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Jack Armstrong
This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human
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Karen Kilgariff
hi, it's Karen and Georgia from My Favorite Murder.
Georgia Hardstark
We cruised around LA in the Hyundai Ionic 5 and dove into the fascinating life of actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr.
Karen Kilgariff
Want the full story? Take a listen.
My Favorite Murder Narrator
She starts dating Howard Hughes and in fact she helps him design a faster plane. So she finds the fastest bird and the fastest fish and sketches out a drawing of what the two would look like as a plane. And that becomes the plane that we know today. And he calls her a genius.
Georgia Hardstark
Check out our new episode spotlighting groundbreaking innovators like Hedy and Lamar and Billie
Karen Kilgariff
Jean King, presented by the Hyundai Ioniq 5.
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Jack Armstrong
broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln radio studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center. Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty Armstrong and get.
Joe Getty
And now here's Armstrong and Yeti.
Sports Commentator 1
A lot of sports going on. The World cup is here in la. Most of the world,
Fareed Zakaria
people love it.
Sports Commentator 1
Yeah, most of the world considers soccer the number one sport here. It's, it's, it's for where you put your kids when you don't want to pay for daycare. That's I don't get the attraction of soccer. I, I, I don't there's, there's more scoring at Bible camp. But okay, if you love it, you love it and I'm glad you have it.
Joe Getty
I grew up before soccer became a thing so I'd never played soccer in my life. Now I Very, very few little kids don't play soccer at least one year when they're like five years old.
Jack Armstrong
Very very few.
Joe Getty
But write a good piece somewhere New York Times or somewhere on and this was someone who doesn't care for soccer really either as a grown up and played when they're a kid like where the breakdown has occurred in America because it's now like everybody plays soccer. Everybody puts their kid in soccer.
Jack Armstrong
Every kid plays soccer.
Joe Getty
And then there's somewhere a breakdown between that and the popularity of it and they went through the ratings and comparing it to major league Baseball and basketball and all the different things and just we just somewhere in there we lose our interest in soccer as opposed to other countries where they, they, they just absolutely they, they played as little kids and then love it the rest of their lives.
Jack Armstrong
That is an interesting dichotomy for sure. Neil Ferguson, the historian wrote a beautiful piece quoting an author who wrote one of the most famous books about soccer ever. About how soccer fans, hardcore fans like the Euros that they're their fans in order to suffer because and they all suffer together and it's mostly frustration and it's a, it's like an addiction which I don't quite get. I enjoy watching the games but then if I don't for a year and a half I don't miss it.
Joe Getty
I don't know how far to get into the weeds on this whole Elon Musk conversation. I got sucked into it because it was making me so mad. Over the weekend the number of posts I was seeing and cable news hosts on the non Fox channels about how all various government. Your elon Musk, Sierra, AOCs, your Bernie Sanders. I predicted this on Friday. We would hear from them by the end of the day, and we did. They all had very strong statements about how awful this is and how it's a sign that our country is just completely off track that we now have a trillionaire.
My Favorite Murder Narrator
Wow.
Joe Getty
And somehow believe. They seem to actually believe, as do a lot of the people that vote for them, that Elon having a trillion dollars took money out of your pocket. So, like I tweeted out that specific phrase over the weekend, something along the lines of, I can't believe the economic literacy we have in this country thanks to our public school system, that so many people feel like Elon becoming a trillionaire took money out of their pockets. That's insane. Well, the pushback is all the various government subsidies or contracts that he has that still don't make sense for, for all kinds of reasons that I can read to you. Here's one. This was a pushback against a. A senator that had posted that, you know, the taxpayers made Elon Musk rich, not Elon Musk, by us giving him all these various breaks. Elon Musk was awarded, not given cost per result, contracts to perform a service for the US government. The total of those for SpaceX specifically is $22 billion, which includes repaid loans, state tax incentives, etc. The deal was simple. Put stuff into low entry orbit at or below a set cost. If SpaceX does it below the set cost, SpaceX keeps the difference. If it doesn't, the company is responsible for the overrun. It was SpaceX versus first of all, they, they bid against other companies and won out, and then against NASA. The end result is that SpaceX and Elon lowered the cost of getting a kilogram into low entry orbit by a hundred percent versus what NASA was previously doing. In other words, it would cost us, the taxpayer, all this stuff we were trying to put in space, so much more money if we did it with the government program of NASA versus the SpaceX program of Elon. In other words, we got tremendous bang for our buck.
Jack Armstrong
And as a government, we incentized innovation in a way that's going to pay off for generations. Centuries maybe.
