The John Batchelor Show

Tuesday 14 April 2015

Air Date: 
April 14, 2015

Photo, left: Христос ВоскресеНаистина възкресеEaster is the most important holiday in the Russian Orthodox tradition. For most Russians, Easter is more than a question of faith – it's a celebration of national identity. Laced with symbolic meanings of pagan ancestry, Russian Easter traditions can be traced to folk rituals dating back to pre-Christian times.
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Co-host: Larry Kudlow, CNBC senior advisor; & Cumulus Media radio
Hour One
Tuesday   14 April 2015  / Hour 1, Block A: James Pethokoukis, columnist & AEI, in re: LK: Apparent bipartisanship in the Senate; however, Harry Reid made a shambles of smooth functioning and the GOP is turning this around. Sen Corker's move on the Iran bill was a good move, a big win, and will let the people's representatives vote on a gigantic public-policy matter, Getting the trains through on time. Mrs Clinton's announcement on Sunday: WaPo said "vapid" and "overwrought."  JP: Since she can raise a billion dollars, no need to speak of the decimal point on tax rates.  LK: Yes, she's running on Obama's third term, not as a Clinton centrist.   She's attacking rich people, using bogus numbers, finance reform, natl security (although she's part of the Obama disaster) – and "I'll  be the first woman president and protect you in the War on Women," et al., won't work.  JP: She'll run on quite an agenda, have an answer to every problem, a rich, left-wing agenda.
Tuesday   14 April 2015  / Hour 1, Block B: James Pethokoukis, columnist & AEI, in re:  Chris Christie aking on entitlement reform, esp Social Security: a scale-up of what he was trying to do in NJ – pensions.  "Entitlements are a threat to our natl economy, to growth, to funding for natl defense."  The GOP in general is not talking about this.  "Reduce Soc Sec for elders making $80+, and cancel it for those making $200K, which is not a ginormous amount these days; and that's after you've been paying in for decades. If you'd invested your contributions for that period, . . . "  "A better idea is have every worker automatically enrolled, 1.5% or 2%,  invest . . . Maybe a flat benefit [ ] . . . Social Security should be for low-income Americans, whereas richer people need to save more.  . . . Eliminate payroll taxes for older workers – encourage them to stay engaged.  . . . Need to grow the economy back to 3% growth per year. LK: I just think Chris Christie is entirely on the wrong track, sounds like a Democrat.
Tuesday   14 April 2015  / Hour 1, Block C: Victor Davis Hanson, Hoover, in re: the 19-0 Corer-Menendez bill on Senate oversight on the Iran deal.  Tweet:  The simple fact is, WH dropped its veto threat because they wouldn’t have the votes to [sustain]. –Even before the deal was announced, Iranians were clear that they contradicted everything Obama and Kerry insisted would be in the deal; unravelling, embarrassing to Obama and the Senate is rescuing him for "putting [his] head in this meat-grinder." LK: Vote one is a process issue; the second vote – Dems may go back around.    VDH:  Iran is saying to Houthis and others, "The fact that the WH is talking to us is de facto approval of our deeds."  . . .  Moscow, Putin; plans for aggrandizement.  "Pres Obama cannot distinguish between friends and enemies"  Gen Jack Keene has been saying that from Day One Pres Obama had a vision whereby he'd reach détente with Iran, and therewith allow the US to engage. He keeps thinking that he can get on the phone and sort anything out.  He has a soft spot for revolutionary nations – Cuba, Venezuela, and others – and that only he can clearly see the moral rectitude here, but when things [start to go south,] he won’t be around.
Tuesday   14 April 2015  / Hour 1, Block D: Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, in re: Marco Rubio has a chance, and is unremittingly positive. Let the Dems have that old lady running around Iowa in a van; we have someone young with fresh ideas and can win an election.  "Tomorrow is more important than yesterday" – great jabs at both Hillary and Jeb.  Recall that the election is not about the pol's past but about your future.  Obama had the [  ]; Reagan had it, and Bill Clinton had it. Have to be tough and have gravitas, but the element of freshness is critical.  I'm tired of the grumpy Gusses out there.   Can Marco Rubio sit across the table from Vladimir Putin?  The comparison is with JFK, who got creamed when he first sat down with Khrushchev.  . . . See Lincoln's autobiography.  "That ordinariness is what" people feel comfortable with. I think we have three or four candidates in the who might win the nomination. I Most underrated guy is former AF pilot and veteran executive: Rick Perry. Superb retail pol, charming, up to speed on foreign policy; record as Texas governor is unmatched. Solid person.
Hour Two
