The John Batchelor Show

1913 BRISBANE Unpredictable Spring Weather Hits Australia Jeremy Zakis joins John Batchelor to discuss unpredictable spring weather in New South Wales caused by a super El Niño. Instead of the warm, dry conditions forecasters expected, the region has endured unseasonal cold, heavy rains, and powerful coastal storms. Flash flooding struck both Sydney and Canberra, and a rare tornado touched down in...

1939 NYSE President Roosevelt Modifies Neutrality Laws H. W. Brands, Part Two: Following the September 1939 German invasion of Poland, the debate over American neutrality intensified between President Roosevelt and Charles Lindbergh. Roosevelt sought to modify congressional neutrality laws to allow Cash and Carry assistance to Britain and France, while Lindbergh argued that European democracies we...

1931 Aviation Hero Opposes Foreign Intervention H. W. Brands, author of America First: Roosevelt versus Lindbergh in the Shadow of War, Part One: In April 1939, aviation hero Charles Lindbergh returned to the United States as war loomed across Europe. Possessing technical knowledge of European military air fleets, Lindbergh advocated strongly against American foreign intervention, believing anothe...

JUNE 6, 1944 SWORD BEACH Max Hastings, Part Two: As British forces advanced inland from Sword Beach toward Caen, severe traffic jams, minefields, and cautious responses by inexperienced troops slowed operational momentum. Heavy German resistance at strongpoint Hillman created additional delays. However, veteran tank crews of the Staffordshire Yeomanry decisively defeated a major afternoon countera...

JUNE 6 1944 Max Hastings, author of Sword Beach: D-Day Baptism by Fire, Part One: On D-Day, June 6, 1944, British glider-borne troops commanded by Major John Howard executed a precise night attack to capture the crucial Orne River bridge. Allied planning expanded the landings across five assault beaches, assigning Sword Beach to the British 3rd Infantry Division. Despite chaotic airborne drops and...

1917 DECLARING WAR Hindenburg Line Falls Ending War Nick Lloyd, Part Two: The final phase of World War I saw British forces breach the formidable Hindenburg Line at the St. Quentin Canal while American troops pressed through the Meuse-Argonne. Facing military collapse and domestic political unrest, General Erich Ludendorff was ousted, and German leadership sought an armistice with Woodrow Wilson....

1917 US MARINES Nick Lloyd, author of 100 Days: The Campaign That Ended World War I, Part One: In August 1918, Supreme Allied Commander Ferdinand Foch initiated the Hundred Days Offensive with the Battle of Amiens. Utilizing short surprise artillery bombardments, massed Mark V tanks, creeping barrages, and low-altitude air support, Allied forces broke through German lines. The sudden defeat shatte...

1920 HONG KONG Media Tycoon Fights For Freedom Mark Clifford, author of The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong's Greatest Dissident, and China's Most Feared Critic: Clifford chronicles the life of Jimmy Lai, who escaped starvation during China's Great Famine as a twelve-year-old refugee to Hong Kong. Starting as a child worker in textile factories, Lai eventually built the...

1940 HOLLYWOOOD BOWL CONTENTS 10-2-2026 West Coast Politics And Development Jeff Bliss reports that Southern California coastal communities are racing to repair severe beach erosion caused by recent Pacific storms before winter arrives. In local politics, challenger Nithya Raman holds a strong lead over incumbent Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral race, while Xavier Becerra leads the gubernator...

1906 ARIZONA MINING STREAMING THE MAKING OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 8-9 AM ET, 10-2-2026. In this episode of Pacific Watch, host John Bachelor broadcasting from New England and Jeff Bliss in Tempe, Arizona, examine press headlines, political developments, infrastructure issues, and global economic concerns. Infrastructure & Urban Challenges: Southern California coastal communities are attempt...

1846 BRUSSELS Corban Teague evaluates U.S.-China relations following high-level diplomatic summits, describing strategic stability as a temporary facade while both nations position for long-term competition. He argues that post-Cold War optimism about permanent global peace has given way to renewed great power rivalry and multi-domain conflict. Teague stresses the necessity of economic decoupling,...

1945 TRINITY Escalating Threats To Energy Infrastructure Henry Sokolski analyzes severe risks facing Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure as Russian strikes target electrical switchyards linked to operating nuclear power plants. Cutting off external power supplies forces reactor shutdowns, threatening widespread blackouts and severe radiological hazards. Sokolski emphasizes that abandoning tra...