Joe Getty
Right? And then once again, responding to this particular senator, most of what is cited are government contracts. The money going to Elon Musk. You see, the government which you help run, I forget which Senator, it was one, one of your lefty socialist centers. The government which you help run wanted services and decided his company was best to provide them, which they did at a negotiated Price. How on earth that entitles you to the profit he made providing those services which you guys wanted and agreed to is beyond, well, anyone, especially me. And the subsidies he got for electric cars were from your party because he did what you wanted him to do. Remember when he was your darling. So there's that part of it. I was against the subsidies for all the electric cars. I don't think taxpayers should be giving Everybody else a $7,500 or $12,000 break on their electric car to incentivize them. But all y' all on the left decided that was a good idea, which got Elon started on the whole rich thing. But on, on the, the other thing with SpaceX is we were mentioning earlier, Elon's the biggest taxpayer in world history already, and that is going to go exponentially higher because of all of his dealings, everything like that, plus the hundreds of thousands of jobs and all the taxes that they pay. And this has been pointed out already in a couple of these things. I've read the service that are being provided to people that people want. Where are you all complaining? When the cylinders of the world happen, they take your tax money, they give it to these green ideas that never pan out. So you don't get any jobs, you don't get any green energy, you get zero bang for your buck.
Jack Armstrong
Right? Right.
Joe Getty
Cronies get rich tax money because nobody's profiting in any way. And when is anybody complaining about that? So when one of these programs works out and somebody makes some money, then you're angry. That is just nonsensical. Beyond nonsensical.
Jack Armstrong
I wish I still had in front of me that brilliant essay I read you part of a few weeks ago about how when the rich have a successful business and they come up with more, they end up with more money than they could ever spend. They don't spend it. You know, depending on which guy you're talking about, maybe they buy a super yacht or whatever, but most of it, they reallocate. They take that money and put it somewhere they think is even more productive, creating more companies, more jobs. And if you are Mark Zuckerberg and you decide you want a mega yacht, okay, hey, somebody built that mega yacht. Somebody's maintaining it mechanically. You have captains and crewmen and cooks and cleaners and dock workers and all sorts of people. That creates wealth. The wealth of the world. Here's the one thing you have to know. If you don't know this, you will be an ignoramus till the day you die. Wealth is not a Pie of a fixed size, you can create wealth. Wealth can start with a dollar and end up with a trillion dollars a few generations later. If people are smart and they allocate, you allocate money wisely. Oh, my God.
Joe Getty
That seems to be one of the breakdowns, is that in watching the pushback. The pushback seems to come from a crowd that thinks there is a fixed amount of money. Always right. That was Senator Ed Markley, by the way. How much of Musk's wealth, How much of Musk's wealth comes from government help? Virtually all of it.
Jack Armstrong
He says that's idiotic. That is absolutely untrue. More on this topic, which I find absolutely fascinating after a word from Incogni. Boy, this is chilling. And it's ripped from real life. So you're at work and your phone buzzes. It's your kid's number. Your kid gets on the phone, says he's been in an accident, needs money right now, and you do whatever you had to help, right? Well, that's what the scammer is counting on. That wasn't your kid at all.
Joe Getty
Yeah, I wonder when I've gotten phone calls in the past and I say, hello, Hello. If that's just them recording my voice to try to do some sort of scam for the future, those are really, really trumaning, troubling. The only way you can stop this is if they can't get a hold of you in the first place. You can't stop them from cloning a voice, but you can make sure they never get your number in the first place with Incogni's help. Because they're going to go to all these data brokers, use the law on their side, and say, you cannot sell your data, you got to get rid of it.
Jack Armstrong
Yep, we're both on Incogni. It contracts hundreds of those data brokers and keeps after them over and over again. Costs about $7 a month. It's worth every penny, really.
Ryan Reynolds
Easy.
Jack Armstrong
Go to incogni.comarmstrong it's I n c o g n I.com armstrong 60% off.
Joe Getty
Incogni.com armstrong for instance, this back and forth, which was on our Twitter feed. Elon gets paid roughly $8 million a day by the American taxpayer via his government contracts. Explain how taxpayer subdies aren't literally money out of our pockets. One of our very smart listeners, thankfully was willing to argue with all these people all day yesterday when I wasn't somebody that goes by the handle common sense. Do you understand the difference between a contract for delivering A service or product versus a handout? I don't think so.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, well said. That's astonishing ignorance.
Joe Getty
Nearly all competitive contracts that had deliverables, launches, Starlink services, etc. SpaceX won those awards by offering a lower cost than other companies or that the government could do themselves.
Jack Armstrong
The government understand the difference between Stacey Abrams and SpaceX.
