The John Batchelor Show
by John Batchelor Show.
The John Batchelor Show is a hard news-analysis radio program on current events, world history, global politics and natural sciences. Based in New York City for two decades, the show has travelled widely to report, from the Middle East to the South Caucasus to the Arabian Peninsula and East Asia.
Episodes
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STREAMING THE MAKING OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW 11-2-26
1800 YEMEN STREAMING THE MAKING OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW 11-2-26 This John Batchelor Show broadcast features geopolitical experts analyzing the volatile and complex political landscape of the Middle East. Bill Roggio and Edmund Fitton-Brown of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies evaluate...
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EARTH-MOON SYSTEM - Lunar Competition Space Race - RICK FISHER & GORDON CHANG 110226
1954 Lunar Competition Space Race Rick Fisher and Gordon Chang analyze China’s goal of landing astronauts on the moon before 2030 using the Long March 10 booster. Fisher explains Beijing’s strategy of deploying lightweight landers and rovers to rapidly establish a strategic presence, in contrast...
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PRC - China Forced Organ Harvesting - JAN JEKIELEK & GORDON CHANG 110226
1959 China Forced Organ Harvesting Jan Jekielek and Gordon Chang discuss China’s state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting industry, detailed in Jekielek’s Killed to Order. They examine the Chinese Communist Party’s elite longevity program and the systemic targeting of Falun Gong practitioners....
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SYRIA - Syrian Governance Regional Dynamics - AHMED SHARAWI & BILL ROGGIO 110226
1932 Syrian Governance Regional Dynamics Ahmad Sharawi and Bill Roggio explore Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa’s evolving role from jihadist to statesman. Sharawi outlines US-backed diplomatic efforts connecting Syria, Iraq, and Turkey for regional energy investment. However, ongoing border…
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UKRAINE - Patriot Missile Maintenance Facility - JOHN HARDIE & BILL ROGGIO 110226
NOV, Patriot Missile Maintenance Facility John Hardie and Bill Roggio review the Pentagon’s selection of Poland to host Europe’s first PAC-3 Patriot missile maintenance facility. The center aims to reduce repair timelines for European defenses. Hardie notes Ukraine’s severe shortage of Patriot...
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YEMEN - Houthi Attacks Threaten Saudi - EDMUND-FITTON BROWN & BILL ROGGIO 110226
1939 Houthi Attacks Threaten Saudi Edmund Fitton-Brown and Bill Roggio evaluate Houthi drone strikes targeting Saudi Arabia’s Dammam airport, which threaten civilian aviation and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 economic strategy. They detail Houthi military advances toward Aden and...
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LEBANON - Hezbollah Explosives Smuggling Controversy - DAVID DAOUD & BILL ROGGIO 110226
1857 Hezbollah Explosives Smuggling Controversy David Daoud, with Bill Roggio, examines the interception of a Hezbollah explosives shipment by Lebanese security forces near the Syrian border. Despite Hezbollah’s demands for the return of the munitions, Lebanese authorities initiated legal...
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IRAQ - Iraqi Militia Political Integration - BRIDGET TOOMEY & BILL ROGGIO 110226
1810 PERSIA Iraqi Militia Political Integration Bridget Toomey, with Bill Roggio, discusses Iraq’s efforts to disarm Iran-backed militias by offering political positions to key leaders. She highlights concerns regarding the appointment of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq figure Laith al-Khazali despite his...
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ISRAEL - Post-Election Israeli Strategy - SAMUEL BEN-UR, BILL ROGGIO, EDMUND FITTON BROWN 110226
Ź891 NAZARETH Post-Election Israeli Strategy Samuel Ben-Or, with Bill Roggio and Edmund Fitton-Brown, analyzes Israel’s election aftermath, in which Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition fell short of a majority. Opposition leader General Gadi Eisenkot could potentially form a minority government with...
