If Kenny G Had Balls!

Summary

---

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "If Kenny G Had Balls!"

Date: October 8, 2025

Podcast by iHeartPodcasts

---

Episode Overview

This episode tackles a wide array of cultural and political topics, focusing primarily on a viral street interview at a pro-Palestinian protest and its disturbing antisemitic content, the media's selective outrage, and government hypocrisy. Armstrong & Getty, with their signature sardonic style, pull apart the rise of "Red-Green Alliance" activism, examine uncritical media coverage, poke fun at cultural phenomena (from clown school to fake résumés), and highlight the ironies of modern outrage culture.

---

Key Discussion Points

1. Viral Street Interview: Trans Activism, Pro-Hamas Protest, and Open Antisemitism

• Segment Start: 00:28
• The hosts introduce a viral man-on-the-street interview by Nate Friedman at a massive pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel demonstration in NYC.
• The person interviewed claims to be a trans woman with overt pro-Hamas, anti-Jewish, and bizarrely ahistorical views about Islam and LGBTQ rights.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Is he crazy? Is he stupid? Is he ignorant?… Or is he a mixture of all three?”
  — Joe Getty [00:28]
• “Islam is a trans idea, is a trans religion. Mohammed herself was a proud trans lesbian.”
  — Nate Friedman (interviewee), [03:23]
• “I mean, I think they're secretly Jews if they do that, because no Muslim would actually do that. Like, Islam is a gay religion.”
  — Nate Friedman, [03:38]
• “Put pressure on the Jews who control the world to make this happen. Like, they own everything.”
  — Nate Friedman, [05:11]
• The interview takes a darker turn as the interviewee openly advocates antisemitism, referencing witch tests and advocating violence.
  • “We should kill all the Jews though?” “I think so.”
    — Interviewer and Nate Friedman, [08:07–08:09]
  • The person proposes repurposing fast food ovens for mass murder, referencing Hitler:
    “Now that we have all these fast food chains with their own ovens, like Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, we could repurpose fast food chain ovens to be the new ovens to do this and it would go so much faster.”
    — Nate Friedman, [10:28]
• Hosts express outrage—not just at the comments, but at the broader crowd's lack of objection and the media's indifference.
  • “Joe Biden claims he ran for president because people were saying less than that at Charlottesville… this guy just said, we should kill all the Jews. And everybody just ignores it.”
    — Joe Getty, [08:42]

Perspective on Protester Dynamics

• The show discusses the phenomenon of LGBTQ+ support for deeply anti-LGBTQ+ regimes ("Trans for Palestine") as a contradiction and anomaly.
  • “That's like a combination, an anomaly, non sequitur contradiction… there’s not a more anti-LGBTQ group in the world than your Islamic fundamentalists.”
    — Joe Getty, [04:05]
• Connection to atrocities on October 7th and the lack of critical engagement from fellow demonstrators.

---

2. The "Red-Green Alliance" and Lessons from Iran

• Segment Start: 07:12
• Hosts reference Eli Lake’s reporting and an Iranian immigrant’s warning that leftist/Islamist alliances repeat the mistakes seen in pre-revolution Iran.
  • The alliance between the college progressive crowd and Islamists is likened to the “Red-Green Alliance.”
  • “I see that happening here. That is exactly what it is.”
    — Joe Getty relaying Iranian immigrant's perspective, [07:38]

---

3. Hypocrisy and Media Double Standards

• Segment Start: 11:15
• The lack of media coverage for open antisemitism at left-leaning protests is starkly contrasted to the wall-to-wall reporting of far-right extremism.
  • “If you got, you know, a preacher somewhere, say one thing, or a military dude or whoever, giant national story representing millions of MAGA people's thoughts.”
    — Joe Getty, [11:15]
• The hosts suggest that radical left views, if they were on the right, would trigger a media firestorm.
  • “The big danger in America's white supremacy.” — Michael, [11:41]

---

4. Brief foray into Business, Science, and Popular News

• Segment Start: 13:33
• Costco to sell Ozempic/Wegovy; confusion about pill forms and pharmacy distribution.
• Discussion about Nobel prize in quantum physics and its indirect role in today’s AI-driven economy.
• Warnings about potential AI bubble and economic uncertainty.
  • “Gold at $4,000 (per troy ounce)… if I had dang gold fillings I’d be prying them out.”
    — Joe Getty, [15:47]

