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PODCAST

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.

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All Episodes

9:52

95: Revolutionary Loyalty and Early Family Tensions....

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

Revolutionary Loyalty and Early Family Tensions. Joseph Turigian discusses the life of Xi Zhongxun, a devoted but persecuted revolutionary communist, emphasizing his deep loyalty to the party, reminiscent of Arthur Koestler's Darkness at Noon. The segment explores the revolutionary mindset where personal suffering proves dedication to a world-historical force. It also details Xi Zhongxun's compelling first marriage to Ha Minghu, a tough peasant revolutionary who struggled to balance motherhood and

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8:29

95: Starship and Super Heavy: The Fully Reusable Mars...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

Starship and Super Heavy: The Fully Reusable Mars Vehicle. Eric Berger details the development of Starship and Super Heavy at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. Starship is the culmination of SpaceX's efforts: a fully reusable, super heavy rocket much larger than the Saturn 5, designed to carry humans into deep space and enable the Mars colony. A critical innovation for rapid reuse is the "chopstick" system, which catches both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship second stage, saving time and mass

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11:14

95: Crew Dragon and Commercial Human Spaceflight....

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

Crew Dragon and Commercial Human Spaceflight. Eric Berger discusses NASA's Commercial Crew Program, initiated after the Space Shuttle retired. Boeing's entry legitimized the program, securing crucial congressional funding for competitors like SpaceX. SpaceX adapted the Dragon design for crew, involving extensive parachute testing by the "Shoot Show" team in the desert and ultimately agreeing to water landings for astronaut safety. Crew Dragon launched atop the Falcon 9 Block 5, the modern rocket

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6:32

95: Starlink: Funding the Mars Vision through LEO...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

Starlink: Funding the Mars Vision through LEO Constellations. Eric Berger discusses Starlink, a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites designed to fund Musk's Mars vision. While the idea wasn't new, deploying thousands of satellites for global internet was previously viewed as impractical due to manufacturing and launch rate limitations. Starlink, now highly successful with about 7,000 operational satellites, minimizes lag compared to geostationary systems like Iridium. This revenue stream is

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11:19

95: Achieving Reusability and Navigating Launch...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

Achieving Reusability and Navigating Launch Failures. Eric Berger reports that in December 2015, SpaceX demonstrated reusability with the successful launch and vertical landing of the Falcon 9 Full Thrust at Landing Zone 1. The launch utilized densified propellant, requiring a tight launch window. The risky landing involved the Air Force approving a rocket with fuel returning over expensive real estate, despite concerns from groups like the National Reconnaissance Office. However, three weeks

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6:19

95: Falcon 9 Full Thrust: Densification and Barge...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

Falcon 9 Full Thrust: Densification and Barge Landings. Eric Berger describes how, following a 2015 failure, SpaceX developed the Falcon 9 Full Thrust, version 3.0/4.0. Driven by the Mars vision, they adopted densification—chilling liquid oxygen to boost density and increase payload efficiency by 10 to 12 percent. Crucially, they focused on landing the booster vertically on a moving barge, skipping steps in the reusability process. This challenge required redesigned Merlin engines and advanced

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13:24

95: Dragon Spacecraft Development and Reusability...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

Dragon Spacecraft Development and Reusability Focus. Eric Berger explains that SpaceX needed NASA contracts to fund its Mars ambition. NASA provided critical funding in 2006 and 2009 for the Dragon spacecraft to deliver cargo to the International Space Station, replacing retiring vehicles like the Space Shuttle. Dragon was designed for recoverability and reuse, incorporating propulsion into the capsule itself, which increased complexity. Under pressure from Musk's impatience, SpaceX combined two

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9:03

95: Developing and Launching the First Falcon 9. Eric...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

Developing and Launching the First Falcon 9. Eric Berger recounts the difficult summer of 2009 preparing the first Falcon 9 booster, featuring nine Merlin engines housed in an octagonal web. Engineers endured intense 100-hour weeks handling complex wiring and propulsion plumbing. The subsequent road trip from Texas to Florida was arduous, including crashing the rocket's interstage into a building. Despite severe issues, like storm-fried antennas, an impatient Elon Musk pushed for a successful

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8:45

95: Musk's Audacious Mars Colonization Vision. Eric...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

Musk's Audacious Mars Colonization Vision. Eric Berger discusses Elon Musk's remarkable September 2016 speech in Guadalajara outlining the colonization of Mars. Musk proposed building a self-sustaining colony requiring landing a million tons of equipment using a fully reusable massive rocket. This vision, described as audacious and like science fiction, revealed the company's true intent: establishing a second civilization to prevent species extinction, informing every subsequent step taken by

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9:22

95: Western Miscalculation and the Core Problem of...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

Western Miscalculation and the Core Problem of Russia's Dominance Ideology. Professor Eugene Finkelargues that debates about Ukraine joining NATO or the EU are secondary, as the core problem remains Russia's deeply rooted ideological belief that it must control Ukraine. Western powers, including the US and Southern and Central Europe, have repeatedly misread Russia as transactional and rational, failing to recognize it as a revanchist neo-imperialist power. This miscalculation led to poor

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10:01

95: The Historical Roots of Russian Brutality and...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

