5D Chess & Insidious Fear

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand
Episode: 5D Chess & Insidious Fear
Release Date: May 27, 2025
Host: Jack Armstrong & Katie Getty
Published by: iHeartPodcasts

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Overview

In the fifth episode of the Armstrong & Getty On Demand series, hosts Jack Armstrong and Katie Getty delve into a myriad of contemporary issues ranging from international conflicts to societal anxieties. Titled "5D Chess & Insidious Fear," the episode offers listeners a comprehensive analysis of geopolitical tensions, media narratives, and cultural phenomena, all woven together with personal anecdotes and sharp commentary.

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Memorial Day Reflections

Timestamp: [01:14] - [03:55]

The episode opens with personal reflections on Memorial Day. Katie shares a heartfelt story about her son participating in a Memorial Day tradition with the Boy Scouts, setting up flags at a local cemetery before the main ceremony. She remarks:

“It was really cool. And I was glad that he was participating in that and seeing what it was all about.” ([03:02])

Jack adds his own experience, visiting a historical fort to contemplate themes of war and peace:

“I hope everybody got a chance to do something meaningful or at least cast their thoughts in that direction.” ([03:36])

This segment underscores the hosts' respect for military sacrifices and the importance of remembrance.

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Trump Dominance in Media

Timestamp: [02:35] - [04:24]

A significant portion of the discussion highlights former President Donald Trump's overwhelming presence in news media. Katie observes the incessant Trump coverage:

“Fifteen different Trump stories. The first count, how many as you scan your favorite news sources, how many of the stories headline. The first word is Trump.” ([02:07])

Jack concurs, emphasizing the saturation of Trump-related news across various outlets:

“Trump declaring, Trump cracking back. Trump, whatever.” ([02:35])

The hosts express frustration over the repetitive nature of Trump stories, questioning the media's focus.

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Russia-Ukraine Conflict Escalation

Timestamp: [04:29] - [11:07]

Armstrong and Getty delve deep into the intensifying Russia-Ukraine war. They discuss Russia's largest drone and missile strike on Ukraine, highlighting the strategic implications:

“Russia carrying out its largest ever drone missile strike on Ukraine. We talked about that. With more than 350 explosive drones, at least nine cruise missiles raining over Kiev.” ([15:17])

Katie brings attention to Germany’s Chancellor's pivotal announcement lifting range restrictions on arms supplied to Ukraine:

“He announced that for NATO, including the United States. He said no more restrictions on NATO supplied arms. You can fire as far into Russia as you can with these weapons, which includes Moscow.” ([09:14])

Jack reflects on President Trump's unclear stance and potential impact on the conflict:

“Where is Trump?” ([11:07])

Their conversation explores the potential turning points in the conflict, including the possibility of escalated weapon capabilities against Moscow and the uncertain role of Trump in mediating or influencing outcomes.

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Crypto-Related Crime Surge

Timestamp: [16:19] - [18:05]

The hosts shift focus to cybercrime, specifically targeting cryptocurrency users. They discuss a recent incident involving a crypto investor charged with kidnapping and torturing an individual to access his Bitcoin wallet:

“A crypto investor with a ton of money was charged in Manhattan over the weekend with kidnapping and torturing a man in a bid to access his bitcoin wallet.” ([16:19])

Katie ponders the unique vulnerabilities of crypto assets:

“Is the crypto thing make it more likely that that happens?” ([16:44])

Jack explains the appeal of cryptocurrencies for criminals due to their rapid accessibility and untraceable nature:

“It's extremely attractive. And you're seeing more and more of that as we were discussing last week.” ([17:26])

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Media and Cultural Critiques

Timestamp: [18:27] - [31:37]

Netflix's "Adolescence" and Scott Pelley's Speech

Katie introduces a discussion about a controversial Netflix show, "Adolescence," and its reception among audiences:

“A toxic online content is poisoning boys minds. Congress must respond to this show's getting a ton of attention.” ([18:05])

Jack critiques Scott Pelley's commencement speech on 60 Minutes, labeling it as fear-mongering:

“Freedom of speech is under attack. An insidious fear is reaching throughout our schools, our businesses, our homes and into our private thoughts.” ([27:52])

The hosts debate the authenticity and impact of Pelley's message, questioning the prevalence of fear and its roots in media narratives.

Gavin Newsom's Confrontation in Turlock

Katie recounts Gavin Newsom's public dispute with Turlock, California's mayor over homelessness funding:

“Thanks to your show, I've reconnected with a few people from my past. I appreciate what you two do. We appreciate what you do, Amy.” ([39:52])

Jack emphasizes the positive response from the mayor, highlighting local governance challenges.

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Cultural Events and Anecdotes

Timestamp: [37:04] - [43:12]

Cheese Rolling Contest in England

Katie shares her amusement over England's cheese rolling contest, highlighting the physical risks participants undertake:

“Guy who's won back to back years, Holy crap. Does he sacrifice his body for that?” ([37:04])

Jack comments on the extreme nature of the event, noting the physical toll on participants.

Chicken vs. Burger Consumption Trends

The hosts discuss a fascinating statistic from the Atlantic regarding changing food preferences:

“In the last five years, chicken sandwich consumption increased by 20% while burger consumption dropped by 3%.” ([42:12])

Katie humorously relates it to her own experience at KFC, pointing out inflation's impact on food prices.