---

5. Government and Credentials: Media Beclowning Itself

• Segment Start: 17:12 (Teased), main discussion [33:55]
• Discussion of media incompetence/credulity: the story of the Des Moines superintendent who lied about credentials.
  • “He claimed he had a PhD but didn’t.”
    — Joe Getty, [17:17]
  • The New York Times is mocked for calling degree fraud “a misstatement on your resume” and hiring regardless.
    • “He just completely lied about his degrees... How New York Times is that?”
      — Michael, [36:53]
• Steven Pinker’s critique of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) playing to a reluctant audience and host agreement.
  • “Diversity, equity, inclusion is... an intellectual monoculture. It favors certain groups over others…”
    — Steven Pinker, [37:33]

---

6. Theatrical Moments & Pop Culture Sidebars

• Segment: Fun & Light-Hearted Intermissions throughout
• Amusing tales:
  • Ex-boyfriend attended clown school:
    “He could juggle like nobody’s business.”
    — Katie, [31:11]
  • Discussion of a musical juggling act:
    “Kenny G, if he had balls, man!”
    — Michael, [32:44]
  • Circus nostalgia, Ringling Brothers’ Wisconsin roots.
• Threaded through, the show’s distinctive mix of irreverence and pointed cultural critique.

---

7. Congressional Hearings, Political Grandstanding, and “Lawfare”

• Segment Start: 19:24; resumes 20:08
• Recap of recent Senate hearings featuring Pam Bondi, Ted Cruz, John Kennedy, and Dick Blumenthal.
  • Discussion centers not on policy outcomes, but on political posturing and theater.
  • “None of these hearings matter. Freaking at all. They're barely a story. The day they happen they disappear into the ether and then that's it.”
    — Joe Getty, [20:08]
  • Review of Blumenthal’s repeatedly debunked Vietnam service claims.
    • “He claimed he served in Vietnam. He did not.”
      — News Reporter, [21:39]
    • “But he’s a US Senator, still gives lectures…”
      — (Hosts riffing) [22:27+]
• Broader point: American institutions and media now just accept low standards and move on.

---

8. Weaponization of the Justice Department

• Segment Start: 24:34
• The hosts assert the political weaponization of justice isn’t new, but has become more blatant and media-partisan.
  • “It’s just a common thing. It doesn’t mean it’s good… it’s just getting more and more common over the years. It is not a new phenomenon.”
    — Joe Getty, [25:05]
• They lament the lack of substantive debate or principled leadership—anger and hyperbole drive online activism and small-dollar political donations now.
  • “If you say Donald Trump is Hitler and he needs to be in jail, that's somebody he'll pour in.”
    — Michael, [27:14]

---

9. Media Coverage, Government Shutdowns, Airline Delays

• Segment Start: 27:34
• Armstrong & Getty debunk narratives around government shutdowns—air traffic control workers have not missed a check yet, but networks play up hardship interviews.
  • “You haven’t missed any money yet. All right. And not until the 14th, when the next check comes out…”
    — Joe Getty, [28:16]

---

10. Young Activists, "Queers for Palestine," and Dissonant Protest Movements

• Segment Start: 28:16
• Foreshadowing (“coming up next”) coverage of more radical protest messages, including chants supporting renewed attacks on Israel.
  • “People with ‘Queers for Palestine’ signs cheering October 7th.”
    — (Paraphrased forthcoming coverage, [28:16+])

---

Memorable Lighter Moments

• Clown school and juggling Kenny G band reminiscence:
  “Kenny G, if he had balls, man!”
  — Michael, [32:44]
• Hosts riff on fake fans, sports bandwagoning, and circus nostalgia.

---

Episode Notables & Tone

• The episode is marked by irreverent, critical humor, and frequent incredulity at modern politics and media.
• The hosts are openly skeptical, sometimes caustically so, in discussing political movements and media trends.
• Language occasionally turns hyperbolic (e.g., “throw the Jew down the well”), always for critique and not endorsement.

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:28 — Introduction of the street interview and protest topic
• 03:23 — “Muhammad was a trans lesbian” claim by interviewee
• 05:11 — Openly antisemitic statements from interviewee
• 08:07 — “Should we just kill all the Jews?” interchange
• 10:28 — “Repurpose fast food ovens”—Holocaust reference
• 13:33 — Costco, Ozempic/Wegovy, economic digression
• 19:24 — Congressional hearing sound bites
• 21:39 — Blumenthal’s Vietnam controversy revisited
• 24:34 — Weaponization of the Justice Department discussion
• 27:34 — Government shutdown and media spin
• 31:06 — Amusing clown college anecdotes
• 32:44 — “Kenny G, if he had balls” juggling band story
• 33:55 — Media beclowning: Des Moines superintendent scandal and DEI critique
• 37:33 — Steven Pinker on DEI

---

Overall Takeaway

This episode shines in its unvarnished, confrontational assessment of radical protest rhetoric, the odd alliances of “intersectional” activism, and media selectivity. Armstrong & Getty employ humor, historical perspective, and pointed incredulity to dissect how the extremes of outrage culture now set the tone in politics and the press. Interleaving political outrage with lighter sidebars, the show offers both critique and comic relief, making for an episode that's as bracing as it is entertaining.

