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Jack Armstrong
This is an iHeart podcast broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln radio studio at.
Joe Getty
The George Washington Broadcast Center. Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.
Michael
Armstrong and Getty.
Jack Armstrong
And now here's Armstrong and Getty. California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff is refusing to answer questions from Fox News Digital about alleged mortgage fraud. President Trump says the Fannie Mae Financial Crimes Division has concluded Schiff engaged in a sustained pattern of possible mortgage fraud. The senator has called the accusations baseless. Think there's anything to that?
Michael
I would be shocked if Adam Schiff wasn't engaged in something overtly illegal. He's one of the most shameless, flaming congenital liars I've ever seen.
Jack Armstrong
He absolutely is and was. Has not been held to account on any. So he claimed a conspiracy with Russia all day, every day for years and never paid off any of the stuff he had. He gets a pass and becomes a US Senator. Dan Bongino does the same sort of thing around Epstein. And you know, mainstream media acts like it's a horror. I don't think you should make up conspiracies and lead along your voters when you know that there's nothing to it. When. But Adam Schiff did it, too.
Michael
Yeah.
Jack Armstrong
It's not unique to this Epstein thing.
Michael
I could also see Schiff and his fans and what's wrong with you if you're a fan of Adam Schiff. But I could see them saying, yeah, Trump has been vowing to get him forever, and now he's getting him. This is a witch hunt.
Jack Armstrong
Couple of things. The smallest, thinnest neck I've ever seen. That's an excellent point. A couple of things. Guilty. A couple of things. Before I get to the main thing. Ukraine related. Remember a week ago, they. My. My brother texted me from the airport two days ago. He's going to Australia to see his daughter, who's interning with a doctor because she's gonna be a doctor. And she got this cool internship with an Australian doctor. I don't know if they're fixing kangaroos or what they're doing, but crikey. Anyway, he was getting on a plane to go to Australia and he didn't have to take his shoes off. And he was very excited about that. And nobody was taking their shoes off. That happened a week ago. Now, Kristi Noem, the overly glam DHS secretary, said they're gonna change the limits on carry on liquids. So the ridiculously small 3 ounces of mouthwash or whatever that you're allowed to have, they're gonna. They're gonna change that. So exciting. Exciting.
Michael
Times to be a violated those rules 30 times.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, yeah, it's completely random whether they enforce them or not. You'll, you'll fly all over the place with the same tube of toothpaste. Then all of a sudden somebody will look in the face, what do you think doing with your 4 ounces of Crest toothpaste?
Michael
But I have had three corkscrews confiscated because obviously I can approach a storage and put the cork screw in and twist it and polar eye right out and then take over the plane.
Jack Armstrong
I don't know how many pocket knives I've had to throw away because I get there and I realize, ah, crap, I got my pocket knife with me, which you obviously can't have on a plane. So I started buying really cheap ones so I can just toss them in the trash and go through the line, buy another one when I get home. There's one more thing I wanted to get to. Maybe I'll do it later.
Michael
Oh, speaking of buying things, let me hit you with this. What's the difference between a natural diamond, a mined diamond, and a manufactured diamond that look exactly the same to the naked eye? What's the difference? Many more consumers are answering, I don't care.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, really?
Michael
The market for diamonds, real diamonds, is plunging.
Jack Armstrong
That's interesting. I got a nugget on that, but I'll save it. So very few people seem to have an answer as to why Trump decided to do a 50 day deadline for Russia. Russia has been showing what they are, who they are, and what they plan to do every day for three years. No matter what Trump says to him on the phone or threats or whatever, Putin just ups his game of trying to kill civilians and take over Ukraine. Why the 50 day pause? Nobody really knows. I've heard lots of guests, but nobody seems to really know. Zelensky Yesterday said the 50 day deadline wastes time and lots of human lives, which is clearly true. But this part I really like.
Michael
I'm surprised that he said something at forceful that might offend Trump.
Jack Armstrong
I am too. Although he did do an interview with Newsmax and said Biden couldn't end this war. I do think Trump can so. Which might actually be true. Also, Trump and Zelensky are discussing a mega deal between the two countries around drone technology. And our military and military experts are really excited about this. I heard somebody the other day saying if this war ended today, one of the most powerful militaries on earth would be the Ukrainians, even though they're a tiny country because they have better understanding of modern warfare. And have the infrastructure for fighting it more than really anybody on Earth.
Michael
Wow.
