This is Lever Weekly, a recap of our work from the past week. If you only read one email from us all week, this should be it
Our work is driving accountability at the highest levels. In the past few weeks, our reporting has inspired two congressional investigations and taken center stage at a Trump nominee’s confirmation hearing. But there is much more to do. Join us in our mission by becoming a supporting subscriber with a big discount.
Here’s what The Lever published this week:
LEVER DEEP DIVE OF THE WEEKGet Ready To Pay In ZuckBucks. The GENIUS Act isn’t just a crypto giveaway — it could turn tech giants into unregulated banks.
LEVER SCOOPS OF THE WEEK
The Pharma Puppets Keeping Your Drug Prices High. Six supposed patient advocacy groups are closely linked to drugmakers and pushing industry-aligned agendas, according to a new report.
Tesla’s Great Shareholder Muzzling Of 2025. As Tesla’s sales collapse, Trump’s financial regulators just let Elon Musk’s vehicle company block nearly all shareholder proposals, including on union efforts and climate goals.
The Lever Wins The 2025 National Press Club Award. This award is a major milestone not just for The Lever’s newsroom, but for all independent news outlets competing with the world’s biggest media conglomerates.
Trump May Let Private Equity Rob Your Retirement. The president may soon grant a longtime industry wish and hand over Americans’ retirement plans to private equity.
The Return Of Boeing’s Sweetheart Deal. The Trump administration dropped criminal charges against Boeing for its fatal 737 Max crashes, letting the manufacturer off the hook without a trial or even a guilty plea.
Democratic Voters Know Who Their Real Enemy Is. New polling shows Democratic voters already understand what the “Abundance” argument gets wrong: The real problem is corporate power.
THIS WEEK ON LEVER PODCASTS
Is This The End Of DOGE? The inside scoop on what happened to Musk and what kinds of ticking time bombs he and DOGE may have left inside the federal government.
They can’t scam who they can’t find. Let Incogni get your personal information off the internet. Help protect yourself from identity theft, spam calls, and online threats impacting your physical safety. Get 55% off annual plans by using LEVER at the checkout.
THIS WEEK’S LEVER DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
Not yet reading Lever Daily? You’re missing out on news like this:
💸 The private prison consultant overseeing mass deportations. Trump’s pick to manage his mass deportation policy at the border recently cashed in as a consultant for one of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s biggest private prison contractors. Disclosures reveal that for at least two years since he took public office, border czar Tom Homan consulted for the Trump-aligned GEO Group, which predicted the president’s election would prove a huge windfall and since January has already landed multiple new ICE detention contracts projected to bring the company $130 million in annual revenue.
🚪 One foot out the revolving door. The largest cryptocurrency lobbying group in D.C. hired Commodity Futures Trading Commissioner Summer Mersinger as its CEO weeks before she’s set to vacate her government position. Between May 14 and May 30, Mersinger (a Republican and longtime cryptocurrency ally) will have served on the CFTC as an up-and-coming hire of a major trade association representing the companies she is tasked with regulating.
🕯️ Bribery underneath the candlelight. How romantic. Just one month after his mother attended a $1 million-a-head “candlelit” dinner with Trump, the president pardoned Florida business owner and convicted tax cheat Paul Walczak, reports The New York Times. Walczak — who owed more than $10 million in unpaid taxes — claimed his prosecution was politically motivated, even citing his mother’s long history of pro-Trump political giving in his pardon application.
WE LOVE TO SEE IT
Every week, our paid subscribers receive a newsletter full of policy wins, environmental victories, and social initiatives improving their lives.
A taste of this week’s good news:
- Farmers fight for a new kind of almanac.
- Striking workers are covered.
- A judge defends the Education Department.
- Wildfire prevention could save paradise.
THANK YOU TO OUR LEVER LEADERS
Lever Leaders provide us with our highest level of support and score additional perks in return, including an annual gift of limited-edition Lever merchandise, a yearly gift subscription for friends and family, and access to an exclusive Lever staff meeting for a sneak peek at our future plans. Every week, we highlight folks who’ve taken that step.
Join readers like Vivek, who had this to say about becoming a Lever Leader
“I’m from and live in India, and I see the worst of American elite domination methods being picked up and used here by our own caste/economic elites. Apart from supporting your work for its own sake, it’s an understated fact that American neoliberal innovation gets used by elites abroad to eat their local populations as well, making it an understated need that someone needs to do deep reportage on what is done to Americans to understand what may be done too to everyone else. We’re all one in these struggles, and I can support your work, so I will.”
LEVER IN THE NEWS
The Majority Report — Luke Goldstein joined the show to discuss his reporting on the Big Tech giveaways in the GENIUS Act.
Migration Policy Institute — The think tank featured our reporting on the secret surveillance partnership between major airlines and government agencies.
The Verge — The tech-centered website referenced our reporting on the consultants helping corporations exploit Trump’s tariffs to raise prices.
The Mark Thompson Show — David Sirota joined the show to discuss the impacts of Trump’s tariffs.
Podnews — The industry website highlighted The Lever winning the prestigious National Press Award for Master Plan.
- Westword and BizCommunity also reported on our win.
Chapo Trap House — Sirota and Arjun Singh appeared on the podcast to discuss our Tax Revolt audio miniseries.
