The John Batchelor Show

Ashes Warm-ups Cause Slew of Career-Threatening Injuries; Betting Odds Narrow. Jeremy Zakis reports that Ashes warm-up matches are causing a slew of injuries to older players around 35, including Mark Wood of England and Sean Abbott of Australia, both suffering hamstring injuries. The competition in Perth at Subako Stadium will emphasize muscle and speed due to the dry pitch. Australia's odds to win the first test have dropped to 3:2, reflecting England's stronger perceived standing. Guest: Jeremy Zakis. 1920

Cold Antarctic Air Collides with Tropical Front, Bringing Flash Flooding and Cyclone Warnings to East Coast.Jeremy Zakis describes severe weather on the Australian East Coast due to a clash between bitter cold Antarctic air and a dense tropical air mass colliding over land. This has caused rapid thunderstorms, flash flooding, and storm damage from Victoria up to Queensland. The Bureau of Meteorology now forecasts at least one major tropical cyclone for the Brisbane coastline later this year. Guest: Jeremy Zakis.

Dallas the Dog Fosters Trust with Magpie Family, Enhancing Their Intelligence. Jeremy Zakis chronicles how Dallas the dog has adopted a magpie family, leading to a comfortable second generation residing nearby. Dallas's kind, placid demeanor fosters trust, allowing the smart magpies to grow up around him and even play with his toys. A study suggests these positive social interactions enhance magpie intelligence, while vandal cockatoos continue stripping local trees. Guest: Jeremy Zakis.

Tragic Magpie Attack Blinds Girl; Massive Eastern Brown Snake Invades Home. Jeremy Zakis reports that a massive five-foot-long great eastern brown snake was found rearing up outside a woman's bathroom in Veil View, Queensland, necessitating a snake catcher. This highly venomous species requires prompt antivenom administration within the "golden hour." Separately, a 12-year-old girl in Australind, Western Australia, was tragically attacked by an aggressive magpie, which targeted her eye, causing severe damage and potential sight loss. Guest: Jeremy Zakis. Retry

The Green Belt and Rethinking Liberty 30 Years Later.Matthew LongoMatthew Longo Retry

Panic, Pioneers, and the Moral Choice at the Border Picnic. Matthew Longo recounts that by August 19, 1989, hundreds of thousands of East German refugees were camped near Sopron, terrified of Stasi informers. Nemeth's government used the chaotic Picnic as a test for Soviet intervention. When a mass bolted across the border, mistaking champagne pops for gunfire, Hungarian guards made the tremendous moral choice not to shoot, allowing a bloodless breakthrough to freedom. Guest: Matthew Longo.

Young Activists Plan the Audacious Pan-European Picnic. Matthew Longo describes how in late June 1989, young activists Fedins and Maria in Debrecen conceived an audacious plan to throw a protest party—The Picnic—at the Iron Curtain near Sopron. They aimed to challenge communism and celebrate freedom. Though the Curtain was a deadly "death zone," not a simple fence, they secured a unique one-time crossing, allowing Austrians to join the Hungarians. Guest: Matthew Longo.

Elite Politics and the First Crack in the Iron Curtain. Matthew Longo details the July 1989 Warsaw Pact meeting where reformer Nemeth faced off against old-guard Ceausescu. Nemeth had received Gorbachev's "green light" to dismantle the Iron Curtain's deadly fencing in Hungary. Gorbachev secretly confirmed the presence of a nuclear arsenal, urging discretion, revealing how delicate his own political position was. Guest: Matthew Longo.

Craig Unger discusses Den of Spies, investigating the "October Surprise"—hostages released minutes after Reagan's inauguration. The timing suggests the Reagan campaign made a secret deal with Iran. No facts have been challenged since publication. He views this as a Republican pattern of using adversarial nations to intervene in elections. Guest: Craig Unger. 1866 Retry

Craig Unger describes his 2014 visit to Iran's "Den of Spies" embassy museum, where he interviewed Moshen Rafi Duce, Iran's arms procurement head, who seemingly made an accidental admission about meeting "the Republicans." Former Iranian president Abolhassan Banisadr confirmed the October Surprise was a double coup d'état, destabilizing both the US and moderate Iranian elements. The timing of the hostage release confirms a prior deal: they were freed only three minutes after Ronald Reagan took the oath of office on January 20, 1981. This event, Unger concludes, fits a pattern of Republican reliance on adversarial nations to intervene in US elections. Guest: Craig Unger. Retry

Craig Unger confirms the Madrid meeting in July 1980, where Bill Casey met with Iranian cleric Mehdi Karoubi, establishing the parameters of the October Surprise by asking Karoubi to delay the hostage release until after the presidential election. The alleged Paris meeting in October involving George H.W. Bush is harder to prove, though investigative work punctured Bush's alibis. Iran was motivated by desperation for American military spare parts, especially after Iraq invaded in September 1980. Unger believes the overall preponderance of evidence suggests the Paris meeting occurred, intended to secure the deal with the highest possible authority. Guest: Craig Unger.

Craig Unger reveals that Bill Casey operated through the Safari Club, an off-the-books intelligence group. Casey utilized Iranian arms dealers, the Hashim brothers, who were secretly double agents working for him since the mid-1970s. Casey's best friend, John Shaheen, acted as the crucial cutout, meeting with arms dealers to shield Casey from media scrutiny. Further investigation confirmed that key source Ari Ben Mashi worked directly for Israeli military intelligence, Aman. This solidified the existence of a secret arms channel flowing from Israel to Iran, a fact Israel wanted hidden because it showed they participated in sabotaging an American presidential election. Guest: Craig Unger.

