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The John Batchelor Show

The John Batchelor Show

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S8 Ep788: 4. Dallas and the Currawong Dallas, an 11.5-year-old "spood" (dog) in Sydney, has a new addition to his local "fan club": the Currawong (referred to as a "carajong"). These black birds with white-tipped wings are larger than magpies and are described as d

Apr 26, 20265 min

S8 Ep789: 3. Cricket Corruption and Pitch Injuries Investigations are ongoing into a T20 cricket match held on February 17th between Canada and New Zealand. The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Canadian Cricket Board are looking into allegations of match

Apr 26, 20267 min

S8 Ep788: 2. Monitor Lizards in the Home In Noosa, Queensland—an area described as "snake central"—a resident discovered a two-to-three-foot monitor lizard hiding under their bed. These reptiles are often mistaken for brown snakes because of their long, brownish-gr

Apr 26, 20266 min

S8 Ep788: 1. Climate and Fuel Security Australia's El Niño forecast has been upgraded to a "Super El Niño," characterized by catastrophically dry conditions and record-high temperatures. This shift is driven by the Pacific Ocean exceeding normal temperatures by an

Apr 26, 202610 min

S8 Ep787: 4 HEADLINE: The Ecological Role and Bioethics of the Independent Dog GUESTS: Jessica Pierce and Mark Bekoff SUMMARY: This segment defines the "universal dog" as a creature that adapts its style and behavior to its specific environmental niche, from desert

Apr 26, 20267 min

S8 Ep787: 3 HEADLINE: Reproduction, Social Intelligence, and Lifespan in a Self-Sustaining World GUESTS: Jessica Pierce and Mark Bekoff SUMMARY: Reproduction will shift toward a communal approach where male dogs and "alloparents"—such as aunts, uncles, and older si

Apr 26, 202613 min

S8 Ep787: 2 HEADLINE: Physical Evolution: Snouts, Size, and Camouflage in the Wild GUESTS: Jessica Pierce and Mark Bekoff SUMMARY: In a post-human world, dogs will undergo significant physical transformations driven by survival needs rather than human preference. S

Apr 26, 20268 min

S8 Ep787: **1** **HEADLINE:** Imagining the Psychology and Pack Behavior of Post-Human Dogs **GUESTS:** Jessica Pierce and Mark Bekoff **SUMMARY:** John Bachelor explores a thought experiment regarding dogs surviving in a world without human intervention. The gu

Apr 26, 20267 min

S8 Ep786: 8. Roosevelt achieved a historic landslide, winning 46 states and defying the Literary Digest poll. This victory signaled a major political realignment, as FDR carried 104 of 106 major cities. Pietrusza emphasizes that the support of urban immigrant popul

Apr 26, 20264 min

S8 Ep786: 7. During the campaign, Eleanor Roosevelt emerged as a powerful asset, bridging gaps with the African-American community. While Landon's polling momentum faded, Roosevelt campaigned aggressively. He famously concluded at Madison Square Garden by declaring

Apr 26, 202615 min

S8 Ep786: 6. Republicans struggled to find a challenger, eventually selecting Kansas Governor Alf Landon. Known as the "Kansas Coolidge," Landon had balanced his state's budget but lacked Roosevelt's charisma. Pietrusza notes Landonwas an unremarkable campaigner wh

Apr 26, 20269 min

S8 Ep786: 5. Media tycoon William Randolph Hearst turned against Roosevelt as the New Deal's tax policies targeted the wealthy. Pietrusza recounts Hearst's controversial 1934 meeting with Adolf Hitler and his immense media influence. Ultimately, Hearst's "soak the

Apr 26, 20269 min

S8 Ep786: 4. The election featured threats from the Socialist and Communist parties. While Norman Thomas drew urban votes, Earl Browder's Communist Party supported Roosevelt through a "popular front" to oppose fascism. Radical agrarianism in the Midwest, led by fig

Apr 26, 20266 min

S8 Ep786: 3. Dr. Francis Townsend's popular pension plan is credited with forcing Roosevelt to introduce Social Security. Pietrusza also describes the break with Father Charles Coughlin, a powerful radio priest. After a failed 1935 meeting at Hyde Park, Coughlin jo

Apr 26, 202613 min

S8 Ep786: 2. Pietrusza discusses Southern populist threats from Huey Long and Eugene Talmadge. Although Long died in 1935, his radical "Share Our Wealth" plan remained a political force. Talmadge, a race-baiting Jeffersonian conservative, further challenged Rooseve

Apr 26, 20267 min

S8 Ep786: 1. Historian David Pietrusza details the April 1936 death of Louis Howe, FDR's longtime political advisor. Howe's passing left Roosevelt to navigate the campaign alone against former mentor Al Smith. Smith and the American Liberty League accused Roosevelt

