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PODCAST

The John Batchelor Show

The John Batchelor Show

The John Batchelor Show is a hard news-analysis radio program on current events, world history, global politics and natural sciences. Based in New York City for two decades, the show has travelled widely to report, from the Middle East to the South Caucasus to the Arabian Peninsula and East Asia.

news & politics history

All Episodes

5:05

S8 Ep161: European Space Agency Increases Budget and...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/04

European Space Agency Increases Budget and Shifts Toward Commercial Model — Bob Zimmerman — The European Space Agency approved record budget allocations, increasing funding by approximately one-third to facilitate systematic transition toward commercial space operations. Zimmerman documents that the ESA has established a "launcher challenge" incentivizing startup rocket companies, and transferred operational control of the Vega C rocket from centralized Arianespace to manufacturer Avio, enabling

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14:35

S8 Ep161: Space Sector Crisis: Roscosmos Launch Pad...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/04

Space Sector Crisis: Roscosmos Launch Pad Destruction and Starlink Exploitation — Bob Zimmerman — Zimmerman details a catastrophic setback for Roscosmos whereby destruction of their primary Soyuz launch pad halts crewed missions to the International Space Station, potentially stranding the current crew for extended periods. Zimmerman documents Russian military exploitation of black-market Starlink terminals attached to reconnaissance and attack drones throughout the Ukraine conflict, while SpaceX

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4:39

S8 Ep161: UK Labor Government Faces Backlash Over...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/04

UK Labor Government Faces Backlash Over Broken Promises — Simon Constable — The UK Labour Party, despite commanding a substantial parliamentary supermajority, faces uniform public rejection of its fall budget that systematically violates campaign pledges regarding middle-class taxation. Constable documents that Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces accusations of exaggerating past achievements on her curriculum vitae, specifically claiming a "Britishgirls under 14" chess championship subsequently

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13:10

S8 Ep161: Economic Signals from Europe: Falling...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/04

Economic Signals from Europe: Falling Energy, Rising Copper, Data Center Demand — Simon Constable — Constable reports from southern France that global economic indicators remain mixed: European energy prices have declined due to weak industrial demand signaling economic sluggishness, while copper prices surge driven by "green transition" infrastructure development and energy-intensive AI data center construction. Constable documents that copper demand is projected to increase sixfold by 2050,

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8:05

S8 Ep161: Supply-Side Progressivism and the High Cost...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/04

Supply-Side Progressivism and the High Cost of Green Energy Regulation — Steven Hayward — Haywardexamines the emerging "supply-side progressivism" movement championed by Ezra Klein, which belatedly acknowledges that excessive regulatory frameworks systematically damage economic competitiveness and living standards. Hayward criticizes these progressive intellectuals for acting as though they discovered this reality, ignoring forty years of conservative scholarship documenting regulatory deadweight

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11:35

S8 Ep161: Bill Gates and the Decline of Apocalyptic...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/04

Bill Gates and the Decline of Apocalyptic Environmentalism — Steven Hayward — Hayward analyzes Bill Gates'srecent statement that climate apocalypse is not imminent, characterizing this admission as a potential "death knell" for alarmist environmentalism. Hayward traces the intellectual shift from 1960s Kennedy-era liberal optimism emphasizing growth and technological progress to 1970s Malthusian pessimism predicting resource exhaustion, arguing that modern environmental activism is systematically

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5:19

S8 Ep161: Federal Judge Dismisses FTC Antitrust...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/04

Federal Judge Dismisses FTC Antitrust Complaint Against Meta — Jessica Melugin — Judge Boasberg dismissed the FTC's monopoly complaint on the foundational grounds that the agency failed to properly define the relevant market, artificially inflating Meta's competitive share by excluding dominant competitors including TikTok and YouTube. Melugin documents that proper market definition analysis places Meta's competitive share at approximately 30–50%, insufficient to constitute monopoly status under

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12:30

S8 Ep161: The Flawed Logic of the FTC's Crusade...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/04

The Flawed Logic of the FTC's Crusade Against Meta — Jessica Melugin — Melugin analyzes the failed FTCcomplaint against Meta, arguing the agency fundamentally abandoned the "consumer welfare standard" governing antitrust doctrine to prioritize competitor protection over demonstrable consumer harm. Melugin emphasizes that the FTC's characterization of Meta's acquisitions as anti-competitive ignores the critical reality that Meta services are provided at zero cost to users, who have demonstrably

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10:00

S8 Ep161: The Nuclear Threat: China's Arsenal...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/04

The Nuclear Threat: China's Arsenal Expansion and No First Use Abandonment — Peter Huessy — Huessy argues that China has effectively abandoned its official "No First Use" nuclear policy, evidenced through explicit nuclear threats against Japan regarding Taiwan intervention scenarios. Huessy documents massive American intelligence failures regarding Chinese nuclear arsenal size, with projections indicating Beijing will possess thousands of warheads by the 2030s rather than maintaining historically

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9:40

S8 Ep161: US Space Force Budget Cuts and the "Golden...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/04

US Space Force Budget Cuts and the "Golden Dome" Missile Defense — Rick Fisher — Fisher analyzes fluctuating U.S. Space Force budget allocations, highlighting Congressional appropriations for the classified "Golden Dome" missile defense system designed to intercept intercontinental ballistic warheads aimed at the U.S. and allied territories. Fisher criticizes persisting policy prohibitions against American space-based weapons development, arguing these restrictions increasingly represent obsolete

