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Keeping Up With the Korruption in Kazakhstan

Explore episode Jul 1, 2026

Business

The Epstein Class Is Running America's Defense Industry

Keeping Up With the Korruption in Kazakhstan · Jul 1, 2026 Business

Ben Rhodes traces the Kazakhstan corruption story back to its roots in post-Soviet oligarchic capitalism, where resources were gifted to whoever had political power. Fast-forward to 2025: the Trump and Lutnick families are doing the same thing — using the Pentagon's trillion-dollar budget as a piggy bank, cutting no-bid deals with Central Asian autocrats for minerals essential to US military hardware.

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