His Tear Fell Down His Cheek! Live Team Coverage!

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: Episode Summary - "His Tear Fell Down His Cheek! Live Team Coverage!"

Release Date: June 16, 2025
Host: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty | Author: iHeartPodcasts

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Overview

In this gripping episode of the official Armstrong & Getty On Demand podcast, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into a myriad of pressing issues ranging from intense geopolitical conflicts to domestic upheavals. With live team coverage, the episode offers in-depth discussions, expert analyses, and engaging conversations that provide listeners with a comprehensive understanding of current events shaping our world.

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1. Escalating Conflict in the Middle East

The episode opens with a heated discussion on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. Israel's aggressive strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities have intensified, signaling a potential shift from proxy engagements to direct military confrontation.

Key Highlights:

• Military Analysis with Mike Lyons:
  The hosts welcome military analyst Mike Lyons to provide his insights. Lyons describes the conflict as a "generational moment," emphasizing that "Israel now has just taken advantage completely and gotten the Iranians out of this gray zone" (02:00).

• Air Supremacy and Strategic Strikes:
  Lyons asserts that Israel has achieved "100% air supremacy" over Iran, allowing them to target critical infrastructure effectively. He notes, "They're hunting for those missile sites and missile platforms that I think within the next few days or so will really start to diminish" (04:13).

• Future Implications:
  Lyons warns of the possibility of involving U.S. military assets, stating, "if the Iranians were dumb enough to go after any American forces there... pretty much speed up what's going to be the end of this Iranian regime" (03:07).

Notable Quotes:

• "This conflict is long time coming. This was something that should have been anticipated for years." — Mike Lyons (01:52)
• "There's tremendous circle error, probable errors. They're hitting civilian built-up areas and the like." — Mike Lyons (03:07)

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2. Domestic Political Violence: The Minnesota Tragedy

Shifting focus to domestic issues, the hosts discuss a chilling incident where a gunman impersonating a police officer targeted Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota.

Key Highlights:

• Incident Breakdown:
  Joe Getty recaps the tragic event: "A suspected gunman impersonating a police officer targeted two Democratic lawmakers and their spouses in their homes, killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and critically wounding State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette" (19:26).

• Motivations and Mental Health:
  The discussion delves into the shooter's possible motives and mental state, highlighting his anti-abortion stance and delusional beliefs about leading a security company that never materialized.

• Media Coverage Critique:
  The hosts critique the media's handling of the story, noting a lack of emphasis on the shooter's political motivations and mental instability.

Notable Quotes:

• "He seems to be an angry loser, you know, an underachiever par excellence who is semi-delusional." — Unnamed Contributor (22:46)
• "Political violence isn't something we can tolerate." — Joe Getty (23:19)

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3. National Polarization and Its Economic Impact

The conversation transitions to the increasing political polarization in the United States and its ramifications on investment strategies.

Key Highlights:

• Gallup Poll Findings:
  The hosts reference a Gallup poll revealing a stark divide: "Democrats who expected stocks to tumble over the next six months exceeded Republicans who thought the market was going to decline by 60 points. Republicans expecting stocks to climb over that period topped Democrats by 47 points" (26:46).

• Investment Behavior Analysis:
  This unprecedented gap is attributed to emotional investment decisions driven by partisan affiliations rather than objective market analysis.

Notable Quotes:

• "The 47-point gap in partisan optimism is the largest divide ever." — Joe Getty (28:18)
• "Every time you got to the end of your study, it'd be like... Where's the part I wanted to get to. They make the point that it’s utterly disastrous to invest and sell off emotionally like this." — Joe Getty (28:45)

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4. Political Influence Encroaching on Entertainment

Addressing cultural shifts, Armstrong and Getty explore how political agendas are infiltrating traditionally apolitical entertainment venues.

Key Highlights:

• Trump at the Kennedy Center:
  The hosts discuss President Trump's attendance at the Kennedy Center's opening night, noting the crowd's mixed reactions and the politicization of what was once a neutral space for the arts.

• Peter Baker's Critique:
  Citing Peter Baker from the New York Times, Joe Getty laments the loss of non-political sanctuaries in entertainment: "Many of us on the right have been pleading, begging for the politically obsessed to spare a few areas of modern life... But the political elite responded with a resounding gleeful no" (30:28).

Notable Quotes:

• "It's time to go after the Iranians... This is war." — Mike Lyons (07:34)
• "Everything from knitting to birding and... have been swallowed up by the insatiable monster birthed and nurtured by partisan psychotics." — Unnamed Contributor (31:08)

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5. Unusual News Stories

Injecting levity, the hosts share quirky and unusual news snippets that captured their attention.

a. The "Sperminator" Retires:
A man dubbed the "Sperminator" by the New York Post retires after donating sperm for 17 years, fathering 181 children across five continents.