---

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Joe Getty]

Broadcasting live.

[Michael]

From the Abraham Lincoln radio studio at.

[Announcer]

The George Washington Broadcast Center. Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Michael]

Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

So I guess the thing we're all going to have to determine here after we hear from this young gentleman is I guess he would call himself a young woman because he some point states he's trans. Although he looks just like a dude, like a regular dude. Like he's not making any effort to look like a woman, but he says he's a trans woman anyway, you're a dude, dude. Is he crazy? Is he stupid? Is he ignorant? Because those are all three different things. Or is he a mixture of all three? Or whatever. But so there's this guy almost, you.

[Michael]

Almost need like the little scales, like he's a video game character, you know, his speed rating is 6, his power rating is 8. His maneuverability is only a 3. So you gotta have the crazy meter, the stupid meter and the ignorant meter.

[Joe Getty]

You mentioned video games. I want to get this joke on because I heard this is a meme. My, my son said, I thought this was funny yesterday. The idea that, that, you know, the world is just a video game, life is just a video game or a simulation or whatever. You hear that now and then. Life is just a video game. And the rating on a life being a video game is the animation is amazing, but the storyline and characters suck.

[Michael]

I would agree. Wow, that's good.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway, so this guy, Nate Friedman, maybe you've seen him on the YouTube. He, he shows up at various things and sticks can't microphone in people's faces and ask some questions in a very friendly way and they beclown themselves and you know, it's like the libs of Tick Tock thing. It's just the people on the left get upset about this. But hey, nothing untoward is happening here. This is, this is your people spouting their nonsense. This guy is just lips of Tick.

[Michael]

Tock just airs it.

[Joe Getty]

This guy, Nate Friedman is just airing it. That's all he's doing. And an interesting thing during this interview, I don't know if we have it in the clips, but people, a couple of people came up to Nate while he was interviewing this guy, this woman who kept saying, hey, don't talk to him, he's a Zionist. He's on YouTube all the time. Like, I don't, I don't know what that means, but this is the giant pro Palestinian, pro Hamas protest in New York, which was huge and should have gotten more news coverage, and a lot of the people there are just flat out pro Hamas or flat out anti Jewish. And like this guy that was being interviewed, Nate Friedman, doing a man on the street at the big protest in New York City yesterday. We got a bunch of this, but here we go.

[Interviewer]

So is this the. This is the trans flag.

[Nate Friedman]

This is the Palestinian flag mixed with the trans flag. Okay.

[Interviewer]

What do you say to those who say that trans people will be killed in Palestine?

[Nate Friedman]

I mean, I don't know about that, but I know that I'm standing here today. At least 50% of the Gazan government needs to be trans women. Like Muhammad herself was, in fact, a trans lesbian.

[Interviewer]

Muhammad was a woman?

[Nate Friedman]

Yeah. Islam is a trans idea, is a trans religion. Mohammed herself was a proud trans lesbian.

[Interviewer]

In Iran, the morality police and also in Gaza, they kill trans people. Do you think that that's not true, or.

[Nate Friedman]

I mean, I think they're secretly Jews if they do that, because no Muslim would actually do that. Like, Islam is a gay religion.

[Michael]

It. They.

[Interviewer]

They asked. They asked Muslims in Gaza what you would do with trans people. They say that we don't have that here. We kill those people.

[Nate Friedman]

I mean, I don't know, but that's why we need to protest harder that we need at least 50% of the Palestinian government to be trans women.

[Interviewer]

How do we make.

[Joe Getty]

So he's one of those people that has got the. The trans flag, whatever that is. I didn't know there was. They had their own flag. But is that, you know, trans people for Palestine, which, as a lot of us have pointed out, that's like a combination, an anomaly, non sequitur contradiction. I mean, it's all kinds of things. I mean, there's not a more anti LGBTQ group in the world than your Islamic fundamentalists.

[Michael]

Right, right. I, you know, I hate to always lean on the obvious example, but it's a lot like Jews for Hitler. That was a. Those club meetings were sparsely attended, but. So that would be insane.