The Historical Roots of Russian Brutality and Putin's Ideological Driver. Professor Eugene Finkel explains that the pervasive cruelty in Russian forces stems from a historical willingness to use extreme violence, where human life is cheap, evident from Stalin's cynical fears of losing Ukraine to modern conflicts. Russians are willing to make Ukraine a desert to secure control, employing methods consistent with their actions in Chechnya and Syria. In 2022, Putin, trapped in isolation with

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4:53

95: Volodymyr Zelenskyy: A Native Russian Speaker and...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

Volodymyr Zelenskyy: A Native Russian Speaker and the Evolution of Ukrainian National Identity. Professor Eugene Finkel notes that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has an unusual background: Jewish, a native Russian speaker, and a successful media entrepreneur and comedian. His election symbolizes Ukraine's evolving identity, moving from an ethnic definition to a national commitment to the state, regardless of language. Zelenskyy won as an outsider, hoping his background would enable him to negotiate

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12:47

95: Putin's Revisionist History and the 2014 Invasion...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

Putin's Revisionist History and the 2014 Invasion of Crimea and Donbas. Professor Eugene Finkel analyzes how, isolated during the pandemic, Vladimir Putin wrote a historical essay in 2021 based on myths, asserting that Ukraine has always been Russia and must be fully subordinated. This vision clarified his expansionist goals. The 2014 Euromaidan uprising, which deposed the pro-Russian president, convinced Putin he had to act. He seized Crimea and fostered uprisings in Donbas using Russian

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9:05

95: Khrushchev, Crimea, and Putin's Perception of...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

Khrushchev, Crimea, and Putin's Perception of Ukraine as "Soviet Florida". Professor Eugene Finkel discusses Khrushchev's 1954 transfer of Crimea to Ukraine, undertaken for purely economic and practical reasons, though it remains a point of contention today. During the Soviet "golden period," Ukraine became vital, providing coal, industrial manufacturing, and ballistic missiles. Vladimir Putin's image of Ukraine was formed during this time, seeing it as an unquestioned extension of Russia. Due to

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10:35

95: Collapse of Independent States and the Purposeful...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

Collapse of Independent States and the Purposeful Famine of the Holodomor. Professor Eugene Finkel examines the period following the 1917 collapse, when attempts to form independent Ukrainian states—the UNR and the ZUNR—failed, facing invasion by various Russian forces united in the belief that Ukraine must belong to Russia. Subsequently, Stalin implemented collectivization, leading to the Holodomor, a purposeful famine from 1932 to 1933 designed to break Ukrainian resistance and secure grain for

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6:54

95: Galatia, the "Ukrainian Piedmont," and the Threat...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

Galatia, the "Ukrainian Piedmont," and the Threat of Ukrainian Nationalism. Professor Eugene Finkel touches on the life of his Jewish grandfather, Lev, from Galatia, who joined the Red Army in 1940, illustrating how parts of Ukraine were not under Russian control until World War II. Russia viewed the tolerant Austro-Hungarian region of Galatia as a dangerous "Ukrainian Piedmont" that could spread nationalism. Russia's goal of controlling Galatia and assimilating its people was a key driver of World

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10:55

95: The Origins of the Russian Imperial Project:...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/17

The Origins of the Russian Imperial Project: Khmelnytsky and "New Russia". Professor Eugene Finkel discusses the statue of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, a 17th-century figure viewed differently by Ukrainians as a founding father and by Russians as a uniter with Moscow. Khmelnytsky, too weak to fight Poland, swore allegiance to the Tsar, which Moscow interpreted as complete integration. This established the core conflict and marked the beginning of Russia's imperial project, treating Ukraine as a colonial

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10:54

94: Ashes Warm-ups Cause Slew of Career-Threatening...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/16

Ashes Warm-ups Cause Slew of Career-Threatening Injuries; Betting Odds Narrow. Jeremy Zakis reports that Ashes warm-up matches are causing a slew of injuries to older players around 35, including Mark Wood of England and Sean Abbott of Australia, both suffering hamstring injuries. The competition in Perth at Subako Stadium will emphasize muscle and speed due to the dry pitch. Australia's odds to win the first test have dropped to 3:2, reflecting England's stronger perceived standing. Guest: Jeremy

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8:41

94: Cold Antarctic Air Collides with Tropical Front,...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/16

Cold Antarctic Air Collides with Tropical Front, Bringing Flash Flooding and Cyclone Warnings to East Coast.Jeremy Zakis describes severe weather on the Australian East Coast due to a clash between bitter cold Antarctic air and a dense tropical air mass colliding over land. This has caused rapid thunderstorms, flash flooding, and storm damage from Victoria up to Queensland. The Bureau of Meteorology now forecasts at least one major tropical cyclone for the Brisbane coastline later this year. Guest:

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8:30

94: Dallas the Dog Fosters Trust with Magpie Family,...

The John Batchelor Show ·

2025/11/16

Dallas the Dog Fosters Trust with Magpie Family, Enhancing Their Intelligence. Jeremy Zakis chronicles how Dallas the dog has adopted a magpie family, leading to a comfortable second generation residing nearby. Dallas's kind, placid demeanor fosters trust, allowing the smart magpies to grow up around him and even play with his toys. A study suggests these positive social interactions enhance magpie intelligence, while vandal cockatoos continue stripping local trees. Guest: Jeremy Zakis.

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9,215 results

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