The Crime Crackdown Cop Out (With Alec Karakatsanis)

The Crime Crackdown Cop Out (With Alec Karakatsanis)

From Lever Time by David Sirota

September 25, 2025 · 56 min · Season 5 · Episode 108

About this episode

David Sirota interviews Alec Karakatsanis about the manipulation of crime narratives by government officials to justify authoritarian measures.

President Donald Trump says that U.S. violent crime has spiraled so far out of control that he needs to send troops into Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Memphis. But is that really true? Today on Lever Time , David Sirota speaks with Alec Karakatsanis, award-winning civil rights lawyer and author of the book Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News , about how government officials are manufacturing fear to justify authoritarian rule. Click here to watch the full interview on our YouTube channel. To check out Alec Karakatsanis’s book, click here . Click here for a full transcript of the episode. Get ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended interviews by becoming a member at levernews.com/join . To leave a tip for The Lever , click here . It helps us do this kind of independent journalism.

People in this episode

Host: David Sirota

Guest: Alec Karakatsanis

Topics covered

  • crime
  • civil rights
  • authoritarianism
  • media manipulation
  • government fear tactics

Keywords

  • violent crime
  • authoritarian rule
  • civil rights lawyer
  • media manipulation
  • fear tactics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Lever Time, Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News

Places: Washington, D.C., Chicago, Memphis

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