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IRAN WAR - Gulf Security and Conflict - BILL ROGGIO AND EDMUND-FITTON BROWN 110226
1521 PERSIA Gulf Security and Conflict Bill Roggio and Edmund Fitton-Brown examine rising Gulf tensions amid Iranian demands and American naval blockades. Fitton-Brown advocates maintaining economic sanctions over military escalation to force Iran to negotiate. Roggio cautions that Western…
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VENEZUELA - Venezuelan Crisis and Instability - ALEJANDRO PENA ESCLUSA 110226
1910 Venezuelan Crisis and Instability Alejandro Peña Esclusa details Venezuela’s severe oil and electrical infrastructure breakdown under Chávez and Maduro. He highlights opposition leader María Corina Machado’s return to Caracas as a force for democratic stability, while noting that political...
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ISRAEL - -Israeli Elections Amid Turmoil - MALCOLM HOENLEIN 110226
1942 MASADA Israeli Elections Amid Turmoil Malcolm Hoenlein analyzes Israel’s complex election process following the completion of the government’s four-year term. President Herzog interviews party representatives to assign leadership, with General Gadi Eisenkot emerging as a prominent opposition...
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LONDINIUM - Democracy Illusion Power Dynamics - GAIUS & GERMANICUS DEBATE
79 AD AT HERCULANEUM Democracy Illusion Power Dynamics The analysis contrasts Athenian democracy, with its limited citizenry, ostracism, and exile, and the Roman Republic’s distinct social orders against modern usage, arguing that elites now wield “democracy” as a rhetorical elixir and moral…
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LONDINIUM - Military Strategy Cold History - GAIUS Z GERMANICUS DEBATE
DEAD ALARIC Military Strategy Cold History The discussion examines the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, arguing that Russia’s methodical attrition and drone strikes, slowed by mud-season weather, belie the stalemate narrative, and that NATO miscalculated in seeking to break Russia. Tracing…
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LONDINIUM - Elite Betrayal Imperial Decline - GAIUS & GERMANICUS DEBATE.
1890 TOURISTS Elite Betrayal Imperial Decline The conversation draws parallels between the Cambridge Five spy ring, shielded by Britain’s elite “chapocracy,” and a modern American elite that the speakers argue places universalist progressive ideology above national patriotism. They contend this...
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USA - Saving Champion Tree Genetics - JIM-ROBBINS-MAN-WHO-PLANTED-TREES
Saving Champion Tree Genetics Jim Robbins, author of The Man Who Planted Trees: Lost Groves, Champion Trees, and an Urgent Plan to Save the Planet, explores David Milarch’s mission to clone America’s largest champion trees, particularly ancient redwoods and giant sequoias. The discussion…
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EGYPT - eopatra Reign Roman Conquest — Part TwR - TOBY-WILKINSON-THE-LAST-DYNASTY
eopatra Reign Roman Conquest — Part TwR Toby Wilkinson, author of The Last DynastyR Ancient Egypt from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra, details the internal feuds, incestuous marriages, and political ascension of powerful Ptolemaic queens like Cleopatra III and Cleopatra VII. Following strategic...
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EGYPT - Ptolemaic Empire Cultural Synthesis — Part One - TOBY-WILKINSON-THE-LAST-DYNASTY
Ptolemaic Empire Cultural Synthesis — Part One Toby Wilkinson, author of The Last Dynasty: Ancient Egypt from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra, charts the establishment of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, beginning with Alexander the Great’s conquest of Egypt and the founding of Alexandria. King Ptolemy I...
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EARTH-MOON SYSTEM - Extinction Events Deep History — Part Two - THOMAS-HALLIDAY-OTHERWORLDS
Extinction Events Deep History — Part Two Thomas Halliday, author of Otherlands: A Journey Through Earth’s Extinct Worlds, journeys further back into geological history, examining Jurassic glass sponge reefs, Carboniferous coal swamps, and the mysterious Tully Monster. He highlights early...
