S8 Ep310: SHOW SCHEDULE 1-13-25 1868 PUBLISHER'S ROW NYC Guests: Elizabeth Peek and John Batchelor. Batchelor and Peek discuss inflation holding firm at 2.7% in December. They evaluate falling gasoline prices and strong holiday retail performance as indicators of
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 14 January 2026
⏱️ 6 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
SHOW SCHEDULE
1-13-25
1868 PUBLISHER'S ROW NYC
- Guests: Elizabeth Peek and John Batchelor. Batchelor and Peek discuss inflation holding firm at 2.7% in December. They evaluate falling gasoline prices and strong holiday retail performance as indicators of improving consumer sentiment. Peek also critiques a DOJ investigation into Jerome Powell, labeling it an "unforced error" that might inadvertently extend Powell's tenure.
- Guest: Elizabeth Peek. This segment addresses political dissent in Minnesota following a tragedy involving an ICE agent. Peek argues that liberal activists are nationalizing the incident to demonize law enforcement. She views this as partisan positioning for the midterms, intended as a weapon to be used against President Trump.
- Guests: Judy Dempsey and Thaddeus Matter. Dempsey explains that the EU lacks a cohesive strategy for Irandespite a consensus on increasing sanctions. Regarding Ukraine, she highlights staggering divisions among European states as the U.S. withdraws military help. Dempsey notes a ceasefire remains unlikely because Russiacurrently has no interest in negotiations.
- Guests: Judy Dempsey and Thaddeus Matter. The discussion focuses on Chancellor Friedrich Merz's efforts to address immigration to counter the populist AfD party. Dempsey explores the nuances of refugee integration into the German workforce. Finally, she reports European "horror" at potential U.S. moves to annex Greenland, which could threaten the survival of NATO.
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- Guest: Joseph Sternberg. China faces a "sluggish zombie economy" characterized by a burst property bubble and anemic consumption. Sternberg warns of "Japanification," where growth remains stagnant for decades. Beijingstruggles with price deflation, further burdening a heavily indebted economy. Meaningful recovery requires political reforms Xi Jinping resists.
- Guest: Joseph Sternberg. President Trump is reportedly using an investigation into Fed Chairman Jerome Powell as a pretext to influence interest rate decisions. Sternberg notes that while central banks like the Bank of England strive for independence, they are increasingly politicized. Additionally, Western media outlets like the BBC initially faced criticism for slow coverage of Iranian massacres.
- Guest: Jonathan Schanzer. Intense protests in Iran, sparked by decades of mismanagement, have led to a violent crackdown by the regime. Schanzer highlights that these demonstrations are uniquely supported by President Trump's rhetoric. Reza Pahlavi has emerged as a potential figurehead for a transitional government or constitutional monarchy, as the population remains largely pro-Western.
- Guest: Jonathan Schanzer. Syria's new central government remains extremely fragile, with authority barely extending beyond Damascus as factions clash in Aleppo. Schanzer describes a "Sunni jihadist regime" facing retribution from sectarian minorities. Meanwhile, regional tensions escalate as Israel and Iran reportedly narrowly avoided direct conflict, prompting Russia to evacuate its embassy.
- Guest: Dr. Brenda Shaffer. Iran is a multi-ethnic state where Persians constitute less than 40% of the population. Shaffer explains that while current protests are Persian-led, the regime's survival often depends on the participation of ethnic minorities like Azerbaijanis, Kurds, and Baluch. These groups frequently engage in direct retribution against security forces.
- Guest: General Blaine Holt (retired). Holt discusses potential U.S. intervention to support Iranian protesters, emphasizing strikes on command nodes rather than ground troops. While the U.S. maintains air superiority, putting special operators on the ground carries high risk. The Iranian people face a critical window of days to succeed before facing stunning reprisals.
