I Will Bang This Gong Until My Banging Days Are Done

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: "I Will Bang This Gong Until My Banging Days Are Done"
Released on May 7, 2025 | Hosted by Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty

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Episode Overview

In this episode of the Armstrong & Getty On Demand podcast, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into a variety of pressing topics ranging from international conflicts and domestic policy issues to updates on the auto industry and foreign affairs. The discussion is enriched with humor, insightful commentary, and notable quotes that provide listeners with a comprehensive understanding of current events and their implications.

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1. International Tensions: India-Pakistan Conflict

The episode opens with a discussion about the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Jack Armstrong sets the stage by likening their ongoing conflict to that of "India and Pakistan next door neighbors" in a metaphorical "dimly lit room deep within the bowels of the Armstrong and Getty communications compound" (01:36).

Key Points:

• Recent Escalation: India has bombed several sites in Pakistan in retaliation to a terrorist attack, which India believes had support from the Pakistani government.
• Underlying Causes: The primary drivers of the conflict are rooted in religious differences and the quest for power, rather than sporting rivalries like cricket.
• Cultural Misunderstandings: The hosts humorously dissect the sport of cricket, highlighting its complexities and the cultural disconnect it presents to outsiders (02:30).

Notable Quote:

"What are they fighting about?" – Joe Getty (02:27)
"Oh, gosh, religion mostly. Religion and power." – Jack Armstrong (02:30)

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2. Domestic Policy Spotlight: Real ID Compliance

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to discussing the implementation and compliance of the Real ID program, a federal initiative aimed at enhancing security measures for identification.

Key Points:

• Low Compliance Rates: New Jersey tops the list with only 17% of its population complying with the Real ID requirements (17:16). In contrast, states like Texas and Wyoming boast near 100% compliance.
• Government Inefficiency: The hosts critique the federal government's handling of the Real ID rollout, highlighting bureaucratic delays and inadequate enforcement.
• Personal Anecdotes: Joe Getty shares his personal frustration with the process, emphasizing the widespread indifference and procrastination among citizens (05:50).

Notable Quotes:

"This stupid ID for 9/11. That does nothing. You're not going to let me fly. I got work to do." – Joe Getty (17:21)
"You can't have one out of five." – Jack Armstrong (17:19)

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3. News Updates with Katie Green

Katie Green returns to provide a rundown of the day's top headlines, covering a spectrum of topics from international incidents to domestic policy changes.

Selected Headlines:

• India-Pakistan Military Attack: ABC reports a significant military engagement resulting in at least 26 deaths in Pakistan following an Indian attack (12:32).
• Air Traffic Control Outage: CNN highlights a dangerous system outage at Newark Airport, marking the most perilous situation in years (12:42).
• Supreme Court Rulings: USA Today discusses the Supreme Court's decision to uphold Trump's ban on transgender military service (13:34).
• China-U.S. Trade Talks: The Wall Street Journal reports on China's agreement to engage in tariff talks with the U.S., though with intentions to play hardball (14:09).

Notable Quote:

"There must be a repeat of 9/11, 24 years later." – Jack Armstrong (05:50)

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4. The Auto Industry and US-Canada Relations

A deep dive into the complexities of the auto industry's interdependence between the U.S. and Canada reveals the intricate supply chains that define modern vehicle manufacturing.

Key Points:

• Interconnected Supply Chains: Major U.S. automakers like GM, Ford, and Stellantis operate numerous plants in Canada, resulting in parts and vehicles crossing the border multiple times during assembly (20:59).
• Tariff Challenges: The complexity of these supply chains poses significant challenges for implementing effective tariff systems, highlighting inefficiencies and economic ripple effects (21:56).
• F-35 Fighter Jet Commentary: The hosts critique the F-35 program, emphasizing its dependence on international suppliers and the overarching inefficiencies due to central planning (23:06).

Notable Quote:

"You could never do that with central planning and pull it off." – Joe Getty (24:07)

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5. Foreign Policy and Surveillance

The episode touches upon U.S. intelligence activities aimed at Greenland, reflecting broader foreign policy maneuvers.

Key Points:

• Increased Surveillance: The U.S. has ordered intelligence agencies to intensify surveillance on Greenland, citing concerns over its independence movement and resource extraction activities (25:07).
• Political Ramifications: Tulsi Gabbard criticizes media outlets like the Wall Street Journal for allegedly aiding "deep state actors," further polarizing the discourse around intelligence and national security (25:13).

Notable Quote:

"The thought counts. But traceable science and sourcing count more." – Jack Armstrong (19:17)

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6. Listener Engagement and Mailbag

Listeners contribute to the discussion through emails and messages, adding personal anecdotes and questions that the hosts address with characteristic humor and candor.

