Loading summary
Jack Armstrong
This is an iHeart podcast.
Joe Getty
Time for a sofa upgrade. Visit washablesofas.com and discover Annabe where designer style meets budget friendly prices. With sofas starting at $699, Annabe brings you the ultimate in furniture innovation with a modular design that allows you to rearrange your space effortlessly. Perfect for both small and large spaces, Anime is the only machine washable sofa inside and out. Say goodbye to stains and messes with liquid and stain resistant fabrics that cleaning easy liquid simply slides right off. Designed for custom comfort, our high resilience foam lets you choose between a sink in feel or a supportive memory foam blend. Plus our pet friendly stain resistant fabrics ensure your sofa stays beautiful for years. Don't compromise quality for price. Visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your living space today with no risk returns and a 30 day money back guarantee. Get up to 60% off plus free shipping and free returns. Shop now at washablesofas.com Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply. This message comes from Greenlight. Ready to start talking to your kids about financial literacy? Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app that teaches kids and teens how to earn, save, spend wisely and invest. With your guardrails in place with Greenlight, you can send money to kids quickly, set up chores, automate allowance and keep an eye on what your kids are spending with real time notifications. Join millions of parents and kids building healthy financial habits together on Greenlight. Get started risk free@greenlight.com iheart stop settling for weak sound.
Michael Telling
It's time to level up your game and bring the boom. Hit the town with The Ultra Durable LG XBoom Portable speaker and enjoy vibrant sound wherever you go. Elevate your listening experience to new heights because let's be real, your music deserves it. The future of sound is now with LG XBoom and for a limited time, save 25%@LG.com with code Fall25. Bring the boom X Boom There's a.
Cynthia Littleton
Lot going on in Hollywood. How are you supposed to stay on top of it all? Variety has the solution. Take 20 minutes out of your day and listen to the new daily Variety podcast for breaking entertainment news and expert perspectives.
Michael Telling
Where do you see the business actually heading?
Cynthia Littleton
Featuring the iconic journalists of Variety and hosted by co Editor in Chief Cynthia.
Michael Telling
Littleton, the only constant in Hollywood is change.
Cynthia Littleton
Open your free iHeartRadio app store, search Daily Variety and listen now.
Jacob Goldstein
This is Jacob Goldstein from what's yous Problem? When you buy business software from Lots of vendors. The costs add up and it gets complicated and confusing. Odoo solves this. It's a single company that sells a suite of enterprise apps that handles everything from accounting to inventory to sales. Odoo is all connected on a single platform in a simple and affordable way. You can save money without missing out on the features you need. Check out Odoo at o d o o.com that's o d o o.com.
Michael Telling
Broadcasting.
Jack Armstrong
Live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio studio.
Joe Getty
At the George Washington Broadcast Center. Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.
Michael Telling
Armstrong and Getty.
Jack Armstrong
And now.
Michael Telling
Here'S Armstrong and yeti. ICE detention facilities nationwide on high alert.
Joe Getty
After a sniper rained bullets from a rooftop on a van filled with detainees, killing one detainee and wounding two more in what authorities are calling an act of targeted violence against the agency.
Michael Telling
FBI Director Kash Patel revealed they found.
Joe Getty
These rounds of ammunition with writings on one of them reading anti ice. We've also spoken with friends, people that knew the suspect. They say he was more of a gamer and not interested in politics.
Jack Armstrong
The writing on the bullets seems to be a sick, twisted part of our new world. Just something you have to do.
Michael Telling
Oh, and my goodness. Yet another example of what we were talking about last hour. This is an angry, disaffected, youngish person who had no particular political philosophy for most of their lives, latching onto just one very recently and deciding to kill people, which is often a performative suicide, as experts say. Is it political violence? Yes. Is there a left wing political message to what he's doing? Yes, but it's a, it's a more complicated phenomenon than that.
Jack Armstrong
Was he actually trying to affect a political issue? I'm not sure.
Michael Telling
Or did he just want to be famous and end his own life?
Jack Armstrong
He wanted his suicide to mean something.
Michael Telling
Right? I think that that's the actual pathology we're dealing with a lot. How many times have you heard, I mean the, the, the murder of Charlie Kirk had absolutely developed a left wing angry philosophy.
Jack Armstrong
He also didn't kill himself. So he might be a different situation.
Michael Telling
Right? Yeah, I would agree. Yeah. I don't want to get hung up on that one in the similarities and differences. But they're. The pathology is not simply I'm angry about politics anyway, more on that to come. But back to the shooting up of ice and specifically the question of anti ice rhetoric. Michael, give us 31, 32, back to back.
Joe Getty
A lot of new disturbing details about the shooting outside of this ICE facility here. You know, officials all day yesterday after sharing more information said this is the direct result of anti ICE rhetoric. They said it only incites violence and really it has to stop because if it doesn't, more people are going to end up dead. President Trump reacting to this tragedy on Truth Social, saying in part, quote, I will be signing an executive order this week, week to dismantle these domestic terrorism networks. I am calling on all Democrats to stop this rhetoric against ICE and America's law enforcement right now.
Jack Armstrong
And we mentioned this poll earlier that's getting so much traction. Do you think the way people talk about politics is contributing to violence? 82% say yes and the other ones are wrong.
Michael Telling
To that question, what rhetoric are they talking about? Are Democrats engaging in dangerous rhetoric toward ice? 41.
Jack Armstrong
Donald Trump's modern day Gestapo is scooping folks up off the streets.
Joe Getty
Is somebody who understands history. When I see ice, I see slave patrols.
Jack Armstrong
The dangers that we saw in Nazi Germany are the dangers that we need to react to now. Mass secret ICE agents are snatching and.
Michael Telling
Arresting immigrants are coming and kidnapping and.
Cynthia Littleton
Disappearing people on the streets of the United States.
Michael Telling
We have ICE federal agents pulling up, terrorizing our communities, hopping out of unmarked vans, stealing and yes, kidnapping people. Now that's some crazy, inflammatory rhetoric, but is it actually resulting in violence? 43, this is Todd Lyons, the ICE director.
