Graphic, left: Hundredth anniversary of the Armenian genocide.
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Cohosts; Mary Kissel, Wall Street Journal editorial board & host of OpinionJournal.com,  and Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents
Hour One
Thursday  7 May 2015 / Hour 1, Block A: Mary Kissel, Wall Street Journal editorial board & host of OpinionJournal.com; in re: Z Street, a conservative organization, asked for 501(c)3 status and, like many others, was stalled. Eventually, Z Street sued, was countered by the govt with a visibly bogus response; the court described itself a “shocked.”  . . .  ExImBank; designed to encourage exports to the then-USSR. GOP divided in twain: some pro, some anti-cronyism.  . .   Joe Sternberg’s thesis is that Cameron never made a satisfactory case for growth – accomplished a lot, but  refuses to explain or take ownership (as they say) of his deeds and success.  538 website: exit polls in UK thought to be 316 or greater.
Thursday  7 May 2015 / Hour 1, Block B:  Edward W Hayes, criminal defense attorney par excellence, in re: “Baltimore police investigation into death of Freddie Gray does not support some of the charges.”  Three of the cops they indicted were Black, of whom one was a woman.  Would have been better to investigate before bringing charges. Instagram and Twitter with photos of two cops, one white, one black, each with “This life matters” written on open palm, each pointing gravely to the other. Death of Ofcr Brian Moore in New York.  Assassinations of cops several months ago.  Rather than cease Stop, question and frisk, more important for cops to be trained to be less aggressive. Bill Bratton points to a crisis on issues of race and effectiveness of police tactics: cities out of control with looting, fires.  New York cops saw a man who appeared to have a gun; pulled car  up next to him – and he drew his gun and shot two cops. Had he been frisked, he wouldn’t have shot because he’d have ben afraid of  . . .
Thursday  7 May 2015 / Hour 1, Block C: Gene Countryman, radio host, entrepreneur, consummate Kansan, in re: The Trouble with Kansas . . .  How will Kansans vote in the GOP primaries?  Mr Santorum spoke well last time, albeit a bit long; Mike Huckabee is well known; Ted Cruz came to Kansas back in October and is a hero to some locals.  If I had to pick one, might be Mike Huckabee, based on name-recognition.  He seems honest and sincere, a good ol’ boy, Rick Santorum may be a bit too polished.  Cruz has the training and capacity to sit on the Supreme Court.  Coming into town from the airport today in an Uber car, driver was an Arab poly sci major who knew all about Sam Brownback, the deficit, and the state of Kansas.  Impressive!  GOP last time: You can’t sell from an empty wagon.   . . .  Forty seats in the Kansas Senate, 32 are Dem; only a few counties are Democratic.  Kansas suffered a serious drought, damaging to local economy. 
        VA Still Working to Restore Staffing Levels at Kansas Facility  VA Secretary Robert McDonald says he's working to restore Topeka's Colmery-O'Neil VA Medical Center's physician staffing to a level that will . . .  http://www.app.com/story/opinion/columnists/2015/05/02/rampell-kansas-education-mess-instructive-gop-politics/26765703/  At least eight Kansas school districts recently announced that they’re starting summer break early this year, and not because kids have already learned so much that they deserve a few extra days off. It’s because these schools ran out of money, thanks to state leaders’ decision to ax education spending midyear to plug an ever-widening hole in their budget.