Apr 26, 202611 min

S8 Ep796: 8. Legacies and Lessons: Looking Beyond 1920 Guest: David Patruchia Summary: Reflecting on the "six presidents," the discussion covers Hoover’s move toward the GOP, FDR’s character growth following his polio diagnosis, and the eventual repeal of Prohi

Apr 26, 20268 min

S8 Ep796: 7. Legacies and Lessons: Looking Beyond 1920 Guest: David Pietrusza Reflecting on the "six presidents," the discussion covers Hoover's move toward the GOP, FDR's character growth following his polio diagnosis, and the eventual repeal of Prohibition. Roose

Apr 26, 202610 min

S8 Ep796: 6. From Prison to the Porch: The Final Push for Votes Guest: David Pietrusza Harding's "front porch" campaign utilized early advertising and Hollywood stars like Al Jolson to reach voters. The results were an overwhelming Republican landslide, with Hardin

Apr 26, 20265 min

S8 Ep796: 5. Bloviating and Blazers: The 1920 Campaign Trail Guest: David Pietrusza The campaign trail featured Harding's "bloviating" speaking style and Cox's pivot to a pro-League stance following a sobering meeting with a frail Wilson. Meanwhile, Socialist Eugen

Apr 26, 202612 min

S8 Ep796: 4. The Two-Thirds Rule and the San Francisco Convention Guest: David Pietrusza The Democratic Convention in San Francisco was marked by Wilson's hidden third-term ambitions and the grueling "two-thirds rule" for nomination. After 44 ballots, Ohio Governor

Apr 26, 20265 min

S8 Ep796: 3. A Roast in Chicago: The Republican Convention Guest: David Pietrusza At the sweltering Republican Convention in Chicago, Warren G. Harding emerged from a field of better-funded candidates like Leonard Wood and Frank Lowden. The party platform remained

Apr 26, 202614 min

S8 Ep796: 2. The Future Giants: FDR, Coolidge, and Hoover in 1920 Guest: David Pietrusza This source profiles the rising stars of 1920: FDR, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover. It highlights FDR's early naval career and strained marriage, Coolidge's stoic Vermont

Apr 26, 20266 min

S8 Ep796: The Alpha and Omega of 1920: Wilson's Health and the League of Nations Guest: David Pietrusza This segment explores Woodrow Wilson's debilitating stroke in October 1919 and how it paralyzed his presidency. Historian David Pietrusza discusses the central r

Apr 26, 202610 min

S8 Ep795: SCHEDULE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW 4-24-2026 1740 BATAVIA

Apr 25, 20267 min

S8 Ep795: STREAM OF THE MAKING OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, FEATURING JEFF BLISS AND MICHAEL VLAHOS, 4-24-2026 1748 SOUTH HOLLAND

Apr 25, 202658 min

S8 Ep794: 16. Guest: Bob Zimmerman. Zimmerman provides updates on the Curiosity rover's climb of Mount Sharp, noting unusual tile-like rock formations on Mars. He also explains the significance of the Artemis Accords, an alliance of sixty-three nations favoring

Apr 25, 20266 min

S8 Ep794: 15. Guest: Bob Zimmerman. Zimmerman reviews NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman's testimony regarding budget cuts and the cancellation of the Lunar Gateway project. He compares slow European government space programs with agile commercial startups. Addition

Apr 25, 202613 min

S8 Ep794: 14. Guest: Henry Sokolski. Sokolski discusses modernizing civil defense to address non-nuclear threats like drone strikes on critical infrastructure. Following European models, he suggests Americans should prepare for 72-hour utility failures by securing

Apr 25, 20265 min

S8 Ep794: 13. Guest: Henry Sokolski. Sokolski highlights the overlooked plutonium path to nuclear weapons in Iran, focusing on the Bushehr reactor's spent fuel rods. He explains that while uranium enrichment is publicly monitored, reprocessing these rods could yiel

Apr 25, 202612 min

S8 Ep794: 12. Guest: Andrew Graham Dixon. Dixon discusses Vermeer's primary patrons, Peter van Ruijven and Maria de Knuijt, identifying them as radical Remonstrants. He reveals a "smoking gun" discovery: their home was adjacent to a hidden Remonstrant church. Dixon

Apr 25, 20268 min

S8 Ep794: 11. Guest: Andrew Graham Dixon. Dixon recounts Vermeer's marriage to Catharina Bolnes and his conversion to Catholicism to appease his mother-in-law, Maria Thins. He highlights the unique religious toleration in Dutch society, where diverse faiths worship