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Economic and Political Commentary

Timestamp: [35:10] - [41:56]

Jack and Katie engage in a robust discussion about the national debt and deficit issues, critiquing the Democratic Party's approach:

“Our country will never address our debt and Deficit problems. Until the left is willing to legitimately participate and lead the way, only the left can go to fiscal sanity.” ([39:54])

Katie underscores the challenges in achieving fiscal responsibility, highlighting past Republican efforts and Democratic obstacles.

Jack draws historical parallels, referencing the GOP's previous stances on Social Security and contemporary issues like Medicare:

“Any effort by Trump and the GOP to cut the waste, fraud and abuse being met with louder voices about how healthcare is going to be taken away from millions of poor Americans.” ([40:54])

Their conversation sheds light on bipartisan struggles to manage economic policies effectively.

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Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts

Timestamp: [43:12] - [44:12]

The episode concludes with whimsical banter about the cheese rolling contest and a light-hearted exchange about chicken sandwiches. Jack shares a motivational quote emphasizing perseverance:

“The nature and I had a great conversation with a friend about this just yesterday. The nature of success and failure and perseverance.” ([37:21])

Katie adds her own perspective on teaching resilience to her children, further enriching the episode's blend of serious and personal topics.

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Notable Quotes

• Katie Getty: “I hate grilling, as I've said many times. I absolutely freaking hate it.” ([05:30])

• Jack Armstrong: “I was just reading about how a really interesting perspective on and we're talking about the Israel, Hamas thing here. The experts and historians cited by the NPR's of the world over and over again. Historians or experts, on the other hand, dispute Israel's characterization of the tunnels they went through.” ([04:29])

• Katie Getty: “Power can rewrite history with grotesque false narratives. They can make criminals heroes and heroes criminals.” ([24:16])

• Jack Armstrong: “Putin is an evil genius.” ([10:10])

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Conclusion

In "5D Chess & Insidious Fear," Armstrong and Getty provide an insightful exploration of current events, blending geopolitical analysis with cultural observations. Their candid discussions on media influence, international conflicts, and societal fears offer listeners a nuanced understanding of the complexities shaping today's world. Through a mix of personal stories and sharp critique, the hosts engage their audience in meaningful discourse, making the episode both informative and relatable.

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Note: This summary excludes advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections as per the podcast hosts' guidelines.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Joe Getty]

This podcast is supported by Talkspace.

[Military Spouse]

When my husband came home from his military deployment, readjusting was hard for all of us. Thankfully, I found Talkspace.

[Joe Getty]

Talkspace provides professional support from licensed therapists and psychiatric providers online. Military members, veterans and their dependents ages 13 and older can get fast access to providers, all from the privacy of their computers or smartphones.

[Military Spouse]

I just answered a few questions online and Talkspace matched me with a therapist. We meet when it's convenient for me and I can message her anytime. It was so easy to set up and they accept Tricare. Therapy was going so well, my husband and I started seeing a couple's therapist through Talkspace too.

[Joe Getty]

Talkspace works with most major insurers, including Tricare. Match with a licensed therapist [e-mail] military go to talkspace.com military to get started today. That's talkspace.com military.

[Jack Armstrong]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln radio studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Bob Pittman]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

And now here is Armstrong and get.

[Katie]

Ready live from Studio C. Si seor. We're in a dimly lit room deep within the bowels of the Armstrong and Getty Communications compound after Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer. So time to ramp it down. Time to go through the motions. Time to go into summer mode. Time to just, you know, kind of just pretend to be here, at least for the rest of the summer. Today, today we are under the tutelage of our general manager.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know, I was going to go with America's war dead day after Memorial Day. Must tip our cap to the true meaning of the holiday weekend. But then, of course, our true general manager after that is Trump. Trump, always Trump. Fifteen different Trump stories. The first count, how many as you scan your favorite news sources, how many of the stories headline. The first word is Trump. Trump declares Trump cracks back. Trump, whatever.

[Katie]

I know. I was listening to NPR and they said King Charles is going to Canada today to open a session of Parliament. The first time the king of England has done that in decades. What message does that send to Donald Trump? We'll be discussing later. Okay, so it's got to obviously be about Trump. Couldn't possibly be about anything else. Anyway, that's just the life, the world.

[Jack Armstrong]

We live in Canada. We're not annexing you.

[Katie]

Okay?

[Jack Armstrong]

It's gonna be fine.

[Katie]

And it's summertime now. Since you did, since you mentioned the war dead situation, my son who is in Boy Scouts, they did a cool thing yesterday where he, he and his troop Got to the local cemetery early and put up all the little flags before the big ceremony started with the band and the singing and everything like that, which I, beautiful to my shame, had never been to before, even though I've lived in that town for 20 years, 25 years, I'd never been to the big Memorial Day celebration they have in the morning at the cemetery. And it was really cool. And I was glad that he was participating in that and seeing what it was all about.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that's great. Good for you. I hope everybody got a chance to do something meaningful or at least cast their thoughts in that direction. As I was tweeting and sending around pics to the crew, Judy and I went to a historical site, a fort, to, to think about war and peace and freedom and that sort of thing. It was absolutely fabulous. More on that to come.

[Katie]

Awesome. The big story on NPR is I was listening on the way in just because it gets me angry. So I listen to npr, gets me angry, gets my blood flowing, gets my heart pumping, and I'm ready to work.