Featured Listener Mailbag:

• Survival Predictions: A listener from Wellington, Kansas, humorously urges the hosts to "stay strong" and survive until specific times on Thursday or Friday, referencing betting pools and impending doom (36:49).
• Compliance Frustrations: Another listener expresses frustration over compliance rates, mirroring the hosts' sentiments about the Real ID program's inefficacies (19:25).

Notable Quote:

"Stay strong, take it easy and whatever you do, don't die until sometime between 9:30 and 9:45, Thursday or Friday between 11:45pm and midnight." – Jack from Wellington, Kansas (36:49)

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7. Health and Lifestyle Segments

Interspersed within the episode are brief segments promoting health and wellness products, such as Better Woman supplements. These segments, while not central to the episode's main content, provide listeners with information on managing personal health concerns.

Sample Advertisement:

"I experienced improved bladder control. No more heart-stopping moments when I laugh or sneeze... Better Woman is natural, effective, clinically tested and trusted by women for over 25 years." – Talkspace User (34:37)

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8. Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts

As the episode wraps up, Armstrong and Getty reflect on the day's discussions, reiterating their frustrations with governmental inefficiencies and highlighting upcoming topics for future episodes.

Final Insights:

• Government Inefficiency: The hosts continue to criticize the Real ID program, labeling it a "ridiculous example of how screwed up government is" (35:26).
• Future Episodes: They hint at exploring additional topics, including the Diddy trial and further analyses of Real ID compliance (34:24).

Notable Quote:

"Hey, Mr. Slow and Steady wins the race, right?" – Jack Armstrong (35:48)

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Key Takeaways

• Global Instability: The India-Pakistan conflict underscores ongoing geopolitical tensions that have significant implications for regional and global stability.
• Domestic Policy Challenges: The Real ID program exemplifies the challenges of implementing federal mandates in a divided and bureaucratic system.
• Economic Interdependence: The auto industry's reliance on cross-border supply chains highlights the complexities of modern manufacturing and international trade relations.
• Surveillance and Foreign Policy: Increased U.S. intelligence activities in Greenland reflect broader strategic interests in the Arctic region.
• Listener Engagement: Personal stories and frustrations shared by listeners add depth and relatability to the hosts' discussions.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Joe Getty: "Do you really want to escalate tensions further between India and Pakistan?" (02:30)
• Jack Armstrong: "This stupid ID for 9/11. That does nothing." (05:50)
• Katie Green: "One of the two from CNN Air Traffic controller says Newark airport systems outage was the most dangerous situation in years." (12:32)
• Joe Getty: "People don't want them. People just don't want them." (30:32)
• Jack Armstrong: "Love is sent along by Joseph who lives not far from the radio ranch." (35:54)

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Conclusion

This episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand delivers a robust discussion on a variety of issues impacting both national and international spheres. Through a blend of humor, critical analysis, and listener engagement, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty offer listeners a nuanced perspective on current events, governmental policies, and economic challenges. Whether dissecting the complexities of the Real ID program or critiquing the inefficiencies of international supply chains, the hosts provide insightful commentary that encourages listeners to think critically about the world around them.

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Note: This summary excludes advertisement segments and non-content sections to focus on the core discussions and analyses presented by the hosts.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast.

[Joe Getty]

This podcast is supported by Talkspace.

[Talkspace User]

When my husband came home from his military deployment, readjusting was hard for all of us. Thankfully, I found Talkspace.

[Joe Getty]

Talkspace provides professional support from licensed therapists and psychiatric providers online. Military members, veterans and their dependents ages 13 and older can get fast access to providers, all from the privacy of their computers or smartphones.

[Talkspace User]

I just answered a few questions online and Talkspace matched me with a therapist. We meet when it's convenient for me and I can message her anytime. It was so easy to set up and they accept Tricare. Therapy was going so well, my husband and I started seeing a couple's therapist through Talkspace too.

[Joe Getty]

Talkspace works with most major insurers, including Tricare. Match with a licensed therapist [e-mail] military go to talkspace.com military to get started today. That's talkspace.com military.

[Jack Armstrong]

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. Armstrong and get ready.

[Joe Getty]

Live from Studio C. Si senora. A dimly lit room deep within the bowels of the Armstrong and Getty communications compound. We've made it to Wednesday, thank God, and today we're under the tutelage of our general manager.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a sitcom classic, Jack. Those wacky next door neighbors, India and Pakistan.

[Joe Getty]

That's our general manager.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's right. And why India and Pakistan? Well, their never ending simmering conflict has grown a good deal hotter in the last couple of weeks. And indeed, India bombed a bunch of sites in Pakistan in response to a terrorist attack that the Indians believe with good reason was. At least. At least there was sympathy in the Pakistani government to the terrorists who perpetrated the attack.

