The John Batchelor Show

8. The Final Negotiations and Hitler's Appointment. Tim Ryback discusses how on January 30, 1933, Hitler required the support of media magnate Alfred Hugenberg (40 seats) to achieve the coalition necessary for Hindenburg to appoint him Chancellor. Hugenberg, who sought to be Minister of Economics, desperately opposed Hitler's primary demand: holding new Reichstag elections. Hugenberg knew elections would cost him his vital seats. After holding out until the final moment in a dramatic crisis outside Hindenburg's office, he was cornered and reluctantly agreed. Hindenburg formally appointed Hitler Chancellor at 9:40 AM. Hugenberg subsequently noted he had made "the biggest mistake of his life." Within 18 months, key antagonists Schleicher, Strasser, and Röhm were murdered. 1933 Retry

7. Schleicher's Dismissal and Hindenburg's Manipulation. Timothy Ryback discusses how on January 28, 1933, Chancellor Schleicher requested six months of martial law from Hindenburg to allow the politically deteriorating Nazi party to stabilize and restore democracy. Hindenburg, angered by Schleicher trying to dictate terms and preempting the decision in a newspaper, dismissed him. Schleicher immediately attempted a coup by ordering Hammerstein, head of the Reichswehr, to intervene. Hindenburg, who proved to be stubborn and manipulative, blocked the coup and told Hammerstein to return to the garrison. Hindenburg then appointed Blomberg as the new Minister of Defense. Exhausted at age 84, Hindenburg ultimately made the "unpleasant task" of appointing Hitler Chancellor. 1933 VON PAPPEN

6. Continued Defeats, Financial Ruin, and Schleicher's Strategy. Timothy Ryback discusses how the Nazi party continued its decline, suffering losses in Thuringia and facing severe financial ruin, estimated to be 90 million Reichsmarks in debt. A desperate push for a majority in the small state of Lippe in January failed, though Hitler publicly declared it a triumph. Simultaneously, Chancellor Schleicher, the political mastermind, actively negotiated with Gregor Strasser. Schleicher aimed to break apart the NSDAP by detaching Strasser's socialist faction from Hitler's hardliners (Goebbels and Göring), thereby creating a stable, centrist coalition. Strasser was acting to save the National Socialist Movement through compromise, not to betray Hitler. 1933

5. Hitler's Post-Defeat Meetings and Internal Rift. Timothy Ryback discusses how following his November defeat, Hitler remained driven. Former Chancellor Papen, the most unpopular chancellor in German history, sought a meeting, hoping Hitler was weakened enough to join a necessary coalition. Hitler rejected Papen, knowing he was in trouble. A subsequent meeting with Hindenburg also failed, reinforcing the view that Hitler was finished. Meanwhile, intense internal party conflict arose: Gregor Strasser sought conciliation and coalition to save the movement, while Goebbels and hardliners pushed Hitler to stonewall for total power. This tension culminated dramatically in the "underwear scene," where Göring and Goebbels intercepted Hitler on his train, illustrating Hitler's waffling between his party factions. 1933 Berlin

4. Hitler's Aerial Campaign and the November Defeat. Tim Ryback discusses how ahead of the November 6th election, Hitler campaigned intensively using an airplane—a strategy known as Hitler Über Deutschland—to circumvent media bans and reach "heartland Germany" multiple times a day. His campaign targeted Alfred Hugenberg, a consequential media magnate who controlled 4,600 newspapers and had the power to "make or break Hitler." Hitler's successful rhetoric, while sometimes relying on "empty language," worked because Germans were economically desperate, suffering post-1929, and feared the Bolshevik threat. Despite these efforts, the election resulted in a "stunning defeat" on November 6th, as Hitler lost 2 million votes and was considered politically "washed up." 1933

3. Gridlock and the Dissolution of the Reichstag. Timothy Ryback discusses how following Hitler's August refusal to cooperate, the Nazis actively used "obstructionist politics" to gridlock and paralyze the legislative system, using their 37% of seats to destroy democracy with its own tools. Because no laws could be passed, President Hindenburg frequently resorted to constitutional powers (Article 48) to issue orders. The President of the Reichstag at this time was Hermann Göring, a decorated WWI flying ace and one of Hitler's closest lieutenants. Göring held a high social distinction, which was far above Hitler's status in Berlin circles. The Reichstag was subsequently dissolved and a new election called. 1933 hitler leaving Hindenburg after elevation.