Jack Armstrong
Which is something President Trump and President Zelensky of Ukraine are considering a megadeal that would see the US Buying battlefield tested Ukrainian drones in exchange for Kyiv agreeing to buy a swath of weapons from America. So we and NATO and then some of that freed up Russian money would buy all of our weapons, which would be a good deal for us. We're going to get a whole bunch of drone technology and hardware. Speaking exclusively with the New York Post yesterday, Zelensky revealed his latest talks with Trump focused on a breakthrough deal that would see the US And Ukraine prop each other's arsenal technology up and their area technology, specifically with Keev offering to share everything it's learned about modern warfare and in its three year conflict with Russia, which is very exciting. The deal could be transformative for the US Military and national security, with officials and drone experts warning that America's technology lags way behind Russia and China. And Ukraine is about as good as anybody on planet Earth at this. And American soldiers are ill equipped to use drones or defend against the types of devices that are being used by some of our biggest enemies, the people.
Michael
I find it surprising that we're that far behind, but I say that humbly. I'm sure there's plenty I don't know about this. And I get that Ukraine has by necessity accelerated their experimentation and their learning curve. I mean, beyond imagination for us in the US but anyway, drone warfare has.
Jack Armstrong
Become the standout method of battle in the Ukraine war and probably the future of warfare, with Moscow and Kyiv trading hundreds of aerial blows every day using these drones. As we all know, experts have long warned that many nations are studying the conflict to understand what a modern war would look like with the potential devastation highlighted by Russia's ever escalating drone bombardments of Ukraine. And I wanted to get this on this guy who's one of your experts in studying our defenses. We all know the same thing. We aren't giving the American warfighter what they need to survive warfare today. This expert told the New York Times, if we had to go to war tomorrow, do we have what we need? No. Which is a little frightening. The issues were made evident in a four day testing camp held last month in Alaska by the Defense Department, which saw saw soldiers and private contractors repeatedly fail to take down prototype drones of the type that are being by used by Russia and Ukraine. So we just don't have the expertise in it. Ukraine is maybe the best in the world and they're going to give us all that info in exchange for other stuff, which is awesome, right?
Michael
The drones encounter drone.
Jack Armstrong
I don't see how you could be against this at all. I wonder if one of these days I was listening to the Telegraphed Ukraine podcast, which I listen to at least part of every single day. Russia Daily sends drones in slightly different ways and missiles. And I think they're just trying to either, well, both exhaust Ukraine's defenses. They're gonna have to hurry because we're getting the Patriot batteries there soon. But exhaust Ukraine defenses or come up with something that Ukraine can't handle. And if that ever happens, I'd like to. We need to get Mike lines on because I'd like to ask him this. Like yesterday's attack, Russia sent drones from many different directions. This is the first time they'd done it this way. Like they came from east, west, north, south, all at the same time with the idea that maybe this will confuse Ukraine's defense systems and then our missiles would get through. Well, if they have ever have a day where they break through, are they going to kill thousands in one afternoon in Kiev or, you know, one of those bigger cities? Because they finally figured out the. The calculation of what Ukraine's system can handle. And then how is the world going to react? How's NATO going to react? How's the United States going to react? It'll be interesting to see. But that. I think that's Russia's intent, that one day they. Okay, we finally figured it out. Bingo. We got it. Now we can just lay low. Lay them low.
Michael
I think I mentioned this to you off the air. Came across really, really interesting study. The title of this article is through trial and error, Iran found Gaps in Israel's Storied Air defenses. And, you know, the headline tells a lot of the story. The interlocking layers of missile defense I found fascinating. I'd love to talk about that later on the show, but the point is, over 12 days, Iran pierced Israel's defenses with increasing success, showing that even the world's most advanced systems can be penetrated.
Jack Armstrong
Okay, well, that's exactly what I was saying then, that it's obviously what's happening because Russia is using Ukrainian or, sorry, Russia is using Iranian drone technology. So obviously they would be talking to the Iranians. That's what they're trying to do. They're trying to find the weakness in Ukraine's system. What I'm just wondering is, the day that they do that and are successful and kill thousands, what the reaction is.
Michael
Going to be by Trump specifically or.
Jack Armstrong
Just in general NATO.
Michael
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Jack Armstrong
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Michael
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Jack Armstrong
Trustandwill.com Armstrong so the Republican Congress hates Elmo.
Michael
I know I do.
Jack Armstrong
Pulling the funding from NPR and pbs. Finally going to happen. It looks like National Review weighing in on that story and how it's a big deal and way too late. Among other things we got on the way. I hope you can stay here.
Michael
Armstrong and Getty.
Joe Getty
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Michael
In honor of National Hot Dog Day.
Jack Armstrong
The convenience store circle K offered two roller grill hot dogs for $1 because.
Michael
That'S what they used to cost back when they were first placed on the roller.
Jack Armstrong
That's a good idea. They charge you based on when they put them in there.