[Jack Armstrong]

So in spite of that whole summer slacking off speech you gave, so you're still, you know, you got your, you're, you're in the game.

[Katie]

But their, their lead story is they're suing the Trump administration. They just announced that because Trump's trying to take away their funding and they're suing over some sort of. He can't do that. Only Congress can. Which I think they're probably right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Fair enough.

[Katie]

And on that, but anywho. So that got me going.

[Jack Armstrong]

Utterly shameless. That reminds me everything reminds me of something. Was just reading about how a really interesting perspective on and we're talking about the Israel, Hamas thing here. The experts and historians cited by the NPR's of the world over and over again. Historians or experts, on the other hand, dispute Israel's characterization of the tunnels they went through. Some of these experts and who they are and how many times they're quoted by various news sources. And these people are cranks, but they are royalty on npr.

[Katie]

Right. I've got one of those kind of stories coming up a little bit later, too. I grilled last night, a Memorial Day tradition in my family. Just remember when I think about Memorial Day as a kid, my dad always grilled. I hate grilling, as I've said many times. I absolutely freaking hate it. It makes me so angry. I'm bad at it. I don't want to be good at it. So don't miss send me any tips. I don't want to Be good at it. I want to do it. I don't ever want to grill again. I hate it.

[Jack Armstrong]

What are you, like, transgender or something, man?

[Katie]

I know. It is. It is the least manly aspect of my entire being that I hate grilling as much as I do. Oh. The problem is I never get the fire hot enough. I can always lay my hand on the grill. That's how not hot it is. And it'll take you a week to cook your steaks. And we got these because we. We do ads for Omaha steaks. So we got these fantastic Omaha steaks. I mean, just like the greatest quality steaks you can possibly get. Got filet mignon on there. I got tenderloin on there. I got all kinds of great stuff on there. Not chicken. I don't eat chicken. Give that to my neighbors or something. Maybe you like chicken. But anyway, wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

But, yeah, no, it's great chicken. We've. We've cooked chicken. Oh, man, I'm sure it's fantastic.

[Katie]

I just don't eat chicken.

[Jack Armstrong]

Barbecue chicken sandwiches. You got your chicken, you got your cheese, you got your bacon. A nice pumpernickel bread or something. A little barbecue sauce. I'm telling you.

[Katie]

Maybe if it came pre grilled, because I hate grilling.

[Jack Armstrong]

But so.

[Katie]

But the point was, my son, the boy Scout, is starting to take over the grilling. He did most of it. He got it started and everything like that. So if he can do that, I tell. I told him, I said, man, he's 13. I said, man, you take over this, I'm going to be so happy if this becomes your thing. And he watches all these YouTube videos. He's got all these shows he watched. No, you got to do this.

[Jack Armstrong]

Go ahead.

[Katie]

You be in charge. Perfectly fine.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Katie]

Knock yourself out. Enjoy it. Make this your thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow, that's great.

[Katie]

I know.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's super.

[Katie]

I know. I'm very excited about that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. You know what? Speaking of food and barbecue and that sort of thing, we did the classic. We had friends over, and we had burgers and hot dogs on the grill from Omaha Steaks.

[Katie]

Actually, a burger on the grill, especially those burgers is so good.

[Jack Armstrong]

They're so great. And, you know, I go back to my principle. There have been times I've knocked myself out trying to prepare an incredible meal, you know, with the basting and the marinade, and then the. The. The. The. You know, whatever, you slap it on. On the grill and you smoke it for nine hours and blah, blah, blah, by the end of it, you're physically and mentally exhausted. And, you know, it's, it's really good. Or you could have burgers and dogs on the grill and, and have, like, the highest level of deliciousness known to man. And it's practically effortless for normal men who can grill anyway or have sun.

[Katie]

Skin or want to. That's my thing. I don't want to. That's. That's the really missing element here is I have no desire to write.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sure.

[Katie]

But so my son does. So that's fantastic. Before we get to the opening clip. Well, maybe we should play the opening clip and that'll start the conversation because we might be at a real turning point in this whole Ukraine, Russia thing. Let's start the show officially before we get in trouble with the FCC and get our funding yanked. I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty on this. It is a Tuesday, May 27, year 2025, where Armstrong and getting. We approve of this program.

[Jack Armstrong]

Let's begin then, officially, according to FCC rules and regulations, the show starts at. Mark.

[Katie]

I'm not happy with what Putin's doing. He's killing a lot of people.

[Jack Armstrong]

And I don't know what the hell happened to Putin. I've known him a long time, always gotten along with him. But he's sending rockets into cities and killing people. We're in the middle of talking, and he's shooting rockets into Kiev and other cities.

[Katie]

I don't like it at all. Biggest attack by Russia on Ukraine since the war began. I know. I've said that several times in the last several weeks. That's because they keep increasing their attacks to outdo the one before. I'm not exactly sure what the strategy is there from Putin, but you heard what Trump said there. And then the new chancellor of Germany yesterday announced no restrictions. Restrictions are off on Ukraine. He announced that for NATO, including the United States. He said no more restrictions on NATO supplied arms. You can fire as far into Russia as you can with these weapons, which includes Moscow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Wow. All right. That's big.

[Katie]

Yes, it is big.

