarchywww.levernews.com How Warren Buffett’s billionaire son took over a U.S. city and made it his personal playground.

On Monday, the United States will celebrate Labor Day, a holiday that the government calls an “annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers.” That definition obscures that the holiday was created in part to distract from the labor movement’s radical origins.

Labor Day’s Secret Historywww.levernews.com Labor Day has lost its radical roots. It’s time to take them back.

🚨NEW: Biden just announced the first 10 drugs that will be subject to new Medicare price negotiations. Big Pharma is throwing a fit — even though all of these medicines are already available elsewhere at fractions of what Americans are forced to pay.

Big Pharma’s American Conwww.levernews.com Drugmakers are charging foreigners far lower prices for medicines they want shielded from new Medicare price cuts.

Would the autoworkers strike change the labor movement (again)? We speak with Labor Notes writer Luis Felix Leon to understand a strike's transformational power for younger union members struggling under depressed wages and limited benefits.

LEVER TIME: Autoworkers Are Ready To Strikewww.levernews.com The Lever explores why the potential autoworkers strike could be transformational.

🚨INVESTIGATION: Driverless vehicles are wreaking havoc in San Fransisco. But after wining and dining officials and landing a former company lawyer in the regulatory agency, the 2 leading robo-taxi companies have been granted even more freedom.

The Lobbying Surge Behind San Francisco’s Robo-Taxi Mayhemwww.levernews.com Driverless taxi companies Cruise and Waymo wined and dined officials and landed a plum regulatory appointment before they scored free rein on San Francisco’s streets.

Hawaiian Electric, like other investor-owned utilities nationwide, has prioritized returning money to executives and shareholders while neglecting investments in essential public services.

For-Profit Power Is Courting Disasterwww.levernews.com Electric companies are hurting customers and hastening the climate emergency — but that’s just business for investor-owned utilities.

🚨NEWS: Maine is holding one of the most important climate elections in the country this year — potentially seizing the state's investor-owned electric utilities for public ownership. But the companies aren't going down without a fight.

The Campaign To Keep Electric Bills Highwww.levernews.com As voters in Maine decide whether to buy the state’s electric utilities, Democratic consultants rake in corporate cash while residents face shut-offs.

As California faces unprecedented wildfires and storms, a little-known state bill could effectively set national policy. Industry lobbying groups are spending millions to block legislation that would require thousands of companies to fully disclose their carbon emissions.

The Climate Culprits Hiding Their Role In California’s Extreme Weatherwww.levernews.com As California is pummeled by unprecedented storms and wildfires, corporations are fighting a landmark bill exposing their true contributions to climate change.

🚨 NEWS: As California faces wildfires and an unprecedented tropical storm, industry groups are spending millions to block legislation that would require companies to fully disclose their carbon emissions — a move with national impact.

Chicago’s new Mayor Brandon Johnson rode into office on a decade of teacher organizing, now he's paying it back with real policy changes. His election proves a strong labor movement can deliver political results.

What’s Behind Chicago’s Great Upsurge?www.levernews.com Chicago’s new Mayor Brandon Johnson rode into office on a decade of teacher organizing, proving a strong labor movement can deliver political results.

🚨BREAKING: James Ho, the Trump judge in the mifepristone case who said abortions cause “aesthetic injury” to doctors, has close ties to the group that led the case at his court. Records show Ho’s wife has received speaking fees from the group four years in a row.

Trump Judge’s Anti-Abortion Ruling Followed Payments From Group Leading Casewww.levernews.com The conservative group arguing the abortion pill case has made frequent payments to the spouse of James Ho, who just helped threaten access to the medicine.

We spoke with a lead attorney behind the climate change victory in Montana. She shared how the case’s legal strategy can be applied across the country + why the Biden admin is attempting to prevent other youth-led climate lawsuits from going to trial. 👇

LEVER TIME: Montana’s Monumental Climate Winwww.levernews.com The Lever team speaks with a lead attorney on the landmark climate change victory in Montana.