The John Batchelor Show
1,824 episodes — Page 1 of 37
S8 Ep1345: Gaius and Germanicus: The hosts close on the president's health and psyche, referencing the new book by senior New York Times correspondent Maggie Haberman and her colleague, which finds the eighty-year-old relatively healthy—minor hand bruising, blood-th
Aug 24, 202617 min
S8 Ep1344: Gaius and Germanicus: Germanicus attributes these failures to a psychological myth of omnipotence that has "suckled" every post-Cold War president: George H.W. Bush dipping a toe into Somalia, Bill Clinton's cruise missile war on Serbia, Barack Obama's ta
Aug 24, 202611 min
S8 Ep1344: Gaius and Germanicus: On a rainy late summer night in 92 AD Londinium, the hosts convene in their newly expanded wine bar by the River Thames, built so retired centurions of the eighth legion—such as Strabo, who served twenty-seven years—can rest and put
Aug 24, 202621 min
S8 Ep1343: Jeff Bliss, Wildfire Report #2: The wildfire threatening Reno, Nevada—a city near the California border heavily reliant on tourism and healthcare—has exploded to nearly 100,000 acres after strong afternoon winds breached a 97% containment line. Sparked in
Aug 24, 202613 min
S8 Ep1342: Toby Wilkinson, Part Two: The Ptolemaic family's decline is driven by internal civil wars, incestuous marriages, and rising Roman influence. Highly ambitious queens like Cleopatra I and Cleopatra III emerge as central political forces. The narrative culmi
Aug 24, 202637 min
S8 Ep1342: Toby Wilkinson, author of The Last Dynasty: Ancient Egypt from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra, Part One: The narrative begins with Alexander the Great's conquest of Gaza and his subsequent journey to the Siwa Oasis, where the oracle of Zeus Ammon declar
Aug 24, 202637 min
S8 Ep1341: Josh Ireland, Part Two: The focus shifts to the assassination plot in Mexico. NKVD spy Leonid Eitingon and Spanish communist Caridad Mercader recruit Caridad's son, Ramón Mercader, to eliminate Trotsky. Ramón infiltrates Trotsky's inner circle by seducing
Aug 24, 202637 min
S8 Ep1341: Josh Ireland, author of The Death of Trotsky: The True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin's Greatest Enemy, Part One: The narrative opens with the 1936 executions of original Bolsheviks Zinoviev and Kamenev under Stalin's orders. Ireland explores the contra
Aug 24, 202637 min
S8 Ep1340: W. Fitzhugh Brundage, Part Two: The suspension of exchanges leads to massive prisoner concentrations. This is illustrated by a grueling transport to Andersonville, a Georgia camp built to relieve Richmond's strained supplies, and the Union's equally harsh
Aug 24, 202637 min
S8 Ep1340: W. Fitzhugh Brundage, author of A Fate Worse Than Hell: American Prisoners of the Civil War, Part One: The narrative begins with the January 1863 capture of the Union gunboat Isaac Smith and three Black sailors. The Confederacy's refusal to exchange these
Aug 24, 202637 min
S8 Ep1339: Jeremy Zakis, Part Two: Zakis reports on springtime in New South Wales, beginning with magpie breeding and swooping season—the start of nesting and defensive "dive-bombing" behavior, contrasted with the birds' remarkable memory and facial recognition that
Aug 23, 202613 min
S8 Ep1338: Jeremy Zakis, Part One: Zakis discusses the unprecedented 4°C Pacific anomaly—ocean warming not seen in 150 years—its disruption of global trade at the Panama Canal, and the unseasonal heavy rains hitting Sydney rather than a baking heat dome. He explains
Aug 23, 202614 min
S8 Ep1338: David K. Randall, author of The Monster's Bones: The Discovery of T. Rex and How It Shook Our World, recounts the historic discovery of the Tyrannosaurus rex by pioneering paleontologist Barnum Brown. The narrative traces Brown's journey from a Kansas far
Aug 23, 202639 min
S8 Ep1337: David Shedd, author of The Great Heist: China's Epic Campaign to Steal America's Secrets, analyzes China's multi-decade campaign of intellectual property and data theft against the United States, costing up to $600 billion annually. He explains how admitt
Aug 23, 202637 min
S8 Ep1336: Dennis Sewell, Part Two: Sewell details Downing's secret diplomacy with Cardinal Mazarin, followed by his opportunistic defection to Charles II upon Cromwell's death. To secure his position under the restored monarchy, Downing orchestrated the capture and
Aug 23, 202637 min
S8 Ep1335: Dennis Sewell, author of Cromwell's Spy: From the American Colonies to the English Civil War, Part One: Sewell introduces George Downing, a brilliant Harvard graduate who rose to become Oliver Cromwell's scoutmaster general during the English Civil Wars.