[Jack Armstrong]

On the Trump clip, five to 12 dimensional chess. Or had he actually flattered himself that he and Putin had a relationship? And, and, and I mean, that line about what happened to Putin, nothing. He's one of the most consistent human beings I've ever observed. What is up with Trump?

[Katie]

Well, George Bush made the same mistake. So did Barack Obama. Sending Hillary Clinton there with the reset button. Oh, it's just the evil Bush administration. You're a nice guy. We can reset relationships. I don't, I don't know why These people don't understand what he is, but maybe Trump does now, and what that means, I don't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, and that's one of Putin's greatest skills, too, is to flatter you into thinking that you're buds and, oh, finally, finally a real leader, a leader I can talk to, one who understands the world. He's a genius at that. Putin is an evil genius.

[Katie]

Well, what's his. Firing on civilians all weekend long in Ukraine and blowing up buses and schools and actual hospitals, not fake Hamas hospitals and everything else. What's he. What's his game?

[Jack Armstrong]

Demoralize the Ukrainians, I guess. Although, as a couple of different wars have shown us, in particular World War II, this sort of bombing of civilian populations does not reduce their resolve. It increases it. It hardens it. Whether it was the battle of Britain and the blitz in London or the bombing of Dresden, the German people got more resolute because of that, we found out. So where this goes, nobody knows.

[Katie]

Germany's missiles that they've been supplying Ukraine travel over 300 miles, which is well beyond Moscow. And as I said, he announced yesterday, no more limitations on where you can shoot those things, and they're going to send a whole bunch more of them. So this could be a major turning point in this, this conflict.

[Jack Armstrong]

Where is Trump?

[Katie]

That's. Well, I don't forget which analyst I was reading yesterday, the balls in Trump's court. It absolutely is. Is he going to say, which they hinted at last week, that's it. You guys don't want peace, I'm out, no more, and we back off and just get out of it. Which would be a win for Russia.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or huge win for Russia, or does.

[Katie]

He take this personally, which I'm hoping he does personally, because that's the angle I'm coming from. I hope he takes it personally that Russia is treating him like a punk. Putin, specifically, is treating him like a punk.

[Jack Armstrong]

I find it kind of scary that he's got to, quote, unquote, take it personally, but I think you're 100% right.

[Katie]

We'll see.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is no way to run America's foreign policy.

[Katie]

But, yeah, so we got some headlines on the way. We got some mailbag. We got some other news of the day, and there's lots of it because we are off for four entire days.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes.

[Katie]

And it was fantastic, glorious and mostly parented, which is fine. Yeah, that's what I signed up for. But relax. I wouldn't call it relaxing, but it was. It was satisfying. There you go. Satisfying. It was a very Satisfying weekend. That's what I'll go with.

[Jack Armstrong]

Had purpose, right?

[Katie]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

The secret to a happy life.

[Katie]

Exactly. Laid my head down on the pillow at night, feeling like I'd done what I was supposed to do. Which is.

[Jack Armstrong]

I, on the other hand. Which is what? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt there.

[Katie]

Which is a good thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right. Absolutely. And I, with my frivolous golf and food and cocktails and cards with friends, it was just terrible. Just unsatisfied.

[Katie]

I did zero with those things. So we got a lot of the way in. Our text line if you want to join in anytime, is 415295KFTC.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Bob Pittman]

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[Bobby Bones]

Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. On this week's episode of Math and Magic, I'm sitting down with the one.

[Jack Armstrong]

And only Bobby Bones.

[Bobby Bones]

We're exploring the power of audio.

[Unknown]

The word on the street then was he's too country for pop. But then once I got to country, it was he's too pop for country. So I kind of never really had a place to fit in. But that's exactly how and why I fit. I just embraced that. Like, yeah, I don't fit into one specific hole. I think that is what endeared me to listeners. That's why I'm here now, because I talk to people that grew up like me, have sensibilities like me, and have loyalties like me.

[Bobby Bones]

Listen to math and magic stories from the frontiers of Marketing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Katie]

So, Katie, Katie, the news lady is off for a couple of days. I forget what it is she's doing, or maybe it's a secret, I don't know, but she is.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, just say she's off for then. Don't mumble. Weird. But no.

[Katie]

Something untoward is happening. That is what I'm doing. I'm suggesting something or untoward is happening. So Joe and I are just gonna hit you with a bunch of headlines. Different sources, Mine over or from the last four days. Because there are things I want to talk about that have happened over the last four days, including gonna start with a stupid one. Ex flight attendant caught smuggling hundred pounds of a deadly new drug. So this is the hot new drug that's made from human bones.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, stop it.

[Katie]

Called Kush. So if your kids are talking about being on the kush, you're getting some kush. That's what they're talking about. The hot new drug made from human bones.

[Jack Armstrong]

What?

[Katie]

More on that later.

[Jack Armstrong]

My favorite stupid headline. Harvard Professor. I'm sorry, Harvard fires professor for fabricating research on dishonesty. She studied dishonesty dishonestly and got fired for it.

[Katie]

That's pretty funny.

[Jack Armstrong]

What do you expect? All right, so headlines. You got Russia carrying out its largest ever drone missile strike on Ukraine. We talked about that. With more than 350 explosive drones, at least nine cruise missiles reigning over Kiev.

