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We will remember the 2010s as a grifters paradise. These were the years when our collective sense of objective reality totally fell apart and when politics, business, technology, culture and even ordinary life fell fully under the sway of a new breed of swindler, huckster, influencer, troll and hacker.

Scams and fakery were not just ascendant this decade they were often the dominant story line. It was a time of life comes at you fast and milkshake duck. The primary feeling of the 2010s was one of punch-drunken disorientation, of always having the rug pulled out from under you. And this was the big lesson of the 2010s: Almost nothing is as it seems. Doubt everything. Trust no one.

Not that this idea works very well: Doubting everything may be a workable plan for individual survival in a fracturing media universe dominated by algorithms and digital media of dubious authenticity, but pervasive doubt could just as well bring on civilizational ruin. Getting through modern life seems to require adopting a corrosive view of society that makes a hash of our fundamental ideas about the value of cooperation and trust among our fellow humans. Were bringing on a death-spiral of distrust and I fear that in the 2020s and beyond, grifters peddling alternative facts may come to suffocate us all.

The most obvious example of the hucksters rise was, of course, Donald Trump. When Trump announced his bid for the presidency in 2015, much of the political and media establishment, including many leading Republicans, thought the idea of a self-dealing, conspiracy theorizing reality TV star winning the White House was a pretty funny joke. Few of them understood Trumps effectiveness at hacking the news landscape to command our attention completely. Few of them could have guessed that rather than the establishment foiling Trump, his slippery style and overwhelming blizzard of lies would so fully alter political and media culture that by the end of the decade, members of the G.O.P. would be embracing and echoing his conspiracy theories as a way to forestall his removal from office.

While conspiracy thinking took full flower on the right, it began to bloom on the left, too. Trumps election was followed by the rise of anti-Trump online influencers who came to dominate news and activism. These were the resistance grifters Michael Avenatti, the brothers Ed and Brian Krassenstein, the nearly self-parodic Louise Mensch who peddled a self-serving brand of breathless anti-Trumpism heavily peppered with calls to buy their books and other merch. A specter of foreign disinformation led to widespread suspicion, and it became a handy defense for grifters to dismiss opposition as bots or Russian shills.

Why are we being overrun by scams? Societys signals for judging reputation and trustworthiness havent caught up with the changing tech. Even though we know better, we reflexively mistake Instagram for reality online influence is seen as a proxy for real-world authenticity, and so we are constantly falling under the sway of people whove found ways to game the digital realm. On your phone, the Fyre Festival looks irresistible.

We are also too easily blinded by wealth, or markers for wealth. Anna Sorokin, the Russian immigrant convicted this year of conning New York society into thinking she was a German heiress named Anna Delvey, defrauded hotels and banks of hundreds of thousands of dollars by pretending to be rich. Shed hand out $100 bills to anyone and everyone. For a stretch of time in New York, no small amount of the cash in circulation was coming from Anna Delvey, Jessica Pressler wrote.

You could argue that my take on the end of truth is too gloomy. Consider the clarifying power of #MeToo how in the cases of Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Cosby and other once-powerful men, we witnessed the power of facts and objective, clear eyed investigation to alter the brutal power structures that had long held victims in silence.

You might also argue that collectively, were getting better at spotting hucksters and frauds. The resistance grifters had a good run, but we found them out. Less than a year from now, if not sooner, Trump, too, may hit the end of his run.

But Im skeptical that these things signal some reason for optimism. Our information system has slipped its moorings, and as a result, lying and scheming and fraud has simply become too effective a life strategy. As I argued in March, when the celebrity college admissions scandal broke, were seeing the uberization of corruption bending the rules is becoming routine and pervasive, a push-button cheat code for modern life.

Its not a big leap from Trust no one to swindle everyone. Happy new decade, I guess.

Farhad wants to chat with readers on the phone. If youre interested in talking to a New York Times columnist about anything thats on your mind, please fill out this form. Farhad will select a few readers to call.

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The Next Decade Will Be Just as Bad - The New York Times

Former Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman on Monday predicted Donald Trump will be doomed by EU ambassador Gordon Sondlands upcoming public House testimony in the impeachment inquiry into the president.

