Now the corporations run things in America

The only real way to get elected to a state-wide or national office in America is to put your ads on TV or on the radio. But that costs money. If you are a promising candidate, then corporations will come forward and give you money so you can put ads on TV. Presto-changeo you are now going to do what the corporations want, or they will take away that money. Funding the politician generates a "kickback" to the corporation.

Now what about an independent candidate who doesn't need corporate money? Well they still have to put their ads on TV. So the corporations go to their bought-out candidate and orders them to threaten the TV people - that if they air the ads of the non-corporate candidate then the corporate candidate will not re-up the ad buy. This is "extortion".

In addition, these self-same corporations buy ad time from the TV stations. They can then threaten to not re-up if the news division is critical of the corporations' industries. This is "hush money".

Of course, now the media will not report on their own corruption, nor will the government impose regulations on itself. So I guess it's up to the judiciary to set things right.

Right.