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The John Batchelor ShowAuthor: John Batchelor
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. Language: en-us Genres: News, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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S8 Ep490: SHOW SCHEDULE 2-20-26
Episode 490
Friday, 20 February, 2026
1.Jeff Bliss reports a deadly avalanche in Lake Tahoe claimed nine lives due to dry uncompacted snow, severe storms are causing heavy snowfall at Donner Pass and flooding the Los Angeles River, while Las Vegas faces declining foot traffic and Los Angeles battles rampant copper wire theft. 12.Jeff Bliss covers California's upcoming gubernatorial jungle primary with Democrat Eric Swalwell and Republican Steve Hilton as early frontrunners, Spencer Pratt challenging Mayor Karen Bass in Los Angeles, and Governor Gavin Newsom positioning himself for a 2028 presidential run on an anti-Trump platform. 23.Gene Marks reports that despite a disappointing fourth-quarter GDP growth rate of 1.4 percent and sluggishness in shipping and chemical sectors, small businesses remain surprisingly resilient with optimism above average and continued hiring plans even as AI integration remains limited. 34.Gene Marks discusses the Supreme Court ruling the administration's April 2025 emergency tariffs unconstitutional, leaving billions in collected funds in limbo, though the administration will likely utilize the Trade Acts of 1962 and 1974 to continue imposing targeted tariffs without congressional approval. 45.Jim McTague reports Lancaster County reflects the national 1.4 percent GDP slowdown with flat retail, consumer price fatigue, and plummeting restaurant traffic due to rising costs and weight-loss drugs, while Washington DC lobbying and local health and construction sectors remain strong. 56.Lorenzo Fiori reports the Milan Winter Olympics are proceeding successfully amidst beautiful snow with rumors of a Donald Trump visit for the hockey finals, while extreme weather has caused dangerous Alpine avalanches and the tragic collapse of the historic Lover's Arch on the Adriatic coast. 67.Bob Zimmerman of Behind the Black reports NASA successfully completed a wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis IImission targeting a March 6th launch, while a NASA report classified Boeing's Starliner failure as a severe Type A emergency prompting tighter control as SpaceX competition thrives. 78.Bob Zimmerman reports Japanese private space startup ispace is struggling with severe engine development problems for its lunar landers, while archival images from New Horizons reveal Pluto's bizarre splotched surface and floating ice mountains, and a newly discovered dim galaxy hints at dark matter's vastness. 89.Sir Max Hastings details the daring glider assault to capture the Orne River bridge, where Major John Howard'stroops achieved total surprise, securing a vital link for British airborne and seaborne forces on D-Day itself. 910.Sir Max Hastings discusses General Montgomery's expanded vision for D-Day and the initial chaos of the airborne landings, noting that despite the shambles at Merville battery, paratroopers' bravery confused German defenders and secured the mission's early vital stages. 1011.Sir Max Hastings highlights Major General Richard Gale's calm leadership during the chaotic airborne drops, with success relying on British deception plans and Rommel's absence preventing early German counterattacks against the beaches on D-Day. 1112.Sir Max Hastings describes specialized armored funnies that supported British landings on Sword Beach, noting that while technically successful, heavy traffic and Montgomery's overly ambitious objectives prevented the Allies from capturing Caen on D-Day. 1213.Henry Sokolski of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center critiques the inconsistency of threatening war against Iran over its nuclear program while simultaneously considering a deal to allow Saudi Arabia uranium enrichment capabilities under less stringent international oversight. 1314.Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center explains how bipartisan spending on entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare drives national debt, arguing that American consumers, not foreign nations, primarily bear the economic burden of tariffs. 1415.Professor Richard Epstein of the Hoover Institution analyzes constitutional limits of presidential authority to fire independent agency officials, discussing historical precedents like Humphrey's Executor and critiquing legal reasoning behind maintaining quasi-judicial independence within the executive branch. 1516.Professor Richard Epstein predicts the Supreme Court may strike down tariffs, arguing that trade deficits do not constitute legal emergencies, while also discussing the potential for the Court to preserve the Federal Reserve'sindependence from executive control. 16
