I Want To Be A Unicorn

Summary

Podcast Summary: Armstrong & Getty On Demand Episode Title: I Want To Be A Unicorn
Release Date: January 15, 2025
Host: Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction

In the January 15, 2025 episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into a range of political topics, current events, and listener interactions. The episode, titled "I Want To Be A Unicorn," navigates through discussions on political nominations, congressional conduct, wildfire management, and media portrayals, all laced with the hosts' signature humor and candid commentary.

Main Discussion: Pete Hegseth's Confirmation Hearing

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to the confirmation hearing of Pete Hegseth for the position of Secretary of Defense. Armstrong and Getty analyze Hegseth's performance, the political maneuvering surrounding his nomination, and its implications for the Trump administration.

• Hegseth's Performance:
  The hosts express a mix of skepticism and cautious optimism about Hegseth's capabilities. Armstrong remarks, "I think there could be one more, you know, deer head on the wall as it were" (05:23), reflecting on previous nominees and the challenges they face in Washington D.C. Getty adds, "He brings something that needs to be brought to the Pentagon, and that is an acute sense of the fighting men and what they need" (06:58).

• Political Strategy:
  The duo discusses how the Trump team has effectively managed the confirmation process, emphasizing Hegseth's "anti-woke" stance as a unifying factor for the Republican base. Armstrong cites Mark Halpern's newsletter, noting that "Anti Woke is a far greater source of adhesive for any Trump project that requires center-right support than the dominant media and Democrats understand" (18:21).

• Potential Impact:
  They speculate on Hegseth's potential legacy, stating, "There's a chance that Pete Hegseth as SecDeath and Marco Rubio as Secretary of State are in history books for dealing with some major freaking world event" (06:58). Getty remains hopeful that Hegseth's leadership could bolster America's defense posture, yet remains realistic about the entrenched bureaucracy within the Pentagon that might resist significant reforms.

Political Commentary

The hosts engage in a robust critique of congressional behavior and political hypocrisy, particularly focusing on personal misconduct among senators.

• Senatorial Conduct:
  Armstrong and Getty highlight Senator Mark Wayne Mullen's pointed questions regarding senators' personal lives, challenging the double standards in accountability. Armstrong mentions, "Why doesn't it happen more often that people point out things like... How many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night?" (30:08), emphasizing perceived inconsistencies in ethical standards.

• Misogyny and Media Portrayal:
  A controversial segment unfolds when Armstrong expresses discomfort with the appearance of female Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi, prompting immediate backlash from co-host Katie Green. Armstrong admits, "I just don't think it's okay... She's too hot." (22:30). Katie critiques the remarks, stating, "Misogynistic meter shattered." (22:58), leading to a heated exchange that underscores tensions surrounding gender biases in politics.

Mailbag: Listener Interactions

Listeners contribute opinions and queries, which Armstrong and Getty address with their characteristic blend of satire and seriousness.

• Climate Change and Wildfires:
  A correspondent questions the linkage between climate change skepticism and preparedness for wildfires, prompting Getty to assert, "Preparedness would be your 97% emphasis if you were serious. But they're not. It's a scam." (16:37). This reflects the hosts' skepticism towards progressive approaches to environmental crises.

• Public Perception of Congress Members:
  Armstrong muses on the intelligence and competence of Congress members outside their political identities, wondering if personal interactions would change listeners' perceptions. He contemplates whether most view their representatives as "really sharp" or as mere placeholders in government.

News Headlines and Commentary

Interspersed with their discussions, co-host Katie Green presents various news headlines, which Armstrong and Getty dissect with humor and critique.

• Wildfire Management:
  Katie reports on Southern California's extreme fire danger due to high winds, with Armstrong humorously questioning the readiness and response of officials: "How do you get a sterilization?"

• Zuckerberg's Political Maneuvers:
  Highlighting Mark Zuckerberg's attempts to align closer with Trump, they discuss the blending of personal branding with political strategies, noting, "Look, this is the real me. I compete in jiu jitsu. I'm a real guy." (34:22).

• Celebrity Actions and Hypocrisy:
  The hosts critique celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio for perceived hypocrisies, such as escaping wildfires via private jets despite advocating for climate change, mocking the disconnect between their public image and personal actions.

Notable Quotes

Throughout the episode, Armstrong and Getty share and react to notable quotes, often injecting their unique perspectives:

• Eckhart Pfeiffer:
  "Today we are making history. It's kind of a carpe diem, seize the day idea that, you know, whatever you want to do." (12:22)

• Senator Mark Wayne Mullen:
  "What if you showed up drunk to your job? How many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night?" (30:08)

• Mike Waltz on Military Leadership:
  "We don’t need more bureaucracy at the top. We need more warfighters empowered at the bottom." (24:30)

Advertisements

Consistent with their format, Armstrong and Getty include brief advertisements, which were omitted from this summary as per guidelines.

Conclusion

The "I Want To Be A Unicorn" episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand offers a deep dive into the intricacies of political nominations, the morality of elected officials, and the media's role in shaping public perception. Through incisive commentary and sharp wit, Armstrong and Getty provide listeners with a critical examination of current events, encouraging a more informed and skeptical view of the political landscape.

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Notable Timestamped Quotes

• 05:23:
  Jack Armstrong: "I think there could be one more, you know, deer head on the wall as it were."

• 06:58:
  Joe Getty: "He brings something that needs to be brought to the Pentagon, and that is an acute sense of the fighting men and what they need."

• 12:22:
  Jack Armstrong: "Today we are making history. It's kind of a carpe diem, seize the day idea that, you know, whatever you want to do."

• 16:37:
  Joe Getty: "Preparedness would be your 97% emphasis if you were serious. But they're not. It's a scam."

• 18:21:
  Jack Armstrong: "Anti Woke is a far greater source of adhesive for any Trump project that requires center-right support than the dominant media and Democrats understand."

• 22:30:
  Jack Armstrong: "I just don't think it's okay... She's too hot."

• 22:58:
  Katie Green: "Misogynistic meter shattered."

• 24:30:
  Mike Waltz: "We don’t need more bureaucracy at the top. We need more warfighters empowered at the bottom."

• 30:08:
  Jack Armstrong: "Why doesn't it happen more often that people point out things like... How many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night?"

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Note: This summary intentionally omits advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections to focus solely on the substantive discussions and insights presented during the episode.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

Foreign.

[Joe Getty]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Gary.

[Jack Armstrong]

Had to say hello to my unhoused street person friend who hangs out behind the trash can right where I walk in the door to the building every day. You know, kind of watch him out of the corner of my eye. Make sure he's not gonna attack me or anything like that. Sneak in the building.

[Joe Getty]

Jamaic small talk. How's the meth these days? Is it good? Good crank.

[Jack Armstrong]

What I like is how what I like is how I how faring for my life. First thing walking in gets my heart rate up and gets me prepared for the show in case I'm feeling kind of low GE or what whole this.

[Joe Getty]

Guy equivalent of doing 10 push ups.

[Jack Armstrong]

The whole this guy might kill me, you know, gets me ready for the show. So it, it, it really has a benefit.

[Joe Getty]

Why don't we call them alertness ambassadors instead of junkies. I'm Gavin Newsom. Let's call them alertness ambassadors.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Thank you once again sir for alerting to me to my core human feelings of terror and excitement.

[Joe Getty]

Live from Studio C senior blah blah blah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Today we're under the tutelage of our.

[Joe Getty]

General manager Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, NPR said it looks like he's going to go through. So if they are even saying that looks like it. They also just said as U.S. nPR that Pam Bondi is probably going to go through his Attorney General. So so much for the controversy around those nominees.

[Joe Getty]

I guess I haven't dialed up the NPR lately. I've been a little stressed and I know that might drive me right over the edge. I can do 60 Minutes because it's, you know, it's short, it's only an hour.

[Jack Armstrong]

But so you know, as often happens in Washington D.C. a whole bunch of this could happen. That could happen and then whatever lives.

[Joe Getty]

Indeed. Yeah. I have a couple of examples of the incredible divide between the progressive left and the sane in terms of for instance men in women's prison where they are raping and sexually assaulting and impregnating women. And if you bring it up to a progressive person who believes that you can just wish yourself to be the other sex and therefore have become the other sex. I want to be a unicorn. Anyway, that that excuses all of that sexual assault. I, I don't even know where to begin forming an argument with them.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh I heard was watching Fox this morning and who's the hot Blonde chick we shared a stage with one time for something on Fox. That's a hard thing to nail down. Yes, was her. She said something that I thought was good was all these senators who are so worried about women being mistreated in the military or not getting their fair shot. I wish they would stand up for women in sports and having. Not having to compete against dudes. You wish they'd be quite as interested in that as they are whether or not they're combat soldiers who are women.

[Joe Getty]

Or at least not let a person with schwants, which person with schwann sticke, which I believe is the preferred term, into the locker room. You're that into women and protecting women. Keep dudes out of the locker rooms, you pervs, you sickos, you dreamers, you nut jobs. Probably can we have the sane in charge? That doesn't. Why is that not in the Constitution? Tack it on the end. P.S. anybody who's complaining, completely freaking nuts should not be in charge.

[Jack Armstrong]

What was I gonna say? I was gonna say something. Oh, probably the headline out of the like if you're just kind of doing a. Barely paying attention to whether or not this guy Trump picked to be Secretary of Defense is going to get through or not. Joni Ernst of Iowa, female combat veteran who's really worried about some of his stances, grilled him on some of that stuff. We'll play it later. And came away thinking, I'm fine with it. I'm a yes vote. So that's pretty much the end of the deal then.

[Joe Getty]

Here's the, the behind the scenes information that you really need. And some might quibble with this, but it's close enough to being true. You might as well accept it. The Republicans feel like they can boot out one of Trump's cabinet nominees, maybe two.

[Jack Armstrong]

The Democrats or the Republicans?

[Joe Getty]

The Republicans.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay.

[Joe Getty]

Without really whipping up Manation.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, I see.

[Joe Getty]

They can pick out one and say, hey look, Mr. President, we're, we're putting in all your folks. We just got the one guy or gal. Maybe you could pick somebody else and everybody big hugs, it'll be great. But two is pushing it. Two is standing up against Trump, inviting primaries, the rest of it. So.

[Jack Armstrong]

And Matt Gates was the one.

[Joe Getty]

No, I think one now because Matt Gates was practically. I mean he was injured in the pre game warmups. I don't think he counts.

[Jack Armstrong]

Twisted his ankle before the national anthem.

[Joe Getty]

Exactly. Twisting his ankle, putting his uniform on. So yeah, I think there could be one more, you know, deer head on the wall as it were.

[Jack Armstrong]

But I Was thinking about only one. I was thinking about old Matt Gates today when they're talking about Pam Bondi's gonna get through, you know, all of the chatter in D.C. and people who like to talk about this sort of stuff. Do you even hardly even remember Matt Gaetz's Attorney General thing? I mean, that was, like, two weeks ago. Nobody will remember it at all. You know, a year from now. It's just. It's.

[Joe Getty]

Right. Yeah. Who's in, who's out, who's got power, who's got the big desk in Washington, D.C. is an obsession. You can't even picture it. You can't relate to it unless you've, you know, been close to it and felt it. It is. It's feverish. It. I mean, it's like sexual desire times three.

[Jack Armstrong]

I must say, though, I was kind of neutral on Pete Hegseth. I just. It wasn't like, super fired up either direction. If that's Trump's choice, fine, put him in until. I heard a montage on I think FOX today that we'll play for you later of some of his answers and some of the Q and A's. That got me a little fired up thinking he could be a breath of fresh air for the whole thing. So we'll play that later.

[Joe Getty]

Had the same effect on me. Absolutely. I don't know if he will be like, the greatest Secretary of defense for the next 12 years under multiple presidents, but he absolutely brings something that needs to be brought to the Pentagon, and that is an acute sense of the fighting men and what they need.

[Jack Armstrong]

Boy, and there's a chance, and I hope this doesn't happen, but there's a chance that Pete Hegseth as SecDeath and Marco Rubio as Secretary of State are in history books for dealing with some major freaking world event. The way we talk about SEC deaths and sick and secretaries of State from, you know, major conflicts in the past, I hope not, but, man, there's a decent chance of it.

[Joe Getty]

I would say combine that with my possibility, and you've got an excellent chance. And my possibility is between the two of them and some of the other foreign policy team players, Mike Waltz, who I absolutely love, is national Security, or as. What is he, the National Security Director. It's Jake Sullivan's position.

[Jack Armstrong]

Nsc.

[Joe Getty]

There's too many jobs. Nsc? Yeah, Council. That's it. Between the three of them, they change America's war readiness and posture significantly enough that it prevents the sort of terrible conflict you're talking about.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Which is a harder thing to write in the history books. It's hard to write things that didn't.

[Joe Getty]

Happen, but it's, you could argue it's. It's a better thing if you can pull it off.

[Jack Armstrong]

Absolutely, absolutely freaking lutely. If China thinks, oh, we got some real, real kick ass hard ass grown ups in charge over there now, maybe now's not the time to take Taiwan.

[Joe Getty]

Let's, let's give it a few years and see what happens.

[Jack Armstrong]

Maybe we can get another dementia riddled old man who's unwilling to do anything. Wait for him to come back. Let's start the show officially. I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty on this. It is. How did it already get to be Wednesday, January 15th, the year 2025? We're Armstrong and getting away approved of this program.

[Joe Getty]

All right, let's begin officially, according to FCC rules and regulations. Here we go at.

[Mark Wayne Mullen]

Mark, how many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night? Have any of you guys asked them to step down and resign for their job? And then how many senators do you know have got a divorce before cheating on their wives? Did you ask them to step down?

[Jack Armstrong]

That was pretty good.

[Joe Getty]

Bring it, Mark Wayne. The fabulous Mark Wayne Mullen of Oklahoma.

[Jack Armstrong]

That was pretty good. And as the camera panned across some of the Democrats, they were blasting Hegseth for drinking and cheating on his wife. You could see on the faces. Oh, he's got, he's got a decent point there.

[Joe Getty]

Many, many callers were somewhat tight.

[Jack Armstrong]

How dare you drink on the job. Any of you ever showed up at night to after a couple of drinks to.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

All of you often. Oh, okay.

[Joe Getty]

That's different because we're senators.

[Jack Armstrong]

On the whole cheating on your wife thing. Come on. Remember when we found out a couple of years ago that giant slush fund that exists in D.C. that is taxpayer money or yeah. Tax paramount to help was at the time Anyway pay off NDAs and things like that for. For people in government who get accused of things.

[Joe Getty]

Right. Yeah. Giant slush fund for gropings and harassments and the rest of it to keep it out of the news and. And you taxpayers, you pay for it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Isn't that lovely?

[Jack Armstrong]

Nice. Wow. So how does mailbag look today?

[Joe Getty]

Oh, it's very strong. Full of insight.

[Jack Armstrong]

Cool. We got a lot of news to catch up on. The fires continue. The wind continues. The politics of the whole thing continues. So we'll have the latest on that. Our text line is 415295KFTC.

[Katie Green]

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[Jack Armstrong]

I was just reading my favorite political newsletter from Mark Halpern and he thought Hegses performance was baffle yesterday. But in his newsletter he points out all the, the stuff that goes into these things besides just the, the lead guy, the, the prep team and the, the, the nuts and bolts and the details that he said. The Trump people really killed it with yesterday. Things I hadn't thought of. Maybe I can explain that to you a little bit later. It was news to me. It's interesting.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Yeah, indeed. And we have a number of really interesting clips from that hearing to, to sprinkle in throughout the day today commentary on it. Pete's looking pretty good. Here's your freedom loving quote of the day. You know, let me. I usually look up if I don't recognize the name of the person who said it, I look it up to make sure they weren't like, you know, the best known torture of the Pol Pot regime or something like that. Okay. This guy definitely was not. Eckhart Pfeiffer was the CEO of Compaq in the 90s when that company was growing like crazy. The computer company today is either the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning. Today we are making history. It's kind of a carpe diem, seize the day idea that, you know, whatever you want to do. Today's part of that.

[Jack Armstrong]

God. What was the one you had last week that I was going to remember the rest of my life, but I've already forgotten. It was something.

[Joe Getty]

Forget a great saying because you'll use it later. I believe that was it.

[Jack Armstrong]

It was something along those lines of, you know, it would have been great if you got your act together years ago, but how about you, since you didn't start today? It was one of those kind of things.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. I don't know. I'll bet I could find it. Yeah. And then less seriously, two more Galileo, the great scientist, he says, if I were. This is the end of our series of quotes on beginnings. Because it's January 15th. We're in the meat of the year now. Anyway, he says, if I were again beginning my studies, I would follow the advice of Plato and start with mathematics. Thought that was mildly interesting as a guy who's bad math. And finally, this Douglas Adams, who of course wrote the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move. Love, Douglas Adams. Mailbag. You can communicate with us through a variety of means. The text line or drop us an email. Mailbagarmstrongetty.com Come Matt. And Honolulu writes, maisie Hirono is an effing idiot. Oh, Matt. That's Matt. Senator, do we have a clip of the esteemed woman from Hawaii? Michael, would you carry out an order to shoot protest country in the legs?

[Mike Waltz]

I saw 50 Secret Service agents get injured by rioters trying to jump over the fence, set the church on fire and destroy that sounds to me that.

[Joe Getty]

You will comply with such an order. You will shoot protesters in the.

[Jack Armstrong]

In the leg.

[Joe Getty]

Moving on. And later she said, would you invade Greenland if the president ordered it, would you invade Greenland? It sounds like you would invade Greenland. What a moron. Anyway, Matt writes, embarrassed for my state and my fellow Hawaiians. I apologize on behalf of my state. Tucker once said she's the stupidest member of Congress. And he's right. This isn't partisan. Our other senator, Brian Schatz, the far left progressive, is very bright. I'm interested in his ideas, though I often disagree with them strenuously. Maisie is a full fledged moron. I don't know why we keep electing her. And then he says, I know you can't say this on the radio. Then says something we cannot say on the radio. Thank you, Matt.

[Jack Armstrong]

Moving along, I wonder how many people, if you, if you divorced the, the, you know, politics from it, you're, you're, you agree with their views or not. If you divorce that, if you sat down with them, you'd come around thinking, man, that person's really sharp. Or you'd come across thinking, that person's definitely not sharper than me.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

What would you guess?

