In the new episode of our weekly podcast Lever Time, David Sirota is joined by MSNBC host Chris Hayes for a deep-dive discussion on this year’s midterm elections, the responsibility of the media in covering unprecedented threats to democracy, and what it’s like being the lead anchor of one of the country’s largest cable news networks (6:27).

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In addition, David sits down with journalist and author Anand Giridharadas to talk about his new book, The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy, and how the art of persuasion is one of the most powerful — yet neglected — tools for overcoming the extreme polarization of modern politics (50:57).

Click here for a rough transcript of the episode.

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BONUS: Lever Time Premium, our extended weekly podcast for supporting subscribers, features David’s extended conversation with Anand — they spoke for almost an hour, trying their best to persuade each other about their respective ideas on persuasion.

To get access to Lever Time Premium and all of its bonus content, go here.

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We hope you enjoy our weekly podcast — it’s the next step in our plan to build a powerful independent voice to take on corporate media.