• Discussion:
  The hosts debate the ethical and emotional implications of such extensive sperm donation, questioning the personal consequences for both the donor and the offspring.

b. Jeweled Chair Collapse in Verona:
An Italian museum visitor unknowingly sits on a jeweled art chair, causing it to collapse spectacularly.

• Discussion:
  They critique the visitor's apparent ignorance of the item's artistic significance and the museum's design, emphasizing the need for public awareness in art spaces.

Notable Quotes:

• "He was trying to pose for some sort of funny Instagram pic, but lost his balance and crushed it." — Joe Getty (35:02)
• "You’re going to build a bejeweled chair and ought to be able to support your average fat tourist." — Joe Getty (35:24)

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6. Critique of Electric Vehicles

Concluding with a debate on sustainability, the hosts engage in a critical discussion about the practicality of electric vehicles (EVs).

Key Highlights:

• Practicality Concerns:
  The contributors share personal experiences highlighting the limitations of EVs, such as longer travel times due to charging and reduced range compared to traditional vehicles.

• Environmental Impact Debate:
  They juxtapose the environmental benefits touted by EV proponents with claims that manufacturing and electricity generation may offset these gains.

Notable Quotes:

• "It's completely misleading to people and it just doesn't work. It's so amazingly impractical that I can't believe places like California have been pushing the idea that we're all going to drive electric vehicles." — Unnamed Contributor (36:50)
• "Throughout its lifetime, an electric vehicle produces triple the pollution of a hybrid, for instance." — Joe Getty (37:31)

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Conclusion

This episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand offers a thorough exploration of some of today's most urgent and complex issues. From the brink of war in the Middle East to the deepening political divides within the United States, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty, along with their guests, provide listeners with insightful analyses and thought-provoking discussions. Whether addressing global conflicts, domestic tragedies, or the intricacies of modern technology, the podcast remains a vital source of information and commentary for its audience.

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Timestamps Reference:

• 02:00 - Mike Lyons on the generational moment in the Israel-Iran conflict
• 04:13 - Mike Lyons discusses Israel's air supremacy
• 03:07 - Concerns about Iranian strikes on American forces
• 01:52 - Anticipation of conflict by Mike Lyons
• 19:26 - Recap of Minnesota shooting incident
• 22:46 - Shooter's mental state discussion
• 23:19 - Condemnation of political violence
• 26:46 - Gallup poll on partisan investment expectations
• 28:18 - Analysis of partisan optimism gap
• 28:45 - Emotional investing as catastrophic
• 30:28 - Political influence on entertainment venues
• 31:08 - Partisan psychotics swallowing cultural activities
• 35:02 - Jeweled chair collapse explanation
• 35:24 - Critique of art installations’ practicality
• 36:50 - Debate on electric vehicles' practicality
• 37:31 - Environmental impact of electric vs. hybrid vehicles

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Note: This summary intentionally omits advertisement segments and non-content sections to maintain focus on the episode's substantive discussions.

Transcript

[Joe Getty]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Jack Armstrong]

Broadcasting live.

[Joe Getty]

From the Abraham Lincoln radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center.

[Mike Lyons]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty. Israel is not stopping, saying its attacks have inflicted significant, significant damage to Iran's.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Nuclear facilities and that they are just getting started.

[Joe Getty]

We paved the way to Tehran and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Our pilots over the skies of Tehran.

[Joe Getty]

Will deal blows to the Ayatollah regime.

[Unnamed Contributor]

That they cannot even imagine.

[Joe Getty]

Good morning.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I'm hoping you can get Mike Lyons.

[Joe Getty]

On the show today. I think he'd be a great sounding board.

[Unnamed Contributor]

And if he is on, can you ask him or can the guys ask him, please? Who in Iran is helping the Mossad? What.

[Joe Getty]

What internal factions are there that are.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Helping to work against the mullahs? Excellent. Suggesting getting Mike Lyons on to discuss this, if you aren't following. Over the weekend, Israel and Iran exchanged strikes now for four days in a row where Israel hits Iran hard. Iran hits Israel, attempts to hit them really hard, but about 15% of the drones and everything missiles do get through. And there have been deaths in Tehra instance, I mean, in Tel Aviv, in a way that we haven't seen in a long time.

[Joe Getty]

True enough. I was going to say exchanging blows, like Mike Tyson and my daughter would exchange blows, though proportionally. So, yes, we did not need to be prompted. We couldn't wait to talk to Mike Lyons, military analyst, about this. Mike, welcome. Always good to talk. What are your initial impressions?

