Mafia State Survival: Your Questions Answered

On Epstein, Trump, and getting by.

Thank you, subscribers, for your thoughtful questions! I answered most of them and tried to address the main points of the rest. For more, check out this interview I did on the Mark Thompson Show. Mark has many of the same concerns that you do.

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Elizabeth L: I have two wonderful, thoughtful, intelligent grown sons (31 and 29) and an equally wonderful daughter in law. I am struggling with how to manage the enormous waves of grief, rage, and terror that wash over me when I think of what the future holds for them — even what the present world is like for them —without making their lives worse as a result. I will not lie to them, but I also don't want them to be crushed by my anger, despair, and fear. Do you have any suggestions from your own experience as a mother, about how to be honest without making them bear the weight of everything I am feeling?

SK: This question got upvoted more than any other. Several commenters expressed similar concerns. There is no set answer because everyone is different. But there are a few universals. Tell your children you love them and that you have their back. We live in an era marked by profound abandonment and betrayal from institutions: government, media, technology. It is a predatory society. Young people — all people — need unconditional love and support. It matters a great deal, much more than material things. You can provide that. When all else is stolen, this stays in your control. No one can take it away.

As my children get older, it’s harder to talk with them about the future. When they were small, I felt protective. As my oldest prepares to leave home, I feel afraid. I’ve tried to make sure they have a strong sense of self and activities they enjoy no matter what. My daughter wants to be a professional musician, which is hard even in normal times. Once I asked her — and here’s the part where you can feel like a much more normal parent than me — “If the apocalypse comes, would you still play violin?” She said of course she would, because music is life.

Encourage your kids to find things that make them happy that don’t rely on external validation or state permission. It can be simple things, like enjoying nature. It can be giving back to their community or enjoying time with family. Encourage them to give to the world more than they take. When the world is high-pressure and out-of-control, find reliable pursuits that bring comfort and meaning. I have friends who grew up in authoritarian states; this is how they survived without losing themselves.

There is no “wrong” way to feel: it is normal to feel grief, rage and despair in this political climate. What kids need is love and support, no matter how old they are. You deserve the same support as a mother, and I hope you find it. You are a good parent for caring so much — don’t sell yourself short!

Glenn: Do you think the American people will ever learn who is in the Epstein files? Every person? Tracy D: Because of the near-universal bipartisan fealty to Israel, Zionism, Netanyahu, and genocide, it's surprising some Democrats pushed hard on the Epstein files which undoubtedly contain names of prominent Dems/donors. Why do you think those Dems were “brave” enough to speak out on files most likely kept for blackmail purposes and yet can't bring themselves to demand an arms embargo on Israel or even to use the word “genocide”?

SK: I wrote two books about Trump and Epstein: Hiding in Plain Sight (2020) and They Knew (2022). Both were bestsellers that were low-key censored due to the Epstein, mafia, and Israel sections. Folks used to ask me when the media would cover the full story. I said when two things happen: 1) AI becomes so realistic and ubiquitous that the veracity of video and audio files are constantly questioned 2) The criminal elite feel they have consolidated power to the point that releasing the Epstein information will do nothing — for example, it will not cost them an election, because there will not be real elections.

We have reached that point. But powerbrokers underestimated the morality of the American public. As I wrote in They Knew: “In this sick, sad point in our national history, [loathing of] Jeffrey Epstein may be the only thing holding Americans together.” Everyone hates a child rape trafficker. That goes for Ghislaine Maxwell too. Liberals, leftists, MAGA, libertarians: everyone hates Epstein and Maxwell — except for the criminal elite and the institutions that cover for them.

The refusal to address Epstein has to do more with Maxwell than Epstein. Ghislaine’s father, Robert, was a mafia partner and espionage operative who was given an elaborate funeral by the Israeli government in 1991. He was connected to many nefarious figures in the Trump fold, including Iran-Contra criminals and Russian mafiosos like Semyon Mogilevich. These details are still left out of media reports, and I worry censorship of speech about Israel means the full story will remain forbidden. It was censored during the Biden administration: Tony Blinken’s connections, for example, were covered only by me and a couple others. (Blinken’s stepfather, who raised him, was Robert Maxwell’s best friend and Epstein’s advisor.)

I don’t see Democrats being brave. To be brave would be to speak out decades ago, like Epstein’s victims did. Now some of those victims are dead. The Republicans are also hypocrites and cowards. Trump’s team promised the Epstein files would be released and then continued the cover-up carried out under Trump’s old AG, Bill Barr (whose father, Donald Barr, is the person who brought Epstein into NYC high society.)