Jack Armstrong
I've never seen anything like this in my law enforcement career. I've never seen threats on law enforcement, specifically ICE, increased the way it is. You know, we're up over a thousand percent assaults on officers right now. And really just a lot of the talk that's out there, a lot of the rhetoric is just the violence directed towards law enforcement officers just trying to do their job. God, can you imagine being an ICE agent? It's unlikely that every single one of them haven't contemplated leaving their job.
Michael Telling
Right.
Jack Armstrong
Because how could you go and you'd want to say, you'd want to carry a giant sign everywhere you go saying, this is my job, this is what I'm being told to do. Argue with your congressman.
Michael Telling
Yeah, I don't make policy. They tell me what to do. Right.
Jack Armstrong
My option is either quit or do this.
Michael Telling
So Tom Holman, the head guy in 44 and 45, back to back, Michael Telling, talking about the current atmosphere, unless the rhetoric stops, it's not over. And it's just, it's scary. I'm afraid for the men and women of ICE every night. Every night I go to bed and I pray for the men and women of Borto and ICE that they go.
Jack Armstrong
Home safe to their families. They're American patriots, they're enforcing the law.
Michael Telling
And it just. I've never seen anything like this in my entire career, and that's 41 years. You know, you mentioned I do have a security detail. I feel bad because every ICE agent.
Jack Armstrong
Don'T have a security detail and they're.
Michael Telling
Actually out doing this job. I don't. You're right. I don't live in my family just because of this threat, but my family understands. They don't want me to stop doing this. I'll tell you something else. The ICE agents are going to continue.
Jack Armstrong
Doing what they're doing, make this country.
Michael Telling
Safe again, because President Trump made that promise to American people.
Jack Armstrong
Holman actually doesn't live at home with his family anymore because of the threats. And yes, the language on both sides needs to calm down both sides, but I don't. I don't. I just. I'm not optimistic short term. I don't know if anything could cause it. I don't know if the. If the president being assassinated would cause us to stop calling everybody Hitler or saying that there won't be another election if the other side wins and just all this ridiculousness.
Michael Telling
Had a conversation very recently with some very smart, pretty well informed people who were completely unfamiliar with the devastating power of online donations, small online donations to politics. And we're unfamiliar with the fact that one of the reasons for the super heated rhetoric, it's partly just we live in the age of hyperbole, and that's how you break through. But the other part is anger gets more dollars donated than anything else. Anger is the king of the financial end of politics right now. Small online donations. And they're not going to give up their most lucrative, you know, way to soak you out of your money. No.
Jack Armstrong
You look like you fight well.
Michael Telling
Right. And some anger or activism is 100% justified and important.
Jack Armstrong
But it's, It's. If you've never been in this situation, it is. It's seductive. Like, Joe and I have been on stages before. It's been years now, but we've been on stages before. You say some reasonable stuff, people kind of watch and there's a smattering. You say some really charged thing.
Michael Telling
Yes. And people just cheer.
Jack Armstrong
And it get me. It gives you a boost of adrenaline. Look at the people cheering me saying makes you want to say crazier things. I mean, it's just.
Michael Telling
It does.
Jack Armstrong
We've been.
Michael Telling
We've been on stage with people who, after we do our reasonable.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, yeah.
Michael Telling
Act. Who come on and just chuck handfuls of Red meat into the audience.
Jack Armstrong
Well.
Michael Telling
And oh, my God, it's gobbled up like you're. You're chucking T bones to tigers. I mean, people love it.
Jack Armstrong
The best example, and this isn't a knock on her because there's lots of people do it. That attractive blonde woman for Fox.
Michael Telling
Tommy. Tommy Lahren.
Jack Armstrong
Tommy Lahren. We were at some event where we just did our. At that event, we're like, just very reasonable. This is what we need to do to make the country better. And it's like, yeah, okay, cool little hammer. She came out with their Hitler stuff. And, and man, just people came to their feet full on.
Michael Telling
Own the libs and drink their tears.
Jack Armstrong
Right? We're backstage like, holy crap.
Michael Telling
Yeah.
Jack Armstrong
And, yeah. So that drives a lot of it. Then you, you, you add into that what you were just talking about, the fundraising, obviously, that sort of enthusiasm that makes people leap to their feet and clap, makes them grab their phone and send a little money your way.
Michael Telling
So a word from our friends at Prize Picks. It's a great way to jazz up your football viewing, your baseball viewing. You get, oh, Big Dumper. Is Big Dumper gonna do more or less than the stat projections? You just pick two to six players.
Jack Armstrong
What that nickname gonna hang around?
Michael Telling
I think it will. His teammates gave it to him because he has. He has a bit of a booty. I don't particularly think his, his, his derriere is, you know, that large.
Jack Armstrong
Well, I'd be better if they called him Big Ass. I would like that better than Big Dumper.
Michael Telling
Neither one's good. But Prize Picks is so much fun. It's so easy. And they have these Prize picks Max discounts every week. This week there's a special Max discount promotion live on the board right now. Jalen Hurts has been discounted to only needing to go for one passing yard during the Eagles v. Bucks game this Sunday. Just add one more player to your lineup and if your picks hit, you can cash in.
Jack Armstrong
Mandel Grande derriere goes yard again.
Michael Telling
It's mixing Spanish and French, but I like the spirit of it.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, my God. Download the app today. Prize picks app. You app. Use the code Armstrong. Get 50 in lineups after you play your first five dollar lineup.
Michael Telling
Wait, they're gonna give me 50 bucks in lineups just for playing a five dollar lineup? Holy cat. I'm gonna download the Prize Picks app and use the Code Armstrong Prize Picks. It's good to be right.
Jack Armstrong
It's a problem with nicknames. Other people give them to you, you know, it doesn't mean you always like it. I I tried to give myself and.
Michael Telling
The last thing you should do is say no, no, no, no, don't call me that because then, please I tried.