[Jack Armstrong]

Hey, guys, great to be on. Look, this, this conflict is long time coming. This was something that should have been anticipated for years. At this point, Israel now has just taken advantage completely and gotten the Iranians out of this gray zone of having proxies fight their war against them. They've all been wiped out. Israel was not going to stand by and watch anybody negotiate a deal with the Iranians that would potentially take away their nuclear capability. They were taking care of this. This starts back in 1981 when they take out the Iraqi facility in Ossarak. In 07 when they take out the Syrian capability. And we had this stuxnet with the Americans in the United States going after centrifug. Israel has been at war with Iran since then. And this is a generational moment and I think we've got to take advantage of it in the United States right now. And I understand about America first policy, but it clearly, as the President has now said, this is in our best interest to make sure the Iranians have nowhere near any kind of nuclear capability. And Israel's just not satisfied with just kicking the can down the road which everything before this seemed to be driving at.

[Unnamed Contributor]

What's your concerns with the 40,000 U.S. service people we have in the area at like a dozen different bases?

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, the limited capability that Iran has to strike would be more lucky if they hit anything at this point. I think there's maybe some cyber attacks I guess and sleeper cells and all those kinds of things, but nothing from a strategic perspective right now. You could see what they're launching at. Israel has got tremendous circle error, probable errors. They're not even trying to, you know, they can't hit targets that they're like to hit. They're hitting civilian built up areas and the like. And right now the focus that Israel is doing is going after their capability to do that. So they're going to run out of animal pretty soon, run out of capability. And so I'm not concerned and I'm sure those American forces are on high alert. But if the Iranians were dumb enough to go after any American forces there, well then now the President's got an open lane to bring in B2 bombers and F16s and everything else that would and pretty much speed up what's going to be the end of this Iranian regime.

[Joe Getty]

Mike, to what extent has Israel controlled the air over Iran and how important is that?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, 100% air supremacy now at this point. And look, some of these missiles are going to get through. There's no such thing as 100% air defenses that can lock. And I don't want to be glib and say commanders expect losses. But the amount of damage that the Israeli military is exhibiting right now against deep targets in Iran, against their drone sites and ammunition dumps and now you can see they're kind of almost going away from the nuclear facilities first because they want to make sure they maintain this air superiority. So they're hunting for those missile sites and missile platforms that I think within the next few days or so will really start to diminish. And then they go back towards hitting those nuclear facilities. There's going to take a while though. They're buried deep, that one in Fortal for example, potentially up to 250ft deep in concrete reinforced bunkers. For that to go, they're going to have to bring in the United States the B2 bomber. They're going to have to bring in different weapon systems. And I do believe that will eventually happen.

[Unnamed Contributor]

So we're not directly involved right now like our planes and pilots or that sort of thing. But from what I Understand we've got a lot of assets in the area. We've moved some assets to the area to be ready for this. How I don't want to use bogged down as overstating, but how much of our attention is on this? And for instance, if Putin decided to use a tactical nuke in Ukraine thinking that, you know, NATO's busy with this, China did something, I mean how much of our attention is this Iran, Israel thing taken?

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, two different combat commands, CENTCOM is running this one here so they're well leaning forward, making sure naval assets for example in the Mediterranean, we've maintained assets. I think the concern would be if the Iranians again do something dumb like try to shut down the Straits of Hormuz or do something where it could impact the world economy. I think that's where there is some risk there. They're going to eventually get desperate as they, this regime is going to try to negotiate its way out of it eventually. But I don't think the Israelis are going to let them. This is war. They're not stopping until Iran says we surrender and they're no longer looking for diplomatic solutions. From my perspective, and you have the Israelis kind of as the bad cop right now, the United States, Donald Trump playing the good cop, who knew that this was going to happen. But that's really, you know, this administration has been handed two tremendous gifts in the last six months. You've got the Ukrainian military destroying what's left of the Russian military, military in place still. And then you have this situation where Israel is about to almost, you know, redo the entire Middle East. The entire environment is completely going to be different now. There's opportunity for us to get Lebanon resettled, Syria to join the League of Nations and the like. You'll see Saudi and Israeli deals that'll make down. So this has been a long time coming and getting this problem resolved. It's been the number one foreign policy failure in my lifetime. I know we've talked about this before on a Post World War II US Foreign Policy Perspective and I'm just glad it's coming because this was, this is just a matter of time.