[Joe Getty]

What are they fighting about?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, gosh, religion mostly. Religion and power.

[Joe Getty]

It's not a cricket thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, not in this case.

[Joe Getty]

I know they get there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, I. There's some 14 year old cricket phenom who's just set the world of cricket on fire.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, really?

[Jack Armstrong]

Indian fella. He had 30 battings in his last inning and in a quarter of the tea time.

[Joe Getty]

There are enough Indian people in the town I live in that every Saturday afternoon they have an all day cricket match at the park and they wear all the white and everything and there's a crowd and everything. And I've watched that for a long time trying to figure out even the slightest what they're doing, but I can't grasp it.

[Jack Armstrong]

I get to the guy hurling the ball doesn't want the guy with the whacker to whack it. And the whacking guy wants to whack it.

[Joe Getty]

But once he whacks it, I don't know what happens then.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, right, but see, he's whacking it. Cause the guy hurling it is trying to knock down his sticks. And evidently the guy with the whacker is really fond of those sticks and really resents it when the hurler whacks his sticks and so he's trying to protect his sticks. And when he does whack the ball away from the hurler, he runs back and forth like he's completely confused. And I think that scores points.

[Joe Getty]

And we all work in a kitchen at a fancy restaurant right afterwards. So that's why we're dressed this way.

[Jack Armstrong]

Exactly. And it's very hot. Yes. So we're in all white, I'm told, actually. And this will be my final thought on cricket having, you know, should have stopped probably one thought earlier is I had not realized there is a new souped up 21st century version of cricket that super compresses the all day affair where you break for tea and lunch and crumpets and what have you into much a much more conventional professional sports, you know, framework. And that's gotten very, very popular, I'm told.

[Joe Getty]

I would fly to Cashmere and try to broker a peace between India and Pakistan. But I can no longer fly for the first time in my life because I do not have a real id. Turns out though, I've got all the stats in front of me. I'm not alone in the people across America who've decided I'll get around to it when I get around to it or something. So that's kind of funny. Got a bunch of information on that for you. That's, that's the problem with phony deadlines. It's like if people catch on to that meeting that starts at 7, actually kind of starts when everybody gets there, well then people trickle in at 7:30.

[Jack Armstrong]

Doomed, doomed. I've known a couple of leaders in my life who ding that second hand hits that time that's appointed they start. And that takes about once right before everybody gets the idea right. And it's, it's a service to everyone, but it's not popular.

[Joe Getty]

So like the first 6 times you delayed the real ID thing in my life, people like me, you just sent the message, you're not serious, you don't mean it. And then I saw one report today on News Nation, they were at one of your east coast news, airports. And they said, we don't have the details, but they have a special line for people that don't have the real id, but you will get extra scrutiny, but you will probably fly. And they're not telling us the story, so it makes it sound to me like they're saying you have to have the real id, but if you get there without one, they'll still let you fly. Okay, now you've just sent the message to the me of the world that, okay, so I don't even really have to do it anyway.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, so if your name is Osama bin Hitler and you went through the gymnastics of getting the real id, which were so minor and insignificant I don't even remember doing it, there's not a lot to it, then, by God, you can fly. But if you didn't, we can't have a repeat of 9, 11, 24 years later. So you will sit in this line and we will give you extra scrutiny.

[Joe Getty]

But your steel still fly.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, eventually. After being cussed out by an hourly employee wearing a blue uniform. Right. Belittled by somebody who. And it's honest work. And there are very fine folks who are in the tsa. I don't fault them for this, but I'm not sure you need to be lecturing me.

[Joe Getty]

Right. Yeah. I've been thinking about this a lot. This lesson about how to live your life that I've learned from the tsa. Remind me to talk about that, Michael. What I've learned from the tsa. Okay, I've talked about this before, but I've really nailed it down in my head since then.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, wisdom can come from anywhere. Clearly, I'm fascinated by this.

[Joe Getty]

The other thing that I can't do now that I don't have a real ID is I can't go into a federal building. And now I was planning to visit the Department of Interior because I had a few things I wanted to tell them, but I can't get in there anymore. I no longer can go into a federal building without a real id.

[Jack Armstrong]

You'll just have to pick at them. March back and forth outside with your placards decrying the treatment of buffalo or mountains or something.

[Joe Getty]

Really changed whatever they do there. It's really changed my summer plan. So I got to look into that. We should start the show officially before we get into more of the news today. I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

I think these are my cough button there. A button.

[Joe Getty]

These are my final days buttons. These are My last days. It is Wednesday, May 7, the year 2025. We are Armstrong and. Get in. We approve of this program.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, let's begin then, officially, according to FCC rules and regulations. Here we go. We will. I mean, this is going to be so good. And it starts at mark. Americans have been scrambling to motor vehicle departments to get the ID that meets extra security standards. Facing long lines and frustration before the federal deadline goes into effect Wednesday morning.

