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JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Co-host: Larry Kudlow, CNBC senior advisor; & Cumulus Media radio
 
Hour One
Tuesday  2 August 2016   / Hour 1, Block A:  Despite Pres Obama’s high approval rating, the economy remains weak.  Mrs Clinton ‘s plan is to redistribute funds better, and raise more money by taxes.   Mr Trump has a reasonably good economic plan. I have an anti-growth vs pro-growth election.  Mr Trump must stay on the growth message!  When Republicans aren't thinking about growth their minds wander to terrible things. Mrs C’s plan to ueber-tax the corporations and rich: hard to start a business unless you have capital.  A govt-planning takeover through the regulatory, taxing and spending route. You can jack up taxes on the rich as much as you want but won’t get an extra cent. I agree only in part with Trump on trade; but slashing corp taxes to 15% alone will raise the economic growth rate in 6 to 18 mos. Do millennials understand that taxing us to riches is false? I speak on college campuses all the time and never get shouted down. 
Tuesday  2 August 2016   / Hour 1, Block B:    Veronique de Rugy, Mercatus, in re:  Growth. Wages. Does minimum wage grow the economy?  The evidence for years is that it doesn’t.  This is pricing out of the market young teenagers, almost guaranteeing criminal activity among a delicate group that needs help. What you want in a slow-growth economy, where bargaining strength is on the side of employers, is not to increase the cost of hiring entry-level workers.  Behind this discussion is the assumption that employers are greedy and could easily afford to pay more but prefer to abuse their employees. 
The Mercatus Center has done extensive research on the issue of mandatory minimum wage and strongly contends that the proposed regulation is harmful to the nation's economy and to the municipalities around the country who have already implemented the $15 minimum wage standard.  The study includes Clinton remarks on minimum wage; in fact, a general comparison of the two campaigns on minimum wage.
Tuesday  2 August 2016   / Hour 1, Block C: Carson Bruno, Hoover via Real Clear Markets, in re: California’s economy is faltering.   California Must Bolster Its Strengths, Address Weaknesses    According to statewide unemployment and GDP statistics, California is doing okay. Unemployment is below 6% and year-over-year real GDP growth was 4% between 2014 and 2015. At the same time, however, the Tax Foundation rated it as having the 2nd worst state business tax climate and CEO Magazine consistently names California the worst state in which to do business.
Tuesday  2 August 2016   / Hour 1, Block D: James Bailey, Mercatus Center at George Mason University and Heider College of Business at Creighton university. ; in re: health-care providers needs a permission slip from federal bureaucrats to buy expensive eqpt; thus few places have the eqpt, which keeps prices high for patients.  Political cronyism: rad assns. Give money to legislators who had the decisions over to eggheads who constitute an oligopoly. Direct cost is of employing bureaucrats in each state; indirect costs are from favoritism: 3% higher billing to Medicaid, which in some instances pays 6% more.  When a doctor wants to bring an innovative new technology in and can’t: has a way of doing colonoscopies remotely but is forbidden by Virginia to buy the necessary machine.  FDOJ and SEC know about this, but because it's states who are passing these laws, feds have not much jurisdiction. California – the most regulated state in the Union- has repealed its CON laws! 
In recent years it’s become clear that the "certificate-of-need" (CON) laws used by 35 states do nothing to stop exploding health care costs, and that they harm patients and doctors in the process. Now, in new Mercatus Center (at George Mason University) research, the economist  James Bailey demonstrates how CON laws actually increase health care costs for states and the federal government. 
See also: Study author James Bailey in U.S. News & World Report

CON laws require already-qualified health care providers to secure government permission to open or expand their practices. State bureaucrats determine which services or facilities are “economically necessary,” ensuring fewer choices and higher prices for patients.
"CON laws actually increase health care costs for states and the federal government"...aka "the taxpayer."  Bio: http://mercatus.org/james-bailey
 
Hour Two
Tuesday  2 August 2016   / Hour 2, Block A:  Stephen F. Cohen, Prof. Emeritus of Russian Studies/History/Politics at NYU and Princeton; also Board of American Committee for East-West Accord (eastwestaccord.com); in re:  http://www.politico.eu/article/trump-taking-back-crimea-would-trigger-world-war-iii/  ; http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/01/opinions/trump-on-ukraine-opinion-zelizer/  (1 of 4)
Tuesday  2 August 2016   / Hour 2, Block B: Stephen F. Cohen, Prof. Emeritus of Russian Studies/History/Politics at NYU and Princeton; also Board of American Committee for East-West Accord (eastwestaccord.com); in re:  http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-usa-russia-idUSKCN10900V  (2 of 4)
Tuesday  2 August 2016   / Hour 2, Block C:  Stephen F. Cohen, Prof. Emeritus of Russian Studies/History/Politics at NYU and Princeton; also Board of American Committee for East-West Accord (eastwestaccord.com); in re: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/31/politics/donald-trump-russia-ukraine-crimea-putin/  (3 of 4)
Tuesday  2 August 2016   / Hour 2, Block D: Stephen F. Cohen, Prof. Emeritus of Russian Studies/History/Politics at NYU and Princeton; also Board of American Committee for East-West Accord (eastwestaccord.com); (4 of 4)
 