[Joe Getty]

Oh, my.

[Jack Armstrong]

More of the first or more of the statistically or just in general of Congress? Yeah. You think it'd be more of the former or the latter? You think most of the time you think, wow, they are really sharp. Or you'd think, anybody could be in that job, apparently.

[Joe Getty]

I'm thinking it would be one third Impressive. Two thirds. Meh.

[Jack Armstrong]

Maybe that's what you can do.

[Joe Getty]

Wild guess. Yeah. Yeah. Of course it depends on with all due modesty, I mean if I had an IQ of 77, my number would would be different. It varies by person, obviously, but in general, yeah, I think probably 2/3 math. 1/3. Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know, one of my favorite things to remember is it's so obvious and so simple. But I was, I was dealing with customer service problems over the Christmas break. The the old saying half of people are of below average intelligence class A moral is very helpful sometimes to think about.

[Joe Getty]

Right, right. And it's also helpful to remember nobody chooses that as long as somebody is reasonably pleasant. I have a great deal of patience for those not not terribly blessed. Anyway, JT and Livermore frequent correspondent writes people on the left are trying to blame the LA fire disaster on climate change, but that only proves what idiots they are. Let me ask it this way. Which is worse? A to be skeptical about climate change as an excuse for why you don't prepare for hotter, drier fire seasons or B to be certain that climate change is real and be certain that it will result in hotter and drier fire seasons but doing nothing to prepare for said climate change related fires?

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

A point that's been made over and over again. Gavin Newsom, Karen Bass and their ilk are obsessive. They blame everything on climate change. They give out billions of dollars to their cronies in the name of green energy and climate change and yet we couldn't do anything about it. Climate change?

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, and also as I said last week, I think even with their projections, if we did the things they wanted to do, it would be tiny adjustments over decades. So that ain't gonna make any difference for like a long time. So how about we only talk about, you know, the reality of now and.

[Joe Getty]

Preparedness would be your 97% emphasis if you were serious. But they're not. It's a scam. JT also writes you guys were wondering whether the fire disaster lack of preparedness is enough to convince California voters to vote Republican going forward. No.

[Jack Armstrong]

Is the answer well or reasonable Democrat?

[Joe Getty]

Sure, yeah. Yes, good point. A lot more good emails. Maybe we'll sprinkle them in throughout the show.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I think Republican takeover is a is a fantasy, but maybe normal Democrats taking back over could happen in California. We got a lot to talk about. Hope you can stay here.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Katie]

The thing that excites me about his background is the overwhelming support I've heard from veterans groups across the board that our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marine, the veterans, especially from our generation's war, the war on terrorists are not only support him, they're excited for him, they're excited to have him there and they identify with him.

[Joe Getty]

That's Congressman Mike Walz, friend of the Armstrong and Getty show and friend of patriots everywhere.

[Jack Armstrong]

I think that's interesting. We're going to talk a little bit about the hearing yesterday for Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense. Pretty big job, this guy Pete Hegseth, who's known by people who watch Fox as a morning guy and Fox and Friends. Other people know him more as the military guy that he is and was a couple of things that Mark Halpern pointed out in his newsletter. Anti Woke is a far greater source of adhesive for any Trump project that requires center right support than the dominant media and Democrats understand slash realize. I think that's true. I think as long as you're anti woke, which Hegseth went to a lot.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

I think that really brings a lot of people into your tent.

[Joe Getty]

Right. Well, and it's no surprise to hear me say I think that's appropriate in large measure because again, the woke thing is not just a harmless we want more diversity thing. It's it's an effort to overthrow Western civilization in the name of neo Marxism. So if you're on that page, we can talk about our differences. I think we'll get along.

[Jack Armstrong]

Mark Halpern also wrote in his newsletter and he knows about this sort of stuff in a way that I don't. The squad of Sherpas and deputy Sherpas around Hegseth did a first rate job doing all the things such crews need to do to have him completely prepared for this thing. The way they handled the interviews with the various senators before the confirmation hearing for the confirmation hearing yesterday. And his point being that during the election, shortly after the election, there was a lot of question whether or not the second Trump term could draw high level talent and Halpern rights for at least now. For now, the answer is yes. Apparently you can get top talent to be involved with your various people. And then he got to this, which is something I'd never thought of. Team Trump knows how to win battles that are fought in the world of pr, politics, press and policy, technology, the media landscape, the level and nature of partisanship are all things that the Trump team knows how to handle and they get the details right. Packing the hearing with supporters who laughed at Hegsed's jokes, cheered him on and basically created the soundtrack for his Gladiatorial moments. Something the grasping and stuttering Democrat senators lacked was a brilliant move by the, by the Trump team. Yeah, I'm like, I wouldn't even have known that that was a thing to be able to get enough people in there that, you know, people laugh at your jokes and, and applaud and gasp at your brilliant comments.

