Topic: Russian Oligarchs

President Trump announced a new "Gold Card" program for U.S. residency, priced at $5 million. The program is a rebrand of the existing EB-5 immigrant investor visa, which previously had a lower buy-in of $1 million to $1.8 million. While critics argue the program "sells the country" to wealthy individuals and potentially Russian oligarchs, supporters note that similar "golden visa" programs exist in Canada, the UK, and the EU.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are criticized for not "playing ball" with U.S. interests regarding oil production and the hosting of Russian oligarchs. The discussion touches on the historical agreement where the U.S. provides military protection in exchange for oil being traded in dollars, a system currently under strain.

The United States and European allies announce plans to find and seize the yachts, luxury apartments, and private jets of Russian oligarchs. President Joe Biden declares that the West is coming for "ill-begotten gains" as part of the response to the invasion of Ukraine. The segment emphasizes the unity of the international coalition in targeting the financial interests of those close to Vladimir Putin.

Media reports from "Little Moscow" in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, investigate the impact of U.S. sanctions on wealthy Russian residents. Local realtors report that instead of a sell-off, some Russians are attempting to move assets into real estate to avoid seizures of luxury goods like yachts. The discussion criticizes the media for harassing Russian-Americans who are in the country legally.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes moves to release a classified memo alleging FBI surveillance abuses involving a FISA warrant for Carter Page. Simultaneously, CNN and the Washington Post report on the presence of several Kremlin-connected Russians at Donald Trump's inauguration, including Viktor Vekselberg and Natalia Veselnitskaya. The reporting is criticized for attempting to distract from the FBI text message scandal.

Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, owner of the New Jersey Nets, is discussed following a profile on 60 Minutes. The hosts highlight that he is represented by the PR firm Hill & Knowlton, which previously managed the public image of the tobacco industry and is currently involved in climate change messaging.

Current trends in London include a heavy presence of Russian wealth in hotels and the takeover of the local cannabis trade by Chinese organized crime operating out of council estates. Separately, Ted Leonsis's interest in history led him to finance a documentary based on Iris Chang's "The Rape of Nanking," detailing the 1937 Japanese occupation of China.