Embracing the Hard Foul

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: Embracing the Hard Foul
Date: July 8, 2026
Host: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This episode pivots from sports controversy to broader American cultural issues, weaving discussions around WNBA star Caitlin Clark's polarizing reception, American exceptionalism, concerns about U.S. debt and education, and the state of world affairs. The hosts use recent news and commentary as springboards into deeper cultural and political analysis, aiming to connect sports, identity, and national identity debates with bigger American trends.

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Key Segments & Insights

1. Caitlin Clark and the WNBA: More Than Just Sports

[03:03 – 15:50]

• Clark's Impact and the League's Dilemma:
  Joe Getty discusses how Caitlin Clark, described as one of the greatest college basketball players ever, has transformed the WNBA economically and culturally. Clark's arrival has fueled unprecedented viewership, attendance, merchandise sales, and media deals.

  “Ryan Brewer, a finance professor at Indiana University ... calculated that Caitlin Clark alone accounted for more than 26 and a half percent of all WNBA economic activity in the 2024 season.” — Getty [05:41]

• Alleged Targeting and League Dynamics:
  Getty explores reports and arguments—primarily citing a National Review article—that Clark faces physical targeting without adequate protection from referees, which he links to deeper issues of identity and resentment within the league.

  “A lot of it because she's white and straight and they hate her for it.” — Getty [07:59]

• Cultural and Business Contrast:
  The discussion notes a parallel drawn by National Review between the WNBA’s treatment of Clark and the league’s struggle between functioning as a business and serving as an ideological project subsidized by the NBA.

  “If the WNBA was a business that needed to pay its own bills ... its incentives to protect and celebrate Caitlin Clark would override everything else. … But instead the WNBA … has been an ideological project bundled with the NBA.” — Getty [12:10]

• The Bigger Cultural Picture:
  Getty contends that the Clark phenomenon exposes “tribal” resentments within the WNBA and questions of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), ultimately suggesting the league’s reluctance to support its biggest star undermines its own success.

  “Here you got a straight white player dominating it, and it makes them all very, very angry.” — Getty [14:28]

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2. American Exceptionalism, National Identity, and Political Pushback

[23:26 – 34:00]

• Fourth of July Reactions:
  The hosts reflect on the robust celebrations of American exceptionalism during the July 4th period, referencing Trump’s speeches and the counterpoint given by New York’s Mayor Mamdani. Getty objects to Mamdani’s focus on America’s shortcomings during the country’s 250th birthday.

  “To point out the flaws and lean on them on your 250th birthday, that’s like … on your 50th wedding anniversary, you decide to point out all the bad things your husband did over the last 50 years...” — Getty [24:17]

• Elon Musk’s Perspective on Postwar America:
  Getty quotes and paraphrases Elon Musk’s viral commentary on how America rebuilt its defeated enemies after WWII, calling this behavior “unprecedented in world history.”

  “America had a greater advantage than all of them combined, and it rebuilt the nations it had just defeated. The United States actively helped rebuild countries.” — Getty/Musk [27:03]

• Education and Cultural Concerns:
  Getty laments what he sees as a failure of American education, claiming young people are turned against the country by schools neglecting positive narratives.

  “Our education system, K through PhD ... is convincing young people that this is a bad country and not worth sustaining and not worth fighting for. That’s a systemic issue.” — Getty [32:23]

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3. Existential Threats to America: Debt & Cultural Decline

[32:23 – 34:00]

• National Debt Worries:
  Getty expresses grave concern over the U.S. national debt—citing $37 trillion—and doubts the political will to address it, labeling the issue as potentially catastrophic.

  “$37 trillion in debt and a structural problem where we spend more than we take in that nobody’s willing to look at is... a huge, huge problem.” — Getty [33:14]

• Cultural Self-Undermining:
  “Between the debt and the fact that we’re educating everybody who’s young that this is a bad country, we’re in trouble. We’re in big trouble.” — Getty [32:28]

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4. International Affairs: Trump, Zelensky & Putin

[37:30 – 41:00]

• Trump’s NATO Summit Commentary:
  Reported from the NATO summit, discussion centers on former President Trump’s approach to the Ukraine conflict, with Getty critiquing Trump’s “deal-making” framing as naïve.

  “He just said, I think Putin wants to get a deal done. No, he doesn’t. What makes you believe this, Mr. President?” — Getty [39:23]

• Trump on Communism & Messaging to Youth:
  A clip is played of Trump warning about the false promises of communism and socialism, calling for more direct, educational discourse from political leaders.