Michael
Oh yeah, I like that. Yesterday's spread. You get a couple of bucks off. Come on, why not Last Tuesday's hot dog? I'm not paying much for it, so. Speaking of paying a great deal for something or not, Jack, you know this London based De Beers, the corporation almost single handedly pursued humans that your love isn't genuine unless it's sealed with a diamond.
Jack Armstrong
They're the ones that convinced everybody of this. And then, and then various people invented the whole two months of your salaries. Traditional.
Michael
What a load of crap. I'm sure they studied that for a while and realized, all right, three would be insane, people would reject it. One, we can get away with more than that. But it's all made up. And do you know anybody, do you or anybody you know who got engaged and it did not include any sort of diamond ring? It's very rare.
Jack Armstrong
Oh yeah, De Beers has like most of the diamonds in the world, right? That one, correct, yeah, yeah. And then they, they dole them out, keeping you know, the scarcity up. There's enough diamonds for everybody to have lots of diamonds. They just have them in a big pile somewhere.
Michael
Well, and that's not even, I mean that's true, but that's almost irrelevant at this point. And De Beers chief executive Al Cook wants to save you and generation of lovers and newlyweds from what he's calling a huge con when it comes to buying diamonds. And that is lab made diamonds. Diamonds can be made in labs that mimic the earth's extreme pressures and temperatures for a fraction of the price. A decade ago buying it was a novelty. Today they are completely mainstream. Walmart sold its first lab grown diamonds in 2022, three years ago. Now the stones make up half of its diamond jewelry assortment.
Jack Armstrong
Wow. So it's maybe similar to what we were talking about the other day with dyeing your hair. Went from not cool something to mock too. Everybody does it. Maybe fake diamonds are that way. Somebody I know quite well to do wears big diamond earrings in their ears. Had lost one the other day. I was like, oh my God, you must be. Oh no, no, it's not real. I was shocked that they wore fake diamonds, but maybe that's because of this trend.
Michael
You know, I bought Judy diamond earrings for Christmas last year and I'm kicking myself that we didn't go with the lab drone, honestly.
Jack Armstrong
But Anyway, big, big, giant ones just.
Michael
Don'T look like a wrapper. Yeah, yeah, exactly, Michael.
Jack Armstrong
My wife's diamond ring is a lab grown.
Michael
Yeah, why not?
Jack Armstrong
Why not?
Michael
Now De Beers is joining with Signet Jewelers, which owns K Jewelers, Zales, Jared. It's funny how all of these are near monopolies to say. No, real diamonds are the only good ones because the markup is so much more. But listen to this. Another statistic for you. Synthetic diamonds accounted for 1% of diamond sales in 2016. Nine years ago, 20%. Now it's more. I'm sorry, 1%. Less than 1%. Now it's 20%. A little more than 20%.
Jack Armstrong
The whole thing has always been nuts. But.
Michael
But so is more than half of engagement rings. Last year, lab created diamonds.
Jack Armstrong
Wow. Good for you. If you snagged a woman who says, oh yeah, go lab grown. Let's. Let's save the money for a house or our kids or whatever. Good for you. It's so much smarter. Almost anything that is fashion related is completely in your mind.
Michael
Yes. Speaking of which, think about this. What's the appeal of diamonds now? They're shiny and sparkly, which is kind of cool, especially if you're a tweaker. But no, I mean, they're, they're pretty when they're cut. Right. But they're a message. I'm wealthy, I'm successful, or I'm really, really in love. And people want to communicate that through the ring or the size of the ring. But now that it's become much, much, much more affordable, diamonds lose their cachet among the successful and well to do or certainly will be soon.
Jack Armstrong
Right? Yeah, right, that. So if half of engagement rings were not real diamonds, the whole. Because it works both ways. Rich guy gives it to her to show, you know, I'm a big deal. And she believes, okay, you care about me because I know this was expensive. Then she gets to wear it around, which shows her friends I married a big deal, which is good for her.
Michael
But who really cares about me?
Jack Armstrong
Who really cares about all that goes out the window if half of them are more fake. Yeah, right, right. That will fall apart very quickly.
Michael
Right?
Jack Armstrong
Interesting and good.
Michael
Yeah, Yeah. I was just reading the other day about the, the, the designer purses that go for just astronomical sums that I can't even comprehend. Gals. It's a, it's a woman thing. I'll let you worry about it. But you know, you're five, six, seven, $8,000 purse. Right. And, and they were talking about especially the Chinese knockoffs are so good now you need an expert with a magnifying glass to tell the difference. Who cares? Only people who are really. I almost said desperate, but I don't want to come off as judgmental. Wait a minute. I'm constantly judgmental. The only people who would care are those who are desperate for the status brought by the legit. Because the legit shows I have $8,000 to spend on a purse.