[Joe Getty]

All right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Because of the Vietnam War. I mean, Watergate. I mean. Oh, that's right. 9 11. Not to minimize the horror of that day for many folks, but come on.

[Joe Getty]

I actually read a pretty good breakdown of all the delays and how this all occurred in New York Times or something last night while I was laying in bed coughing. It's really pretty interesting and really, you know, just points out the way things work in the world of government. I mean, you know, take that, that we've been working on for 20 years and really something pretty minor and, and turn that into. You're going to redo the entire air traffic control system that you've been putting off for decades. How long will that take? I'll be long. Well, I'll be dead by this weekend. But like other people who are younger, you'll be long dead before they actually rehab this system. I mean, based on the way the real. The real ID doesn't even require anything.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, right. And I wish I were more adept at describing the two different approaches, but I probably don't need to very accurately because people know what I'm talking about when I say there is an incrementalist. The bureaucracy is our priority approach to government and government reform. You know, call it the swamp if you want the permanent bureaucracy, whatever the turf protecting and budget protecting class in D.C. and then there are the District Disruptors. Be the doji types from the World Attack or Donald J. For all of his sins, he doesn't mind disrupting things. And to the extent that we let the disruptors do their thing, I think we win. And to the extent that we go with the same old incrementalist bureau bureaucracy first types, you get a result like this. I can't wait to hear you describing the steps, the history of it, because it's unintentionally hilarious.

[Joe Getty]

So Katie's back. We got her headlines. What's that radio show you're listening to? Armstrong and Getty. Oh, is that the one with the guy with the death rattle? Yeah, I love that show because there aren't that many radio shows where the guy has a Death rattle like I do. You know, you don't get that every day. So we've got Katie's headlines on the way and more news of the day. I hope you can stay here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

This podcast is supported by Talkspace.

[Talkspace User]

When my husband came home from his military deployment, readjusting was hard for all of us. Thankfully, I found Talkspace.

[Joe Getty]

Talkspace provides professional support from licensed therapists and psychiatric providers online. Military members, veterans and their dependents ages 13 and older can get fast access to providers, all from the privacy of their computers or smartphones.

[Talkspace User]

I just answered a few questions online and Talkspace matched me with a therapist. We meet when it's convenient for me and I can message her anytime. It was so easy to set up and they accept Tricare. Therapy was going so well, my husband and I started seeing a couples therapist through Talkspace too.

[Joe Getty]

Talkspace works with most major insurers, including Tricare. Match with a licensed therapist [e-mail] military go to talkspace.com military to get started today. That's talkspace.com military one thing about being.

Under the weather, it makes me feel more comfortable watching NBA action. And man, there were some great NBA games last night. Holy cow, it's been fantastic. Playoffs, super.

[Jack Armstrong]

We've got a lot of great news to come. Discussions ranging from the very, very practical to the philosophical and high minded.

[Joe Getty]

The Bidens are over. The Bidens are on the View today. Joe and Jill are on the View today.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh my. Well, we got to get plenty audio from that. He did an interview with the BBC the other day and I read some of the transcript of it and it was, it was incoherent, both syntactically meaning his choice of words and how he strung ideas together and the ideas themselves.

[Joe Getty]

But she was still, she must still be running that train. There must be evil, man.

[Jack Armstrong]

There must not be evil and nuts.

[Joe Getty]

Because anybody who had any sense would say, no, no more interviews. You're done with interviews for the rest of your life. It'll only make your life worse and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Further tarnish your legacy, such as it is. Yeah. Anyway, much to come. But first let's figure out who's reporting what. It's the lead story with Katie Green. Katie, great to have you back. What's happening?

[Katie Green]

Thank you. Starting with ABC. Military says at least 26 dead in Pakistan in overnight India attack.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, this is either one of the many skirmishes they've had since 1947 or whatever, or, you know, it's a nuclear holocaust.

[Katie Green]

One of the two from CNN Air Traffic controller says Newark airport systems outage was the most dangerous situation in years.

[Jack Armstrong]

I have no doubt. I want to talk more about this as we did somewhat yesterday and as we have a little bit. The nature of those who seek to actually fix problems versus bureaucrats who pretend.

[Joe Getty]

To seek that well to our benefit. Maybe the fact that it happened in the backyard of the major media. They're paying way more attention to it than if the same thing it had happened at lax.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Katie Green]

From the Wall Street Journal. Supreme Court lets Trump's ban on transgender military service take effect.

[Joe Getty]

The illegitimate Trump court plays.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it's going to wind its way through the lower courts, but between now and then, they say, all right, you want to keep the, the. I don't know if I'm a he or she's out of the military for a little while. Go ahead.

