Dr Oz Wants to Privatize Medicare
The New Jersey TV doctor Dr Oz has made headlines for his bizarre recent Senate campaign videos. But his proposed scheme to privatize Medicare would hurt seniors while lining insurance companies’ pockets.
239 Articles by: Andrew Perez
Andrew Perez is senior editor and a reporter at the Lever covering money and influence.
Joe Biden Promised a Public Option for Health Care. What Happened to It?
On the 2020 campaign trail, Joe Biden and much of the rest of his party promised to pursue a public option for health care. We haven’t heard a word about the public option since.
Democrats Have Delivered for Wall Street Yet Again
Democrats pretended they were cracking down on private equity moguls. The truth: Dems were actually protecting them — perhaps because private equity firms are major Democratic donors.
Joe Manchin’s Deal Does Not Mean the Fight for Democrats’ Agenda Is Over
Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin have reached a deal for an energy, health care, and tax policy bill after Manchin has delayed and watered it down. But the exact details of the bill, as well as its passage, are still far from guaranteed.
To No One’s Surprise, Joe Manchin’s Former Top Aide Is Now a Corporate Lobbyist
After working as a top aide for Senator Joe Manchin, Jonathan Kott launched an anti–Bernie Sanders dark money group and now lobbies for oil giants, Big Pharma, and Fox News. His career is a perfect illustration of DC’s corrupt revolving-door culture.
This Chart Shows That Ending Pandemic Aid Created a Financial Disaster
New government data show that after the Biden administration terminated pandemic relief programs, millions more Americans began struggling to survive.
The Democrats Are Telling Voters That Roe v. Wade Is Still Intact
The Democratic National Committee is running ads in several states suggesting that the GOP is trying to overturn Roe v. Wade and pass a national abortion ban — bafflingly ignoring that Roe has already been reversed and many states already have abortion bans.
Dark Money Built the Supreme Court’s Radical Conservative Supermajority
A secretive, well-financed dark money network helped build the Supreme Court’s radical conservative supermajority and has been bankrolling its toxic caseload — all to create the appearance of broad-based support for extremist rulings.
Joe Manchin Is Ignoring the Health Care Crisis in His Own Backyard
Last year, corporate Democrat Joe Manchin blocked a plan to expand Medicare, arguing it would be too expensive. A free medical and dental clinic just a few miles from his home in West Virginia makes clear just how badly people need such care.
Even More Pension Money Is Headed to Wall Street
New York’s Democrat-controlled legislature passed a bill this week to funnel an additional $54 billion in public pension funds to high-risk private equity investments. It’s most likely an unwise financial strategy — and only Wall Street will benefit.
Big Pharma Is Pressuring Joe Manchin to Oppose Drug Pricing Reforms
Joe Manchin stalled and killed the Build Back Better bill under pressure from big business. He could now support a compromise budget with drug pricing reforms, but the pharmaceutical industry is doing everything it can to make sure he doesn’t.
When Jeff Bezos Tweets, He Wants His Journalists and Joe Biden to Listen
The world’s second-richest man is using social media to push back against any hint that corporate greed is stoking inflation — and to send a message about his news preferences in the Washington Post, the paper he owns.
Democratic Voters Rejected the Status Quo Last Night
Pennsylvania and Oregon election results from last night offer cause for hope for progressives: voters rejected the demands of oligarchs and Democratic elites.
Pro-Choice Protesters Are Being Targeted With Red Scare Laws
Protesters are peacefully demonstrating outside the homes of Supreme Court justices who are about to overturn Roe v. Wade — and conservatives are demanding the government arrest them.
Democrats Are Still Boosting Antiabortion Congressman Henry Cuellar
A new super PAC run by top Democratic consultants just put a quarter of a million dollars behind Texas representative Henry Cuellar, who opposes abortion rights. With Roe v. Wade on the brink of being overturned, it’s unconscionable.
Congress Is Poised to Give Amazon and Other Corporations Massive New Subsidies
Under the guise of boosting US competitiveness with China, Congress is set to grant another round of massive corporate giveaways. The bill even includes $10 billion for Jeff Bezos’s space venture.
The End of Roe v. Wade Is the Culmination of Years of Right-Wing Efforts
For decades, the American right has eroded the federal right to an abortion, while Democrats have failed to safeguard it. Democrats must now use their power to fund abortion access and protect basic reproductive freedoms.
On Student Debt Forgiveness, Joe Biden Is Pushing Stringent Means-Testing Yet Again
Joe Biden is considering a highly limited, means-tested student debt forgiveness program. But means-testing is a terrible idea that centrist Democrats are still obsessed with — and will pay a heavy political price for.
Verizon Is Cracking Down on Unionization Efforts in Washington
Days after workers at two Verizon stores in Washington State voted to unionize, the company fired one of the main organizers without warning.
An Oil Billionaire Is Trying to Crush Nina Turner in Ohio
A super PAC bankrolled by an oil billionaire is trying to crush Nina Turner and boost her opponent, Shontel Brown, in their upcoming Ohio congressional race. It might have something to do with the fact that Turner is a leading proponent of a Green New Deal.