meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The John Batchelor Show

S8 Ep490: SHOW SCHEDULE 2-20-26

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

News, Arts, Books, Society & Culture

4.52.8K Ratings

🗓️ 21 February 2026

⏱️ 5 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

1.

Jeff Bliss reports a deadly avalanche in Lake Tahoe claimed nine lives due to dry uncompacted snow, severe storms are causing heavy snowfall at Donner Pass and flooding the Los Angeles River, while Las Vegas faces declining foot traffic and Los Angeles battles rampant copper wire theft. 1

2.

Jeff Bliss covers California's upcoming gubernatorial jungle primary with Democrat Eric Swalwell and Republican Steve Hilton as early frontrunners, Spencer Pratt challenging Mayor Karen Bass in Los Angeles, and Governor Gavin Newsom positioning himself for a 2028 presidential run on an anti-Trump platform. 2

3.

Gene Marks reports that despite a disappointing fourth-quarter GDP growth rate of 1.4 percent and sluggishness in shipping and chemical sectors, small businesses remain surprisingly resilient with optimism above average and continued hiring plans even as AI integration remains limited. 3

4.

Gene Marks discusses the Supreme Court ruling the administration's April 2025 emergency tariffs unconstitutional, leaving billions in collected funds in limbo, though the administration will likely utilize the Trade Acts of 1962 and 1974 to continue imposing targeted tariffs without congressional approval. 4

5.

Jim McTague reports Lancaster County reflects the national 1.4 percent GDP slowdown with flat retail, consumer price fatigue, and plummeting restaurant traffic due to rising costs and weight-loss drugs, while Washington DC lobbying and local health and construction sectors remain strong. 5

6.

Lorenzo Fiori reports the Milan Winter Olympics are proceeding successfully amidst beautiful snow with rumors of a Donald Trump visit for the hockey finals, while extreme weather has caused dangerous Alpine avalanches and the tragic collapse of the historic Lover's Arch on the Adriatic coast. 6

7.

Bob Zimmerman of Behind the Black reports NASA successfully completed a wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis IImission targeting a March 6th launch, while a NASA report classified Boeing's Starliner failure as a severe Type A emergency prompting tighter control as SpaceX competition thrives. 7

8.

Bob Zimmerman reports Japanese private space startup ispace is struggling with severe engine development problems for its lunar landers, while archival images from New Horizons reveal Pluto's bizarre splotched surface and floating ice mountains, and a newly discovered dim galaxy hints at dark matter's vastness. 8

9.

Sir Max Hastings details the daring glider assault to capture the Orne River bridge, where Major John Howard'stroops achieved total surprise, securing a vital link for British airborne and seaborne forces on D-Day itself. 9

10.

Sir Max Hastings discusses General Montgomery's expanded vision for D-Day and the initial chaos of the airborne landings, noting that despite the shambles at Merville battery, paratroopers' bravery confused German defenders and secured the mission's early vital stages. 10

11.

Sir Max Hastings highlights Major General Richard Gale's calm leadership during the chaotic airborne drops, with success relying on British deception plans and Rommel's absence preventing early German counterattacks against the beaches on D-Day. 11

12.

Sir Max Hastings describes specialized armored funnies that supported British landings on Sword Beach, noting that while technically successful, heavy traffic and Montgomery's overly ambitious objectives prevented the Allies from capturing Caen on D-Day. 12

13.

Henry Sokolski of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center critiques the inconsistency of threatening war against Iran over its nuclear program while simultaneously considering a deal to allow Saudi Arabia uranium enrichment capabilities under less stringent international oversight. 13

14.

Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center explains how bipartisan spending on entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare drives national debt, arguing that American consumers, not foreign nations, primarily bear the economic burden of tariffs. 14

15.

Professor Richard Epstein of the Hoover Institution analyzes constitutional limits of presidential authority to fire independent agency officials, discussing historical precedents like Humphrey's Executor and critiquing legal reasoning behind maintaining quasi-judicial independence within the executive branch. 15

16.

Professor Richard Epstein predicts the Supreme Court may strike down tariffs, arguing that trade deficits do not constitute legal emergencies, while also discussing the potential for the Court to preserve the Federal Reserve'sindependence from executive control. 16



Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This is John Batchelor. Speaking with Sir Max Hastings this evening, Sir Max Hastings noted historian

0:07.7

writing sweeping narratives of the 20th century wars, concentrating on the second war, but there is Vietnam

0:15.7

War, the First War. Our conversation turns on Sword Beach, one of the five beaches on D-Day. This one

0:23.9

for the British. British also had Gold Beach, and in between was Juno Beach for the Canadians.

0:32.1

Following the landing on Sword Beach and pressing inland, Sir Max tells the story of, well, the Orne Bridge,

0:39.6

the necessity to secure a bridge, and before it was destroyed by the Germans, over the Orne River,

0:46.2

this is on the way to Khan, because that would have been cutting off the ability of the British forces to maneuver and expose their left flank to the

0:58.2

German counterattack. They were expecting the 21st Panzer Division and also the 12th SS Panzer

1:05.7

Division to counterattack, perhaps on the first day, capturing the Orne Bridge and holding onto it until they were

1:12.5

relieved by commandos, led by Lord Lovett, marching in from the sea. It is exciting, romantic,

1:19.6

and extremely, extremely dangerous. Casualies are piling up. They do are successful at the bridge,

1:26.5

and that's just the first episode of

1:28.2

Sword Beach Landing. There were also paratroops coming down, British paratroops coming

1:33.3

down all across the landscape, landing everywhere, because the ability to fly and hold a course

1:40.9

in that kind of gunfire, and with those conditions proved impossible.

1:46.5

And then we moved to the beach landings and the challenge getting off the beach,

1:51.3

dealing with the destroyed tanks, the ones that were successful getting onshore and ones not.

1:57.2

Anyway, it's the first of two hours of conversation with Sir Max Hastings. I'm especially keen on

2:03.1

on Sir Max's way of telling a story. For example, about Montgomery. He falls into a Churchillian

2:11.3

accent to explain Churchill's very low opinion of Montgomery as a man and very high opinion of Montgomery as a military commander.

2:21.0

Many thought the same.

2:22.8

Also tonight conversation about proliferation

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from John Batchelor, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of John Batchelor and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.