[Katie Green]

Interesting you guys touched on this, but there was. This was just sprawled across the top of USA Today. Real ID requirement officially takes effect.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I will get into the. How many, how many people have actually done this? In some states, the compliance is so incredibly low. It's amazing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Katie Green]

From the New York Times. China agreed to US Tariff talks, but is likely to play hardball.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sure they are. As are we. It's. We have got huge, you know, practically intractable problems between us. It's going to be a hell of a slog in the best circumstance.

[Joe Getty]

Secretary Besant said today we just want fair trade, not to decouple, which is a pretty big statement.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh.

[Joe Getty]

Since I think we're heading toward decoupling from the.

[Jack Armstrong]

Strategic. Decoupling, perhaps, but not dolls and pencils.

[Joe Getty]

Right. How many pencils?

[Katie Green]

From the Washington Post. Another Navy jet falls into the sea, marking fourth major mishap in months.

[Joe Getty]

I didn't know that. Where did that happen?

[Katie Green]

A Navy fighter jet failed to land on an aircraft carrier and it went into the Red Sea yesterday.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay. Well, that's a little different than just tumbling off, you know, at rest.

[Joe Getty]

Still ain't good, though.

[Jack Armstrong]

Just like the captain of the boat. Get insurance money if the, the plane falls off or what's going on.

[Katie Green]

From NBC. St. Peter's Square fills with excitement ahead of the conclave.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right. You know, whatever floats your boat. Jack's into the NBA playoffs. I'm not. Some people are into the conclave. It's fine. The Pope playoffs, if you will.

[Joe Getty]

Oh.

[Jack Armstrong]

Later on, I want to get into the Vatican's financial woes, which are extreme. And I mean, they make like the, the federal budget deficit look. Okay.

[Joe Getty]

Really odd time to sell Peter's bones.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, he's renting them out. Oh, please don't strike me down for that joke, Jack. It was Jack's fault. God. He. Jack led me into sin.

[Katie Green]

From the New York Post. Pet raccoon with meth pipe in his mouth found in driver's seat during traffic stop that led to drug bust.

[Joe Getty]

Well, that's quite a headline there. So a driving messed up raccoon.

[Jack Armstrong]

Turn your back on a messed up raccoon, man, of course it was Ohio. Damn Ohio.

[Joe Getty]

Ohio's a meme among kids for some reason. It's like the state you make fun of. My kids are always, yeah, Ohio. I don't know where it came from, but. But here you got a messed up driving raccoon. So there you go.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's not gonna help.

[Joe Getty]

No.

[Katie Green]

And finally, from the Babylon Bee, Bill Belichick's girlfriend leaves him for Lou Holtz.

[Joe Getty]

What an older coach. Older coach, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow, wow, wow. So Florida man's gotta be wiping his brow, thinking, whoo, little focus on Ohio for a couple of minutes. This is good.

[Joe Getty]

So here you go. Here's some of your compliance rates. New Jersey, we'll start with the lowest. New Jersey has the lowest compliance rate as of today on the real ID at 17%. 17% of people got the real idea on time.

[Jack Armstrong]

In New Jersey, you can't get one out of five.

[Joe Getty]

So you obviously.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is. That is a state, by the way, in which many, many folks saw the planes hit the World Trade center across the river or lost people at Canter Fitzgerald or what have you. Since this is arguably a post 911 thingamajigger, you can't get one in five.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it's. And obviously the enforcing it, you can't. I mean, because how many people who live in New Jersey fly for work? Tens of thousands.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sure.

[Joe Getty]

And so you're not just gonna say, no, you can't work. You didn't get it on time. What? This stupid ID for 9 11. That does nothing. You're not going to let me fly. I got work to do. I mean, it's just ridiculous that you would. You could enforce that. You just couldn't. Um, there are other states doing better, but let's. So let's go to the next rung up.

[Jack Armstrong]

Who else is in the. The bottom quintile?

[Joe Getty]

0 to 20%. That's New Jersey. 20 to 40%. So it's kind of interesting. It looks to me, at first glance, most of your blue states have low compliance. Most of your red states have high compliance. They're at damn near 100% in Nebraska, Wyoming, Georgia, like Kansas, New Mexico, Texas. States like that are very high in compliance. You get to California, it drops way down. Oregon, Washington, places like that, it drops way down. I don't know if that are Illinois. I don't know if there's any, you know, rhyme or reason to that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I could hazard guesses that would tend to back up my worldview, but I am curious to know why that might be.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, but I, I don't know if it makes me feel better. It's kind of feeling like I was one of the like least responsible adults in America. But me and the other 7 83% of New Jerseyans are in the same boat.

[Jack Armstrong]

You ought to consider a move to the Garden State. Hoboken's beautiful this time of year.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. So I don't know what those of us without a real ID will do. I guess we're gonna get the body cavity search if we want to get on a plane.