Joe Getty
That was Elon's pushback. For instance, the Stacey Abrams thing. Stacey Abrams started an NGO and 30 days later was given $2 billion by the Biden administration. She has not had to return a penny of that. The NGO never did anything. And there are tons of those kinds of things that happen all the time are do you all get mad about that or you just don't notice because they're failures? They're all failures. And so nobody is making money off of that. If we could invest in someone that would clean up the homeless situation and make it cheaper than all the homeless government programs and that guy gets rich, I'll sign up for it today.
Jack Armstrong
Right.
Joe Getty
I don't care if he gets rich if it ends up being cheaper than the government programs that are doing nothing. You give out money to these green. I keep mentioning the green programs because there's. But there's tons of stuff that's not the. Just all kinds of crap that they put money into that doesn't produce any taxpayer revenue, doesn't make a thing, it doesn't do anything for anybody. It's not a product that people want. It's just a money hole.
Fareed Zakaria
Right?
Joe Getty
Right.
Jack Armstrong
So we've been addressing the faulty and dopey he had government contracts argument. We haven't even gotten to the main socialist argument, which is that income essentially should be capped and once you have a certain amount, you should be restricted from ever making anymore. I want to get to that. I will tell you two things. I'm going to lay two truth bombs on you. One is an old great old saying. I can't remember who came up with it. But a triumph is temporary because you'll go seek new challenges and battles and you might not win all of them, but an excuse is eternal because you can just lay there with your excuse covering you like a warm blanket and never try anything. All right, that's truth bomb number one. Number two is envy is like a shot of fentanyl. It just numbs you. You get sleepy, you bend over at the waist and you stop thinking. The politics of envy are so powerful and so easy.
Joe Getty
Yeah, I hope I raise my kids in such a way that they have the feeling I have when there is a, you know, a guy like Jeff Bezos inventing Amazon or Bill Gates and you know, doing what he did with computers all through the 90s or Elon now. I think it's freaking cool as heck. I admire it. I want, I wish I could be more like that as opposed to the immediate feeling being I've just been taken from.
Jack Armstrong
That's bad.
Joe Getty
I have a negative feeling you stole from me. God, that's sick.
Jack Armstrong
Because the valuation of his company is such that his share of it makes him a trillionaire. You lost what? How? What?
Ryan Reynolds
Wow.
Joe Getty
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Jack Armstrong
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Jack Armstrong
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America 250 Announcer
July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music, performances from major artists, patriotic tributes and the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration@america250.org
Karen Kilgariff
hi, it's Karen and Georgia from My Favorite Murder.
Georgia Hardstark
We cruised around LA in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and dove into the fascinating life of actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr.
Karen Kilgariff
Want the full story? Take a listen.
My Favorite Murder Narrator
She starts dating Howard Hughes and in fact she helps him design a faster plane so she finds the fastest bird and the fastest fish and sketches out a drawing of what the two would look like as a plane. And that becomes the plane that we know today. And he calls her a genius.
Georgia Hardstark
Check out our new episode spotlighting groundbreaking innovators like Hedy and Lamarr and Billie Jean King.
Karen Kilgariff
Presented by the Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Weston McKenna
Goodbye.
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone Paying Big Wireless Way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying. No judgments. But that's weird. Okay, one judgment anyway. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment
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of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full terms@mintmobile.com this is Julian Edelman
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from Games with Names. As a fellow dude, do you ever get that not so fresh feeling in your butt? That's because you're probably using the dry stuff to wipe wet. Extra large flushable dude wipes get what toilet paper leaves behind in your behind. You wouldn't clean the tail end of your truck with dry paper towels, so why would you wipe with dry toilet paper? Wetter just cleans better. With dude Wipes there are no more dingleberries, no more itch and irritation, just a deep down the seam. Confident clean. Plus, unlike baby wipes, dude wipes are extra big for adult hands. You're not a baby, so keep them on hand so you get nothing on your hands. And speaking of on hand, dude wipes come in different scents and pack sizes, including a single use on the go pack that you can take anywhere. For that home field advantage, stop being an A hole to your B hole. Drop the toilet paper. Available on Amazon and major retailers nationwide. Dude Wipes Best clean Pants down.
Joe Getty
Yesterday was Trump's 80th birthday. Is that right? And he claimed all along that the big giant UFC match on the White House lawn was not because it was his 80th birthday. It was just a coincidence. It was part of the 250th anniversary of our country celebration. But clearly it was for his 80th birthday. Funny piece in the Wall Street Journal today. Of all things, what astrologers see in Trump's birthday horoscope in the Wall Street
Jack Armstrong
Journal, what phrenologists have to say the President.
