I Check My Junk Every Time I Look Down In My Pants

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: I Check My Junk Every Time I Look Down In My Pants
Date: January 29, 2026
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty (with Katie Greener)
Podcast Network: iHeartPodcasts

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Overview

This episode dives into several timely and provocative news topics with Armstrong & Getty’s trademark mix of humor, frustration, and skepticism toward media narratives. The conversation ranges from the absurdities of AI chatbots, to public opinion on gender policies in schools, to the role of indoctrination in education. The duo also dissects Bruce Springsteen’s new protest song about Minneapolis, dissects recent political hearings, discusses the ethics of self-driving cars after a Waymo accident, and closes with a critical look at political evasiveness and life expectancy statistics.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. AI Hallucinations & Tech Anecdotes

[00:16 – 02:11]

• The show kicks off with Jack sharing comic frustration over AI chatbots’ occasional blunders, e.g. giving the wrong Super Bowl date.
  • “I said, this year's super bowl, you idiot.” — Jack Armstrong [01:05]
  • Joe counters with tales of getting the completely wrong guitar chords from an AI, reinforcing AI’s tendency to “hallucinate” answers.
• The segment playfully questions society’s trust in AI and highlights how good tech still routinely gets basic things hilariously wrong.

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2. Public Opinion on School Gender & Bathroom Policies

[02:11 – 06:28]

• Joe breaks down recent polling on school bathroom access and parental opting out of lessons (sex ed, race, gender):
  • 62% of voters: “You got the schwants, you go to the men's room.” [03:00]
  • 63% support allowing parents to opt their children out of certain classroom lessons.
  • “The radical left had everyone convinced that everyone agreed with them. And if you didn't, you're a monster...” — Joe Getty [03:20]
• Jack expresses surprise at the data, expecting even higher support for parental rights.
  • Discussion of how polling questions can be loaded by media narratives.

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3. Indoctrination in Schools & the Power of First Impressions

[06:28 – 07:35]

• Hosts lament “generations of students” now indoctrinated, worrying about future leadership.
  • “God, wait till they're all in elected office and they're in charge…” — Jack Armstrong [06:28]
• Joe shares the psychological insight that first impressions stick—even after correction—highlighting challenges in changing entrenched beliefs.
  • Jack: “…that's just because the first thing you heard about it is this.” [07:01]

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4. Satire of Protest Music: Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Streets of Minneapolis’

[08:10 – 14:41]

• Jack and Joe lampoon Springsteen’s latest protest song, questioning its sincerity and quality.
  • Jack describes himself as a fan but thinks Springsteen’s activism has become forced and “dopey.”
  • Joe: “He sits down all self important… I wrote a song... Playborn in the USA.” [08:22]
  • Jack (mock lyrics): “King Trump's private army from the DHS... Came to Minneapolis to enforce the law or so… kill all the goats.” [11:15]
• The hosts highlight media bias in celebrating protest art and urge everyone to “dial it down a little bit, we start acting like adults.” — Joe Getty [14:41]

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5. Minneapolis Police, Protesters & Media Portrayal

[14:47 – 17:18]

• Analysis of protests, protester violence (e.g., spitting on ICE agents), and the gap between initial media narratives and later-released evidence.
  • “…seeing what he did a week earlier certainly doesn’t help the argument that he was… a compliant, peaceful protester.” — Jack Armstrong [15:52]
• Reference to legal commentary (by Jonathan Turley) about the escalation of events and law enforcement’s role.

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6. Political Hearings: Rubio, War Language, and Cabinet Drama

[17:23 – 21:57]

• Senator Marco Rubio’s testimony on Venezuela and the semantics of the U.S. being ‘at war’ with criminal gangs is played and dissected.
  • Rubio calmly rebuffs Democratic critiques, Joe notes he’s “always been good.”
  • Combo of serious conversation and irreverent takes on politicians’ grandstanding.
• Cabinet meeting optics: The placement of figures like Kristi Noem at the table is mused on and politicized humorously.

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7. Catching Politicians Being Evasive: Gavin Newsom & AIPAC

[28:29 – 33:53]

• Jack and Joe skewer Newsom’s repeated use of “interesting” to dodge a question about AIPAC donations:
  • “So that's eight interestings in 36 seconds, by the way.” — Joe Getty [30:35]
  • Frustration at the lack of journalistic pushback when politicians evade direct answers.
• Calls for more accountability: “Why is this fair enough? All he did was say interesting nine times in a row.” — Jack Armstrong [31:46]

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8. Tech Ethics: Self-Driving Cars & Public Reaction

[22:18 – 27:01]

• News story: Waymo accident in Santa Monica where a self-driving car hit a child (minor injuries).
  • Immediate public reaction is harsher than if a human had been driving.
  • “There’s something worse… about an automated vehicle hitting somebody than a grandma. At least in my mind. I don’t know why.” — Jack Armstrong [22:36]
• Discussion of past traffic fatalities, U.S. tolerance of highway deaths, and the double standard applied to automation.
  • Katie: “The Waymo braked hard, reducing its speed… a fully attentive human would have made contact… going approximately 14 miles an hour.” [24:04]

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9. U.S. Life Expectancy Hits New High