Jack Armstrong
Here's a good example. So I needed a big piece of luggage to come back from New York. We extended our vacation. We ended up with more stuff. I needed more luggage. I wanted to buy a really good bag and I went to the store and it was pretty pricey, but it was half price because it was last year's colors. And I thought there are people that care what color their luggage is. I can't even imagine that I got last year's green instead of this year's green. Okay. Saved me a lot of money.
Michael
Yeah, interesting.
Jack Armstrong
If you change your luggage because the that colors last year and good for you. I guess you have plenty of money to spend.
Michael
Send me some of it.
Jack Armstrong
We got a lots on the way. Stay here.
Michael
Armstrong and Gettysburg.
Joe Getty
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Jack Armstrong
So I suppose we've got some more. I'm gonna drop an E bomb. I don't even know if I can take it myself. Epstein. Stuff we could talk about later. I don't know if I can make myself do it.
Michael
Yeah.
Jack Armstrong
Is this story done? Is it done? I think it's done. I thought it was done a week ago, but I. I think. I think today might be the last day.
Michael
In what sense is like a headline Grabbing statement was made by.
Jack Armstrong
Yes.
Michael
Okay.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, it's gotta be.
Michael
It will continue behind, behind the scenes online for the rest of our lives and beyond.
Jack Armstrong
Sure, but it can't be like the first or second, first two or three stories in the evening newscast anymore. Surely not.
Michael
No, no, you wouldn't think so, barring some huge development like Pam Bondi gives up the list.
Jack Armstrong
Come on.
Michael
So I have all sorts of information compiled about the insidious state of our national education system and the rot in the teachers unions. And man, there's some more examples just coming out today where the big teachers unions now have essentially banned any use of any up with Israel or that doesn't even misstate it, or Holocaust educational materials from the Anti Defamation League. They have banned any use of those materials which have been used in thousands and thousands of schools to teach about the Holocaust. Among other things, they've banned the use of them. Now as the raving antisemitism continues and grows in, in the, the teachers unions and there are all sorts of examples of it. But the one thing I wanted to touch on, and this is from the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, but a lot of the, the medical schools in America, I mean the colleges and universities, but medical schools too are full speed ahead with the racism, with the dei, selective, you know, admissions and that sort of thing based heavily on race.
Jack Armstrong
Well, just because you brought up anti Semitism, this headline had a national review. Did you see this? As left wing Americans flee to Canada, Canadian Jews are heading to the United States to escape rampant anti Semitism. Yeah, it's worse in Canada.
Michael
Yeah. Wow. Yeah. We mentioned the other day Free Press did some great reporting on at the big NEA meeting. That's the nation's largest teachers union, the National Educational Association. It was all about promoting woke politics, fighting Trump, opposing ice, continuing DEI and social justice, continuing LGBTQ plus minus over the power of three programs in schools and how to get away with it. Just it's a Marxist organization that when they get a chance might teach your kid how to add and subtract act, but probably not. Anyway, getting back to the probably not getting back to the medical school thing. Do no harm. A group that studies preferences and medicine submitted a Freedom of Information act to 93 public medical schools for last year. Their admissions for data on race, undergraduate GPA and the MCAT scores and whether or not the applicant was admitted. And actually a couple of dozen schools have responded so far. And the data suggests racial preferences are still going strong. At the responding schools, admitted black applicants had lower MCAT scores than admitted white and Asian applicants. 22 out of the 23 schools admitted Asian students had a mean MCAT of 514. That's in the 88th percentile. Admitted black students had a mean score of 508.3, approximately approximately the 73rd percentile, which, which is not miserable, but it's, you know, 15 points lower. The delta also existed for comparative GPAs among the groups. Dishonorable mention goes to the University of Wisconsin Medical School and Public Health School of. I'm sorry, School of Medicine and Public Health, where black medical school applicants were 10 times more likely to be admitted than white or Asian applicants with identical test scores and gp.
Jack Armstrong
Wow.
Michael
At Eastern Virginia Medical School, black applicants were about 11 times more likely to be admitted. There's no way to explain that multiple. Without racial preferences, which have been outlawed by the Supreme Court, not to mention the Civil Rights act of 1964 in pursuant legislation or if you're like me.
Jack Armstrong
Or you or lots of people listening, just common decency. I mean, that's just awful that. Well, it's racist. It's incredibly racist.
Michael
Yeah, yeah, it is. Unbelievable. And how do you possibly thing.
Jack Armstrong
I mean, I don't know how you justify it. I know how they do justify it, but it doesn't make any sense. You're not helping some black kid from 1958 by screwing over some Asian kid today.
