The John Batchelor Show

SHOW SCHEDULE 7-3-25 GOOD EVENING. The show begins in Vietnam, and the news that Trump advisers have reached a deal for a 20% tariff cap on goods into the US. 1920S VIETNAM CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR FIRST HOUR 9:00-9:15 Trade: Vietnam settles for 20% and why China protests. #ScalaReport: Chris Riegel CEO, Scala.com @stratacache. 9:15-9:30 Ohio: Ambition to be the new Texas for investors and high tech. #ScalaReport: Chris Riegel CEO, Scala.com @stratacache. 9:30-9:45 Oceania: PRC attacks with lawfare in the Solomons. Cleo Paskal, FDD. 9:45-10:00 Argentina: New court proceedings to prosecute Iran and Hezbollah agents in absentia. Mary Anastasia O'Grady. SECOND HOUR 10:00-10:15 Iran: Ayatollah still hiding. Mohsen Sazegara, Malcolm Hoenlein @conf_of_pres @mhoenlein1 10:15-10:30 PRC: Teaching Yiddish in Beijing. Meng Yang, Malcolm Hoenlein @conf_of_pres @mhoenlein1 10:30-10:45 Israel: PM Netanyahu to the White House. Malcolm Hoenlein @conf_of_pres @mhoenlein1 10:45-11:00 Cosmology: Discovering most early galaxies as little red dots. Ken Croswell, Science News. Galaxies THIRD HOUR 11:00-11:15 5/8: Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic by James Romm (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Plato-Tyrant-Greatest-Philosophic-Masterpiece/dp/1324093188/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 Plato is one of history's most influential thinkers, the "sublime philosopher" whose writings remain foundational to Western culture. He is known for the brilliant dialogues in which he depicted his teacher, Socrates, discussing ethical truths with prominent citizens of Athens. Yet the image we have of Plato—an ethereal figure far removed from society and politics, who conjured abstract ideas in peaceful groves—is a fiction, created by Plato's admirers and built up over centuries. In fact, Plato was very much a man of the world. In Plato and the Tyrant, acclaimed historian and classicist James Romm draws on personal letters of Plato—documents that have long been kept in obscurity—to show how a philosopher helped topple the leading Greek power of the era: the opulent city of Syracuse. There, Plato encountered two authoritarian rulers, a father and son both named Dionysius, and tried to steer them toward philosophy. At the same time, he worked on his masterpiece, Republic, in which he conceived a ruler who unites perfect wisdom with absolute power. That dream has echoed down through the ages and given rise to a famous term, one that Plato himself didn't actually use: philosopher-king. As Romm reveals, Plato's time in Syracuse helped shape Republic—and also had disastrous results for Plato himself and for all of Greek Sicily. The younger Dionysius, emotionally unstable but intellectually curious, welcomed Plato with open arms, but soon the relationship soured. Plato's close friendship with Dionysius's uncle, Dion—possibly a bond of romantic love—created a rift in the ruling family that led to a chaotic civil war. Combining thrilling political drama with explorations of Plato's most cherished ideas, Romm takes us into the heart of Greece's late classical age, a time when many believed that democracy had failed. Plato's search for solutions led him to write his fervent plea for a new political order, and also led him to a place where he believed his theories might be put into practice. But Plato and the Tyrant demonstrates how Plato's experiment with enlightened autocracy spiraled into catastrophe, and also gives us nothing less than a new account of the origins of Western political thought. 11:15-11:30 6/8: Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic by James Romm (Author) 11:30-11:45 7/8: Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic by James Romm (Author) 11:45-12:00 8/8: Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic by James Romm...

NASA: Senator Cruz wants more. Bob Zimmerman behindtheblack.com 1936

Interstellar: Found object from another system. Bob Zimmerman behindtheblack.com 1953

Ukraine: Will NATO follow through? Anatol Lieven 1849 BRUSSELS

Canada: Measuring the Trump White House first five months. Conrad Black. 1909

8/8: Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic by James Romm (Author) 1ST CE HERULANEUM PLATO'S ACADEMY https://www.amazon.com/Plato-Tyrant-Greatest-Philosophic-Masterpiece/dp/1324093188/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 Plato is one of history's most influential thinkers, the "sublime philosopher" whose writings remain foundational to Western culture. He is known for the brilliant dialogues in which he depicted his teacher, Socrates, discussing ethical truths with prominent citizens of Athens. Yet the image we have of Plato—an ethereal figure far removed from society and politics, who conjured abstract ideas in peaceful groves—is a fiction, created by Plato's admirers and built up over centuries. In fact, Plato was very much a man of the world. In Plato and the Tyrant, acclaimed historian and classicist James Romm draws on personal letters of Plato—documents that have long been kept in obscurity—to show how a philosopher helped topple the leading Greek power of the era: the opulent city of Syracuse. There, Plato encountered two authoritarian rulers, a father and son both named Dionysius, and tried to steer them toward philosophy. At the same time, he worked on his masterpiece, Republic, in which he conceived a ruler who unites perfect wisdom with absolute power. That dream has echoed down through the ages and given rise to a famous term, one that Plato himself didn't actually use: philosopher-king. As Romm reveals, Plato's time in Syracuse helped shape Republic—and also had disastrous results for Plato himself and for all of Greek Sicily. The younger Dionysius, emotionally unstable but intellectually curious, welcomed Plato with open arms, but soon the relationship soured. Plato's close friendship with Dionysius's uncle, Dion—possibly a bond of romantic love—created a rift in the ruling family that led to a chaotic civil war. Combining thrilling political drama with explorations of Plato's most cherished ideas, Romm takes us into the heart of Greece's late classical age, a time when many believed that democracy had failed. Plato's search for solutions led him to write his fervent plea for a new political order, and also led him to a place where he believed his theories might be put into practice. But Plato and the Tyrant demonstrates how Plato's experiment with enlightened autocracy spiraled into catastrophe, and also gives us nothing less than a new account of the origins of Western political thought.

7/8: Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic by James Romm (Author) 1898 PLATO'S ACADEMY https://www.amazon.com/Plato-Tyrant-Greatest-Philosophic-Masterpiece/dp/1324093188/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 Plato is one of history's most influential thinkers, the "sublime philosopher" whose writings remain foundational to Western culture. He is known for the brilliant dialogues in which he depicted his teacher, Socrates, discussing ethical truths with prominent citizens of Athens. Yet the image we have of Plato—an ethereal figure far removed from society and politics, who conjured abstract ideas in peaceful groves—is a fiction, created by Plato's admirers and built up over centuries. In fact, Plato was very much a man of the world. In Plato and the Tyrant, acclaimed historian and classicist James Romm draws on personal letters of Plato—documents that have long been kept in obscurity—to show how a philosopher helped topple the leading Greek power of the era: the opulent city of Syracuse. There, Plato encountered two authoritarian rulers, a father and son both named Dionysius, and tried to steer them toward philosophy. At the same time, he worked on his masterpiece, Republic, in which he conceived a ruler who unites perfect wisdom with absolute power. That dream has echoed down through the ages and given rise to a famous term, one that Plato himself didn't actually use: philosopher-king. As Romm reveals, Plato's time in Syracuse helped shape Republic—and also had disastrous results for Plato himself and for all of Greek Sicily. The younger Dionysius, emotionally unstable but intellectually curious, welcomed Plato with open arms, but soon the relationship soured. Plato's close friendship with Dionysius's uncle, Dion—possibly a bond of romantic love—created a rift in the ruling family that led to a chaotic civil war. Combining thrilling political drama with explorations of Plato's most cherished ideas, Romm takes us into the heart of Greece's late classical age, a time when many believed that democracy had failed. Plato's search for solutions led him to write his fervent plea for a new political order, and also led him to a place where he believed his theories might be put into practice. But Plato and the Tyrant demonstrates how Plato's experiment with enlightened autocracy spiraled into catastrophe, and also gives us nothing less than a new account of the origins of Western political thought.

6/8: Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic by James Romm (Author) 1869 PLATO'S ACADEMY https://www.amazon.com/Plato-Tyrant-Greatest-Philosophic-Masterpiece/dp/1324093188/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 Plato is one of history's most influential thinkers, the "sublime philosopher" whose writings remain foundational to Western culture. He is known for the brilliant dialogues in which he depicted his teacher, Socrates, discussing ethical truths with prominent citizens of Athens. Yet the image we have of Plato—an ethereal figure far removed from society and politics, who conjured abstract ideas in peaceful groves—is a fiction, created by Plato's admirers and built up over centuries. In fact, Plato was very much a man of the world. In Plato and the Tyrant, acclaimed historian and classicist James Romm draws on personal letters of Plato—documents that have long been kept in obscurity—to show how a philosopher helped topple the leading Greek power of the era: the opulent city of Syracuse. There, Plato encountered two authoritarian rulers, a father and son both named Dionysius, and tried to steer them toward philosophy. At the same time, he worked on his masterpiece, Republic, in which he conceived a ruler who unites perfect wisdom with absolute power. That dream has echoed down through the ages and given rise to a famous term, one that Plato himself didn't actually use: philosopher-king. As Romm reveals, Plato's time in Syracuse helped shape Republic—and also had disastrous results for Plato himself and for all of Greek Sicily. The younger Dionysius, emotionally unstable but intellectually curious, welcomed Plato with open arms, but soon the relationship soured. Plato's close friendship with Dionysius's uncle, Dion—possibly a bond of romantic love—created a rift in the ruling family that led to a chaotic civil war. Combining thrilling political drama with explorations of Plato's most cherished ideas, Romm takes us into the heart of Greece's late classical age, a time when many believed that democracy had failed. Plato's search for solutions led him to write his fervent plea for a new political order, and also led him to a place where he believed his theories might be put into practice. But Plato and the Tyrant demonstrates how Plato's experiment with enlightened autocracy spiraled into catastrophe, and also gives us nothing less than a new account of the origins of Western political thought.

5/8: Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic by James Romm (Author) 1787 DEATH OF SOCRATES https://www.amazon.com/Plato-Tyrant-Greatest-Philosophic-Masterpiece/dp/1324093188/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 Plato is one of history's most influential thinkers, the "sublime philosopher" whose writings remain foundational to Western culture. He is known for the brilliant dialogues in which he depicted his teacher, Socrates, discussing ethical truths with prominent citizens of Athens. Yet the image we have of Plato—an ethereal figure far removed from society and politics, who conjured abstract ideas in peaceful groves—is a fiction, created by Plato's admirers and built up over centuries. In fact, Plato was very much a man of the world. In Plato and the Tyrant, acclaimed historian and classicist James Romm draws on personal letters of Plato—documents that have long been kept in obscurity—to show how a philosopher helped topple the leading Greek power of the era: the opulent city of Syracuse. There, Plato encountered two authoritarian rulers, a father and son both named Dionysius, and tried to steer them toward philosophy. At the same time, he worked on his masterpiece, Republic, in which he conceived a ruler who unites perfect wisdom with absolute power. That dream has echoed down through the ages and given rise to a famous term, one that Plato himself didn't actually use: philosopher-king. As Romm reveals, Plato's time in Syracuse helped shape Republic—and also had disastrous results for Plato himself and for all of Greek Sicily. The younger Dionysius, emotionally unstable but intellectually curious, welcomed Plato with open arms, but soon the relationship soured. Plato's close friendship with Dionysius's uncle, Dion—possibly a bond of romantic love—created a rift in the ruling family that led to a chaotic civil war. Combining thrilling political drama with explorations of Plato's most cherished ideas, Romm takes us into the heart of Greece's late classical age, a time when many believed that democracy had failed. Plato's search for solutions led him to write his fervent plea for a new political order, and also led him to a place where he believed his theories might be put into practice. But Plato and the Tyrant demonstrates how Plato's experiment with enlightened autocracy spiraled into catastrophe, and also gives us nothing less than a new account of the origins of Western political thought.

Cosmology: Discovering most early galaxies as little red dots. Ken Croswell, Science News. Galaxies

Israel: PM Netanyahu to the White House. Malcolm Hoenlein @conf_of_pres @mhoenlein1 1904

Iran: Ayatollah still hiding. Mohsen Sazegara, Malcolm Hoenlein @conf_of_pres @mhoenlein1 1870

Argentina: New court proceedings to prosecute Iran and Hezbollah agents in absentia. Mary Anastasia O'Grady. 1939 ARGENTINA

Oceania: PRC attacks with lawfare in the Solomons. Cleo Paskal, FDD. 1944 SOLOMONS

Ohio: Ambition to be the new Texas for investors and high tech. #ScalaReport: Chris Riegel CEO, Scala.com @stratacache. 1935 HAMILTON COUNTY

Trade: Vietnam settles for 20% and why China protests. #ScalaReport: Chris Riegel CEO, Scala.com @stratacache. 1950 SAIGON

PREVIEW SUNSPOTS: Colleague Bob Zimmerman reminds that little is known and much less is understood of the 11 year trough to peak observed cycle of sunspots. More. 0CT0BER 1960

PREVIEW SOLOMON ISLANDS: Colleague Cleo Paskal of FDD frames the contest between the CCP agents seeking to dominate Oceania and Daniel Suidani of the Malaita Island part of the Solomon chain. More. 1943 SOLOMONS

PREVIEW COSMOLOGY: Colleague Ken Croswell explains how galaxies formed in the early universe and what this means for the discovery of little red dots by the Webb telescope. More

PREVIEW ARGENTINA: Colleague Mary O'Grady comments on what we know and do not know of the death of prosecutor Alberto Nisman in 2015. More.