  “Communism’s a disaster. … You’ve got the free house. Would anybody like to have a free house? We’ll take it away from... Somebody will give it to you. You’ll have murders all over the place.” — Trump [40:09]
  “It’s such an easy sell, socialism. … You won’t have to work as hard. We’ll split everything equally. Oh, that sounds great. Until you think about it for like two seconds.” — Getty [41:01]

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5. Rapid-fire Final Thoughts

[43:00 – 44:50]

• AI Error Anecdote:
  Michael and Getty joke about AI (Google Gemini) giving incorrect information on the number of WNBA teams, lightly poking at current AI limitations.

  “That does trouble me how often they’re wrong about things that I know about and sometimes it’s just at random.” — Getty [43:29]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Caitlin Clark and the WNBA:

• “One player accounted for over a quarter of all the economic activity... That’s the sort of windfall that has arrived on the growth she’s ignited.” — Getty [05:41]
• “Her coach abandoned the usual diplomacy and said that it was crazy, it was also dangerous, and that these cheap shots are unacceptable. You get fined for this sort of thing in all sports leagues...” — Getty [10:00]

On American Exceptionalism:

• “When you’re in a point of leverage, and instead of taking them over, you rebuild them and let them be independent. It had never happened, not in the 5,000 years of recorded civilization…” — Getty/Musk [27:03]
• “Every nation on Earth has blood in its history, but the measure of a nation was never its worst chapter...” — Getty/Musk [28:00]

On Education and Debt:

• “That’s a systemic issue…will only be overcome with decades of work. And that’s if we started today at K through PhD and teaching kids that, no, actually, this is the best country that ever existed…” — Getty [32:30]
• “$37 trillion in debt and a structural problem where we spend more than we take in that nobody’s willing to look at is... a huge, huge problem.” — Getty [33:14]

On Trump’s View of Socialism and Communism:

• “I would be the greatest communist in history...You’ve got the free house...You’ll have murders all over the place. Communism’s a disaster.” — Trump [40:09]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• WNBA/Caitlin Clark controversy: 03:03 – 15:50
• American exceptionalism & July 4th reaction: 23:26 – 34:00
• National debt & education concerns: 32:23 – 34:00
• Trump/NATO commentary & Ukraine: 37:30 – 41:00
• Trump on communism/socialism: 40:09 – 41:01
• AI error anecdote: 43:08 – 43:29

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Tone & Style

The episode is a blend of sharp cultural critique, dry humor, occasional outrage, and “grumpy realism.” Getty, in particular, oscillates between waving the flag and “doom-casting,” always with the intention of prompting listeners to think more deeply about the forces shaping modern America, whether on the basketball court or the global stage.

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Summary by Armstrong & Getty Podcast Summarizer

Transcript

[Armstrong]

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[Armstrong]

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[Getty]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty. You okay, man? You should lie down. You don't sound okay.

[Michael]

Wow.

[Getty]

Should I call your wife? You're right. So that was after Messi, who they call the greatest soccer player of all time. I'll take their word for it. Scored last night in Argentina. The defending world champ came back after almost getting upset by Egypt. And one and we're down to the final eight. But the USA is not in it and whether the United States is going to pay attention, the average viewer is gonna pay attention now that the US is out of it, I have no idea. 33 million people tuned in the other day though. Most ever for any soccer match. That's a lot more people than watch the wnba, I'll tell you that. That's the Women's National Basketball Association. Professional women's basketball does not do that well, but it's doing a lot better the last couple of years because of one player, this woman named Caitlin Clark. You probably have heard of her, she was a phenom at Iowa University. Set the all time scoring record for men and women in college. And it's just fun to watch. I mean she's, she's a great player and does it with, with the style and you know, a swagger and everything like that. And she's got all of the star making qualities you want in athletes. What I'm about to tell you is more about culture than sports. So if you're not a sports fan, don't, don't worry. This is from the National Review and they're writing about it because it is a cultural kind of political thing. What Caitlyn Clark's treatment tells us about the wnba, she's been getting the hell beaten out of her this season. Well, actually since she entered the league, what, three, four years ago, she just gets beaten on by other players constantly. And one of the things the National Review is pointing out is how now there's pretty good argument to be made that the refs and the league are turning a blind eye toward her. Being physically attacked on the court when other players get elbowed in the face. Same sort of play. There's a penalty or flagrant foul. When it happens to Caitlyn Clark, they pretend nothing happened. Why is the league so against her? Well, I will read on from the National Review. The unfair and often physically abusive treatment of Caitlin Clark by the WNBA is reaching a boiling point. The problem is not limited to Clark's on court rivals. The league itself is increasingly complicit in ways that look deliberate. The league's behavior tells us a lot about the what the WNBA really is, which is it's neither a sports league nor a business. If the WNBA was primarily a business, Clark should be seen by the league as its most valuable asset and the best thing that ever happened to him. Ryan Brewer, a finance professor at Indiana University who specializes in valuation, calculated that Caitlin Clark alone accounted for more than 26 and a half percent of all WNBA economic activity in the 2024 season, one player accounted for over a quarter of all the economic activity. A figure spanning attendance, television and merchandise. Of the 24 WNBA broadcast that drew at least 1 million viewers last year, 21 of them were Caitlin Clark. 21 out of 24 times that they had more than a million viewers. It was her. Her Games averaged around 1.2 million viewers, about a 200% more than the games where she did not play. Indiana, that's the team she plays for, set a single season league attendance record. Opponents relocated home games into larger NBA arenas to hold crowds whenever she would come to their town. And league merchandise sales surged above 600% with Clark at top the jersey rankings. In the summer of 2024, the league signed an 11 year media rights agreement worth roughly $2.2 billion more than triple its prior deal before she arrived in the wnba. That's the sort of windfield, that windfall that has arrived on the growth she's ignited. An independent economist at Holy Cross estimated that roughly one in every six tickets sold leaguewide home and away are owed to the Clark effect. One out of every six tickets sold in 2025, Clark drew 1.3 million All Star fan votes, a single season record. By the way, the other day they did the player like an anonymous player ranking thing. The players voted her the, the not only the 11th best player, the 11th best guard in the league. I don't know how many teams are in the league. Can you look that up for me, Michael? I'm guessing the WNBA is about 30. Does every WNBA team, I mean does the, every NBA team have a WNBA team associated with it? I don't know.