[27:01 – 27:55 | 35:03 – 35:39]

• Joe highlights new stats: U.S. life expectancy now at 79.0 years, up due to reduced drug overdoses.
  • Jack jokes: “It’s now 60 years and 11 and a half months. Oh, I got a week to go there.” [27:17]

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10. Final Thoughts: Humor & Takeaways

[34:13 – 35:18]

• Crew jokes about writing protest songs for every minor injustice.
• Katie wonders if Springsteen’s song will become a “social media anthem.”
• Jack: “I want to post a video of me sitting in my car listening to the song, tears streaming down my face, just the lip quivering with the power of his music.” [34:49]
• Dissection of life expectancy stats and infant mortality, with the usual playful skepticism.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bathroom Policy:
  • “I check my junk every time I look down on my pants. Yep, mom, guy still got a schwantz.” — Jack Armstrong [02:54]
• On Indoctrination:
  • “I feel like kids are dying, kids are being indoctrinated in these sick… I hate America. I hate the free market. I hate liberty. I hate the liberal values of the western world.” — Joe Getty [07:35]
• Lampooning Protest Art:
  • “He sits down all self important… I wrote a song… Playborn in the USA.” — Joe Getty [08:22]
  • “King Trump’s private army… Came to Minneapolis to enforce the law or so kill all the goats.” — Jack Armstrong [11:15]
• Newsom’s Deflection:
  • “So that’s eight interestings in 36 seconds, by the way.” — Joe Getty [30:35]
• On Tech Reactions:
  • “There’s something worse… about an automated vehicle hitting somebody than a grandma. At least in my mind.” — Jack Armstrong [22:36]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:16 – 02:11: AI gets “human” things wrong
• 02:11 – 06:28: Polling on school bathroom and parental rights policies
• 06:28 – 07:35: Indoctrination & primacy effect in beliefs
• 08:10 – 14:41: Satire and critique of Bruce Springsteen’s protest song
• 14:47 – 17:18: Minneapolis protests, realities vs. media narratives
• 17:23 – 21:57: Marco Rubio hearings, Cabinet optics
• 22:18 – 27:01: Waymo self-driving accident, public standards for AI vs. humans
• 27:01 – 27:55: U.S. life expectancy spike
• 28:29 – 33:53: Gavin Newsom sidesteps AIPAC question
• 34:13 – 35:39: Final thoughts & further stats on life expectancy

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Tone

Casual, irreverent, and occasionally biting; Armstrong & Getty use humor and satire to dissect the news, question prevailing narratives, and challenge both political and cultural orthodoxies. Their banter is natural, skeptical of media spin, and often peppered with asides that poke fun at the world’s absurdities.

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This summary captures the key topics and personality of the Armstrong & Getty On Demand episode, providing a detailed yet digestible overview for anyone who missed the show.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast, guaranteed human.

[Joe Getty]

Broadcasting. Live from the Abraham Lincoln radio studio.

[Jack Armstrong]

At the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

And now here's Armstrong and Getty. So Joe and I were just comparing notes on things that AI gets wrong. Every now and then I'm blown away by AI and how good it is, but everyone, once in a while it's just hilariously wrong. And one of the things I like about these chatbots is you don't have to get detailed. It's like talking to a person sometimes in that, like, I can say, hey, where was that building that guy climbed the other day? And it knows you're talking about the video everybody watched last weekend of that guy. And it tells you, I just think that's so cool. Well, I had an experience with Claude last night, which has embarrassed me a couple of times in the last week. I said, hey, when's the Super Bowl? And it said, the Super bowl is February 9, 2025.

[Joe Getty]

That's odd scheduling.

[Jack Armstrong]

And I said, I said, this year's super bowl, you idiot. And it came back. You're right. I apologize for the confusion. Let me search for the 2026 Super bowl date. But like, how did it get that wrong when it gets other things so amazingly right? Can't even imagine.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah. It's mystified.

[Jack Armstrong]

Thanks for giving me the date of last year's super bowl. Which nobod ask.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. And my example, which isn't terribly interesting unless you're a guitar player, but I asked it for the chords to a song that I was dorking around with and it gave me completely fictional chords. I mean, wrong key, it left one out completely and it's like a four chord song. And like, how.

[Jack Armstrong]

How would that even happen? So that's a hallucination probably. It just feels it's got to answer the question somehow. Mine is just, I don't know, I mean, if I walked up to somebody in the lunchroom today, said, hey, when's the Super Bowl? And they gave me the date of.

[Joe Getty]

Last year's super bowl last, I would.

[Jack Armstrong]

Think they need to be committed or something.

[Joe Getty]

Right, Right. Yeah, it was last February.

[Jack Armstrong]

What?

[Joe Getty]

So this publication did a big poll of a couple thousand American folks and they take a look at their answers to a variety of questions and break it down by Trump voters, Harris voters, black, Hispanic, white, white, no college, white, college, plus all voters, blah, blah, blah. And I'll hit you with some of the numbers and we can analyze how and you'll quickly Pick up on the fact that these are mostly questions about educational policies, school policies, how voters feel about school bathroom policies. Specifically, if somebody is a dude but says, yeah, I feel like a girl now, do you let him go to the girls room or what? In other words, do you go with your sex or do you go with your current gender identification?

