S8 Ep545: SHOW SCHEDULE 3-5-2016 1895 CARACAS

0:00Few things are as uplifting as the greatest moments in sports, and nothing brings us together quite like Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games. From NBC Universal's iconic storytelling to the innovative technology across Xfinity and Peacock, Comcast brings the Olympic Games home to America, sharing every moment with millions. When Team USA steps onto the world stage, we're not just watching, we're cheering together. This winter, we're all on the same team. Comcast, proud partner of Team USA. Good evening. The show begins tonight, a conversation with my good colleague, Anatole Leven, about the Middle East conflicts, many of them, and especially the Iran War. Does this give an opening for settling Ukraine as the question Anatole asks? Europe is now faced with an energy crisis that can go on for some years, certainly months. The cutoff of natural gas out of Qatar, the Gulf, the restrictions on natural gas that will

1:03follow from the one missile drone fired in Azerbaijan, warning, don't pump anymore gas to Europe or you were going to attack you. The energy fields in Saudi Arabia attacked by drones and then all the stack up of oil tankers in the Gulf and the insurance rates going so high nobody's paying them. All that leads to higher and higher prices, Brent Crude, West Texas as well, natural gas electricity. In other words, an energy catastrophe. And Russia has untapped resources and settling the war would be necessary to get to those resources, also lifting the sanctions on Russia. Ukraine has a deal in front of it. Is it time to settle? Can it be settled now that Russia has the advantage unknown? Mr. Putin made a statement in two Reuters in these last hours that he might have

2:06to stop shipping gas, natural gas, to Europe. By that he means Slovakia, Hungary, and Serbia, and some other customers. All of this is unclear where we're going except for the markets are reacting negatively. That's the opening story. Is there an opening to close Ukraine? Or does it get worse? John Yu comments on the war power's resolution of 1973 during the Vietnam War and whether it's relevant to 2026 in Congress asserting its authority that John Yu questions does it exist to interrupt the president's intention to continue bombing Iran until it surrenders, the government surrenders. We debate that matter pointing to how there was no similar turmoil in Congress during the Libya adventure of the first term of Barack Obama and Mrs. Clinton in the State Department. Then a conversation with my colleague Evan Ellis about the new world report

3:14we begin with Cuba is Diaz Canal ready to make a deal. He waits on the Castro family to bless whatever is offered to bring that island back from the horrors of these last decades out of energy, out of time, out of electricity, out of hope, out of food. Diaz Canal is not a decision-maker. I'm told the Castro's are also discussing Venezuela and the slow rolling, the slow walking that the Rodriguez is that's Chelsea the president and Jorge the head of the national assembly are doing they have not released over 500 political prisoners as they said they would. The emnesty law just passed is inadequate and correct and raises obstacles I'm told and so does the journal say that and so does Evan say that. The story in Caracom that's the Caribbean nations all meeting together China is everywhere in the Caribbean. Apparently the Biden administration

4:19the Trump administration first term and the Obama administration didn't notice much China buying its way into the Caribbean. Well, it's there and it's not a good actor. What is to be done? No answers yet. I mention. We also mention how Ecuador is under threat from Rocco terror everywhere and the US looks to be handling that or at least helping that. Rocco Rubio is Secretary of State has put a priority on cleaning up all of the Americas. Good. The book tonight the author tonight is the first hour of a two hour interview with Dennis C. Wall. A British public servant now retired writing books. It's about a man named George Downing who was an American Harvard graduate first class who became an agent for Charles the first and Cromwell. Charles the second,

5:22back and forth. It's quite fantastic story. This is the 17th century and the English Civil Wars. Downing had skills and one of them was he was flexible about who he worked for a spy an agent, a colorful political actor. He was also at the at the chair of Charles the second after the restoration whispering to him while maybe talking out loud when to be nice if we added New York to our New England colonies. Massachusetts Bay and the Connecticut colony. And the rest of the story is the English showed up and that was the end of the Dutch and that's in River Valley. Formerly they've been here ever since. Cromwell spy. George Downing.

6:22Conversation with my colleagues a panel on AI at war were told by several sources I read it in the economist that Claude at Anthropic is being used to simulate to target to a catalogue in the war and the liver which is part of the decision chain about targeting and running simulations of targeting. AI goes to war. How's it doing? First AI war I've ever known. Perhaps there's been something like this before but clearly Anthropic which I am now programming because it's that straightforward. You tell it what you want and it tells you whether it can or can't do it. It certainly speeds up my work on podcasting. I asked her to do something that wasn't ready to do because the websites that would have to go to it needs permission and that's not easy. But we'll line this all up. You write in plain English.

7:23Not plain English. You write in English and it's a dialogue. You don't need and then you watch it. You watch the algorithmic language. It's a coder. It translates your English into code to do and then it delivers what the product and asks you is exactly. It's fun. It's kind of more than fun. Where have you been Claude? Anyway, I debated with Claude recently. A Claude debt is the one I speak to. It's a French accent. Beautiful French accent and it's a female French accent. So I refuse to go along with the idea I'm Claude. No, you're not your Claude debt. Your brother is Claude. The final component is a shortened version, a very helpful version by Craig Unger of his book, The Den of Spies, about the 1980 campaign for Ronald Reagan's Presidency, which he was successful

8:29and made in President of the United States, defeating Jimmy Carter. Was there or was there not an October surprise? An arrangement between the Reagan campaign and elements of the Islamic Republic of Iran's revolution and the revolutionaries in Tehran. This is early days of the revolution. 79 and 80. Was there an arrangement? You don't release the hostages until after the election and we'll give you weapons. That is the argument that Craig Unger advances. He traveled to Tehran in 2014 and found some answers and some questions, always good questions. Perhaps now if there is a positive outcome to the Iran War, there'll be more information about what happened in 1980. Long time ago. Anyway, there's much more to the show. I hope you enjoy it.

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