Magazine: The Think Tank Stocking Trump's Government

The Heritage Foundation staffs the Trump administration, "Desus & Mero" bring a black perspective to late night and statutes of limitations on rape. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, June 22, 2018 [NYTimes.com/magazine »]( [How One Conservative Think Tank Is Stocking Trump’s Government]( By THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE [Jonathan Mahler writes about the Heritage Foundation's mutually beneficial relationship with this administration.]( Jonathan Mahler writes about the Heritage Foundation's mutually beneficial relationship with this administration. Dear Reader, I hope you had a good week. This weekend’s cover story is a deeply informative report from Washington, where the staff writer Jonathan Mahler has traced [the outsize influence of the Heritage Foundation]( in filling positions in the federal government under President Trump. It’s an illuminating look inside the long-term strategy of an ascendant conservative think tank. Heritage was founded in the early 1970s by a young congressional aide named Ed Feulner, whose vision was to fill as much of the government as possible with like-minded conservatives. As he told Mahler, “Feulner’s first law is people are policy.” The Trump transition afforded Feulner a chance to put that theory into action. As Mahler writes, “In 1933 there were just over 200 presidential appointees in the executive and legislative branches. At the end of Barack Obama’s second term, there were 4,100. Filling enough of these jobs in time to get the government off the ground on Jan. 20 is difficult in the best of circumstances, which is to say when the president-elect has some sort of pre-existing political infrastructure to draw upon. ... Trump would be coming into office with little more than the remnants of a campaign staff.” Heritage stepped in to help. Not only was Feulner himself the head of domestic policy for the Trump transition, but 66 of the organization’s employees and alumni have ended up in federal postings, as have hundreds more Heritage-approved candidates. Coverage of government often tends to focus on the principal actors, and this remains true in the Trump era. But Mahler’s story does an important job of focusing our attention on the many less well known players who are shaping policy in Washington. It’s a good read too. Mahler, who last wrote for us about the problems with [the New York City subway system]( is a master at marrying narrative writing to deep reporting. There’s much more to read in this week’s issue. I’ve noted some highlights below. [A Decidedly Black Perspective in Late Night]( When Kanye West claimed on “TMZ Live” that slavery was a choice, the reigning lineup of late-night hosts found themselves in a quandary: How would this collection of mostly white men criticize a black man’s opinions on slavery? Desus and Mero, by contrast were able to capture how black people really felt about West’s comments. “He doesn’t realize we just want music and sneakers from him. That’s it. That’s it. We don’t want you to change the world, none of that [expletive].” Jazmine Hughes, a staff editor who last [profiled Elaine Welteroth]( for the magazine, writes about the comedic duo who conquered late night. [Veterans Owe Thousands for Survivor Benefits. Why Can’t They Opt Out?]( On an afternoon in late February, Staff Sgt. John Daniel Shannon, a disabled veteran who was severely injured in Iraq in 2004, received a letter from the Defense Department saying he owed money for something called the Survivor Benefit Plan, which would be deducted from his monthly entitlement for combat-related disabilities. The notice also said he owed $23,451 in unpaid premiums, plus interest, that he was expected to pay. More than 19,000 retired disabled veterans received a similar notice in early 2018, saying they had to start paying into program, which is similar to life insurance. The Defense Department’s antiquated system makes it nearly impossible to unenroll. [In Rape Cases, Statutes of Limitations Can Let Perpertrators Off the Hook]( Eleven years after Donna Palomba was raped in her home in Waterbury, Conn., the police identified her attacker with DNA evidence. But there was one very big problem: He could no longer be charged for her rape because of the statute of limitations. In the last year, the avalanche of #MeToo accounts has made clear just how pervasive sexual assault is across the country, and how few offenders are held accountable. In this feature, Ruth Padawer takes a compelling look at how these statutes prevent the prosecution of such cases, despite persuasive evidence or confession. The laws are designed to prevent wrongful convictions, but they have also shielded accused suspects of sexual assault like Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein. "All the linchpins on which modern platforms rely, at least at a very high level, eBay pioneered," says Andrei Hagiu, a visiting professor at M.I.T. [EBay: A Model for Online Shopping Platforms]( Remember when eBay was practically synonymous with buying and selling things online? In 2018, the platform continues to serve as a model for buyers and sellers, shaping the tech industry by influencing companies like Facebook, Google and Uber in both trivial and fundamental ways. In the On Technology column, John Herrman explains how eBay became a “dynamic self-regulating economy” and where its successors might head next. Sweet Treats and the Summer Heat Now that we’re officially in summer, it’s time to get your cool off with something delicious. One summery dessert Tejal Rao picked up from Von Diaz, author of “Coconuts and Collards,” is this Puerto Rican coconut pudding called tembleque, [a delicately sweet and floral recipe]( perfect to prepare ahead of time for a get-together in the park. If you’re looking for something to dip in a cold glass of milk, try [Dorie Greenspan’s cocoa-cornmeal biscotti]( to add a satisfying crunch. [Military Veterans Respond to Our Cover Story About Moral Injury]( For last week’s cover story, Eyal Press [examined how civilian and military drone operators]( are confronting the moral questions around waging war that come from committing acts that cross their own ethical lines. We asked readers to share their experiences with moral injury and how they came to understand their symptoms. “I started to wonder why most people celebrated the death of another human being,” one respondent wrote. “I still feel sick inside over it.” [Why Can’t This Teenager Keep Down Food?]( For nearly three years, Lashay, 17, has struggled to keep food and drink in her system. After a family trip to Costa Rica, during which she was scratched on the foot by a raccoon, Lashay suffered from minor gastrointestinal distress, which intensified over the course of several weeks into her current, undiagnosed disorder. Dr. Lisa Sanders recounts Lashay’s years-long journey through numerous doctors, tests and exams, which have yielded few answers, and invites readers to dig into the hospital records to find the patient’s diagnosis. Take a look, and [share your own diagnosis here.]( Onward, Jake Silverstein Editor in Chief [Can a Professor Pay for a Student’s Counseling?]( By KWAME ANTHONY APPIAH The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on how far a teacher should go to help a student with personal difficulties, and more. [‘Inappropriate’ Behavior Could Mean a Faux Pas — Or a Crime]( By CARINA CHOCANO It’s the one category broad enough to make tiny mistakes sound like grave errors, and terrible violations sound like simple misunderstandings. ADVERTISEMENT [How to Barricade a Door]( By MALIA WOLLAN For one that opens out, prop up a table to block the view in. For one that opens in, push heavy furniture against it. [Letter of Recommendation: Asteroid Day]( By ERICA BERRY It is the one holiday that grants permission to indulge in a spectacle of imagined global catastrophe. 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