[Jack Armstrong]

I check my junk every time I look down on my pants. Yep, mom guy still got a shrunch.

[Joe Getty]

I guess I'll head to the men's. So that is among all voters. It is 62:37. No, you got the schwants. You go to the men's room. 6237. I'll go ahead and tell you. You know, the punchline to the discussion is, and it's something we've talked about a fair number of times, but. But it's so important, I think, to understand the left, the radical left had everyone convinced that everyone agreed with them. And if you didn't, you're a monster and a bigot and are going to cause people to be killed or commit suicide and cowed a lot of people into silence. So that's the bathroom policy thing. How about parental rights in the classroom? And the wording is a little longish, but they ask, will you allow. Are you in favor of allowing parents to opt their child out of certain classroom lessons, for example, on sex education, race and gender, when they disagree with the content and support is 63 to 37. Again, it's virtually two thirds. And half that number is strongly support. Half that number is somewhat support. Only 20% of Americans strongly oppose that. And you know, honestly, this is prejudicial, but true. If you were to say what if that the content in those classes was Marxist ideology being taught to kids, I think the numbers would be absolutely gigantic. So that's an awareness problem. But I get why.

[Jack Armstrong]

That one's surprising to me.

[Joe Getty]

Pardon me?

[Jack Armstrong]

That one is kind of surprising to me.

[Joe Getty]

Did you think it would be higher or lower?

[Jack Armstrong]

Higher support?

[Joe Getty]

Well, yeah, I think, you know, yeah, it's very, very difficult. And I think they did an okay job to phrase this question in a way that is neutral because any issues polling, as you pointed out, can be prejudiced pretty easily by how you ask the question. But I think you should allow your child to opt out of a classroom lesson about race. Well, what if you hear all day long that that's because they don't want their kids to hear about slavery?

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Or racism.

[Jack Armstrong]

Exactly right.

[Joe Getty]

I mean, it's so easy to prejudice it. And virtually all of the media and a lot of our politics have been, you know, pitching that stupid dishonest idea and yet it is still 63 to 37. And generally where is that number? Oh, it would appear if you put together all of the things they asked about, that the generations old Democratic party advantage in who do you trust more for education is either almost gone or gone. And that's, you know, that's good, that's good news because there were times during the woke apocalypse I was starting to doubt whether what was plainly true was so obscured by the media and the activists that people weren't getting it, that they weren't noticing it. But I think, you know, with the online classes, the zoom classes infamously during COVID and people getting the glimpses inside classrooms, I think the awareness has grown. I just, I'm antsy because we've already lost a couple of generations of students who have been thoroughly indoctrinated.

[Jack Armstrong]

God, wait till they're all in elected office and they're in charge and they will be here not too long.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Another fascinating thing you've brought us is that the first thing you hear sticks in your mind. Even if the person who told you that first thing comes back and says oh whoa, whoa, sorry, that first thing was wrong, it's not black, it's white. People in overwhelming numbers will cling to. It's black, I'm sure it's black. So yeah, these poor kids and it's not their fault being indoctrinated in these sick neo Marxist theories, a critical theory and all of it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Once I became aware of that, I find that in my own life sometimes I try to fight about against it. Like I'll be hanging on to an opinion in spite of some information and I'll think, wait a second, that's just because the first thing you heard about it is this. And you're clinging to that for no other reason. You've got no other reason to hang on to this. Like no more new data or anything like that other than it's the first thing you heard. It's weird, but that's just the way we're built.

[Joe Getty]

When you realize you've been mispronouncing a word and you learn the new way, how hard is it?

[Jack Armstrong]

It's impossible for me file out.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, it's so hard. Yeah, well, and that's why I guess I get so antsy about this. As I was saying is, you know, I feel like if this were, you know, a physical and non intellectual, I feel like kids are dying, kids are being indoctrinated in these sick. I hate America. I hate the free market. I hate liberty. I hate the liberal values of the western world. Blah, blah, blah stuff. I feel like, can we hurry up with a vaccine, please? We're getting there. We lost another 175,000 kids, so I don't know. I guess it's a slog, but makes me crazy.

[Jack Armstrong]

So Bruce Springsteen saw the awfulness that was happening in Minneapolis and thought, I've got to get into the studio and pen a protest song. And he has. It was released yesterday.

[Joe Getty]

Play Hungry Heart. That'd be funny. He sits down all self important and self serious. I wrote a song about what we've all been seeing in Minneapolis. Playborn in the usa. Pissed off. Would he be Playborn in the USA.

[Jack Armstrong]

Because I'm a patriot. I love America. Oh, God, why am I even doing this?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that was kind of my point.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'll go through some of the lyrics of the new Springsteen song just because I think they're. What did Katie call it? Trying too hard or something?

[Joe Getty]

Forced.

[Jack Armstrong]

Forced. Forced is a good word for it. Yeah, the craft on it. Because we can't actually play it. The craft of it is great. Sounds like a good Bruce Springsteen song. The lyrics are kind of dopey. Among other things. On the way.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty. More than 30 years after Bruce Springsteen won an Oscar for his song Streets of Philadelphia, he has written a version called Streets of Minneapolis.

