S8 Ep133: SHOW CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT STEE WITKOFF FIRST HOUR 9-915 Trump Envoy's Leaked Negotiations Undermine Ukraine Sovereignty; NATO Grapples with Political Will and Manpower Gaps — Colonel Jeff McCa

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

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4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 27 November 2025

⏱️ 9 minutes

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Summary

SHOW
11-26-25
CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR
1959
THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT STEE WITKOFF

FIRST HOUR

9-915

Trump Envoy's Leaked Negotiations Undermine Ukraine Sovereignty; NATO Grapples with Political Will and Manpower Gaps — Colonel Jeff McCausland — Colonel McCausland analyzes leaked details revealing Trumpenvoy Steve Witkoff coaching Russian negotiators and proposing Ukrainian territorial concessions, violating fundamental negotiation principles. McCausland believes the war's continuation is the most probable outcome given these dynamics. McCausland assesses NATO readiness, concluding that while economic components exist, political will remains crucial. He condemns the DoD's attempt to prosecute Senator Kelly for citing Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) principles.

C915-930
CONTINUED

Trump Envoy's Leaked Negotiations Undermine Ukraine Sovereignty; NATO Grapples with Political Will and Manpower Gaps — Colonel Jeff McCausland —

930-945

Hyper-Individualism Since 1968 Has Fractured Civic Communion, Demands Rebuilding of Formative Institutions— Richard Reinsch — Reinsch argues that American politics is fundamentally undermined by a culture of hyper-individualism—a concept emerging around 1968—that divorces citizens from duty, sacrifice, and relational belonging. This cultural fragmentation has destroyed "civic communion" and social cohesion. To reclaim the republic, Reinschcontends citizens must actively resist the breakdown of formative institutions and work to restore loyalty and commitment through religion, education, family, and military service.

945-1000

SECOND HOUR

10-1015

China's Property Crisis Deepens as State-Owned Giant Vanke Plunges; Export Model Creates International Friction — Fraser Howie — Howie documents the deepening property market crisis, evidenced by the financial collapse of state-owned developer Vanke. The central government avoids massive bailout commitments, converting acute sectoral problems into chronic structural drags that leave municipal and regional banks dangerously exposed. Howie notes that the government's current strategy—relying on massive export volumes—is generating significant international friction and pushback, as other nations fear being "swamped by cheap Chinese imports" and demand market access reciprocity.

1015-1030

PLA Anti-Submarine Warfare Grows, But Taiwan Conflict Will Immediately Escalate to Total War for Ryukyu Islands — Rick Fisher — Fisher notes that the PLA Navy has invested heavily in advanced anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities. However, Japan maintains a meaningful deterrent margin through its new lithium-battery powered submarines. Fisher warns that China cannot impose an effective blockade of Taiwan without invading and occupying the Sakushima Islands (part of the Ryukyu chain), guaranteeing that any conflict over Taiwan's status will immediately transition into total, wider warfare involving Japan and the United States.

C

1030-104C

Canada's PM Carney Pursues China Trade Ties Despite Warnings of Beijing's Malign Influence and Elite Capture— Charles Burton — Burton analyzes Prime Minister Carney's efforts to strengthen trade relations with China, potentially to offset escalating tensions with the U.S. Burton suggests Carney assumes China will reward policy concessions by opening its markets, though historical precedent demonstrates China routinely offers empty promises. Burton expresses concern that the government is delaying implementation of a Foreign Influence Registry to appease Beijing, enabling continued espionage, infiltration operations, and the "elite capture" of Canadian policy makers.

1045-1100

China's AI War Planning Focuses on Deception, Raises Global Thermonuclear Risk — General Blaine Holt — General Holt examines China's PLA war planning, which prioritizes using artificial intelligence for grand deception operations. He argues that fifth-generation warfare, leveraging deepfakes and large language models, is potentially more destructive than nuclear weapons. Holt warns that autonomous AI systems adjudicating warfare decisions—analogous to WarGames—represents a probable future scenario. He assesses NATO as "slow and archaic," underscoring the urgent need for advanced indicators, warning systems, and diplomatic frameworks to manage emerging technological threats.