Despite AI, the blackmail from Epstein documentation — which I suspect is not written files but multimedia, in particular, video — still has power. This is because child torture is a universal taboo. Or, at least, it is everywhere but Israel, where it is routinely practiced in the massacre of Palestinians. Israel’s unprecedented targeting of children, as well as Israel’s role as a pedophile refuge, is ignored by Congress as they pocket money from Israel’s supporters.

There is much more on this in Hiding in Plain Sight and They Knew. I encourage you to read them and to follow new reporting on Epstein’s connection to Big Tech and plutocrats like Peter Thiel.

REMiller: Your Twitter profile picture: what were you thinking at that moment? Who was the side eye for?

SK: It was me not knowing how to take a selfie and giving the side-eye to my smartphone. In retrospect, all smartphones deserve a side-eye.

Kory: Has any art, music or otherwise, been cathartic for you in this moment? Zdoubleyoo: Did y’all get around to watching Andor yet? If not, what lovely things are you escaping into these days? Books, shows, films?

SK: Last weekend I watched The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Weekend at Bernie’s II and marveled at how diverse my taste was until I realized both movies basically have the same plot.

I still haven’t watched Andor! But I’ve watched over 300 episodes of Dallas since January. Every day I wake up and watch a Dallas under the “Who Shot JR?” blanket that my kids got me for Mother’s Day. After that, I drive to the lake and listen to Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer” on repeat since it’s that kind of weather. I’ve been rereading 1980s books: Bright Lights, Big City; White Noise, etc. Apparently, I’ve decided that if I’m forced to live in 1984, I will live like it is 1984.

Stephen A. R: I have noticed over the last week that chatter about Trump’s health has skyrocketed, as well as discussion about his imminent demise…How do you look at it? It seems to me that if Trump were to suddenly die, then we would still have to deal with the fascism but with Vance becoming the face. I do wonder whether Trump’s mantle is transferable. Marina: How do you think these hyenas will fight after he disappears. Will his cult accept anyone? How the fractured cult will survive?

SK: I’m skeptical of reports that there is something unusual about Trump’s health. I doubt his health is great, since he’s nearly 80, but a hand bruise does not a deathbed make. His lackeys are lurking like vultures, particularly Vance. I am more worried about Vance than Trump because I think AI, surveillance, and technofascism pose the greatest threat to humanity — making it far more difficult to defeat standard authoritarianism — and Vance is a frontman for Thiel.

Trump is also a vehicle for Evil Tech, but he is primarily a frontman for organized crime and is preoccupied with old-school kleptocratic ventures. These ventures are abetted by technology but Trump, in many ways, is a throwback dictator. He, too, is living in 1984. Whatever vestiges of 20^th century life we have might vanish with him. To be clear, Trump has continued the worst aspects of the 20^th century — but there is a familiarity to it that tech oligarchs want to destroy. Trump is pushing us over the cliff so we can land in Thiel’s uncanny valley.

As for Trump’s cult, many of them are upset about Epstein, a failed economy, and other disasters. Trump does not care. The MAGA cult has lost its importance because they can be replaced with an AI cult. If the dictator has the appearance of followers, he will not care if anyone actually likes him. If the dictator is insecure, it is easy for his team to create hordes of fake followers and not tell him (as they already do with Trump.) These are old dictatorship tactics streamlined with new technology.

His lackeys may fight each other — not over elected positions but over resources, territory, and power. I’m expecting something akin to the oligarch turf wars in 1990s Russia, but more dystopian due to digital illusions and the feel of end times in the air.

Anna: I have never seen so many protests worldwide to stop the genocide in Gaza, and yet we can't move the needle. The genocide, broadcast 24/7, continues. Why is this the case? Lydia: Do you think there is any country that would or could intervene militarily at this point to stop the genocide in Gaza?

SK: The genocide in Gaza is the worst thing I’ve seen in my lifetime. Emphasis on seen, because while there have been worse atrocities in terms of the number of victims (Rwanda), it was not beamed into my phone every day and it was not funded and excused and encouraged by my own government. While the majority of Americans recognize that this is genocide and condemn it, nearly all of Congress condones it.

Israel wields control over US institutions through espionage, threats, blackmail, and bribes. There are also are voluntary partnerships between the worst Americans and the worst Israelis. Additionally, there is and always has been rampant censorship of Palestinians in US media. That’s why 2014 was a disastrous year for Netanyahu, because Palestinians could document their plight with smartphones. This caused a moral and political reckoning that is ongoing. Israel’s solution is to annihilate all that humanity values: family, nature, history, art — all annihilated in Gaza by Israel. Children, murdered in Gaza by Israel. I’ve never seen such cruelty.