[Commercial Announcer]

There's 12.

[Getty]

What? That's what I came up. They had to second to worst guard in the league according to the other players. And again, I, I, to get to the punchline, this is a lot of it because she's white and straight and they hate her for it. But getting back to, you know, establishing what a big deal she is and if again, if this was an actual sports league and an actual business, you would be doing everything you could to promote Caitlin Clark and, and make her happy because she has changed your business into a nothing, into a something. By some estimates, Clark and her teammate Sophie Cunningham currently account for 71% of all WNBA jersey sales between them. Even Michael Jordan at his peak didn't represent such a dominating share of monetizable fan interest in his league as what Caitlin Clark does, which is a heck of a statement. Now, is this just because she's White and straight, which is what a lot of the players say. Okay, well in 2024 she averaged almost 20 points, eight assists, five rebounds and one point steals per game. If you follow the NBA, that doesn't sound like a lot, but these are unprecedented numbers in the women's game which has never before seen this combination of score in playmaker. Her numbers are amazing, but There have been three seasons in WNBA history where somebody scored at least 16 points and seven assists. All three are Caitlyn Clark. So it's not just because she's straight white Midwestern girl that she gets all this attention. Although that I'm guarantee you some of it. She's also a really great player. She's the all time WNBA career assists per game leader already she led the league in three point shots made in 2024 at this writing at age 24 she's averaging 21.2 points a game. If you think she's only a fan favorite because she's white, straight and aw shucks middle American, the reality is that if she doesn't get injured and she stays on the trajectory she's on, she could easily end up being the best player the league has ever seen. Okay, so you got all this buildup while watching a fist pressed into Clark's neck the other night. Her coach abandoned the usual diplomacy and said that it was crazy, it was also dangerous and that these cheap shots are unacceptable. You get fined for this sort of thing in all sports leagues when the people nearest the team are reduced to denarating their own stars peril to reporters because the officials don't act, the institution has stopped pretending. At the same time, Clark has been repeatedly snubbed in honors and promotions, as I mentioned by the league, such as the players voting her far lower than the fan vote in the All Star balloting. As I said the other day, they had her the 11th best guard, which is ridiculous. They did their big 30th anniversary league celebration thing that had a posters of all the players in NBA WNBA league history. She was left off of it. They didn't have Caitlin Clark's picture on the the celebration going on with the National Review piece. We should be candid about the shape that resentments appear to take. The WNBA is a predominantly black league in which openly lesbian players are represented far above their share in the general population. And into it walked a straight white woman from Iowa. Iowa who became within weeks its biggest draw in the face of an audience that had never before watched their sport. A newcomer who made everyone wealthier is resented precisely for arriving from outside the tribe. And the resentment surfaces in the elbows that go uncalled, the 11th place ballots, and the poster that found no room for her face. National Review also draws a parallel that seems damning, one that cannot be unseen once it's named. It says here. But in fact is even worse than he thinks. If the WNBA was a business that needed to pay its own bills with the money it makes, its incentives to protect and celebrate, Caitlin Clark would override everything else. It wouldn't care what you wouldn't care whether she was white, straight, midwestern, whatever. She's the key to you staying financially successful. That's how the NBA works. That's how the NFL works. That's how Major League Baseball worked. Money talks and it talks loudly and you have to use your best stars to stay afloat. But instead the WNBA from the outset, and this is where it gets interesting, I think has been an ideological project bundled with the NBA. The only reason the WNBA exists is because there was pressure and wokeness or whatever in the NBA to think, you know what, there should be some sort of girls league that gets attention. So they formed one and they subsidized it as with dub with NBA money, as we've talked about over and over again, the only reason the WNBA can exist is money from the men's league. The WNBA does not make enough money to exist at all. The the WNBA from the outset has been an ideological project bundled with the NBA. People pay for the NBA because they want its product and they tolerate the fact that that the dollars they spend on it go to cross subsidize the bundled project that is a tiny niche audience, a lot of lesbian women, a lot of black lesbian players. So the league can act out its resentments at Clark because it doesn't need the money she makes. And worse, Clark's popularity threatens the whole justificate justification for continuing to treat the WNBA as a bundled welfare case rather than spinning it off into a profit for a new audience. I thought that was really interesting and I agree with the National Review. Once that is seen, now that I've seen it, I can't unsee was an ideological project. It was a DEI project from the beginning. The only reason it exists at all is that as has had a DEI project, if you separated it out, it would go under in a year. Then Caitlin Clark came along threatening the whole justification for the league so that women have a sport, lots of black players, lots of lesbian players, whatever it is, without having a fan base for it. And here you got a straight white player dominating it, and it makes them all very, very angry. It's, it's something culturally, it's just awful. It's absolutely awesome. And I remember Charles Barkley said her freshman year what a big mistake the WNBA was, was making in treating her this way and beating up on her and saying bad things about her and shunning her and all the things that they were doing. It's the best thing that ever happened to them by far. Not even close a bigger deal than Michael Jordan as a percentage in terms of bringing in eyeballs in money. But she doesn't fit the whole black league, lesbian league thing. And so they don't want her. And they can act that way because they're not an actual business and they're not an actual sports league. They're a DEI ideological project that the NBA came up with, and now they're so locked into it they'd get killed for abandoning it. I thought that was a really interesting piece in the National Review. You have any thoughts that? Text line 415295 KFTC ARMSTRONG and GETTY.