Jack Armstrong
To give myself a nickname when I was like 10 and my dad said you need to earn a nickname. You can't just give yourself a nickname. And he was right. And since then I've known a few people who tried to get nicknames going for themselves.
Michael Telling
It's a bad look. I'm good with Big Freedom. I'll stick with that one.
Jack Armstrong
Old Simple Jack seems to work for me pretty well and it's accurate.
Michael Telling
In its way.
Jack Armstrong
Has an advantage of being accurate.
Michael Telling
So the Fed cutting rates finally. And that means your mortgage rate is going to go up. Stay with us for those details.
Jack Armstrong
This can't be right.
Michael Telling
Plus Gen Z Are they unemployable?
Jack Armstrong
Okay, we got a lot of stuff on the way. Stay here.
Joe Getty
Armstrong and Getty Time for a sofa upgrade. Visit washablesofas.com and discover Annabe where designer style meets budget friendly prices with sofas starting at $699, Annabe brings you the ultimate in furniture innovation with a modular design that allows you to rearrange your space effortlessly. Perfect for both small and large spaces, Anabe is the only machine washable sofa inside and out. Say goodbye to stains and messes with liquid and stain resistant fabrics that make cleaning easy. Liquid simply slides right off. Designed for custom comfort, our high resilience foam lets you choose between a sink in feel or a supportive memory foam blend. Plus our pet friendly stain resistant fabrics ensure your sofa stays beautiful for years. Don't compromise quality for price. Visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your living space today with no risk returns and a 30 day money back guarantee. Get up to 60% off plus free shipping and free returns. Shop now at washablesofas.com Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.
Michael Telling
Stop settling for weak sound. It's time to level up your game and bring the boom. Hit the town with the ultra durable LG X Boom portable speaker and enjoy vibrant sound wherever you go. Elevate your listening experience to new heights because let's be real, your music deserves it. The future of sound is now with LG XBoom and for a limited time save 25% at LG.com with code Fall25. Bring the boom X Boom.
Cynthia Littleton
There's a lot going on in Hollywood. How are you supposed to stay on top of it all? Variety has the solution. Take 20 minutes out of your day and listen to the new daily Variety podcast for breaking entertainment news and expert perspectives.
Michael Telling
Where do you see the business actually heading?
Cynthia Littleton
Featuring the iconic journalists of variety and hosted by co editor and chief Cynthia Littleton.
Michael Telling
The only constant in Hollywood is change.
Cynthia Littleton
Open your free iHeartradio app, search daily Variety and listen now.
Jacob Goldstein
This is Jacob Goldstein from what's yous Problem? Business software is expensive. And when you buy software from lots of different companies, it's not only expensive, it gets confusing. Slow to use, hard to integrate. Odoo solves that because all Odoo software is connected on a single affordable platform. Save money without missing out on the features you need. Odoo has no hidden costs and no limit on features or data. Odoo has over 60 apps available for any needs your business might have, all at no additional charge. Everything from websites to sales to inventory to accounting, all linked and talking to each other. Check out Odoo at o d o o.com that's o d o o.com a.
Jack Armstrong
New NFL season means a fresh start and fresh styles. @nflshop.com you'll find the latest jerseys, hats and sideline gear to rep your team all season long.
Michael Telling
From rookies making their debut to legends, NFLShop.com has it all.
Jack Armstrong
Score exclusive styles you won't find anywhere else.
Michael Telling
And show up ready for every kickoff.
Jack Armstrong
And big play fan like a pro.
Michael Telling
And shop now@nflshop.com well, some business news.
Jack Armstrong
Today, Michaels announced that they're putting a.
Michael Telling
Joann fabric section into all of their stores. You might not care, but for your.
Jack Armstrong
Mom, this is like, this is like Taylor Swift doing a duet with Taylor Swift.
Michael Telling
You know what I'm saying?
Jack Armstrong
I'm going to assume that makes sense to some of you.
Michael Telling
Yes, that's a big, big deal to.
Joe Getty
People like my mom.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, really? Anybody does Craf is a big deal. Okay, cool.
Michael Telling
Oh, yeah. My wife had extensive opinions on the Joanne's clothing and what it means and what it doesn't mean.
Jack Armstrong
Okay, I'll be darn.
Michael Telling
And if we ever do a quilting extension show, we'll certainly have her on as our first guest. So I was intrigued by this and reminded of an important economic principle. The Fed last week lowered its benchmark rate for the first time this year, signaled that more cuts could be ahead. President Trump said people can't afford homes because the Fed's rates are too high, but the central bank doesn't set mortgage rates. And more importantly, you might have to wait for relief from higher rates for a while because the recent cut. What the recent cuts mean for savings accounts, credit cards and car loans isn't clear cut. And here's why.
Jack Armstrong
We talked about when this news broke last week when you were gone, I said how this plays out for your credit card or your mortgage rate remains to be seen. I can't imagine it making a heck of a lot of difference short term. But then yesterday we had the news that would jump in mortgages by 20% since the interest rate dropped. I don't even, I don't even see how that's possible.
Michael Telling
Yeah, I haven't seen those numbers.
Jack Armstrong
Home sales, I guess. Home sales, right.
Michael Telling
I still say that's a 20% rise from a historically paltry number, but I can't swear to that. I'd be interested to see the actual figures, but. So here's the story. Mortgage rates are not set by the Fed. They have a relationship to it, kind of, but the average rate has drifted down to 6 and a quarter ish, the lowest in nearly a year. But it's not incredibly high.
Jack Armstrong
That's what we've all got to get over. That is historically a great rate, but it sounds awful based on what we got used to.
