LEVER WEEKLY: The Footnote That Says It All

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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.

Below you will find a breakdown of our reporting, podcasts, videos, and live events — a feature now open to all subscribers. Following that, we are providing paid subscribers with an original column, written by a member of The Lever, connecting the dots on our coverage to deliver important takeaways.

In this week’s column, exclusively for paid subscribers, Andrew Perez spotlights an incredible footnote detailing why there’s a radical conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court.

Stuff The Lever Reported This Week:

• Airline CEO Admits Ticket Scam Permitted By Buttigieg — United Airlines’ CEO said airlines are selling seats for flights they can’t staff — but Buttigieg hasn’t acted on state officials’ demand that he crack down.

• The Airlines Are Finally Being Investigated — After The Lever’s reporting, Pete Buttigieg has started doing his job. But we must keep the pressure on.

• Ending The Social Security Tax Break For The Rich — Joe Manchin just endorsed a Social Security proposal championed by progressives for two decades — will Biden seize the opportunity?

• CHEAT SHEET: The Battle Over Cop City — In just five minutes, we’ll tell you all about the Atlanta Police Foundation’s controversial plan to build the country’s largest cop training facility.

Stuff To Watch & Listen To:

• LEVER TIME: The State Of Congress — David Sirota speaks with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) about the current goings-on in Congress.

• LEVER TIME: Why Republicans Want To Defund The IRS — David unpacks the Republican-led effort to hobble federal tax enforcers.

• LEVER TIME PREMIUM: Could ChatGPT Change The Education System? — The Lever’s journalists explore the rise of AI-driven chatbots.

• LEVER LIVE: The Worst Offerings From Corporate Media — Andrew Perez and Matthew Cunningham-Cook explore some of the most egregious recent examples of corporate journalism malfeasance.

• How Pete Buttigieg Is Effing Up and Pfizer Rents A News Blog (Left Reckoning) — The Lever’s Andrew Perez joins Matt Lech to discuss his recent reporting.

Thank You To One Of Our Newest Lever Leaders

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The Footnote That Says It All

By Andrew Perez

With the Supreme Court beginning to issue new rulings as part of a term that features cases that could end affirmative action at colleges, allow businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ+ customers, and give state legislatures full oversight of federal elections, it’s worth re-reading a footnote in a recent book by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) that explains how exactly we got here.

In October, Whitehouse published his book, The Scheme: How the Right Wing Used Dark Money to Capture the Supreme Court. The book lays out in great detail how conservatives used a network of dark money nonprofits, fueled by anonymous cash, to install right-wing justices on the Supreme Court and build a lasting 6-3 majority.

Among other revelations, Whitehouse’s book includes a lengthy footnote that offers an important mea culpa and confesses truths that Democratic politicians almost never admit: that they deserve significant blame for the state of the American judiciary: