Thursday 13 July 2017
Photo:
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Co-hosts: Mary Kissel, Wall Street Journal, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents
Hour One
Thursday 13 July 2017 / Hour 1, Block A: John Fund, NRO, in re: Fusion GPS refuses to answer questions on the Steele dossier before a UK court, but Glenn Simpson may have to speak before a Congressional committee. Although, “don't hold your breath.” Who hired Fusion GPS to construct a false story about the current president, the salacious scandal in Moscow. Originally, a Republican donor coughed up the money; then, when Trump was the nominee, a Democratic funder continued payments. McCain sent an aide overseas to pick up a copy of this dossier, and [at some point Clinton’s crew obtained and leaked it]. Baker Hostetler, with Prebizon, connected directly to Russia; and Bill Browder is the Magnitsky Case. Natalia Vesilnitskaya hired Fusion GPS. The Russians are excellent at this form of chaos, and this is the hundredth anniversary of the origin of USSR disinformation.
Susan Rice has been able to dodge every question with monosyllabic answers. Glenn Simpson is an extremely able digger of facts; n recent year, his, leanings and those of his wife, Ms Jacoby, have _______.
Thursday 13 July 2017 / Hour 1, Block B: Ed Hayes, criminal defense attorney and consigliere, in re: Why did Black Lives Matter not bother to attend the funeral of NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia, now detective posthumously? It was clear that that the police were all shaken by that terrifying assassination. Note that the number of people shot by police has diminished enormously over the last thirty years. “Where are the demonstrations for a single mom who cared for her elderly mother and her three children?” BLM keep saying, “We need a diverse police dept.” – yet Ofc Familia was Black and Latina and female. It's clear that the NYPD is strikingly more competent than is the Chicago PD.
Heather MacDonald of the Manhattan Institute goes to neighborhoods and interviews people to get a correct picture.
Thursday 13 July 2017 / Hour 1, Block C: Victor Davis Hanson, Hoover, and LA Times, in re: Jobs on the farm. Physical labor as meritorious. To reify or render something concrete there needs to be physical action. As we get farther from the industrial revolution, less and less physical. Formerly, the stronger the body the more beautiful. The sculpted creatures in gyms can't endure the heat and effort of real, physical labor.
Also, Trump’s Warsaw speech: he saw laxity, maybe decadence, as the crisis of the West. . . . In Europe, people subsidized by the state – no utility; no elemental, “We have to work hard to live one more day.” . . JB: Why is it controversial that we have values? VDH: Only when people have the laxity to say that. Currently, we have so much leisure and riches that we can afford to say that [we don't judge others]; were there a war, that’d drop away in a heartbeat. This is an idle game. Shrinking human aspirations into a form of materialism. Corrections: depressions and war. Civilization is a very thin veneer. Capitalism defines . . . someone has a Rolls or Jag . . . Why is it after I finish a column that it feels so good to go garden? One, you’ve been sitting all scrunched up. But more important you have complexity in your head, whereas in gardening you dig a hole, alter your environment.
Thursday 13 July 2017 / Hour 1, Block D: Thaddeus McCotter, WJR, the Great Voice of the Great Lakes, in re:
Hour Two
THE EL AL REPORT with Malcolm Hoenlein. THE NATIONAL AIRLINE OF ISRAEL
Thursday 13 July 2017 / Hour 2, Block A: Steven Cook, Council on Foreign Relations , in re: Turkey, Egypt. A year later, after the intended coup, we’re still blaming Gulen, Why does the prosecution continue toward the 200,000 people said to have participated in the coup? A reign of terror. Berberolglu, son of Berber, is prosecuted for “passing weapons to extremists in Syria.” In fact, the Turkish govt was working with Syrian extremist, esp Jabaat al Nusrah.
Immed after the coup, Erdogan announced a story of events which, shockingly, was accepted by almost the whole populace. Now, finally, the March for Justice: a 250-mi walk from Ankara to Istanbul, eventually joined by a million people. The march leader was a pol who began by supporting Erdogan’s deeds.
Al Sisi: about three dozen websites were shuttered; tens of thousands stay n jail. Sisi has undertakan some important reforms, but the removal of fuel subsidies, floating of Egyptian pound, et al., all have led to much unhappiness. Insurgency in ____Peninsula. Hamas has pointedly distance itself from the Muslim Brotherhood; it's about ensuring that the Gaza Strip can no longer be a threat to Egypt. There’s even talk of bringing back Mohammed Dahlan to run Gaza. Not much of a plan in Egypt. A difficult grind every time they think they have the upper hand, another spectacular attack. The economy: will just have to take unpopular measures.
Steven A. Cook is Eni Enrico Mattei senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He is an expert on Arab and Turkish politics as well as U.S.-Middle East policy. Cook is the author of False Dawn: Protest, Democracy, and Violence in the New Middle East; The Struggle for Egypt: From Nasser to Tahrir Square, which won the Washington Institute for Near East Policy's gold medal in 2012; and Ruling but Not Governing: The Military and Political Development in Egypt, Algeria, and Turkey.
· http://www.salon.com/2017/07/02/egypts-leader-faces-a-crisis-of-his-own-making-one-that-reveals-his-nations-dangerous-weakness/
· https://warontherocks.com/2017/07/the-massive-protest-putting-turkeys-erdogan-on-the-defensive/
· https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/06/turkey-erdogan-akp/531468/
· http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/a-killer-goes-free-in-cairo
· http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/dr-aykan-erdemir-millions-demand-justice-in-turkey/
· http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/eric-s-edelman-why-trump-should-not-swap-prisoners-with-erdogan/
· http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/one-year-on-from-the-failed-coup-recep-tayyip-erdogan-is-more-autocratic-th
THE EL AL REPORT with Malcolm Hoenlein. THE NATIONAL AIRLINE OF ISRAEL
Thursday 13 July 2017 / Hour 2, Block B: Blaise Misztal, BPC (Bi-Partisan Council), in re: Turkey. The coup attempt has let Turkey pivot away from its traditional alliances. Re-friended Moscow, turned against ISIS, less hostility to Syria(?). How much responsibility does the US have in face of the thousands of mosques being built around Europe and Central Asia? Truman Doctrine asked Congress for mil and financial support to Turkey vs the communist theat. Erdofan is turning Turkey into an Islamist theocracy; if it continues, it’ll look like Syria. Officials: GDP has grown by 6.5%, which would be spectacular — but they switched their definition of GDP. Turkey in Qatar: Turkish troops there in Erdogan’s continuing effort to be relevant in the region.
Incirlik: Germans looking for a new base [have already started to move troops to Jordan]. How to keep Turkey within the fold of NATO yet discipline it for its misbehavior? The Turkish economy will come crashing down sooner or later.
Blaise Misztal is the director of BPC’s national security program. He previously served as the project’s associate director and senior policy analyst. At BPC, Misztal has researched a variety national security issues, including Iran and its nuclear program, Turkey, cybersecurity, stabilizing fragile states, and public diplomacy in the 21st century. He has testified before Congress and published op-eds in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, The New Republic, and Roll Call. In addition, Misztal wrote and directed the 2009 “Cyber ShockWave” simulation that aired on CNN.
· http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-security-gulen-usa-idUSKBN19W2VQ
· http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-security-detentions-idUSKBN19X0XP
· https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/09/turks-stage-largest-show-of-opposition-for-years-in-istanbul
· https://www.aei.org/publication/turkeys-coming-chaos/
THE EL AL REPORT with Malcolm Hoenlein. THE NATIONAL AIRLINE OF ISRAEL
Thursday 13 July 2017 / Hour 2, Block C: Benjamin Weinthal , FDD, in re: Iran in German. Intell agencies of three German states have concluded that despite the 2015 JCPOA, Iran is still shopping for nuclear and chem weapons technology; also missile tech for its rocket program. Report speaks of Iranian agents looking for heavy water, plutonium, intell know-how for advanced systems. The reports are extensive. The German federal govt has elected not to include that information in its report. Will the Trump Adm take these into consideration in deciding if Iran is in compliance?
A Pakistani Iranian agent kept under surveillance Jews and Jews institutions with an intent to kill people. The German press has reported, but not the US. Germany knows Iran is cheating but don’t want to pick a fight, being one of Iran’s most important trade partners. The German foreign ministry recoils from taking actions against Iran. Mayor of Berlin said nothing about a Hezbollah march, apparently out of fear of Hezbollah (of whom there are 950 supporters listed). Chancellor Merkel said last year that Iran was pursuing missiles outside of he deal. Will Secy Tillerson impose new sanctions on Iran?
Iranian and Chinese surveillance in Germany, esp cyberwarfare.
Benjamin Weinthal is a research Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. A widely published journalist based in Berlin, he serves as FDD's eyes and ears in Europe. Benjamin’s investigative reporting has uncovered valuable information on Iran’s energy links to European firms, as well as Hamas and Hezbollah’s terror-finance o perations in Europe. He has also examined the growth of the Islamic State in Europe, growing anti-Semitism on the Continent, and neo-Nazism.
· http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/emanuele-ottolenghi-german-intelligence-iran-still-seeking-illicit-nuclear-technology/
· http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/benjamin-weinthal-iran-seeking-nuclear-weapons-technology-german-intel-says/
· http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/benjamin-weinthal-iran-still-on-the-hunt-for-nuclear-weapons-technology-across-germany1/
· http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/German-intel-says-Iran-seeks-nuclear-weapons-technology-499113
THE EL AL REPORT with Malcolm Hoenlein. THE NATIONAL AIRLINE OF ISRAEL
Thursday 13 July 2017 / Hour 2, Block D: Joseph Humire, SFS (ex-Atlas Economic Research Foundation) and USMC; in re: Venezuela in somewhat-controlled chaos. Populace starving; govt does all it can to provoke public unrest, catalyze chaos, in order to hold on to power. Has a massive debt to pay in the fall. Similar to Syria. In 2011, internal factor was drought; external was Arab spring. Manipulated by Assad and Russia. In Venezuela, a famine. Iran has the regional network to push Venezuelans out and take over significant power as it moves toward the US. Over 500 high mil officers have been jailed or detained. Chinese money, ______. _______.
Late in 2016 for months, a mil exercise: multinational with 500K civilian militias, and Cuban and Russian advisors. Ended with a NATO intervention – Colombia has applied to join NATO.
We need to focus on the very real refugee crisis 500K –and once the civil war starts, it'll be another million. Also, may have to evacuate the US embassy.
This is the anniversary of the AMIA bombing in Argentina; the case has moved up to a federal court.
While serving as the Director of Institute Relations at the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, Joseph Humire began developing the SFS network by running programs around the world focused on promoting security and defense issues to the classical liberal co/mmunity. In 2012, SFS spun off from Atlas into its new home at the International Freedom Educational Center, where Mr. Humire currently serves as the Executive Director. As a global security expert specializing in asymmetric warfare, Mr. Humire has produced leading research and investigations on Islamic extremism and Iran’s influence in the Western Hemisphere, as well as other topics. His work is frequently sought after by various entities within the U.S. Department of Defense and intelligence community, as well as prominent think tanks and universities throughout the Americas. Moreover, Mr. Humire is an eight-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps, having served combat tours in Iraq and Liberia as well as having taken part in the multinational training exercise in Latin America and the Caribbean: UNITAS 45-04.
· http://www.securefreesociety.org/publications/humire-as-venezuela-inches-toward-syria-style-war-u-s-weapons-are-not-the-answer/
Hour Three
THE EL AL REPORT with Malcolm Hoenlein. THE NATIONAL AIRLINE OF ISRAEL
Thursday 13 July 2017 / Hour 3, Block A: Grant Rumley, FDD, and author,
The Last Palestinian: The Rise and Reign of Mahmoud Abbas; in re: Peace process, the Palestinian perspective. Abu Mazen in a tight bind where the US Congress and the president demand he quit funding terrorists and their families, but if he does so he’ll be wildly unpopular. Mohammed Dahlan, who has money and connections with Sisi, is trying to bring electricity into Gaza. Dahlan wants to be a hero, and Hamas wants electricity to avoid an uprising, but over time their antipathy is extreme. Abbas doesn’t only represent terrorists; he short-circuits major economic plans that would bring vast growth and wealth to Palestinians. That prospect is fearful for the Fatah/PA leadership as Israel improves its relations with the broader Arab world.
Grant Rumley is a research Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where he focuses on Palestinian politics. Grant has published in leading media outlets including Foreign Affairs and Foreign Policy, and contributed commentary to The New York Times, Reuters, and Newsweek. He is the author of the 2015 FDD report "The Race to Replace Mahmoud Abbas: Understanding and Shaping Palestinian Succession." Prior to joining FDD, Grant was a visiting fellow at Mitvim, The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies, where he authored, “Back to Basics: The Evolution of the Palestinian UN Campaign.” While in Jerusalem, Grant also founded and edited The Jerusalem Review of Near East Affairs. Previously, Grant served as a consultant in Washington on issues related to counter-terrorism, the Middle East, and war-gaming strategies.
· http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/UN-envoy-advice-to-Greenblatt-and-Co-Go-slow-and-aim-low-499500
· http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.801174
· http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/grant-rumley-experts-abbass-role-in-israeli-palestinian-peace-solution-waning/
· http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-palestinians-reach-landmark-water-deal-for-west-bank-gaza-strip/
· http://www.timesofisrael.com/bennett-holds-successful-meeting-with-trump-envoys/
· http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/fikraforum/view/the-palestinian-publics-tough-choices-on-violence-instability-hamas-jewish
THE EL AL REPORT with Malcolm Hoenlein. THE NATIONAL AIRLINE OF ISRAEL
Thursday 13 July 2017 / Hour 3, Block B: Malcolm Hoenlein, in r: just returned from Israel – on El Al, of course – where inter al. he met with the just-elected head of the Israeli Labor Party. Iran: The “resistance highway” from Iran though Mosul to the Mediterranean; Iran depends on that to ship weapons to Hezbollah. Raqqa: the YPG are in the old city. Ceasefire in southern Syria along Jordanian border.
Thursday 13 July 2017 / Hour 3, Block C: Sebastian v Gorka, member of the national security advisory staff and deputy assistant to Pres Donald Trump; in re: Pres Trump’s policies on US fighting terrorism domestically and internationally. Border security, immigration. (1 of 2)
Thursday 13 July 2017 / Hour 3, Block D: Sebastian v Gorka, member of the national security advisory staff and deputy assistant to Pres Donald Trump; in re: Pres Trump’s policies on US fighting terrorism domestically and internationally. Border security, immigration. (2 of 2)
Hour Four
Thursday 13 July 2017 / Hour 4, Block A: H. W. Brands, Reagan: The Life
Thursday 13 July 2017 / Hour 4, Block B: H. W. Brands, Reagan: The Life
Thursday 13 July 2017 / Hour 4, Block C: John A. Farrell, Richard Nixon: The Life
Thursday 13 July 2017 / Hour 4, Block D: John A. Farrell, Richard Nixon: The Life
,