[Jack Armstrong]

Good. So for all the big stories of the day coming up in a moment or two. So much to talk about.

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[Joe Getty]

That's something we learned from this whole tariff thing. Who knew? I mean, it's hard for me to imagine that that is efficient. Obviously it is or they wouldn't be doing it. But it's just. It's amazing that the most efficient way to do it is to have, you know, chunks of or the whole car pass back and forth nine times across the border.

[Jack Armstrong]

I read an account, the life story of a particular component of transmissions that was like the classic eye pencil, in a way. If you've never read that, I'd recommend it highly. Just Google it. You'll find it. But they were talking about how, you know, this little widget is then fitted into that wadget, it crosses the border and then the motherboard is over there. So you just ship it back and forth across the board to get the motherboard put on, blah, blah, blah. And it does indeed cross the border half a dozen times or so, that particular part of a car.

[Joe Getty]

The point of that story being, how do you work out a tariff system with that going on that makes any sense?

[Jack Armstrong]

You can straighten out trade deals that no longer make any sense in the 21st century, but no, you cannot have a functioning 21st century economy with that sort of tariff, especially with your most important trading partners. It's clearly fantasy that you could ever make that work.

[Joe Getty]

We got to play more of those clips of Trump with the Canadian Prime Minister. That was something. When he was sitting there, he said, you look at the line on the map. It's a straight line. Somebody drew it with a ruler. I mean, you just like, I'm a builder, I'm an artist. It's just so beautiful, the whole thing together. It just would look so much better.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. And Carney, the new Canadian PM man, he is the master of the poker face and diplomacy. Because I.

[Joe Getty]

It was.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'd heard some of the audio yesterday during the show, and they had one impression. Then I saw the videos and longer versions of the conversation. Oh, it's uncomfortable to watch. But anyway, more on that to come. Speaking of the auto parts and crossing the border and that sort of thing, I came across this the other day and found it really interesting. The F35 is our most advanced fighter jet. It is known as the most expensive weapon in the history of the world. It's worth I don't know how many.

[Joe Getty]

Billions of dollars each that, unfortunately, China has replicated almost perfectly. By stealing all our technology, they're among.

[Jack Armstrong]

The most capable thieves ever. Oh. With the cost of more than $2 trillion over the program's life cycle, the F35 has already been dubbed the world's most expensive weapon. But the part that I wanted to bring up is to make one. It is reliant for more than 80 parts on a little known company based in a quiet Danish suburb. This company happens to be the supplier of certain widgets that the plane needs. In fact, 80 different ones. But overall, the jet fighter made by Lockheed Martin, good American company, Made in America, has more than 1900 suppliers of parts from more than a dozen countries that provide everything from tiny chipboards to.

[Joe Getty]

The ejector seat, man, that is the free market. You could never do that with central planning and pull it off.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, no, no. The most. Well, the central planning part of it has caused it to be wildly over budget and delayed and the rest of it, honestly. But the most American of American weapons, that when they roar overhead, you think, that's the sound of freedom, man. They're assembled from parts from dozens of different countries that cross many borders. Many times, yeah. Anyway, it's just posturing.

[Joe Getty]

That's the sound of some Houthi rebel losing his head. That's what I hear.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, in most of the rest of the world, you hear that sound, you're about to have a very long day. Moving along, there are some headlines worth considering today. The first one was the first thing I saw this morning when I woke up an hour and 45 minutes before my alarm with my brain switched on, unable to turn it off. Want to talk later on about what I was thinking about? Not now, not now. Here's your headline. US orders intelligence agencies to step up spying on Greenland.

[Joe Getty]

Ah.

[Jack Armstrong]

The effort underscores the seriousness of Trump's intent to acquire the island from Denmark.

[Joe Getty]

So we're Gonna spy on 55,000 rock scrubbers. What are we gonna learn?

[Jack Armstrong]

They're fine folk. Rock scrubbers? Is that some sort of new racist term that you've read on the Internet, young man? I'll not have it.

