The John Batchelor Show

PREVIEW: Zero-G Fabs: Manufacturing Semiconductors in Weightlessness Guest: Bob Zimmerman Bob Zimmerman discusses a new company, which he believes is called Besar, that manufactures semiconductors in low Earth orbit using a zero-gravity environment. The core idea revolves around the reality that challenges like gravity, earthquakes, and air quality exist on Earth, making the weightless environment of space an exceptionally good environment for manufacturing chips. The company believes they can produce much better semiconductors in weightlessness than on Earth. They have signed a contract with SpaceX to utilize the Falcon 9 first stage booster, placing their manufacturing facility, called a "fab ship," on it. During flight, the Falcon 9 first stage experiences approximately five minutes in a vacuum superior to anything achievable on Earth, which the company intends to use to produce semiconductors. They plan to start launching these fab ships by year's end, with approximately 12 planned missions, making this a profit center for SpaceX.

PREVIEW: Canadian National Unity: Alberta's Grievance Over Equalization Payments and Pipeline Prevention Guest: Conrad Black Conrad Black discusses the state of Canada's national unity, highlighting that Alberta feels unfairly treated by the federal government. Alberta sends substantial wealth to Ottawa through equalization payments, a system where money from prosperous provinces is transferred to ensure less prosperous provinces can provide equivalent service levels. Alberta has traditionally been relatively uncomplaining about its role in these payments but now feels it receives little back in return. More significantly, Alberta believes its energy resources are being undermined by federal policy. The province's primary complaint is that it has been prevented for the past decade from building pipelines, both east and west, to utilize its oil and gas reserves, for which there is strong global demand. Black concludes that apart from this critical issue, national unity is relatively stable, and provinces are waiting to see what changes, if any, the new prime minister will implement regarding this contentious policy.

PREVIEW: Palisades Fire Scandal: Allegations of LA Fire Department Negligence and Cover-Up Guest: Jeff Bliss Jeff Bliss reports on new information revealed in an amended lawsuit filed against state and city entities regarding the massive Pacific Palisades fire that started on January 1st and burned through January 2nd. The revelation, coming ten or eleven months after the incident, is that firemen on the scene saw the smoldering fire but were obliged to leave. Whistleblowers and radio transmissions confirmed that the fire department was called off the original fire and sent home despite firemen recognizing the danger: the fire was still smoldering, abundant vegetation was present, and high winds were forecast. Because firefighters drove away from the smoldering fire, it reignited on January 6th, leading to the massive conflagration that destroyed an entire neighborhood. Bliss notes that the lawsuit is expected to be a "real bloodbath" because it points to negligence by the LA Fire Department and the state of California. It remains unknown whether the mayor or governor knew about the decision to pull the fire department from the scene.

PREVIEW: Social Security Reform: Capping Benefits for the Wealthiest Guest: Veronique De Rugy Veronique De Rugy discusses the looming Social Security deadline set for 2033, when the program faces a funding shortfall, and potential campaign responses during the 2028 election cycle. De Rugy proposes a reform method she believes can be easily sold to the American people without raising taxes or causing inflation. Her specific proposal invites all Americans, from wealthy to poor, to share in solving the problem by capping benefits for those with the most money and the least need for the program. By capping benefits for the wealthiest seniors, the biggest beneficiaries would see the largest reductions, while those who truly need the program would see no cuts. She notes that today's seniors are generally doing much better financially than when the program was originally created. 1936

PREVIEW: Economic Indicator: Continued Strength in RV Manufacturing Guest: Jim McTague Jim McTague, a former Barron's editor, reports on a conversation with a driver whose job is delivering expensive RVs from Elkhart, Indiana, across the United States. McTague was curious what this activity meant for the broader economy, as he would have expected manufacturing to slow seasonally. He also anticipated a slowdown given consumer reluctance to overspend or make significant capital purchases. However, this industry insider told McTague that he sees no diminution in RV manufacturing. The continued strength in production suggests underlying economic resilience despite expectations of consumer pullback.