[Katie]

Yeah, and I already mentioned this, but just to give you the quote from the new German chancellor over the weekend. There are no longer any rage restrictions, range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine. Not from the British, not from the French, not from us, and not from the Americans either. He says. I don't know if he gets to speak for us or if he already worked that out, but that's what he said.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is so interesting going on in the White House behind the scenes. We will get more heavily into this story later, but it is amazing, horrifying. A crypto investor. This is a guy with a ton of money, was charged in Manhattan over the weekend with kidnapping and torturing a man in a bid to access his bitcoin wallet. He was, over the course of several weeks, he was held in a luxury townhouse where he was beaten, electrocuted, and forced to take drugs and dangled over a high stairway at one point.

[Katie]

And so why is this any different than, like, kidnapping any other rich dude? And like saying, give me your money or I'm gonna pluck your eyes out or whatever. Is the crypto thing make it more likely that that happens?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, 100%. Because it's so quickly accessible and then untraceable. You transfer it, you've got those little digits and there's not a paper trail like a bank.

[Katie]

So you wouldn't be getting a diamond or a painting or cash that you can obviously trace.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Or, you know, I think, yeah, now that I think about it, because my wife generally handles this sort of thing. But, I mean, if you broke into my house and held a gun to my head and said, I want your entire net worth, I'd be like, it's gonna take at least two weeks. I got all sorts of codes to enter and clearances. Then I gotta call somebody. Then they're gonna email me.

[Katie]

If you know how to access for you.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, no kidding. Spell it out for me. But with Bitcoin, I typed in the numbers. You have all of my money. So anyway, it's extremely attractive. And you're seeing more and more of that as we were discussing last week.

[Katie]

This headline will lead to a conversation later. We have not talked about this at length. It's about the television show, the Netflix show Adolescence. And the headline from the Hill is, Toxic Online content is poisoning boys minds. Congress must respond to this show's getting a ton of attention. I gotta watch it as a parent of a couple of boys. And I'll tell you how people are reacting to it coming up. It's something.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Okay. I'll be interested to hear this because my first exposure to the show and the commentary on it was saying that a lot of the criticism was coming from the left in a way that I found not compelling.

[Katie]

Gotcha.

[Jack Armstrong]

But I don't know, I haven't seen it. And then this. I've got to admit, I've been confused, perplexed, as other folks have, that Trump seems to be harder on our allies than our adversaries at times in terms of trade agreements. But I read a great account of. Well, let me hit you with the headline. Trump delayed his unexpected threat to impose a 50% tariff on the European Union, pushing this decision back by a month after announcing it Friday. And so the stock market went back up again, blah, blah, blah. So we're not gonna hammer Europe with tariffs. But I read an explanation of it. It is so frustrating dealing with the EU because, and if you're old enough to remember this, this was the criticism from the start. It's kind of a unit, the eu. It's kind of one thing, but it's actually a bunch of different countries with a bunch of different priorities and languages. And some of them don't like each other very much. And so you're trying to negotiate, quote unquote, with the eu, but their negotiators always have to say, well, I gotta go back, because Germany and France don't agree on this, so I'll get back to you. And negotiating with them is just, it's, it's incredibly frustrating.

[Katie]

Another headline we have to get to. Not important, but very fun. If you have a marriage where your wife physically shoves you around, don't have it caught on video. Why was French President Macron shoved in the face by his wife before they got off on the plane yesterday? Love that story. And we'll get to that, among other things on the way.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty. This podcast is supported by Talkspace.

[Military Spouse]

When my husband came home from his military deployment, readjusting was hard for all of us. Thankfully, I found Talkspace.

[Joe Getty]

Talkspace provides professional support from licensed therapists and psychiatric providers online. Military members, veterans and their dependents ages 13 and older can get fast access to providers, all from the privacy of their computers or smartphones.

[Military Spouse]

I just answered a few questions online, and Talkspace matched me with a therapist. We meet when it's convenient for me and I can message her anytime. It was so easy to set up and they accept Tricare. Therapy was going so well, my husband and I started seeing a couples therapist through Talkspace, too.

[Joe Getty]

Talkspace works with most major insurers, including Tricare. Match with a licensed therapist [e-mail] military go to talkspace.com military to get started today. That's talkspace.com military.

[Bobby Bones]

Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. On this week's episode of Math and Magic, I'm sitting down with the one.

[Jack Armstrong]

And only Bobby Bones.

[Bobby Bones]

We're exploring the power of audio.

[Unknown]

The word on the street then was, he's too country for pop. But then once I got to country, it was, he's too pop for country. So I kind of never really had a place to fit in. But that's exactly how and why I fit. I just embraced that. Like, yeah, I don't fit into one specific hole. I think that is what endeared me to listeners. That's why I'm here now, because I talk to people that grew up like me, have sensibilities I like me, and have loyalties like me.

[Bobby Bones]

Listen to math and magic stories from the frontiers of Marketing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

[Katie]

We do have a lot to catch up on after being off for four self indulgent days. Including where we are on the Big Beautiful Bill. Including on where we are in the Big Beautiful cover up. As that continues to be a story of hiding Joe Biden throughout his presidency and the Jake Tapper book and all that sort of stuff. There are some new wrinkles there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Funny, mediocre minds think alike. I have been surprised and gratified at the continued energy around that story. People are not content to let it lie and forget about it. Because I think the more you hear, the more you realize, wait a minute, we have a serious sickness in our system, our media specifically.

