JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Colleagues: Gordon Chang, Daily Beast, and Thaddeus McCotter, @ThadMcCotter, American Greatness
 
Hour One
Wednesday 20 January  2021 / Hour 1, Block A:  Richard Epstein: @RichardAEpstein, Chicago Law, NYU Law, Hoover Defining Ideas, in re:    An impeachment trial requires an enormous amount of preparation. Mrs Pelosi decided to run this thing through before giving anyone a chance to prepare.  The dissidents need to have the same amount of time.  Parity and confidentiality issues.   The time of the speech didn't match the time of the violence; all sorts of problems to bring up.  In the end, this will create an enormous amount of friction Biden’s speech repeatedly invoked unity.  “Six hours in the Capitol? I’ll speak of sixty days of violence in Portland.” Pelosi did threaten Pence.  At the end of the ninth century, a pope wanted to dig up a previous pope, condemn him. (St Stephen then performed miracles after he was drowned.)  
Wednesday 20 January  2021 / Hour 1, Block B:  Richard Epstein: @RichardAEpstein, Chicago Law, NYU Law, Hoover Defining Ideas, in re:   The ambitions of the 46thpresident with 53 Executive Orders, most intended to overturn Trump policies.  No correspondence between Biden’s inaugural speech and the substance of what he’s doing with these order.  Unilateral Executive Orders on areas where there’s deep contention will send exactly the wrong message: crisis is the language pols use in order to arrogate greater power. Trump didn’t subsidize vaccine research; he said, “I’ll pay you for performance.”  . . . The Paris Accord: treaties need to be confirmed by the Senate.   . . . In Mr Trump’s Executive Orders: many had to be [approved] by the courts.  Immigration bans.  The Trump administration: its bark was worse than its bite; I fear the Biden administration will be the opposite. 
Wednesday 20 January  2021 / Hour 1, Block C:  Charles Burton: @cburton001, blogs at RealityChek; and senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, Centre for Advancing Canada's Interests Abroad; and Gordon Chang, @GordonGChang, Daily Beast, in re:  The two Michaels still imprisoned in China, picked up arbitrarily and jailed on false charges in order to force Canada to release Meng.   Trudeau Junior will mind his manners with China rather than offend it.  Hostage diplomacy—China’s violations of the norms, also of reciprocal d__—is seen in Australia, Japan.  China hopes to destroy the rules-based international order in order to have a world ruled by one nation, China, using the Belt and Road Initiative.  Canadians are appalled, esp when it came out that Canada had made special exemptions to the covid regulations when her family visited, and endangering her Liongate security team.  The Chinese govt sent an airliner to take her home when it thought she could be [grabbed back], a 777 plane that seats 300 people.  Life for Canada under Mr Biden will be more challenging than it was under Mr Trump, esp as Biden cancels the Keystone Pipeline. If the Conservatives come into power and avoid the blandishments of rich corporations that want close relations with China for profit . . .  Justin Trudeau is engaging a policy of appeasement of China. 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/meng-wanzhou-canada-bail/2021/01/15/3281d48c-56c0-11eb-a08b-f1381ef3d207_story.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/14/china-imprisoned-canadians-phone-families-christmas-michael-kovrig-michael-spavor
Wednesday 20 January  2021 / Hour 1, Block D:  Greg Scarlatoiu:      Executive Director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea; and Gordon Chang, @GordonGChang, Daily Beast, in re:   North Korea, ballistic missiles.  It's a post-Communist, post-industrial dynastic [tyranny].  Nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, at the expense of human rights and security of its own people, where people starve and freeze.  China supports DPRK and has for decades.  NK  SLBMs replicate China’s, showing a close military alliance.  China wants DPRK to be a threat.  
       Sanctions do work—unless they’re on paper, only; they work if they’re properly implemented.   NK has instituted draconian measures to protect the country from covid—kicked out foreigners and sealed borders; then claims that there’s no covid case in the county.  Seoul has tried appeasement, with no success. Will Mr Biden try engagement or appeasement? Maximum pressure may come first; I doubt we’ll see a resumption of summit engagement, which Trump tried—no one ever had before—and it didn’t especially work.
 