[Joe Getty]

But this was a new wrinkle. I don't know how many people believe that. That Islam is a. That Muhammad was a woman and Islam is gay friendly. And then when you hear the stuff about Islamists going after gay people and kill them. No. Well, those are actually Jews.

[Michael]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

Okay, this guy goes on.

[Interviewer]

How do we make that happen?

[Nate Friedman]

I mean, we have to protest. We have to push. Put pressure on the Jews who control the world to make this happen. Like, we. They own everything. We have to make this.

[Interviewer]

Are you Jewish?

[Nate Friedman]

No, I'm Italian. And Muslim? Yeah.

[Interviewer]

So Jews own everything?

[Nate Friedman]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

How do you think, how do you think that happened? How did Jews start owning everything?

[Nate Friedman]

I don't know. They use their dark magic, I guess. Like.

[Interviewer]

I'm Jewish and I, I would like to have some magic, but I don't feel like I have any magic. How do you think I can access this dark magic?

[Nate Friedman]

I don't know if you're maybe using your magic on me right now.

[Interviewer]

No, if I am, it's the first time ever hearing about magic.

[Nate Friedman]

Because we used to have the thing where you would tie a stone to the leg of a witch and dunk her in the water and if she floated, she was a witch.

[Interviewer]

Should we do that with Jews?

[Nate Friedman]

Yes.

[News Reporter]

Okay.

[Interviewer]

Should we do that with Jews across the whole world?

[Nate Friedman]

Everywhere. And there's the other one where you put the, the Bible on one scale and the Jew on the other, and if they're lighter than the Bible, they're a witch.

[Michael]

Okay.

[Joe Getty]

So his, his argument that the new government of Gaza needs to be half trans women.

[Michael]

Yes.

[Joe Getty]

Again, how much is this is nut picking in that this is one individual kook?

[Michael]

Well, and wait a minute, wait. That's blatantly discriminatory against trans dudes. Don't they get a say in Gaza? In his world? What the hell? I'm sorry, you were saying?

[Joe Getty]

Well, he is carrying a trans people for Hamas flag or banner. I mean, what the hell? And the. And, and it doesn't appear that people that have those are being shouted down by others saying, hey, that doesn't make any sense. They would stone us to death. There seems to be some support for that attitude right in that crowd.

[Michael]

Yeah. You know, it reminds me of the great piece by Eli Lake that we featured from the Free Press about the Red Green Alliance.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Michael]

And how that really took shape in the 70s in Iran where the Marxists and the Islamists realized that they both wanted the overthrow of the establishment.

[Joe Getty]

We're gonna hear, we're gonna hear from a guy because I came across this last night. So the protests, you know, Yesterday was the second anniversary of October 7th. So there were a lot of protest the country and there were some counter protests. And we got a guy who moved here from Iran. We'll play it later. But that's exactly what he said. Look, I'm worried about what's happening here in the United States. I moved here from Iran. I have seen this before. The college crowd, the college crowd and the Islamists always get bond together. The woke crowd and the Islamists gather together and become a powerful force. And he said, I see that happening here. That is exactly what it is. Anyway, let's. Let's get back to this one. Kooky man.

[Michael]

Woman.

[Interviewer]

Should we just kill all the Jews, though?

[Nate Friedman]

I think so.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Nate Friedman]

Yeah, we need to throw. Yeah, they are.

[Interviewer]

Am I? I'm a Zionist.

[Nate Friedman]

Don't talk to them.

[Interviewer]

Well, we're on YouTube, too.

[Nate Friedman]

Can I look up what you do on YouTube?

[Interviewer]

We're just having a conversation.

[Nate Friedman]

I mean, not now. I'll do it later.

[Interviewer]

So, okay, so we should kill all Jews. How should we kill all the Jews?

[Nate Friedman]

We should throw the Jew down the well so that my country at least can be free.

[Interviewer]

And which year's your country?

[Nate Friedman]

Well, America. America, but also Palestine. I mean, I stand.

[Joe Getty]

But also Palestine.

[Nate Friedman]

I'm not from there. I've never been there.

[Joe Getty]

Okay. The reason I want to play that no matter how crazy he is or isn't or how many people he represents, he just said out loud, we should kill all the Jews. Joe Biden claims he ran for president because people were saying less than that at Charlottesville in that big protest there, that a person ended up dying because a nut job drove a car into the crowd. And it was horrible. But though that they will not replace us was their chant that got everybody all worked up. They weren't bold enough to just flat out say, yeah, we ought to kill them all, like this guy did, and everybody just ignores it. Well, you know, he's just a. He's just a college kid. And what does he know?