Joe Getty
That's people who read the lumps on your head, folks. As I recall, yes, the President's cage match celebration Makes perfect sense for a Gemini. The Wall Street Journal goes on to explain. What the hell, right?
Jack Armstrong
Anywho, they stoned over there. Was there a gas leak?
Joe Getty
I don't know.
Jack Armstrong
So it was. Yeah, go ahead.
Joe Getty
So they had a whole bunch of different matches and stuff like that. And it's like, you know, bouts. I don't follow UFC for real, but I did see the celebrity pictures. Anybody who's. Anybody leaning right. Celebrity or politician was there with Shane Gillis to J.D.
Jack Armstrong
vance. They were all there, Jack and Joe Rogan and.
Joe Getty
Yeah, all kinds of different people. So I don't know this heavyweight guy who won his match.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, Josh Hockett. He's a stud. Oh, boy.
Joe Getty
He won his match. And then, you know, they put the microphone in his hand. He's all amped up, having just beaten the crap out of some guy in front of the President of the United states on his 80th birthday. And he had this to say, hey,
Weston McKenna
shout out to Trump for having the balls to put some like this on. And if I'm gonna anything, there's only one person more incredible than the Incredible Hulk, and that's my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Now listen, Alex Pereira, I want a shama on your mama.
Ryan Reynolds
What?
Weston McKenna
And lastly, Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?
Jack Armstrong
That was not as dignified as when John Quincy Adams Jr. Held a Virginia Real in the Eastern. Oh, my God.
Joe Getty
It took a turn mentioning Jesus. And then that I like.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, that was quite the winding road, wasn't it, Michael?
Joe Getty
I like him saying Jesus is even a bigger deal than Hulk Hogan. Okay, yes, Michelle Obama is a man. He closes with.
Jack Armstrong
After winning his fight, Hockett, wearing an American flag, bandana, and sunglasses, presented Trump with his gold chain necklace. That's a beautiful moment. So not quite Churchill in the Resolute desk or whoever. Get it? Was that Queen Elizabeth. Doesn't matter.
Joe Getty
That was some flyover. I don't know if you saw that. Some of our coolest. That was. That was awesome. I should have been there for that. I. I'm not. Not, like, hurt or appalled by this, but I mean, if I got to vote, do we do that or not? I would go with a no.
Jack Armstrong
I say bring back the roller derby next right there on the South Lawn.
Joe Getty
But for everyone who has pointed out Joe Biden, during June when he was president, had
Jack Armstrong
up with trans.
Joe Getty
What do you call the dudes who dress like women and dance around? Drag queens.
Jack Armstrong
Queens, yeah.
Joe Getty
At the Drag Queen Dance Celebration up on a stage. So is that also dignified in a way? That I'd like. No.
Jack Armstrong
In an ugly world where men must be ready for war. Yeah, I'd rather have a punch up and, and you know, nutty fighters saying, oh, Michelle Obama's a man than, than that sick, twisted, troubled individual showing his completely fake breasts to America for some reason.
Joe Getty
Oh, that's right. The guy took his shirt off. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So there you go.
Jack Armstrong
You know what I want to bring you, speaking of America and what a wonderful country this is. Although last night, I agree, was kind of out there. European or international soccer fans coming to the US and marveling at this country, seeing it for the first time.
Joe Getty
Yeah, I've seen that Twitter meme.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, it's fun.
Joe Getty
People who've never seen a giant, giant convenience store before, for instance, like in the US and apparently don't have in Europe.
Jack Armstrong
Fareed Zakaria believes California is falling apart.
Joe Getty
I wonder why he thinks that. Among other things.
Jack Armstrong
On the way.
Georgia Hardstark
Armstrong and getty
America 250 Announcer
this July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music performances from major artists, patriotic tributes and the kickoff to giving forth, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration@america250.org
Karen Kilgariff
hi, it's Karen and Georgia from My favorite Murder.
Georgia Hardstark
We cruised around LA in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and dove into the fascinating life of actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr.
Karen Kilgariff
Want the full story? Take a listen.
My Favorite Murder Narrator
She starts dating Howard Hughes and in fact she helps him design a faster plane. So she finds the fastest bird and the fastest fish and sketches out a drawing of what the two would look like as a plane. And that becomes the plane that we know today. And he calls her a genius.
Georgia Hardstark
Check out our new episode spotlighting groundbreaking innovators like Hedy Lamarr and Billie Jean King.
Karen Kilgariff
Presented by the Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Joe Getty
Goodbye.