[Jack Armstrong]

Minneapolis, I hear your voice.

[Joe Getty]

Greenstein says it's dedicated to quote the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors, and in memory of Alex Predd and Renee Good. All right, Bruce, because we're all waiting for that. I don't know how to feel until Bruce writes a song about it.

[Jack Armstrong]

I talked about this on the air. I went through this Bruce Springsteen kick six months ago or something like that. Read his memoir, watched a couple documentaries, did a deep dive on all of his music, including all these lost tracks and stuff that he's released and just became where a lot of you have always been on Bruce Springsteen. Just, just. He's unbelievable. I mean, he is a one in a gazillion song crafter and singer and. And everything. Just. Absolutely.

[Joe Getty]

I certainly agree. You don't have to love him, but my God, he's gifted.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, God, incredible. But his, you know, he's gotten older and he's just. He's like the. The liberal version of the way you mock a lot of old guys for going in, you know, sitting there with Fox News turned up loud, you know, yelling about the Democrats. He's he's the old man version on the left and he just says he's done a lot of dopey songs. He says dopey things in his concerts that I think the young Bruce would roll his eyes. I think the young Bruce, based on the documentaries I've watched, would say shut up and sing a song.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Hey, these folks worked hard at actual jobs to afford these tickets. Would you entertain him, please?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Anyway, so he's got this new song out. Through the winners. Ice and cold down Nicolette Avenue A city of flame fought fire and ice Neath an occupier's boots King Trump's private army from the DHS guns belts guns belted to their coats Came to Minneapolis to enforce the law or so kill all the goats.

[Joe Getty]

Sorry, that's how I would have rhymed it. I'm no Bruce Springsteen.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or so this or so the story goes. Oh, against smoke and rubber bullets in the dawn's early light Citizens stood for justice Their voices ringing through the night and there were bloody footprints where mercy should have stood. That's a pretty good Bruce Springsteen sort of line. And two dead left to die on snow filled streets. Alex Preddy and Renee Good. Oh our Minneapolis I hear your voice singing through the bloody mist we'll take our stand for this land and. And the stranger in our midst Here in our home they killed and roamed in the winter of 26 will remember the names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis. The, the whole Trump's private army thing. And well I know because I have some like way out there progressive friends that all of this sending National Guard troops or ice or whoever into various cities is to prepare for when the next election and then you can steal the election and you've already got the troops in place to stop the protesting and everything. That's, that's the actual belief of the left. So it's Trump's private army doing that.

[Joe Getty]

Friends, staunch conservative Joe here. It's not going to happen. Don't worry about it. Seriously, don't lose any sleep. That won't happen.

[Jack Armstrong]

So he gets to Alex pretty lay in the snow dead. Their claim was self defense, sir. Just don't believe your eyes. It's our blood and bones in these whistles and phones against Miller and Gnomes. Dirty lies.

[Joe Getty]

You know, Miller and Gnomes did cover themselves with inglory. Oh absolutely, absolutely terrible.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That certainly didn't help anything. No doubt about it. I wish she hadn't said what she said moments after the news broke. Who? What, what do you think actually happened there with Kristi Noem coming out and immediately saying what she said was, did she do that off the top of her head? Did she write it down herself? Did somebody write it for and if. And if so who wrote it for her? Has she. Has Kristi Noem fired this person and said, why'd you put this in front of me?

[Joe Getty]

Well, it was factually wrong. It was amateurish. It was ill advised. I mean, it was just. It was so terrible. It's difficult to imagine how that happened.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, partially because it's so easy to handle. Not. This is a situation where it's easy to handle and it's the right thing to do.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. And important.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't have all the details. We're going to have a thorough investigation. I'm troubled by the loss of life. But I'll get back to you as soon as the, you know, we get the details of the investigation. That's perfectly fine to say that.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah, yeah. And again, that's. That's what you ought to say. But I'm surprised you stopped there, Jack, that you just had the single version. I actually have the album version of Bruce's song. The controversial last verse. Minnesota's an Indian word. The common loons, the official state bird.

[Jack Armstrong]

I looked it up.

[Joe Getty]

The Vikings compete in the NFC north and came in third. And Trump is a fascist, my friend.

[Jack Armstrong]

I thought you're gonna say turd. You know, keep the rhyme.

[Joe Getty]

I considered it. AAAA versus I don't like them. No common loon.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, my God. In the every mainstream news which are left channel in America, including what you just heard, will play a chunk of Bruce's song. And because they just think it's fantastic, the great voice of the people is out there saying Trump's private army and whatnot.

[Joe Getty]

How about everybody dials it down a little bit, we start acting like adults. Wouldn't that be delightful?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, well, Holman's a step in the right direction. No doubt that I ho. I hope that the video coming out five days later like it did yesterday of the guy being a complete jackass, spitting on ice agents and kicking the car and everything like that, at least for a chunky out there. I hope you think, ah, okay, he's not. Not quite the guy I thought he was. Doesn't mean you get to shoot him. But, you know, it's not quite the innocent protester just executing his constitutional rights in the street, gunned down by the cops the way it was portrayed.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I read somebody. I think it may have been before the video came out yesterday. But in an allegedly, you know, a reliable outlet saying the guy was just passively observing and recording the cops doing what they were doing. And when a woman was shoved, he. He tried to defend her. And, I mean, just couching it in the most, you know, innocent terms he possibly could. Why are you working so hard? Has figuring out what actually happened gone out of fashion? Apparently it has.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, right. And then there's a, you know, there's a little confusion over hap. What happened before video starts that you've. We've all seen, and then, you know, who shoved who first. It's kind of hard to tell various things of video, but seeing what he did a week earlier certainly doesn't help the argument that he was, you know, a compliance, peaceful protester.

