SHOW SCHEDULE THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 5-15-26.
1900 MT LOWE IN LA COUNTY.F
Actor Spencer Pratt uses "guerrilla marketing" and viral Lego ads to challenge Mayor Karen Bass over homelessness and slow fire recovery, while Portland faces similar urban decay from expanding tent encampments and addiction. (1/16)
High-profile candidates like Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer navigate a crowded field to replace Gavin Newsom, while outsider Steve Hilton gains traction as voters express frustration with rising costs and failing infrastructure. (2/16)
Political rhetoric increasingly targets the Supreme Court's legitimacy, moving away from historic "comity" toward venomous attacks on nominees, as seen in the treatment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and recent term-limit legislative proposals. (3/16)
President Trump's visit to Beijing reveals a global landscape in "shambles," with China facing internal military and economic troubles while the U.S. struggles to project a consistent and strong foreign policy. (4/16)
Lancaster County exhibits a "K-shaped" economy where wealthy boomers continue spending despite high gasoline prices, while lower-income families struggle with inflation and a general slowdown in retail foot traffic and department stores. (5/16)
Rome celebrates its 2,779th birthday as the Ministry of Culture plans museum expansions to handle over-tourism, while the Italian Navy deploys a new, multi-purpose combat ship to the Indo-Pacific region. (6/16)
The upcoming Starship launch tests revolutionary Raptor 3 engines and heat shield tiles, as SpaceX explores new launch sites in Louisiana and negotiates with Google to place data centers in orbit. (7/16)
Probes Europa Clipper and Juice provide a 360-degree view of an interstellar comet, while the Curiosity rover accidentally uncovers unique "brain terrain" and fluted rock formations after a drilling mishap on Mars. (8/16)
Facing a total oil collapse, Cuba considers a U.S. aid offer for internet access while the state maintains Chinese listening stations and a tenuous military relationship with a distracted and entangled Russia. (9/16)
The Rodriguez regime leverages lifted sanctions to stabilize power while slow-walking democratic transitions, frustrating an opposition that remains sidelined as new oil money potentially strengthens the existing repressive and criminal state apparatus. (10/16)
Bolivian miners clash with police demanding President Paz's resignation, while Peru faces a high-stakes runoff between Keiko Fujimori and a leftist candidate, and Colombia grapples with worsening security under President Petro. (11/16)
Prime Minister Philip Davis secures a landslide victory in the Bahamas, while Argentina sees a significant drop in monthly inflation under Javier Milei, leading major investment houses to lower the country's risk. (12/16)
Prime Minister Mark Carney shifts toward increasing defense spending to 5%, acquiring sophisticated submarines to protect Arctic interests, and navigating "overwhelming contiguity" with the U.S. while maintaining a firm stance on Ukraine. (13/16)
Successful private sector figures joining the Trump administration struggle with the rigid rules of government, finding it far more difficult to cut spending or fire employees than in the private sector. (14/16)
Despite Javier Milei's free-market reforms, his decision not to dollarize leaves the peso unstable, creating investor skepticism about whether his policies will survive past the next election cycle against the Peronists. (15/16)
The proposed Golden Dome missile shield could cost $1.2 trillion, sparking debate over whether the U.S. should prioritize space-based interceptors or address the immediate, low-cost threat of locally launched drones. (16/16)
Note: corrected "gorilla marketing" → "guerrilla marketing" in 1/16.
Ireland