The John Batchelor Show

Gaius and Germanicus: Germanicus attributes these failures to a psychological myth of omnipotence that has "suckled" every post-Cold War president: George H.W. Bush dipping a toe into Somalia, Bill Clinton's cruise missile war on Serbia, Barack Obama's targeted killings, Donald Trump mesmerized by unlimited power despite "mature" advisers, and Joe Biden's "feckless adventure" in Ukraine, sputtering that the US was the "greatest nation with the biggest military of all time." The failed campaign to defeat Russia should have been the alarm bell; instead the establishment stayed blind, and the current president—driven by instant gratification and poll rises, as in the first-term Miami meeting with Xi Jinping where he launched cruise missiles at a Syrian airport while serving chocolate cake—has proven American power "evanescent," "brittle," and "superficial." The hosts then catalog the petty feuds with "subkings" that Rome would have discouraged: the aggressive feud with Canada and Mark Carney despite a century of shared history; threats to invade Greenland, prompting the Danes to enlarge their army; disparaging loyal South Korea while courting Kim Jong-un, a "fratricidal cretin" whose flattery Germanicus calls "creepy"; threatening to throw steadfast Oman "into the ocean"; and destroying the bridge built by Giorgia Meloni, the EU's effective "Trump whisperer." Rather than championing an end to Europe's migration crisis, the president has backed the Sultan of Morocco over Ceuta and Melilla, inciting one of the continent's worst flashpoints—conduct Germanicus reads not as dementia but as narcissism grown into "incipient and growing megalomania," in sharp contrast with the implicit rules of the "divine Augustus," whose disregarding heirs Caligula and Nero did not last long. (2)

Gaius and Germanicus: On a rainy late summer night in 92 AD Londinium, the hosts convene in their newly expanded wine bar by the River Thames, built so retired centurions of the eighth legion—such as Strabo, who served twenty-seven years—can rest and put their feet up. Gaius apologizes for his tardiness, delayed by a commercial dispute with a Gaulishmerchant demanding extra money for a shipment of Greek wine brought across the choppy English Channel; a poor bargainer, Gaius resolves to pay whatever it takes to secure the wine for the centurions by Sunday, and shares his day planting fragrant sumacs and tall purple-flowered ironweeds as pollinators. From this first-century frame, the hosts turn to the collapse of American strategy: the Persian Empire (modern Iran) no longer fears the American "imperator," as shown by Iran inviting Iraq—a country generously supported by the United States for years—to ship at least five backed-up tankers of oil through the Strait of Hormuzuntouched, and by Pakistani army chief General Munir's travel to Tehran to meet the IRGC. Russia and China are in constant communication with Iran; Germanicus traces Russia's interest to the nineteenth century, the 1908 spheres-of-influence division, and the 1942 invasion, arguing the American "feckless war" has stitched the Eurasian continent together and frozen the US out. Where the post-9/11 US "bestrode the Middle East like a colossus" and Iran sought breathing room through the JCPOA, now Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan court Tehran, the Gulf states seek accommodations in the new order, and the US has been reduced to nothing more than Israel's direct defender. (1)

Jeff Bliss, Wildfire Report #2: The wildfire threatening Reno, Nevada—a city near the California border heavily reliant on tourism and healthcare—has exploded to nearly 100,000 acres after strong afternoon winds breached a 97% containment line. Sparked initially by a motorcycle, the blaze has forced the mandatory evacuation of approximately 42,000 residents, with official estimates warning that up to 90,000 people may eventually need to flee. Heavy winds are fueling this early "dirty August" fire season by channeling oxygen into mountain draws and canyons amid extremely dry conditions. The massive displacement has prompted strict police instructions for residents to utilize regional drop-off centers for pets and livestock rather than standard human evacuation shelters, causing logistical challenges for local horse and cattle ranches. Firefighters continue to battle the unpredictable flames, emphasizing the critical importance of keeping roadways clear so emergency crews can safely navigate the fire zone and quickly escape shifting winds. (1)

Toby Wilkinson, Part Two: The Ptolemaic family's decline is driven by internal civil wars, incestuous marriages, and rising Roman influence. Highly ambitious queens like Cleopatra I and Cleopatra III emerge as central political forces. The narrative culminates with Cleopatra VII, who strategically allies with Julius Caesar, whose military forces accidentally burn down Alexandria's great library. Following Caesar's death, Cleopatra forms a powerful political and romantic union with Mark Antony. However, their coalition collapses after their defeat by Octavian at the Battle of Actium. Antony dies in her arms, and Cleopatra commits suicide to avoid Roman captivity, ending the three-century-long Macedonian dynasty. (2)

Toby Wilkinson, author of The Last Dynasty: Ancient Egypt from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra, Part One: The narrative begins with Alexander the Great's conquest of Gaza and his subsequent journey to the Siwa Oasis, where the oracle of Zeus Ammon declared him a god. After Alexander's death, his general Ptolemy I established the Ptolemaicdynasty, wisely integrating Greek and native Egyptian traditions and inventing the unifying god Sarapis. Under Ptolemy II, the kingdom flourished economically by leveraging agricultural innovations in the Fayum to produce valuable grain, alongside gold mining in the eastern deserts. This wealth funded the construction of the Pharos Lighthouse, the great Library of Alexandria organized by Zenodotus, and a powerful mercenary army. (1)

Josh Ireland, author of The Death of Trotsky: The True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin's Greatest Enemy, Part One: The narrative opens with the 1936 executions of original Bolsheviks Zinoviev and Kamenev under Stalin's orders. Ireland explores the contrasting lives and decades-long rivalry of Leon Trotsky (born Lev Bronstein) and Joseph Stalin (born Ioseb Jughashvili). While Trotsky was a brilliant, aristocratic orator who organized the 1905 revolution and commanded the Red Army in an armored train, Stalin was a quiet, meticulous bureaucrat who patiently built a vast network of political alliances. Following Lenin's death, Stalin systematically isolated Trotsky, eventually expelling him from the Politburo in 1927 and driving him into global exile, culminating in his arrival in Mexico. (1)

W. Fitzhugh Brundage, Part Two: The suspension of exchanges leads to massive prisoner concentrations. This is illustrated by a grueling transport to Andersonville, a Georgia camp built to relieve Richmond's strained supplies, and the Union's equally harsh sand spit camp at Point Lookout, Maryland. Conditions at Andersonville deteriorated catastrophically, with over 100 prisoners dying daily due to exposure, famine, and water supply contamination. Brundage highlights the experiences of Black captives like Isaac Gaskins, who were enslaved as forced Confederate laborers. After the war, camp commandant Henry Wirz was executed for war crimes, and Clara Barton helped identify 13,000 Union dead at Andersonville to establish a national cemetery. (2)

W. Fitzhugh Brundage, author of A Fate Worse Than Hell: American Prisoners of the Civil War, Part One: The narrative begins with the January 1863 capture of the Union gunboat Isaac Smith and three Black sailors. The Confederacy's refusal to exchange these Black captives, coupled with the Lincoln administration's retaliation, triggered the collapse of the systematic prisoner exchange system under the 1862 Dix-Hill Cartel. Consequently, both sides had to manage massive, long-term prison populations. The book examines the key military figures overseeing these networks: the Confederate martinet John Winder, who turned Richmond's tobacco warehouses like Libby Prison into harsh detention hubs, and the Union's budget-conscious bureaucrat William Hoffman. Finally, Brundage explains the Lieber Code's role in defining humane warfare, noting how its "military necessity" clause compromised prisoner treatment. (1)

Jeremy Zakis, Part Two: Zakis reports on springtime in New South Wales, beginning with magpie breeding and swooping season—the start of nesting and defensive "dive-bombing" behavior, contrasted with the birds' remarkable memory and facial recognition that allow them to remember friendly locals. He notes the arrival of docile currawongs peacefully sharing garden space and pet biscuits with local magpies and dogs. The conversation turns to protecting ecosystems amid housing demands: addressing Australia's housing shortage by re-zoning and building dense apartment blocks in existing suburbs rather than clearing native bushlands and koala habitats. Finally, Zakis examines the Ashescricket re-evaluation—how England's tactical victory over Pakistan under new captain Joe Root signals a return to conservative cricket, forcing Australia to rethink its youthful Ashes strategy. (2)