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EARTH-MOON SYSTEM - Prehistoric Ecosystems Deep Time — Part One - THOMAS-HALLIDAY-OTHERWORLDS
Prehistoric Ecosystems Deep Time — Part One Thomas Halliday, author of Otherlands: A Journey Through Earth’s Extinct Worlds, details ancient landscapes from the Pleistocene mammoth steppe of Beringia to the Eocene temperate rainforests of Antarctica. Exploring prehistoric biomes across millions…
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CHRISTIANITY - St. Augustine Early Life — Part One - CATHERINE-CONYBEARE-SUGUSTINE-THE-AFRICAN
St. Augustine Early Life — Part One Professor Catherine Conybeare, author of Augustine the African, explores the early life and intellectual journey of St. Augustine in fourth-century North Africa. Raised in Tagaste, Augustine studied rhetoric in Carthage, embraced Manichaeism, and wrestled with...
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AUSTRALIA - Australian Cricket Test Slump - JEREMY ZAKIS IN NSW
Australian Cricket Test Slump Jeremy Zakis reports that the Australian cricket team is suffering an unprecedented performance slump during its Test series against South Africa. Officials are weighing strategy overhauls and roster changes while scouting rising T20 talent, as the national side...
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AUSTRALIA - Venomous Snake Territorial Battles - JEREMY ZAKIS IN NSW
Venomous Snake Territorial Battles Jeremy Zakis explains how volatile El Niño conditions have sparked a population boom among Australian wildlife. He details intense territorial conflicts between venomous red-bellied black snakes and eastern brown snakes, alongside surging numbers of mice and...
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AUSTRALIA - El Niño Spring Chaos - JEREMY ZAKIS IN NSW
El Niño Spring Chaos Jeremy Zakis reports that unusual El Niño weather patterns are driving a tumultuous Australian springtime marked by severe atmospheric conditions. He describes a rare inland tornado in New South Wales, stark climate divides across the continent, and the unpredictability these...
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AENEID - Hannibal and the Punic Wars — Part Two - EVE-MACDOLAD-CARTHAGE
Hannibal and the Punic Wars — Part Two Professor Eve MacDonald, author of Carthage: A New History, describes how Hannibal Barca launched an ambitious campaign against Rome, leading thousands of soldiers and war elephants across the Alps. Despite spectacular tactical victories such as Cannae,...
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AENEID - Founding Ancient Carthaginian Empire — Part One - EVE-MACDONALD-CARTHAGE
1907 CARTHAGE Founding Ancient Carthaginian Empire — Part One Professor Eve MacDonald, author of Carthage: A New History, explores the early origins and naval empire of ancient Carthage. Founded by Phoenician colonists in North Africa, Carthage grew into a dominant maritime trade power across the...
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COSMOLOGY - Cosmic Theories and Experiments — Part Two - GOVERT-SCHILLING-THE-ELEPHANT-IN-THE-.UNIVERS
1960 Cosmic Theories and Experiments — Part Two Govert Schilling, author of The Elephant in the Universe: Our Hundred-Year Search for Dark Matter, explains how scientists continue evaluating alternative gravitational theories like MOND while conducting sensitive underground detector experiments…
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COSMOLOGY - Search for Dark Matter — Part One - GOUVERT-SCHILLING-THE-ELEPHANT-IN-THE-UNIVERSE
1959 Search for Dark Matter — Part One Govert Schilling, author of The Elephant in the Universe: Our Hundred-Year Search for Dark Matter, traces a century of astronomers’ evidence for unseen mass in the cosmos, beginning with Jacobus Kapteyn and Jan Oort studying galactic motions. Fritz Zwicky,...
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AI - Sam Altman Artificial Intelligence - KEACH-HAGEY-THE-OPTIMIST
1957 Sam Altman Artificial Intelligence Journalist Keach Hagey, author of The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future, chronicles Sam Altman’s trajectory from his St. Louis upbringing and Stanford tech ventures to leading Y Combinator and co-founding OpenAI. The narrative...