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do@mintmobile.com
Mint Mobile Advertiser
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Julian Edelman
Full terms@mintmobile.com this is Julian Edelman from Games With Names. As a fellow dude, do you ever get that not so fresh feeling in your butt? That's because you're probably using the dry stuff to wipe wet. Extra large flushable Dude Wipes get what toilet paper leaves behind in your behind. You wouldn't clean the tail end of your truck with dry paper towels, so why would you wipe with dry toilet paper? Wetter just cleans better. With Dude Wipes there are no more dingleberries, no more itch and irritation, just a deep down the seam. Confident Clean plus unlike baby wipes, Dude Wipes are extra big for adult hands. You're not a baby so keep them on hand so you get nothing on your hands. And speaking of on hand, Dude Wipes come in different scents and pack sizes, including a single use on the go pack that you can take anywhere. For that home field advantage, stop being an A hole to your B hole. Drop the toilet paper. Available on Amazon and major retailers nationwide. Dude Wipes Best clean Pants down Taco
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Joe Getty
We gotta check in on Oran again. There's some new details and quotes come out have come out. Not details about the deal though. For some reason that's being kept a secret. What kind of who announces a peace deal and then we. But we won't tell you what's in it. What is that? It's.
Sports Commentator 1
It's.
Jack Armstrong
We have a memorandum of understanding of a framework for a negotiation.
Joe Getty
That's not a deal.
Jack Armstrong
No, it's not. To our surprise and delight, FAREED Zakaria on CNN's what the Hell's in the Compass Point GPS. That's it. Unleashed a 6 minute 13 second screed last night that was utterly calm, gentlemanly, non bomb chuckery and an incredibly thorough indictment of the misgovernance of the state of California. It was absolutely terrific. He's a man of, I would say the center left. He used to make me a little nuts talking about foreign policy because he was very much the internationalist. But I think this is so good. Let's start with 51. Work our way, Michael.
Fareed Zakaria
The frustration is real and justified. California is one of the most dynamic places on the planet. It has Silicon Valley, Hollywood, world class universities, extraordinary agriculture, ports, talent and natural beauty. But it is a case study in how a rich society can spend more and more while producing less and less of what its ordinary citizens need. The paradox of California today is a successful economy attached to a failing model of governance. Consider the fiscal record. Since 2000, California's population has grown by roughly 15%. But the state's general expenditures have grown more than 200% from 78 billion to about $248 billion. General spending per person has risen from about 2,300 to about $6,300. The number of state employees has grown by more than 50% by one count. Does anyone think that California government and its benefits have gotten 200% better in the last 25 years?
Joe Getty
I live here, so I know it's not true.
Weston McKenna
Wow.
Jack Armstrong
I knew the expenditures and number of employees had skyrocketed. But that is beyond, I mean beyond reasonableness certainly is practically beyond imagination. It is a giant jobs program for cronies and lackeys.
Joe Getty
The state employee number has grown 50% this century.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, wow. So in the next section he talks about the failure of housing in California. And the essence of it is that California produces new dwellings at a rate that is a tiny fraction of other functioning governments production of those dwellings because of incredibly strict zoning and hypocritical zoning and also the you can sue developers over A list of 150 different ridiculous things as a blackmail so they have to pay you off. And how that culture is rampant in California and so they under build housing. Let's move on to 53 where he talks about education.
Fareed Zakaria
Oh, look at education. For years California schools had a plausible excuse. They were underfunded. Total spending on education through 12th grade has more than doubled since the early 2010s and per pupil spending by 2023 was well above the national average. Yet the result results remain dismal. In the 2024 Nations Report Card, California was 43rd in fourth grade math, 39th in fourth grade reading, 36th in eighth grade math and 38th in eighth grade reading.
Joe Getty
Well, bet Gavin didn't like this. He's hoping that and he's right that nobody watches CNN weekend shows. But you know, whoever's those opponent, if he would end up being the nominee. They're going to grab this stuff.
Jack Armstrong
Oh yeah, yeah. I hope it goes viral. I hope it gets retweeted and sent around a million zillion times. Yeah, the educational system is absolutely miserable. Go ahead, play the next chunk, Michael.
Fareed Zakaria
California's headline prosperity, generated in good part by a few industries like high tech, masks weaknesses underneath. Job creation has been sluggish. In 2025, California essentially failed to add any new jobs on net. Private industries outside government and government supported health care actually shed jobs. According to the center for Jobs in the Economy, the state is using public spending to paper over private sector stagnation.
Joe Getty
Wow.
Jack Armstrong
Correct. Yeah, significant net loss of jobs if you exclude government, which we discussed in government supported health care directly. Government support important. Let's talk about homelessness in 54, Michael.