[Katie]

Anyway, so it's graduation season and particularly around colleges. It's the time of the year where self important liberals get invited to major universities to give speeches and then the media covers them like a news event because they're saying the sort of thing that most of the media agrees with. That's what happened.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well described.

[Katie]

There are, you know, people who lean right, that go to colleges that lean right. The few that are, but they never get any news coverage, so you don't hear about them.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Katie]

Including the President for instance. But here, Joe mentioned this last week. I've, I've seen this starting to burble up and get more attention. Where was, which university was he speaking at?

[Jack Armstrong]

Wake Forest.

[Katie]

Wake Forest in South Carolina.

[Jack Armstrong]

North Carolina?

[Katie]

I thought Wake Forest was South Carolina.

[Jack Armstrong]

And not unless it's moved.

[Katie]

Okay. It doesn't really matter. It's, you know, it's, it's your, your, it's your major figure of the left giving a lefty speech. But he went over the top. And one of the reasons it's so remarkable is he's on one of the most important news programs in the world, 60 Minutes, which allegedly is trying to be, you know, a nonpartisan, hit it down the middle sort of coverage, or.

[Jack Armstrong]

At the very least, fair. Just be fair.

[Katie]

And a guy with this point of view can't be doing that. This is Scott Pelley speaking to college graduates. Power can rewrite history with grotesque false narratives. They can make criminals heroes and heroes criminals. Power can change the definition of the words we use to describe reality. Diversity is now described as illegal. Equity is to be shunned. Inclusion is a dirty word. This is an old playbook, my friends. There's nothing new in this.

[Jack Armstrong]

We have another clip that I'm tempted to play. It's all about the Fear, be very afraid. We're all in grave danger. Goes on and on. But that one really caught my ear, because he claimed that the center and the right are trying to change the definitions of words or say that they're no longer acceptable. Diversity, equity, inclusion, which we all know exactly what they mean, and we all know they're wonderful. Those sickos on the right are trying to change what they mean, which is just unbelievable. Diversity, equity, and inclusion coming out of the mouths of a leftist mean nothing like you think they mean. It is a tool of capturing institutions.

[Katie]

Right. Man, the left is so good at this game, and they get to pull it off with the help of the compliant media. Media. It's like what I was listening to on NPR today. They were discussing how Trump is trying to change the way we teach history in America and all the things he's attacking. Well, you put it in there.

[Jack Armstrong]

What? Yeah, like, within the last 10 years.

[Katie]

What they teach in schools is not the same as what they taught in schools when I was a kid. You put stuff in there that a lot of us don't like. When Trump tries to take it out, that's not rewriting history. You rewrote history. He's trying to write it back to what it was before. 60 Minutes anchor Scott Pelly ripped for Angry unhinged commencement speech criticizing Trump. Now, that's the New York Post's headline on that. Their version of it. But Angry and unhinged is not far off. Um, he said that the. We should all be worried about the insidious fear that has infiltrated schools, businesses, and homes across the nation, leaving America in a state of peril. The country needs you. The country that has given you so much is calling you the class of 2025. Your country. Country needs you, and it needs you. Today, the morning, our sacred rule of law. This morning, our sacred rule of law is under attack. Journalism is under attack. Universities are under attack. Freedom of speech is under attack. An insidious fear is reaching throughout the schools and into our private thoughts.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, Boy, that is just absolutely classic. You spend all of your time and your career convincing people they need to be terrified when there's, like, two thirds of the country that's not at all. I mean, from mildly concerned to very interested. But, no, we're not being torn apart by insidious fear at all, Scott.

[Katie]

And the part right before that little clip about power that we just played you. The fear to speak in America, if our government is, in Lincoln's phrase, of the people, by the people, for the people, Then why are we afraid to speak?

[Jack Armstrong]

What the F. Are you talking about?

[Katie]

Don't know. I assume he's referencing that Columbia student that got snatched up on the campus.

[Jack Armstrong]

You were literally speaking about how you're afraid to speak. Do you see the irony there, Scott? Do I see the irony there?

[Katie]

Now, the New York Post says the speech was received with scattered, scant applause. That's the New York Post version. I don't know. I haven't actually listened. They might say that that might be true or it may be true, and it might be because everybody's barely paying attention and they just want to get out of there on a hot day. How long is this going to last? As opposed to not enjoying what he had to say. But that is just craziness. It is just craziness.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. I love the. It reminds me so much of when Comey briefed the president so then he could leak that the president has been briefed on this Steele dossier. Well, so Scott Pelly and his brethren preached being terrified and in fear all the time. And then he goes to the graduation ceremony and breathlessly reports, and everybody's really afraid. There's fear, insidious fear going on. Yeah. I wonder where that insidious fear came from. It's the roughly third of the country that listens to you and believes you're crap. Don't. Don't terrify them then report that they're terrified and act as if somebody else did it.

[Katie]

Well, and as he stands up in front of a bunch of university kids and said, now is the moment your nation is calling on you with all the fear to speak out. Yeah, the fear to speak out for the past quite a while has been from anybody to the right on any college campus because you'll be physically attacked and the university will do nothing about it. As long as you. As long as you speak progressive stuff, you're safe. You speak anything the other side, you're physically not safe. But you didn't care about that fear to speak out aspect, did you, Scott Pelly, you pompous ass?