[Joe Getty]

When was the last time any of you kicked out the taillight of a.

[Jack Armstrong]

Cop car or spit on anyone?

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

I had another point to make, what I was gonna make.

[Joe Getty]

He shows up there spitting tail lights.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't remember what my point was.

[Joe Getty]

Bruce Springsteen in the Miami Steve the.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sopranos, calming everything down. Whatever happened to the Russian in the woods, all of these things.

[Joe Getty]

Where did he go?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I do. I do hope things calm down. And, oh, I know. Jonathan Turi Turley, the. The law professor said, you know, if they'd have been able to enforce the law. He broke the law. Kicking the cop car and spitting on cops, that's against the law. And then once he's broken the law, he no longer can show up there. He can have a gun on him. So that would have taken care of that for the future incident where he wouldn't have been able to legally be there with a gun, which might. Then you wouldn't have had the gun to pull out of his belt. And whether it went off or not, I don't know. But the shooting and everything wouldn't have happened. Might have been to his benefit if they didn't enforce the law when he was kicking the police car.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, right. Yeah, right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Almost certainly would have been to his.

[Joe Getty]

Benefit and his LARPing Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

In one heated exchange, Rubio was pressed.

[Katie Greener]

On how the Trump administration plans to.

[Senator or Congressional Democrat]

Manage Venezuela's government and fight its citizens.

[Katie Greener]

At the same time.

[Senator or Congressional Democrat]

Are you saying that we're at war?

[Marco Rubio]

We are, absolutely. When it comes to narco trafficking groups and criminal gangs that are targeting the United States for criminal.

[Senator or Congressional Democrat]

We're in a state of war.

[Marco Rubio]

There's no doubt about the fact that we're confronting them in a war like.

[Senator or Congressional Democrat]

Under the Geneva Convention, they're waging war.

[Marco Rubio]

Against us and their enemy combatants as.

[Jack Armstrong]

A result of it. So that is Marco Rubio. He is the Secretary of State and like five other things currently. And he testified before Congress yesterday and got grilled by Democrats and praised by Republicans, which is the way these things work. I wish Marco Rubio was president. I think he's really good at lots of different stuff and he's like a normal human being, but wasn't in the cards for him, or at least not yet.

[Joe Getty]

Senator Duckworth of Illinois. What is a Duckworth? 3 or $4 grilling Merca. Not much.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, they went on with their discussion about Venezuela and whatnot.

[Senator or Congressional Democrat]

The president already said that he was ready to put American troops in Venezuela again. So we're at war right now. So if things don't go well with their Chavistas, you've empowered.

[Marco Rubio]

When did the president say he was.

[Senator or Congressional Democrat]

Going to a military option putting you. What is your criteria for returning to a military option and putting boots?

[Marco Rubio]

Well, I don't recall the president saying he's going to put troops in Venezuela. Where did he say that?

[Senator or Congressional Democrat]

I'm asking you, what are your.

[Marco Rubio]

But that's what you said.

[Senator or Congressional Democrat]

I didn't already said that he was ready to put American troops in Venezuela.

[Marco Rubio]

No, I think the president has said that he retains the right as commander in Chief to protect the United States against any imminent threats. Maybe that involves troops, maybe that involves air power. We hope, but we don't anticipate that being the case in Venezuela.

[Senator or Congressional Democrat]

I worry that you are playing fast and loose with our nation.

[Marco Rubio]

Well, I just gave you testimony here.

[Senator or Congressional Democrat]

I just want. I just want to conclude by.

[Marco Rubio]

Yeah, but I just gave you testimony of how well things are moving forward. Not as fast as everybody also said.

[Senator or Congressional Democrat]

That in six or nine months, if things don't go well, you're gonna have to do something else. And the president's already said that he's not ruled out the military option. And you've also just said that, yes, we are at war. The president has worked.

[Marco Rubio]

Every president retained the power to use military.

[Senator or Congressional Democrat]

For me to ask you, and I.

[Marco Rubio]

Gave you a very specific example, every president retains the right to defend the United States against an imminent threat.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, he's good. He's always been good.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, he's definitely not quite as posterizable as a lot of politicians as Senator Duckworth, like, you know, all opposition party politicians are trying to do in those hearings is get some good poster material for the folks back home.

[Jack Armstrong]

There's actually one of Trump's probably very lengthy Cabinet meetings, full cabinet meetings going on right now where they have the press in there. It's on tv. And if there are any highlights out of them, we'll have them this hour or tomorrow. But he's sitting there and he's got Marco Rubio on one side, Pete Hegseth on the other, as he usually does. But when they're doing the wide shot and then you get further out and there's RFK Jr and there's. What's his name, the handsome guy from North Dakota, the energy secretary.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, right. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

He is a handsome Bergam, the billionaire and. But I don't see Kirsty Nomes flowing locks. I don't see Ice Barbie in that picture. Is she not Vitor. Maybe I just don't see her. But she's. She's not sitting where she could be in the frame, certainly very easily. I don't know if that's on purpose or not. It seems like she's the hot topic right now.