The US is the worst funder of the atrocity, and the worst at preventing international bodies like the ICC or UN from holding Israel accountable. But they are not the only complicit nation. The EU and Arab countries are complicit in not pursuing an end to the crisis and, in countries like the UK and Germany, punishing anti-genocide protesters. There are many reasons for their cowardice, but one is that Israel has implied they will make the rest of the world look like Gaza if they feel like it. Prior US administrations took a harder line against Israel’s threats, but the Biden and Trump administrations behave as if Israelis, and not Americans, are their constituents.

If you have questions about my claims, consult these articles and the links therein.

Extra Ordinary People: Do you have an opinion on the This Will Hold Substack allegations about there being a suppressed NSA audit of the 2024 election showing that voting machines were hacked, votes were changed, and Harris actually won?

SK: I don’t know enough about this report to comment. But as to the general question of “Would the GOP cheat in an election and lie about it” — yes, of course they would! As for the question of “Are US elections safe and secure?” — no, they haven’t been in years. That’s why we needed voter rights’ laws passed during the Biden years.

Sgtmoredread: The underlying cause of America's present crisis is its economic system i.e. the generation of capital at all costs irrespective of its social costs. Do you agree or disagree?

SK: Agree, basically. The main problem is abuse of power. A brutal capitalist system rewards and cultivates abuse. It is very difficult to live outside this system and to separate it from social life, especially given technological dependence.

Jay: How do you expect the primaries to go on the Dem side in 2026? I think we will see a Tea Party level backlash in reverse of 2010, curious.

SK: We will see a backlash for sure — people are already furious! They should focus their fury on the present moment because I don’t know if we will have real elections in 2026. Fury rooted in compassion is a good thing. Keep demanding that public servants serve you (even if you don’t expect them to actually do so — it’s important not to defer to their desired servitude.) Build up community support groups now in case elections don’t occur or they do, and we’re stuck with a new group of losers. Fill the holes where the government fails — schools, libraries, etc. Be a good neighbor and look out for those getting hurt.

Monica: If you had a choice to be reincarnated, what, when, and where would you like to be?

SK: I would go back to North America before industrialization and see what the land looked like before settlers arrived. It’s something I yearn for every time I’m in a remote part of the US. What would it be like to have the whole country be fresh and full of wildlife? And yes, I’m enough of an Oregon Trail 1980s baby to realize I’d likely die of dysentery — but it would be fun while it lasted!

MakeTheWorldSafeForDiversity: Now that I look back at all American history: was JFK the only president who gave a shit about humans and that's why he had to go?

SK: JFK didn’t always care about people — he treated many poorly — but I do think he cared about US sovereignty, avoiding certain disastrous US military incursions and alliances, and inspiring Americans about the future. As for why they killed him, check out recent discussions about James Angleton.

Shawn: Do you think Trump will succeed in taking over the Fed, and thereby going the same route as Turkey, Argentina, and Venezuela? Do you think there will be very high or hyperinflation in the US? Survival Floater: Can I piggyback on this? If Trump's marching orders are to crash the economy, would that make a national labor strike actually helpful to the regime rather than damaging enough to provoke change (or at least slow their roll)?

SK: Trump announced in 2014 that he intends to crash the US economy and cause riots to make America great again. The full quote is in my book Hiding in Plain Sight and here. So yes, this changes the leverage of boycotts. If the regime wants businesses to go under, boycotts have less effect. They will replace workers with AI or simply let companies fail and people be unable to access products.

I still encourage unions because collective power has other benefits. But boycotts must be very strategic. As for hyperinflation, that may happen, but I think their main goal is creating an economy tied to surveillance devices like smartphones: a social credit system in which access to money or travel is granted by the state, using AI to monitor behavior. Oligarchs benefited so much from the massive wealth transfer that followed covid that they will tank their own holdings if it means gaining power over the people. (Musk losing money on Twitter is a prime example.)

Gauri: Are there any politicians (Dem or otherwise) you are feeling inspired by right now — anyone who is standing up to this madness and calling a spade a spade? I feel like so many of us are yelling into the void and no one is heeding the call.

SK: None that hold elected office. Maybe this answer will change in November.

Jesse: What are the most overlooked examples of structural capture in the U.S. today, and how should policymakers and the public rethink corruption when it operates at this systemic level?

SK: Americans need to learn the history of organized crime in the US. I do not have high hopes for this given that our schools are teaching children that enslaved Africans were akin to unpaid interns. But they need to know about figures like Meyer Lansky, who pioneered the transition from organized crime to white-collar crime; and Roy Cohn, the mafia lawyer who created the Trump template of legal intimidation, threats, propaganda, bribery, etc. These are two of the most influential Americans of the 20^th century and many do not know their names.