[Joe Getty]

Talking to military analyst Mike Lyons. Mike, speaking of alliances, have you seen any signs that the I'm sorry for the light hearted characterization here but the axes of a holes is Russia, China, anybody rallying to Iran's support in any material way?

[Jack Armstrong]

Not in the least. And it speaks it's winners and losers, right? I mean there's no one to come to their aid and Russia's got No capability to do anything. The Chinese are smart enough to stay out of this. So, no, there's no. The entire proxy defenses have been stripped away in the past. Israel would be concerned about militia brigades organized in Syria attacking on the Golan Heights or rockets coming in from Gaza and Hezbollah. Those guys are gone. Everyone's done like their entire force. Their entire force. So again, gray zone over. This is war on. War between two countries. I'm watching people talk about, you know, this is going to de escalate. It's not going to de escalate for a second. This is not stopping until ISRA Israel is completely satisfied that their nuclear capability is done with the implied task that this regime is out to. I know that we saw the report that the president denied Israel going after the leader Khomeini there, which is fine. I think decapitation is always an issue. I hope we're working on what takes over, because that's going to be the issue. If hardline Republican Guard units take over the country, that's not going to be very good at all. But Israel will keep going until they find somebody that they can negotiate with.

[Unnamed Contributor]

So we played a collar asking the question, you know, who's in Iran working with Mossad? So the Mossad was in Israel, it would seem, for a month and a half, getting that whole drone set up going and everything like that. Do you think there are people within Iranian high levels of the military or whatever that are working with Israel?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, no question there are. And the level of infiltration that Mossad has in the high levels of the Iranian government is just staggering considering the fact that when the war started, they were able to take out and pinpoint specifically where some of those leaders were head of the chief of staff, they're head of their rocket program, the nuclear scientists. You know, if you're a college professor teaching a nuclear course in Tehran right now, look up, because you might want to find yourself in a bunker someplace because you're the next target. So the level of intelligence that Israel has to this. But it's been years in planning. This is again, not something that they decided to do very quickly. They waited for this exact moment, and a lot of things went right. This administration being in place, I think, is another thing that's helped Israel point. But starting on October 7, when Netanyahu said there's a time for peace and time for war, that's where they're at. They've been on a war footing ever since. They stripped out, they took Hamas out, they took Lebanon out. You saw what happened in Syria. Those militias are done. Iraq is quiet. So now's the time to go after the Iranians. They were always going to do this. It's just a matter of time. And now that it started, it's not going to stop until the Tunis started.

[Joe Getty]

Well, yeah, Mike, you've partially answered this question, but what do you expect to see next in the last. In the next several days?

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, I'm going to be concerned about civilians inside of Iran as information starts getting out about their lack of services, as the Israelis are going after some critical infrastructure there and what a revolution would look like and what it would take place and who takes over. I'd like to see again more military targets be acquired, especially on the nuclear side. They've not gone after them as much as I thought in Ford and Natanz and Israhan. It was another place where they're refining and doing things, and I think they've waited on those in order to ensure this air superiority. But I think it's going to go on for many days, possibly many weeks, and to see what the Iranians try to do. But there'll be no deal. There'll be absolutely no. The Iranians will try to buy time. They'll try to. Like they've done with Hamas. They just want the Israeli military to stop because they think if they can stop that the rest of the world will come in. On Israel's side, everyone's very quiet about that right now. Everyone is fairly happy. In Saudi Arabia, for example, they put this memo out saying, we're concerned about what Israel's doing. They're dancing inside the palace there, knowing full well that Israel's taking out this nuclear capability.

[Unnamed Contributor]

And before we let you go, what'd you think of the big army parade on Saturday?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I thought it was great. I thought it was too bad that a lot of people threw beer from the bleachers. I read Peg and Union's op ed that, you know, tried to compare it to, you know, North Korea, Russia. It was never going to be that way. I have faith in my army that they were going to put on a great show regardless of who was president. You saw the best of our country there. 250 years in the greatest fighting force that's ever been known to mankind. So I'm proud of my army and I'm so glad it went off the way it was. There was no politics involved. And again, all the people with the cognitive dissonance that couldn't figure out that it's possible that we can have that and still have a president like Donald Trump? Well, you know, remains to be seen. You saw, you saw what I think was the best of the best on display on Saturday.

[Joe Getty]

Well said. Military analyst Mike Lyons. Always a pleasure. Thanks a million, Mike.

[Jack Armstrong]

Great guys. Thanks for having me.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Yeah. On the parade. I just was looking up and they had a little coverage on ABC News and they showed the various old timey uniforms. They had people in Revolutionary war uniforms in World War I and all this different sort of stuff. And then all the way up to the most modern guys decked out in the coolest modern stuff with the robot dogs marching along next to him. Did you see that?

