The John Batchelor Show

Tuesday 17 March 2020

Air Date: 
March 17, 2020

JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
 
Hour One
Tuesday 17 March 2020  / Hour 1, Block A:  Elizabeth Peek, TheHill and Fox News, @LizPeek; in re: The virus and NYS, and the economy. Also, the election in wartime. How the federal government is responding to the Wuhan virus. Rescuing individuals and businesses. All the massive shifts today are not the end of changes. New York is largely shut down; first time in history that its commerce has been stopped.  We’re in a technical recession, being two quarters of negative growth; the difficult decisions for the governor and mayor are: the direr the restrictions put on right now, the sooner we’ll recover.  Italy, for example, is the worst-case scenario.  Worrisome to see some pols put on [restrictions] that they’ve wanted all along and that will be permanent.
Tuesday 17 March 2020  / Hour 1, Block B:   Elizabeth Peek, TheHill and Fox News, @LizPeek; in re: Some states have halted primary elections. Even though Joe Biden avoided major gaffes, fact-checking the next day on things he said may have worked against him.  Bernie went after him on some matters that Biden tried just to shrug off; not convincing.   The Chinese PLA now claims that the US introduced the virus into China and China is in the lead to fight it. Astounding disinformation. China then ejects US journalists. Will it ever go back to business as usual? Profound Chinese corruption: it’s a criminal enterprise.
Tuesday 17 March 2020  / Hour 1, Block C:   Bill Whalen, Hoover Institution Area 45 Podcast; @Hooverwhalen; in re: Reuters-Ipsos poll: Biden was ’way ahead a week ago; today, he’s down 9 from Sanders to Biden. Right now, Biden Florida Biden is crushing Sanders.  Coronavirus dominates the news, so I’m not sure how many people are paying attention to this.  McClellan, Lincoln.  Johnson. The election in wartime and the precedence of Abraham Lincoln 1914, Woodrow Wilson 1918, FDR 1940 and 1944, George W Bush 2004. Also: not 1918 or 1940, but 1944: is that an example of voting in wartime with all the economic consequences. I think the 2001 New York mayoralty race is an example: not just fear of attack but fear of the next attack. How about put all the Democratic primaries in June? Sanders people are convinced that there’s a conspiracy. The incumbent has the advantage because he gets to drive the news.  Seeing Trump engage with the press, which he’s never been eager to do.  I don't need a thousand-dollar check, nor does Michael Bloomberg; just handing out money—swampy!
Tuesday 17 March 2020  / Hour 1, Block D:  John Catsimatidis, Red Apple Media, @JCats2013 ; in re:  New York City report: the quiet city digs in for an unknown duration. Working from home. Shopping. Community. JB: Took a walk in the neighborhood today. People were cautious; I found a chocolate store with no one in it.  JAC: I’ve lived here for 70 years and never seen New York the way it is now. I’m shocked.  Stores closed; technically, only supermarkets and pharmacies may stay open.  JB: I feel that we’re fine, and there’s no reason to lay on an unnecessary burden. People are civil; many working at home; I find this  threatening.  JAC: Our supermarket staff are coming to work at Gristede’s and D’Agostino, all dedicated.  Cuomo had the courage to say no to DeBlasio. JB:  Cuomo has the perspective not of one city but of the whole region.  It’s not about the Fed; it’s about people finding hope, knowing that it’ll all be over in thirty, fifty days.  JB: We need an end date. JAC: Right. We need an end date.
Infection rate, lethality rate, numbers tested.  Baseyian tests.  
  
Hour Two
Tuesday 17 March 2020  / Hour 2, Block A:   Gregory Copley, Defense and Foreign Affairs, in re:  What advantages for Xi or Trump or Democrats in the virus crisis? Gregory Copley, Defense & Foreign Affairs.   . . . The PRC govt will pour $1 trillion of hard currency in their stimulus package; will dramatically increase the stimulus that’s been occurring since 2005. It’ll have to go to the bldg of infrastructure, will require raw materials worldwide. Will to some extent rebuild the economy. If Xi doesn’t hold a good position, he’s liable to lose power. Pres Trump has seen that since Xi came in to power in 2012, Xi knew he had to bolster China’s competitiveness with the US.  He plainly declared economic war on the US. Belligerence.
Then the Wuhan virus emerged, drove the PRC into no longer representing the great strategic threat to the dominance of the US.  This accrues benefits to the US in the long term, but is [inconvenient] during an election year and obviously unpleasant for the US, in general.
Tuesday 17 March 2020  / Hour 2, Block B:   Gregory Copley, Defense and Foreign Affairs, in re: How to prepare for the coming PRC turmoil?  The geostrategy of the virus: Continents in competition; the PRC after the virus: lessons learned. . . . Cynicism against Xi is at an all-time high.  Xi initially had no constituency so brought in the PLA—which has made him a [pawn] of the PLA.
Tuesday 17 March 2020  / Hour 2, Block C:  Joseph Humire, Joseph has a accountExecutive Director, Center for a Secure Free Society; and Senator Maria Fernanda Cabal in Colombia; in re: the Virus and the threat of the failed state of Venezuela
Tuesday 17 March 2020  / Hour 2, Block D:  Joseph Humire, Executive Director, Center for a Secure Free Society; and Senator Maria Fernanda Cabal in Colombia; in re:  The Virus shuts Colombia's borders.
 
Hour Three
Tuesday 17 March 2020  / Hour 3, Block A:  Jim McTague, author & former head of Barron’s Washington; and Brett Ahrends, Marketwatch, in re: The European and Asian markets react to NYSE and US Treasury bailouts. The markets and the Treasury proposals for bailouts, tax abatements, stimulus.
Tuesday 17 March 2020  / Hour 3, Block B:  Henry Miller, Pacific Research Institute; in re: Testing and false positives, and serology tests coming on line. 
Tuesday 17 March 2020  / Hour 3, Block C:  Bob Zimmerman, BehindtheBlack.com, in re: The virus and the manned space programs, the rocket factories, the launch schedules.  1 of 2
Tuesday 17 March 2020  / Hour 3, Block D:  Bob Zimmerman BehindtheBlack.com, in re: The virus and the manned space programs, the rocket factories, the launch schedules.  2 of 2
 
 
Hour Four
Tuesday 17 March 2020  / Hour 4, Block A:  Joseph Sternberg, WSJ London, in re: Generations and the virus; also, the UK and the virus.
Tuesday 17 March 2020  / Hour 4, Block B:  John Tamny, RealClearMarkets, in re: Republican bailouts and the virus.
Tuesday 17 March 2020  / Hour 4, Block C:  Patrick Tucker, @DefenseOne, Pentagon vaccines, in re: PRC disinformation campaign blaming the Pentagon for the virus
Tuesday 17 March 2020  / Hour 4, Block D:  Dexter Roberts, author, former Bloomberg Beijing chief, in re: Is the Chinese immigrant workforce back at work?