[Joe Getty]

Sure. Yeah. How interesting.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Good behind the scenes there. I want to hear one more from Congressman Mike Wal 60.

[Katie]

Michael, I think Pete Hegseth is going to be a great defense Secretary. It is time for change. When you have a situation where we've had the worst recruiting crisis since Vietnam, when you have our major defense systems like the Joint Strike Fighter have a readiness rate in the 30s despite being the most expensive system ever, when we have a shipbuilding crisis, our Navy is going backwards and getting smaller, while China's is now the largest in the world. And this committee, the Armed Services Committee in the Senate has had hearing after hearing for years, if not decades, decrying all of these problems. And yet we have someone with an unconventional background who's not a defense industry executive, who's not a former general. I say good.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. And the good news and the bad news is because I'm intrigued by Pete Hegseth. He's a surprising choice and unconventional choice and I can't guarantee you he's going to do a good job. But the good news and bad news simultaneously is that the Pentagon is so enormous and so stubborn and so difficult to reform. If he turns out to be not great at it, he's not gonna be able to do much damage. And if, if he is a godsend to the Pentagon, it's gonna be herculean task to accomplish much that's, you know, like I say, the good news and the bad news.

[Jack Armstrong]

I have breaking news and Katie, I'm gonna need your input because I'm about to go perhaps misogynist in a way that I don't intend to, but I don't know, reporting this story, here's the problem, here's the problem with the Attorney General hearing that is kicked off today with Pam Bondi. She's too hot. I just don't think, I don't know why. I don't think that's okay. But she's too hot. She's too stylish. That outfit she's wearing is too stylish. She's too hot. You need a gray haired guy or a frumpy woman who looks like she spent her whole life studying. You can't have a woman that hot. Be attorney General. I just think it's okay.

[Joe Getty]

Your response, Katie.

[Katie Green]

Misogynistic meter shattered.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Yeah. Really, you probably ought to suspend yourself.

[Jack Armstrong]

Is that misogynistic?

[Joe Getty]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

It just.

[Joe Getty]

Yes. Get. Get past it, adolescent. This is sick.

[Jack Armstrong]

But if I'm a misogynist, I'd be. Wouldn't I be anti female Attorney General, which I'm not. I just for some reason don't think you should be super hot and stylish and I don't know why I. I.

[Joe Getty]

Don'T even know what to do with that. I. It's hard.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know. I guess it makes it maybe this is that this is definitely misogynistic. I find it hard to take her seriously because she's hot and stylish.

[Joe Getty]

There you go.

[Katie Green]

It just exploded.

[Joe Getty]

Okay. Right, right. Yeah. This is disgusting. I tell you what, among women well into their 50s, she is a honey. Holy cow. Anyway, well, let's talk about our legal qualification. No, we're talking about Pete Hegseth. Oh, I'm sorry. Who's a handsome bloke himself.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Then that's funny. See, that's where it's misogyny because he's as for a dude as hot as you can get. And that didn't bother me. Right. I take him seriously, Katie.

[Joe Getty]

You got to give him points for self diagnosis. Sure. Anyway. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Okay. Back to Pete Hegseth. Let's see. Where is it? Oh, there it is. Okay. Wanted to make a couple of. Of Mike Waltz just mentioned that he wasn't a former general. This is from Pete's Testimony clip number 70. This is interesting.

[Mike Waltz]

We won World War II with seven four star generals. Today we have 44 four star generals. There's an inverse relationship between the size of staffs and victory on the battlefield. We don't need more bureaucracy at the top. We need more war fighters empowered at the bottom.

[Jack Armstrong]

That scratches me. Or ih.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, absolutely. This is viewed by some as the definitive statement he made. The clip that will be played for ages 72.

[Mike Waltz]

Michael, President Trump also told me we've repeatedly placed people atop the Pentagon with supposedly the right credentials. He believes, and I humbly agree, that it's time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm.

[Joe Getty]

Like the spirit of that. And again, if it doesn't work out, it will be fine. If it does work out, we'll be much stronger for it. Let's go ahead and tip our cap to the criticism he took. The hard questioning he took from several of the congress people or I'm Sorry. Senators, including Senator Ette, some of the women senators, but were pressed for time. So to. To save that time, this is a montage of Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, some other gal whose name I don't recognize, and Tammy Duckworth all yelling at Hegseth at the same time. Clip number 66. Michael. It's true. All right, that's enough of that before everybody goes completely insane.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wanted to. This drove me crazy as I was watching CBS Evening News, and their tone on the Hexeth hearing was just so. Clearly, this is a very questionable choice. And. And man, he really was up against it today, which is not the way most fair commentators took it. And he's gonna get confirmed. So interesting that you take that tone on cbs. But here is part of the CBS Evening News report.

