logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2024
56m 3s

Rise of the Machine

The Lever
About this episode

After a series of setbacks in the push to legalize corruption, the master planners know they must take over the U.S. Supreme Court and halt the trend of Republican-appointed justices siding with campaign finance reformers. So in the early 2000s, they deploy their new judicial machine in an epic battle to try to permanently change the courts from the bottom up. This is part one of a two-part story about how the Roberts Court was built.

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


Follow us on social

Send feedback, questions, or ideas to podcasts@levernews.com

Up next
Aug 2024
Trailer — Legalizing Corruption
A secret plot. A public theft. A democracy corrupted.Discover the truth. The first two episodes of Master Plan, a new podcast from The Lever, will be available on August 27 wherever you get your podcasts.Listen early and ad-free at masterplanpodcast.com 
2m 13s
Aug 2024
Milk Money
Ever wonder how America became so corrupt? It didn’t have to be this way. Our series begins in 1971, a time when hot pants were hot, bell bottoms were swinging, and campaign cash flowed like… milk. Get Master Plan episodes early and ad-free by becoming a paid subscriber. Enjoy bo ... Show More
34m 19s
Aug 2024
The Other Watergate
There’s a lost tale behind Watergate: corporate bagmen, suitcases of illegal cash, and Nixon circumventing the very campaign finance rules he’d just signed into law. Amid the blowback, Nixon leaves a ticking time bomb in the heart of Washington.Get Master Plan episodes early and ... Show More
44m 37s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
Introducing Master Plan: Legalizing Corruption
This week we’re sharing an excerpt of the first episode of our new investigative series Master Plan, which was recently named a must-listen by The Guardian and Apple Podcasts. In each episode of Master Plan, The Lever’s David Sirota and his team of journalists expose the secret s ... Show More
6m 35s
Apr 2025
‘I Felt Ashamed.’ Why One Lawyer Resigned When His Firm Caved to Trump
Over the past few weeks, President Trump has used executive orders to wage war on law firms, specifically targeting those whose lawyers have investigated or sued him, or represented his enemies in court.Michael Barbaro speaks to Thomas Sipp, a lawyer who chose to quit after his f ... Show More
35m 49s
Aug 2024
Trump, Vance, and The Republican Anti-Worker Playbook
The right-wing talks a big economic populist game, claiming that the working class is their chief concern. But their pro-worker words don’t translate into pro-worker actions. During the first Trump administration, for instance, Republicans killed raising the minimum wage and crea ... Show More
1h 7m
Feb 2025
Shillbilly Elegy: How JD Vance Became a Winning Spokesman for MAGA's Darkest Machinations
JD Vance emerged as a media darling with “Hillbilly Elegy,” his best-selling 2016 memoir of growing up poor in Ohio, but it's just one of several hats he's worn—Yale-trained lawyer, Silicon Valley venture capitalist, Never Trump pundit, Pro-Trump senator, and Vice President of th ... Show More
36m 45s
Jul 11
Trump Announces New Tariffs And Gets Supreme Court's OK On Layoff Plans
The Supreme Court gave President Trump the green light to move forward with plans to lay off thousands of federal workers. We discuss the potential impacts of the ruling, plus new tariffs Trump announced this week. This episode: political correspondent Ashley Lopez, labor and wor ... Show More
21m 8s
Feb 2021
The Cable News Segment Everyone Should Watch (Ep 1451)
In this episode, I discuss the stunning cable news clip we must all watch. It involves the increasingly troubling cooperation between big government and big business, to destroy civil liberties.  News Picks: The Supreme Court is a day late and a dollar short as they take a look a ... Show More
1h 4m
May 2
Roundup: Mike Waltz Is Out, Young Democrats Ask What's Next, And Can't Let It Go
Mike Waltz is out as President Trump's National Security Adviser, it's the first major departure for the Trump White House since the start of his second term. Then, young Democrats are expressing dissatisfaction with their party, and making moves: primarying sitting incumbent law ... Show More
21m 40s
Jul 23
A D.O.J. Whistleblower Speaks Out
Warning: This episode contains strong language.An explosive whistle-blower report claims that the Justice Department is asking government lawyers to lie to the courts, and that this has forced career officials to chose between upholding the Constitution and pledging loyalty to th ... Show More
34m 29s
Feb 2025
McConnell Announces His Retirement And Trump Signs Another Executive Order
Sen. Mitch McConnell announced today that he would not seek reelection when his term is over in 2026, ending his 40-year career in Congress. Then, Donald Trump signed another executive order on Tuesday, giving him expanded power over independent agencies. This episode: political ... Show More
16m 6s
Oct 2024
How NAFTA Broke American Politics
On the campaign trail, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are constantly talking about trade, tariffs and domestic manufacturing.In many ways, these talking points stem from a single trade deal that transformed the U.S. economy and remade both parties’ relationship with the working c ... Show More
47m 8s