PREVIEW: Augustine the African: St. Augustine's Profound Identification with Dido Guest: Professor Katherine Conybeare Professor Katherine Conybeare, classicist and author of Augustine the African, discusses St. Augustine as a man who lived his entire life in what was then the Roman province of Africa, now Algeria, the breadbasket of Rome, except for three or four years spent in Rome and Milan. The Aeneid was absolutely fundamental to Augustine's education, intended to acculturate him to admire Rome and the Roman legacy, since Aeneas founded Rome. However, Augustine identified profoundly with Dido, the tragic Queen of Carthage, falling in love with her story. Augustine dismisses Aeneas as "just some Inas or other," yet he weeps repeatedly over Dido's death. Dido was the mythical founder of Carthage, which for Augustine was the greatest and most glamorous city he knew while growing up. This passionate identification with Dido reflects how Augustine self-identified as an African in a Roman world. 1915 AENEID

The Multi-Geographic War on Drugs and Latin American Politics Guest: Professor Evan Ellis Professor Evan Ellis details the complex, multi-geographic war on drugs, noting the Department of Defense is leading strikes against designated terrorist groups, including Venezuela's Cartel de Los Soles. The deployment of the USS Gerald Ford Battle Group to the Caribbean raises speculation about potential land strikes against criminal leadership in Venezuela, though this carries considerable geopolitical risks. Ellis also discusses the surprising electoral success of Argentina's President Javier Milei, which strengthens the center-right political trend across Latin America. 1910 PERU

The Multi-Geographic War on Drugs and Latin American Politics Guest: Professor Evan Ellis Professor Evan Ellis details the complex, multi-geographic war on drugs, noting the Department of Defense is leading strikes against designated terrorist groups, including Venezuela's Cartel de Los Soles. The deployment of the USS Gerald Ford Battle Group to the Caribbean raises speculation about potential land strikes against criminal leadership in Venezuela, though this carries considerable geopolitical risks. Ellis also discusses the surprising electoral success of Argentina's President Javier Milei, which strengthens the center-right political trend across Latin America.

The Multi-Geographic War on Drugs and Latin American Politics Guest: Professor Evan Ellis Professor Evan Ellis details the complex, multi-geographic war on drugs, noting the Department of Defense is leading strikes against designated terrorist groups, including Venezuela's Cartel de Los Soles. The deployment of the USS Gerald Ford Battle Group to the Caribbean raises speculation about potential land strikes against criminal leadership in Venezuela, though this carries considerable geopolitical risks. Ellis also discusses the surprising electoral success of Argentina's President Javier Milei, which strengthens the center-right political trend across Latin America.

The Multi-Geographic War on Drugs and Latin American Politics Guest: Professor Evan Ellis Professor Evan Ellis details the complex, multi-geographic war on drugs, noting the Department of Defense is leading strikes against designated terrorist groups, including Venezuela's Cartel de Los Soles. The deployment of the USS Gerald Ford Battle Group to the Caribbean raises speculation about potential land strikes against criminal leadership in Venezuela, though this carries considerable geopolitical risks. Ellis also discusses the surprising electoral success of Argentina's President Javier Milei, which strengthens the center-right political trend across Latin America.

Power Struggle Over NASA and the Moon Race Guests: Douglas Messier, David Livingston Douglas Messier discusses a power struggle over NASA, including acting administrator Shawn Duffy's interest in folding NASA into the Department of Transportation and his concern that the United States might lose the Moon Race 2.0 to China. Duffy has challenged SpaceX's contract for the Artemis 3 moon landing, aiming to accelerate lander development amid fears that dependence on the complex Starship/Superheavy architecture might delay the mission beyond 2029.

Power Struggle Over NASA and the Moon Race Guests: Douglas Messier, David Livingston Douglas Messier discusses a power struggle over NASA, including acting administrator Shawn Duffy's interest in folding NASA into the Department of Transportation and his concern that the United States might lose the Moon Race 2.0 to China. Duffy has challenged SpaceX's contract for the Artemis 3 moon landing, aiming to accelerate lander development amid fears that dependence on the complex Starship/Superheavy architecture might delay the mission beyond 2029. 1953

AI as a Lifeline for US Energy and Russian Economic Collapse Guest: Michael Bernstein Michael Bernstein describes how artificial intelligence, which is highly electricity intensive, is providing a "lifeline" to US shale energy, especially natural gas production in Texas, by creating substantial new demand for power infrastructure. This new supply is also fundamentally transforming the European energy landscape, where Russian dominance has been eliminated. Simultaneously, sanctions are forcing major Russian companies like Rosneft and Lukoil into "fire sales" of assets outside Russia at steep discounts.