Fareed Zakaria
Homelessness tells the same story in a more painful register. A 2024 audit revealed California had spent $24 billion on the problem over a five year span. Yet in 2024, California reached a record high in homelessness. Almost 200,000 homelessness did decline by about 3% from 2024 to 2025. But the state's expansive, expensive and elaborate homelessness aid complex has not proven to solve homelessness in any significant way.
Joe Getty
You don't have to be a genius to know that.
Jack Armstrong
Now there was a headline in the very left Sacramento B the other day. The Capital California audit of Sacramento homeless shelter costs showed no strong link to good outcomes. They couldn't find a link to it doing any damned good. Yet the money continues to flow.
Joe Getty
I'm not an accountant. I can look around. You spent millions of dollars. It looks worse than it used to be.
Jack Armstrong
So what is happening right, right now? The next section, Fareed, goes into a couple of minutes on la and it's, it's, it's longish. So I'm going to summarize some of it. You know What? Go ahead, do 56, Michael. And then we'll go from there.
Fareed Zakaria
Nowhere is this more vivid than Los Angeles, where Hollywood, the city's defining industry, is in slow motion collapse. The effects are being felt not by celebrity actors and influencers, but the carpenters, costumers, sound engineers, camera operators, editors, drivers, caterers, dry cleaners, prop houses and small businesses that once formed one of the world's great industrial clusters.
Jack Armstrong
And then he goes into the statistics about the number of shooting days in LA are just, they're down 85% shooting
Joe Getty
films, not shooting other people.
Jack Armstrong
That's a good point. Those days are up, but the shooting films days are down. All those gigantic Sound stages and movie sets and, and, and complexes are empty. They're just completely empty. And all of those working class, class people, many, many of whom I would guess lean left and vote for these policies of way over regulation, insanely high taxes, lawsuits for everything, they probably support those policies, which is tragic. Then in 58, he summarizes the LA situation.
Fareed Zakaria
Hollywood is still the symbol, the brand, the mythology, and it still houses the big studios that produce most of the world's greatest entertainment for almost a century. But thanks largely to high taxes, costs and regulations, the work has moved elsewhere, to Georgia, New Jersey, Toronto, London and Warsaw. Michael Linton, who ran Sony Entertainment, told me that the big studio lots look like ghost towns now with tens of acres of sound stages and recording studios. When nothing is happening, he said, Los Angeles is becoming a sunny version of Detroit. Consider the simple fact. According to Fortune, none of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture this year were primarily produced in Hollywood. Los Angeles still hosts the Oscars, but increasingly it does not actually make the movies being honored there.
Joe Getty
So I've toured the big movie lots just in the last couple of years that my kids doing the tourist thing. Universal and Warner Brothers. Yeah, they. That's interesting. So they, they look so. It's more of like. It's like going to an old west, old Western town that used to be, you know, during the gold rush or something like that, and all these buildings that used to be saloons and whorehouses or whatever, but they're no longer those things. They're. They're selling candy to kids as tourist stuff. So now the big movie lots are a tourist thing to go to to see where some of the best movies, you know, of the last hundred years were made. And you can Star wars and Jaws or you know what of all these great movies, but they're not doing it anymore. Where are the great movies made now, dad?
Jack Armstrong
Literally anywhere but California, son.
Joe Getty
That's interesting.
Jack Armstrong
Enjoy the tour. Finally, this.
Fareed Zakaria
For years, Democrats in California have governed without any real competition. The recent primary results suggest that even in deep blue territory, voters are restless. They're not becoming Republicans, but they are asking a reasonable question. Why does a state with so much money, talent and promise make life for ordinary people, people so hard?
Joe Getty
Good question.
Jack Armstrong
It's an excellent question. I don't know that I saw enough unrest to give me a lot of optimism in the recent primaries, but it registered on the Richter scale of this sucks the sucker scale.
Joe Getty
Well, as long as people have their identities, their entire identities tied into a political party.
Jack Armstrong
So true.
Joe Getty
It's different Than like I've never had my identity tied into a car brand.
Jack Armstrong
Really.
Weston McKenna
I don't know.
Joe Getty
Would be another good example, but just a lot of restaurants or something, you know, this place has got better chicken at a lower price. I don't care. I'm just going to go to the one I like the best and has the most bang for the buck. My identity's not tied up in it, apparently. Especially now we have our, we have our self worth tied up in being an R or a D so much. We just won't change.
Jack Armstrong
And remember, if you're a, if you're a D, one of the cornerstones of your identity is that conservatism is evil. Republicans are evil. Not wrong, not misguided, not where the party is policy wise right now. Doesn't suit me. No, they are eternally evil. And so, I mean, it's like the most extreme example of changing your identity you can imagine. It makes going trans look subtle.