Michael Telling
Right? And again I say that whole, you know, post crash followed by Covid, artificially low interest rates period, that was your honeymoon. You've, you got used to that much loving. It's not gonna continue. Those rates were for a glorious week of your life, whether in the Bahamas or the Poconos or wherever you were. It's not going to happen again anyway. It's expected by everybody in charge of the sort of thing that it's probably gonna stick around 6 to 7%. The deal is the Fed's move targets short term interest rates. Mortgage rates, on the other hand, tend to move with the yields on long term 10 year treasuries. And those yields rise and fall based on expectations for the economy. So if the Fed cuts rates, but there are ominous storm clouds on the horizon, the long term rates are likely to stay high because you gotta pay fairly high rates to people to get them to wanna buy your increasingly crappy government debts. And I'm tempted to go into a bit of a riff on France and their financial problems, but nobody wants to hear that, including the French. But holy crap, do they have financial problems. Oh, and they're finally admitting, admitting that they pushed immigration hard because they desperately needed it to shore up their, their Social Security type systems, their social safety net systems, socialism.
Jack Armstrong
In short, they needed workers, younger workers.
Michael Telling
They needed young people. They just needed Population, they needed young workers to support their aging socialisty population.
Jack Armstrong
And they don't have kids. It's like Mark Stein wrote, in America alone, Italy, France, places like that, they'll still be in a map with those names, but they'll be completely different countries in a couple generations.
Michael Telling
Well, right. And they're waking up and realizing it. That not only. And Britain is my favorite case of this, not only has importing an enormous number of people who despise your culture, despise your way of life, spit on your history, couldn't give a damn about your traditions, not only is that incredibly off putting and disruptive, but the promise that, that rampant immigration would bring back the good times and prop up our welfare state and the economy would roar ahead. Those promises were false too.
Jack Armstrong
It didn't work. Yeah, I mean if you bring in a whole bunch of people from different countries, eventually nobody's going to care about King Henry V or Shakespeare or any of that sort of stuff. That's not their heritage.
Michael Telling
Right. And you will be divorced from your history and you will not be what you are anymore. And you absolutely have a right to not want that. And don't let anybody tell you different. I just came across a really, really good think piece. Maybe I'll try to digest it and edit it for you. But it's a restatement of the fact that the Constitution has no hope of enduring unless it is. I was going to say cherished. That's not a bad word really. Unless we love it, unless we understand its value, unless we value it, the Constitution doesn't have a chance. Guns and judges won't save it. It's the sentiment in the heart of the American people that protect it. And if we import zillions of people who couldn't give a crap and would much rather have Sharia law or they don't care or they're kind of used to cartels being in charge and so that the whole Constitution thing. People worship the Constitution like it's a religion. Why don't you calm down? I mean we, we will lose it. And it's not just immigration, by the way. If our young people are not brought up to understand the value of it, that's, that's another facet of this.
Jack Armstrong
I don't know if this story resonates with anybody who's not a cable news junkie, but James Comey, the former FBI director, might get charged today with a number of things. That's going to be your big, you know, that world soap opera for the next however many days. Not sure how much time anywhere? No, I'm not sure how much time we'll spend on it. We got a lot of things to talk about coming up though. I hope you can stick around.
Michael Telling
Is Gen Z unemployable?
Joe Getty
Armstrong and Gettysburg? Life's messy. We're talking spills, stains, pets and kids. But with Anabe, you never have to stress about Messes again. @washablesofas.com Discover Annabe Sofas the only fully machine washable sofas inside and out starting at just $699. Made with liquid and stain resistant fabrics, that means fewer stains and more paint. Peace of mind Designed for real life, our sofas feature changeable fabric covers allowing you to refresh your style anytime. Need flexibility? Our modular design lets you rearrange your sofa effortlessly. Perfect for cozy apartments or spacious homes. Plus, they're earth friendly and built to last. That's why over 200,000 happy customers have made the switch. Upgrade your space today. Visit washablesofas.com now and bring home a sofa made for life. That's washablesofas.com offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.
Michael Telling
Stop settling for weak sound. It's time to level up your game and bring the boom. Hit the town with the ultra durable LG X Boom portable speaker and enjoy vibrant sound wherever you go. Elevate your listening experience to new heights because let's be real, your music deserves it. The future of sound is now with LG XBoom and for a limited time, save 25%@LG.com with code Fall25. Bring the boom XBoom.
Cynthia Littleton
There's a lot going on in Hollywood. How are you supposed to stay on top of it all? Variety has the solution. Take 20 minutes out of your day and listen to the new daily Variety podcast for breaking entertainment news and expert perspectives.
Jacob Goldstein
Perspectives where do you see the business actually heading?
Cynthia Littleton
Featuring the iconic journalists of Variety and hosted by co Editor in Chief Cynthia Littleton.
Michael Telling
The only constant in Hollywood is change.
Cynthia Littleton
Open your free iHeartradio app, search daily Variety and listen now.
Jacob Goldstein
This is Jacob Goldstein from what's yous Problem? Business software is expensive, and when you buy software from lots of different companies, it's not only expensive, it gets confusing. Slow to use, hard to integrate. Odoo solves that because all Odoo software is connected on a single affordable platform. Save money without missing out on the features you need. Odoo has no hidden costs and no limit on features or data. Odoo has over 60 apps available for any Needs your business might have all at no additional charge. Everything from websites to sales to inventory to accounting, all linked and talking to each other. Check out odoo@o d o o dot com. That's O-O-O.com a new NFL season means.
Michael Telling
A fresh start and fresh styles. @nflshop.com you'll find the latest jerseys, hats.
Jack Armstrong
And sideline gear to rep your team all season long.
Michael Telling
From rookies making their debut to legends, NFLShop.com has it all score exclusive styles.
Jack Armstrong
You won't find anywhere else.
Michael Telling
And show up ready for every kickoff.
Jack Armstrong
And big play fan like a pro.
Michael Telling
And shop now@nflshop.com.
Cynthia Littleton
What I kept hearing from everybody on this team was we got more work to do.
Michael Telling
And it seems like this team was.
Cynthia Littleton
Just even more focused tonight.
Michael Telling
Yeah, I mean, you know, I think.
Jacob Goldstein
Most people heard what I said last.
