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Trump’s New Oligarchy

The New Republic
The elevation of Elon Musk to a key role suggests that right-wing elites are set to embark on a spree of sordid self-dealing.

Where Are They Now? Trump Administration Edition.

Megan K. Stack New York Times
Current and former government officials, now lobbyists, among the most glorified and vilified characters of these tumultuous years have forged a peace—working together to ensure the world’s wealthiest and most powerful players thrive amid the turmoil

Why Andrew Cuomo Must Resign

Zephyr Teachout The Nation
There is no investigation that can give New Yorkers a governor we can trust not to abuse power and lie.

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Court-Sanctioned Corruption and Plutocracy in America

Michael Hirsch The Indypendent, Issue #205
Successive High Court decisions have done more than enfranchise corporations at the expense of the rest of us. The same logic in the same cases now defines public corruption down: that a direct and palpable quid pro quo must be seen to operate. Absent that smoking gun, the financial elite has no limits on bankrolling campaigns whose candidates then vote their interests. To the nation's founders, that untrammeled influence was the essence of public corruption.

Legalized Bribery, Zephyr Teachout on Sheldon Silver, Corruption and New York Politics

Zephyr Teachout New York Times - Op-Ed
Albany is reeling, but fighting the kind of corruption that plagues not only New York State but the whole nation isn’t just about getting cuffs on the right guy. Under current law, campaign contributions are illegal if there is an explicit quid pro quo, and legal if there isn’t. But legal campaign contributions can be as bad as bribes in creating obligations. The corruption that hides in plain sight is the real threat to our democracy.
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