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JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Co-host: Larry Kudlow, The Kudlow Report, CNBC; and Cumulus Media radio
 
Hour One
Tuesday 13 June 2017 / Hour 1, Block A:  Bill Whalen, Hoover Institution, in re:   AG Sessions did a creditable job in testimony today on Comay’s firing, et al.. Russiagate? No there there.  I suggest that the president respond no further at all to any of this; rather, leave all comments exclusively to his legal team.  . . .  [Detailed discussion of the overall matter.]  Democrats have zero policy agenda on the economy.  If Trump gets the tax bill through, there’ll be a tremendous investment surge.  Mueller will oblige the Dems to aim for impeachment or nothing.  Republicans have to decide if they’re for Trump or not.  John McCain made a horrible presentation the other day when he looked barely awake; needs to quit travelling the world and revert to being a senator.
Tuesday 13 June 2017 / Hour 1, Block B:  Bill Whalen, Hoover Institution, in re: Catastrophe scenario for GOP: get no growth agenda, then the 2018 economy stays sluggish – ergo, Trump’s promise of prosperity fails; Dems could win midterms. If so, they’ll spend all their time impeaching Trump.  Therefore: if nothing happens, then the House and Senate need to stay in Washington until they pass something. No summer holiday!
Kamala Harris of California was amazingly rude to Jeff Sessions.   In Virginia today, the progressive lost to the Republican. 
Tuesday 13 June 2017 / Hour 1, Block C:  Joseph Rago, WSJ, in re: 
Tuesday 13 June 2017 / Hour 1, Block D:  Larry Kudlow, in re: Tech stocks had a bad few days, then improving today – Jason and Dan at Strategus Investment have constructed  a Trump stock index. Since the Comey testimony, the index is up.  Pretty bullish.
Longer-term interest rates . . .  commodities on the sloppy side. WTC is trading at 45.   Fed funds rate will go to 1-1/4%.  Fed will have to lighten up on their balance sheet – but if I were they I'd go very, very slowly.  No Tarzan chest-pounding.  Dems have a plan? Not that I’ve seen , Basically 2% growth/stagnation and “there’s nothing we can do about it.”   . . .  GOP has to respond. “When you’re in the lead, lead!”
 
Hour Two
Tuesday 13 June 2017 / Hour 2, Block A:  Stephen F. Cohen, NYU & Princeton professor Emeritus; American Committee for East-West Accord; author: Soviet Fates and Lost Alternatives: From Stalinism to the New Cold War, & The Victims Return: Survivors of the Gulag after Stalin; and Oliver Stone, filmmaker; in re: Oliver Stones’ two years  (summer 1015 through February 2017) of interviews with Vladimir Putin.  To start: Pres Putin had never seen Dr Strangelove; Stone showed him the last 20 minutes.  Stone chuckled, Putin carefully read the subtitles, poker-faced, in the Sochi villa.  At the end, when the bomb went off, Putin said, “This could happen. Now, our weapons are better.”
The nukes remain; the relations between US and Russia are critical. Currently, are the most dangerous relations we've ever had with Russia: Ukraine, Baltics [?}, and Syria.  American media have thoroughly demonized Putin to where US voters think Russia isn’t fit to be a US security partner.  With Oliver Stone’s films, Americans have a chance to se if he’s a demon, or a potential security partner.  
Tuesday 13 June 2017 / Hour 2, Block B:  Oliver Stone, filmmaker, and Stephen F. Cohen, American Committee for East-West Accord and author; in re:  . . . NATO & US projecting weapons all around Russia – Arctic, Black Sea, Europe.  Russian see that the last 25 years Western powers have encroached and encircled.    Baltics, Poland, Romania, Georgia.  A bad outcome is that Stalin’s powerful stance has become more popular.  “Western power has never been as assembled on our borders since summer 1941” [when Hitler invaded].  . . .  Cyberwarfare, Snowden.  Washington scandals.  Three US intell agencies – not seventeen – issued an assessment, not an estimate [the latter is more definite]. 
Tuesday 13 June 2017 / Hour 2, Block C:  Oliver Stone, filmmaker, and Stephen F. Cohen, American Committee for East-West Accord and author; in re:  The Putin Interviews
Tuesday 13 June 2017 / Hour 2, Block D:  Oliver Stone, filmmaker, and Stephen F. Cohen, American Committee for East-West Accord and author; in re:  The Putin Interviews
 
Hour Three
Tuesday 13 June 2017 / Hour 3, Block A:  Thaddeus McCotter, WJR, in re: Russiagate
Tuesday 13 June 2017 / Hour 3, Block B:  John Tamny, Real Clear Politics, in re: Pittsburgh
Tuesday 13 June 2017 / Hour 3, Block C:  Andrew Roberts, Napoleon: A Life
Tuesday 13 June 2017 / Hour 3, Block D:  Andrew Roberts, Napoleon: A Life
 
Hour Four
Tuesday 13 June 2017 / Hour 4, Block A:   Tom Reiss, The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo  On Alexandre Dumas, the celebrated French man of letters (1802-1870). Father was General Dumas.
Tuesday 13 June 2017 / Hour 4, Block B:  Tom Reiss, The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo  On Alexandre Dumas, the celebrated French man of letters (1802-1870). Father was General Dumas.
Tuesday 13 June 2017 / Hour 4, Block C:  Robert Zimmerman, BehindtheBlack.com and author, Capitalism in Space; in re: HR 2809.  Big space; commercial space.  Remote-sensing satellites.  . . . How to get licensed to launch even by confusticating federal regulators. (Hint: if your application is legitimate and they delay sixty days, you automatically get licensed.)
Tuesday 13 June 2017 / Hour 4, Block D:  Robert Zimmerman, BehindtheBlack.com and author, Capitalism in Space; in re: Indian space agency, specialist in launching satellites at one-third of SpaceX’s costs.  Use dust particles to ionize the atmosphere of Mars?   Solar cycle.  T Rex: research suggests skin was not covered with feathers; rather, with scales.