2. Key Players in the Rise to Power. Timothy Ryback introduces core players in the 1932–1933 drama. Gregor Strasser was critical to the NSDAP, balancing Hitler's fanatic nationalism with a committed socialist agenda, functioning as a popular coalition builder. On the establishment side were Chancellor Papen and Minister of Defense Schleicher. Schleicher was the political mastermind and "key power broker." Papen was widely seen as Schleicher's unintelligent "puppet." Also prominent was Röhm, who led the SA (Brownshirts). The SA was a 400,000-man private army of stormtroopers used for fundraising and fighting communists in the militarized German streets. 1933

1. Hitler's Refusal of a Coalition Role. Timothy Ryback details the pivotal meeting on August 13, 1932, between President Paul von Hindenburg and Adolf Hitler. Following the Nazi party's strong electoral performance (37%), Hitler expected the Chancellorship. Hindenburg, however, only offered him a role "participating in the government." Hitler immediately refused, stating "no," because he was an "all or nothing man" who demanded the key role. Hindenburg, a Prussian aristocrat, despised Hitler, referring to him as "that Bohemian corporal" due to his origins and divisive politics. Hitler later justified his rejection by saying he would "rather besiege a fortress than be a prisoner in one." 1933

Patterns of Isolation and Continuity in the Americas 4. Professor Meltzer notes that rapid dispersal and substantial population increase characterized the first peoples in the Americas, leading to early isolation and the emergence of subgroups through both geographic constraints like the Andes Mountains and social isolation due to increasing territoriality. Some areas show strong genomic continuity over millennia while others show discontinuity, with populations being displaced or replaced, and later influxes occurred around 6,000 years ago as maritime groups began crossing the Bering Sea, causing further admixture. Genomics is also used to study indigenous health history, including the incidence of diseases like tuberculosis, to help present-day descendants and confirm the devastating impact of infectious diseases introduced by Europeans.

Ancestral Native American Dispersal and Admixture 3. Meltzer describes the dispersal of the first peoples into the Americas, explaining that ancestral Native Americans likely arrived first and made it south of the ice sheets, splitting into Northern and Southern groups with the Southern group dispersing rapidly toward Tierra del Fuego. This rapid dispersal into completely unknown, people-free land suggests dogs—whose genomic history matches human travel—were likely part of their cultural repertoire for defense and hunting. Genomic data reveals that ancient groups later became isolated, developing distinctive genetic markers before experiencing later admixture as mobility increased, and critically shows no ancestral relationship between these first Americans and European, Ainu, or Polynesian populations.

Migration Routes and Genetic Groups 2. Professor Meltzer details the migration routes of ancestral Native Americans, explaining that while they crossed the land bridge during maximum glaciation, they were initially trapped in Alaska by two vast continental ice sheets. The "ice free corridor" along the Rockies was not a viable route until around 13,000 years ago, so the likely path was down the Pacific coast, which may have cleared as early as 16,500 years ago. Meltzer introduces the concept of a "genetic ghost," which is evidence in the genomic record of a contributing population for which no physical sample has yet been found.

DAVID MELTZER: PEOPLING OF THE AMERICAS Peopling of the Americas as Inferred from Ancient Genomics 1. Professor David Meltzer, an archaeologist, discusses how genomics provides a breakthrough over earlier methods like mitochondrial DNA by using the entire genome to reveal the complex tapestry of ancestry, showing mixing and cross-breeding among populations. Ancestral Native Americans arose from the admixture of Ancient North Siberians and an East Asian population around 26,000 to 24,000 years ago. During the last glacial maximum (23,000–19,000 years ago), lower sea levels exposed the land bridge connecting Siberia and Alaska, and these distinctive ancestral groups became isolated due to harsh glacial cold, positioning themselves to move further south.