Thursday  7 May 2015 / Hour 1, Block D:  Lara M Brown, George Washington University, in re: The Clinton mystery: what to make of Mrs Clinton's polling numbers(CBS), including 48% of the American people regard her as honest and trustworthy?   In 2016, Americans Will Want Change, but Don't Expect Them to Fall for Hope   . . . previous posts on HRC. That "trustworthy" number is about the Democrats, not the GOP or the Independents. Second blog suggests they'll stick with her until the cows come home. ;  http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/lara-brown/2015/04/13/hillary-clintons-2016-announcement-video-shows-shes-her-own-worst-enemy  ;  http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/lara-brown/2015/03/20/democrats-will-stick-with-hillary-clinton-in-2016-for-the-sake-of-unity  ;  http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/lara-brown/2014/12/04/the-reasons-why-hillary-clinton-shouldnt-run-in-2016  ;  http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/lara-brown/2014/04/24/watch-out-hillary-clinton-americans-still-love-outsiders
Hour Two
Thursday  7 May 2015 / Hour 2, Block A:  Chemi Shalev, Ha’aretz, in re:  the new Israeli government.  Need 61 seats in the Knesset for a decisive majority; PM now has that.  Here, a relatively weak govt: each member of he 61 is a king, has the power to bring the govt down if he wishes.  PM is subject to their whims, and  has his hands full keeping them in line.  In the near future, Liberman will not go in; serous rupture between him and the PM.    Likud and Labor together would constitute a strong govt; maybe somewhere down the line.   . . .  Liberman is a master strategist and this is an act of revenge.  When it looked as though he might become PM, suddenly the police launched a huge investigation into his party, which upset Liberman.
Thursday  7 May 2015 / Hour 2, Block B: David Albright,  physicist; also founder of Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) in Washington, D.C.; in re:  Iran. Has 10,000 kg of 3.5% LEU which it agrees to reduce to 300 kg (needs to be much reduced). Also, has 200 kg of close-to-weaponized, 20%, which is of much more concern. Iran needs to reduce this stockpile and might not do so.  Not a covert stock.   With reduction of both, the breakout time [i.e., the time from standstill to having a functional bomb] might b as long as 12 months. Iran refuses to let it go to Russia; neither will agree to sell on intl mkt or mix it with [buffer] to reduce it to natural strength. US must be pressured more to hold firm on what’s agreed. It's the US that’s seen as wobbly.
Thursday  7 May 2015 / Hour 2, Block C:  Mohsen Sazegara (Persian: محسن سازگارا‎), Iranian journalist & pro-democracy political activist. Held high-ranking positions in the government of Mir-Hossein Mousavi (incl deputy PM, minister of industry, deputy chairman of the budget and planning department, et al.) became disillusioned 1989. Applied to become a candidate for president of Iran in the 2001 election but was declined; in re:  Iran.  Let’s imagine that on 30 June Mr Kerry pulls rabbits from hats and the $50 billion is delivered to the Supreme Leader. Will normal citizens see any benefit?  Ha – no; it’ll mostly go to Syria. Iran just ploughed another $1 billion into Syria several days ago.  Everybody knows that the Supreme Leader is ill,
   IRGC is happy for any victory for the Rouhani faction; US has to be careful lest its co-negotiator for “peace,” Iran, attack the US Navy in the Persian Gulf or Bab alMandaab.  Khamenei is furious at new Saudi king, knows hta Iran will lose its investments in Yemen and the Houthis.
Thursday  7 May 2015 / Hour 2, Block D:  Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: Iran, uranium. Argentina: a genuinely fearful Jewish community. [Dear reader: this is an extremely rich segment; we do not have adequate notes; please listen to the podcast if you have time.]
Hour Three
Thursday  7 May 2015 / Hour 3, Block A:  Eugene Kontorovich, in re:  Security Council resolution. Iran’s legal remedies in the water. Maersk Tigris, stolen in piracy by Iran; story was major in Buenos Aires; everyone much amazed that the West neglected to take strong steps against overt piracy on he seas.  Iran now has released it because ransom was paid!  A different ship owned by another owner, chartered by a different company, owed Iran money from a decade ago; holding a different owner’s ship for ransom is completely illegal in intl law.  To say this is related to the Yemeni situation and US support for Saudis there is essentially saying that Iran was forced to do this by American actions.  The reason Iran highjacked the Maersk Tigris is that it thinks itself a major regional and nuclear power legitimate by the intl community – so assert a hegemonic control over the Straits of Hormuz.  Wants to charge a toll for passage through this waterway; not the last such piracy we’ll see.  / Intends to reverse all previous UN SC resolutions; return to 1949 armistice borders, leaving hundreds of thousands of Jerusalem residents with no assurance and perhaps no home, Consequences for Israel are terrible.   This can occur only if Washington approves. Needed that all Americans pressure their legislators. Represents the final end to all previous US foreign policy. An Alice in Wonderland reversal: protect Iran, destroy Israel; not consonant with American morals.  Can do the reversal in one day: introduce in the UN Security Counsel.  Use France as the cover. The candidates can commit that this would be an illegitimate resolution (overturns Res. 242) . . .