Hour Two
Wednesday 20 January  2021 / Hour 2, Block A:  John Catsimatidis,  @JCats2013, @CatsRoundtable, Red Apple Media & Cats Roundtable radio, in re:   The state of the Union, the state, and the city. We greet a new president. I believe the Senate, passing on to Sen Chuck Schumer, he’ll do what he has to do to see New York reopen. New York City provides 9% of the national economy. There’s not enough money in the world to restore New York if it doesn’t reopen. All the major thoroughfares empty.  The city says it’s running out of vaccine by the end of the week.  No appointments till after April 16.  NY Governor threatens to raise taxes exponentially on the well-to-do if the feds don't provide enough money.  Cuomo knows that raising taxes in a recovery is a disaster.  A lot of people are leaving.  I believe that in the next 90 days funds will arrive.  The schools are closed, children are suffering; they're home locked in with the mother. This will cost them a year of their lives.  The teachers’s union has a lot to say about this; if we vaccinate all teachers, the city will open up a lot faster.  
Wednesday 20 January  2021 / Hour 2, Block B: Salena Zito, @SalenaZito @DCExaminer @RealClearPolitics; New York Post, CNN; Middle of Somewhere column; in re:  Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, “an adorable town.” Its second shot will be completed by the end of January.  Using big box stores, pharmacies and high schools to distribute.  Successful execution of the plan.   The National Guard has helped.    The springs have helped create a tiny tourist town. Motor court for sale along the Lincoln Highway, US 30.  Turquoise or pink bathroom tile; linoleum floors.
Wednesday 20 January  2021 / Hour 2, Block C:  Robert Zimmerman, BehindtheBlack.com; in re:  . . . Sir Richard Branson has had a success. Virgin Galactic, Virgin Orbit. Air-launched rocket from a 747. Cube sats, now a competitor of RocketLab. Blue Origins, Bezos.  Successful suborbital launch; this week, CNBC anonymous report: first manned suborbital flight by April.  
Wednesday 20 January  2021 / Hour 2, Block D:  Robert Zimmerman, BehindtheBlack.com; in re:  Mars: seismograph, mole.  NASA. Chang-e 5’s robot probe, made a discovery. Two scientists arrested for hiding their ties with China; you may not get a grant from the US if you work for China. Espionage. No more such arrests to come in view of Biden’s close financial ties to China.  
 
Hour Three
Wednesday 20 January  2021 / Hour 3, Block A: Andrew C McCarthy, @AndrewCMcCarthy, Ball of Collusion; and Thaddeus McCotter, @ThadMcCotter, American Greatness, in re:  The remains of the 45thpresidency. Pardon power:  Pres Trump has pardoned people, esp Steve Bannon. Nothing irregular about this.  Pardons and commutations.  Bill Clinton gave a commutation to someone who participated in the bombing of the Capitol:  Susan Rosenberg.   Also pardoned some of the FALN terrorists.  A seamy side to the power. 
       Trump’s success with the judiciary: three Justices.  
Wednesday 20 January  2021 / Hour 3, Block B:  Andrew C McCarthy, @AndrewCMcCarthy, Ball of Collusion; and Thaddeus McCotter, @ThadMcCotter, American Greatness, in re: Climate/Paris Accords. Pipelines.  So contentious they’ll disrupt the 100-day honeymoon?  Trump instituted administrative procedures making it difficult for Biden to unwind them. How far we’ve strayed from our Constitutional system.  Congress by simple majority can undo any last-minute regulations.  Willful progressive judges refused to follow Trump’s regulations, necessitating taking the cases through courts, one into the Supreme Court.  Tedious and slow.  Progressives tried to implement left-wing policies Conservative judges hold a philosophy of the judicial role, will not reverse on ideological grounds. Biden didn’t denounce cancel culture or censorship. No evidence of anything but his intention to garner submission.  
Wednesday 20 January  2021 / Hour 3, Block C:   Nury Turkel, @nuryturkel, co-founder of the Uyghur Human Rights Project and a commissioner of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, and Gordon Chang, @GordonGChang, Daily Beast, in re:  PRC persecution of Uyghurs: a Reuters report—Anthony Blinken said he believed Trump was right in taking a tougher stand toward China, and agreed that China is committing genocide.
      The cruelty by the Chinese conquerors to Uyghurs. Nearly a half-million Uyghur children have been taken by the Chinese state and put in orphanages. Atrocities. Genocide.  Beijing is enraged — showing that the statement is having a good effect in the world. The [world community] has been silent; unconscionable—especially those in Europe who survived genocide and the Holocaust. The UN has miserably failed to fulfill its mandate to protect human rights.   Not a syllable from Guterres.   Particularly those in the UN human rights council should convene an emergency session. The UN seems to be compromised by China.   https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biden-state-china/u-s-secretary-of-state-nominee-blinken-sees-strong-foundation-for-bipartisan-china-policy-idUSKBN29O2GB
Wednesday 20 January  2021 / Hour 3, Block D:  Rick Fisher, senior Fellow, International Assessment & Strategy Center, and Gordon Chang: @GordonGChang, Daily Beast; in re:  Quickening of China’s intention to control [all] low-Earth orbit. The space economy: China is much aware of this, working to control the gateways to the space economy.  By 2039, it’ll launch [enormous] space stations.  China will acknowledge, and violate, the international regime.  Japan, France, Kenya, Peru: assembling a cheering section for China. China’s space station is technology stolen from Russia.  China is winning the race like tortoise: keeping a constant speed.   https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202101/1212843.shtml
 
Hour Four
Wednesday 20 January  2021 / Hour 4, Block A: 5/12  Their Last Full Measure: The Final Days of the Civil War, by Joseph Wheelan  
Wednesday 20 January  2021 / Hour 4, Block B: 6/12  Their Last Full Measure: The Final Days of the Civil War, by Joseph Wheelan  
Wednesday 20 January  2021 / Hour 4, Block C:  7/12 Their Last Full Measure: The Final Days of the Civil War, by Joseph Wheelan  
Wednesday 20 January  2021 / Hour 4, Block D:  8/12  Their Last Full Measure: The Final Days of the Civil War, by Joseph Wheelan  
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