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JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Co-host: Thaddeus McCotter, WJR, The Great Voice of the Great Lakes
 
Hour One
Monday 3 October 2016 / Hour 1, Block A: Tom Joscelyn, Long War Journal senior editor & FDD,  and Bill Roggio, Long War Journal senior editor  & FDD, in re: Kunduz.  Islamic Jihad of Uzbekistan provides back-up muscle.  Al Qaeda is deeply enmeshed in Taliban; hunting al Qaeda in seven different Afghan provinces.  US mil view: “Taliban aren.t really threatening to take over provincial capitals; media re exaggerating” – this is embarrassingly inaccurate.  Lifeblood of insurgencies is rural.  US commanders should know this.  As they speak otherwise, they're, unh, not speaking the truth. In Kandahar, things are bad.  They get recruits, poppy/opium income, taxes.  US days of influencing Afghanistan have come and gone.  The US has lost Afghanistan.
Syria: US has broken off negotiations with Russia; a profound darkness descends into Black Sea Basin and widely.
US supports al Qaeda in Syria while it bombs al Qaeda in Syria.
Taliban overruns another district in Helmand Taliban forces killed Nawa's police chief while seizing the district center. The Taliban now controls six of Helmand's 14 districts and heavily contest another seven.
AFRICOM masks military operations in Somalia as ‘self defense strikes’  The US military continues to classify combat operations against Shabaab, al Qaeda's branch in Somalia, as "self-defense strikes," even though many of the incidents reported, such as the targeting of training camps and raids in Shabaab-held territory, are clearly offensive in nature.
IRGC Special Forces officer’s death highlights involvement in Syria  The death of a senior IRGC special forces officer indicates the pivotal role of the IRGC-GF in training militias, planning operations, and leading forces in combat. The IRGC-GF augments the Qods Force, the IRGC's extraterritorial operations branch.
An Iranian media outlet citing unnamed sources has claimed that security forces have killed the designated emir of the Islamic State in Iran. The narrative matches some of the accounts of an operation confirmed by authorities last month. Iranian officials and major news outlets, however, have not commented on the latest claims.
UNAMA ‘condemns killing of at least 15 civilians’ in Coalition airstrike  The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, issued a strongly-worded statement that “condemns” a US airstrike on Sept. 28 which targeted Islamic State fighters in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar. United States Forces – Afghanistan is investigating reports that an airstrike in the Taliban controlled district of Achin...
US-led coalition targets Islamic State’s leadership in Mosul ahead of ground offensive  The US-led coalition has killed 13 Islamic State leaders in and around Mosul, Iraq in the past month. Three of them were Chechens, highlighting the important role that foreign fighters play in the group's chain of command. According to Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Colonel John Dorrian, another fallen jihadist was responsible for manufacturing chemical weapons to be used in the defense of Mosul.
Monday 3 October 2016 / Hour 1, Block B: Tom Joscelyn, Long War Journal senior editor & FDD,  and Bill Roggio, Long War Journal senior editor  & FDD, in re: Somalia, Horn of Africa, a longstanding regional deterioration; al Shebaab, ISIS; others. AFRICOM: got caught up in saying it's making “self-defense strikes” in Eastern Africa. Al Shebaab: maybe 100 of them are loyal to IS; all the others are al Qaeda. AFRICAOM claims they do “self-defense fires” – are accompanying Somali security forces to raid enemy training camps; when they come under fire,  the shoot back with missiles and drones, call these self-defense. Orwellian.   “Self-defense probings”: A White House falsehood.  Shebaab from 2006 to 2007 controlled much of southern Somalia, then lost, then regained, are now pressing forward. 
Mosul: US launches air strikes to clear out key IS forces in advance of the impending offensive. US claims chem weapons there; track this to see if it turns out to be accurate. 
Monday 3 October 2016 / Hour 1, Block C:  Gordon G. Chang, Daily Beast & Forbes.com, in re: China sends out militarily armed “fishing fleets” to kick real fishermen out of their own sovereign waters.  Chinese govt provides GPS units and gasoline subsidies so they can sail far; organized by Beijing, South Korean fishermen are in South Korean waters;  they emphatically did not intend to kill Chinese extreme interlopers on Thursday but are now fed up, as are Indonesians.  
South Korea deployed an advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system, which enraged Beijing, who now retaliate. South Koreans recently were close to China, but China has succeeded in alienating them.  Lousy diplomacy.
In India:  the 2008 terrorists were given Chinese munitions, as China works intimately with ISI.   China holds that Pakistan owns all of Kashmir, not smart. Several days ago, India and Pakistan were threatening to nuke each other.  Pakistan’s goal: More Chinese investment $46 bil from China for the new road, Karakoram to the southern port of Gwadar in Balochistan. Modi has made clear that he’s had enough of Chinese antics. Modi visits Vietnam, fed fish with head of state, lent money to Vietnam to buy good weapons from India. Probably will supply a cruise missile to Vietnam, which ill change the balance of power in the South China Sea. 