Aug 23, 202637 min
S8 Ep1334: Alan Taylor, Part Two: Taylor covers post-1865 developments across the continent, focusing on Canadian confederation under John A. Macdonald, the French imperial intervention in Mexico against Benito Juárez, and the violent realities of Reconstruction und
Aug 23, 202637 min
S8 Ep1333: Alan Taylor, author of American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850–1873, Part One: Taylor examines the ideological and geopolitical conflicts of mid-19th-century North America. He profiles figures like expansionist Jane McManus Cazneau, abolitionist
Aug 23, 202637 min
S8 Ep1332: Max Boot, Part Two: Boot traces Reagan's presidency, beginning with his campaigns and the 1981 assassination attempt. It analyzes his supply-side domestic economics, foreign relations ending the Cold War with Mikhail Gorbachev, and the damaging Iran-Contr
Aug 23, 202637 min
S8 Ep1332: ### Max Boot **Book:** *Reagan: His Life and Legend* * **Part One** (*Hour One*) explores **Ronald Reagan's early life**, from a nomadic childhood shaped by an alcoholic father and an optimistic mother, to his success as a lifeguard, sports broadcaster
Aug 23, 202637 min
S8 Ep1331: TABLE OF CONTENTS THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 8-21-2026 Jeff Bliss reports Las Vegas is planning major upgrades to Allegiant Stadium, with the Raiders seeking $75 million in taxpayer funding to resolve pedestrian choke points and add retail opportunities.
Aug 22, 20265 min
S8 Ep1331: Jonathan Marcus reports American universities are suffering from declining public trust, soaring tuition costs, and a looming demographic drop in enrollment tracing back to the 2008 recession. Schools that became financially dependent on high-paying inter
Aug 22, 202619 min
S8 Ep1330: Henry Sokolski warns that while nuclear negotiations focus heavily on Iran's uranium, Iran has a neglected second path to weapons: hundreds of bombs' worth of plutonium stored at the Bushehr plant. Sokolski also criticizes the geopolitical reliance on Elo
Aug 22, 202617 min
S8 Ep1330: Bob Zimmerman reports SpaceX is rumored to be expanding to Louisiana with a massive 130,000-acre launch and data center site, while aerospace startup Castelion is successfully building low-cost hypersonic missiles for the Pentagon. Internationally, China
Aug 22, 202619 min
S8 Ep1329: Lorenzo Fiori reports Europe's severe heatwave is finally breaking as heavy rain and storms across Switzerland and Northern Italy drop temperatures by up to 20 degrees. This rainfall offers critical, long-awaited relief for the dry Po River, which has rea
Aug 22, 20268 min
S8 Ep1328: Jim McTague reports Lancaster County's diverse economy—spanning tourism, agriculture, light manufacturing, and healthcare—is showing signs of notable resilience. While heavy July rains and high fuel costs temporarily slowed business, economic activity sta
Aug 22, 20269 min
S8 Ep1327: James M. Scott, Part Two: The Potsdam Declaration offered Japan a choice between rebuilding or "utter destruction." President Harry Truman greenlit the atomic bomb on the back of a pink telegram sheet, leading to historic missions piloted by Paul Tibbets,
Aug 22, 202637 min
S8 Ep1327: Richard Epstein examines the suit by Disney and ABC against the FCC, claiming that threats to review their local television station licenses constitute unconstitutional retaliation for their political late-night and morning show commentary. Epstein agrees
Aug 22, 202619 min
S8 Ep1326: Jeff Bliss reports Las Vegas is planning major upgrades to Allegiant Stadium, with the Raiders seeking $75 million in taxpayer funding to resolve pedestrian choke points and add retail opportunities. In Los Angeles, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass faced critic
Aug 22, 202617 min
S8 Ep1325: TABLE OF CONTENTS THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW 8-21-2026 Anatol Lieven discusses the war in Ukraine, highlighting Ukrainian drone and missile attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure like Black Sea resorts and a commercial center.
