Photo: screen shot, China's Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian (R) and Central Military Commission officers including Senior Colonel Lu Yu (2nd L), Zhang Chengwen (2nd R) and Major General Zhou Shangping (center), attend a news conference in Beijing, China July 24, 2017. 
 
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Co-hosts: Gordon Chang, Forbes.com and David Livingston, The Space Show
 
Hour One
Wednesday 26 July 2017 / Hour 1, Block A:  Capt. James Fanell, recent U.S. Pacific fleet's deputy chief of staff for intelligence and information operations; in re: US Pacific fleet
Wednesday 26 July 2017 / Hour 1, Block B:  Stephen Yates, former White House official and Idaho Republican Party chairman; in re: North Korea
Wednesday 26 July 2017 / Hour 1, Block C:  Sadanand Dhume, AEI, in re:  . . . Most Indians are not from the upper classes that have traditionally [been in charge]  . . . Today the BJB pulled off a sort of electoral coup in Bihar, pulled 100 million people from Congress Party into the BJP, which is very much on the ascendant with a popular PM, Modi. He kept all the traditional upper-class votes and expanded into other realms.
The trouble in Bhutan is that China has tried to build a road in Bhutan, in Dacwal (name used by India). Bhutan called for Indian help; it sent soldiers, who now are 150 meters from Chinese troops.  Delhi saw this as a gravely important situation: “chicken’s neck” attached NE India to the rest of India; China could cut the two in twain,. Bhutan wants India there.  China figured Bhutan would do what everyone else has done: roll over.
Modi said, Bhutan doesn't want its border changed unilaterally.  China has made a huge fuss worked itself into a lather.  Xi Jinping seems to think that everyone will kowtow to its aggressive expansionism Suggests that Xi s rather disconnected from realty.
Standing up to the bully shows that the bully will blink Implications for all of SE Asia, incl Vietnam.
Wednesday 26 July 2017 / Hour 1, Block D: Anthony Ruggiero,  ,  in re:  The new North Korea sanctions added on to last year’s _ these have to do with shipping and laborers whom they ship overseas and on whom they many $500 million PA — all these squeeze DPRK’s revenue stream. We also have Section 311 of the Patriot Act; have severed banks, incl Bank of Dandong and severed it from the global banking system. Dandung is a harbinger for Bank of China, which U has condemned as a  money launderer. Why is BofC allowed to do bz in the US since its dirty deeds are in fact illegal? If we severed BofC from global banking system w show China that the US is serious about defending its essential national interests. We need to send signals to China that this game is over. 
 
Hour Two
Wednesday 26 July 2017 / Hour 2, Block A: Bruce Bechtol, , San Angelo College, Texas, in re: Nor Korea, 27 July: ay launch the same missile they launched on 4 July, which could hit anchorage; or perhaps a different one that can travel a few thousand miles more and hit the Continental West Coast.  DPRK has never shown something in a parade that it hasn’t already tested or wouldn’t test soon US needs to take this very seriously.  BMD (ballistic missile defense) developed under Reagan as SDI; US hasn't yet been able to get MIRVs, but can take out several missiles fired by a rogue state. Problem is currently, incl THAAD, is: can it take out an ICBM?  Yes, in theory, but it hasn't been tested much yet. Under Pres Obama we did not; now we see clearly that DPRK is on its way to [blow up] the US.  On 4 July, North Korea showed it cold fired six missiles simultaneously from a Chinese-made launcher. Could the US take all six down?  Dunno.  We need to focus on development, and, frankly, throw more money at it. The pres of South Korea needs to think about  the sovereignty of his own country and stop playing politics.  
Wednesday 26 July 2017 / Hour 2, Block B: Nitin A Gokhale, defense analyst and contributor to Bharat Shakti, Self-Reliance in Defence; near the Bhutanese border; in re: Indian troops are facing Chinese troops at the Bhutanese border. What did China think India would do as China was constructing a dirt track into a road on Bhutanese territory?  China apparently did not think India would step in.  In the past, India has provided food to Chinese troops who showed up at the Indian border without enough basic provisions. [Thanks, PM Xi.] This may turn out to be similar to event thirty years ago, Uttar Pradesh, that lasted for eight or nine months, Chinese will face the music because they’ll have along [supply lines], and by and by it will snow.
The upcoming Beijing Nineteenth Congress in October: Xi can't afford to look weak. When this is resolved, China will probably have more respect for India. “You're bang on about that.” 
Wednesday 26 July 2017 / Hour 2, Block C: Monica Crowley, London Center for Policy research, in re: JB: How can the Republican party be saved? MC: We’ve had nearly a decade to coalesce behind something to satisfy moderates and conservatives, so it’s been outrageous to me and to the American people. Republicans still have a diverse party. The Democratic party is unified on the far left through Obama and we need to unify in the same way. We just need to change the individual mandate, the employer mandate, and the medical device tax in Obamacare; if they could just change these things instead of completely replacing them, we could chip away at Obamacare and create something better. JB:  Tax reform is the strength of the Republican party. Do we expect the same controversies for tax reform as for healthcare? MC:  No, because healthcare is such an emotional issue, but tax reform is a colder calculation—for Republican members’ re-election and success of the party, tax reform is even more important than healthcare. JB:  I love Scaramucci. He sounds like New York. MC: He completely shut down Fox News’s accusations of him colluding with the Russians, and Donald Trump respects him for that. MC:  Obama’s administration unmasked many, and we only know of one by the Republican party: Michael Flynn.  (1 of 2)
Wednesday 26 July 2017 / Hour 2, Block D:   Monica Crowley, London Center for Policy research (2 of 2)
 
Hour Three
Wednesday 26 July 2017 / Hour 3, Block A:   Andrew C McCarthy, NRO and former Asst US Attorney, New York Southern District; in re: 
Wednesday 26 July 2017 / Hour 3, Block B:  Michael Tomasky, Daily Beast special correspondent; & Democracy: A Journal of Ideas editor;  in re: Democratic logic.
Wednesday 26 July 2017 / Hour 3, Block C: Mary Anastasia O’Grady, WSJ, in re:
Wednesday 26 July 2017 / Hour 3, Block D:  Mary Anastasia O’Grady, WSJ, in re:
 
Hour Four
Wednesday 26 July 2017 / Hour 4, Block A:  Robert Zimmerman, BehindtheBlack,com, and author, Capitalism in Space, in re:
Wednesday 26 July 2017 / Hour 4, Block B:  Robert Zimmerman, BehindtheBlack,com, and author, Capitalism in Space, in re:
Wednesday 26 July 2017 / Hour 4, Block C:   Jochen Hellbeck, author: Stalingrad: The City that Defeated the Third Reich,  by Jochen Hellbeck and Christopher Tauchen
Wednesday 26 July 2017 / Hour 4, Block D:   Jochen Hellbeck, author: Stalingrad: The City that Defeated the Third Reich,  by Jochen Hellbeck and Christopher Tauchen