Extreme Wealth – Episode 7: Chuck Collins and the Burdens of Dynastic Wealth
Release Date: 11/06/2024
A Syrian-Libyan Human Smuggling Scheme
Bribe, Swindle or Steal
As Syria struggles to get on its feet after decades under the tyrannical father-son Assad regime, we're revisiting a story from 2024 when those desperate to leave Syria were preyed upon by a human smuggling ring. The story was brought to light by Mahmoud Elsobky, one of the two winners of the 2024 TRACE Prize for Investigative Reporting. Originally posted on Jul. 10, 2024
info_outline
"Rigged: America, Russia and One Hundred Years of Covert Electoral Interference"
Bribe, Swindle or Steal
We are revisiting an episode from 2020 with David Shimer. David discusses his that reviews the century of covert election interference by Russia and the U.S., the known impact of Russian meddling in 2016, and their growing capacity to interfere in future elections. This episode was originally published on 22 September 2020.
info_outline
Corruption, Sanctions and Putin's War Regime
Bribe, Swindle or Steal
With these issues back in the headlines, we’re revisiting an important discussion with Leonid Volkov, originally recorded in 2022 at the TRACE London Forum. Leonid is the Political Director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation and was Alexei Navalny’s former Chief of Staff. He discusses the role of corruption in Putin’s Russia as well as the impact of sanctions and the toll that rampant corruption is taking on Russia. This episode was originally published on 5 October 2022.
info_outline
FCPA Year in Review (2024)
Bribe, Swindle or Steal
This podcast is based on TRACE's recent Year in Review webinar with Kate Atkinson. Kate is a Member and the Chair of Miller & Chevalier, based in their DC office, and she reviews for us the FCPA highlights for 2024.
info_outline
Trump Hotel - Baku: Adam Davidson
Bribe, Swindle or Steal
We’re reposting our 2017 podcast with Adam Davidson of the New Yorker who joined the podcast to talk about his research into the baffling Trump Hotel deal in Baku. This episode was originally published on 14 June 2017.
info_outline
"White House Inc.: How Donald Trump Turned the Presidency Into a Business” (Last Time)
Bribe, Swindle or Steal
In light of last week’s inauguration, we're revisiting a 2020 podcast episode with Dan Alexander, author and senior editor at Forbes, discussing his book about Trump’s business deals with foreign entities, including one very strange deal with the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar. This episode was originally published on 7 October 2020.
info_outline
Understanding Trump’s Executive Order on the Civil Service (It’s Much More Serious Than It Sounds)
Bribe, Swindle or Steal
This inauguration week, we're revisiting a 2020 podcast on President Trump's assault on the civil service. In this episode, Harvard law professor, Matthew Stephenson, provides some context for understanding Trump's executive order on the civil service and then lists the three primary threats it poses for corruption. A more detailed discussion can be found on his . This episode was originally published on 4 November 2020.
info_outline
Governance in Space
Bribe, Swindle or Steal
Our guest today, Dr. Rebecca Connolly, joins us to discuss her work on the legal governance of outer space relating to militarization, security and commercialization, drawing some interesting parallels to the law of the sea and making it clear that there is still a lot of work to be done.
info_outline
Navigating the Greenlash: Can boards still lead on climate change?”
Bribe, Swindle or Steal
Karina Litvack joins the podcast to share her insights into climate governance based on her extensive board experience in the oil and gas sector and her role as the Founding Chair of the Climate Governance Initiative.
info_outline
Our Favorite Wine Fraudster
Bribe, Swindle or Steal
As is holiday tradition, we're revisiting our podcast with Peter Hellman, who describes Rudy Kurniawan’s audacious scheme to defraud wine collectors in his excellent book, . This episode was originally published on 20 December 2017.
info_outlineIn his mid-20s, Chuck Collins made a fateful choice. The great-grandson of Oscar Meyer, and thus an heir to part of the meatpacker’s family fortune, Chuck was skeptical of the riches (some $500,000 in 1986 dollars). He didn’t want to perpetuate the imbalances he saw dynastic wealth creating in society. Rather than live off the interest, or to give a portion to charity, Chuck gave away the entire inheritance, and thus embarked on a most unusual sort of normal life.
In this episode, Chuck explains what reverberations his decision to give away his inheritance had on his family and in his career, and he lays out his case to other similarly privileged Americans: Why life is better without the insulation that great wealth provides, and how billionaires can rejoin American life.
Chuck Collins is the director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies, where he edits Inequality.org. He is also a founding member of Patriotic Millionaires, a group of high-net-worth Americans who advocate for public policies — including higher taxes on the wealthy — meant to rein in the political power of the richest Americans. His prolific writings focus on inequality, the racial wealth divide, philanthropy, the climate crisis, and billionaire wealth dynasties. His forthcoming book "Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power and Ruining Our Lives and Planet" will be published in 2025.