Michael Telling
Night, you know, might as well win the whole thing. That's awesome.
Joe Getty
All right, Aaron, back up to you.
Michael Telling
Naughty. Naughty cow. Naughty cow.
Jack Armstrong
That's two nights in a row. Two nights in a row where the big dumper, the catcher for the Seattle Mariners, is interviewed after the game in Seattle and they're in the playoffs and he says, let's win the whole effing thing. And the crowd goes wild. So that's clearly, if they get on.
Michael Telling
A roll, gonna be there. T shirts.
Jack Armstrong
Every baseball team, when they get on a roll has got some sort of like thing. Their hats, their beards, their sayings, their T shirts, the rally thong or cowboy up for the Red Sox back in.
Michael Telling
The day or whatever it is their.
Jack Armstrong
Thing is gonna be let's win the whole effing thing. I guarantee you they're gonna be shirts.
Michael Telling
I don't appreciate the, I don't appreciate the sailor talk, but I do love Cal Raleigh, America's latest or, you know, the one of the very few legit 60 homer club members. The fact that he's a catcher is amazing because that's a grueling position and he's a likable doofus.
Jack Armstrong
If I were, if I were more of an entrepreneur, I would copyright that. If he hasn't already. Let's win the whole effing thing. I'd have T shirts and hats.
Michael Telling
You can get away with selling unlicensed.
Jack Armstrong
Stuff because that's going to be a hot thing, right? Here's a story I have no interest in and don't plan to talk about, but it's one of the big.
Michael Telling
Now that's a lead in.
Jack Armstrong
It's one of the big stories for people who are really, really into politics and watch cable news. And so here, here it is.
Michael Telling
We're told a grand jury in Virginia is looking at evidence relating to allegations that former FBI Director James Comey may have lied to Congress on September 30, 2020. That date is very specific because the statute of limitations for lying before Congress is typically five years. Next Tuesday marks exactly five years since his remote testimony. He was in Virginia at the time. It was during the throes of COVID It's unclear if a grand jury will vote to indict Comey. The GR has the option to say yes or no to an indictment. To be clear as we speak, he's not been indicted and he's not facing charges at this moment. This is all up to a grand jury.
Jack Armstrong
And a lot of people are expecting that news today. I had never thought about this until the National Review is writing about it. But for a lot of these things that you're angry about or various bad actors or whatever, we have a non court way to deal with these things. It's called the election. Donald Trump won. That was the penalty for James Comey. And, and a lot of those intelligence people who wrote the letter and all kinds of different things. The attempt to throw Trump in jail over things that were made up. The penalty doesn't need to be them going to jail. The penalty, or the prize is you won.
Michael Telling
Pursue it politically, not judicially.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. And obviously sometimes their butts heaved out of power. Sometimes you need things to be punished in the justice system to make sure they don't happen again or whatever. But in general, yeah, you win the elections, that's the way to get people to stop doing bad things.
Michael Telling
Yeah. I tell you what, though. James Comey, a conniving fiend who engaged in all sorts of skullduggery. I mean, really did damage to the American people.
Jack Armstrong
But yeah, whether certainly did damage the FBI. Although Mark Halpern writes today, Democrats in general hate Comey. The media for some reason seems to like him because he says bad things about Trump. But polling shows most Democrats blame him for Hillary losing, which you can, because he is responsible for part of it. Yeah, he is. He's all kinds of a weirdo.
Michael Telling
Yes. Speaking of topics. Yes, there you go, Hill. Speaking of things we normally don't talk about, even as cable news drones on and on about them. The government shutdown.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, good Lord.
Michael Telling
Prospect of a government shutdown. I'm more interested in it than I've been for a long time because of this headline, White House to pursue Mass firings. If government shuts down, the Office of Management and Budget says, oh yeah, okay, you're going to cut off the flow of money. Yeah, we'll just fire a bunch of people because we have to, because we have no money coming in. And that is expected to put enormous pressure on Democrats to either not do it at all or if they shut it down, to come around quickly. It is a, a ballsy move. But who will be blamed anti move? Well, that's another question that I refuse to consider.
Jack Armstrong
Don't expect me to get involved.
Michael Telling
Who will the media try to blame? That's an easy one. You want to hear my favorite story of the day?
Jack Armstrong
Let me do this real quick. Just because it kind of fits in with the shutdown thing. I'm surprised by this. In USA Today, front page staff cuts at national parks had little apparent impact. Their front page store in the USA Today Today is about how Doge cut your national parks all across the country. And there were worries that the cuts would lead to messy parks and dirty bathrooms and closed trails. But it doesn't appear that it did any harm whatsoever by getting rid of a whole bunch of government employees. Despite widespread fears of a system wide collapse by some public activists and advocates, America's national parks appear to have weathered the bulk of of the cuts, the more than 25% of staff jobs cut.
Michael Telling
With no problem.
Jack Armstrong
That story does not get told about government shutdowns or doge or anything like that. How often things move along just fine.
Michael Telling
Yeah, yeah, I've heard 30 times that we need some of those people back at Social Security and we're getting them back. By the way, A lot of guys are being rehired or people, I should say likewise, the irs. I mean the taxpayers. Not all IRS employees are evil vampires flying through the night, coming to suck your blood as you sleep. They're there to answer the phone and answer your completely unanswerable questions about our bizarrely complex tax code.
Jack Armstrong
But anyway, I think they're flying vampires.
Michael Telling
Well, certainly there are plenty within their ranks. Yes, but you know, you gotta do it in a smart way. But yeah. Can we reduce the size of the federal government? Hell yes, we can. All right, here's my favorite story of the day. I love this story so much, I, I hate to even do it because it's been so much fun anticipating doing it. Things have gone badly, Jack. With Greta Thunberg's Palestinian flotilla, another setback.
Jack Armstrong
Oh my God. We've. We stole her childhood, now we're stealing her 20s. How old is Greta Thunberg, you have.
Michael Telling
Stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words.
Jack Armstrong
Now we're sorry. Now we're. Now we're stealing her early adulthood.