[Michael]

Well, he's one of many people are saying that now, systematically ignored.

[Joe Getty]

Okay, I want. I want to wrap up his little conversation here before. Before we move on to talk more about it. Go ahead.

[Interviewer]

Are you trans?

[Nate Friedman]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

Okay, so do you believe that you could stand in Palestine safely as a trans person?

[Nate Friedman]

If we succeed, I would be one of the first trans members of the new Palestinian parliament.

[Michael]

Okay, see, that's clearly a crazy person. I mean, simpleton.

[Joe Getty]

But how many people believe that? I mean, if you're carrying.

[Michael]

If you're specifically, not many, but in.

[Joe Getty]

General, in general, the whole trans. I mean, the trans For Palestine. What are you talking about? Okay, one more and then we'll be done.

[Interviewer]

Dunking all the Jews in the world in a well seems inefficient. Is there a faster way to kill all the Jews? I mean, Hitler was pretty good at it, right?

[Nate Friedman]

Yeah, yeah, he was.

[Interviewer]

Okay, so we should do it similarly the way Hitler did it.

[Nate Friedman]

I mean, he wasn't quite fast enough, but because, like, they were able to end the War before he was finished.

[Interviewer]

But yeah, so he should have built more concentration camps.

[Nate Friedman]

I think that. And like now that we have like all these like fast food chains with their own ovens, like Pizza Hut, McDonald's, we could repurpose fast food chain ovens to be the new ovens to do this and it would go so much faster.

[Michael]

And so there are people, conservatives are the fascists. Okay.

[Joe Getty]

And there are people gathered around watching this interview that have the same flags and everything like that. And like nobody's jumping in and saying, whoa, dude, that. I mean like if I'm protesting for something and there's somebody who's like way out of line, that's going to hurt my cause, what I believe in, I would jump in. I think most people would. No, they're perfectly fine with him spouting that sort of stuff because I think they agree.

[Michael]

Yeah, yeah, I would agree.

[Joe Getty]

That's so nuts. And the fact that it gets zero coverage in the news versus if you got, you know, you have a preacher somewhere, say one thing, or a military dude or whoever, giant national story representing millions of MAGA people's thoughts.

[Michael]

Right. And the danger they pose. Right.

[Joe Getty]

The big danger in America's white supremacy.

[Michael]

Wow. We've got some much more serious people than him spouting the same attitudes a little bit later on.

[Joe Getty]

Half the government of Gaza should be trans.

[Michael]

People have a rally and I think it was New York where the guy's saying we need to do another October 7, but stronger, more and more.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. And again, a bunch of people gathered around and listening and everybody, you know, nodding their heads. It's not like people are saying, whoa, whoa, whoa, that's too much. I think Gaza, the Gazans are being treated unfairly and Israel's gone too far. But another octave. Nobody's saying that.

[Michael]

No, no. And it's right down the street from the New York Times. And funnily enough, they didn't have a reporter available to cover it. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Any thoughts on any of this? Text line 415295 KFTC ARMSTRONG and GETTY.

[Announcer]

Time for a sofa upgrade. Visit washablesofas.com and discover Annabe where designer style meets budget friendly prices. With sofas starting at $699, Anabe brings you the ultimate in furniture innovation with a modular design that allows you to rearrange your space effortlessly. Perfect for both small and large spaces, Anabe is the only machine washable sofa inside and out. Say goodbye to stains and messes with liquid and stain resistant fabrics that make cleaning easy. Liquid simply Slides right off. Designed for custom comfort, our high resilience foam lets you choose between a sink in feel or a supportive memory foam blend. Plus our pet friendly stain resistant fabrics ensure your sofa stays beautiful for years. Don't compromise quality. For price, visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your living space today with no risk returns and a 30 day money back guarantee. Get up to 60% off plus free shipping and free returns. Shop [e-mail] Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Joe Getty]

Some business news. Costco announced that they're going to start selling Ozempic and Wegovy. So now you can go to Costco, get a hot dog, some Ozempic and see who wins. Anybody know what it's going to cost at Costco? Do they mean at the pharmacy or just like in the aisle with the medicine? Do you know that I don't know.

[Michael]

The current state of it. I know that the companies are working very hard on getting a pill form of those drugs out because the. Is it a weekly jab or a monthly jab?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it's not over the counter yet. Surely not.

[Michael]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Joe Getty]

Okay, so it's the Costco pharmacy. Okay.

[Michael]

Right, right.

