On Kleptocrats, Plutocrats, and Lobbyists with Casey Michel

On today’s show, host Esty Dinur is in conversation with writer and journalist Casey Michel about Greenland, kleptocracy, the Epstein files, and more. Michel says that “the preponderance of corruption is nothing like we’ve ever seen before” in the US. Though money has always shaped American politics, the scope and scale of what’s happening under the Trump regime is unprecedented. 

Michel has written multiple books about corruption in American politics, including American Kleptocracy, Foreign Agents, and the forthcoming United States of Oligarchy.

His reporting on Trump’s attempts to take over Greenland reveals a web of financial interests at play. Trump is being guided by the interests of wealthy donors and corporations who want to mine the “whole periodic table of elements” that are being blocked by environmental and labor regulations imposed by Greenland, Denmark, and the EU. He says that the financiers pulling the strings want to build a super power where there is no democracy, taxes, or any restrictions on their actions, and authoritarians like Trump are happy to help them.

Note: This pledge drive interview was edited to remove parts of the show dedicated to station fundraising. We thank our listeners for their generous support.

Casey Michel is an American writer and journalist who covers international corruption, dark money, and foreign influence for a range of outlets, including The New York Times, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, and more. He has written multiple books on these topics, including “American Kleptocracy” and “Foreign Agents,” and his new book “United States of Oligarchy” will be released in August. He is currently sanctioned by the Russian regime for his work.

Featured image of the cover of Casey Michel’s book, American Kleptocracy.

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