[Joe Getty]

No, I didn't.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Oh wow, the robot dogs. That's terrifying.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I've got a good to find a good highlight package. I was, it was our wedding anniversary on Saturday and we had oh and so on your wedding.

[Unnamed Contributor]

So when you're having your wedding anniversary, you want won't sit around watching cable news. Well, aren't you precious.

[Joe Getty]

Pipe down, honey, I'm, I'm busy watching news. Yes. Didn't go with that strategy.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I have many more comments on what Mike Lyons said around in certain areas but I'm sure we'll get to it later because this is a big topic for the day. A different story. A man known as the Sperminator has hung up his gonads after many years of service. Depends on how you look at it. Among other stories we have.

[Joe Getty]

And they're getting weird fast. Stay here. Armstrong and Getty.

[Mike Lyons]

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[Joe Getty]

Welcome to la where something is always on fire.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Why always us?

[Joe Getty]

We've had a little unrest, you know, a little, you know, let's not overdo this, okay?

[Unnamed Contributor]

It's a few blocks downtown.

[Joe Getty]

It's downtown. We've been downtown.

[Unnamed Contributor]

The authorities told the people who live.

[Joe Getty]

There in that area just to be on the safe side.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Remain in your tent. True, Dad. I walked around downtown on my 60th birthday. Remember I was staying downtown and I went to that big church and walked around and there's a lot of people living in tents. Lots, lots of rundown hotels. The occupied by homeless people.

[Joe Getty]

Anywho, camping weather in la.

[Unnamed Contributor]

We have some developments in the war in the Middle east. But we'll leave that alone for a second and get back to it a little bit later. But there are new things happening happening as the bombing goes on. Happy Father's Day. It was Father's Day yesterday. In whatever way you honor that. I got a number of really nice texts from various people which I appreciated. A guy named dubbed the Sperminator is decided to hang up his testicles. And he announced it yesterday on Father's Day after he. He's turning 50. Do you don't know this guy? You're wrinkling your eyes there as Katie.

[Joe Getty]

I'm wrinkling my eyes at a lot.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Of things about this story.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. I'm taking a wait and see posture on this.

[Unnamed Contributor]

He was dubbed the Sperminator by the New York Post due to his prolific sperm donations. He after more than 17 years of donating his swimmers to complete strangers and generating 181 kids across five continents, he is finally retiring for some reason he's a math professor from New York. I think that makes you an incredible weirdo. But you know, people need that. So I suppose you being the guy who shows up like every other day with a sample for some weird reason.

[Joe Getty]

Well, no, there's demand for him is probably a tall, good looking math professor, right?

[Unnamed Contributor]

Yeah, that's part of it. Yes.

[Joe Getty]

The. The industry that says to him, you know, sure, hey, see you Monday. You know, we're gonna need more for more moms around the world who are looking for tall, good looking kids who are good at math. The whole thing's a.

[Unnamed Contributor]

But then the. And I know there is a need for that and all that sort of thing, but the idea that I got 181 kids out there that are not gonna have any of my parenting or any stories about my dad and mom or just of, you know, in none of that. I just, I think that I hate that.

[Joe Getty]

So are you against sperm donation in general?

[Unnamed Contributor]

No, I. I don't know that.

[Joe Getty]

I mean because if I had one kid out there answering the description you just gave. That's a tragedy.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Although I know people who do have that information about the sperm donator. When it's, you know, a person who do you know, pass along that information or allow them to get in contact. You're not going to get in contact. Is he going to get in contact with 181 different kids?

[Joe Getty]

No, I don't. No. That's not the nature of it though. As long as you have the medical information.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I don't. I'm just saying I wouldn't want that.

[Joe Getty]

No, I hear you. I hear you.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I hate the idea of a whole bunch of little me's out there with no me, not in no role and whatsoever.

[Joe Getty]

We all hate that idea.

[Mike Lyons]

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[Joe Getty]

Authorities say a suspected gunman impersonating a.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Police officer targeted two Democratic lawmakers and their spouses in their homes, killing former.

[Joe Getty]

Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark. State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were critically wounded. A list of additional targets was found.

[Mike Lyons]

In the suspect's vehicle as well as no Kings flyer.

[Joe Getty]

Minnesota Governor Tim Walls denounced the political.

[Mike Lyons]

Violence and vowed to bring those responsible to justice.