Argentina's Economic Challenge: The Overvalued Peso Guest: Mary Anastasia O'Grady Mary Anastasia O'Grady discusses Argentine President Javier Milei's surprising electoral success but highlights the overvalued peso as his most significant challenge. The peso's artificial strength is maintained by US Treasury support through a $20 billion swap line and direct intervention, preventing investors from entering the market. O'Grady argues that Milei must allow the peso to float and eventually dollarize the economy, urging him to "rip the band-aid off" and accept the resulting short-term inflation. 1930 ARGENTINA

Hamas Violates Ceasefire and Maintains Political Control Guest: Jonathan Conricus Jonathan Conricus states that Hamas is systematically violating the ceasefire, deliberately stalling the release of hostages' bodies to maintain political leverage against Israel. Hamas is internally working to settle scores and communicate that they are "here to stay" as a governing force. Conricus notes that the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian terrorists, including experienced operatives, significantly increases the likelihood that they will eventually resume terror activities.

Iran Rebuilds Nuclear Weapons Development Site Guest: David Albright David Albright reports on Iran rebuilding the Talagon 2 site, previously bombed by Israel and associated with nuclear weapons development, including testing components for explosive initiators. The reconstruction suggests Iran is making the facility harder to destroy. Iran's nuclear enrichment program appears temporarily "frozen," but the country is focusing on reconstituting its ballistic missile program using equipment sourced from China and Russia, while existing sanctions prove insufficient to halt these priority purchases. 1895 TEHRAN

US Middle East Policy Coordination and the Gaza Peace Plan Guest: Mike Wagenheim Mike Wagenheim characterizes US Middle East policy coordination as a functional division of labor focused on keeping the peace plan on track while accepting that ceasefire violations are inevitable. He notes Israel lacks meaningful leverage regarding the expanding roles of Turkey and Qatar in Gaza because Israel failed to provide a comprehensive "day after scenario." Qatar's ongoing financial support of Hamas remains ambiguous, but the United States is focused on ensuring all partners do not upset the potential peace achievement. 1914 MT. ZION

Hamas Delays Hostage Releases and Hezbollah-Iran Funding Guest: Sarit Zehavi Sarit Zehavi reports that Hamas is deliberately slowing hostage releases and breaking the ceasefire to regain control and avoid being dismantled, as promised by the agreement. She states that Hezbollah is primarily funded by Iran, while Hamas is largely funded by Qatar. Israel's new security strategy involves maintaining strategic buffer zones, including nine military positions in Syria and control of five hills in Lebanon, to physically protect Israeli civilians from hostile groups. 1922 GAZA

The Constitution, the Militia, and Federal Overreach Guest: Rob Natelson Rob Natelson clarifies that the militia, or National Guard, is fundamentally a state force under gubernatorial command, though Congress can authorize the President to call it forth to execute federal laws, suppress insurrections, or repel invasions. Recent court cases concerning President Trump's use of the Guard to protect federal buildings hinged on whether its use was truly "necessary" under constitutional law. Natelson warns that the modern trend of federalizing the militia, including the Pentagon's order to form quick response units, directly contradicts the Constitution's original limits on federal authority. 1932 FDR ALBANY

The Constitution, the Militia, and Federal Overreach Guest: Rob Natelson Rob Natelson clarifies that the militia, or National Guard, is fundamentally a state force under gubernatorial command, though Congress can authorize the President to call it forth to execute federal laws, suppress insurrections, or repel invasions. Recent court cases concerning President Trump's use of the Guard to protect federal buildings hinged on whether its use was truly "necessary" under constitutional law. Natelson warns that the modern trend of federalizing the militia, including the Pentagon's order to form quick response units, directly contradicts the Constitution's original limits on federal authority. 1937 FDR MARYLAND