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· Corruption Unbound
Donald Trump and his cronies left his first administration with a playbook for self-enrichment in a second term
· Even Amid Texas Border Crackdown, Illegal Crossings Still High
The number of illegal crossings has ticked up even higher over the past fiscal year, topping 1.5 million
· California Law Banning Most Firearms in Public Taking Effect as Legal Fight Over It Continues
The law, signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, prohibits people from carrying concealed guns in 26 places including public parks and playgrounds, churches, banks and zoos
· An AI Future Is Much Shakier Than You Think
The ghosts of past futurism give pause to predictions of digital change
· The Most Effective Way to Reduce Hate Crimes
The regular mechanisms of the criminal-justice system can also be used to combat abhorrent acts
· The Worst Hacks of 2023
It was a year of devastating cyberattacks around the globe, from ransomware attacks on casinos to state-sponsored breaches of critical infrastructure.
· Electric Cars Are Already Upending American
After years of promise, a massive shift is under way
Corruption Unbound (Franklin Foer, The Atlantic)
Trump spent the early days of his presidency testing boundaries. He used his bully pulpit to unabashedly promote his real-estate portfolio. His properties charged the Secret Service “exorbitant rates”—as much as $1,185 a night, per a House Oversight Committee report—for housing agents when Trump or his family members visited. By the time Trump and his cronies left the White House, they had slowly erased any compunction, both within the Republican Party and outside it, about their corruption. They left power having compiled a playbook for exploiting public office for private gain.
The term was popularized by Bálint Magyar, a Hungarian sociologist and a dissident during Communist times. He wanted to capture the kleptocracy emerging in his country, which was far more sophisticated than other recent examples of plunder. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán didn’t need to rely on brute force. He operated with the legitimacy that comes from electoral victories. And he justified the enrichment of his inner circle in carefully crafted legalisms. His abuses of office were so deftly executed that Hungary remains a member of the European Union and a magnet for multinational corporations.
Orbán’s system is impressively sturdy. His loyalists need their patron to remain in power so that they can continue to enjoy their own ill-gotten gains. In pursuit of that goal, they have helped him slowly and subtly eliminate potential obstacles to his Mafia state, eroding the influence of local governments, replacing hostile judges, and smoothing the way for his allies to purchase influential media outlets.
Corruption in the Trump administration wasn’t nearly sophisticated or comprehensive enough to rival Hungary’s. Compared with its kleptocratic cousins in other countries, it was primitive. But with the confidence that it will never face opposition from within its own ranks, a second Trump administration would be emboldened to hatch more expansive schemes. (Cont.)