The mafia is not an Italian-American venture. It is a multi-ethnic, transnational enterprise intertwined with agencies like the FBI and CIA in collaborative relationships that are falsely presented as combative relationships. Folks should look at modern operatives who hold respectable positions — lawyers like Alan Dershowitz or Jamie Gorelick — and how they streamlined corruption to the point that people no longer recognize its roots in organized crime: they just call it business or life. If Americans unwind this history, looking at cases like the 1950s Kefauver hearings, they will learn a lot about corruption, and can use this framework to reimagine the present. I cover this in the final chapter of They Knew.

Kim R: Are you able to kayak/canoe year-round in Missouri?

SK: It’s tough given our cold winters. I rent from an outfitter when I’m paddling a river, and they’re seasonal. But I’d love to see what tree-barren bluffs look like from the water. My goal for 2026 — in addition to surviving the apocalypse — is to paddle the upper Jacks Fork in late winter while the water is high. We’ll see on both counts!

MeMe: Have you done any collaboration or have you considered collaborating with Heather Cox Richardson?

SK: She and I have never spoken.

Nick: At this stage, do you believe authoritarianism in Washington can still be reversed, or is it too late? Lenny: I can't find an instance where once a fascist gains power democratically is removed democratically…In your opinion, do you think we get out of this mess without another civil war? Anthony: In your studies of authoritarian regimes was there a shared opinion/reality of a citizenry that resulted in regime change?

SK: I never believe that “things are too late” because people have always managed to find meaning in the worst circumstances. It is not easy to do this, nor is it fair. But it’s never too late if you can imagine a way out. That’s one reason I strongly oppose AI: it’s an assault on the imagination, and we need to be more imaginative than ever.

It’s rare that fascists leave peacefully. Usually, they die or are violently overthrown or the country collapses. The “Velvet Revolutions” of the 1980s followed by the end of apartheid in South Africa in the 1990s are useful examples of peaceful transition (well, more peaceful than average.)

The US is now a semi-authoritarian state. We have a way to go before full consolidation. Above all, we are a mafia state: we were that before Trump returned. The conditions of life under a mafia state, combined with existential threats and the abrupt dissolution of national traditions — and here I don’t mean statues or holidays but stuff like “watching the same TV shows on the same night and talking about them together the next day” — can make life feel joyless, rootless, and oppressive.

That is why so many liberals operate solely in reactive mode when it comes to Trump — Trump is the one constant when all else is chaos. This is a very unhealthy habit. We have a much better chance of combatting autocracy if people are creative instead of reactive. If you build it, they will come. That’s why the politicians who hold community events are gaining traction. They are knocking Americans out of their stupor and showing them a world beyond Trump. They are also displaying the compassion and community engagement that is key to warding off the civil war that oligarch operatives crave. (I addressed civil war in prior Q&As, see the archives.)

Do not let Donald Trump be the most important person in your life. Emphasize victims over perpetrators when forming a movement. Successful movements all had that in common, including the Black civil rights movement of the mid-20^th century and the LGBTQ rights/AIDS activism of the 1980s and 1990s, both of which are good models for now. (Note that both of these movements existed in a US “democracy” that was, in reality, a selective autocracy.)

Robyn: Wondering about your thoughts on the "soft secession" some pundits are taking about with respect to certain blue states.

SK: I’m glad governors are standing up against the Trump administration. But I’m furious about the secessionist framing. It shows ignorance of demography and economics as well as a lack of compassion that will be exploited by terrible people. As I’ve said many times, there is no such thing as a “red state” or a “blue state” — we are all purple like a bruise.

I’m in what they call a “red state” with the typical set-up: two big liberal cities (St Louis and Kansas City), small liberal college towns, conservative rural regions, and gerrymandered voting. The blue secessionists believe that I deserve to suffer because I live in a state that voted for Trump. They believe I do not deserve basic resources like healthcare, shelter, water, and food. My GOP government in Missouri also does not give a shit if I live or die. So I get hell from all sides, as does anyone living in a “red” state. Not coincidentally, the “red” states tend to have the largest Black and Native American populations. Right-wing racists long ago established dominance in electoral politics in these states and it is harder than ever to undo. Blue secessionists seek to hurt the very populations that have historically been the targets of state abuse.