[Joe Getty]

Hey, by the way, I was just.

[Michael]

Reminded that the Nobel Prize in physics went to a trio of guys for their work, mostly in the 80s, I think.

[Joe Getty]

Quantum physics. We talked about that yesterday.

[Michael]

Yeah, yeah, quantum mechanics. And you're gonna try to explain that to me?

[Joe Getty]

Well, what was interesting to me is that, yeah, it was stuff from the 80s which usually your Nobel prizes other than literature are not like, you know, lifetime achievement awards. They're more something that happened this year, a big discovery. So it's kind of interesting to me that this was based on stuff that they discovered way back in the 80s that has allowed us to have all of the AI computing power. Practically everything that we're doing is because of stuff that they invented or came up with in the 80s around quantum mechanics.

[Michael]

I think these guys ought to be prosecuted, not given awards as witches. Oh, oh. For bringing the Internet on us. Yeah, you're right. Thanks for nothing. Also worth noting, there's some economic stuff out, including the fact that gold prices rose to $4,000 per troy ounce for the first time in history.

[Joe Getty]

A troy ounce, you say?

[Michael]

Oh, that's what my favorite kind of ounce. The Russia gold likely signals increasing doubts about the stability of the US Economy as investors scramble for alternatives to the dollar. Meanwhile, the Republicans just saying, look, you said these Covid subsidies were temporary. We're just saying, yes, they were temporary. Let's go back to the other numbers. And Democrats are acting like it's a betrayal of all that is good and holy. Even as, you know, globally, people are looking at the US economy and saying, I don't know, kind of crazy.

[Joe Getty]

Gold, gold at 4,000 nouns. Man, if I had Dane gold fillings, I'd be prying them out.

[Michael]

Oh yeah, Heck yeah. Paul. And then, you know, the other somewhat concerning figures that are floating around these days is that the hiring numbers as best as they can figure them out with the private organizations because the perhaps you've heard this, the federal government is on a bit of a vacation. They don't look good. And the narrative that we have two economies, AI and the rest of it, yeah, I think is true. And at least, you know, these numbers are difficult to put together with any great accuracy. But half of the economic growth we've seen over the last year has been AI stuff. Well, remember like half a dozen companies.

[Joe Getty]

Well, remember the stats I had last week? One of them was like 90% of the growth in the NASDAQ. I mean they were just stunning, stunning percentages for your AI part of the stock market. The problem being it could be a bubble. So if it is, then. Oh wow.

[Michael]

Yeah, that'll be wacky.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I'd say.

[Michael]

Yeah. So coming up next half hour, Pam Bondi, America's toughest middle aged hottie, goes before Congress and swings both of her pretty fists and in lands blow after blow, more or less. And the media be clowns itself.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that's a daily story. No kidding.

[Michael]

One of those stories is that Des Moines superintendent of schools who was, I mean, he was like fake everything.

[Joe Getty]

He, he claimed he had a PhD but didn't. Right.

[Michael]

And he claimed he had a degree from one place and it was maybe from another place or maybe not at all.

[Joe Getty]

Claimed he was like teacher of the year of some sort of thing and then found out that that word doesn't exist.

[Michael]

I wish I'd have done that.

[Joe Getty]

I'm only jealous that I didn't pad my resume that way. When I was out there, I read.

[Michael]

The rest of that email from the guy talking about a really important engineer in California who at some point, for credentialing reasons, one of the junior engineers had to like list him as a reference or whatever. And he couldn't find any record of this guy's engineering degree. And it turns out this guy was one of a really important engineer in the 20th century in California. He never had a degree. He was Also a brilliant engineer and they went back over all of his work. It was flawless. He just hadn't bothered with the academic rigmarole. Yeah, I feel like, I feel like.

[Joe Getty]

You'D be outed in something like that if you didn't have the actual skills. Whereas being a superintendent or something, I mean you could pull that off forever.

[Announcer]

Armstrong and Getty Time for a sofa upgrade. Visit washablesofas.com and discover Annabe where designer style meets budget friendly prices. With sofas starting at $699, Annabe brings you the ultimate in furniture innovation with a modular design that allows you to rearrange your space effortlessly. Perfect for both small and large spaces. Anime is the only machine washable sofa inside and out. Say goodbye to stains and messes with liquid and stain resistant fabrics that make cleaning easy. Liquid simply slides right off. Designed for custom comfort, our high resilience foam lets you choose between a sink in feel or a supportive memory foam blend. Plus our pet friendly stain resistant fabrics ensure your sofa stays beautiful for years. Don't compromise quality for price. Visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your living space today with no risk returns and a 30 day money back guarantee. Get up to 60% off plus free shipping and free returns. Shop [e-mail] Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm not going to be lectured.