Tuesday   14 April 2015  / Hour 2, Block A: Stephen F. Cohen, NYU & Princeton professor Emeritus; author: Soviet Fates and Lost Alternatives: From Stalinism to the New Cold War, & The Victims Return: Survivors of the Gulag after Stalin; in re: 'Grave concern' about renewed Ukraine fighting, say European foreign ministers  German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier speaks to journalists in Berlin in the early hours of 14 April.    Foreign ministers demand fighting end in east Ukraine ; Agence France-Presse: 'Grave concern' about renewed Ukraine fighting, say European foreign ministers ; NATO alarm: Moscow hits out as Finland and Sweden seek closer ties with NATO — RT News  A recent poll in Finland showed many of its citizens do not want to join NATO. Only 20 . . .  Sitting near a nuclear tripwire, Estonia's president urges Nato to send troops to defend his country ; UK forced to let Vladimir Putin inspectors watch Nato war games under European treaty ; Lt. General Ben Hodges talks Strong Europe   Lt. General Ben Hodges is the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Europe. . . . caught up with him stateside and in this . . .  ;  Canada to send advisory troops to Ukraine: report  Ben Hodges estimated in March there are about 12,000 Russian troops operating in the country. Ukrainian forces have repeatedly requested . . .
Tuesday   14 April 2015  / Hour 2, Block B: Stephen F. Cohen, NYU & Princeton professor Emeritus, in re: Russia plays the Iran card: Putin Lifts Ban on Russian Missile Sales to Iran  President Vladimir V. Putin on Monday approved the delivery of a . . .  Russia opens way to missile deliveries to Iran, starts oil-for-goods swap
Tuesday   14 April 2015  / Hour 2, Block C: Stephen F. Cohen, NYU & Princeton professor Emeritus (3 of 4)
Tuesday   14 April 2015  / Hour 2, Block D: Stephen F. Cohen, NYU & Princeton professor Emeritus in re: Putin is not like Napoleon, a conqueror; Putin is a state-builder. Hillary Clinton sees Putin as "scum of the Earth," a desperate tyrant.  (4 of 4)
Hour Three
Tuesday   14 April 2015  / Hour 3, Block A:   Salena Zito, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review & Pirates fan, in re: Follow Hillary Clinton's surprise Iowa stops   On her way to officially announced stops in Monticello and Norwalk this week, Hillary Clinton's van has rolled up to at least a couple Iowa ...
Tuesday   14 April 2015  / Hour 3, Block B:  Tim Hutchinson, former Senator from Arkansas, in re:  Senators Try to Revise No Child Left Behind — A Few Years Behind  And schools would no longer face federal sanctions if they fail to ... Bush's No Child Left Behind was a revision of the ESEA, passed as part of ...  ;  Senate Attempts to Revise Education Law: No Child Left Behind
Tuesday   14 April 2015  / Hour 3, Block C: John Nicolson, Scottish National Party candidate from East Dumbartonshire to Westminster, in re: Tories promise ‘good life’ to voters  Cameron makes unfunded pledges with aim of winning over electors
Tuesday   14 April 2015  / Hour 3, Block D: John Nicolson, Scottish National Party candidate from East Dumbartonshire to Westminster, in re:  Nicola Sturgeon to 'build alliances' with Labour to stop Ed Miliband's spending cuts  Nicola Sturgeon has said she would work with Ed Miliband's left-wing backbenchers to . . .
Hour Four
Tuesday   14 April 2015  / Hour 4, Block A:  Joseph Sternberg, WSJ editorial board, London, in re: Greek Leader Greek Leader Heads to Moscow as Bailout Talks Drag On Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras doesn’t expect much-needed funds from President Vladimir Putin, but officials say he wants to send a signal of independence to his European creditors.
Tuesday   14 April 2015  / Hour 4, Block B:  Sam Tadros, Hudson Institute, in re: In Egypt, Copts Are Being Persecuted Again For them, Egypt under Sisi is no better than before.
Tuesday   14 April 2015  / Hour 4, Block C:  Henry I Miller, M.D., Hoover & Forbes.com, in re: "USDA's 'Zombie' Biotech Regulation Will Not Die"
Tuesday   14 April 2015  / Hour 4, Block D:   Robert Zimmerman, behindtheblack.com, in re: Another successful Dragon/Falcon 9 launch The competition heats up: SpaceX has successfully launched another Dragon freighter to ISS. We await word on whether  [or not] the first stage was able to successfully land vertically on a barge in the Atlantic. Update: Musk reports that the first stage landed on the barge but “too hard for survival.” Expect some interesting video to follow. I have posted SpaceX’s video of the launch below the fold. Beginning at about 22:45, after first stage separation, you can see it maintain a vertical orientation as it begins its descent.
A detailed look at ULA’s proposed Vulcan rocket   [Link here.] Not only do they intend to recover and reuse the first stage engines, the rocket’s upper stage will be designed with the ability to be refueled and function as a space tug once it has reached orbit.  Ah, the joy of competition. It accomplishes so much, so quickly. I hope we never return to the feel-good era of “international cooperation.”
 
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