Long-term relations, US-Pakistan? Will erode; above all because of Beijing support of Pakistani insurgents. 
Exchange of fire continues on Pakistan-India border   Pakistani and Indian troops exchanged fresh fire across the de facto Kashmir border, Pakistan's military said, following an overnight attack on . . .
India, Pakistan Troops Exchange Fire at Border in Kashmir  ; Pakistan and India exchange fresh fire as tensions rise
SRINAGAR, India –  Indian and Pakistani troops are firing at each other along the border in divided Kashmir, as Indian troops are searching the site of a gun battle where an Indian paramilitary soldier was killed.  An Indian army spokesman said Pakistani troops fired with provocation, using small arms and mortar shells in the Poonch sector of the Line of Control separating the Indian- and Pakistan-controlled parts of Kashmir.
A Pakistani army statement said its troops were responding to unprovoked firing by Indian soldiers on Monday. Both sides said the exchange of fire was continuing.  Indian police said they were searching an Indian army camp that was attacked late Sunday by militants who fired grenades and guns and killed a soldier.
Monday 3 October 2016 / Hour 1, Block D: Harry Siegel, New York Daily News and the Daily Beast, in re:  . . . from the minute Chris Christie got in office he’s used 9/11 as political leverage; squandering it by standing next to Donald Trump. Does American know that New Yorkers disregard Christie, Giuliani and Trump? That we laugh at them?  I think not – New Yorkers know their records. Trump stopped being a businessman and played one on TV. . . .  Does America regard New York as a freak show?  I think so  . . .  Distressing. Washed-up characters embodying New York in this election cycle.  . . .   I think Trump, Ailes, et al., don't go away even if they lose.  Much of the country sees Clinton as illegitimate.  Christie stole money from different New Jersey entities [in order to look as though he was saving money]; the chickens come home to roost now
Trains flying into stations and "leaders" cackling at Ground Zero about  first responders trapped in politically-contrived catastrophes offer a sneak peek at President Trump's America.
CRUEL FATE were the words on the cover of Friday’s Daily News. It makes no difference to 36-year-old Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, killed when a NJ Transit commuter train raced through the end of the line and smashed into the Hoboken Terminal, but her fate was cast by men, not gods. Sunday Daily News column: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/harry-siegel-chris-rudy-dastardly-donald-article-1.2813501
 
Hour Two
Monday 3 October 2016 / Hour 2, Block A:   David M Drucker, Washington Examiner Senior Congressional correspondent; John Fund, NRO, in re:  Tammany Hall runs New York City; once upon a time Trump was Tammany; Hillary Clinton is Tammany, as are NYS AG Eric Schneiderman, and its governor, Andrew Cuomo.  NY AG has just sent a cease and desist notice to the Trump Foundation, forbidding it to collect funds.  Trump has crossed Tammany Hall, which bites back.  Here comes Schneiderman, who wants to be governor.
Mrs Clinton again proves that the best defense is a good offense. She knows that attacks are coming up against the Clinton Fdn.     
Plunkett of Tammany Hall: “I sees my chances and I takes them.”
Last debate meltdown was above all Mr Trump’s defense of the indefensible. Expect Assange to preview but not revealed, and bimbo eruptions – they’ll be flying into Washington, D.C.; and maybe more tax returns showing up anonymously.  Leaks are damaging; but Trump could have headed all this off or at least diminished the problems by releasing returns months ago and the damage would have been controlled. A leak always looks as though someone has something to hide.  Three docs; Connecticut, NYS, New Jersey; no federal doc.   Investigations of who leaked ?– don't hold your breath.  NY Times reporter: “No comment.”
“…The story of Trump’s income tax-free life begins in 1990 with Trump’s well-documented mismanagement of his casinos and his admission that he paid far too much for “trophy properties” like the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan and 23 worn-out jetliners for the short-lived Trump Shuttle airline.
These mistakes created about $1 billion of “net operating losses,” or NOLs, under Section 1231 of the tax code.
NOLs are incredibly valuable. These tax losses can be used to offset salaries, business profits, and income from, say, a television show or making neckties in China. Thanks to his $916 million of NOLs, Trump could earn much over 18 years in salaries, profits, and interest, but pay no income taxes.
Net operating losses should reflect economic damage suffered by the owner of the NOLs. But Trump found a way to gain from these losses by spreading the costs around to bankers and investors.
NOLs can be used right away or be applied to reduce taxes from two previous years and up to 15 future years. In contrast, Congress requires that real estate be depreciated for tax purposes over 39 years. The faster a tax break becomes available, the greater its value. Trump’s advisers found a way to convert real-estate depreciation into NOLs that were much more flexible and could be used faster.
Trump claimed to be worth billions in 1990, just as he does now, yet he could not pay his bills. He stiffed hundreds of small-business suppliers, including those for the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, which will go out of business next week. In all he owed more $3 billion, nearly a third of his debt secured by nothing more substantial than his signature on bank loan papers….”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/03/art-of-the-steal-this-i...