Hour Three
Tuesday  2 August 2016   / Hour 3, Block A: Dr Lara M Brown, George Washington University, and Salena Zito, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, in re:  http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/290120-obama-its-time-for-republican-leaders-to-denounce-trump; then    http://thehill.com/policy/finance/290126-obama-dismisses-trade-deal-concerns-im-president-now-and-im-for-tpp;  and    http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/290055-paul-ryan-were-in-fight-to-retake-soul-of-republican-party
Clinton's weekend whopper, and another missed opportunity for the GOP.  The raging Khan controversy overshadowed Hillary Clinton's claim over the weekend that FBI director James Comey said her answers about her email use were "truthful." On Fox News Sunday, Clinton said: "Director Comey said my answers were truthful, and what I've said is consistent with what I have told the American people, that there were decisions discussed and made to classify retroactively certain of the emails." While Comey said he had "no basis to conclude she lied to the FBI," Clinton's blanket statement is a flat-out misrepresentation of how Comey described her handling of the email issue overall. (The Washington Post slapped a "Four Pinocchio" label on the claim on Sunday.) Here's the thing: Somewhere in an alternate universe where the GOP nominee is Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio or Jeb Bush, Clinton's claim would be leading newscasts and knocking the wind out of any post-convention bounce she earned in Philly. Instead, a debate about Trump's lack of empathy for a Gold Star family and a crisis in the GOP is crowding out what should be a solid hit on the Democratic nominee. For as much as Trump's unforced errors frustrate Republicans, the same can be said for Clinton and Democrats. Why did she have to exaggerate what Comey said? Why twist the interpretation of what he said where it stops resembling the truth? She has a shot at putting this race away, but this answer on emails and interpreting Comey is the explanation for why she can't totally shake Trump. It's his character vs her honesty.  http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/first-read-last-exit-ramp-gop-n621521?cid=sm_twitter_feed_firstread  (1 of 2)
Tuesday  2 August 2016   / Hour 3, Block B:  Dr Lara M Brown, George Washington University, and Salena Zito, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (2 of 2)
Tuesday  2 August 2016   / Hour 3, Block C:   Steve Eder, New York Times, in re: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/us/politics/donald-trump-draft-record....
Tuesday  2 August 2016   / Hour 3, Block D:   McKay Coppins, Buzzfeed, in re: Trump and the religious right. Some of Trump's most devout detractors think that what really makes him dangerous to the conservative Christian movement is how little he's had to pander to win them over. Consider the early internal memos I got hold of advising Trump on how to appeal to social conservatives. https://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/the-religious-rights-dangerous-bet-on-trump?utm_term=.coOq58JNA#.eoB8kKnVg
 
Hour Four
Tuesday  2 August 2016   / Hour 4, Block A:  James Taranto, WSJ, in re:  ‘That’s Not What I Heard’  Mrs. Clinton wasn’t listening to Jim Comey    http://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-and-the-khans-1470159956 (1 of 2)
Tuesday  2 August 2016   / Hour 4, Block B:  James Taranto, WSJ, in re:  ‘That’s Not What I Heard’  Mrs. Clinton wasn’t listening to Jim Comey    http://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-and-the-khans-1470159956 (2 of 2)
Tuesday  2 August 2016   / Hour 4, Block C:  Robert Zimmerman, behindtheblack, in re: NASA delays asteroid redirect mission one year  NASA has decided to delay by one year the planned launch dates for both its unmanned and manned missions to an asteroid.
And why, might you ask?
Mr. Gerstenmaier further stated that “We had trouble getting the funding together for this thing. So this slip of the one year that you see wasn’t caused by technical. It was really caused by budget availability. We just didn’t have the budget available to go do this.”
Also, the article notes that the launch rocket for the unmanned mission, now set for 2021, will be one of three possible rockets.
No elaboration was given as to what those “three rockets” are, though SLS, one of SpaceX’s Falcon family of rockets, and Atlas V are understood to be the prime contenders at this time.
The unmanned mission might happen (though I wouldn’t bet on it). As for the manned mission, there is a reason NASA has had trouble getting funding. SLS/Orion cost too much. Congress simply doesn’t want to spend that much for the actual missions. They will dole out a lot of cash for development (and the pork that goes with it), but even they can’t afford the gigantic budgets NASA needs to actually fly real missions. (1 of 2)
Tuesday  2 August 2016   / Hour 4, Block D:   Robert Zimmerman, behindtheblack, in re: NASA delays asteroid redirect mission one year  NASA has decided to delay by one year the planned launch dates for both its unmanned and manned missions to an asteroid.
And why, might you ask?
Mr. Gerstenmaier further stated that “We had trouble getting the funding together for this thing. So this slip of the one year that you see wasn’t caused by technical. It was really caused by budget availability. We just didn’t have the budget available to go do this.”
Also, the article notes that the launch rocket for the unmanned mission, now set for 2021, will be one of three possible rockets.
No elaboration was given as to what those “three rockets” are, though SLS, one of SpaceX’s Falcon family of rockets, and Atlas V are understood to be the prime contenders at this time.
The unmanned mission might happen (though I wouldn’t bet on it). As for the manned mission, there is a reason NASA has had trouble getting funding. SLS/Orion cost too much. Congress simply doesn’t want to spend that much for the actual missions. They will dole out a lot of cash for development (and the pork that goes with it), but even they can’t afford the gigantic budgets NASA needs to actually fly real missions. (2 of 2)
 
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