[Joe Getty]

So, Christy, why don't you sit at the end of the table today? Wait a minute, I. Oh, boy. She realizes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, sit down there.

[Joe Getty]

Freshen up the resume.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sit down there with Tulsi Gabbard, who you never see.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Or hear from. Interesting. Getting back to the halls of the Senate, there is no more ridiculous. Hilariously, you know, as the. Who was it? Holman Jenkins in the Wall Street Journal characterized one senator as panting with ambition. There's nobody more clownish than Tim Kaine in the Senate these days. Let's hear him and Marco. 75.

[Tim Kaine]

The President repeatedly mistook Iceland for Greenland.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Tim Kaine]

We're not mad at Iceland. They haven't cost us any money. The president just mistook the. The two countries for each other.

[Jack Armstrong]

Correct.

[Marco Rubio]

Yeah, he meant to say Greenland. But I think we're all familiar with presidents that have verbal stumbles. We've had presidents like that before. Some made a lot more than this one.

[Tim Kaine]

Nice try.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's not a nice try. It was a home run.

[Joe Getty]

Tip of the chin.

[Jack Armstrong]

Don't, don't, don't even. I'm doing my head back and forth thing. Don't even. If you sat there for all those years and didn't make a big deal out of Joe Biden stumbles. Act like you're going to make a big deal out of this one in this hearing. Don't even.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Let's not embarrass ourselves here.

[Joe Getty]

Right. I saw Biden made some sort of strong statement on Twitter a couple of days ago about how the Trump administration is mishandling Minneapolis. And I'm like, Gramp Graham, great grand potus. You can weigh in on stuff if you want, but not immigration. Not that. A little self awareness.

[Jack Armstrong]

Got a headline you're gonna have to look into. This is brand new. Waymo hits child outside elementary school in Santa Monica as feds open probe into self driving cars.

[Joe Getty]

Oof.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oof is right.

[Joe Getty]

That's not good.

[Jack Armstrong]

No. And you know, it's weird. Gonna be interesting to watch this play out. There are stats out there already that Waymo's safer than real people. And it doesn't surprise me at all having a self driving car like my cybertruck for instance. But they're not gonna be perfect because nothing can be perfect. And there's something worse for some reason about an automated vehicle hitting somebody than a grandma. At least in my mind. I don't know why. Like I'm holding it to a different standard than I do other humans.

[Joe Getty]

Even when it's performing exactly the same role.

[Jack Armstrong]

A busy soccer mom hits a kid. Tragedy, awful, horrible happens. Though you'd think, you know, God dang it, how many times have somebody run out or whatever and almost this. But when a computer does it, you feel like, well, that's intolerable. We cannot have that.

[Katie Greener]

Yes, Katie, I'm just looking at the. The story. Waymo said that according to the cameras, the child ran into the street from behind a double parked suv.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, well, right.

[Jack Armstrong]

So here's a perfect example. Any human being could have accidentally hit that kid, right? And you would think, well, geez, God, thank God there but for the grace of God, you would think, but when it's a computer, I think first, you know, my first like emotional reaction is, ooh, that's. You can't have cars out there driving around that can't adjust for that. I mean, come on, they're not ready for the streets.

[Joe Getty]

Exactly.

[Katie Greener]

The Waymo breaked hard, reducing its speed from approximately 17 mph to under 6 before contact was made. And it said, putting this into perspective, a fully attentive human driver in the same situation would have made contact with that pedestrian going approximately 14 miles an.

[Joe Getty]

Hour, reaction times, et cetera.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah, well, it's a horrible, horrible story.

[Katie Greener]

Totally.

[Jack Armstrong]

I just wonder as we go forward if we're going to hold these Tesla or Waymo or whoever wins out that battle to a standard that human beings have never even come close to meeting.

[Joe Getty]

Right, right. I think, Katie, that's a really interesting piece of information and an important one. I don't feel people are gonna freak out. Of course, I'm continually disappointed by the human race, but if Waymo or just people like us point out, actually the thing was able to stop much more quickly than a human could have in that situation. And the kid is, I assume, gonna be okay?

[Katie Greener]

Yeah, Minor injuries. He's okay.

[Joe Getty]

Right. Having been contacted at less than 6 miles per hour.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

The child is in much better shape than he would have been if it had been a human behind the wheel. I think that's, that's a very solid story.

[Senator or Congressional Democrat]

Yeah.

[Katie Greener]

Or a human behind the wheel looking at their phone, not even noticing that this was happening.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

You put soccer moms on the, the hot plate and I can't remember else. What else? I remember I used to live in a neighborhood that had a lot more high school kids. And the percentage of time that those kids were looking at the phone as they were driving was 100% right. It was, it was practically like it was some sort of parody where I was like making a movie to make a point.

