SHOW
10-23-25
CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR
1882 BLACK SEA RUSSIAN FLEET
THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT A UKRAINE RESOLUTION...
FIRST HOUR
9-915
Delayed Budapest Summit and Ukraine Negotiation Sticking Points. Anatol Lieven discusses how negotiations between the US and Russia, including a planned Budapest meeting, are delayed despite some progress on security issues like Trump's position on Ukraine joining NATO. The major sticking point remains Russia's demand that Ukraine withdraw from the rest of the Donbas, which Ukrainian leaders deem politically impossible. While Russia has scaled back some territorial claims, a viable peace settlement likely necessitates a ceasefire along existing lines, coupled with lifting sanctions. Escalation risks remain high due to potential accidental military clashes.
915-930
Delayed Budapest Summit and Ukraine Negotiation Sticking Points. Anatol Lieven discusses how negotiations between the US and Russia, including a planned Budapest meeting, are delayed despite some progress on security issues like Trump's position on Ukraine joining NATO. The major sticking point remains Russia's demand that Ukraine withdraw from the rest of the Donbas, which Ukrainian leaders deem politically impossible. While Russia has scaled back some territorial claims, a viable peace settlement likely necessitates a ceasefire along existing lines, coupled with lifting sanctions. Escalation risks remain high due to potential accidental military clashes.
930-945
Trump Administration Sanctions Hit Russia's Oil Lifeline. Michael Bernstam discussed the Trump administration's politically significant sanctions targeting Russia's two largest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, affecting 56% of Russian output. The sanctions caused world oil prices to jump temporarily and elicited an immediate angry response from Putin, who called it an "unfriendly act." The primary financial impact on Russia will be much deeper discounts demanded by buyers, significantly hurting the Russian budget. Europe is meanwhile nearing liberation from Russian energy dependence due to abundant US liquefied natural gas (LNG).
945-1000
UN Cyber Crime Treaty: Authoritarian Assault on Free Speech. Ivana Stradner discussed the controversial UN Cyber Crime Treaty, which she argues is an assault on international rule of law spearheaded by Russia and China. The treaty is feared because it enables digital authoritarianism, censorship, and surveillance by potentially forcing companies to grant government access to private data and share user information globally. The US should reject ratification and defer to the Budapest Convention, relying instead on powerful offensive and defensive cyber capabilities for deterrence.
SECOND HOUR
10-1015
Political Shifts and Security Crises Across Latin America. Professor Evan Ellis reported on a shifting Latin American landscape. Argentina's Milei navigates a key election after implementing painful economic cuts, backed by a new US currency swap deal. Bolivia's Luis Arce seeks warmer US ties while managing a severe economic crisis. Peru's president declared a state of emergency to address rampant insecurity and extortion in Lima. Concurrently, the US is escalating pressure on Venezuela's Maduro regime, primarily targeting the criminal Cartel de los Soles leadership.
1015-1030
Political Shifts and Security Crises Across Latin America. Professor Evan Ellis reported on a shifting Latin American landscape. Argentina's Milei navigates a key election after implementing painful economic cuts, backed by a new US currency swap deal. Bolivia's Luis Arce seeks warmer US ties while managing a severe economic crisis. Peru's president declared a state of emergency to address rampant insecurity and extortion in Lima. Concurrently, the US is escalating pressure on Venezuela's Maduro regime, primarily targeting the criminal Cartel de los Soles leadership.
1030-1045
Political Shifts and Security Crises Across Latin America. Professor Evan Ellis reported on a shifting Latin American landscape. Argentina's Milei navigates a key election after implementing painful economic cuts, backed by a new US currency swap deal. Bolivia's Luis Arce seeks warmer US ties while managing a severe economic crisis. Peru's president declared a state of emergency to address rampant insecurity and extortion in Lima. Concurrently, the US is escalating pressure on Venezuela's Maduro regime, primarily targeting the criminal Cartel de los Soles leadership.
1045-1100
Political Shifts and Security Crises Across Latin America. Professor Evan Ellis reported on a shifting Latin American landscape. Argentina's Milei navigates a key election after implementing painful economic cuts, backed by a new US currency swap deal. Bolivia's Luis Arce seeks warmer US ties while managing a severe economic crisis. Peru's president declared a state of emergency to address rampant insecurity and extortion in Lima. Concurrently, the US is escalating pressure on Venezuela's Maduro regime, primarily targeting the criminal Cartel de los Soles leadership.