1867 Historical Foundations of the Enslaved Peoples' Rebellions Alan Taylor, author of Tower Hill: A Plantation on the Edge of Rebellion: Taylor examines the Blow family plantation in Virginia during the nineteenth century. He highlights Simon, an enslaved cooper whose specialized skills provided him rare leverage and defiance against his enslavers. Taylor places this daily resistance within the b...

1930 COVER ASTOUNDING STORIES Commercial Space Enterprise Reaches Heights Bob Zimmerman highlights the massive surge of private capital infusing the commercial space sector, exemplified by SpaceX's multi-billion-dollar deals and Rocket Lab's launch contracts. New commercial ventures like Varda are advancing space manufacturing, while Blue Origin expands heavy-lift launch approvals. Internationally...

1925 EARLY AERIAL (PHOTO:  )GRAPHY OF THE SWISS ALPS Climate Change Alters Italian Life Lorenzo Fiori reports on Italy's national celebrations for Saint Francis Day in Assisi, highlighted by the restoration of the public holiday. Unusually warm autumn temperatures across Europe have prevented snowfall in the Alps and accelerated the melting of the Gran Paradiso glacier, which risks disappearing by...

1942 LANCASTER PA Inflation Drives Cautious Consumer Behavior Jim McTague observes how rising inflation affects everyday consumer choices and small business operations across Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Visiting the historic Old Lincoln House in Ephrata, he notes that rising food and heating costs force local restaurant owners to adjust menu pricing and offerings carefully. Meanwhile, local re...

1585 PERSIA Critique Of Foreign War Strategy Richard Epstein critiques administration military strategy regarding Iran, arguing that relying exclusively on air power and precision bombing cannot achieve victory without ground force commitments. He stresses that protracted conflicts alienate allies and exacerbate domestic political divisions in Congress. Delays allow adversaries time to rearm, whil...

1849 SACRAMENTO CITY West Coast Politics And Development Jeff Bliss reports that Southern California coastal communities are racing to repair severe beach erosion caused by recent Pacific storms before winter arrives. In local politics, challenger Nithya Raman holds a strong lead over incumbent Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral race, while Xavier Becerra leads the gubernatorial election. Unshe...

1962 GALAZY MAGAZINE CONTENTS THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 10-1-2026 Reforming Globalization to Avoid Conflict Jake Werner of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, writing in The Nation, discusses US-China trade relations following Xi Jinping's Washington visit. Werner traces how 1990s free-market globalization through the WTO, IMF, and World Bank enriched multinational corporations while e...

1965 IBM 360/ 85 FORT MEADE, MARYLAND STREAMING THE MAKING OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 10-1-2026. Brazil's Election, USMCA Talks, AI's Middle Powers, and Cuba's Crisis Evan Ellis joins John Batchelor for a comprehensive discussion of several critical international developments, beginning with the upcoming Brazilian presidential election and the potential for foreign interference. The conversation...

1942 JAPANESE TANKS ENTER MANILA Maritime Pressure, Hormuz Patrols, and Summit Symbolism Tonight's broadcast covers several key geopolitical developments, including China's persistent maritime aggression against Philippine resupply missions in the South China Sea and the broader implications of President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington. Analysts discuss the United States Navy's ongoing operations...

1900 MEXICO CITY PRINT SHOP Evaluating Latin American Geopolitical Security Evan Ellis of the US Army War College, writing in Infobae, examines Latin American geopolitics, security, and technology. Ellis analyzes the Brazilian presidential election between Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro amid intelligence reports of foreign interference. Turning to Mexico, he evaluates President Claudia Sheinba...

1899 ROSEWELL PLANTATION, GLOUCESTER COUNTY VIRGINIA Uncovering Slavery at Tower Hill Alan Taylor, author of Tower Hill: A Plantation on the Edge of Rebellion: The two-time Pulitzer Prize winner examines Virginia's Blow family—Samuel, Richard, and George—across the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Samuel built wealth dispossessing indigenous land; Richard amassed a fortune through wartime smug...

1968 HOUSTON MISSION CONTROL APOLLO 8 Accelerating SpaceX Starship Flight Program Eric Berger, author of Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX and Re-entry: SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Reusable Rockets That Launched a Second Space Age, co-host David Livingston: The Ars Technicawriter discusses SpaceX's Starship Mission 14 orbital test. Berger details successful orbita...

1910  GRAHAM BROS ACCOUNTING TRUCK Confronting Escalating Federal Debt Risk Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center addresses rising United States national debt and global bond market volatility. De Rugy refutes assertions that high debt-to-GDP ratios carry no consequences, highlighting recent severe inflation and weak Treasury bond auctions that forced shorter maturities. With 10-year interest r...