[Jack Armstrong]

I hate the idea the government taking, driving away from us, but we're, we humans are certainly giving them a reason by spending so much time staring at our phones as we drive around. Say, hey, look, yeah, we entrusted you with driving. And look at, you're driving around staring at your phone. So taking it away from you. I did the math on this several weeks ago. I don't remember what it was. I'd have to look it back up. The, the highest number of deaths on American highways was in like 71 early 70s. And I don't remember because then I extrapolated for population because our population is greater. And I adjusted for inflation, if you will, for the numbers. But I remember it was, it was six figures. It was, it would have been the equivalent of well over a hundred thousand deaths per year that we were willing to put up with easily. Apparently, you know, in 1971, we were, you know, out there driving around doing our thing. 100 plus thousand deaths a year on our nation's highways. Now it's like 30 with a, you know, with a much larger population and many more miles driven. Still, though, incredibly safe. That is one thing worth pointing out. If you look at accidents per miles driven, millions of miles driven, it's still quite amazingly safe. Yeah, the chance of being killed in a car wreck is very, very low.

[Joe Getty]

Tip of the cap to Ralph Nader, by the way. Activism made a difference there. Oh, speaking of which, the American lifespan has now hit it its highest point ever. I saw that because drug overdoses are down so much. So you remember that Narrative during. After Covid. It's.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's now 60 years and 11 and a half months. Oh, I got a week to go there.

[Joe Getty]

But, you know, the narrative was our lifespans are shorter than what that says about Americans and blah, blah, blah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, well, now.

[Joe Getty]

And that's back up again because people are not dying of fentanyl as much, so that's much. It's still way too high.

[Jack Armstrong]

So that was the big difference maker, huh? That's what was dragging down our lifespan.

[Joe Getty]

There's a lot of it.

[Jack Armstrong]

And letting activists, you know, crow about how awful the America is.

[Joe Getty]

Right, yeah. Self hatred. Yeah, the. The absolutely required mark of the progressive.

[Jack Armstrong]

So do you have the number in front of you? How long can I expect to live?

[Joe Getty]

I gotta make sure.

[Jack Armstrong]

Not long.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, not long. You know what we could do? I will dig that up and I'll give you that answer. You know, we could. Do we have time to do the fascinating and hilarious non answers of one.

[Jack Armstrong]

Gavin Newsom here or next segment? Next segment. Okay. And if you could look up life expectancy for regular people and then people who carry a pie fork in their jacket, see if that's a different number. I have a feeling that's slightly lower. All that on the way. Stay here.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Do you know what APAC is? A. Ipac? It's an acronym for American Israel Public Affairs Committee. It's.

[Joe Getty]

It's a lobbyist group.

[Jack Armstrong]

So, yeah, it's a lobbyist group and they give money to various. They give money to various politicians to, you know, hope that you will do right by Israel. And they have traditionally had a fair amount of money to throw around and get a fair amount of sway with various politicians and all that sort of thing. And if you hate Israel, you think they're evil. And if you like Israel, you tend to think they're just, you know, advocating for a friend of the United States.

[Joe Getty]

Well, and the amount they give and the money they spread around to, I think they would phrase it, to help people get elected who believe in friendship with Israel is infinitesimal compared to a lot of the big lobbyists.

[Jack Armstrong]

But anyway, so I just wanted to draw your attention to. I just, I wanted to know what, you know, what that phrase was. That's not really the important part of this conversation. The important part is that Gavin Newsom, who is the probably the leading candidate to be Democratic nominee and run for president in 2028, has gotten this habit now when he's asked controversial questions, he just like, makes noises and phrases and doesn't address Them. It's weird. What do you think about trans athletes? Well, you know, you know, it's an issue of fairness. I mean, by the grace of God you fought against it. Anyways, ask about taking money from AIPAC on the Young Turks podcast the other day.

[Tim Kaine]

I will not vote for a candidate that takes $1 from APAC. It's interesting. I mean, it's interesting. I haven't thought about aipac and it's interesting. You're like the first to bring up AIPAC in years, which is interesting. Why did I say that? Not relevant to my day to day life. Okay, which is just interesting. Listen, it's interesting. You say that JPAC perhaps more, but APAC less and less.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, fair enough.

[Tim Kaine]

Which is just interesting.

[Joe Getty]

What's interesting about it?

[Tim Kaine]

That it's just interesting as you bring up AIPAC that it hasn't been part of. I'm just reflecting quite openly and honestly. Hasn't been part of the day to day.

[Joe Getty]

So that's eight interestings in 36 seconds, by the way.

[Jack Armstrong]

But the lead up is a rate.

[Joe Getty]

Of an interesting roughly every 4.3 seconds.

[Jack Armstrong]

Which is interesting on its own. So this guy J.R. jackson, who's the host on the Young Turks podcast, he had said, you know, do you take money from aipac? Because I want for vote for any candidate who does. And Newsom's response is, that's interesting. I mean it's just. In what ways it. Well, it's just interesting that you bring it up. I mean, it's just, it's just interesting that you bring it up and. But these people never hold their feet to the fire. I don't know if it's because of Democrats and they don't want to offend him or whatever, but I don't understand like on the train, want them to.

[Joe Getty]

Hold their own feet to the fire.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hold.