THIRD HOUR
1100-1115
Robert McNamara: From WWII Statistical Control to Kennedy's Star. Professor William Taubman detailed Robert McNamara's rise, beginning as a statistician in WWII advising General Curtis LeMay on firebombing techniques, a success McNamara later regretted as potentially criminal. After becoming president of Ford, he reluctantly joined JFK's administration as Secretary of Defense. McNamara's brilliance and efficiency led Kennedy to admire him as the cabinet's star, even considering him for vice president in 1964 and the presidential candidate in 1968.
1115-1130
Robert McNamara: From WWII Statistical Control to Kennedy's Star. Professor William Taubman detailed Robert McNamara's rise, beginning as a statistician in WWII advising General Curtis LeMay on firebombing techniques, a success McNamara later regretted as potentially criminal. After becoming president of Ford, he reluctantly joined JFK's administration as Secretary of Defense. McNamara's brilliance and efficiency led Kennedy to admire him as the cabinet's star, even considering him for vice president in 1964 and the presidential candidate in 1968.
1130-1145
Robert McNamara: From WWII Statistical Control to Kennedy's Star. Professor William Taubman detailed Robert McNamara's rise, beginning as a statistician in WWII advising General Curtis LeMay on firebombing techniques, a success McNamara later regretted as potentially criminal. After becoming president of Ford, he reluctantly joined JFK's administration as Secretary of Defense. McNamara's brilliance and efficiency led Kennedy to admire him as the cabinet's star, even considering him for vice president in 1964 and the presidential candidate in 1968.
1145-1200
Robert McNamara: From WWII Statistical Control to Kennedy's Star. Professor William Taubman detailed Robert McNamara's rise, beginning as a statistician in WWII advising General Curtis LeMay on firebombing techniques, a success McNamara later regretted as potentially criminal. After becoming president of Ford, he reluctantly joined JFK's administration as Secretary of Defense. McNamara's brilliance and efficiency led Kennedy to admire him as the cabinet's star, even considering him for vice president in 1964 and the presidential candidate in 1968.
FOURTH HOUR
12-1215
The AI Infrastructure Gold Rush and Europe's Absence. Chris Riegel discusses how the AI revolution is driving a feverish rush to build large data centers (one gigawatt or better), though energy access is a critical choke point that may cause conflict between commercial demand and normal consumers by summer 2026. This intense global competition, likened to a gold rush, is primarily a two-horse race between the US and China. Europe is largely sitting out the advanced AI development wave, which is considered a tactical mistake that may leave them reliant on American or Chinese technology.
1215-1230
CBP Admits Fake Record Used to Jail Bolsonaro Advisor in Brazil. Mary Anastasia O'Grady discusses how US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) admitted an erroneous entry record was created and used by Brazilian Justice Alexandre de Moraes to jail Felipe Martins, an advisor to former President Bolsonaro. De Moraes used the apparently fake I-94 document, which contained a misspelling and a canceled passport number, to hold Martins for 183 days to extract information about an alleged coup plot. The unprecedented CBP admission confirms a file violation and suggests ongoing malfeasance.
1230-1245
US Accelerates Moon Race Against China. Rick Fisher and David Livingston discuss how the US moon race is accelerating, driven by President Trump's demand to land on the moon by 2028 and concerns that China, using the Long March 10 booster, might get there by 2029. Interim NASA Director Sean Duffy reopened the lunar lander contract, previously held by SpaceX's Starship, to Blue Origin and potentially Lockheed Martin, seeking multiple pathways. The Chinese space program is viewed as a strategic maneuver aimed at distracting the US from other global conflicts.
1245-100 AM
US Accelerates Moon Race Against China. Rick Fisher and David Livingston discuss how the US moon race is accelerating, driven by President Trump's demand to land on the moon by 2028 and concerns that China, using the Long March 10 booster, might get there by 2029. Interim NASA Director Sean Duffy reopened the lunar lander contract, previously held by SpaceX's Starship, to Blue Origin and potentially Lockheed Martin, seeking multiple pathways. The Chinese space program is viewed as a strategic maneuver aimed at distracting the US from other global conflicts.