[Armstrong]

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[Commercial Announcer]

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[Getty]

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[Commercial Announcer]

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[Getty]

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[Commercial Announcer]

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[Armstrong]

of $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for 12 month plan required $15 per month equivalent taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes. Me slow when network is busy.

[Getty]

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Alleged and probably actual rapist Graham Platner is supposedly recording a video in which he'll announce he's getting out of the race. He's supposedly trying to negotiate some sort of deal with the people of the government of Maine to have some influence on who is chosen. When you're a rapist, you don't get to negotiate terms at all. You just got to get out of the race and go away and be an embarrassment to everybody who supported you at one time. Anyway, so that's over. We're just talking about the wnba. Haven't mentioned this. Have you been following this, Michael? Because I know you're an NBA fan. LeBron not staying with the Lakers. He announced he's leaving the Lakers and two places he might end up, the Golden State warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. That's his hometown. Which I think is supposedly has the edge right now. But one of the big stars from the warriors, they're a really old team but decided to take a big pay cut to open up money to bring LeBron over. That'd be fun to watch. Yeah, I've also heard the Sixers possibly. Yeah, that'd be Fun to watch LeBron with the Warriors.

[Michael]

I would.

[Getty]

I would love that. But I'll bet he goes to his hometown. Would be most likely. So do you remember Doge? I mostly remember Doge because I get flipped off almost every single day driving a cybertruck. I think because of Doge. I don't know. I need to ask one of these people when they're flipping me off sometime. Hey, excuse me. And I don't want to have to get into a fist fight, but why are you so angry at Elon Musk that you're flipping me off for driving a Tesla cybertruck? And I would like to know Is it Doge or is it just because he supported Trump in general? Anyway, here's a report from Fox about the wrap up of Doge. Our goal is to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars. As of the deadline this past Saturday, the Department of Government Efficiency fel short of that goal by $785 billion. But now Scott Cooper and the Office of Personnel Management is going long. You know OPM is a cross functional agency. So like I can't reach into HHS and say you must stop spending in this area. What we are trying to do is look, we've set a set of rules and policies and we are helping manage them. So think about us as we are a power persuasion part of the government. More so than, you know, a hammer where I can reach in and make changes on behalf of an agency. So one of the things I always hated the Doge coverage was any any advancements you made that weren't what the goal was, nobody cared about. So they cut out of a quarter of a trillion dollars. That ain't nothing. Anyway, the report goes on.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Getty]

if we don't do it, America's going to go insolvent and go bankrupt and

[Commercial Announcer]

nobody's going to get anything.