[Michael]

Let me move to another topic I'm hoping that you will review about being.

[Jack Armstrong]

In the military just to be elected a senator. Senator. I don't think a lot of people like that. You were out protesting with antifa, right? I don't know the answer.

[Nate Friedman]

You do know the answer.

[Jack Armstrong]

Call me a liar was she worked for me. You would have been fired because you were censured by Congress for lying.

[Michael]

Will you support that request?

[Jack Armstrong]

Will you apologize to Donald Trump?

[Joe Getty]

I guess. I guess the answer.

[Michael]

Bondi feisty in front of the Senate yesterday grilled about Trump's retribution campaign. The weaponization of the Justice Department. Jack what some call lawfare.

[Joe Getty]

I noticed like ABC News said the White House pleased with Bondi's performance. I thought which is code for them saying she did pretty well. She just stood up pretty well to the. The grilling to. To the extent that it matters. None of these hearings matter. Freaking at all. They. They are barely a story. The day they happen they disappear into the ether and then that's it.

[Michael]

So they matter because they entertain me.

[Joe Getty]

Well yeah, they're entertaining but they have no political lasting effect.

[Michael]

Oh no, no, no. Unless you know you get a particularly good zinger in and they run it on your local news for a while and you see your poll numbers go up by one and a half percent.

[Joe Getty]

Or it's so good you get to use it in the ad for your next campaign.

[Michael]

Yeah, but it usually is a standalone event, as you pointed. It's not like we have uncovered something very intriguing here today and a subcommittee will be investigating it all. Even if that happens, nothing really comes of it. But I did appreciate this exchange though with Senator Blumenthal, the congenital liar.

[Jack Armstrong]

I can finish answering the question and I'm not going to be lectured.

[Michael]

Another topic by hoping you will review.

[Jack Armstrong]

Lied about being in the military just to be elected a senator.

[Michael]

That of course, to the a reference to the story that indeed that is what Dick Blumenthal did. Here's good old Brian Williams. Whatever happened to Brian Williams back being a fabulous.

[Joe Getty]

And yeah, this is from back in the day when Blumenthal got caught. What Bondi was referring to at a.

[News Reporter]

Big U. S. Senate race in Connecticut got blown sky high today when the leading Democrat in the race got caught in a lie over his military service. Richard Blumenthal, as the state attorney general has said in the past, he served in Vietnam. He did not. He served during Vietnam. The New York Times reports he received five wartime deferments and he served stateside in the Marine reserves. Today, Blumenthal said he misspoke.

[Michael]

I will not allow anyone to take a few misplaced words and impugn my record of service to our country.

[News Reporter]

Problem with that is there's videotape of Blumenthal saying he was in Vietnam.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it's amazing that he went on to win, is still a US Senator and is regularly on committees where he lectures people about this and that, about the military when he was out there completely lying about having fought in the biggest war of his generation. It's just the politics couldn't be worse.

[Michael]

I know. And you hear crap like that, you people want more government, bigger government, the government to have more power, be in charge more things. Who do you think the government is? It's Dick Blumenthal. And many, many like him. Unbelievable.

[Joe Getty]

This was incredible. That is incredible.

[Michael]

I mean, there are really few misplaced words.

[Joe Getty]

There are zero standards for anything. You get to lecture people about patriotism or honesty or the military, this or that when you were out there completely lying about that. It's amazing. Anyway, whatever, that's an old story. That one, that ship, that ship has left the station.

[Michael]

What's interesting is that the guy's still in the Senate and has power, and people have just kind of let it go by the wayside.

[Joe Getty]

That's what I'm saying. That train is sailed. I mean, the people apparently don't care about that.

[Michael]

Well, and it's not like he claimed he played for the Dodgers. He claimed he served in Vietnam.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Michael]

Oh, for God's sake. Anyway, this was an odd moment with Ted Cruz and good old home spun John Kennedy and Pam Bondi. And I'll point out Senator Kennedy has a new book about testing negative for stupid. So I hope I test negative for stupid. I hope I meet the threshold. You do meet it.

[Joe Getty]

And I talk in the book about the tattoo of the Backstreet Boys on your back.

[Michael]

Look, I can't help that you don't want to reach young people. I think young people are the future, damn it. And I'll do whatever steps are doing.

[Joe Getty]

Backstreet Boys.

[Jack Armstrong]

That would be on Vice President Vance's playlist. I heard that got hacked.

