Today, we’re sharing the re-launch of The Lever’s flagship podcast Lever Time. In this week’s episode, David Sirota and senior podcast producer Arjun Singh discuss the 2024 presidential election, and the Democratic Party’s efforts to prevent a primary challenge to President Biden. Since 2008, Democratic Party leadership have worked to suppress primary challengers and support incumbent politicians. It’s not uncommon to see the party intervene in a primary on behalf of their preferred candidate...

“None of us benefit from a burning planet,” says activist and documentarian Astra Taylor on this week’s Deconstructed. Taylor and Leah Hunt-Hendrix join Ryan Grim to discuss their new book, “Solidarity: The Past, Present, And Future of a World-Changing Idea.” Delving into the philosophical depths of solidarity, they trace its origins back to ancient Rome and explore its relevance in today's interconnected world. Focusing on transformative solidarity, they highlight its potential to bridge...

A recent Gallup poll found that 29 percent of respondents said neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden are fit for the job. To unpack how voters are feeling about the two candidates, this week on Deconstructed, Ryan Grim is joined by Anat Shenker-Osorio, a returning guest, messaging expert, and host of the podcast “Words to Win By.” Together they dig into what she's been hearing from voters in swing states disillusioned by both parties and the whole electoral process. If you’d like to support our...

Meta — Facebook and Instagram's parent company — refuses to provide evidence refuting widespread reports that it's censoring Gaza-related content on its platforms. This week on Deconstructed, technology reporter Sam Biddle joins Ryan Grim to discuss his recent reporting on the efforts of Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to press Meta for specifics. Grim and Biddle dig into debates blaming the horrifying images coming out of Gaza for turning young people against the...

Chanting “power and food,” demonstrators have filled Cuba’s streets in recent days. This week on Deconstructed, Ryan Grim delves into the complexities of Cuba’s current economic crisis with Andrés Pertierra, a historian of Latin America and the Caribbean. They discuss the various factors deepening the crisis and driving people to the streets, from the half-century-long U.S. embargo on the island, its own economic policies, pandemic-related destabilization, and sanctions the Trump...

Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry has been compelled to resign as armed gangs tighten their grip on the nation's capital, seizing control of police stations, the main international airport, and freeing thousands of prisoners. This week on Deconstructed, researcher and writer Jake Johnston, who has spent more than a decade reporting on Haiti, joins Ryan Grim to discuss the latest wave of violence hitting the country and the events that led to it. Johnston’s new book, “Aid State: Elite Panic,...

The U.S. State Department this week congratulated Pakistan's new prime minister on assuming power, following elections that were marred by widespread allegations of rigging, voter suppression, and violence targeting supporters of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan. On a special crossover episode of Intercepted and Deconstructed, hosts Murtaza Hussain and Ryan Grim discuss the aftermath of Pakistan's February 8 election, as well as growing calls inside the U.S. to hold Pakistan's...

In 1960, the Congo gained independence from Belgium. Patrice Lumumba was elected prime minister and Joseph Kasavubu president. Within a year, Lumumba was deposed and assassinated. This week on Deconstructed, executive editor of Foreign Affairs and author Stuart Reid joins Ryan Grim to discuss U.S. Cold War paranoia and the plot to assassinate Lumumba. “The great tragedy of these events,” says Reid, who has read the American cables, “the Americans are seeing Soviet ghosts everywhere and every...

Starting Tuesday, a U.K. court will review Julian Assange’s appeal against extradition to the United States. At the center of the extradition controversy is concern that Assange will be tortured and put in solitary confinement in what’s known as a CMU — communications management unit — in federal prison. This week on Deconstructed, Ryan Grim is joined by Martin Gottesfeld, a human rights activist who was formerly imprisoned in two of the nation’s CMUs. Gottesfeld shares his experience...

Gen. Prabowo Subianto, who has expressed a desire to rule the country as a fascist, declared victory Wednesday in Indonesia's presidential election. This week on Deconstructed, Ryan Grim is joined by Allan Nairn, a longtime investigative journalist focusing on U.S. intervention around the world. Nairn, reporting from Indonesia, describes the current election process in the country and the crimes Prabowo has been implicated in. He details the government’s intimidation tactics to attempt to...

Within the first 100 days of its war on Gaza, the Israeli military systematically destroyed every single university on the strip. International human rights monitors have found significant evidence that Palestinian scholars and intellectual figures have been targeted by Israeli strikes. The Israeli military has decimated Gaza’s education system and its infrastructure. This week on Deconstructed, Natasha Lennard, a columnist for The Intercept, fills in for Ryan Grim and speaks with Dr. Ahmed...

Amid ongoing congressional negotiations for a new immigration bill, a bipartisan effort is underway to deter migration through measures such as immediate detention and deportation, as well as more stringent restrictions on asylum-seekers. This week on Deconstructed, John Washington, a staff writer at Arizona Luminaria and contributor for The Intercept, argues the humane — and economically sound — solution is to open the border. Washington joins Ryan Grim to discuss his new book, “The Case for...