[Getty]

Nonetheless, the US national debt stands at the $39 trillion. This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy and legal challenges continue against Doge's cost cutting measures that slash the federal workforce with 154,000 employees taking the so called fork in the road buyouts in 2025. You know what? That report is depressing and it reminds me I'm going to push back against all the happy Talk from the 4th of July. How about that as a role for a talk? Have that clip ready of Armstrong and Getty, the most depressing radio show in America because I'm going to lay a little on that on you when we come back. Elon was right by the way.

[Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty Summer is here, which means we all want to look and feel our best. A GLP1 may be right for you. Visit orderlymeds.com to learn more about which GLP1 you could be eligible for. Getting started is fast, easy and happens virtually through telemedicine from licensed professionals. Check it out for yourself. Go to orderlymeds.com podcast. That's orderlymeds.com podcast. Taking care of yourself feels great. Compounded medications are not FDA approved. Eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Commercial Announcer]

The first ever X Games League championship is going down live and New Orleans has the call. Three days of elite action sports. A season's worth of competition coming down to one final weekend. Watch July 24th through 26th on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, or stream on the ESPN app, X Games, YouTube, Kick Roku sports channel and Amazon. The championship starts July 24th. Don't miss the moment. It becomes history. Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Now. I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills. But it turns out that's very illegal.

[Getty]

So there goes my big idea for the commercial.

[Commercial Announcer]

Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment

[Armstrong]

of $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for a 12 month plan. Required $15 per month equivalent taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes. Me slow when network is busy, see terms.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Getty]

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[Armstrong]

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[Getty]

Lingokids. Everything kids love, download it for free. We're just remarking during the commercial break amongst ourselves, Trump is at the NATO meeting and he's standing podium taking questions and talking. And he has been for three and a half hours that we've been on talking with various reporters about various things. His motor, regardless of what do you think of his politics or anything else, his motor as a human being is amazing. He's 80 years old, he hardly sleeps, he doesn't exercise, he eats crap and he can go all day long, day after day after day in a way that most of us can't. Much younger and in better shape. I don't know. He's just, he's got a motor. Whatever that's all about. Speaking of politicians, so Mayor Mamdani of New York, I got all worked up over it at the time and I've let, I've lost come on some of my fever for it since 4th of July weekend. But he basically did a rebuttal to Trump's speech. So Trump did the fourth of July night for night before he was at the what's the I'm from South Dakota, and I can't think of it. Mount Rushmore. I went to Mount Rushmore every single year of my life. He was at Mount Rushmore and he gave a big speech about American exceptionalism, how great a country we are, and all that sort of stuff. And I agree with all that. Did you see them? Was it the Navy band or the Marine band playing Guns N Roses? Sweet child of mine, that was cool. Anyway, Trump give that speech. And so. And then on 4th of July, they're at the Capitol with the biggest fireworks celebration in world history, they called it. And it looked pretty spectacular. I wish I'd had seen it in person. Trump gave another speech about American exceptionalism and how great we are. And Momdani, for whatever reason, felt the need to do a rebuttal to that. Kind of like when there's a State of the Union address and the other party does a rebuttal to that State of the Union address. And Mamdani's address got a lot of attention. And in some ways he may be the leader of the Democratic Party at this point, as he did his whole democratic socialist thing on how were not exceptional in any ways that were exceptional. They're all bad and children going to bed hungry and all that sort of stuff. And you know why? There's a tremendous amount I followed online of pushback by a lot of really, really smart people and good writers that I really like on how America is exceptional in so many different ways and is, I think, easily arguably the greatest country that has ever existed on planet Earth in terms of what it has done for its people and the rest of the world's people. I just, I just think that's such an easy argument to make. And even with the, you know, and so nobody's perfect, no country is perfect. To point out the flaws and lean on them on your 250th birthday, that's like on, you know, we keep using this example. It's like on your 50th wedding anniversary, you decide to point out all the bad things your husband did over the last 50 years, as opposed to the fact that in general, over time, you're glad you married him and it's been great. You're going to lean on the few bad things he did because we all do bad things as people, as countries, is whatever. It's weird. So I'll start with this. I'll start with something positive. This is from Elon. I don't know remember when he gave this speech, but I saw it retweeted over the weekend about America and how we're different than other countries. After World War II, the US could have basically taken over the world and any country.