Michael
Right? Well, that's well said. And as I'm always harping. Oh, one final note. They studied before the Supreme Court decision and after. No change. No change. The colleges are just doing what they want to do without fear of repercussion. I think a little repercussion might do them some good. But to your point, Jack, and I'm always harping on this, to fix it at the admission into grad school level is to do an incredible disservice to the little kids who are getting crappy union choked government school miseducations. You're, you're enabling that to continue. And trust me, the unions know that instead of going with school choice and vouchers and competition and, and getting rid of the near monopoly of our crappy government schools, you paper over it at the end so you can keep the scam up.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, that's, that's, that's a great point that I wish more people focused on try to fix it for 5 year olds through 10 year olds as opposed to high school, college and beyond. Right.
Michael
I mean, if you just said, hey, look, only 6% or 5% of medical school students are black kids doesn't that seem really low given the fact that. What's the current figure, 11% of the population is black or whatever it happens to be. Seems low. Why do you suppose that is? Now, if you approached it like that and not, well, let's just push more into medical school, you would be forced to answer the question.
Jack Armstrong
Well, right.
Michael
Maybe it has to do with the crappy schools. Maybe it has to do with families, family structure, parent, you know, father absenteeism. But you'd have to answer those questions.
Jack Armstrong
Well, even if you left it with schools, at least that would drive you back to looking at like. Because we saw the statistics for Chicago and a number. Baltimore, number of other cities where the poor schools. 0%. And the poor schools are primarily black. 0% of the kids could read or do math at proficiency level zero. Makes you wonder why they're even open. What are they doing?
Michael
But I wish. Go ahead.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, but if that's the case, that's where you start, right?
Michael
And why aren't there Republicans who are making this point more forcefully and eloquently? I do not know. But so here just. I'll speak for myself. Here I am advocating innovation, competition, school choice for parents of little minority kids. We'll just go with black kids for now. Just simplify the verbiage. But I'm for doing whatever it takes to shake up the system so that those little black boys and girls get the education they deserve. The progressive side of the aisle is in lockstep with the teachers union screwing those little kids. You tell me which side of the aisle actually cares about those little kids. I mean, it's so fricking self evident. I feel like I'm. Y' all are far. You were ahead of me two sentences before I finished. It's so obvious. But nobody's making that point because of the, you know, that the monopoly of the mainstream media and a lot of these discussions and just, I don't know, people's stereotypes or preconceptions, I guess.
Jack Armstrong
Well, that Supreme Court ruling is going to be hard to enforce, obviously.
Michael
Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I mean, where there is no respect for the law or indeed contempt for the law, like in our university system. How are you going to do it? Well, this sort of thing. Good for do no Harm, the. The organization that's studying this stuff. Good for y'.
Jack Armstrong
All.
Michael
I'm gonna kick him a few bucks or something.
Jack Armstrong
Wanted to mention this. And this kind of fits in with what we were just talking about because you get better coverage on this news story for a lot of America if you NPR was a little bit different than they are. Republic Television so left leaning they would never approach this story the way we just did. After I'm reading Rich Lowry of the National Review here. After several decades of talking about it and trying to do it with no effect, Republicans are finally cutting off federal funding for public broadcasting. An extraordinary win, says the National Review happened last night, late $9 billion total being cut out of the government. There's all kinds of different stuff that I might not agree with of different programs, but the roughly a billion dollars that goes to NPR on the radio and PBS on tv. Absolutely way overdue.
Michael
The bigger picture and Michael, I'm going to need 55. Clip 55 Senator John Thune but to me, the bigger picture is that this rescission package of is it $8 billion? It's less than 1/10 of 1% of the federal budget and just trying to make a few cuts. People are squealing like we're, I don't know, suspending the Constitution and ending all Social Security. And here's John Thu.
Jack Armstrong
But what does it tell you about trying to cut spending in Washington that the House only passes this rescissions bill by one vote and as you mentioned, you brought Vice President Vance to get it through. What does it say about how tough that is considering how big our deficit in debt is? Right. Well, I mean it is and we're $36 trillion in debt and we just don't have any options anymore. We run out of options. We've got to start doing the hard work. And it is it's politically fraught.
Michael
You get 20 times the reward for spending money than you do for responsible cutting of spending. That's just that's the political dynamic that I think we all just need to understand and we will have to hit bottom. Well, sorry, that was discouraging.
Jack Armstrong
I apologize. Well, it's a pretty discouraging situation. That bottom is going to be pretty ugly.
Michael
Oh yeah.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. Well, your kids are going to like it if you buy them new new bikes and clothes and video games and fancy vacations endlessly. They're going to really, really like it. They're going to hate it if you tell them no, no, no, we're going to really tighten our belt this year. The problem is you would you you run out of money at some point, you see, is the point exactly.
Michael
My beloved daughter Delaney, who's living at home for the summer, at least for a couple of months. We're watching Poops Creek, the such a good show, the award winning show which I am really enjoying. And the further you go, the better it gets.