Dallas the Dog Welcomes Skittish Sparrows. Jeremy details Dallas's affinity for birds, noting that usually skittish common garden sparrows are now drinking and eating from the dog's bowls. The destructive cockatoos, while still present and stripping pine trees, have thankfully avoided attacking the damaged roof. Crows remain cautious, staying distant to avoid aerial "dogfights" with the aggressive magpies. PURPLR FINCH

Ashes Cricket: Injury Risks and Unknown Opponents. Jeremy Zakis discusses the upcoming Ashes contest, noting both Australia and England are good teams with unknowns. Australia aims to match England's power but faces risks from older, injury-prone players, including captain Pat Cummins. The series outcome depends heavily on the English team's strategy (fast, slow, power, or spinning). 1898

Snakes in Pools and Magpie Attacks on Cyclists. Jeremy discusses the prevalence of snakes, noting that it is illegal to kill them, and they are frequently attracted to swimming pools, seeking water and warmth in filters or motors. He warns that even libraries are not safe from brown snakes. He also highlights an experiment examining why magpies aggressively attack cyclists more than other people. Retry

Australian Weather: Four Seasons in a Week. Jeremy describes Australia's weather as an "eclectic cacophony," experiencing four seasons in one week, including 80°F days and brutally cold winter-like maximums. Severe storms and reported nighttime funnels hit Queensland. The rapid growth of foliage due to this erratic weather is a dangerous omen, potentially creating extra fuel for future summer fires. SPRINGER SPANIELS

4. When Politicians Panicked: The New Coronavirus, Expert Opinion, and a Tragic Lapse of Reason. The discussion critiques the indiscriminate government funding of the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), which subsidized well-endowed institutions and missed future innovators, thereby slowing the natural process of working out what is "good and what's bad." Government lending programs inevitably come with strings attached and impair credit. John Tamny suggests that individuals possess a protected "right to contract" and work, regardless of state mandates, citing Lochner v. New York. Ultimately, the sources stress that economic growth and freedom are the strongest defenses against disease, highlighted by the rapid success of private enterprise (like Pfizer) in vaccine development. Freedom must be the readymade answer to future pandemics. 1918 Retry

3. When Politicians Panicked: The New Coronavirus, Expert Opinion, and a Tragic Lapse of Reason. This excerpt examines the federal government's response, characterized as a partial command economy imposed after state lockdowns. John Tamny contends that Washington threw trillions of dollars at the collapse it subsidized, delaying recovery. He refutes the premise that cash handouts stimulate growth, stressing that economic dynamism comes from investment, not consumption. Attempts by commentators to nationalize investment and "freeze the economy" by propping up failing businesses were ultimately destructive. Tamny argues that had politicians done nothing, Americans would have adjusted naturally, allowing the resulting capital formation and investor trust to facilitate a rapid, organic recovery. 1918

2. When Politicians Panicked: The New Coronavirus, Expert Opinion, and a Tragic Lapse of Reason. The conversation reviews the governors' initial promise of two-week lockdowns, noting that centralized power is rarely relinquished. The economic crisis deepened as epidemiologists and experts supplanted the collective knowledge of the marketplace, resulting in central planning, mass unemployment, and debt. John Tamny contrasts the COVID-19 response with the 1968 Hong Kong flu pandemic, which caused the equivalent of 250,000 modern deaths but elicited virtually no political or market reaction. The difference lies in technology: 50 years ago, without Zoom or delivery services, lockdowns would have caused mass discomfort and riots, preventing politicians from acting. Lockdowns happened because they could, not because they had to.

1. When Politicians Panicked: The New Coronavirus, Expert Opinion, and a Tragic Lapse of Reason. John Tamny discusses the severe economic contraction initiated by mandated lockdowns, such as Governor Cuomo's March 20, 2020, order in New York. Tamny argues that politicians caused the crisis by forcing successful businesses to cease operations. These sudden actions by major economies forced global investors to fundamentally rethink the future value of businesses. Although early market signals from China suggested the virus was not highly lethal, pivotal political decisions, like the cancellation of South by Southwest, triggered panic, leading markets to realize that political action, not reality, was the primary threat. Markets digested these fears and corrected before rebounding. 1918