THIRD HOUR

1100-1115

Author Charles Burton Recounts MSS Interrogation; Details Canada's Decade of Failing to Counter Chinese Malign Activity — Charles Burton — Burton recounts his 2018 interrogation by China's Ministry of State Securityregarding his academic research on Chinese political democratization. He asserts that successive Canadian governments have consistently failed to challenge Beijing's malign operations. Burton cites slow responses to Huawei 5G concerns, government secrecy surrounding the Wuhan-Winnipeg laboratory connections during COVID-19, and current resistance to subsidized BYD electric vehicles, which function as surveillance and data collection tools.

1115-1130

1130-1145

1145-1200

FOURTH HOUR

12-1215

UK Tax Hikes Reach All-Time High, Fueling Entrepreneur Exodus and Political Turmoil for Labor Party — Simon Constable — Constable reports that the UK Labour budget under Rachel Reeves will raise the aggregate tax burden to an all-time high of 38% of GDP. This approach is viewed as fundamentally anti-business, with over two-thirds of entrepreneurs reporting that the government lacks genuine support for wealth creation and private enterprise. Constable predicts this environment will trigger an exodus of new wealth creators and capital. Constable suggests the resulting political turmoil positions Nigel Farage as a credible contender for future UKleadership.

1215-1230

Sanctions Hit Russian Economy Hard as Middlemen Charge Massive Premiums for Imports and Demand Huge Energy Discounts — Michael Bernstam — Bernstam details how countries including China and Turkey exploit Russia's economic isolation through sanctions. China demands oil discounts of up to $19 per barrel while simultaneously charging an 87% premium for manufactured goods exported to Russia. This arbitrage mechanism has contributed to a severe recession in Russia's civilian economy (5.4% contraction). Russia has increasingly relied on gold reserves to cover government budget deficits and sustain essential spending.

1230-1245

1245-100 AM

SpaceX Explosion, Chinese Stranding Highlight Private Space Successes and Major Space Failures — Bob Zimmerman — Zimmerman reports on a SpaceX Super Heavy prototype explosion during testing, emphasizing that engineering failures are vital mechanisms for program advancement and refinement. In stark contrast, the Chinese space program's lack of transparency regarding capsule damage resulted in taikonauts being stranded without functional lifeboat capability—a historic first in crewed spaceflight. Boeing's Starliner manned capsule program was downgraded to cargo-only operations due to persistent technical deficiencies, resulting in substantially reduced contract valuation.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Good evening. The show begins tonight, puzzling about the peace deal. We're told that Mr. Whitkoff,
0:17.4	representing President Trump, has been in conference with Russian officials for a resolution
0:24.6	of the Ukraine conflict. Oddly, however, there was a transcript of a telephone call between Mr.
0:30.9	Whitkoff and his associate whom he communicates with at the Kremlin. And in this phone call, it was prior to the 28-point plan that we had several days ago.
0:44.5	Mr. Wittkoff was making remarks that seemed inappropriate.
0:48.8	Still do about what to say to the president and what the deal was.
0:55.7	The deal, as my colleague Jeffrey McAughesland says,
1:00.8	it looks like the deal is more important than the details of the deal.
1:05.0	It's a rush through the conversation.
1:08.8	It's odd.
1:10.4	Mr. Ritchcock, of course, is no trained diplomat. He's an
1:14.3	amateur diplomat, and they have a mixed record over the couple of centuries. There have been
1:19.2	successes. There have been frustrations. There'll be more to learn about this in coming days.
1:27.0	There is no peace deal right now.
1:29.6	There's said to be a slim-down version.
1:31.5	That's a headline.
1:33.0	I believe in the New York Times.
1:36.0	So, not speculating what we know,
1:38.7	just commenting on an amateur diplomat
1:41.6	who apparently is surprised that his phone call making his remarks was recorded
1:48.4	and leaked by the Russians, we presume. Then a conversation with the editor-in-chief of Civitas
1:55.6	Outlook at Civitas Institute, Richard Reinch, observing that the alienation from politics these days is a product of
	...

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