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8:49

S8 Ep161: China and Russia Coordinate Threats Against...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/04

China and Russia Coordinate Threats Against Japan Over Taiwan — Rebecca Grant — Grant documents coordinated China-Russia diplomatic pressure against Japan, triggered by Prime Minister Takichi Sai's assertion that Chinese invasion of Taiwan would constitute an existential threat necessitating Japanese military mobilization. Grantnotes that despite Chinese nuclear saber-rattling and Cold War-era propaganda campaigns, Japanese leadership is categorically refusing diplomatic capitulation,

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9:00

S8 Ep161: Beijing's Economic Desperation: The...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/04

Beijing's Economic Desperation: The Triangular Debt Crisis — Andrew Collier — Collier interprets Beijing'spublic calls for state-owned enterprise and private sector cooperation as unmistakable indicators of governmental financial desperation, as the Chinese state systematically fails to compensate private suppliers and contractors. Collier documents that China is experiencing a debt crisis structurally analogous to the "triangular debt" phenomenon of the 1990s, wherein private firms accumulate

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10:45

S8 Ep161: Space Safety Crisis: China's Space Station...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/04

Space Safety Crisis: China's Space Station Lacked Emergency Lifeboat — Rick Fisher — Fisher analyzes a recent spacecraft accident wherein high-velocity space debris cracked a porthole on the Chinese space station, forcing unmanned return of the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft. Fisher criticizes the Chinese space program for failing to maintain a backup "lifeboat" spacecraft attached to the station, leaving the crew vulnerable for approximately ten days without functional exit capability, a critical safety

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9:00

S8 Ep161: Russia's Financial Desperation: Failed Bond...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/04

Russia's Financial Desperation: Failed Bond Issues and Discounted Oil — Michael Bernstam — Bernstamdocuments Russia's systematic struggle to finance its expanding budget deficit and war costs through issuance of "Panda bonds" denominated in Chinese renminbi, efforts that have largely failed as Chinese investors regard Russian sovereign debt as excessively risky. Bernstam documents that Russia's oil revenue is severely constrained by Western sanctions enforcement, forcing Moscow to sell crude

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5:49

S8 Ep161: The Wolf's Call: Submarine Thrillers and...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/04

The Wolf's Call: Submarine Thrillers and Nuclear Miscalculation — General Blaine Holt — General Holt analyzes the French thriller film The Wolf's Call, utilizing it as a framework to examine the independence of France's nuclear deterrent and the terrifying velocity of nuclear launch protocols that preclude human intervention once activated. Holtdraws historical parallels to Cold War close calls including the Cuban Missile Crisis and contemporary hybrid warfare scenarios, emphasizing how

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12:00

S8 Ep161: War Gaming a Russian Invasion of Estonia:...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/04

War Gaming a Russian Invasion of Estonia: NATO's Article 5 Crisis — General Blaine Holt — General Holtdiscusses a scenario derived from Carlo Masala's book If Russia Wins, depicting Russian military seizure of the Estonian town of Narva in 2028 using ambiguous hybrid tactics. Holt emphasizes that this scenario exposes NATO'sfundamental bureaucratic paralysis, organizational hesitation to invoke Article 5 collective defense provisions, and the catastrophic risk of nuclear miscalculation when

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1:33

S8 Ep160: PREVIEW — Michael Bernstam (Hoover...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/03

PREVIEW — Michael Bernstam (Hoover Institution) — Russia's Deepening Revenue Crisis. Bernstam explains that Russia is systematically failing to close its widening budget deficit gap through gold sales or domestic bond offerings, rendering oil export revenue absolutely critical to fiscal sustainability. Bernstam documents that American and Westernsanctions have artificially depressed Russian crude oil prices to approximately $40 per barrel, representing a severe discount relative to the global

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1:10

S8 Ep160: PREVIEW — General Blaine Holt (USAF,...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/03

PREVIEW — General Blaine Holt (USAF, Retired) — Flexible Deterrents for Russian Escalation. General Holtdiscusses American strategic options for responding to imminent Russian military aggression independent of NATOalliance consultation and collective defense invocation. Holt argues that rather than immediate direct kinetic conflict engagement, the National Security Council would prioritize implementation of "flexible deterrent options," encompassing financial sanctions mechanisms, clandestine

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2:18

S8 Ep160: PREVIEW — Jessica Melugin (Civitas Outlook)...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/03

PREVIEW — Jessica Melugin (Civitas Outlook) — The Flawed Logic of the FTC's Meta Lawsuit. Melugin argues that the Federal Trade Commission's failed antitrust litigation against Meta Platforms fundamentally abandoned the traditional "consumer welfare standard" governing antitrust jurisprudence, instead prioritizing protection of corporate competitors over demonstrable consumer harm. Melugin emphasizes that because Meta provides innovative digital platforms offering zero-cost access to billions of

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2:36

S8 Ep159: PREVIEW — Professor Steven Hayward — The...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/12/03

PREVIEW — Professor Steven Hayward — The Shift from Optimism to Environmental Gloom. John Batchelor and Professor Steven Hayward trace the intellectual origins of "apocalyptic environmentalism" to the comprehensive collapse of liberal optimism during the turbulent 1960s. Hayward argues that catastrophic policy failures regarding Vietnam War prosecution, escalating urban crime, and intractable poverty discredited liberal governance ideology, displacing the Kennedy-era sunniness and technological

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5,168 results

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