Ed Helms Exposes America’s Scariest Screw-Ups

Lever Time

The Lever

News, News Commentary, Politics

4.8 • 560 Ratings

🗓️ 25 August 2025

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On today's episode of Lever Time, comedian and writer Ed Helms (The Daily Show, The Office) takes David Sirota on a wild journey through some of history’s greatest screw-ups — from nuclear war near-misses to secret ice tunnels in Greenland to attempts to blow up the moon. Helms, who hosts the podcast SNAFU, explores the risks of putting our trust in leaders who could do things that put us on the brink of extinction. What do America’s biggest blunders teach us about our lack of control, our resilience, and what the future holds? Click here to learn more about Ed Helm's book, SNAFU: The Definitive Guide to History's Greatest Screwups. Click here for a full transcript of the episode. To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to the free ad-supported version of our podcast. For an ad-free experience,
0:05.5	visit levernews.com slash upgrade. When Donald Trump was inaugurated like all presidents, he swore
0:12.1	an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. Instead, Donald Trump has decided
0:16.9	to swerve, deflect, and append the Constitution and treat it like a terms and conditions
0:21.8	page. I'm Professor Corey Brett Schneider. And I'm deeply unqualified comedian John Fugleson.
0:27.3	We'd like to invite you to listen to the Oath in the Office podcast where every week we interpret
0:32.1	the Constitution and hold Trump accountable to his oath. It's a podcast that offers real insight on how to take action against tyranny and mayhem,
0:41.2	because despair is not a strategy.
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0:49.3	It's a podcast that's all about hope for what a real democracy should look like from an esteemed, respected
0:54.9	constitutional scholar and a deeply neurotic comedian who thought the emoluments clause was a breakfast item.
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