Donald Trump is toast, Akerman told CNN.

Sondland is going to come out and tell the whole story, he predicted. Hes going to detail it, hes going to have documents to detail it, youve got lots of witnesses corroborating it.

I mean theres no question that they were trying to get the Ukrainian government to announce an investigation into (former Vice President) Joe Biden, Akerman added. And using money as appropriated by the U.S. Congress to do that. Pure bribery.

Sondland will testify on Wednesday morning.He has already walked back his initial closed-door claim that he didnt recall any discussions about Ukraine announcing an investigation into the Bidens allegedly in exchange for withheld military aid.

Akerman said Sondland has got no choice here but to come clean about his role and Trump.

Otherwise hes gonna wind up like Roger Stone in federal prison, with Roger Stone as his roommate. I mean, he does not want that to happen, Akerman explained, referencing the GOP strategist and longtime Trump associate who was on Friday found guilty on seven charges relating to lying to investigators probing Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Stone will be sentenced next year.

If I were his lawyer, I would be sitting on him pretty hard and making sure that he told everything he knew, every truthful bit of evidence just to make sure he doesnt go down for Donald Trump, Akerman, referring to Sondland, added.

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Watergate Prosecutor Predicts The Moment This Week That Donald Trump Will Be Toast - HuffPost

It seemed almost too surreal to be true. Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle together on The Views 5,000th episode?

But there they were Thursday morning, promoting both the first sons new bookprovocatively titled Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Usand their budding, MAGA-fueled romance. In her introduction, Whoopi Goldberg refused to even say Trump Jr.s name, calling him the son of the gentleman in the White House, DJT. Predictably, their joint appearance quickly went off the rails.

Abby Huntsman kicked things off by comparing Trump Jr. to a dictator for tweeting out the alleged name of the whistleblower in the Ukraine scandal. The whole point of releasing a name is to intimidate someone, to threaten someone, and to scare other people from coming out, she said. Thats something that dictators do. Ihave lived in China. I have seen that firsthand. Thats not what America does. We stand by our people. Why did you want to release the name?

For the next several minutes, Trump Jr. defended his actions by arguing that the name had already been published on sites like the Drudge Report and expressed no regret for doing what could amount to a federal crime. He went on to whine that he wishes the outrage was equal when his family has been targeted by critics.

He asked to be anonymous. Your family did not! Joy Behar shot back.

Im a private citizen putting this out there, Trump Jr. protested to laughs of disbelief from the hosts.

Asked if, as a lawyer, she advised him not to do it, Guilfoyle revealed that she was in the bathroom at the time. I did say when I came out of the bathroom, I left you alone for 10 minutes, what happened while Mamacita was gone? she joked. No one laughed.

Soon, all seven people on stage were talking over each other and Goldberg was forced to ring a bell to get them all to shut up. By the time Trump Jr. suggested that Gordon Sondland, Trumps ambassador to the European Union, lied to Congress because hes afraid of being attacked like so many of us have by a vicious left thats running a one-sided campaign, loud boos could be heard coming from the audience.

Meghan McCain, who did not utter one word during the first segment, made her presence known after the break. If you could let me speak, I would appreciate it, she began. Seemingly on the verge of tears, she described the various ways the Trump family has damaged the soul of this country before asking, Does all of this make you feel good?

She did not seem satisfied by his answer about unprecedented low unemployment numbers for African Americans. I understand that hes controversial, Trump Jr. said. I understand that hes offended a lot of people, but I also understand that he took on the establishment, and thats the premier sin here in American politics today.

Remarkably, it was Sunny Hostin and not McCain herself who brought up Trumps many insults against her late father, John McCain. I understand that and Im sorry about that, Trump Jr. said. They did have differences, I agree with that.

Ultimately, it was left to Goldberg to prevent the couple from trying to rewrite history live on the air. Part of being president is having a pair that can take whatever heat comes towards you, she told them.

I promise you, my fathers got a pair, Trump Jr. shot back. And no sitting president has taken the heat that President Trump has taken. In the next moment, he attacked Joy Behar for supposedly wearing blackface and Goldberg for defending Roman Polanski.