Apr 25, 202611 min

S8 Ep794: 10. Guest: Andrew Graham-Dixon. Dixon investigates Vermeer's artistic origins, proposing Gerard ter Borch as his teacher based on archival documents. He notes that Vermeer was fatherless at twenty and likely viewed his master as a father figure. The discu

Apr 25, 20267 min

S8 Ep794: 9. Guest: Andrew Graham-Dixon. Art historian Dixon explores the background of Johannes Vermeer in 17th-century Delft. He details Vermeer's father's role as an innkeeper and the family's involvement with the Remonstrants, a liberal religious group. This gr

Apr 25, 202610 min

S8 Ep794: 8. Guest: Richard Epstein. Epstein examines the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, noting fuel emergencies in the Pacific. He advocates for opening alternative domestic energy supplies by bypassing regulatory hurdles. Epstein argues that military force may e

Apr 25, 20264 min

S8 Ep794: 7. Guest: Richard Epstein. Epstein critiques the California Supreme Court's disbarment of attorney John Eastman. He argues the decision is a politically motivated "hit job" that ignores First Amendment protections for legal advocacy. Epstein suggests such

Apr 25, 202614 min

S8 Ep794: 6. Guest: Lorenzo Fiori. Fiori addresses the suspicious poisoning of wolves in Italy's Abruzzo National Park, noting conflicts with local farmers. He recommends travelers visit the historic "star city" of Palmanova and nearby Roman sites to escape over-to

Apr 25, 20268 min

S8 Ep794: 5. Guest: Jim McTague. McTague reports on the economic climate in Lancaster County, observing light city foot traffic and high commercial rents. He discusses how rising gasoline prices affect small businesses and seniors on fixed incomes. The segment conc

Apr 25, 20269 min

S8 Ep794: 4. Guest: Josh Blackman. Blackman discusses a 2026 OLC opinion suggesting the 1978 Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional. He draws parallels between Nixon's record disputes and the modern indictments of Donald Trump regarding documents at Mar-a-Lag

Apr 25, 20268 min

S8 Ep794: 3. Guest: Josh Blackman. Blackman reviews the history of the 1974 Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act, which prevented Richard Nixon from destroying White House records. He argues that the Watergate investigation created a political "fe

Apr 25, 202610 min

S8 Ep794: 2. Guest: Jeff Bliss. Bliss analyzes the first gubernatorial debate, where leading Democratic candidates gave Governor Newsom high grades for handling homelessness, while Republicans issued an "F". The discussion highlights the audience's negative reactio

Apr 25, 20263 min

S8 Ep794: 1. Guest: Jeff Bliss. John Batchelor and Bliss discuss potential fuel shortages impacting Las Vegas tourism and airport traffic. They address rising gasoline prices in California, which exceed five dollars due to heavy refinery regulations and reduced dom

Apr 25, 202614 min

S8 Ep793: 4: Andrew Graham-Dixon Previews his biography of Johannes Vermeer, revealing how the artist's paintings reflect the hidden religious beliefs of persecuted movements while navigating the strict and often intolerant Calvinist-led social atmosphere of Hollan

Apr 24, 20265 min

S8 Ep793: 5: Henry Sokolski Previews his discussion on the Non-Proliferation Treaty's failure to prohibit uranium enrichment, highlighting how these legal loopholes allow nations like Iran to develop nuclear weapons capabilities under the guise of peaceful energy p

Apr 24, 20263 min

S8 Ep793: 6: Bob Zimmerman Previews the commercial space startup Atmos, which raised thirty million dollars to develop specialized orbital capsules designed for zero-gravity manufacturing and research, focusing on the business potential of returning valuable produc

Apr 24, 20261 min

S8 Ep792: Summary: Josh Blackman Josh Blackman previews his analysis of a 2026 OLC opinion declaring the Presidential Records Act unconstitutional, discussing how Watergate-era legal precedents regarding executive documents now influence modern criminal proceedings

Apr 24, 202621 min

S8 Ep791: Summary: Jeff Bliss Jeff Bliss previews his Pacific Watch analysis regarding the California gubernatorial debate, where Democrats' high grades for Governor Newsom's handling of the homelessness crisis sparked intense audience disbelief and widespread pub

Apr 24, 20261 min

S8 Ep791: Summary: Richard Epstein Richard Epstein previews his upcoming detailed explanation of John Eastman'sdisbarment, arguing the California State Bar unfairly targeted Eastman for unsuccessful legal arguments rather than traditional ethical violations like br

Apr 24, 20262 min

S8 Ep793: SCHEDULE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 4-23-26 1902 DELONGPRE GARDENE

Apr 24, 20266 min

S8 Ep792: STREAM OF THE MAKING OF THE SHOW, JIM MCTAGUE, 4-23-2026 1905 DELONGPRE INTERIOR.

Apr 24, 202644 min