What The Lever Reported This Week:
• Billionaires Are Bankrolling Judges’ Luxury Travel —Two deep-pocketed conservative organizations paid to send federal judges on 251 trips in 2021 and 2022 — far more than any other source.
• The Political Street Fighters Of Israeli Soccer — A soccer rivalry between an idealistic fan-owned club and a powerhouse’s racist hooligans reflects Israel’s continuing march towards right-wing extremism.
• Largest U.S. Teachers Union Allows Private Equity To Prey On Educators — The National Education Association’s benefits arm is pushing high-fee, poorly performing retirement plans run by a firm accused of fraud and mismanagement.
• As The Climate Summit Closes, A Single Sentence Offers Hope — The Dubai climate conference may have handed activists a new tool.
• YOU LOVE TO SEE IT: White House To Slash Drug Prices — Plus, Google suffers a big antitrust defeat, New York’s private colleges could lose wasteful tax breaks, and Massachusetts says goodbye to natural gas.
NEW E-BOOK: Protect Yourself Against Corporate Health Care
Profits Over Patients: The Corporatization of American Health Care And What You Can Do To Protect Yourself weaves together years of investigative reporting on America’s extraordinarily complicated health care system, identifying the private interests and craven politicians profiting off misery. Our e-books are exclusively for paid supporters of The Lever.
Stuff To Watch Or Listen To:
• LEVER TIME: How Big Oil Buys The News — David Sirota speaks with climate journalist Amy Westervelt about how the fossil fuel industry launders their image through the use of sponsored ‘advertorials.’
• MOVIES VS. CAPITALISM: It’s A Wonderful Life (w/ Melanie Vesey) — The MVC team explores the theme of American idealism in Frank Capra’s holiday classic It’s A Wonderful Life.