[Joe Getty]

So, apparently I'm woke, right? Or something.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or something. Several high ranking officials under the DNI Tulsi Gabbard issued a collection emphasis message to intelligence agency heads last week. That's kind of the official term that, you know, the agencies that have surveillance satellites, communication intercepts, spies on the ground, that's telling them, look, this is a priority. You need to be aware of this and get ready to do some stuff. But they were directed to learn more about Greenland's independence movement and attitudes on American resource extraction on the island. Now, interestingly, James Hewitt, National Security Council spokesman, said the White House doesn't comment on intelligence matters, but added, quote, the President's been very clear that the US is concerned about the security of Greenland and the Arctic, which is a very good and positive and productive way to to put it, because we are quite appropriately how we or what we do to enhance the security of Greenland in the Arctic and thereby the United States is, you know, it's worth discussing. But then Tulsi herself said, quote, the Wall Street Journal should be they broke the story. The Wall Street Journal should be ashamed of aiding deep state actors who seek to undermine the president by politicizing and leaking classified information. They are breaking the law and undermining our nation's security and democracy. To which I'm sure the Wall Street Journal said your people leaked to us. Dude, stop yelling at us. Danish embassy declined to comment, but are rolling their eyes violently, I'm sure. Total change of topic. Love this story, man. I will bang this gong until I am my banging days are done. The headline also from the Wall Street Journal, the high school juniors with $70,000 a year job offers. Companies with shortages of skilled workers are looking to shop class to recruit future hires. One kid quoted like, I'm an athlete getting all this attention from all these pro teams. Isn't that something?

[Joe Getty]

What kind of job? Doing what?

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, this kid they Elijah, he won't graduate from high school until next year, but he's got a job offer for just under 70 grand a year. He's 17 years old. He's taking welding classes at a Catholic high school in Philadelphia that works closely with companies looking for workers in the skilled trades. They're recruiting them straight out of high school.

[Joe Getty]

That's so much better a path than some nonsense degree taking on $200,000 in debt, delaying four years of entering the workplace for a job that isn't going to be as good at paying as that one or as secure.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. One of the most successful people I know was a mechanic who rose to the head of the mechanics who rose to I understand how this technical thing works. I'll bet I could open a business doing it. And he did. And he knows nothing of soc degrees and women's studies and the rest of it. It's also a hell of a nice guy. But yeah, I, I'm so happy with this. I'm gonna send this to my kids, honestly. Anyway, so. And, and he's just one example of a number of employers in plumbing, electrical work, welding and other fields that are teaming up with high schools, helping kids earn work full time, earning money as well as academic credit. And the employers say that the skilled trades are becoming more tech infused and they anticipate doing even more recruitment at an early age because they need workers who are comfortable programming and running computer diagnostics. And doing some of the more traditional stuff. Anyway, I thought that was a cool story. Good for that plucky young man. Another complete change of topic. EV sales streak grinds to a sudden halt. Demand shrunk. Yes.

[Joe Getty]

Let me guess, yanking the subsidies.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Among other things. And I have more information on this. I'm weighing how much time we got to spend on it right now. The politics has changed completely in the EV thing. We mentioned yesterday that the California wild eyed we're gonna have nothing but EVs by the year 2034 program that Biden's EPA said. Yeah, yeah, good idea. And a bunch of other states adopted now was overwhelmingly kicked out by the House of representatives, including 23 or something. It was a couple of dozen Democratic votes. And so that whole thing is over. And sales of EVs in the US fell by about 5% last month. That is the first decline. Oh, I'm sorry. Monthly EV sales in the US have only declined three times in individual months since 2021. They have grown every single month except for three in the last four years and they dropped significantly last month.

[Joe Getty]

People don't want them. People just don't want them.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, some people want them, not very many. No, no. And people who want them should feel free to get them. They're very cheap right now you can buy a used Tesla Model S a couple of dozen thousand miles for in the twenties and thirty grand. I mean they're practically new. Declines were across most brands from Kia to Hyundai to Ford. Tesla which accounted for nearly half of EV sales in the us. Funny, the Biden administration never mentioned.

[Joe Getty]

The whole thing is so screwed up. So Tesla has been the only dent ever made even a little bit in electric cars. And it got ignored by the White House all those years because they're not part of the United Auto Workers thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

They weren't getting money from or given money through their union goons to the White House. That's right. Anyway, Tesla reported that sales dropped nearly 13%. Sales of Rivian's two main models declined by half.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah, I don't know. That's a tough one.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a lot like solar. There's a big controversy going on in Cal Unicornia right now with solar because it used to be heavily subsidized and then so many people did it. It interfered with the mobbed up utilities and their profits and the grid and the rest of it. And so now the same people who, who like threaten you at gunpoint to get solar in California are now telling you, yeah, you're you're thieving from PO people and you're like, what? And so they're imposing surcharges and taking away all the incentives and stuff like that. It was all government bribes, right?

[Joe Getty]

Well, I, I drove £7,000 of Nazi steel to work today. But most people who bought Teslas and stuff like that did it because you got these giant rebates. You know, you got 70 if you're under a certain income or whatever, you got $7,500 knocked off. And then you got all this electric brakes and all these different things. And when those go away, people aren't near as interested. And then when you know the whole Hitler salute from Elon and everything. So then that took the. Blew them off the rose of that part of it. And so that crowd doesn't want the cars.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, Right. And finally. Well, we've got a lot of like foreign policy stories I want to get to, but I wanted to touch on this at least briefly. How bad is China's economy? The data needed to answer that question is vanishing. Beijing has stopped publishing hundreds of statistics making it harder to know what's going on in the country. And one need not have a PhD in Comparative Politics from Harvard to know what's going on there, Right. They're not publishing any other statistics anymore. Gee, I wonder why.

