The John Batchelor Show

1932 Congressional Candidates Distance From Iran War Thaddeus McCotter discusses political maneuvering ahead of the congressional midterm elections. Republican Senate candidates Mike Rogers in Michigan and Ashley Hinson in Iowa have called for an end to the Iran war, gas tax suspensions, and diesel export pauses. McCotter explains that low presidential approval ratings and voter discontent over in...

1939 ROYAL AIR FORCE Global Military Shifts And Power Dynamics Gregory Copley reviews defense challenges, Chinese internal politics, and the strategic conflict with Iran. He notes that Britain's Royal Air Force is supporting Saudi Arabia against Houthis primarily to preserve critical defense transactions. In China, President Xi Jinping faces domestic military purges and economic troubles, leaving...

1936 Entitlement Reform And Artificial Intelligence Challenges Joseph Sternberg analyzes the upcoming 2032 Social Security solvency deadline and artificial intelligence governance. He cautions that proposals to eliminate the payroll tax cap create substantial tax burdens without fixing the long-term deficit. Sternberg warns against adopting European welfare policies that suppress economic growth,...

1925 SHANGHAI Navigating Complex Relations With Global Strongmen Mary Kissel assesses diplomatic strategies regarding China, Russia, and the Middle East. Ahead of potential talks between US leadership and Xi Jinping, Kissel highlights that Beijing views negotiations as opportunities for propaganda rather than genuine cooperation. She advocates for decoupling key American industries from China and...

1845 POTSDAM German Political Center Erodes In Elections Judy Dempsey, co-host Thaddeus McCotter: Dempsey and McCotter discuss significant political shifts following German state elections. In Berlin, the far-left party Die Linke gained strong support among young voters focused on housing costs. Simultaneously, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) capitalized on anti-immigration and anti-es...

1910 BAKU Diesel Shortages Drive Inflation And Volatility Liz Peek highlights rising diesel prices, up over 80%, as a critical driver of global inflation affecting transportation, manufacturing, and agriculture. Ukrainian missile strikes on Russian refineries further strain refining capacity, while USrefinery limits exacerbate supply bottlenecks. Meanwhile, tech stocks rebounded due to enthusiasm...

1941 PEARL HARBOR CONTENTS THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 9-21-26. Examining Houthi Resilience And Arabian History Edmund Fitton-Brown analyzes the escalating offensive by Houthi forces as they push to control the Yemen highlands. President Trump reportedly halted planned American airstrikes while Houthis targeted Riyadh and threatened key Saudi Arabian infrastructure. Fitton-Brown emphasizes that the H...

1963 SOVIET EMBASSY PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF YEMEN Yemen's Long Memory and the Houthi Threat to the Peninsula Edmund Fitton-Brown, former UK ambassador to Yemen, joins John Batchelor regarding the complex geopolitical history and current instability of Yemen. The speakers highlight the resilience of the Houthi movement, noting their historical ability to withstand foreign interventions rang...

1876 BOLIVSR IN CARACAS Venezuelan Political Transition And Brazilian Corruption Ernesto Araújo and Alejandro Peña Esclusa address political instability in Venezuela and judicial corruption in Brazil. Peña Esclusa criticizes the illegitimate interim presidency of Delcy Rodríguez and opposes transferring Venezuelan gold reserves from London to New York without democratic oversight. He emphasizes th...

1898 DAMASCUS Foreign Influence And Syrian Military Rearmament Ahmad Sharawi and Edmund Fitton-Brown discuss the rearming of Syria under President Ahmed al-Sharaafollowing the fall of the Assad regime. Sharawi details how the Syrian military increasingly relies on foreign jihadists, Turkish-backed militias, and integrated veteran fighters to consolidate its armed forces. While Turkey exerts signif...

1916 YEMEN Humanitarian Crisis And Houthi Regional Expansion Bridget Toomey and Edmund Fitton-Brown assess the expanding Houthi offensive in Yemen and its severe humanitarian ramifications. Toomey outlines how Houthi movements toward Taiz and Marib aim to isolate Aden and force Saudi Arabia into political concessions. Over one hundred thousand civilians have been displaced along Yemen's west coast...

1913 NICHOLAS II OF RUSSIA Global Conflict Disruption And Geopolitical Instability Colonel Jeff McCausland analyzes multifaceted geopolitical crises spanning the Middle East and Eastern Europe. In Yemen, expanding Houthi strikes against critical shipping lanes and Saudi oil infrastructure threaten global energy supplies while complicating United States regional security commitments. McCausland als...

1898 Evaluating Economic Challenges Facing Modern China Andrew Collier, co-host Gordon Chang: Collier and Chang evaluate China's economic headwinds ahead of an upcoming bilateral summit between President Trump and Xi Jinping. Collier highlights China's slowing economy, growing isolationism, exit bans, and severe youth unemployment officially reported above nineteen percent. Describing China as an...