More episodes from "The John Batchelor Show"
28: The Fight for the Nanina and Charles Barnard's Return to the Sea Eric J. Dolan Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World Barnard and his party survived 534 days in wretched conditions, primarily thanks to their sizable do
The Fight for the Nanina and Charles Barnard's Return to the Sea
Eric J. Dolan
Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World
Barnard and his party survived 534 days in wretched conditions, primarily thanks to their sizable dog, Scent, who hunted wild hogs. When rescued by British whale ships and taken to Lima, Peru, Barnard regretfully gave Scent to a British whaling captain, believing the dog deserved a better life than an arduous two-year voyage home. Barnard returned home bankrupt, but Murray and Son successfully appealed the prize court's initial decision. The court ultimately sided with the Americans, awarding them the value of the brig—a ruling Danda resented for the rest of his life. Though initially vowing to quit the sea, Barnard resumed sealing and later became a port warden and light ship captain, publishing his account in 1829.
28: The Collapse of the Humanitarian Deal and Barnard's Abandonment Eric J. Dolan Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World Charles Barnard offered the British castaways a humanitarian deal: he would transport them to South Am
The Collapse of the Humanitarian Deal and Barnard's Abandonment
Eric J. Dolan
Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World
Charles Barnard offered the British castaways a humanitarian deal: he would transport them to South America in exchange for salvage rights to the Isabella wreck. Although the British learned the War of 1812 had commenced, they accepted the terms. However, one of the British captains, Brooks, secured a rescue mission from Buenos Aires commanded by Lieutenant William Peter Danda aboard the HMS Nancy. Danda was driven by the prospect of personal financial gain offered by the prize system and disregarded the Americans' humanitarian assistance to British citizens. Danda seized the Nanina as a prize of war, imprisoned most of the American crew, and deliberately marooned Barnard and a hunting party who were ashore gathering food for the castaways.
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28: The Falklands and the Wreck Eric J. Dolan Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World The American sealers sought valuable fur seals and elephant seal blubber in the Falkland Islands, a harsh, virtually uninhabited region ch
The Falklands and the Wreck
Eric J. Dolan
Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World
The American sealers sought valuable fur seals and elephant seal blubber in the Falkland Islands, a harsh, virtually uninhabited region characterized by constant high winds averaging 18 mph and cold temperatures averaging 49°F in summer. The treeless landscape features tusk grass, which grows up to nine feet tall and yields peat useful for making fires. While the Nanina hunted seals, the Australian transport ship Isabella wrecked on Eagle Island due to Captain George Hickton's ineptitude and drinking. The 54 survivors, including Marines and pardoned convicts, made it ashore, though many were inebriated and convinced they would perish in this desolate location.
1849 FALKLANDS
28: The High-Risk Sealing Expedition of the Nanina Eric J. Dolan Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World Sealing was a lucrative industry, particularly for the China market, valued for its high-quality fur seal pelts and el
The High-Risk Sealing Expedition of the Nanina
Eric J. Dolan
Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World
Sealing was a lucrative industry, particularly for the China market, valued for its high-quality fur seal pelts and elephant seal blubber. Charles Barnard, a veteran sealer, proposed a high-risk expedition on the brig Nanina to the Falkland Islands, which Murray and Son backed despite the impending War of 1812. Many merchant vessels remained in port, but Barnard and Murray viewed this as an opportunity to meet pent-up demand. Barnard's crew included four captains, notably diarist Barzillai Pease, and his 63-year-old, infirm father, Valentine Barnard, who was meant to captain the Nanina on its return voyage to New York laden with cargo. They departed from New York just as an embargo took effect.
1833 FALKLANDS
28: 3. Personal Preparedness, Home Safety Design, and Decision-Making During Fire Events. This section focuses on personal preparedness, home safety design, and decision-making during fire events. The highly settled coastal areas of Australia face significan
3. Personal Preparedness, Home Safety Design, and Decision-Making During Fire Events. This section focuses on personal preparedness, home safety design, and decision-making during fire events. The highly settled coastal areas of Australia face significant fire risk. The author emphasizes that living safely in fire-prone areas requires constant effort and planning. Houses need to be designed to mitigate risk; for example, homes built on concrete slabs or those with sealed-off underfloor spaces are safer than houses on stumps, as embers can easily get under the house and start a fire. The biggest risk to houses is mostly ember attack. During a serious fire, embers can fall "like red rain." To protect against ground fires, a cleared management zone—ideally 100 meters in rural areas—is recommended around the house. On high fire-risk days, known as Fire Ban Days (which are increasing in frequency), the official policy is to leave early. Staying and defending the home is a major decision that requires thorough preparation. Leaving late is a very dangerous strategy. Wind is a major factor, with hot and dry northerly winds posing a significant danger. Furthermore, large fires can generate their own weather and worsen the wind. Wind changes are particularly risky, as they can suddenly turn a long, thin trail of fire into a massive fire front. In the worst-case scenario—being caught in a car—the advice is to stay in the car, turn off the air conditioner, close windows tightly, keep the engine running, and use a woolen blanket to shield against heat. The primary killer in fires is often radiant heat, not the flames themselves. The woolen blanket acts as a thermal shield. It is also crucial to carry water for drinking to reduce dehydration.