[Jack Armstrong]

Not for a second did he worry about that. And just to double down on what you're saying. And it wasn't like the right half of. Of ideology that was afraid to speak out. It was the right 80%. Anything outside of the most radical leftism had to keep its mouth shut on college campuses. And now Scott Pelly's preaching that people are afraid to speak out. Yeah. Oh, my God, he is a piece of ass.

[Katie]

Freedom of speech is under attack. An insidious fear is reaching throughout our schools, our businesses, our homes and into our private thoughts.

[Jack Armstrong]

What are you talking about? Show of hands. Who's got insidious fear going in their business because they're afraid to speak or whatever. Now, maybe the tariffs have got you upset, I'll grant you that.

[Katie]

Well, I'll tell you what that is. I'll tell you what that's driving that is. He. He believes diversity, equity in quality. Inequality means diversity, equity and equality. That they mean those words. Inclusion mean those words and not what they've twisted them to mean. And it's. So that's what he's basing it on.

[Jack Armstrong]

So he is the useful idiot. He is the big, famous pompous, useful idiot who doesn't understand neo Marxism. He just. He thinks it's a moral argument.

[Katie]

Well, I'll move on from this because we don't need to belabor it forever. But do you think. Do you think he doesn't know that college campuses are not a safe space? I hate that term. For anybody to, you know, on the right. 80%, as you said.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right? Yeah. Yeah. I don't think he's a knowledgeable, insidious activist. I think he is a pompous, rich.

[Katie]

Famous idiot, probably with big guns and tight shirts. Your shirt shrank in the dryer or something. It's very tight.

[Jack Armstrong]

Very impressive for an older man. I'm very impressive for an older man. Yes, you pompous pos.

[Katie]

Oh, more right after this. Armstrong. And get it here for trust and will get security and peace of mind by making an estate plan now. And you're thinking, well, how much work is that? Or where I do it, there's a website you can go to and you can do it yourself. And if you need help, they'll help you. And it's not near as hard as you thought or near as expensive as you thought.

[Jack Armstrong]

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[Katie]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Problem, get 20 off your estate plan documents by visiting trustandwill.com Armstrong that's trustandwill.com Armstrong I mean you're already going to save a bunch of. By using the site. You get 20% off of that. Trustandwill.com Armstrong so I'm trying to read.

[Katie]

Up on this new drug made out of human bones called Kush. I like to be up on the hot new drug.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's no Jenkum. Hey Michael. Yeah, I was thinking the two might go together.

[Katie]

Jenkum is at least a 20 year old reference, is it not? What was Jenkum? Roughly?

[Jack Armstrong]

Broadly.

[Katie]

It was supposed to. Yeah, it was a drug.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Fermented poop.

[Katie]

He was going to use the term feces like a biologist or something. You on the other hand, use poop like you're a 4 year old and.

[Jack Armstrong]

It never existed and it was an Internet rumor and.

[Katie]

Oh, it didn't. It was never real. I think Kush is real grinding up human bones.

[Jack Armstrong]

Ground human bones. Why would you go to that much trouble for your drug? There are lots of drugs.

[Katie]

We'll watch the video later and break it down second by second. But what's your hot take on McCrone getting shoved in the face by his 90 year old wife?

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, he's a Frenchman. He probably had an affair right in front of her on the plane. She caught him bent over, stewardess or whatever and sorry, that was indelicate. And, and, and, and, and was giving him the beat down. That's what I assume.

[Katie]

What a funny video. If you haven't seen it. They land in the big presidential plane. Wherever they're landing, the door opens with just. The door opens with just the worst timing for him. The door opens with all the cameras to watch the French president walk down the stairs. Right when she shoves her hands into his face, pushing him backwards. Bad timing for him. Bad look for him.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, you know what? They're, they're a fiery long time power couple. They're sick of the stress and the travel and they were squabbling and she gave them a hand in the face. Caught by cameras. They said it was a joke. They were joking. They were playing. No way.

[Katie]

You don't play that game where, where Judy shoves you in the face.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, in front of people. If they're 20 somethings at like a Memorial Day barbecue and they're playing and everybody's had some beers and they're being silly. Okay, I could believe that. But a couple as old as they are about to get off a plane. She's shoving them hard in the face. Now they're having A fight.

[Katie]

Well, when he was a 20 something, she was a 50 something. So they, they're, they're in different brackets there, so.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, so she's 90 year old woman, she doesn't play.

[Katie]

We've got a mailbag coming up, among other things. Stay here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

This podcast is supported by Talkspace.

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[Bobby Bones]

Hi, I'm Bob Pippman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. On this week's episode of Math and Magic, I'm sitting down with the one.

[Jack Armstrong]

And only Bobby Bones.

[Bobby Bones]

We're exploring the power of audio.

[Unknown]

The word on the street then was, he's too country for pop. But then once I got to country, it was, he's too pop for country. So I kind of never really had a place to fit in. But that's exactly how and why I fit. I just embraced that. Like, yeah, I don't fit into one specific hole. I think that is what endeared me to listeners. That's why I'm here now, because I talk to people that grew up like me, have sensibilities like me, and have loyalties like me.

[Bobby Bones]

Listen to math and magic stories from the frontiers of marketing on the iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcasts are wherever you get your podcast.

