Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Tag: Time-Sensitive

The roots of the US-Russia rivalry

Russia-U.S. relations became most visible during their Cold War confrontation and are now dangerously dysfunctional. Long-established suspicion and overlapping interests have shaped periods of cooperation and competition for centuries, a cycle that risks repeating itself indefinitely.

What are Erik Prince’s plans for the second Trump administration?

New plans from Erik Prince, a persistent figure in America’s private military complex, signal a wider push to privatize government functions in Trump’s second term.

The game-changing promise of an OTC birth control pill

The U.S. appears likely to legalize over-the-counter contraception—a critical step in increasing women’s bodily autonomy and economic independence.

A new Republican assault on children: Overturning labor laws

It seems unimaginable that we are backsliding into the era of exploiting child labor. But that’s precisely what the GOP appears to be doing.

The real reason Disney is defying DeSantis

A corporation does not have morals—it has a bottom line. Disney’s lawsuit against Florida is more about being able to reap profits while underpaying workers than it is about protecting LGBTQ communities.

How Howard Schultz made Starbucks the poster child of corporate abuse

The billionaire CEO returned to Starbucks to curb union activity. His union busting has been so egregious that the company’s already poor reputation is now in tatters.

Housing is a human right—here’s how to make it a reality

The federal government has for years enabled the private market to make money off our housing needs. Now, as home prices and rents skyrocket, there is a simple solution: offer people a public option for housing.

How Portland’s activists are bringing mutual aid to the homeless

Mutual aid offers a route to directly help people living outside, and potentially save lives through the winter months.

The big industry that COP26 failed to tackle

Our broken and inhumane food system is a huge source of emissions, so why isn’t it a major part of the climate solution?

How the Build Back Better bill will help millions of Americans...

“It’s not just about the elderly. Hearing loss doesn’t magically happen in old age. It gradually occurs over years and years. It’s something that could be prevented.”

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The headquarters of CalSTRS, the California teachers' pension fund at the center of The Lever's reporting. Photo: Coolcaesar / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Watchdog reporting examines a pension officer’s fossil fuel trades and a fire truck monopoly

The Lever's latest investigations trace a California retirement chief's oil and gas stock trading and a spreading set of antitrust suits over who builds America's fire engines.
A Flock Safety automated license plate reader mounted on a solar powered pole. Photo: Tony Webster / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Movement Against Big Tech’s Flock Cameras Transcends Partisanship—and It’s Winning

Much like the resistance to AI data centers, the opposition to Flock surveillance cameras has brought the left and the right together against billionaires who are trying to force America into becoming even more of a police state.
The Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, which carries traffic between the two cities of the same name across the St. Marys River. Photo: Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

As Trump’s Tariff War With Canada Drags On, This Border Community Suffers Without a...

Under an intensifying trade war, parts of northern Michigan are feeling the financial pain. But with a president intent on conflict and a congressman silent on the issue, these Michiganders see no sign of relief.
Portrait of Nicolás Maduro in a dark suit and striped tie

Trump announces capture of Maduro after U.S. military strikes on Venezuela, prompting congressional war...

As the captured Venezuelan leader was flown to New York to face federal charges, Senate Democrats moved to check what they called an unauthorized march toward another open-ended war.
A long-tailed macaque. The species has been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2022. Photo: Charles J. Sharp / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

US declines to protect endangered monkeys used in medical research

The U.S. has again declined to protect endangered long-tailed macaques under the Endangered Species Act, allowing continued imports for biomedical research.