Aug 21, 20265 min
S8 Ep1324: Evan Ellis analyzes key regional political and security developments in Latin America. Ellis discusses Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa's visit to China to secure security, trade, and economic assistance, and explains how historical visa-free policies tu
Aug 21, 202637 min
S8 Ep1324: James M. Scott traces the dramatic, complex final months of World War II in the Pacific. Scott details how Secretary of War Henry Stimson briefed Truman in depth on the secret atomic bomb, and praises General Leslie Groves' masterful management of the Man
Aug 21, 202637 min
S8 Ep1323: Rohan Naidu discusses the groundbreaking discovery of "black hole stars" at cosmic dawn using the James Webb Space Telescope. Naidu explains that these infant objects appear as mysterious "little red dots" but possess hybrid properties of both highly lumi
Aug 21, 202619 min
S8 Ep1322: Veronique de Rugy critiques California Representative Ro Khanna's proposal for a "one-time" 5% wealth tax on billionaires. De Rugy explains that several different European countries largely abandoned wealth taxes because they are administratively difficul
Aug 21, 20269 min
S8 Ep1321: Jonathan Miltimore discusses the ongoing imprisonment of 79-year-old pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong, calling it the world's most overlooked story. Miltimore expresses his deep disappointment that Donald Trump failed to raise Lai's case pub
Aug 21, 20268 min
S8 Ep1321: Mary Anastasia O'Grady discusses the alarming rise of authoritarianism in Mexico under President Claudia Sheinbaum and her ruling party, Morena. O'Grady details how the ruling party has systematically consolidated power by taking control of independent el
Aug 21, 20268 min
S8 Ep1320: Peter Berkowitz reflects on the 30th anniversary of Alan Sokal's famous academic hoax, which exposed the intellectual decline within higher education humanities. Berkowitz critiques contemporary humanities departments for their ideological hypocrisy: prof
Aug 21, 202610 min
S8 Ep1319: Anatol Lieven of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft analyzes the multi-faceted, global strains of the Russia-Ukraine war. He discusses how Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian-adjacent sites like Sochi and the Wildberries warehouse aim to de
Aug 21, 202617 min
S8 Ep1318: TABLE OF CONTENTS THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 8-19-2026 Rebecca Grant, Vice President of the Lexington Institute, discusses technological advancements on the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford
Aug 20, 20266 min
S8 Ep1317: Andrea Stricker of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies examines Middle Eastern nuclear proliferation and the mystery surrounding legacy materials. Stricker details a positive, US-brokered development in which the post-Assad Syrian government agreed
Aug 20, 202610 min
S8 Ep1316: Simon Constable, writer for the Wall Street Journal, discusses European climate anomalies and their severe impact on global commodities. Speaking from the south of France, Constable reports temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius, contributing to low wat
Aug 20, 202617 min
S8 Ep1315: E
Aug 20, 202619 min
S8 Ep1315: Michael Bernstam of the Hoover Institution warns of a severe global crisis in refined petroleum products, especially diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel. Bernstam explains that the "crack spread"—the cost differential between crude oil and refined diesel—has r
Aug 20, 202617 min
S8 Ep1314: Caleb Weiss of the Bridgeway Foundation and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies examines the evolution of African jihadist movements. Weiss details the case of Jamal Chima, a Ugandan Guantanamo Bay alumnus who transitioned from Al-Qaeda to recruitin
Aug 20, 202619 min
S8 Ep1313: Craig Unger, investigative reporter and author, explores President Donald Trump's unstable foreign policy toward Russia and Ukraine. Unger contends that Trump behaves as a Russian appeaser whose real estate-linked advisers take marching orders from Vladim
Aug 20, 202617 min
S8 Ep1313: Greg Scarlatoiu, President and CEO of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, analyzes the multifaceted security threats posed by Pyongyang. Scarlatoiu describes North Korea as a post-communist, dynastic kleptocracy and a crime family masquerading
Aug 20, 202619 min
S8 Ep1312: Rick Fisher of the International Assessment and Strategy Center analyzes China's advancement in space and its competition with the United States. Fisher discusses China's Gandai constellation, a space debris monitoring satellite system controlled by the P
Aug 20, 20269 min
S8 Ep1312: ### Segment 1 (Guest: Rebecca Grant) In this segment, guest **Rebecca Grant**, Vice President of the Lexington Institute, discusses technological advancements on the aircraft carrier **USS Gerald R. Ford**. She details the transition from traditional stea
Aug 20, 20268 min
S8 Ep1311: TABLE OF CONTENTS, JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 8-18-2026 Liz Peek discusses the resilience of the American economy, noting that high-end consumer spending remains strong despite recession fears.
Aug 19, 20266 min
S8 Ep1310: Bob Zimmerman reports on the successful recovery of a SpaceX Starship near Christmas Island, which remained seaworthy for 24 days after a vertical splashdown in the Indian Ocean. This achievement, along with SpaceX's record-breaking launch frequency, sign
Aug 19, 202619 min