[Katie]

I just saw the video of the cheese rolling contest they had in England over the weekend. Guy who's won back to back years, Holy crap. Does he sacrifice his body for that? If you're willing to break all your bones and maybe die, you can win that competition. I mean, gravity is on your side.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, until you hit the ground. Every year when they show the quote unquote highlights of that, I am struck by the incredible violence of it.

[Katie]

Have you ever watched that Netflix video with the Girl who won several times. Oh, it's unbelievable.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh yeah, she's battered like she was.

[Katie]

The way her shoulder sticks up at a funny angle from the way she smashed it.

[Jack Armstrong]

She's chasing. Damn, you gotta want it. So here's your freedom loving quote of the day. I came across a couple that I love. They're of no particular theme, I just thought they were interesting. This one is as a baseball fan, Gene Mock, the great manager losing streaks are funny. If you lose at the beginning, you got off to a bad start. If you lose in the middle of the season, you're in a slump. If you lose at the end, you're choking. And you know, as a non baseball fan, I think you can still appreciate that that the nature and I had a great conversation with a friend about this just yesterday. The nature of success and failure and perseverance. I mean we ought to like that ought to be a third of everything we teach kids as youngsters. Perseverance, reading, writing, good manners and perseverance.

[Katie]

I'm teaching my kids. If you're struggling, figure out who is to blame for holding you back and focus on that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah.

[Katie]

Anyway, only white straight men.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Oh, definitely. Yes. We, we as a class of people are intent on holding you back. Just know that. Mailbag, Drop us a note. Mailbagarmstrongetti.com first of all, this is a bit of an aside, but last week we were talking about Gavi Newsom's tantrum against the beautiful town of Turlock, California, and how he was trying to scapegoat the mayor there for insisting that there be accountability for the zillions of dollars spent on quote unquote homeless problems, which is just handout for transient drug addicts. And the mayor, Amy Bublak, said, no, we're not gonna sign off on this. This is irresponsible. And so Gavin tried to turn her into a monster and him into this hero of trying to battle homelessness. Anyway, as a recap, well, her honor, the mayor herself writes, gentlemen, thank you for taking the time in your show to discuss Gavin's tantrum with our city. Turlock. Thanks to your show, I've reconnected with a few people from my past. I appreciate what you two do. We appreciate what you do, Amy. You've got some real guts, sweetheart.

[Katie]

I appreciate what we do also.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, well done. Moving along. The frequent correspondent, honorary co host of the show, at least during Mailbag, JT and Livermore, similar to how only Nixon could go to China, Our country will never address our debt and Deficit problems. Until the left is willing to legitimately participate and lead the way, only the left can go to fiscal sanity. The right sure as hell is, which we'll talk about more later. But the reason is simple. It's just too easy for the left to demagogue every effort by Republicans to rein in spending. For decades, Social Security was the third rail of politics. Remember, not too many years ago, the GOP threw in the towel and yelled vociferously and vehemently against accusations by the left that the GOP were going to cut entitlements. I remember that during the State of the Union, you drew great attention to that turning point in American history at the time. Yeah, Very perspective.

[Katie]

As Kevin McCarthy said. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. How dare you claim we're going to cut entitlements. Whoa.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. More recently, with Doge flagging billions of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse, the left took the side of waste, fraud and abuse. Any effort by Trump and the GOP to cut the waste, fraud and abuse being met with in Medicare louder voices about how healthcare is going to be taken away from millions of poor Americans. By contrast, when a Democrat was willing to reform welfare, it was done.

[Katie]

That is probably true. The Nixon China reference is Nixon because he had built decades of credibility as an anti communist. Could go to China and you didn't have to worry. Nobody had to worry that he was, you know, soft on communism. If the Democrats stood up and said, we are spending too much, that would get everybody's attention.

[Jack Armstrong]

Demagogging cuts to entitlements or even legitimate cuts to waste, fraud and abuse that nobody could defend is just too powerful, too easy and too effective for the right to overcome. We're going to talk about an excellent point.

[Katie]

Big, beautiful bill that's on its way to the Senate.

[Jack Armstrong]

Coming up a little bit later, the horrendous hateful horror.

[Katie]

Oh my God, there's the cheese. Rolling video again. How did that guy not break his neck? It's just luck. It's just luck. You can't land on your neck that many times.

[Jack Armstrong]

He's just paralyzed.

[Katie]

They carried him off. He's got the cheese in his hands, but he's. They carried him off.

[Jack Armstrong]

Normally, this might not make their grade, but this note from Dennis and Lincoln has to do with eating chicken, which we were just discussing. June issue of the Atlantic has very interesting article titled how the Chicken Sandwich Conquered America. I thought you would enjoy. For example, in the last five years, chicken sandwich consumption increased by 20% while burger consumption dropped by 3%.

[Katie]

No kidding.

[Jack Armstrong]

Didn't know more indicative. Over that same period, 2,800 fast food or fast casual spots devoted to check in opened. 1200 burger joints closed. Behold the humble chicken.

[Katie]

I was at Kentucky Fried Chicken on Saturday. Long story. Won't get into it. I didn't eat. My son ate. He ordered chicken tenders, water, no sides, $28.

[Jack Armstrong]

$28 a Kentucky Fried Chicken for the tenders.

[Katie]

I said, are you sure that's right? He said, yeah, it's expensive to eat here. The guy behind the counter says it was empty. Also Inflation Man, Inflation Armstrong, and Getty.

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[Jack Armstrong]

This is an I Heart podcast.