Joe Getty
You're the political scientist, answer that question.
Jack Armstrong
One more, one more thought. I like how Fareed said they haven't become Republicans. I mean, right?
CarMax Advertiser
Yeah.
Jack Armstrong
Come on, let's be reasonable here.
Joe Getty
Disgusting. So we know what states that are too blue look like. We just described one. What are states that are too red? They're one party, but Republican. Is there, is there something bad that happens?
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, I think they can go a little far in like outlawing things that are harmlessly lefty dopey. Like, like what? Oh, gosh, I'd have to think about it for a while. I don't know, you know, passing resolutions to end gay marriage or something like that. Even though it'll never get by. Constitutionally, a little too fundamentalist. It's generally a subset of conservatism that is really feeling its oats. And there's no, there's no pushback. I, you know, I, if you want, I can work on it and come up with some examples for you.
Joe Getty
I should ask.
Jack Armstrong
Fairly rare, though. See, the problem is there's no such thing as a right wing bubble that's as bubbly as a left wing bubble for the reasons we've discussed many times.
Joe Getty
Right. I should ask a lefty that. Like that.
Jack Armstrong
They said abortion rights. Nobody can get an abortion anytime. Including, you know, victims of rape, incest or right, you know, terrible health, threat to the, the mother, that sort of thing.
Joe Getty
Other than that, wonder what it would be.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, they would invent stuff. And my proof is all of the talk about how if Trump is reelected, gay marriage will end, gays will be hunted, down in the streets, trans people, et cetera. Yeah, hey, hey, let me know when that starts, all right? It'd be be scary to watch. I want to watch.
Joe Getty
Hey, Gavin running for president. When Fareed Zakaria dedicates that much time to what a mess your state is. That ain't on cnn.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, amen to that. Well said, metal guy.
Joe Getty
We gotta check in on World cup soccer, which I actually watched some of over the weekend.
Jack Armstrong
Yes, Ed of the seat stuff. Usa.
Joe Getty
USA and a bunch of other stuff on the way. Stay here.
Jack Armstrong
Armstrong and Getty.
America 250 Announcer
This July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party. Hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music performances from major artists, patriotic tributes and the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration@america250.org
Karen Kilgariff
hi, it's Karen and Georgia from My favorite Murder.
Georgia Hardstark
We cruised around LA in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and dove into the fascinating life of actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr.
Karen Kilgariff
Want the full story? Take a listen.
My Favorite Murder Narrator
She starts dating Howard Hughes and in fact she helps him design a faster plane. So she finds the fastest bird and the fastest fish and sketches out a drawing of what the two would look like as a plane. And that becomes the plane that we know today. And he calls her a genius.
Georgia Hardstark
Check out our new episode spotlighting groundbreaking innovators like Hedy and Lamar and Billie Jean King.
Karen Kilgariff
Presented by the Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Joe Getty
Goodbye.
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone. Paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgments. But that's weird. Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront
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Weston McKenna
Weston McKenna into the middle. It's an end goal. It's the United States on the board. Less than seven minutes in
Jack Armstrong
for usa. The Americans are here in their home country.
Weston McKenna
Long Los Angeles Stadium. The United States 4, Paraguay 1.
Joe Getty
As you can hear from that crowd, I mean, I. I didn't have any idea because I'm not a soccer fan, but I didn't have any ideas. There going to be a ton of people there cheering like crazy for the United States, apparently.
Jack Armstrong
Yes, it was electric. I was watching on tv. I wish I'd been there in person, but oh, it was fantastic. And it was an arse whooping too. The American boys look extremely sharp. 40 over Paraguay.
Joe Getty
So we play Australia Friday in Seattle.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. Oh, I want to go to that. I'm not gonna. But I wanna.
Joe Getty
It's in Seattle.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah.
Joe Getty
And then Thursday the 25th versus. They spelled Turkey T, U with a couple of dots above it. R, K, I, Y, E. I guess that's the international spelling of turkey.
Jack Armstrong
That's how turkey spells it.
My Favorite Murder Narrator
Yeah.
Joe Getty
Well, good for them. I'm not. America runs the world. We spell it like we spell our Thanksgiving dinner.
Sports Commentator 1
Exactly.
Jack Armstrong
And we certainly run America. Where are you right now? Reading exactly in America. Damn it.
Joe Getty
Where are you playing freaking soccer.