[Michael]

This was.

[Getty]

This wasn't a written speech. This is Elon talking. So that's why it sounds like this, like we got nukes. Nobody else got nukes. At the end of World War II. This was true. We don't even have to lose soldiers. Which country do you want? One nation held a weapon no civilization had ever possessed. Total monopoly on destruction. No rival, no consequence, no limits. Every empire in history that held that kind of power did the only thing empires know how to do. They took until there was nothing left to take. America had a greater advantage than all of them combined, and it rebuilt the nations it had just defeated. The United States actively helped rebuild countries. It helped to rebuild Europe. It helped rebuild Japan. This is very unusual behavior. It is completely unprecedented in world history to defeat someone who had attacked you and tried to take over the world. When you're in a point of leverage, and instead of taking them over, you rebuild them and let them be independent. It had never happened, not in the 5,000 years of recorded civilization, as any country, empire, powerful state ever done this. The nation with the power to take everything chose to rebuild instead. Enemies became allies, rubble became economies. Surrender became partnership. Germany went from ashes to the economic engine of Europe in a single generation. Japan went from unconditional surrender to the third largest economy on Earth. Did you see the Tokyo fireworks? Celebration on the fourth of July honoring the United States. A country that we were at war with 80 years ago now loves us so much. They had that sort of celebration because of our birthday. That is fantastic. That decision reshaped every economy, every alliance, every trade route, and I would say every human being's life on the planet. That decision for us not to take them over, but to help them. Billions of people lifted out of poverty over the next half century trace back to one moment one nation choosing restraint over domination. No other country in history can make that claim. Not one. As Elon said, there's always like, well, America's done bad things. Well, of course America's done bad things. But one needs to look at the whole track record. Every nation on Earth has blood in its history, but the measure of a nation was never its worst chapter. Chapter it's what it does when nobody can stop it. When nobody could stop America, it fed its enemies and rebuilt their cities. You're being told every day that this country is something to be ashamed of by people who have no idea what the world looks like without the United States. Every free market, every open border for trade, every democracy that took root outside of Europe would be gone without the United States. That's why we are the exceptional nation in world history. I believe all that sort of stuff to my bone. The fact that my kids only know that because I told them that and they're not taught that in school is a problem. So here's where I'm shifting gears from my positive mode to my negative photo. Do you have our liner that we play, Michael? Because this is. This sometimes is true, unfortunately. Armstrong and Getty, the most depressing radio show. So like I just said, I believe that ever. I believe that to my bones, America is the greatest country that ever existed on the planet. And we are the last best hope has been repeated by Ronald Reagan and many people. Winston Churchill, whoever. For freedom for all human beings for all time on planet Earth. And I was happy to see that so many great writers and thinkers pushed back on Mamdani's load of crap. Or all the other haters and socialists out there who somehow have convinced themselves the world would be better without the United States. That's just a childish, ignorant notion. I was happy to see the pushback on all that. But now that we're a couple of days from the 50th wedding anniversary, maybe we could mention to our husband that he drinks too much or something. That clip we played a little bit ago about our debt, for instance, from Elon Musk. Again, that were $37 trillion in debt and growing on an unsustainable path, not on a path that could go wrong. On a path that unless interrupted is going to doom us. It's just math. That's a serious problem. You gotta look at that. All the good stuff about our Constitution and things we've done in the past and all that, and the American spirit and we work harder than blah blah. That's all true. But $37 trillion in debt and a structural problem where we spend more than we take in that nobody's willing to look at is. Is a problem. A huge, huge problem. The other thing I was screaming at a podcast the other day. They were going on and on about how great our country is and how strong it is. And this again, I love all that. That's true. Maybe it's more front of mind for those of us in California than it is for those of you in other states. I don't know. But our education system, K through PhD, kindergarten through PhD, is convincing young people that this is a bad country and not worth sustaining and not worth fighting for. That's a systemic issue. That is a problem that will only be overcome with decades of work. And that's if we started today at K through PhD and teaching kids that, no, actually, this is the best country that ever existed and the last great hope for mankind on Earth. And all the stuff I just said. If we started today, it would take a long time to deal with the millions and millions of young people who are our next, you know, layers of leadership who think this is a bad country because that's what they've been told their whole life. So between the debt and the fact that we're educating everybody who's young that this is a bad country, we're in trouble. We're in big trouble. And I don't know if I see any help on the horizon for those two issues at all. Making a little headway in the schools, but not enough. Again, unless you're in certain parts of the country or certain private schools, you're not hearing any of that American exceptionalism stuff in a school. You're hearing about slavery. The only thing my kid learned about capitalism is how we made kids work in factories. Not that it's lifted more people out of poverty than any other process in the history of the world. We'd also be still living in huts without capitalism. So I don't know.