[Unnamed Contributor]

And that has happened. He got caught. Here's that report. The shooter is now in custody. The Ramsey County Sheriff's office calling 57 year old Vance Bolter the face of evil after he was caught last night crawling in a field near his home in Green Isle, Minnesota, southwest of Minneapolis. And this morning police documents reveal that inside the car that Bolter ditched near his home they found three AK47 assault rifles, a 9 millimeter handgun, a list of other public officials and outside of the Car they found another gun, a mask and a gold style police badge. Police say Bolter dressed like a police officer. He wore a Halloween style mask and drove what looked like a squad car. So the guy seems completely nuts to me. He murdered a couple of Minnesota state lawmakers, tried to kill a couple of others. There's his what we've heard so far. And I'm not trusting of the media in that they're not, you know, only giving us information that helps their narrative. But because I'm not hearing enough about how crazy is he's got to have all kinds of other indications of his nuttiness.

[Joe Getty]

Well, yeah, I agree. Although nuttiness can mean like psychosis, he's got serious mental illness or it could just mean angry loser who wants to take his angry loserdom out on others. I think it's more that one.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Right. But the only, the only anger toward government we've heard is all national. You know, with the no kings and not liking Trump and you see it kill a couple of state lawmakers in Minnesota. I mean that's pretty freaking crazy.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, he had a, well, he had a history of being hardcore anti abortion. He believed abortion was murder and, and the lawmakers in question were abortion rights advocates. According to people who know this guy. His best friend said he, he'd done a three year stint in Africa. He, he fancied himself the head of a security company that never really got up and running. And his friend and sometimes roommate said that the company really never existed. And he's had troubles since he got back from Africa. He had a LinkedIn, you know, page that had. The Red lion group was a security company but it had no employees other. Nobody can find that it really existed. He just, he's an, he seems to be an angry loser, you know, an underachiever par excellence who is semi delusional. I heard a couple loser.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I heard a couple of news outlets over the weekend, national news outlets who did not mention the party affiliation of the lawmakers that were killed. And I thought, you know, I wish there was more of that because it shouldn't make any difference. Political violence isn't something we can tolerate.

[Jack Armstrong]

Great.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Unnamed Contributor]

So breaking it down by party is. Doesn't make any difference. You can't do it. We can't even think it's possible. You know, if you float around social media and certainly get the idea that plenty of people think it's okay.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that's sick. I was pleasantly surprised. Lisa Lehrer, whose work I don't know was writing for the New York Times and the headline is like school shootings, political violence is becoming almost routine. And to my delight, she leads after the shock and horror of the assassinations in Minnesota. Just one sentence, horrible news, said Representative Steve Scalise, who was shot at a baseball game in 2017. Paul and I are heartbroken, said former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose husband was bludgeoned with a hammer. Gabby Gifford's comments then Josh Shapiro comments. Gretchen Whitmer, President Trump Two assassination attempts against Trump Trump that she describes in some detail. Another man gunned down a pair of workers from the Israeli embassy outside an event in Washington. Protesters calling for the release of hostages set on fire by lunatic Republican Party headquarters in New Mexico and a Tesla dealership near Albuquerque firebombed. It was a remarkably even handed discussion of yeah, it's the whole our side, your side, one of ours, one of theirs, that's got to add, got to end.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I don't think it's going to soon, do you?

[Joe Getty]

Probably not. I don't know. It's, you know, I'm racking my memory from memories of the rise of mostly left wing political violence in the early 70s and how it just kind of petered out as the energy of extreme, more extreme politics just kind of petered out. Jerry Ford and Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan and those, those times just didn't really, they didn't fertilize angry time to blow up the system, kill somebody politics and it just kind of petered out. Plus there are aggressive prosecutions from roughly.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Kennedy's assassination in 63 through a couple of attempts on Ford in 75. There were quite a few as we all know. And then like you said, it went away. That's the way these things go in. It's a contagion and school shootings or whatever, it's, it's, it's odd and hard to control.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I just think there needs to be full throated condemnation of this sort of thing from all sides every single time, which includes torching businesses and, and, and, and looting and beating down cops, that sort of thing. Because if you think they're, they're not tied together, you're wrong.

[Unnamed Contributor]

We have some updates on story in the Middle east we'll get to a little bit later. There are, there are the developments there, so stay tuned for that. I'm glad they caught the guy in this shooting. That, that story for I suppose good reason led a lot of the Sunday talk shows yesterday when we do have the biggest war in the Middle east in decades going on, which is clearly the lead Story for the planet.

[Joe Getty]

Mm. So getting back to the theme though, of the whole red versus blue thing and people being so crazy fired up. I thought this was so interesting. The Wall Street Journal red versus blue is dividing stock portfolios like never before. Gallup poll this spring showed that Democrats who expected stocks to tumble over the next six months exceeded Republicans who thought the market was going to decline by 60 points.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

Republicans expecting stocks to climb over that period top Democrats by 47 points. That is by enormous, enormous ratios. The biggest such gap ever observed by Wall Street.