[CBS News]

The former army major was quickly bombarded by rapid fire. Grilled about his views of women serving in combat. The Xbox News host was also pressed about accusations of sexual assault at a Monterey, California hotel in 2017. Hegseth underwent an FBI background check, but Democrats claimed it did not include interviews with Hegseth accuser or ex wives. The Trump team is pleased with Hegseth's performance, with one adviser telling CBS News it sets the tone for the rest of their nominees.

[Jack Armstrong]

Democrats claim that the FBI background check wasn't thorough. That's what you went with CBS News, was it or wasn't it? They. They get to claim. And you just put that on as the news. You don't do that when Republicans claim crap.

[Joe Getty]

And what was it with that gal? Why was she so obviously trying to force her voice lower and speak in an inflection that no normal human being speaks in?

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm glad this story never really.

[Joe Getty]

Democrats alleged a scandal. Nobody talks like that.

[Jack Armstrong]

I mentioned this yesterday, and you wouldn't know it unless you watched MSNBC or some left wing media. But that was their narrative all day long. The phony FBI background check based on an anonymous source in the New York Times. Luckily, it didn't grab hold and it didn't seem to, like, make normal news for the most part. But what is that kind of a news story? Democrats claim? Well, they can claim whatever the hell they want. Is it real or not? If it's.

[Joe Getty]

If.

[Jack Armstrong]

If you don't have any way to substantiate that it's true, leave it out of your freaking news story.

[Joe Getty]

I know they're absolutely shameless. So one of the allegations was that, and on one or two occasions, like at evening functions, Mr. Hegseth had been drinking. Mark Wayne Mullins, brilliant response to that after a word from our friends at Prize picks Playoff time now in the football. Very exciting. Great performances and Prize Picks is the best place to win cash. While watching the playoffs I'm surprised that.

[Jack Armstrong]

That Bill's Ravens game is basically toss up. Interesting. I don't know what the more or less is on the various stats on that. Anyway, you should download the Prize Picks app. Get involved today. If you sign up Today, you get $50 instantly. When you play five bucks you don't even need to win to receive the 50 bonus. It is guaranteed.

[Joe Getty]

Lamar Jackson, one of the great players to ever don the spikes. He's just a one man offense. Anyway, moving along. So prize picks so easy. You just pick more or less on a player projection at least two players and watch the winnings roll in. Get the Prize Picks app. Use the Code armstrong. You get $50 instantly if you play a $5 lineup. That's right. You just play a $5 lineup. They give you $50 instantly into your account. You don't need to win. It's automatic. Use that Code Armstrong again, the Prize Picks app. The code is Armstrong Prize picks. Run your game. So I admired Mark Wayne Mullen. I thought he was an interesting and good dude. He was a guy who built a plumbing contractor's business in Oklahoma. He was a mixed martial art fighter. He's a father and a husband and a normal human being. And. And he's. I hope he lives to a ripe old age and is a force in the Senate for a long time. But some of the. You know, I wish we don't really have time for the whole sequence. Mark Kelly went big on. Are these instances of drunkenness? Are they true or false?

[Jack Armstrong]

True or false.

[Joe Getty]

And Hegseth went with this. These are anonymous smears. Why am I even answering these questions? Which is a good question in itself. Senator Mark Wayne Mullen got his chance. Up clip number 76, Senator Kaine, or.

[Mark Wayne Mullen]

I guess I better use the senator from Virginia. Starts bringing up the fact that what if you showed up drunk to your job? How many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night? Have any of you guys asked them to step down and resign from their job? And don't tell me you haven't seen it because I know you have. And then how many senators do you know have got a divorce before cheating on their wives? Did you ask them to step down? No. But it's for show. You guys make sure you make a big show and point out the hypocrisy. Because a man's Made a mistake and you want to sit there and say that he's not qualified. Give me a joke. It is so ridiculous that you guys hold yourself as this higher standard and you forget you got a big plank in your eye.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. To quote the Bible. And then you got Senator Blumenthal, king of stolen valor, grilling an actual combat veteran on his character. It was too much.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Why doesn't it happen more often that people point out things like. Like he just did. There you go. Tell me you guys don't show up drunk to vote sometimes. How many, how many friends years cheated on their wives? Give me a break. Is it because it's the club and you're not supposed to say that about your fellow senators?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. That's why nobody hammers Blumenthal. They figure he's already gotten outed and humiliated over it. But it would have been tough for me to take watching that yesterday without saying that.

[Jack Armstrong]

I assume if Pete Hegseth shows up drunk at the Pentagon, it will make the news and become, you know, it will be a self correcting problem.