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EGYPT - Proxy Wars in Canaan — Part Two - ERIC-CLINE-P0VE-WAR-DIPLOMACT
1909 Proxy Wars in Canaan — Part Two Professor Eric H. Cline, author of Love, War, and Diplomacy: The Discovery of the Amarna Letters and the Bronze Age World They Revealed, explores proxy conflicts between Egypt and the Hittite Empire across Canaan during the late Bronze Age. Vassal rulers like...
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EGYPT - Discovering Amarna Letters Archive — Part One - ERIC-CLINE-LOVE-WAR-DIPLOMACY-
1909 CAIRO Discovering Amarna Letters Archive — Part One Professor Eric H. Cline, author of Love, War, and Diplomacy: The Discovery of the Amarna Letters and the Bronze Age World They Revealed, recounts how ancient cuneiform clay tablets surfaced at Amarna, Egypt, in the 1880s. Written in…
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CONTENTS OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW 10-30-26
1945 ZHUKOV VICTORY IN RED SQUARE CONTENTS OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW 10-30-26 California Weather and Politics Jeff Bliss reports on location in Hollywood, highlighting severe El Niño coastal flooding along Orange County and Marin County. He discusses local news, including homelessness on…
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EARTB-MOON SYSTEM - Commercial Space Program Developments - BOB ZIMMERMAN 103026
Commercial Space Program Developments Bob Zimmerman reports on commercial space operations, detailing SpaceX’s preparations for the fifteenth Starshipflight and static fire tests. He discusses lawfare surrounding the Pegon Island spaceport, startup activities from Stoke Space and Cowboy Space,...
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CANADA - Alberta Future in Canada - CONRAD BLACK 103026
1900 Biographer Conrad Black examines Alberta’s political landscape, highlighting the vote confirming its decision to remain in Canada. He explains how past frustrations over oil and gas export pipelines fueled separatist sentiment, while Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney’s...
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LANCASTER COUNTY - Consumer Behavior in Lancaster - JIM MCTAGUE 103026
1942 ARMISTICE DAY Consumer Behavior in Lancaster Jim McTague observes consumer trends in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, noting packed Costco parking lots as financially strained shoppers seek savings and start holiday purchasing early. He details busy local diners, ongoing construction of data...
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MORE ILLIAD - Ancient Greek Power Rivalries 0 ADRIAN GOLDSWORTHY (HOUR 2) 103026
1835 Ancient Greek Power Rivalries Classical scholar Adrian Goldsworthy, author of Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry That Shaped Ancient Greece, analyzes the geopolitical rivalry between Athens and Sparta, examining the Delian League, Kimon’s leadership, and Pericles’ strategic refusal of land...
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RUSSIA - Online Russian Disinformation Campaigns - CRAIG UNGER 103026
2905 ROSTOV ON DON Online Russian Disinformation Campaigns Craig Unger discusses how Elon Musk’s Grok and X platforms distributed Russian disinformation deepfakes created by Storm-1516 targeting Democratic Senate candidates. He identifies former Palm Beach deputy sheriff John Mark Dougan…
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ITALY - Italian Economic General Strike - LORENZO FIORI 103026
1758 Italian Economic General Strike Lorenzo Fiori describes a civil general strike in Milan organized by trade unions protesting low salaries and rising inflation. He notes public transport disruptions, motorway blockades, and political tensions ahead of upcoming elections. Fiori also details...
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SAUDI ARABIA - Global Security and Defense - HENRY SOKOLSKI 103026
1926 YEMEN Global Security and Defense Henry Sokolski examines Middle East security dynamics, noting Saudi Arabia’s secret construction of solid rocket factories with Chinese assistance. He outlines Saudi financial offers to the Houthis, European anxieties over reliance on American defense...