Jack Armstrong
I know. It becomes just like, so brilliant.
Michael
Right, Right, right. And I'm finally getting to the point where I'm appreciating that. But the United States of America is going to be the. What's their name? The King family or.
Jack Armstrong
I can't believe I can't remember.
Michael
It's funny. I can't remember the last name of the family. It doesn't matter. We'll call them the Jones family. The U.S. of A. Is going to be the Jo family. We are going to go from a palatial mansion in every luxury known to man to living in a crappy hotel with a weirdo purvo mayor slash hotel manager. The humiliations are going to be many and the deprivations unending.
Jack Armstrong
How about the sign on the billboard coming into town?
Michael
I don't see the problem.
Jack Armstrong
Sorry.
Michael
Inside joke. It's a fine show. It's very quirky. Hope you enjoy.
Jack Armstrong
EW. David Ewing.
Michael
And don't worry, it's his sister. Sorry. All right, now we'll stop. Now we'll stop. Stop.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, my God. Okay, we got a lot more. Stay here.
Michael
Armstrong and Getty.
Joe Getty
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Michael
Big story today is that Trump lashed.
Jack Armstrong
Out at his own supporters who are.
Michael
Criticizing him over the Epstein files, calling them weaklings who have bought into bs.
Jack Armstrong
Hook, line and sinker.
Michael
Trump hasn't been this mad at the people he loves since McDonald's introduced salads.
Jack Armstrong
Not my Ronald. That's funny. Big announcement around food and drink that Trump just made. You know how people like Mexican Coke? Buying Mexican Coke because it has Rocaine sugar in it instead of the fructose. Coca Cola is going to have cane sugar in it.
Michael
Hooray. According to Trump.
Jack Armstrong
So I don't quite understand this. Is he forcing Coke to switch to sugar? And apparently Coke has put out a statement saying we don't have high fructose. So I don't know, maybe that battle's not over. But Trump trying to order Coca Cola to have. I do like to taste better. And I remember when I used to go to Mexico, it was noticeable, first sip, incredibly different flavor, much better. But anyhow, that's a minor point. I, that's not what I was planning to talk about. So the whole Epstein thing and Trump attacking his most faithful supporters and all that. Joe Scarborough on Morning Joe Today. And I didn't see this said to some Democrat who was on there calling out Democrats for their sudden interest in the Epstein files. It's also staged and in bad faith, right? Hey, Democrats, the Epstein thing's the most important thing. I mean, you had four years and several years of control of all branches and you weren't interested in it at all. And now you act like it's such an important topic. Oh, we do have Scarborough. Go ahead. Why is this important? Because the sexual abuse of young people and children is a crisis throughout our society. There's, of course, the church scandal or many church scandals. There's what happened in Michigan state. There's what happened at Ohio State. Con mean, you could have gotten that from 21 to 25 when Democrats controlled the DOJ. Why? It was a crisis then, it's a crisis now.
Michael
Why didn't, why didn't Democrats call for.
Jack Armstrong
It from 21 to 25? So, I mean, you have to go back, look specifically at particular that makes the point. That's Jamie Raskin, who's as full of crap as anybody could be. But that's a very good question. All this, Epstein's hugely important with child. And okay, you didn't care about it before. It's just as I've been saying all week, it's just a club to hammer MAGA with or to point out that Pam Bondi and the FBI director were lying to voters when they were out of office. That's why you're into it. It's the only reason you're into it.
Michael
Yeah. Read a piece by Karl Rove in which he was describing the utter disarray of the Democratic Party and what terrible, terrible trouble they're in. He said, look, they're smart to latch onto this because it might give them a momentary opportunity to sh. Faith in The Trump administration or Republicans. But he said this is not the sort of thing people vote on.
Jack Armstrong
No. Oh, absolutely not. And when it's gone, it will be gone and nobody will ever think about it again. It's one of those things that's, like, exciting for a couple of days. You won't even. People will say, oh, yeah, I remember that week we talked about Epstein every day. But Trump said this yesterday, which is a heck of a thing. I would say that. You know, these files were made up by Comey.
Michael
They were made up by Obama.
Jack Armstrong
They were made up by the Biden. You know, we. And we went through years of that with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax, with all of the different things that we had to go through. We've gone through years of it. But she's handled it very well and it's going to be up to her. Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release. I've completely lost the thread of his explanation for what are we talking about.
Michael
What files? What Comey?
Jack Armstrong
What Comey? Biden and Obama are behind the Epstein hoax?