- Guest: Brandon Weichert. Iranian protesters face a brutal regime that may utilize a "Samson Option," firing all missiles at Israel if the government falls. Weichert notes that while the Israelis and CIA have covert assets on the ground, the protest movement lacks a cohesive leader. Proposals for restoring the Pahlavi dynasty are criticized as an impractical solution.
- Guest: Brandon Weichert. Turmoil in Iran threatens China's energy security, as Beijing receives roughly 70-80% of Iranian oil. Weichert suggests Russia and China are using the crisis to test anti-Starlink technologies. Furthermore, the regime might import foreign terrorists to suppress domestic dissent, while the U.S. provides behind-the-scenes support to the movement.
- Guest: Gregory Copley. Iran's collapse could dismantle the "International North-South Transport Corridor," a vital trade route for Russia and India. Copley argues that the Iranian public is increasingly secular, with the youth rejecting clerical authority. While the regime may fire remaining missiles in desperation, a post-clerical Irancould ignite Central Asian economic potential.
- Guest: Gregory Copley. Although the U.S. promises help, Copley warns that a ground invasion is physically difficult and historically unsuccessful. There are signs that Iranian police and some Revolutionary Guard units are refusing to fire on protesters. Ultimately, the Iranian people must take ownership of the revolution to ensure the legitimacy of any successor government.
- Guest: Gregory Copley. Following the arrest of Maduro, Venezuela is controlled by four competing "crime families." Copley notes the absence of a clear U.S. plan for citizens facing food and medical insecurity. The U.S.seeks to enforce an oil embargo against Cuba, which is currently suffering from infrastructure collapse and electric grid failures.
- Guest: Gregory Copley. Reza Pahlavi proposes a constitutional monarchy where the crown serves as a symbolic figurehead, similar to the British system. Copley highlights Pahlavi's unique name recognition and legitimacy as the former crown prince. However, air power alone cannot decisively change the situation on the ground, requiring covert support after the clerics collapse.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Good evening. This is John Batchelor. Conversation dominated by the Iran tragedy. Hundreds dead, |
| 0:08.2 | perhaps thousands dead, no good numbers, internet down, telephone down. Maybe some Starlink is getting |
| 0:15.3 | through, although much of it has been blunted, we're told. Very incomplete reporting. There are video packages that come out |
| 0:22.2 | showing body bags thrown around the floor of a building or in a parking lot or a garage, |
| 0:28.4 | people searching for their loved ones by zipping the bag down. The story is in Tehran right now |
| 0:36.4 | because we have very few sources outside of Tehran. |
| 0:40.4 | There are cities where there have been protests. |
| 0:44.0 | The Chancellor of Germany, Mr. Merritt, says that the regime, the Mullahs, the Islamic Republic |
| 0:50.0 | of Iran, has days, weeks to go. |
| 0:53.0 | But it will be a harsh week or more because the shooting continues. |
| 1:00.0 | I was going through some old photographs from 1978, collected by Pickroll, which is a firm that, |
| 1:09.5 | that for a fee, gives you the photographs out of copyright for the last |
| 1:14.7 | hundred years, and then paintings and drawings and illustrations from history. Wonderful. |
| 1:21.0 | And accidentally I put in 1970 Iran and up-popped pictures of soldiers kneeling in the street, |
| 1:27.4 | aiming their rifles at a crowd |
| 1:29.0 | that was gathered, a crowd, a solid crowd of young men gathered across the street. September |
| 1:34.8 | 1978. The next sequence was bodies on the ground and the men pulling back. The protesters, |
| 1:42.6 | I presume. No soundtrack, but it was Black September, |
| 1:47.0 | Black Friday when the Shah's forces opened up, opened fire against the protesters in Tehran. |
| 1:53.5 | Exactly the same kind of scene now being reproduced with video packages that we see in Tehran. |
| 2:01.3 | This is decades later, and none of the young men that I see in the videos from Tehran |
| 2:07.6 | now were alive in 1978. |
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