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ALASKA - Legal Analysis of Elections - RICHARD EPSTEIN 103026
1900 ALASKA Legal Analysis of Elections Professor Richard Epstein evaluates election integrity issues, such as Alaska’s ballot dispute involving a candidate with the same name as incumbent Dan Sullivan. He clarifies constitutional limits on presidential intervention and federal versus state...
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CALIFORNIA - California Weather and Politics - JEFF BLISS 103026
1910 LA CHINATOWN California Weather and Politics Jeff Bliss reports on location in Hollywood, highlighting severe El Niño coastal flooding along Orange County and Marin County. He discusses local news, including homelessness on Hollywood Boulevard, the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart, the close…
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CONTENTS OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW 10-29-26
1880 ATHENSCONTENTS OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW 10-29-26 Russian Diesel Ukraine Peace Anatol Lieven discusses Greenpeace’s identification of Russian diesel tankers heading toward America following an agreement between Trump and Putin. Lieven notes this deal addresses fuel shortages rather than...
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STREAMING-MAKING OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW-10-29-26
1928 In this live broadcast recording session, Evan Ellis discusses the Brazilian election aftermath, focusing on Flávio Bolsonaro fleeing through Argentina using an Italian passport. He explores allegations against Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, Venezuelan political transitions, and...
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SYRIA - Jordanian Airstrikes Southern Syria - AHMAD SHARAWI BILL ROGGIO 102926
1898 DAMASCUS Jordanian Airstrikes Southern Syria Ahmad Sharawi and Bill Roggio analyze Jordanian airstrikes against ISIS cells in southern Syria following a deadly attack on a Greek Orthodox church. They examine disputed coordination between Amman and Damascus, emphasizing that persistent...
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BRAZIL - Brazilian Economic Judicial Challenges - MARY ANASTASIA O’GRADY 102926
1960 AT THE UN, CASTRO AND NASSER Brazilian Economic Judicial Challenges Mary Anastasia O’Grady analyzes Brazil’s economic struggles after Lula da Silva’s reelection. She explains that excessive government spending and populist election promises expand fiscal deficits, forcing the central bank to...
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INDIA - Battle for Indian Telecom - SADANAND DHUME 102926
1906 Battle for Indian Telecom Sadanand Dhume examines the feud over access to India’s satellite internet market between Elon Musk’s Starlink and Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance. Musk accused Ambani of blocking Starlink, leading opposition leader Rahul Gandhi to claim government cronyism. Meanwhile…
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IRAN - ranian Nuclear Site Restorations - ANDREA STRICKER 102926
1585 ranian Nuclear Site Restorations Andrea Stricker analyzes the rebuilding of Iranian nuclear weapons infrastructure after strategic military strikes. She notes that Pickaxe Mountain remains deeply buried and untouched. However, previously damaged sites such as Taleghan 2, Minzadehei, Shahid...
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ILLIAD - Ancient Athens Sparta Rivalry - ADRIAN GOLDSWORTHY 102926
1910 ROAD TO SPARTA Ancient Athens Sparta Rivalry Adrian Goldsworthy examines ancient Greek history from his book on the rivalry between Athens and Sparta. He details Athenian political developments, Spartan military society, hoplite equipment, and the Persian invasions led by Darius and Xerxes....
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BRAZIL - Brazilian Elections Regional Dynamics - EVAN-ELLIS 102926
1920 RIO DE JANEIRO Brazilian Elections Regional Dynamics Evan Ellis analyzes Brazil’s election turmoil after Lula da Silva defeated Flávio Bolsonaro despite first-round statistical improbabilities. Flávio fled to America through Argentina, citing judicial lawfare. Ellis also highlights María...
About this show
The John Batchelor Show is a hard news-analysis radio program on current events, world history, global politics and natural sciences. Based in New York City for two decades, the show has travelled widely to report, from the Middle East to the South Caucasus to the Arabian Peninsula and East Asia.
Hosted by
John Batchelor Show.