[Joe Getty]

And they've always lied anyway. I remember hearing a think tank people take, you either have to have or double whatever they claim. I mean, if it's something they claim is good take, cut it in half. If it's something bad, you need to double it. That's how much they lie about them anyway. So now they're not even putting the stats out at all.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

They must be in trouble.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm sorry, I've just got to scratch where I'm itching. And for years and years and years I would read like China sicko fans like Thomas Friedman commenting on their consistent 5 to 8% growth when everybody knew those figures were a lie.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway, who worships authoritarianism?

[Jack Armstrong]

Who does? Yeah. Land sales, foreign investment, unemployment indicators have gone dark in recent years. Data on cremations, Business Confidence Index, all of it has gone dark. And in most cases, Chinese authorities have not given any reason for ending or withholding the data. Duh. I wonder why.

[Joe Getty]

So we got stuff on the Diddy trial, we got stuff on the real id, which is out today. Joe's got Mailbag coming up all on the way. Stay here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

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[Joe Getty]

We keep joking about now we've got the real ID. So 911 can't happen quarter century ago. It actually goes further than back than that. The start of this was the Oklahoma City bombing. That's why we started the Real ID program. That's 30 years ago. More on that in hour two. It's a ridiculous example of how screwed up government is.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hey Mr. Slow and Steady wins the race, right?

[Joe Getty]

30 years.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh God help us. Here's your freedom loving quote of the day. Love is sent along by Joseph who lives not far from the radio ranch. It's actually a a verse from the Bible from Thessalonians 2nd Thessalonians, Chapter 3 if you must know, verse 11 and 12. We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy, they are busy bodies. Such people. We command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. The Bible wouldn't mind hearing the King James version of that. That's obviously a modern translation, but yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Which I will not listen to.

[Jack Armstrong]

We command and urge in the name of the Lord to settle down and earn the foods you eat.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, the, the, the sit around and talk about other people has always been a human nature thing, huh?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah it has indeed. More on that to come. Mailbag Drop us note, won't you [e-mail] here's note from Jack in beautiful Wellington, Kansas talking to Jack here at the Radio ranch. Jack, please stay strong, take it easy and whatever you do, don't die until sometime between 9:30 and 9:45, Thursday or Friday between 11:45pm and midnight. Those are the squares I got stuck within the betting pool.

[Joe Getty]

The number of people applying for the job from with me, you know, impending death. And then of course white smoke will Come out when you've chosen a co host. After I die.

[Jack Armstrong]

Exactly. Yeah. And there's a lot of bribery going on. Not enough though. Keep those checks coming. We'll love this from loyal listener Robert. All right. What in the hell am I supposed to do with a warehouse full of these? And it's he used AI obviously to create an image of a doll made out of pencils. So counting on each household buying a couple dozen. At least I still have my job at the Department of Education. Gotta go. Call coming in from my boss.

[Joe Getty]

That is unfortunate timing that pencil dolls were gonna be so hot this year.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's funny. Now a feature that will continue on if I remember to do it. I'd like to call Five Days of Cliff Cliff has written us a fairly long multi part email. I am going to take on one part per day because all of it at once is way too much.

[Joe Getty]

Five Days of Cliff.

[Jack Armstrong]

Five Days of. Actually it's four now that I look at my highlighting. Four Days of Cliff Jack talked about an article you guys discussed on having the perfect day several days ago. Nowhere on the list was bacon, so it had to be a deep fake article. No one, except possibly someone without taste buds, would exclude bacon from the list of the requirements for a perfect day. Sometime with close family members and friends would be okay too, but not over six hours and not without bacon. That's day one of Cliff.

[Joe Getty]

Fantastic.

[Jack Armstrong]

Frequent correspondent Paolo says. Sorry, I don't recall the specifics, but you're talking about how people in charge of things often have no special expertise had to do Trump and Doge. I think some people who are successful and get things done are not necessarily the world's foremost authorities in what they're doing. They're no doubt knowledgeable, but the most important quality is that they are committed, confident and forceful and they are not afraid to fail. I think that's true of Trump. Those of us those qualities to promote something that turns out to be good or lauded, even perhaps more than is warranted. Blah blah. Anyway, it's the survival of the fittest in the world of ideas, he says. I thought that was interesting. More email to come. We're out of time.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, the real ID stuff. Couple of new wars to get excited about. Bunch of stuff on the way, so hope you can stay.

[Jack Armstrong]

Stay here.

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