The John Batchelor Show

Monday 27 July 20202

Air Date: 
July 27, 2020

 
 
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Colleague: Thaddeus McCotter, American Greatness
 
Hour One
Monday 27 July 2020  / Hour 1, Block A: Tom Joscelyn, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; & Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal; and Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD; in re: A Taliban suicide bomber targeted an Afghan military convoy as it passed through a district in eastern Afghanistan that has been a hotbed of terrorist activity. Yesterday’s attack is the second major suicide bombing against Afghan forces within a week.
Taliban claim they carried out the attack in revenge for the Afgh not releasing prisoners.  . . .  Once the US leaves, it won't join an Afghan government; interested only in restoring the Islamic Caliphate of Afghanistan. A totally shameful deal that the US has participated in. Convoy was passing though a Wardak district, a Taliban-controlled stronghold on the doorstep of Kabul. the capital.  Btw, al Qaeda also claimed to have made the attack.
https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2020/07/taliban-suicide-bomber-h...
Al Shabaab: in the heart of Mogadishu, US launches airstrike on Islamic State in Somalia   Yesterday's drone strike was the first US airstrike on the Islamic State in Somalia this year. Shabaab is officially al Q’s branch in East Africa—probably al Qaeda’s most effective branch.
https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2020/07/us-launches-airstrike-on...
Monday 27 July 2020  / Hour 1, Block B: Caleb Weiss, LongWarJournal; Tom Joscelyn, Long War Journal and FDD; and Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD; in re: Al Q proposes to set up emirates within it caliphate. It’s definitely stronger now than it was before.  Washington doesn’t acknowledge this.  US has improved homeland defense, but if the groups continue, they’ll be setting up bases from which to attack the US again, as in 9/11.  Puntland. 
Monday 27 July 2020  / Hour 1, Block C: Gordon Chang, Daily Beast, and Jonathan Ward, China’s Vision of Victory,  in re: Secretary Mike Pompeo’s landmark speech a the Nixon library last week:  a new US policy vis-a-vis China. Bookended a decades-long failed US policy of hoping to get a friendly state; instead, China has become hostile and warlike.  Pompeo spoke of “Chinese people governing themselves” – sounds like regime change (to democracy).   Consider China as a danger to the world in toto.  It abuses both its neighbors and states around the world. We’ll [the world’s developed nations] need to create economic containment to reduce the risk of war. “The Secretary of State is an enemy of all humankind” said China.  Expect retaliation against US firms. 
  Also, Houston office of PRC was close; in retaliation, China close US Chengdu office. China still believes in coercive leverage.  Dominic Robb, UK foreign minister:  Chinese “genocide” against the Uyghurs; statement may have rattled Beijing.  Germany remains the open question
Monday 27 July 2020  / Hour 1, Block D: Gordon Chang, Daily Beast, in re: Pravda in English from China, the Global Times, castigates Mike Pompeo and strives to drive a wedge between the US and its allies, although the UK, France, India, Vietnam Philippines, Japan, and multiple other countries have already withdrawn from Beijing’s embrace.  “US hawks on China will not completely overturn” the policy laid out by Nixon.  Gee, are there doves on China these days?   Xi Jinping seems to have made himself to be a villain Yes, there are doves, but they’re awfully quiet right now. China is pushing everyone in frightening directions.  No friends left for Xi. 
Stratfor thinks Beijing wants Trump to win. Deeply unlikely. With Biden, they’ll get someone with a more favorable view of China, whereas Trump is protective of the US. Biden would not keep Pompeo.
 
Hour Two
Monday 27 July 2020  / Hour 2, Block A:  David M Drucker, Washington Examiner, & John Fund, NRO, in re:  Yes, there certainly is violence in Portland. It would’ve been wise of the president to accept that this in his bailiwick.  Have the Democratic cities lost control of the protests? 
Monday 27 July 2020  / Hour 2, Block B:  John Fund, NRO, & David M Drucker, Washington Examiner, in re:  Can Biden win without the debates or the campaign trail?
Monday 27 July 2020  / Hour 2, Block C:  Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: Iran attacks northern Israel with surrogates.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-security-incident-developing-on-lebanon-border-residents-ordered-indoors/
 
Monday 27 July 2020  / Hour 2, Block D: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: Indiana Hoenlein and finding names for the lost children's shoes—children of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Malcolm Hoenlein @Conf_of_pres@ThadMcCotter @theamgreatness
 
 
Hour Three
Monday 27 July 2020  / Hour 3, Block A:  Jeff Bliss, Pacific Watch, in re:
Monday 27 July 2020  / Hour 3, Block B: Gregory Zuckerman, WSJ, in re:
Monday 27 July 2020  / Hour 3, Block C:  Andrew C McCarthy, Ball of Collusion, and Thaddeus McCotter, American Greatness, in re:
Monday 27 July 2020  / Hour 3, Block D:  Andrew C McCarthy, Ball of Collusion, and Thaddeus McCotter, American Greatness, in re:
 
 
Hour Four
Monday 27 July 2020  / Hour 4, Block A:   The King of Infinite Space, David Berlinski. Euclid, 300 BC.
Monday 27 July 2020  / Hour 4, Block B:  The King of Infinite Space, David Berlinski. Euclid, 300 BC.
Monday 27 July 2020  / Hour 4, Block C: Shawn Regan, PERC, in re:
Monday 27 July 2020  / Hour 4, Block D: Shawn Regan, PERC, in re:
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