[Unnamed Contributor]

So that's not like specific. I'm going to invest in Nike because they say Black lives matter. That's more of a. I think the tariffs are going to be so damaging. I'm getting out the of out as opposed to. I trust my. My side's thinking on this. That sort of.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, Trump in general and tariffs and all the rest of it. Yes. It's going to be so disastrous. We need to sell everything or. No, I think it'll go fine. I'm going to invest in the market.

[Unnamed Contributor]

It could say the more I think about it, I mean, I'm just talking off the top of my head. You could say one side's more emotional and reacts quickly to big headlines and the other side is more steady as she goes. You know, hold and wait. I think that's probably true as a personality.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I think that's absolutely a factor in this. The party affiliations of Americans have long shaped how they feel about the economy or the price of eggs or milk at the grocery store, as people give lower marks when their party is out of power. Of course. But the 47 point gap in partisan optimism is the largest divide ever. For instance, during. They just started measuring this in 01 that year during George W. Bush's presidenc presidency, the optimism gap between Republicans and Democrats was 13%. Yeah.

[Unnamed Contributor]

It's another thing.

[Joe Getty]

It is now 47.

[Unnamed Contributor]

It's another thing. We've just started measuring because you. Nobody would think of it. Prior to that, things weren't so flipping political that you would look at. I wonder how Democrats invest in the stock market versus Republicans. We didn't make everything about this back then, right?

[Joe Getty]

Well, yeah. Every time you got to the end of your study, it'd be like, well, the difference is really subtle and insignificant. Against. Are you sure you want me to do this again next year?

[Unnamed Contributor]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Where's the part I wanted to get to. They make the point that is it's utterly disastrous to invest and sell off emotionally like this?

[Unnamed Contributor]

No way. So you're telling me that's not a good idea? Darn it.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I know, it's just. But. But like disastrously bad idea in terms of your ultimate return. Where's that? Well, I just paraphrased it. That's close enough. It's a horrible, horrible idea. Then finally on this note, Beckett Adams with a really good piece of National Review talking about how. And we didn't talk much about this, it's so beltway self obsessed. But Trump showing up to the Kennedy center center for the big opening night of the season and Les Mis and a bunch of cast members boycotted. And there were cheers and booze as he walked into the box with Melania. And according to the Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for the New York Times, for those of us born and raised in Washington, the Kennedy center was always a place to escape politics and enjoy some music. Give me a break.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I can't let you get through the sentence. Give me a freaking break. Break. Do you know how many things I've watched on PBS from the Kennedy center where they give some award to somebody as they give these lefty speeches and the crowd stands and cheers in my lifetime. Give me a freaking break.

[Joe Getty]

Continuing on after my voluble partner is done with his screed. It's now been turned up.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I gotta go sell a bunch of stock.

[Joe Getty]

Now it's been turned a bad idea.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Oh, idiot. That's a bad idea.

[Joe Getty]

Now it's been turned into just one more venue for the polarization of the current era. Writes Peter Baker with a tear poised on the edge of oh, it fell. His tear fell down his cheek. Live team coverage. And Beckett makes the point. Many of us on the right have been pleading, begging for the politically obsessed to spare a few areas of modern life. Just one or two from the never ending politics, right?

[Unnamed Contributor]

So I guess in his mind he watched the Oscars all those years and thought, it's nice to have a non political awards show. Well, we got lectured constantly, right?

[Joe Getty]

Those of us who learned in early childhood how to separate the art from the artists that prayed for those fixated on the life political to just once or maybe twice, take a break so the rest of us may enjoy our entertainment and edification and relative peace. The political elite responded with a resounding gleeful no. Over the past 20 years, everything from knitting to birding and he gives examples to the Bachelorette have been swallowed up by the insatiable monster birthed and nurse to maturity by partisan psychotics. Lady Gaga was condemned in 2017 for not incorporating an overtly anti Trump message into her super bowl performance. The actress Sydney Sweeney issued a defensive statement a couple of years ago, rallying to her family support after critics attacked them for showing up to her mother's birthday party in MAGA style hats that read Make 60 Great Again. The phrase Taylor Swift's silence is deafening, which arose from the songwriter's previous reluctance to weigh in on a hot button issues, is now a trope because the act of bullying artists into supporting political causes has become so predictable. And now Trump just shows up to the Kennedy center and oh the right is politicizing entertainment and what's next? Sports? Oh my lord, that's pretty guff sad. Peter Baker are you are delusional, sir.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I'm going to explain to you why electric cars are never going to catch on after my weekend. At least unless things change a lot with electric cars. Of course, most of you knew that and don't buy an electric car and hate the idea, so I don't need to convince you. But among other things, we got to talk about some developments. We've moved another giant aircraft carrier. It looks like we're headed toward the Middle east to be ready. As we were talking to Mike Lyons about about that earlier this hour, how much of our attention is being taken by this whole thing in the Middle East? Trump said a very interesting thing to the Atlantic for the crowd and his movement that thinks we're supposed to be non interventionist, which I really really liked. We'll get to that at some point too. We do a lot of stuff. I hope you can stick around.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Gettys.