[Katie Greener]

Hold it.

[Joe Getty]

You want your pronouns right? Well, that's funny to do.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is funny. Hold his feet to the fire. Because when he did the trans.

[Joe Getty]

Much more effective.

[Jack Armstrong]

When he did the trans answer. Who was that with that he got in trouble for? But why wasn't the follow up. You still haven't answered the question. What are you trying to. Interesting.

[Joe Getty]

You just strung together a bunch of words and said for the grace of God. I have no idea what you meant. And this guy, please.

[Jack Armstrong]

And this guy says, oh, okay, fair enough, fair enough. Why is this fair enough? All he did was say interesting nine times in a row. Just interesting. Okay, so now he gets more specific on a different show that he went on.

[Young Turks Host]

I Guess this has become a big conversation. Someone like myself, and I think at this point a broad majority of Democrats are saying we don't want candidates who are taking money from aipac. We don't want candidates who are beholden to the Israel lobby.

[Tim Kaine]

Right.

[Young Turks Host]

When you look at what you were able to accomplish with the groundswell of support financially from people who said, I want to back this, I want to back fighters, I want to back people who are independent of an establishment, how do you think about AIPAC now? And maybe someone like Seth Moulton who said, I want to return this money, I'm not taking it anymore. How do you think that AIPAC should be involved or shouldn't be involved?

[Tim Kaine]

Well, they've never been involved with me. I've never received a dollar from them in my entire political career. So that's sort of absolute. So I've had opinion on that going back decades now. I don't take, you know, tobacco money, oil money. I've never taken APEC money. I mean, there's, there's certain absolutes that are the lines that have been drawn for decades for me. And those will continue. And to the extent they need to evolve because of the devolution of certain interests, and we're experiencing that in real time along the lines of what we've been talking, perhaps that will even grow. But the small dollar is become just the lifeblood for me.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay? And that's true, he's right about the small dollar thing, but. So I wish this guy had done a little research. So how about when your wife takes this much money to that they donate to her so she can make a documentary film that goes into the family and she makes some crappy documentary film that nobody's ever watched? Are you beholden to that group when.

[Joe Getty]

You go to the unions and say, hey, you're going to donate $10 million to the effort to redistrict you? Beholden to them a little bit, buddy. Yeah. What is this belief that it's self evident that it's evil to be a supporter of Israel? I know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Isn't that why that is Right.

[Joe Getty]

Ingrained, which is interesting.

[Jack Armstrong]

Final thoughts? Yes.

[Joe Getty]

With your hosts, Jack Armstrong and Joe.

[Jack Armstrong]

Getty, here's your host for final thoughts, Joe Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Let's get a final thought from everybody on the crew to wrap up the day. Michelangelo, lead us off. What's your final thought? I'm gonna start writing songs about any little injustice that I see. I saw a guy speeding, you know, 40 in a 35.

[Jack Armstrong]

So I'm gonna write a song about it. There you go.

[Joe Getty]

That'll be my new thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Put out a whole album.

[Joe Getty]

My Protests Today by Michelangelo. Katie Greener, esteemed newswoman, has a final thought.

[Katie Greener]

Katie, mine's along similar lines. I'm just wondering if that Springsteen song is gonna end up being like a social media anthem where you start seeing people make videos.

[Jack Armstrong]

I hope not.

[Joe Getty]

How about parodies? Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, I hope not. I hope for. Or. Or. I want to post a video. Here's my final thought. I want to post a video of me sitting in my car listening to the song, tears streaming down my face, just the lip below her lip quivering with the power of his music.

[Joe Getty]

Well, in your car, of course. The life expectancy at birth for the Average American was 79 years old. Jack up 0.6 years from the previous year, according to the CDC.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's from birth.

[Joe Getty]

Never lie to us on any topic.

[Jack Armstrong]

If you've already made it to 30, 40, 50, 60, whatever, you're gonna live much longer than that, likely.

[Joe Getty]

Right? Life expectancy. Pregnancy at birth is practically a useless statistic.

[Jack Armstrong]

Really.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know why it exists.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's true. That's true. They should. It should all be at 10 or 20 or 30 or whatever, right?

[Joe Getty]

Exactly. And then you have infant mortality rates.

[Jack Armstrong]

And that's the.

[Joe Getty]

The rub there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, Armstrong, you Getty wrapping up another grueling four hour workday.

[Joe Getty]

So many people. Thanks a little time. Go to armstronggetty.com We've got some great hot links for you there. Katie's corner. Drop us note mailbag at ArmstrongStrong and getty.com pick up some Angie swag and for the love of heaven, subscribe to the podcast Armstrong Yeti on demand.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, I do have a pronoun problem. I always have. There's no point in holding your own feet to the fire. We will see you tomorrow. God bless America.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Their claim was self defense, sir. Just don't believe your eyes. It's her blood and bones and these whistles and phones against Miller and Gnomes.

[Joe Getty]

Dirty lies. Minnesota's an Indian word. The common loon's the official state bird.

[Jack Armstrong]

I looked it up.

[Joe Getty]

The Vikings compete in the NFC north and came in third. And Trump is a fascist, my friend.

[Jack Armstrong]

I thought you were gonna say turd.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.