1907 ADELAIDE
28: 2. The Science of Fire and Response Organization in Australia. This section addresses the science of what burns and the organization of fire response in Australia. The Australian landscape contains fire-adapted plants. Eucalyptus trees are highly flammab
2. The Science of Fire and Response Organization in Australia. This section addresses the science of what burns and the organization of fire response in Australia. The Australian landscape contains fire-adapted plants. Eucalyptus trees are highly flammable due to their oil content, burning quickly. Mountain Ash is the largest species of eucalyptus in the world. While many eucalypts regenerate after fire, Mountain Ash actually dies after a fierce blaze but releases a huge load of seed, requiring sun to regenerate. Naturally, Mountain Ash fires are notoriously fierce and occur only every two or three hundred years. Fires are caused by lightning, power lines, and arson. Although arson is frequent, the resulting fires are often less dangerous than those caused by lightning or electrical faults, as some arsonists light fires for attention. Regarding fuel, while some believe certain weeds like pittosporum might be fireproof, ultimately, everything burns under the right conditions. A well-watered pittosporum hedge, however, could protect a home from ember attack. H. G. Wells is quoted in the book, describing fire as a "gorilla" that is opportunistic with sparks flying. In terms of response, fire brigades originated with insurance companies in the late 19th century, focusing on protecting buildings in townships. Rural communities, left unprotected, established their own parallel volunteer bushfire brigades (the first being in Berrigan in 1901). Following the enormous 1939 fires in Victoria, the government began funding and organizing state bodies to support these brigades.
1885 SOUTH AUSTRALIA
28: 1. A Future in Flames: Worldwide Wildfire Phenomenon and Historical Context. Danielle Clode's book, A Future in Flames, addresses wildfires (or bushfires in Australia) as a worldwide phenomenon challenging civilization in both the Northern and Southern He
1. A Future in Flames: Worldwide Wildfire Phenomenon and Historical Context. Danielle Clode's book, A Future in Flames, addresses wildfires (or bushfires in Australia) as a worldwide phenomenon challenging civilization in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The discussion emphasizes that bushfires are not solely a product of civilization but were present historically. Early European explorers, such as Captain Cook in 1770, frequently reported seeing fires along the Australian coast, often interpreting them as indicators of people ashore. Once explorers went ashore, some observed really intense fires that were clearly out of control. The sources highlight the long history of fire use by humans, focusing on Indigenous Australians. Prior to European settlement, Indigenous people used fire in various ways, including hunting, clearing movement passages, signaling, defense, and crucially, land management. They used fire selectively to stimulate new growth and promote grass for grazing prey. This land management system, perfected over more than 60,000 years, is known as "fire stick farming" and is integral to the Australian ecology. In contrast, early European settlers failed to apply these lessons well, often using fire indiscriminately merely to clear forests. While the land clearance supported the economy by regenerating grass for sheep, the uncontrolled fires became a serious problem relatively early in the colony's history. By 1851, settlers realized the severity of the issue, exemplified by events like Black Thursday (February 5, 1851), which featured extreme heat (47°C or 120+°F).
1864 QUEENSLAND
28: 3. Supply vs. Demand: Economic Shocks, Entitlements, and the Invisible Population Nicholas Eberstadt Book: Men Without Work (Post-Pandemic Edition) Eberstadt explores the competing explanations for the ghost army, contrasting his supply-side argument (men
3. Supply vs. Demand: Economic Shocks, Entitlements, and the Invisible Population Nicholas Eberstadt Book: Men Without Work (Post-Pandemic Edition)
Eberstadt explores the competing explanations for the ghost army, contrasting his supply-side argument (men holding back labor/unpreparedness) with demand-side views from critics Henry Olsen and Jared Bernstein. Olsen highlights the role of economic shocks and structural changes, like the 1970s stagflation and deindustrialization (the Rust Belt). The role of entitlements is significant, as over half of NILF men receive at least one benefit, often disability payments like SSDI. Regional differences in labor force participation (e.g., high inactivity in West Virginia adjacent to low inactivity in Maryland) mitigate a purely national demand-side case. The source stresses the lack of data on the estimated 25 million ex-convicts, who are an "invisible population" largely untracked by labor statistics.
1929