[Commercial Announcer]

I don't.

[Getty]

I don't want to be negative all the time. I don't want to actually be the most negative show. When I was listening to all that Rah Rah America stuff on various podcasts and reading it and watching documentaries over fourth of July, I thought, man, I need to talk to Joe about this. We need to be less negative. This is a great country and all this sort of stuff, but the reality, not dealing with reality is a bad thing. The debt and the educating everybody that this is a bad country will come back to end the last great hope of, of humanity on Earth quicker than you can imagine. So we got to keep leaning on that. We don't have to make it the only thing we ever talk about. But it is a huge problem. That story Elon told there is a hundred percent true. No country in the history of the world has ever done that or likely would ever do that. You've defeated all your enemies. You've got a weapon to dominate the planet. And you said, no, we're going to rebuild our enemies. We're going to give them food, we're going to help them get back on their feet again and let them do their own thing. Absolutely amazing. But they teach your kids in school that the world would be better off without us, which couldn't be more insane. Okay, that's enough of that. We'll finish strong.

[Armstrong]

Next Armstrong and Getty. Summer is here, which means we all want to look and feel our best. A GLP1 may be right for you. Visit orderlymeds.com to learn more about which GLP1 you could be eligible for. Getting started is fast, easy, and happens virtually through telemedicine from licensed professionals. Check it out for yourself. Go to orderlymeds.com podcast that's orderlymeds.com podcast taking care of yourself feels great. Compounded medications are not FDA approved. Eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Michael]

What?

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Getty]

All of them on Lingokids?

[Armstrong]

Yes, dad, on Lingokids.

[Getty]

That's pretty cool.

[Commercial Announcer]

I know.

[Armstrong]

You just lost them for the rest of the afternoon.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Getty]

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[Getty]

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[Armstrong]

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[Michael]

Well, we've settled a lot of wars and this one is the one that I thought maybe would be the easiest. But Putin's a difficult character and this guy's a difficult character. It's not the easiest. Not the easiest thing. And there's a lot of commitment and there's a Lot of love of the countries and everything else, but I think we've made a lot of progress in the last couple of weeks.

[Getty]

Yeah, I never liked the way Trump talks about it. Like it's equivocal, like it's two countries just don't agree on something, as opposed to an evil communist country taking over a democracy that was just mining its own business. He's sitting there with Zelinsky at the big NATO summit that's going on. They go on,

[Michael]

and he's. He's done an amazing job. Look, he's been. He's been very effective. Now. He's had the best of questions. Equipment, because he had our equipment, and he said, great, but somebody has to use that equipment, and you have a lot of brave people that are using that equipment. And Russia, you know, it's a big. It's a big country, but it's a big force. Russia's always been a big fighting force. So, you know, it's. But I really believe it's ready.

[Getty]

God, it's just got to kill Zelinsky. The way Trump talks about this, like it's an academic project, as opposed to the millions of people, men, women and children, they're being targeted by Russia for Putin for no reason whatsoever. Go on, Michael.

[Michael]

But it's a nasty war. Thousands and thousands, mostly soldiers, are being killed. The battlefields. I see pictures, and it's horrible. He thinks it's horrible. They are.

[Getty]

We all think it's horrible.

[Michael]

And the president wants to get it done. And I believe that President Putin wants to get it done. And that should be a good combination.

[Getty]

Say, that's back to the thing we were talking about earlier, about his view of the IRGC in Iran. I think they want to get a deal done. No, they don't. And he just said, I think Putin wants to get a deal done. No, he doesn't. What makes you believe this, Mr. President? I do not get it. Is he just saying that because he's a deal maker and that's the way you need to talk when you're trying to bring deals together? I hope he doesn't actually believe that. He certainly acted like he's believed it all along. How much time I got, Michael? We got about two and a half. We have two and a half minutes. Okay, I want to get to this clip. I really like this. This is Trump talking about communism. What number did you say that is? You don't know what it is, Michael. Okay, this is. This is good stuff from Trump right here.

[Michael]

Look, I want to get the word out, because what's forming is communism in the country. And communism's easy to sell. I would be the greatest communist in history. I'd be right up there with Lenin. I'd be as good as anybody. You've got free rent for the rest of your life. What they don't say is that you'll be living in squalor in 12 months. You've got the free house. Would anybody like to have a free house? We'll take it away from. Somebody will give it to you. You'll have murders all over the place. Communism's a disaster. It's been proven to be for thousands of years under different names.