This week on Deconstructed, Munir Akram, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations, joins Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain to discuss a wide array of topics, including the escalating conflict in Yemen and Israel’s attacks on Palestine. Akram also discusses the complicated relationships between Pakistan and some of its neighbors, including India, China, and Iran, as well as Pakistan's own internal instability and challenges as it nears elections. If you’d like to support our work, go to...

Today we're sharing an episode from Counter Points, where Ryan Grim speaks to Guillaume Long, who served as Ecuador's foreign minister under former President Rafael Correa. They discuss the narco gangs rebellion in Ecuador, and how Trump-and-then-Biden-driven austerity in the country has hollowed out the state and let narcos fill the vacuum. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Deconstructed, Ryan Grim speaks to the filmmakers behind “Israelism,” a new documentary that takes a narrative look at the unique relationship between the American Jewish community and an idealized version of the state of Israel. Grim is joined by “Israelism” co-directors Erin Axelman and Sam Eilertsen. Axelman and Eilertsen are two first-time Jewish filmmakers who share a similar story to the film’s protagonists, Simone Zimmerman and Eitan. Zimmerman, co-founder of the...

Humanitarian aid into Gaza faces "near insurmountable challenges,” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday at a news conference in Geneva. Amed Khan, a humanitarian relief activist who has helped deliver aid in war zones around the world, said the refugee situation in Gaza is unlike any other: "There is no safe place to go.” Khan joins Ryan Grim on Deconstructed this week to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and why President Joe...

Today, we’re sharing an episode of the podcast “Lever Time” from our friends at the reader-supported investigative news outlet The Lever. On this week’s episode of “Lever Time,” Lever producer Frank Cappello and senior editor and reporter Andrew Perez are joined by health care journalist Bob Herman, who recently co-authored a report for the health care industry news organization STAT detailing how the country’s largest health insurer has used artificial intelligence to deny rehabilitation...

More than 18,600 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s latest wave of attacks began just over two months ago, following the October 7 Hamas attack that killed some 1,200 Israelis. While the Biden administration continues to support Israel in its devastation, politicians and heads of state around the world are calling for a ceasefire. The last extended war on Gaza, in 2021, would reshape the Democratic Party's posture toward Israel and Palestine.  On this episode of Deconstructed,...

The 2008 economic crisis changed the world. In the United States, the meager response by Barack Obama and the Democratic Party produced a recovery that was far too slow, drove an eviction crisis, and fueled a populist backlash. On the left, it took the form of Occupy Wall Street, which put the problem of wealth and income inequality — the 99 percent versus the 1 percent — into the national political conversation for the first time since the Great Depression. Followed a few years later by the...

When Bernie Sanders launched his first presidential campaign in early 2015, the political world could not have been more different than it is today. His run set in motion a movement — or, really, a series of movements that clashed and blended over the ensuing years, reshaping both the Democratic Party and the country. On today’s episode of Deconstructed, we’re trying something new: Host Ryan Grim narrates the audio version of his new book “The Squad: AOC and the Hope of a Political...

Ryan Grim has a new book out called "The Squad: AOC and the Hope of a Political Revolution." This week on Deconstructed, Grim's "Breaking Points" co-host Krystal Ball, a former MSNBC host, interviews him about his latest book. The conversation was held at Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C. Like we did earlier with our Naomi Klein interview, we’re running the conversation here as today’s episode. The event included a brief reading and a wide-ranging conversation that touched on...

This week, theaters around the country will begin to screen “Napoleon,” a historical drama film based on the story of Napoleon Bonaparte. The film, starring Joaquin Phoenix in the titular role, chronicles Bonaparte’s rise to power and his relationship with Joséphine Bonaparte, his first wife, played by Vanessa Kirby. This week on Deconstructed, author Sandra Gulland joins Ryan Grim to talk about Joséphine Bonaparte and her life during major moments of French history. Gulland has written a...

In late October, after a six-week strike, the United Auto Workers reached a historic contract deal with the big three Detroit automakers. This week, as membership votes to approve the contract are underway, President Joe Biden rallied with the UAW president in Illinois to celebrate the tentative agreement between the union and the automakers. This week on Deconstructed, UAW President Shawn Fain joins Ryan Grim to discuss the victory. Fain was elected president of the union earlier this year...

Fourteen Democratic senators called for a "short-term cessation of hostilities” on Thursday, as Israel’s airstrikes continued for the fourth week and a ground invasion intensified. So far 18 House members have signed on to a resolution, introduced weeks earlier, with stronger calls for an "immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and occupied Palestine.” Pro-Israel lobbying groups have already begun efforts to oust House members pushing for a ceasefire. This week on Deconstructed,...