American corruption in the news: Today, Rolling Stone published a warning about “How The 2024 Election Is Normalizing Corruption,” an overview of the decades-long process of deregulation that has effectively legalized many forms of corruption in the US, allowing private wealth to suffuse politics. The Rolling Stone piece comes hot on the heels of a New York Times investigative report on rising corruption in California, especially Los Angeles, driven by a real estate boom – and influx of investment from Chinese billionaires. Taken together, the two pieces highlight the nexus of homegrown and global corruption – and the intertwined interests of plutocrats and authoritarians, public and private, foreign and domestic. 

Russian military corruption investigations to lead to trials: The Kremlin is likely to begin charging defendants in a sweeping purge, under the guise of anti-corruption, at the Ministry of Defense targeting networks connected to former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Reuters reported today. The investigations have been ongoing since April. Observers may raise eyebrows at the idea of “anti-corruption” investigations in Putin’s Russia, a kleptocracy built on systemic corruption in the first place. In a system that functions more or less as a protection racket in which officials’ and oligarchs’ de facto permission to extract illicit rents by abusing their station is granted by Putin in exchange for loyalty to him and his network of cronies, the de jure illegality of corruption allows arbitrary punitive action against officials and other magnates who displease him. This is likely what is happening here – a political purge of the loyalists of a disfavored baron (Shoigu) under the guise of anti-corruption. 

Durov charged: Telegram founder Pavel Durov, whose detention by the French authorities on Sunday TDP has previously covered, was charged Wednesday in Paris with a range of crimes relating to alleged complicity in the distribution of child pornography, drug trafficking, fraud, and refusal to cooperate with law enforcement. Unrelated to his role at Telegram, there are additional reports that he is being investigated based on accusations of mistreatment of one of his children in Switzerland. The charges are a rare example of a government holding a tech firm executive liable for content on their platform, and have triggered a strong messaging response from Russia. Durov was reportedly released on €5 million bail but cannot leave the country.