1966 Investigating Rumors Surrounding Xi Jinping's Health Bill Gertz, co-host Gordon Chang: Gertz and Chang discuss intense speculation regarding Chinese leader Xi Jinping's health following unusual behavior at the BRICS summit in New Delhi. Reports indicate Xi grimaced during sessions, missed a major banquet, and prompted rumors of medical treatment at Hospital 301 in Beijing. Chang notes that se...

1953 TEHRAN Analyzing Public Discontent Within RegimeVIran Janatyn Sayeh and Edmund Fitton-Brown examine the internal state of Iran amidst ongoing public discontent and economic hardship. Sayeh notes that state-sponsored rallies rely on a small regime support base, often utilizing basic incentives to bus participants into Tehran. Despite severe repression, daily demonstrations persist across multi...

1941 PEARL HARBOR Honoring Pearl Harbor Hero Doris Miller Tom Modly discusses his decision as Acting Secretary of the Navy to name a Gerald R. Ford-class supercarrier after Doris Miller, a Pearl Harbor hero. During the 1941 attack, Miller, an untrained African American messman serving in a segregated Navy, heroically operated a machine gun to defend his ship. Awarded the Navy Cross, Miller later d...

1800 YEMEN Examining Houthi Resilience And Arabian History Edmund Fitton-Brown analyzes the escalating offensive by Houthi forces as they push to control the Yemen highlands. President Trump reportedly halted planned American airstrikes while Houthis targeted Riyadh and threatened key Saudi Arabian infrastructure. Fitton-Brown emphasizes that the Houthis represent a Zaydi revivalist movement with...

1900 PEKING POSTCARD Chinese Strategy And Global Energy Crises Examined In Autumn Londinium Gaius and Germanicus: In the final segment from their Londinium sanctuary, the hosts discuss managing formidable adversaries through accommodation rather than direct confrontation. Drawing an analogy to Godzilla, Germanicus argues that intractable opponents like Russia or the Houthis are best neutralized by...

1920 bedouins Saudi Kingdom Fragility And Houthi Rise Discussed In Autumn Londinium Gaius and Germanicus: Continuing their dialogue at the Londinium wine bar, the hosts evaluate the impending collapse of Saudi Arabian legitimacy. Germanicus emphasizes that the House of Saud's authority remains inherently fragile, historically dependent on buying tribal loyalty and maintaining guardianship over Mec...

1955 In The Londinium Chronicles, Gaius (John Batchelor) and Germanicus (Michael Vlahos) explore the intersections of Roman history and modern geopolitics. Germanicus and Gaius Debate American Strategy In Rainy Autumn Londinium Gaius and Germanicus: Gathered at their expanded Londinium wine bar on a rainy autumn evening in 92 AD, the hosts reflect on municipal regulations, building codes, and upco...

1805 MARIETTA OHIO Revolutionary Mythmaking Transforms Controversial Frontier Figures Robert G. Parkinson, Part Two: In 1775, Michael Cresap led Maryland riflemen on the "Beeline March" to Boston. Sick with malaria, Cresap died in New York, where patriots staged a lavish funeral that transformed the controversial frontiersman into a revolutionary hero. Meanwhile, Logan was murdered around 1780 by...

1799 OHIO RIVER Yellow Creek Massacre Triggers Frontier Bloodshed Robert G. Parkinson, author of Heart of American Darkness: Bewilderment and Horror on the Early Frontier, Part One: In April 1774, settlers murdered eight Mingo men, women, and children at Baker's Bottom near Yellow Creek. Mingo Chief James Logan wrongly blamed Colonel Thomas Cresap and his son Michael for the massacre, though neith...

1904 VIKINGS Norse Voyages Traversed Atlantic To America Martyn Whittock, author of American Vikings: How the Norse Sailed into the Lands and Imaginations of America: Eighth-century Norse expansion was fueled by population growth, royal ambitions, and an Islamic silver shortage resulting from Caliphate shifts to Baghdad. The Norse expanded across Britain to Iceland in the 870s and Greenlandunder E...

1642 HOUSES DURING CHARLES I Royal Arrest Attempt Triggers English War Jonathan Healey, Part Two: On January 4, 1642, King Charles I attempted to arrest five MPs and Lord Mandeville for treason. Pushed by Queen Henrietta Maria, Charles personally entered the House of Commons with armed cavaliers. However, Lady Carlisle had leaked the plot, enabling the members to escape by boat down the Thames int...

1940 BLACKOUT PARLIAMENT     Parliament Challenges King Charles During Crisis Jonathan Healey, author of The Blood in Winter: England on the Brink of Civil War, 1642, Part One: In October 1641, King Charles I backed "The Incident," a failed plot in Edinburgh to arrest Scottish Covenanter leaders Argyll and Hamilton, forcing Charles to make major constitutional concessions to the Scottish Parliamen...