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/05/06/release-of-ship-by-iran-is-really-a-ransom/ ;  http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/05/03/irans-legal-claims-for-seizing-the-maersk-tigris/
Thursday  7 May 2015 / Hour 3, Block B:  Jonathan Spyer, Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center; & Fellow, Middle East Forum; in re:  Syria, Kurds.  Assad regime is teetering by some standards perhaps premature, but it's been wracking up defeats for weeks after a long period of stalemate and stagnation. Lost Idlib, now facing an offensive in Homs; can’t dislodge rebels from bear Israel; currency reserves going low; Iranian support is a question.  Assad there because of billions dollars of support from Ian, plus 50,000 Allawi volunteers trained by Iran , plus 6,000 Hezbollah, plus Iraqis under arms Assad is an Iranian puppet.    Planes are going 4x/day from Iran to Latakia.  Western coastal area is pro tem greatest security for he regime; will do everything to hold Damascus.  Last time Damascus looked under danger he used chlorine gas. Assad and Iran will fight to the bitterest end.  Hezbollah would be hurt very very badly if Assad goes down – Sunni would take over Iraq; Hezbollah would be isolated; this is an existential issue for Nasrallah.  Kurds:  wd be bad for Kurds if Assad fell –a Sunni Islamist rebellion would occur, would reunite the country and not let the Kurds be autonomous.  Russians:  rumors of abandonment but it still has a way to go. 
Thursday  7 May 2015 / Hour 3, Block C: Bill Arkin, Phase Zero, in re: The Secret Mountain Our Spies Will Hide in when Washington Is Destroyed
Thursday  7 May 2015 / Hour 3, Block D:   Dan Henninger, WSJ Editorial WONDER LAND, in re: 'I Gotta Pay Our Bills'
Hour Four
Thursday  7 May 2015 / Hour 4, Block A: Sarah Maslin Nir, NYT, in re:  Underpaid and Exploited, Manicurists in New York Endure Ethnic Bias and Abuse (1 of 2)
Thursday  7 May 2015 / Hour 4, Block B:   Sarah Maslin Nir, NYT, in re:  Underpaid and Exploited, Manicurists in New York Endure Ethnic Bias and Abuse (2 of 2)
Thursday  7 May 2015 / Hour 4, Block C:  Josh Rogin, Bloomberg View, in re: Calls to Punish China Grow  Following a year of China’s flagrant and aggressive activities in contested waters, some in Washington are calling for President Obama to cancel China’s invitation to the largest maritime military exercise in the world. Some leaders in Congress and the military want to exclude China, warning about its military buildup in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, which includes a rapid plan to build military-friendly infrastructure on new islands in waters where at least six Asian nations have competing claims. Satellite photos released last month show that in the past year China has built what Admiral Harry Harris, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, called a “Great Wall of Sand”: China has created new islands in the South China Sea and begun construction of helipads and anti-aircraft towers. [more]
Thursday  7 May 2015 / Hour 4, Block D:   Robert Zimmerman, behindtheblack.com, in re: A second experiment on the next X-37B flight revealed   NASA has outlined the materials research it will be conducting on the next X-37B flight, scheduled to launch on May 20.  Known as the Materials Exposure and Technology Innovation in Space, or METIS, the investigation on the X-37B will expose nearly 100 different materials samples to the space environment for more than 200 days, NASA says. METIS is building upon data obtained by several missions of the Materials on International Space Station Experiment (MISSE), which flew more than 4,000 samples in space from 2001 to 2013. For both MISSE and METIS, small samples the size of quarters are used. METIS will fly a variety of materials including polymers, composites and coatings.
Not only does this information, plus earlier information about an Air Force ion engine thruster experiment, probably describe a great deal of what the X-37B is carrying, it also tells us the probable duration of the flight. I have no doubt there are other classified Air Force experiments on board, but like these, they are likely to be test articles, since the X-37B provides the perfect testbed for exposing new technology to space to see how it fares.