Monday 3 October 2016 / Hour 2, Block B: David M Drucker, Washington Examiner Senior Congressional correspondent; John Fund, NRO, in re:  Catastrophe of the Syrian civil war; Russian s soon to enter the “sanctuary” of Idlib as US breaks off relations. Qatar ahs been supplied v good eqpt to Free Syrian Army – from NATO?  Fog f war; we don't know what happens next The Foe knows were distracted by election cycles.  Obama insists that Assad must go as he fights the Kremlin, gets the vote out and maintains a mask of success for Mrs Clinton?
He’s good at turning out the vote His Syria/Middle East policy s not good; his handling is in part responsible for what we’re dealing with – recall the “red line”; Russia is playing a long game, conveys that it stays and keeps its word whereas the US does not.  Trump has no interest in maintaining power in the Middle East nor in challenging Putin. If Trump wins, Russia gets off scot-free.
Russians think they have clear running room to do what they want until the election, maybe till inauguration.  Will humiliate Obama, an if that hurts Clinton, better for them. None of this will much influence domestic voting.  . . . I think there’ll  be at least ne more terrorist attack before the election, giving the impression that  things are out of control and that Mr Obama [has done a poor job].  . . . Mike Pence understands international relations; will he be allowed to speak of it?
Syria scares people.
Monday 3 October 2016 / Hour 2, Block C: Theodore G. Shepherd,  Grantham Professor of Climate Science at the University of Reading (UK),   in re:  Effects of a warming Arctic ; in  Science  02 Sep 2016: Vol. 353, Issue 6303, pp. 989-990 ; DOI:  10.1126/science.aag2349  http://science.sciencemag.org/content/353/6303/989 (1 of 2)
Monday 3 October 2016 / Hour 2, Block D:  Theodore G. Shepherd,  Grantham Professor of Climate Science at the University of Reading (UK),   in re:  Effects of a warming Arctic ; in  Science  02 Sep 2016: Vol. 353, Issue 6303, pp. 989-990 ; DOI:  10.1126/science.aag2349  http://science.sciencemag.org/content/353/6303/989 (2 of 2)
 
Hour Three
Monday 3 October 2016 / Hour 3, Block A:   Mary Anastasia O’Grady, WSJ editorial board; in re:  "No" voters, who narrowly won Sunday's plebiscite, want assurances the rebels will hand in cash from drugs, spend time in jail, and earn their political future at the ballot box rather than get guaranteed, unelected seats in Congress.
Both President Juan Manuel Santos and Rodrigo Londono, the top FARC commander better known by his nom de guerre Timochenko, put a brave face on the referendum setback after four years of negotiations in Havana between their teams.
They vowed to maintain a ceasefire and keep working together, even though that could be another lengthy and complicated process. "I will keep seeking peace until the last minute of my term," said Santos, who leaves office in mid-2018.
In a statement, the FARC said it would "remain faithful" to the accord signed last week with the government and called on Colombians to mobilize peacefully to support terms of the existing agreement.
Members of the opposition, headed by the powerful former president Alvaro Uribe, will meet with the government to try to salvage the accord, Santos said on Monday in a televised address.
"With the will for peace from all sides, I am sure we can reach satisfactory solutions for everyone soon," said Santos, whose political image has taken a beating with the result. "The country will come out winning and the process will be strengthened."   http://www.reuters.com/article/us-colombia-peace-idUSKCN1230BH
Monday 3 October 2016 / Hour 3, Block B: Jed Babbin,  The American Spectator,  in re: It will serve to perpetuate Obama's fantasy that there’s no connection between Islamist ideology and terrorism.  Obama’s Blinkered Generals  
Monday 3 October 2016 / Hour 3, Block C:   Nils B. Weidmann, Universität Konstanz (Germany); in re:    Digital discrimination: Political bias in Internet service provision across ethnic groups.   Authors: Nils B. Weidmann1, Suso Benitez-Baleato, Philipp Hunziker, Eduard Glatz4, Xenofontas Dimitropoulos.  Science  09 Sep 2016: Vol. 353, Issue 6304, pp. 1151-115  http://science.sciencemag.org/content/353/6304/1151  (1 of 2)
Monday 3 October 2016 / Hour 3, Block D:  :   Nils B. Weidmann, Universität Konstanz (Germany); in re:    Digital discrimination: Political bias in Internet service provision across ethnic groups  (2 of 2)
 
Hour Four
Monday 3 October 2016 / Hour 4, Block A:  Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams, by Louisa Thomas  (1 of 4)
Monday 3 October 2016 / Hour 4, Block B:  Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams, by Louisa Thomas  (2 of 4)
Monday 3 October 2016 / Hour 4, Block C:  Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams, by Louisa Thomas  (3 of 4)
Monday 3 October 2016 / Hour 4, Block D:  Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams, by Louisa Thomas  (4 of 4)
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