By the end of their third segment, after Huntsman attempted to end on a light note by asking when the pair will be tying the knot, Goldberg had clearly had enough. There was still more time in their hour, but she said, Its the end of this show, pointing to Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle, who looked like they couldnt wait to get out of there as well.

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Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle Went on The View ...

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is not lamenting President Donald Trump's decision to change his residency from his lifelong home of New York to Florida. USA TODAY

After a lifelong residency in New York City, President Donald Trump is officially trading in the skyscrapers of the Big Apple for the palm trees of the Sunshine State.

The New York Times reportedThursday that Trump and First Lady Melania Trump filed separate declarations of domicile in Florida last month, a legal move that shifts his residency from Manhattan to his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach.

Trump confirmed the move in a series of tweets Thursday night.

I hated having to make this decision, but in the end it will be best for all concerned, Trump tweeted. As President, I will always be there to help New York and the great people of New York. It will always have a special place in my heart!

According to NBC News, Trump has spent 99 days at his Mar-a-Lago club and golf course compared with 20 days at Trump Tower since he took office. But what prompted the official change in residency?

Trump and his administration havent confirmed why the Queens native decided to officially declare his Southern White House as home, but many have speculated that politics and money play a large part.

Trump criticized his political opponents in his Farewell, New York tweet Thursday suggesting his decision may have had to do with histreatment by political leaders in the city and state.

Despite the fact that I pay millions of dollars in city, state and local taxes each year, he tweeted. I have been treated very badly by the political leaders of both the city and state. Few have been treated worse.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo didnt seem to mind Trumps move to Florida and instead responded with a good riddance.

Its not like Mr. Trump paid taxes here anyway, Cuomo said in his statement. Hes all yours, Florida.

Trumps contributions to the state and city cant be confirmed as he has refused to release his tax returns.

However, moving to Florida could be a huge tax saver. The president and first lady would be escaping an 8.2% state tax rate and a 3.87% city tax rateon income over $90,000, according to Joseph Callahan, attorney and president of Mackay, Caswell & Callahan, P.C. in New York.

In order to avoid income tax, the Trumps cant be in the state of New York for more than 183 days. However, the state can still tax some Trump dollars, Callahan explained, as part of his income tax could come from capital gains through the sale of real estate and, of course, property taxes on his New York properties.

Trump would also be escaping New York states estate taxes, which would be a maximum of 16% on an estate worth over $10.1 million with an exclusion amount of $5 million. Florida doesnt have income or estate taxes.

"Its an absolute no-brainer," Callahan said on the president's decision to move. "It's excellent as a tax-saving decision."

'Good riddance': Gov. Andrew Cuomo's response to Donald Trump moving from New York to Florida

The move means Trumps permanent residence will no longer be Trump Tower, the Manhattan building that he has long called home.

However, he will still be residing in the White House for the next year with weekend trips to his new, official residence in Mar-a-Lago.

According to the Palm Beach County Clerk, a declaration of domicile is a sworn statement that basically says an individual is a resident of that state and county. That individual is stating they reside in and maintain a place of residence there and intend to make it a permanent residence.

Not every state requires you to file a declaration of domicile to make your residency official. The states that do require it often don't have state taxes, such as Florida and Texas.

How much?: Trumps Mar-a-Lago visits cost Coast Guard nearly $20M

A married couple cannot file a declaration of domicile jointly like they can file tax returns.

Copies of the president and first ladys declarations of domicile show that they must file individually.

However, according to paperwork published by the Times, they both declared primary residence at the same address in Mar-a-Lago.

Contributing: Jon Campbell, USA TODAY. Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.

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Why is President Donald Trump moving from New York to Florida?

WASHINGTON Speaker Nancy Pelosi's patience has been rewarded.

With the impeachment script fully flipping this week, it's Pelosi who wants Americans to watch every turn of the trial of President Donald Trump, and Republicans who have abruptly stopped calling for more transparency.

"They want transparency like a hole in the head, for crying out loud," said Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J. "Transparency is not going to help them."