On top of that irony, it’s grotesque to deny people the means to survive because of how a state voted. You end up hurting innocents, like children, and rejecting human rights. I want rural Missourians to have fully staffed hospitals and schools and clean air and water. They need them, and I do not care who they voted for. A vote is not the sum total of a person — and many people here don’t vote at all because they’re tired of a cruel, failing system. I can relate to that. The US government may have taken years off my life, but they are not taking my morals. I can’t fathom punishing ordinary folks because of where they happen to live in 2025 when the real villains are wealthy sadists who are blunt about their desire to eliminate all of us.

Joanne: I’m a Canadian living in Canada. I’m curious what you think about how world leaders are responding to trump and, knowing what you know about autocracies, how they might respond better.

SK: I am fine with them shunning the Trump administration and calling the US out on its terrible crimes. I’m opposed to measures like blocking mail delivery to the US, which hurts not only Americans but their own citizens. I’m an embroiderer who buys from independent shops that rely on a US customer base. Those little stores are going out of business because foreign leaders decided to spite Trump. They should fight Trump, but not this way. They are not hurting Trump: they’re hurting small business owners and hobbyists. They’re damaging the friendly relationships people from foreign countries have with each other — the ties that dispel stereotypes. This is a great shame because we need that casual camaraderie more than ever.

Harry: In your opinion what will need to happen for some meaningful number of Republican members of the House and Senate to waver from their unwavering support of Donald Trump? John C: Can we elect 20 independents to the House and 10 to the Senate, so that no party has a majority and they have to compromise to the common sense center?

SK: I do not think our problems will be solved through the two-party system, which is gutless and corrupt. I may expand on this in future posts, but assuming we have elections, we need new parties. The trick is to make sure the new parties redistribute power from the Democrats without giving it to Republicans. The solution may lie in a four-party system that gives voters from both parties the chance to break away and build something positive. Most Americans are unaffiliated voters (if they vote at all) so I don’t think this is a wild idea. People are hungry for change and practical solutions.

Rebecca: I'm terrified that Donald Trump will run for office in 2028, and that he will be elected....AGAIN. Do you believe this is something that is likely to happen, can anyone stop this??? Stephanie: Are future elections going to be free and fair? Are Trump et al. behaving as if they feared future elections at all? And if they are not: is it because of hubris or realistic expectations?

SK: I’m not sure Trump will last until 2028. But the long lives of Kissinger and Murdoch and Dershowitz make me think hell is short on vacancies these days. Assuming Trump is still around, he may not want to run because being POTUS is a hassle. This is when they might install Vance. Trump is a frontman for a large variety of terrible interests. The most threatening figures come from the tech world and it’s important to resist that world now, independently of Trump or any politician.

The GOP has not behaved as if it feared elections since 2018, when Trump got Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. The Democrats had an opportunity during Biden’s term to hold corrupt SCOTUS members accountable, expand the court, and protect voting rights. They decided not to bother.

Janine: Are you a fan of New Haven style pizza?

SK: Yes! New Haven has the best pizza in the US. Alas, St. Louis will expel me and my Chicago-born husband will divorce me unless I promptly scarf down a bread lasagna and a giant cracker topped with Chef Boyardee sauce and candle wax, so I’ll get on that now. Please pray.

Fredsprouse: As I watch Trump's efforts to expand the military presence in multiple "blue" cities, it occurs to me that he is merely trying to acclimate the citizenry to daily military occupation, making it that much easier for a foreign adversary (say, Putin) to literally walk right in and invade the US with little to no resistance. If he gets away with occupying Chicago, I'm afraid it’s game over! Sarah, do you think I'm paranoid?

SK: You’re not paranoid. He’s trying to acclimatize US citizens to military occupation, and because national media is bifurcated and algorithms are suppressed, people don’t fully understand what it’s like to live under it in LA or DC. Some folks don’t even know it’s happening. If I were a hostile foreign power, I would love this situation and take advantage of it. But we have enough problems with a hostile domestic power that foreign invasions aren’t the main threat on my mind.

Catherine: How long before the internet/substack/podcasts are censored and shut down by the regime?

SK: I worry about this a lot! In grad school 15 years ago, I wrote my dissertation on digital media in authoritarian states. Basically, dictatorships had to balance using the internet to surveil the population and censoring the criticisms of the government that emerge there. This is now happening in the US. We have already seen how communities and archival records were destroyed by Musk’s purchase of Twitter. A shutdown can happen at any time, and we should be vigilant. We need more curators and more people backing up online works that they believe are important, or else we will lose our history. If you’re looking for something useful to do, do that.

OK, that’s it! Thanks again, everyone. If you’d like to submit a question for next time — or to simply keep this newsletter going — become a paying subscriber:

I always pause Dallas to see what everyone is reading — especially JR! And yes, an article on Dallas is in the works, including my pilgrimage to Southfork…