Michael
What? Or behind the investigation? You know, we got this note from Edmund who says he thinks we've been kind of flippant in dismissing the concerns and interests of so many good people. You don't have to subscribe to the extreme theories regarding Mossad or to some international child abuse conspiracy theory to believe that available records, records will disclose the identities of many men who took an invitation from Epstein to enjoy the underage girls that he and his sidekick captured and exploited. So he is concerned with a much more narrow focus, that there are more pervs. They're probably rich and powerful and their names ought to be out. But see, that's the problem, Edmund, with dealing with this. You have to almost describe specifically. All right, which level, which permutation, which version of this am I arguing against right now? I would never argue against your version of it, Edmund. No, but it's the. The evil Jews are in an international child rape cabal thing that, no, I'm not buying and never will run by.
Jack Armstrong
The Clintons in Hollywood. If you missed a segment an hour or whatever, get the podcast. Armstrong and Getty on demand. Another hour to go.
Michael
Armstrong and Getty.
Jack Armstrong
We finally switched to T Mobile because they know that those of us here and there want to stay well connected.
Michael
Let's watch a movie charity.
Jack Armstrong
Thanks to T Mobile, we get Netflix included so we can all enjoy our favorite shows and movies. Now, the hard part is getting them to agree on a movie.
Michael
Switch today and get a Samsung Galaxy S25. Plus with Galaxy AI on us plus your plan prize is guaranteed for five years. Save today, guarantee for tomorrow. Tap the banner to learn more or visit a store. Guarantees monthly price of contacts and data exclusions like taxes and fee supply. See exclusions and details@t mobile.com this is an iHeart podcast.
Armstrong & Getty On Demand: "Deadlines & Diamonds" – Detailed Episode Summary
Release Date: July 17, 2025 | Host: Jack Armstrong & Michael Getty | Produced by iHeartPodcasts
The episode kicks off with a heated discussion surrounding California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff. Host Jack Armstrong references recent allegations suggesting that Schiff is involved in mortgage fraud.
Key Points:
Allegations Against Schiff: Armstrong mentions that Fannie Mae’s Financial Crimes Division has accused Schiff of engaging in a sustained pattern of possible mortgage fraud. Schiff, however, has staunchly denied these allegations, calling them baseless.
Host's Stance: Michael Getty expresses strong skepticism about Schiff’s innocence.
Michael Getty [00:48]: "I would be shocked if Adam Schiff wasn't engaged in something overtly illegal. He's one of the most shameless, flaming congenital liars I've ever seen."
Broader Implications: Armstrong criticizes Schiff for previously alleging conspiracies with Russia, suggesting a pattern of behavior where Schiff spreads unfounded accusations without accountability.
Jack Armstrong [01:00]: "He absolutely is and was. Has not been held to account on any. So he claimed a conspiracy with Russia all day, every day for years and never paid off any of the stuff he had."
Transitioning from politics to everyday issues, Armstrong and Getty discuss the unpredictable enforcement of carry-on liquid limits in airports.
Key Points:
Personal Anecdotes: Armstrong shares a personal story about his brother flying to Australia without having to remove shoes, contrasting it with Kristi Noem’s announcement about changing liquid limits.
Jack Armstrong [01:44]: "My brother texted me...he was very excited about that. And nobody was taking their shoes off. That happened a week ago."
Inconsistent Enforcement: Both hosts lament the randomness in security checks, highlighting frustrations over variable enforcement of rules.
Michael Getty [02:40]: "Times to be a violated those rules 30 times."
Jack Armstrong [02:44]: "It's completely random whether they enforce them or not."
A significant portion of the episode delves into the evolving dynamics of the diamond market, particularly the rise of lab-grown diamonds.
Key Points:
Market Shift: Michael Getty explains the declining market for natural diamonds as consumers increasingly opt for manufactured alternatives.
Michael Getty [03:23]: "The market for diamonds, real diamonds, is plunging."
De Beers’ Response: The discussion highlights how De Beers is addressing the surge in lab-grown diamonds, positioning them as a more affordable and ethical alternative.
Michael Getty [14:32]: "De Beers chief executive Al Cook wants to save you and generation of lovers and newlyweds from what he's calling a huge con when it comes to buying diamonds."
Consumer Perception: Both hosts remark on the shifting consumer attitudes towards diamonds, noting that the traditional allure of diamonds is diminishing as lab-grown options become mainstream.
Jack Armstrong [15:10]: "It's maybe similar to what we were talking about the other day with dyeing your hair...maybe fake diamonds are that way."
Armstrong and Getty transition to international affairs, discussing President Trump's interactions with Ukrainian President Zelensky and the implications for military technology.
Key Points:
50-Day Deadline: Armstrong critiques Trump's imposition of a 50-day deadline for resolving issues with Russia, questioning its efficacy in addressing Putin's aggressive maneuvers in Ukraine.
Jack Armstrong [03:48]: "Think the 50 day deadline? Nobody really knows. I've heard lots of guests, but nobody seems to really know."
