LEVER WEEKLY: Sun’s Out, Lies Out

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.

Here’s what The Lever published this week:

Is Trump’s Energy Czar Lying About His Solar Past? Energy Secretary Chris Wright submitted a resume to Congress with what appears to be false information about working in solar energy. He’s repeated the claim in almost every public appearance since.

Israel’s War Is Florida’s New Investment. Florida is poised to eliminate long-standing guardrails limiting local investment in increasingly risky Israel bonds that help finance the country’s war efforts.

Dems’ Crypto Schemers Have Entered The Chat. A secret group chat reveals that Democratic strategists plan to support the pro-crypto GENIUS Act for political gain, despite acknowledging it’s a Trump corruption giveaway.

Wall Street Gets A Trump Tax Break To Fire Workers. Lawmakers quietly added a line that effectively subsidizes Wall Street buying up companies, slashing wages, closing factories, and firing workers.

Drugmakers’ Secret Weapon To Keep Your Meds Overpriced. Big drugmakers are abusing the drug patent process to generate extra revenue at the cost of patients.

Big Tech Is Behind Your Massive Electric Bill. States are competing to attract artificial intelligence-powering data centers, at the expense of consumers’ electricity bills.

The Patent Loophole Keeping Your Drugs Expensive. Pharmaceutical manufacturers are exploiting patent law to extend their brand-name drug monopolies for years past their original expiration date.

The MAHA Movement’s Early Surrender. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised to fight corporations to make America healthy again, but his efforts so far have been all flash and little substance.

New York City Is About To Decide Democrats’ Future. The upcoming results of the mayoral election could determine the future of the Democratic Party.

How Trump Launched His Own War In The Middle East. As the president pressed for an Iran nuclear deal, he approved Israel’s new war. Will America’s own military soon be directly involved?

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Not yet reading Lever Daily? You’re missing out on news like this:

🪖 Welcome to the war economy. As the U.S. teeters on the edge of a possible war with Iran, executives for the country’s biggest defense contractor can’t hide their excitement. The chief operating officer of defense company Lockheed Martin — which relies on taxpayer-funded government contracts for roughly three-quarters of its billions in annual revenue — recently boasted that its C-suite predicts a “three-to-five-year surge” in global defense spending. To cozy up further to the Trump administration, Lockheed Martin just hired one of the president’s former press aides to serve on its corporate communications team.

📱 You used to call me on my Trump phone… The Trump Organization announced it will begin selling its own smartphone and wireless service plans this September. The $499 “T1” phone and $47.45-per-month “47 Plan” offers unlimited talk, data, and text along with roadside assistance and a “telehealth and pharmacy benefit.” Who needs health care when you’ve got Trump Mobile?

🫡 Fascism Lite, sponsored by Big Tech. Last weekend’s military parade in Washington, D.C., was funded with the help of some of President Donald Trump’s biggest tech industry supporters, including ones with major business before his administration. That includes Jeff Bezos’ Amazon, which is seeking to dethrone Microsoft as the government’s number one software developer; Oracle, an artificial intelligence firm reportedly tapped by the administration to stage a purchase of TikTok; and Palantir, the mass surveillance corporation reportedly compiling a master list of Americans’ data. Meanwhile, a new Defense Department initiative just recruited executives from Palantir, Meta, and OpenAI to join the U.S. Army Reserves as part-time military officers. Together, they’ll form a new “Executive Innovation Corps” dedicated to bringing about a new era of defense technology.

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:

• Public election financing is winning a big election.
• Protesters crash Trump’s party. 
• Policy makes it easier to see live music.
• Consumer product safety scores a victory.

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Travel + Leisure — The travel publication highlighted our reporting on how airlines are collecting your data and selling it to ICE.

Accountable.US — The watchdog group included our coverage of President Donald Trump’s connections to Project 2025 in their weekly news roundup.

Truthout — The publication referenced our reporting on the crypto strategists pushing Democrats to pass crypto-friendly legislation. 

Citation Needed — Molly White’s newsletter also noted our exposé of the crypto strategists’ secret group chat.