Michael Telling
Right? Right. This is all wrong.
Jack Armstrong
It might be right.
Michael Telling
I would agree. So the beleaguered global Sumud flotilla, which aimed to bypass Israel's blockade to deliver aid to Gaza in an idiotic, showy, self aggrandizing, not enough food to feed three people for two days act was. They're underway because it's, it's the. What do they call it? The permanent omnicause.
Jack Armstrong
Right.
Michael Telling
She's off the climate change and onto the Palestinians now. For some reason anyway. But when self described queer activist Sayf Ayadi joined the effort, Khaled Bujamama, a Tunisian coordinator for the flotilla, resigned in anger. Quote, we were lied to about the identity of some of the participants at the forefront of the flotilla. I accused the organizers of hiding this from us. Another Tunisian activist accused the flotilla of involving suspicious activists. Palestine is the issue of Muslims first and foremost and cannot be separated from its spiritual and religious dimension. So why do you involve suspicious activists in it who serve other. Other agendas that do not concern us, have no relation to Gaza. Such as homosexuals?
Jack Armstrong
No, I. I'd like to get into some of these meetings, the perma cause meetings where you talk about climate change and trans rights and ICE and the Palestinians and.
Michael Telling
Big Pharma, Black lives mattering. Did you throw that in?
Jack Armstrong
Exactly, exactly.
Michael Telling
So. So there's more. These. One of these couple of Tunisians goes on. Why do you divide people over the greatest issue that unites and gathers them? Which is true, The. The phony, mostly phony Palestinian issue really does galvanize people. But what can we expect from a Muslim Arab who sees and hears the slogans of the queer movement in a flotilla in the name of its most sacred cause and which is thus desecrated? A different activist echoed those sentiments. Being a queer activist means that you are violating society values and are putting me, my children, my relatives, in a situation we reject. I rejected my son. Be told in kindergarten that he is neither a boy nor a girl and that he grows up. You decide. I will not forgive anyone who puts us in this predicament. But, ooh, Greta, be careful. Angry Muslims saying they will never forgive you is. That's not good.
Jack Armstrong
No. Yeah, I hope, you know, I hope she stays. Okay. The problem, like it sounds to me like, is they haven't caught on to the fact that queer has a new meaning now. As of like the last five minutes. That it doesn't mean gay anymore. It means anything that's anti what we've been doing.
Michael Telling
Partly. Yeah. It absolutely means gay and bisexual and transgender and being a furry and. Or just I'm fighting against the man. I'm queer.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah.
Michael Telling
It's. It's a ridiculous term. It's about as useful as fascist is at this point. But somebody finally on the Muslim side of things said.
Jack Armstrong
Wait a minute.
Michael Telling
Queers for Palestine? What? Furry?
Jack Armstrong
You threw furries in there?
Michael Telling
Yeah. Why not? That shooter, a guy, the idiot who.
Jack Armstrong
Murdered Charlie Kirk was a furry or furry adjacent.
Michael Telling
I really don't know. Transgender, Confused. Poor misfit boyfriend.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. Who got kicked out of his parents home because they're devout Mormons. So. Yeah. That's a rough one. Yeah.
Michael Telling
Yeah. Really rough. Really rough. Anyway, more on that to come probably. But I wish, certainly wish the queers for Palestine and the furries for Allah and everybody else. I hope you can get together and have a quiet meeting there and. And break bread with a little Greta and solve your differences. I shouldn't be up here. I should be back in school. Yeah. I finally agree with you, dear.
Jack Armstrong
I have some breaking news that's kind of interesting. After this.
Michael Telling
I've got some breaking in news. Jack. Huh? See what I did there? Simplisafe home security is proactive unlike the old systems. Here's how. SimpleLife uses smart AI powered cameras to identify threats lurking outside your home in the immediate lurkers. They immediately alert Simplisafe's professional monitoring agents. And those agents can intervene in real time before the break in with two way audio to confront the lurker. Trigger sirens and spotlights. Call the cops. Excuse me. And stopping the intruder while they're still outside.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. So instead of catching the person when they're in your home, they catch them before they get in your home. Which seems like a really good idea. Join more than 4 million Americans who trust Simplisafe with their home security every day. Including me. And with a 60 day money back guarantee and no long term contracts, why wouldn't you try it?
Michael Telling
Yep. Visit simplisafe.comarmstrong to claim 50% off a new system because you used our code. That's simplisafe.com Armstrong. There's no safe like Simplisafe.
Jack Armstrong
So this just came across. Nobody knows what it means. Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense orders a rare urgent. Urgent is the word. Urgent. Meeting of hundreds of generals and admirals without a stated reason. Sowing alarm. So Pete Hegseth has said basically all hands on deck today and nobody knows exactly why.
Michael Telling
Wow.
Jack Armstrong
A day after Trump says Ukraine should get their land back. I don't know if it's tied into that at all. Have no idea.
Michael Telling
Jerry's still out on Pete. A lot of good coming out of his leadership. Some chaos, some resistance of course can.
Jack Armstrong
Do a lot of pull ups.
Michael Telling
Anybody who changes the status quo is going to get resistance. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. I think is not long for his post. Not long at all.
Jack Armstrong
Oh really?
Michael Telling
Yeah. I will explain later. I will probably offend and annoy some people, but that's okay. We can still be friends. Let me know why you think we or I am wrong. You can always drop us. Note mailbagarmstrongandgetti.com or text 415295 KFTC dissent is fine. It's what makes a republic like ours run.
Jack Armstrong
You know what? I chat GPT last night before dinner because I didn't know. I didn't know which meat you use in meat sauce for spaghetti and meat sauce. I assumed it was pork my whole life, but it's not. It's hamburger almost always.
Michael Telling
Oh, I. Oh, according to.
Jack Armstrong
According to all three.
Michael Telling
Meat sauce is a little vague.
Jack Armstrong
Okay, Katie, weigh in.
