Politics War Room with James Carville & Al Hunt

The Haves & The Have-Yachts with Evan Osnos

·58 min·5 clips

Ukraine's secret drone attack destroyed 41 Russian strategic bombers, a surprise hailed as the greatest since Pearl Harbor.

The episode opens with hosts James Carville and Al Hunt introducing guest Evan Osnos, a New Yorker writer and author. Carville first discusses Ukraine's war, detailing a secret Ukrainian drone attack that destroyed 41 Russian strategic bombers, which he calls the greatest surprise attack since Pearl Harbor. He criticizes Trump and J.D. Vance for dismissing Ukraine. The conversation then shifts to Osnos's book on the ultra-rich. Osnos explains that reigning in oligarchy historically requires sustained civil society effort, citing the 17-year gap between the Gilded Age and the first antitrust act. He discusses the ostentatious display of wealth through mega-yachts and private concerts. Osnos highlights American ambivalence: 59% believe billionaires make the country less fair, while 59% want to be billionaires. He contrasts Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, who advocate for higher taxes and philanthropy, with newer billionaires like Elon Musk, who see their corporate roles as their greatest gift. Osnos notes many ultra-rich have embraced Trump, often out of fear or ideological alignment, gambling on his personalistic application of the law. He analyzes Mark Zuckerberg, describing him as unprepared for Facebook's societal impact and scorched by public criticism, leading him away from a Gates-like philanthropic path. The hosts and Osnos briefly touch on China, with Osnos stating Xi Jinping has greater tolerance for pain in a confrontation than Trump. Later segments address listener questions on topics like Trump's polling, tariffs as a pump-and-dump scheme, and news source recommendations. The episode concludes with a discussion on term limits and the Biden age issue.

As heard by us

A pointed conversation about how the ultra-rich bargain with power when the rule of law starts to bend.

Evan Osnos brings the ultra-rich into focus through the question of how billionaires judge their closeness to power when Donald Trump's contempt for the rule of law becomes part of the political climate.

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Why you'd press play

Want to hear billionaires' Trump calculus unpacked as ideology, fear, access, and rule-of-law risk?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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