Jack Armstrong
Anyway, I send some of those MMA guys over to whoever wrote that. Anyway, back to you. Oh, so I've. I'm Loving this meme online. It's a meme hashtag whatever of folks from all over the world visiting the US for the first time and to see World cup games and traveling around. And the difference between what they thought they would find and what they actually find in America is charming. And it's kind of funny. Here's a one guy says, dude, lmao. This is a gas station with three weeping faces. It's a Buc ee's. It's a Buc eeps. The king of all rest stops, which my.
Joe Getty
But I've never been to one.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, and gas pumps for miles. It's amazing. And then inside, a different guy. The European mind cannot comprehend how intoxicatingly good these things are. It's the beaver nugget nuggets at Bucky's. I don't even know what that is. Here's Freddy. Just had our first Waffle house experience at 1am Great food, great prices, friendly staff. 10 out of 10. We'll be coming back. And here is a. I think this guy's a Brit. I've just discovered barbecued ribs in America, Carolina style with a vinegar sauce. And frankly, every other meat is ruined for me now.
Joe Getty
That's awesome.
Jack Armstrong
Here's a different guy. Let's see. What flag is that? It might be France. We found another surreal place on our way. I know some people will say I'm too positive about everything I'm seeing, but this place was crazy. They had a shooting range in the store and instant exterior shot and two interior shots of a bass pro shop Outdoor World store to each other.
Joe Getty
But you never went to the United States until your soccer team was going to be there. I mean, like, I've never been to France, but if I ever go, it's not going to be because an NBA team I like is playing. I got other things I want to see in France rather than a basketball game.
Weston McKenna
Yeah.
Jack Armstrong
Honestly, like, a lot of football fans go, they think, all right, that's an excuse to go. My. My favorite team is playing in London or whatever. I'm going to check it out. Having gotten there, I wouldn't want to spend all that time at a football game. Right. I can go to the 100 of those at home.
Weston McKenna
Anyway.
Jack Armstrong
The final one I like is this guy. Again, I'm not sure which flag. This is first time experiencing the flyover thing Americans do before big sporting events. And I gotta say, I've got chills. There's two giant bombers flying over the stadium. Spectacular. Welcome to our land. Enjoy yourself.
Joe Getty
Mind your P's and Q's. Those are bombers for a reason. All right, stand up.
Weston McKenna
Oh, wow.
Jack Armstrong
You turned it belligerent.
Georgia Hardstark
Armstrong and getty
America 250 Announcer
this July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party. Hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music, performances from major artists, patriotic tributes and the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration@america250.org
Karen Kilgariff
hi, it's Karen and Georgia from My Favorite Murder.
Georgia Hardstark
We cruised around LA in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and dove into the fascinating life of actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr.
Karen Kilgariff
Want the full story? Take a listen.
My Favorite Murder Narrator
She starts dating Howard Hughes and in fact she helps him design a faster plane. So she finds the fastest bird and the fastest fish and sketches out a drawing of what the two would look like as a plane. And that becomes the plane that we know today. And he calls her a genius.
Georgia Hardstark
Check out our new episode spotlighting groundbreaking innovators like Hedy and Lamar and Billie Jean King.
Karen Kilgariff
Presented by The Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Joe Getty
Goodbye.
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone. Paying big Wireless Way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying. No judgments. But that's weird. Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a try@mint mobile.com Switch
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This episode sees Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty dive into current headlines and social commentary, focusing on:
Throughout, the hosts maintain their irreverent, skeptical, and sharp-witted style.
[03:08–04:34]
[05:10–16:10]
[20:17–24:19]
“There’s only one person more incredible than the Incredible Hulk, and that’s my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ... Michelle Obama is a man, am I right, America?” (Josh Hockett via Weston McKenna, 21:52–22:21)
[24:25–24:57; 39:19–41:51]
[29:32–38:23]
[45:46–49:48]
On Economic Fallacies:
“Wealth is not a pie of a fixed size. You can create wealth... If you don’t know this, you will be an ignoramus till the day you die.”
— Jack Armstrong [10:00]
On Political Identity:
“One of the cornerstones of your identity is that conservatism is evil... It makes going trans look subtle.”
— Jack Armstrong [39:19]
On California’s Mismanagement:
“It is a case study in how a rich society can spend more and more while producing less and less.”
— Fareed Zakaria [29:32]
“When nothing is happening, [the movie lots] are becoming a sunny version of Detroit.”
— Fareed Zakaria [36:05]
Trump UFC Event Soundbite:
“There’s only one person more incredible than the Incredible Hulk, and that’s my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ... Michelle Obama is a man, am I right, America?”
— Josh Hockett via Weston McKenna [21:52–22:21]
This episode is a must for listeners interested in the intersection of politics, economics, and American culture—offering both sharp critiques and lively entertainment throughout.