Michael Telling
You're adorable, Jack.
Jack Armstrong
I asked Chad, GPT, Grok and Gemini and they all said it's almost always hamburger for your spaghetti and meat sauce.
Michael Telling
No, no, no.
Jack Armstrong
What do you say, Katie?
Michael Telling
I've always, I've always used beef.
Jack Armstrong
Same here. Joe says pork. Okay.
Michael Telling
Well, no, no, not necessarily. Again is the sole staff member who was born and raised for almost three years in Italy. If you're talking to an Italian making sauce, it's often pork and veal. It can. It can be beef.
Jack Armstrong
But hamburger meat, you look down on that.
Michael Telling
That's. That's fine. Working class Italian ish sauce, which is what I want. As grandma labor labors in the kitchen with the aunts and the daughters for six hours in Brooklyn, I say no.
Jack Armstrong
Okay. Joe's looking down on us.
Michael Telling
I'm just wondering the difference between beef and hamburger meat. Well, hamburger meat. All hamburger meat is beef. Not all beef is hamburger meat.
Jack Armstrong
Okay, okay.
Michael Telling
Either way, the cow ends up dead.
Jack Armstrong
All right, this is really broken down. Okay, We've got more on the way. Stay here.
Michael Telling
Armstrong and Gettysburg.
Joe Getty
Tired of spills and stains on your sofa? WashablesOfAs.com has your back. Featuring the Annabe collection. The only designer sofa that's machine washable inside and out. Where designer quality meets budget friendly prices. That's right. Sofas start at just $699. Enjoy a no risk experience with pet friendly, stain resistant and changeable slipcovers made with performance fabrics. Experience cloud like comfort with high resilience foam that's hypoallergenic and never needs fluffing. The sturdy steel frame ensures longevity and the modular pieces can be rearranged anytime. Check out washablesofas.com and get up to 60% off your annabe sofa backed by a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not absolutely in love, send it back for a full refund. No return, shipping or restocking fee. Every penny back Upgrade now@washablesofas.com Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.
Michael Telling
Stop settling for weak sound it's time to level up your game and bring the boom. Hit the town with the ultra durable LG X Boom portable speaker and enjoy vibrant sound wherever you go. Elevate your listening experience to new heights because, let's be real, your music deserves it. The future of sound is now with LG XBoom and for a limited time save 25% at LG.com with code fall25. Bring the boom XBoom.
Cynthia Littleton
There'S a lot going on in Hollywood. How are you supposed to stay on top of it all? Variety has the solution. Take 20 minutes out of your day and listen to the new daily Variety podcast for breaking entertainment news and expert perspectives.
Michael Telling
Where do you see the business actually heading?
Cynthia Littleton
Featuring the iconic journalists of Variety and hosted by co Editor in chief Cynthia Littleton.
Michael Telling
The only constant in Hollywood is change.
Cynthia Littleton
Open your free iHeartradio app, search daily Variety and listen now.
Jacob Goldstein
This is Jacob Goldstein from what's yous Problem? When you buy business software from lots of vendors, the costs add up and it gets complicated and confusing. Odoo solves this. It's a single company that sells a suite of enterprise apps that handles everything from accounting to inventory to sales. Odoo is all connected on a single platform in a simple and affordable way. You can save money without missing out on the features you need. Check out Odoo at o d o o.com that's o d o o.com a.
Jack Armstrong
New NFL season means a fresh start and fresh styles.
Michael Telling
@Nflshop.Com you'll find the latest jerseys, hats.
Jack Armstrong
And sideline gear to rep your team all season long.
Michael Telling
From rookies making their debut to legends, NFLShop.com has it all.
Jack Armstrong
Score exclusive styles you won't find anywhere.
Michael Telling
Else and show up ready for every.
Jack Armstrong
Kickoff and big play fan like a.
Michael Telling
Pro and Shop now@nflshop.com According to a new survey, 13% of homeowners said that their first DIY project was mounting a TV and their second was fixing the dent the TV left in the floor.
Jack Armstrong
That's a pretty funny joke.
Michael Telling
I was just researching, like, great authentic Italian Bolognese recipes online. Definitely calls for ground beef for Bolognese sauce.
Jack Armstrong
Okay, that's funny.
Michael Telling
There's so many styles of quote unquote meat sauce.
Jack Armstrong
That's.
Michael Telling
That's the problem.
Jack Armstrong
But I've been using pork my whole life. Just for some reason, I assumed that you were supposed to. I always use Italian sausage. And then as at the grocery store, they are out of sausage. And I thought, I wonder if I can use hamburger. Then GPT it and found out that's what you're supposed to use, you idiot. So, okay. Anyway, it doesn't matter. And I thought it was just delicious.
Michael Telling
This is Trump's America. By the way. No sausage in the grocery store.
Jack Armstrong
So just a quick follow up on the Jimmy Kimmel thing. So one of my favorite tweeters tweeted this out yesterday. See if you agree. Here's what happened to sum up the Jimmy Kimmel thing. One, crocodile. Crocodile tears for himself because he's the real victim. Two, didn't concede he was wrong. Three, didn't apologize. So the ratings are out. He had about 6 million people tune in, which is about six times his normal ratings, which is not surprising to me at all. I don't whether or not many of those people hang around in his ratings get a permanent boost or not. I don't know. I would tend to think not. But I, for some reason ended up watching the original Monday night monologue.
Michael Telling
I'm sorry, I just can't buy the whole.
Jack Armstrong
I never suggested that the death of a young man to anybody that could think that I would take lightly the death of me. I went back and watched your Monday night. It was like hours after the murder happened and you had a completely flipping attitude toward the whole thing. Yeah, dude.
Michael Telling
You didn't seem broken up, completely snarky.
Jack Armstrong
And uncaring with your only goal to blame Republicans for it.
Michael Telling
So I just find it hard to.
Jack Armstrong
Believe that now, a couple of weeks later, you're this busted up by the whole thing. I just.
