The John Batchelor Show

CAPTION 1868 FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON, JULES VERNE.

CONTENTS -JOHN-BATCHELOR-SHOW-9-17-2026 

Foreign Conflicts Escalate Global Energy Crisis
Anatol Lieven and Jonathan Guyer, co-authors of the report The Iran Trap, discuss interconnected conflicts in Ukraine, Iran, and Yemen threatening critical global energy infrastructure and driving up global diesel costs. Houthis disrupt Red Sea maritime routes while damaged Russian oil refineries reduce worldwide fuel exports. Public polling conducted by the Institute for Global Affairs reveals dropping support for foreign military interventions as four in five Americans connect overseas wars to rising living costs. Their report underscores public fatigue over escalating militarism and growing anxiety regarding unmonitored military artificial intelligence applications. The analysts argue that restoring diplomatic dialogue with China and reasserting congressional war powers remain essential steps toward resolving these compounding geopolitical crises. (1)

Supreme Court Rejects Postal Voting Regulation
Richard Epstein discusses the Supreme Court's refusal to permit the U.S. Postal Service to implement new mail-in voting regulations ahead of federal elections. Justice Kavanaugh concurred, emphasizing that election administrators lack sufficient time and software systems to process millions of mail-in ballots without causing severe delays. Epstein criticizes the rule as an insidious abuse of government monopoly power, comparing selective ballot inspection to an unconstitutional poll tax. Epstein asserts that presidential efforts to bypass Congress and override state voting authorities breach constitutional separation of powers and fiduciary obligations owed to the public. (2)

Brazilian Election Scandal Shakes Supreme Court
Mary Anastasia O'Grady reports Brazil's presidential campaign between incumbent Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro has tightened significantly amidst mounting financial and judicial scandals. Flavio Bolsonaro initially suffered in polling after soliciting movie funding from jailed banker Daniel Vorcaro of collapsed Banco Master. However, police investigations revealed text messages from Vorcaro seeking advice from Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, whose wife received a $25 million contract with Banco Master. Moraes previously led efforts to vacate Lula's conviction and silence political opponents. Exposure of judicial influence peddling leaves conflicted voters facing a critical October runoff. (3)

Early Solar System Magnetism Shaped Planets
Cauê Borlina and David Livingston: Purdue Professor Borlina analyzed pristine Antarctic meteorites, notably DOM 08006, to investigate the early solar system's magnetic history. By studying calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs)—the oldest known solids formed 4.5 billion years ago—researchers discovered preserved primordial magnetism locked within iron-nickel minerals as they cooled below their Curie temperature. Measurements revealed ancient magnetic field strengths between 150 and 600 microteslas, exceeding Earth's current field strength. This confirms that magnetic forces worked in tandem with gravity to ionize gas and transport nebula mass. Borlina advocates for extensive future sample return missions across asteroids and Mars. (4)

Grim Human Reality Of Hiroshima Bombing
Charles Pellegrino, author of Ghosts of Hiroshima, explores the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, detailing military logistics and human tragedy. Radar engineer Jacob Beser helped calibrate the detonation altitude, while Enola Gay pilot Paul Tibbets performed a sharp escape maneuver to avoid the explosion. On the ground, intense thermal radiation disintegrated citizens instantly or flash-fossilized human bodies at temperatures vastly higher than volcanic eruptions. Pellegrino details survivors like Kenshi Hirata and Tsutomu Yamaguchi, who astonishingly survived both Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. The account illuminates horrific phenomena such as shadow people, shock cocoons, and fatal radiation sickness in children. (5)

Latin American Political Instability And Security
Evan Ellis assesses complex geopolitical shifts across Latin America. In Venezuela, opposition leader María Corina Machado struggles to return home as the U.S. navigates high-stakes oil deals alongside interim leaders Delcy and Jorge Rodríguez. Meanwhile, non-traditional U.S. counter-narcotics reporting reflects shifting diplomatic relations with Colombia and Venezuela. In Brazil, a close presidential election between Flavio Bolsonaro and Lula da Silva highlights deep polarization, judicial corruption controversies, and competing U.S.-China strategic interests. Additionally, Argentine President Javier Milei leverages historical Falkland Islands sovereignty claims to navigate domestic economic pressures and international political dynamics. (6)

CAPTION  1945 TRINITY TEST LOS ALAMOS

Live Streaming weekdays 8-9 AM ET on The John Batchelor Show Substack pageNuclear Deterrence, Broken Treaties, and the Pocketbook Electorate
  
Peter Huessy, Anatol Lieven, and Jonathan Guyer join John Batchelor. The discussion begins with historical reflections on Cold War-era civil defense drills, illustrating how early memories of nuclear anxiety contrast with current geopolitical tensions. The experts analyze the critical need for nuclear modernization, the termination of historic arms treaties, and the emerging threats posed by Russia, North Korea, and Iran. The conversation transitions into the economic consequences of these tensions, specifically how rising diesel prices and supply chain disruptions are impacting American public opinion. Ultimately, the discussion suggests that domestic economic concerns and the integration of artificial intelligence in warfare are fundamentally reshaping the electorate's view of international security.

1895  VENEZUELA
Latin American Political Instability And Security
Evan Ellis assesses complex geopolitical shifts across Latin America. In Venezuela, opposition leader María Corina Machado struggles to return home as the U.S. navigates high-stakes oil deals alongside interim leaders Delcy and Jorge Rodríguez. Meanwhile, non-traditional U.S. counter-narcotics reporting reflects shifting diplomatic relations with Colombia and Venezuela. In Brazil, a close presidential election between Flavio Bolsonaro and Lula da Silva highlights deep polarization, judicial corruption controversies, and competing U.S.-China strategic interests. Additionally, Argentine President Javier Milei leverages historical Falkland Islands sovereignty claims to navigate domestic economic pressures and international political dynamics. (6)

CAPTION  1945 INSPECTION FROM USS APPALACHIAN
Grim Human Reality Of Hiroshima Bombing
Charles Pellegrino, author of Ghosts of Hiroshima, explores the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, detailing military logistics and human tragedy. Radar engineer Jacob Beser helped calibrate the detonation altitude, while Enola Gay pilot Paul Tibbets performed a sharp escape maneuver to avoid the explosion. On the ground, intense thermal radiation disintegrated citizens instantly or flash-fossilized human bodies at temperatures vastly higher than volcanic eruptions. Pellegrino details survivors like Kenshi Hirata and Tsutomu Yamaguchi, who astonishingly survived both Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. The account illuminates horrific phenomena such as shadow people, shock cocoons, and fatal radiation sickness in children. (5)

1917 PRINCESS OF MARS
Early Solar System Magnetism Shaped Planets
Cauê Borlina and David Livingston: Purdue Professor Borlina analyzed pristine Antarctic meteorites, notably DOM 08006, to investigate the early solar system's magnetic history. By studying calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs)—the oldest known solids formed 4.5 billion years ago—researchers discovered preserved primordial magnetism locked within iron-nickel minerals as they cooled below their Curie temperature. Measurements revealed ancient magnetic field strengths between 150 and 600 microteslas, exceeding Earth's current field strength. This confirms that magnetic forces worked in tandem with gravity to ionize gas and transport nebula mass. Borlina advocates for extensive future sample return missions across asteroids and Mars. (4)