Craig Unger describes his high-profile investigation at Newsweek, which surprisingly resulted in three articles denying the October Surprise occurred, a result Unger called a great disgrace in the history of American journalism. The subsequent Congressional investigation, led by Lee Hamilton, was dismissed by Unger as a complete whitewash that accepted weak alibis for Bill Casey. Unger was warned by investigative legend Seymour Hersh that he would be crushed if he continued his pursuit. Unger's colleague, Bob Perry, later found a massive archive of 23 gigabytes of documents containing secrets relevant to the investigation, abandoned in cardboard boxes in a former ladies' room under a tampon dispenser in a House office building. Guest: Craig Unger.

Craig Unger explores rumors of an "October Surprise"—a Republican deal to delay the hostages' release—which gained credence when former NSC official Gary Sick published an op-ed. Unger spoke to rogue Israeli operative Ari Ben Mashi, who alleged Bill Casey met with Iranians in Madrid in July 1980. Ben Mashi claimed Casey violated the Logan Act and an arms embargo by offering weapons in exchange for a delay in the hostage release until after the election. Ben Mashi also alleged Vice Presidential nominee George H.W. Bush attended a subsequent meeting in Paris in October 1980 to finalize the agreement. Unger's published findings in Esquire led him to join Newsweek to continue the investigation. Guest: Craig Unger.

Craig Unger examines Ronald Reagan's hiring of Bill Casey, an OSS veteran and dazzlingly brilliant spy, to manage his campaign. Casey quickly established a secret intelligence network, meeting with Israeli intelligence and arms dealers globally. Although Casey was notoriously difficult to understand—mumbling, spitting, and requiring Reagan to just "nod and smile"—he recognized that the release of the American hostages before November would likely secure President Carter's re-election. Casey began putting his network into action, aiming to prevent the hostages' early release. It remains unclear how much Reagan knew about Casey's covert activities. Guest: Craig Unger.

Craig Unger investigates the "October Surprise" following the 1979 seizure of 52 American hostages in Tehran. Iran's revolution overthrew the Shah, installed by the US in 1953, creating an anti-American Islamic Republic. The failed Desert One rescue mission on April 24, 1980, killed eight Americans and shocked the Carter administration, effectively ending his re-election prospects. Carter's weak position was exacerbated by his contentious relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin following the Camp David Accords. Candidate Ronald Reagan and his soon-to-be campaign head, Bill Casey, observed the developing crisis. Guest: Craig Unger. 1850 TEHRAN

Paul Gregory argues that Lee Harvey Oswald's primary motive was a profound belief that he was special and destined for greatness, fostered by his mother. Gregory insists Oswald is often underestimated, highlighting his achievements as a master manipulator who deceived the Soviets and planned the General Walker assassination attempt. A secondary but major factor was Marina, who constantly scorned his intelligence and manhood, making him feel worthless. Oswald's trial was meant to be his glorious moment to demonstrate his brilliance to the world and Marina. Killing the president offered a way to prove himself to his wife and establish himself as a historical figure. Guest: Paul Gregory. 1961

Paul Gregory visited Dealey Plaza to assess the assassination, concluding the shot was fairly easy as the presidential limousine slowed down to turn. He emphasizes that the route was chosen only four days prior, undermining long-term conspiracy planning. Paul and his father were later targeted by conspiracy theories linking them to radical Russian interests. The discussion focuses heavily on Margarite Oswald's testimony before the Warren Commission, where she behaved like a deranged woman, insisting her son was a hero and demanding legal representation and subpoena rights. The Commission allowed her to speak to demonstrate her instability. Her influence is identified as a major explanatory factor in virtually everything Lee Harvey Oswald did. Guest: Paul Gregory.

Paul Gregory chronicles Lee Harvey Oswald's burial at Rose Hill, which was quiet, with reporters carrying the coffin. Marina, in a daze, performed Russian rituals when viewing the body and was deeply impacted by watching the Kennedy funeral on television. Margarite's difficulty was evident as she persistently asserted her dead son was innocent, claiming he was a hero and clashing openly with Secret Service agents, who grew exasperated knowing he was guilty. Margarite was living in a fantasy world, later claiming agents wanted to murder her. Pete Gregory maintained strict secrecy regarding the women's location, even from the FBI. Ultimately, Marina had to be moved away from her delusional mother-in-law. Guest: Paul Gregory. 1963

Paul Gregory describes events on November 23rd when Margarite Oswald called Pete Gregory seeking shelter after she and Marina were essentially abducted by Life magazine. Pete notified Secret Service agent Mike Howard, who moved Marina, Margarite, and the two babies to the Six Flags Inn for interrogation. Margarite immediately began campaigning, demanding her "hero" son be rehabilitated as an innocent CIA/FBI agent. Pete's presence was vital, as Marina feared the Secret Service were the KGB. A crucial interrogation point was the famous photo of Lee with his rifle; Marina was reluctant to confess she took it, fearing reprisal. Upon hearing Lee was dead, Margarite demanded burial at Arlington National Cemetery. Guest: Paul Gregory.