The reason for the change: the facts in evidence.

It's a lot easier for even most of the swing-district Democrats to say the president should have to answer for his actions after weeks of testimony in which current and former administration officials have described a wide-ranging effort by the Trump team to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to open an investigation into a political opponent former Vice President Joe Biden.

The shift led Pelosi and top lieutenants to announce Tuesday that they would move forward with a floor vote this week to formally set the rules for a series of public House Intelligence Committee hearings that are expected to give more attention to what lawmakers have been hearing in private about Trump's use of his power.

"With every new witness we get further detail corroborating the basic story," said Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., a former State Department official who has participated in the hearings in a secure facility deep beneath the Capitol complex. "With every witness it becomes harder to deny the facts and harder to defend the president's conduct."

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That's exactly what Trump is pleading with fellow Republicans to do. Until this week, the unified GOP message revolved around attacking Democrats for holding closed hearings in a secure room usually used for discussions involving classified material.

"Republicans are very unified and energized in our fight on the Impeachment Hoax with the Do Nothing Democrats, and now are starting to go after the Substance even more than the very [unfair] Process because just a casual reading of the Transcript leads EVERYBODY to see that ... the call with the Ukrainian President was a totally appropriate one," Trump wrote on Twitter Wednesday morning.

"As he said, 'No Pressure.' This Impeachment nonsense is just a continuation of the Witch Hunt Hoax, which has been going on since before I even got elected. [Republicans], go with Substance and close it out!" he wrote.

He's had some success in getting Republicans to drop their argument that the hearings should be brought out into the open. But rather than defend his actions, Republicans are now contending, as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has, that any future findings are "fruit from the poisonous tree" because Republicans believe the early process was unfair to Trump. Most will also continue to make McCarthy's case that the president did not engage in a "quid pro quo" an exchange of one benefit for another and has not committed any impeachable offenses.

Yet while the range of responses on Trump's behalf is varied in some cases, Republicans are attacking witnesses, many of whom are career officials in the federal government GOP lawmakers aren't rushing to cameras to contend that foreign governments should be invited into the American electoral process, that appropriated funds should be withheld for policy or political purposes and that the release of American foreign aid should be predicated on foreign investigations into U.S. citizens.

Rep. Max Rose, D-N.Y., a top target for Republicans in the 2020, said substance is the problem for the president.

Rose said the process argument, carried by McCarthy and Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., wasn't working out because it was a weak one.

"Heres also Politics 101, as practiced in the JV variant by Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise and the rest of those jokers," he said. "What they do is, if they are scared of the potential facts, if they are scared or wary of the way the way in which this investigation is going in terms of the facts that it is producing, you will proceed to point to process."

Rose, who has been supportive of the impeachment inquiry, said what he's concerned about is "the potential that the president used the apparatus of the state to advance his own self-interest."

Before the Ukraine story broke in September, Pelosi was holding off her liberal flank's demands to move forward quickly on impeachment, and likely would have needed to apply serious muscle to adopt a resolution like the one that is now expected to pass easily on Thursday.

"I think you had a lot of people on the left that were pushing this issue without a clear timeline or a strategy or how we were going to convey this to the American public," said Rep. Lacy Clay, D-Mo. "And as you can see from recent polls we have now gained a majority of Americans who agree with this inquiry, with this impeachment inquiry, and I think the facts will lead us to the truth of what occurred and will more than likely lead to articles of impeachment."

Trump found early help from one Democrat: New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who said Tuesday he would probably vote against the resolution.

But there were strong signs this week that the speaker wouldn't have to worry about the whip count including the announcement by Rep. Joe Cunningham, who won one of the closest races in the country in 2018 in a South Carolina district long held by Republicans, that he would vote for it.

Pascrell said Pelosi and fellow Democrats are in a much different position than they were in just a couple of months ago.

"We could have never had the vote," he said. "So much has happened, which we predicted could happen, it has happened, and I think its moved people."

Jonathan Allen is a Washington-based national political reporter for NBC News who focuses on the presidency.

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Pelosi wants Americans to see the trial of Donald Trump