[Joe Getty]

Well, right. And the idea that no human being has any agency or ability to change. If I am like the night clerk at an all night car wash, I might come in with a buzz on 20 years later. 20 years later when I've straightened up and I've got my own car washing company and I'm at the, the meeting with the accountants, I'm probably gonna be sober.

[Jack Armstrong]

I like somebody was grilling him on did you or did you not take your staff to a strip club when you blah blah, blah. And like really? So none of these people in government, they have ever gone to strip clubs or anything like that? What are you trying to kid? I mean that's hilarious. We've got Katie's headlines on the way and a bunch of other stuff. Stay here.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, you're gonna talk about what it costs to be at Trump's inauguration. Are the three richest, top three richest men in the world are gonna be there sitting together, which is kind of interesting. Maybe we'll talk about that now.

[Joe Getty]

Or two if I raise a million dollars. I'm calling saying I would like to sit at table four, please. And I will get a. You're joking, right? Million dollars might not get you in the door. More on that to come. Let's get the headlines now. Who's reporting what? It's lead story with Katie Green. Katie.

[Katie Green]

Starting with ktla, increasing winds bring extreme fire danger to Southern California. Wednesday.

[Jack Armstrong]

How Wendy's is Supposed to be.

[Katie Green]

Do you know they're still in the red flag warning. They've been seeing 50, 50 to 80 miles per hour.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, the gusts. Yeah. Yeah. It's still plenty dangerous.

[Katie Green]

From Katie Grimes at the Cal Globe. Will California's wildfire failures usher in a common sense political era? Got one hopes from Breitbart.com Trump did more to free hostages and reach a ceasefire agreement than Biden did all year.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, there's a couple of reasons for that, I think. I think Hamas leadership believes that Trump, Trump would let Bibi Netanyahu do what he's got to do because it's true. And they knew that Biden, Harris specifically, when Harris was running for president, every time Israel did anything, they got a scolding from the presidential candidate. You're not going to get that out of a ceasefire.

[Joe Getty]

Exactly. To whatever extent Israel's had success, made progress, it has been. In spite of Biden. Not with his help.

[Katie Green]

From the Wall Street Journal. Zuckerberg debuts quote, real mark in push to woo Trump.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I saw that. He's. He's trying to make the point. Look, this is the real me. I compete in jiu jitsu. I'm a real guy. I'm in favor of free speech. This is the real mark.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wear T shirts, I have long hair, I wear million dollar watches.

[Katie Green]

I'm a regular guy from the Washington Post. Surge in Americans getting sterilizations due to.

[Jack Armstrong]

Abortion laws for goodness, men or women or both. How do you get a sterilization?

[Joe Getty]

What do they do to you? Your tubes tied in the case?

[Jack Armstrong]

Is that what they mean?

[Joe Getty]

Vasectomy in the case of women. Okay, that's a men, right?

[Jack Armstrong]

They call that a sterilization. Oh, okay.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Strong term, but it's accurate. I saw a congresswoman, I think was saying the other day, the day Roe vs. Wade was overturned was the darkest day in American history. It's resulted in more abortions, you numb skull. What are you talking. Well, it doesn't matter. Truth and politics occasionally brush up against each other while passing, but they're not regular companions.

[Katie Green]

From radar online, Leonardo DiCaprio branded a hypocrite after escaping LA wildfires on a private jet deck, despite his climate warrior image.

[Joe Getty]

Fine, whatever. Fine.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, my God. So what is he supposed to do? He's supposed to go to Burbank Airport and get on Southwest.

[Katie Green]

He's supposed to take the bus, hope.

[Jack Armstrong]

He'S an A or B so he can get a decent seat.

[Joe Getty]

Well, they're all phonies and hypocrites.

[Katie Green]

I don't need more evidence from the New York Post. Disgruntled customer begging door Dash and Instacart to allow an option for female shoppers after male employee gets 80% of her order wrong.

[Joe Getty]

Wow, you really enjoyed that one. I did. A lot.

[Katie Green]

And finally, the Babylon Be Biden comforts fire victims by telling them about how he once ordered a steak medium but it was served to him. Well done.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh wow. I just came across this. This is a good one. Megyn Kelly blames DEI obsessed fire department leaders for sending unfit obese lesbians into wildfires.

[Joe Getty]

Megan does not have much of a filter these days.

[Jack Armstrong]

Unfit obese lesbians?

[Joe Getty]

Well wow. UOLs don't want UOLs showing up to fight your fire.

[Jack Armstrong]

More news of the day and commentary and whatever it is that we do coming up in hour two. If you miss it, get the podcast Armstrong and Getty on Demand. End.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Gettysburg.