[Getty]

I would love to hear more of that sort of stuff out of Trump or any Republican leader. Actual explanations for where socialism and communism, Communism goes. So these nut job young people out there again who are being taught that capitalism is bad and nothing about socialism always ends up at the same place. Lots of debs and people with a lower standard of life. Always, always, always. And yes, what Trump said there is absolutely right. It's such an easy sell, socialism. It's such an easy sell. You won't have to work as hard. We'll split everything equally. Oh, that sounds great. Until you think about it for like two seconds. Or you just watch the history of it. Always. Oh, my God. How is it on the march again in the United States? We will have updates on a lot of these conversations happening at NATO tomorrow. This talk of some sort of summit between Zelensky and Putin is obviously a big deal. And then you got the other war that we are actually the participant in with Iran. And Trump saying earlier today that we're probably bombing the crap out of Iran. More tonight. We'll have all that for you tomorrow. And there's that saying, it's become popular recently of sometimes nothing happens for years in terms of changing the world and then sometimes a year happens in a week. This might be one of those weeks, certainly in terms of these two wars and maybe in terms of NATO coming together and actually getting serious about supporting their militaries and all that sort of of stuff. Anyway, look forward to talking to you tomorrow. There's a bunch of stuff I didn't get to today, but I'll have it for you tomorrow. Here's your host for Final Thoughts. Me and there's only two of us. Pretty sad state of things. Katie's on maternity leave. Joe is celebrating his 40th wedding anniversary. He'll be back shortly. Let's get a final thought from the man pressing the buttons pulling the levers and running some sort of foot pedals. It's Michelangelo.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Commercial Announcer]

It's a reminder to check your AI

[Getty]

earlier in the hour.

[Commercial Announcer]

I used AI to see how many WNBA teams are in there and they told me 12.

[Getty]

It turns out out as 15.

[Commercial Announcer]

They expanded, but I got old information from AI.

[Getty]

Which AI did you use?

[Commercial Announcer]

I believe it was Google.

[Getty]

Well, Google's not. You use Gemini or Gemini.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Getty]

Okay.

[Michael]

Huh.

[Getty]

Yeah. That does trouble me how often they're wrong about things that I know about

[Commercial Announcer]

and sometimes it's just at random.

[Getty]

Yeah. Yes, it is. And stuff that's like easily checked. That is one of the disturbing things about AI which might be good news because as long as it's that often wrong, it's not going to take over the world and change it in the horrible ways that we're all worried about. Armstrong and Getty wrapping up another grueling four hour workday. So many people to thank. You should go to armstrongandgetty.com we got cool T shirts and merchandise there. Gavin Newsom T shirts might be short lived lived if he decides not to run for president, but I do like the ruin the whole country. Vote for Gavin Newsom for president. You can get it armstrongandgetty.com we'll see tomorrow. God bless America. Armstrong and Getty. You may remember a guy named Joe. He works on this here show. Buddy left us in a time of need and now the war with Iran is back on. It's bad. You can see Jo Jo. Where did you go? Jo Jo? Oh yeah, you're on a cruise with Eskimos. Jojo Armstrong and Getty.

[Armstrong]

Summer is here at Orderly Meds. We know this time is a reminder that life is full of new beginnings. Whether you're celebrating the nice weather, starting a new chapter, planning a vacation, or simply looking ahead to what's next, this season can be the perfect time to invest in yourself and your health. If you've struggled with weight loss and are curious about GLP1 medications, orderly meds can help you learn about your options. Through a simple virtual process, you can connect with licensed medical professionals who can determine whether treatment may be appropriate for you. Getting started is fast, convenient and happens online from the comfort of home. This summer, consider a new approach to feeling your best. Visit orderlymeds.com podcast to learn more. That's orderlymeds.com podcast orderlymeds.com podcast because every new season is an opportunity to take the next step forward, compounded medications are not FDA approved, eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Getty]

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[Commercial Announcer]

The first ever X Games League championship is going down live, and New Orleans has the call. Three days of elite action sports. A season's worth of competition coming down to one final weekend. Watch July 24th through 26th on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, or stream on the ESPN app, X Games, YouTube, Kick Roku sports channel and Amazon. The championship starts July 24th. Don't miss the moment it becomes history.

[Armstrong]

There's a fire inside you you can't ignore. Stand still. Not a chance. You're a lifelong learner who's come to this far. Now we are here to help you keep going. Further. Capella University what can't you do? Visit capella.edu to learn more.