In the new episode of our weekly podcast Lever Time: After the Southwest Airlines debacle that saw over 2,500 flights canceled and up to a million travelers stranded over the holidays, David Sirota explores how the U.S. airline industry became one of the most concentrated and despised industries in the country with the help of William J. McGee, a senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American Economic Liberties Project (10:50).

William explains to David the history of airline deregulation and the federal preemption that left oversight of the industry solely in the questionable hands of the Secretary of Transportation.

A rough transcript of the episode is available here.

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BONUS: On Lever Time Premium, our extended weekly podcast for supporting subscribers, David sits down with journalist David Enrich to discuss his new book Servants of the Damned: Giant Law Firms, Donald Trump, and the Corruption of Justice. It’s an incredible exposé on some of the world’s largest law firms, including Jones Day, and the shadowy power they wield over some of our country’s most important institutions (43:13).

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