Drone Technology Deal: The hosts elaborate on ongoing negotiations between Trump and Zelensky for a strategic deal involving Ukrainian drones and American military hardware.
Jack Armstrong [05:10]: "Trump and Zelensky are discussing a mega deal between the two countries around drone technology."
Military Implications: They emphasize the potential transformation of the US military through the acquisition of battlefield-tested Ukrainian drone technology, highlighting concerns over current American defenses against modern drone warfare.
Jack Armstrong [06:29]: "Ukraine is maybe the best in the world and they're going to give us all that info in exchange for other stuff, which is awesome, right?"
A critical examination of the US education system and alleged racial biases in medical school admissions forms a significant segment of the episode.
Key Points:
Teachers Unions and Anti-Semitism: Michael Getty discusses the problematic stance of major teachers unions, alleging their role in promoting anti-Semitic sentiments and obstructing educational materials that address the Holocaust.
Michael Getty [22:37]: "The progressives...a lot of the teachers unions screwing those little kids."
Racial Preferences in Admissions: The hosts cite a Wall Street Journal editorial revealing that racial preferences continue to influence medical school admissions, with black applicants being favored over equally or more qualified white and Asian applicants.
Michael Getty [25:00]: "At Eastern Virginia Medical School, black applicants were about 11 times more likely to be admitted."
Impact on Minority Communities: Armstrong and Getty argue that these practices undermine the fairness of the education system and disadvantage deserving candidates based on race.
Jack Armstrong [25:38]: "That's racist. It's incredibly racist."
Addressing governmental budgetary decisions, the hosts discuss the Republican-led initiative to cut funding for NPR and PBS.
Key Points:
Funding Cuts: Citing the National Review, Armstrong explains that Republicans have successfully eliminated the roughly $1 billion allocated to NPR and PBS as part of a broader $9 billion rescission package.
Jack Armstrong [29:39]: "Republicans are finally cutting off federal funding for NPR and PBS. An extraordinary win, says the National Review."
Political Implications: The discussion underscores the partisan nature of funding debates and the broader challenges of addressing the national deficit.
Michael Getty [31:32]: "We're $36 trillion in debt and we just don't have any options anymore."
In the latter part of the episode, Armstrong and Getty revisit the controversial topic of Jeffrey Epstein's files, exploring various conspiracy theories and political motivations.
Key Points:
Trump’s Reaction: The hosts describe Trump's aggressive stance towards his supporters who question the Epstein files, portraying it as a rare display of anger.
Michael Getty [34:40]: "Trump lashed out at his own supporters who are criticizing him over the Epstein files."
Conspiracy Theories: They critique the proliferation of extreme theories linking high-profile figures to international conspiracies involving child abuse, dismissing them as unfounded.
Jack Armstrong [37:41]: "The evil Jews are in an international child rape cabal thing that, no, I'm not buying and never will."
Media Manipulation: Armstrong references Karl Rove’s analysis of the Democratic Party's internal struggles, suggesting that the Epstein narrative is being used opportunistically to undermine Trump.
Karl Rove's Insight [37:22]: "Republicans are finally cutting off federal funding for public broadcasting...and trying to do it with no effect."
The episode wraps up with reflections on the current state of America, blending political commentary with cultural observations.
Key Points:
American Decline: Armstrong and Getty speculate on the potential decline of American prosperity and global standing, using metaphors of shifting from luxury to austerity.
Michael Getty [32:34]: "The United States of America is going to be the Jo family. We are going to go from a palatial mansion in every luxury known to man to living in a crappy hotel."
Media Consumption: They briefly mention enjoying shows like "Parks and Recreation," juxtaposing their serious discussions with lighthearted cultural references.
Notable Quotes:
Michael Getty [00:48]: "He's one of the most shameless, flaming congenital liars I've ever seen."
Jack Armstrong [01:00]: "He claimed a conspiracy with Russia all day, every day for years and never paid off any of the stuff he had."
Michael Getty [14:32]: "De Beers chief executive Al Cook wants to save you and generation of lovers and newlyweds from what he's calling a huge con when it comes to buying diamonds."
Jack Armstrong [25:38]: "That's racist. It's incredibly racist."
Conclusion:
In "Deadlines & Diamonds," Armstrong and Getty navigate a spectrum of pressing political and social issues, from allegations against public figures and the evolution of the diamond industry to the intricacies of military technology and systemic biases in education. Their commentary is marked by a critical stance towards establishment institutions and progressive policies, interspersed with sharp critiques of media narratives and governmental decisions. The episode offers listeners a blend of political analysis, cultural critique, and personal anecdotes, aiming to provide a comprehensive overview of contemporary challenges facing America.