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[Unnamed Contributor]

An Italian Museum is calling for visitors to respect art after a jeweled chair reached its breaking point. The crystal covered seat collapsing after a man sat on it at a Verona gallery. He and a companion then walking out.

[Joe Getty]

Police still searching for the pair. The chair thankfully has been fixed.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Yeah, it was an art display and the guy thought it was just a regular chair and he sat down on it. His wife like, grabs his arm. Oh, and it breaks. And he's a man of larger carriage. Also, it's an embarrassing video.

[Jack Armstrong]

You're making this seem like. You're making this seem like it was an accident.

[Joe Getty]

Like he didn't know that the chair was a piece of art. He did. Oh, no. I think he was posing. I, I watched the video. I thought he was posing for some sort of funny Instagram pic, but lost his balance and crushed it.

[Unnamed Contributor]

O. Okay.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Okay. Well, that's not cool neither. People in their selfies. People in their selfies, Joe, of course.

[Joe Getty]

You'Re going to build a bejeweled chair and ought to be able to support your average fat tourist.

[Unnamed Contributor]

So electric cars are never going to catch on. Unless they haven't. And it's going the other direction. And, and now that Trump has done away with the various mandates and, and tax breaks. I mean, it's really. Without the tax breaks. How many people would have not purchased an electric vehicle if you hadn't gotten the big tax break? I mean, it would be, it's a tiny dent as it, it was even being a tinier dent. But I stupidly, and I can't believe I did this, chose to drive my cybertruck to drop off my son at Boy Scout camp in Long beach over the weekend. And by doing that, that turns a six hour drive in a gas powered car. If I had driven my Ford F250 diesel with a 30 gallon tank, I could have driven all the way to Los Angeles, dropped him off and driven a hundred miles back before I ever needed to stop for fuel. In the Tesla Cybertruck, you gotta stop every 150 miles to charge, which takes you half hour to 45 minutes to an hour depending on the charge charger and how many people are there, because if there's a whole bunch of people there, it charges really, really slow. And, and I turned a six hour drive into an eight hour drive each way. So instead of 12 hours of driving, I did 16 hours of driving because I, you know, care about the planet so much and drove an electric vehicle. It is never going to work. The. And if you're thinking about buying electric vehicle Everyone should know this. Those are such exaggerations. You know, how about what you. You buy a vehicle, it says on the window it gets 35 miles per gallon. But you never quite get that. That because they exaggerate. With electric vehicles, it's like double. You have to cut everything in half. So if it says you got 300 miles of range, you're going to go on 150 miles before you need to charge back up again. So it's completely misleading to people and it just doesn't work. It's just. It's so amazingly impractical that I can't believe places like the state of California have been pushing the idea that we're all going to drive electric fields. Oh, yeah. Have you done it?

[Jack Armstrong]

It.

[Joe Getty]

You know, I sent myself an article. I can't find it, but the CEO of Toyota, I think it was, just said, hey, look, throughout its lifetime, an electric vehicle produces triple the pollution of a hybrid, for instance.

[Unnamed Contributor]

That's interesting.

[Joe Getty]

Stop it with this and I'm sure I can dig it up again.

[Unnamed Contributor]

What the. The. The energy it takes to make the.

[Joe Getty]

Electricity or top to bottom, soup to nuts, as they say.

[Unnamed Contributor]

You. I don't like that term. I don't know why.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, not.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Not favorable.

[Joe Getty]

Get your head out of the gutter. That's just an old Timey Meal reference.

[Unnamed Contributor]

It's the whole thing.

[Joe Getty]

Soup to nuts.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Oh, okay.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. What was I gonna say? Oh, no, just from the beginning of the production process to the end of the vehicle's useful life, it will produce triple the pollution. Is a hybrid, for instance, such a.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Pain in the ass? Every hour and a half you have to find a station, pull in, sit there for an hour before you get back on the road. People don't want to do that. It sucks.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty. This is an I Heart podcast.