an excerpt from the introduction:

"The crises of political corruption, organized crime and endemic racism are all connected, and they shape every day American life. But in addition to these structural problems, we contend with specific powerful individuals who have acted against the public good for their entire careers. We see the same old men, again and again, vampires feeding on a nation and draining the lifeblood from words like 'treason' and 'trauma' and 'tragedy'. They are buffered by backers who prefer to operate in silence, free from the consequences of scrutiny. There is a reason they call it a criminal underground: you walk over it every day, unaware it exists until the earth shakes below your feet.


In the eyes of autocrats and plutocrats, the future is not a right but a commodity. As climate change brings unparalleled crises, the future becomes a rare asset, meant to be hoarded like diamonds or gold. To millionaire elites, any of whom already had an apocalyptic bent, a depopulated world is not a tragedy but an opportunity -- and certainly easier to manage as they insulate themselves from the ravages of a literally scorched earth.

This book tells the story of how they cornered that market."

from Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump published in May 2020