Michael Telling
Right. I don't know. Right. As I tried to make clear yesterday, I. I think he is a terrible person in certain ways. He's been so perverted by his politics. He's lost his soul, and the government shouldn't be in the censorship business.
Jack Armstrong
And also I'll stand up for this people who regularly say and he's not funny. I think he's hilarious when he's not talking about politics. You don't have to claim that all these people aren't funny and you don't like their politics. He was doing a bit last night. I happened to see of all the texts and emails that a lot of the people on his staff got from family members and friends. It was freaking funny. I mean it was very, very funny. But I also think he's an insufferable smug a hole when it comes to his politics. Ding.
Michael Telling
I wish we had time to go through this list of all of the times prominent Democrats called for direct government censorship of media and free speech that now they're beating their chests and bellowing about for Jimmy Kimmel. We will get to that list. It is shocking and worth remembering.
Jack Armstrong
Why is Hegseth calling all those generals for an all hands on deck meeting all of a sudden at the Pentagon?
Michael Telling
What's going on? I swear next hour I will pay off. Is Gen Z unemployable?
Jack Armstrong
I think yes, damn near. Stay tuned.
Joe Getty
Armstrong and Getty Time for a sofa upgrade. Visit washablesofas.com and discover Annabelle where designer style meets budget friendly prices with sofas starting at $699. Annabe brings you the ultimate in furniture innovation with a modular design that allows you to rearrange your space effortlessly. Perfect for both small and large spaces, Anibe is the only machine washable sofa inside and out. Say goodbye to stains and messes with liquid and stain resistant fabrics that make cleaning easy. Liquid simply slides right off. Designed for custom comfort, our high resilience foam lets you choose between a sink in feel or a supportive memory foam blend. Plus our pet friendly stain resistant fabrics ensure your sofa stays beautiful for years. Don't compromise quality for price. Visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your living space today with no risk returns and a 30 day money back guarantee. Get up to 60% off plus free shipping and free returns. Shop now at Washington. Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply in the heat of battle. Your squad relies on you. Don't let them down. Unlock elite gaming tech@lenovo.com Dominate every match with next level speed, seamless streaming and performance that won't quit and push your gameplay beyond limits with Intel Core Ultra processors. That's the power of Lenovo with Intel inside. Maximize your edge by shopping@lenovo.com during the their back to school sale. That's lenovo.com.
Michael Telling
Stop settling for weak sound. It's time to level up your game and bring the boom. Hit the town with the ultra durable LG X Boom portable speaker and enjoy vibrant sound wherever you go. Elevate your listening experience to new heights because let's be real, your music deserves it. The future of sound is is now with LG XBoom and for a limited time save 25% at LG.com with code fall25 bring the boom XBoom.
Cynthia Littleton
There'S a lot going on in Hollywood. How are you supposed to stay on top of it all? Variety has the solution. Take 20 minutes out of your day and listen to the new daily Variety podcast for breaking entertainment news and expert perspectives.
Michael Telling
Where do you see the business actually heading?
Cynthia Littleton
Featuring the iconic journalists of Variety and hosted by co Editor in Chief Cynthia.
Michael Telling
Littleton, the only constant in Hollywood is change.
Cynthia Littleton
Open your free iHeartradio app, search daily Variety, and listen now.
Jacob Goldstein
This is Jacob Goldstein from what's yous Problem? Business software is expensive, and when you buy software from lots of different companies, it's not only expensive, it gets confusing. Slow to use, hard to integrate. Odoo solves that because all Odoo software is connected on a single, affordable platform. Save money without missing out on the features you need. Odoo has no hidden costs and no limit on features or data. Odoo has over 60 apps available for any needs your business might have, all at no additional charge. Everything from websites to sales to inventory to accounting. All linked and talking to each other. Check out Odoo at o d o o dot com. That's O-O-O dot com.
Michael Telling
This is an iHeart podcast.
Date: September 25, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Podcast Network: iHeartPodcasts
In this episode, Armstrong and Getty discuss the recent sniper attack on an ICE van, the impact of partisan rhetoric on violence, law enforcement, and political fundraising, as well as economic news including the Fed’s rate cuts, mortgage rates, and European immigration issues. The hosts analyze how public discourse spirals into extremity, riff on political personalities, and inject their signature humor on issues as varied as meat sauce, activism, and Gen Z's employability.
[03:32 - 09:53]
[09:53 - 12:28]
[18:09 - 24:20]
[24:20 - 33:54]
[34:24 - 39:28]
[39:28 - 50:11]
"Chucking T-bones to tigers. I mean, people love it."
– Michael Telling, on how crowds crave inflammatory rhetoric [11:31]
"We've stolen her childhood, now we're stealing her 20s."
– Jack Armstrong, joking about Greta Thunberg's activism arc [35:00]
"The Constitution has no hope of enduring unless it is... cherished. That's not a bad word really. Unless we love it, unless we value it, the Constitution doesn't have a chance. Guns and judges won't save it. It's the sentiment in the heart of the American people that protect it."
– Michael Telling [23:08]
"Despite widespread fears... America's national parks appear to have weathered the bulk of the cuts, the more than 25% of staff jobs cut. With no problem."
– Jack Armstrong [33:43]
"You win the elections, that's the way to get people to stop doing bad things."
– Jack Armstrong [31:04]
The episode balances serious analysis of political and policy issues with trademark irreverent banter and humor. Armstrong & Getty frequently cut through the noise with skepticism about both mainstream narratives and activist righteousness, using analogies, comedic exaggeration, and personal stories to keep the tone lively and contrarian.
For listeners: This episode is a tour-de-force on how public rhetoric, policy, and tribal dynamics intersect—with enough levity and curiosity to engage even those new to these debates. Skip the first 3 minutes for content; core discussions on violence, politics, and economics run through [03:32 – 50:11].
Key takeaway: In a world of hyperbolic politics and relentless tribalism, Armstrong & Getty remain as committed to skepticism as they are to satire—making for a densely packed, provocative, and entertaining episode.