[Joe Getty]

Was this part of the hearing yesterday?

[News Reporter]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Shame I missed it.

[Michael]

Yeah. Like I said, just entertaining as I'll get out. Wow. Wow. So to the topic of the hearing. I. I've been trying to decide because there. There is a certain amount of the Justice Department weaponization that's more open and aggressive than it's been in the past. On the other hand, there's been plenty of open, aggressive weaponization of the Justice Department in the past. Just the media ignored it.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah, I mentioned.

[Michael]

Because they agreed with it.

[Joe Getty]

I. I don't. I don't think I'm allowed to post it. I know I'm not allowed to post it, but. So Mark Halperin in his newsletter a couple weeks ago, when this story first bubbled up, he laid out all of the lawfare that has gone on from the Justice Department at the behest of a president since the early 90s. I mean, it's just. It's just a common thing. It doesn't mean it's good. It's just getting more and more common over the years. And, you know, it's more blatant now, but it's been happening for a very, very long time. It is not a new phenomenon.

[Michael]

Right, right. And it's difficult as conservatives because the referee is on one team's side, meaning, you know, the mainstream media, although it's worth repeating every so often that if you're under 40 especially, you do not get your news from mainstream media. You get it online from TikTok and whatever the algorithms feed you, which is probably worse. But anyway, yeah. So you have the refs just calling penalties on one side, and I can't. There's part of me that thinks, you know, Trump is almost doing us a service by bringing this out into the open and, and saying, all right, you did it to me, now I'm going to do it to you. How do you like it? Because if sanity prevailed, if there were adults in charge, we'd all say, okay, all right, everybody, it's time to back off. Let's all agree this is unproductive, it's bad for the country, blah, blah, blah. But I don't, I don't think those adults are in the room anymore with, especially with the greatest Satan, perhaps the greatest devil that was ever unleashed on the American politics. Small dollar donations online. You, you get nothing donated to you for saying, hey, it's time for us to remember our principles and, and, and, and end this weaponization of the Justice Department or the justice system. We need to have a high bar, a separation, blah, blah. You'll get $20 Cha Ching donated online. But if you say Donald Trump is Hitler and he needs to be in jail, that's somebody he'll pour in.

[Joe Getty]

Or if you said, I think you should die and I'd crap on your grave, you'd make thousands and thousands of dollars.

[Michael]

Yes. And you'd run for Attorney General in Virginia. Yes. Yeah. So I just, I don't, I don't know where the salvation is. I don't mean to be discouraging.

[Joe Getty]

You are.

[Michael]

You're discreet. I know I am. Well, I'm discouraged. I can't help it.

[Joe Getty]

So I'm up.

[Michael]

The media bit clouds itself. Yes.

[Joe Getty]

And I want to mention this every hour. So one of the lead stories everywhere is how lots of flights are being canceled or delayed and then they're going to talk to people in airport. Yeah. My wife had to drive up and get me because they canceled this flight, blah, blah, blah. Because air traffic controllers, government shut down blah, blah, blah, without ever mentioning they haven't missed a paycheck, they haven't missed a cent yet. If they're not going to work. It's purely a political move. All right? It is not. Because you can, you can have the air traffic controller on there talking about child care, and I got kids and my wife and house payment cover. You haven't missed any money yet. All right. And not until the 14th, when the next check comes out, has anybody missed a dime. That's an important part of the story, in my opinion.

[Michael]

Right, right. Yeah. So that. Excuse me. Also, we need to get to some of the more serious speeches and chants at the pro Hamas rallies around the country yesterday on the anniversary of the brutal murder, torture, rape, abduction, slaughter of innocent kids at a music festival. The side that did that was supported by lots of young people in the street. Queers for Palestine, among other things. The things they said. We'll get to that before long as well. Cool.

[Joe Getty]

All that's on the way.

[Michael]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Announcer]

Life's messy. We're talking spills, stains, pets and kids. But with Annabe, you never have to stress about Messes again. @washablesofas.com Discover Anabe Sofas the only fully machine washable sofas inside and out, starting at just $699. Made with liquid and stain resistant fabrics, that means fewer stains and more peace of mind. Designed for real life, our sofas feature changeable fabric covers allowing you to refresh your style anytime. Need flexibility? Our modular design lets you rearrange your sofa effortlessly. Perfect for cozy apartments or spacious homes. Plus, they're earth friendly and built to last. That's why over 200,000 happy customers have made the switch. Upgrade your space today. Visit washablesofas.com now and bring home a sofa made for life. That's washablesofas.com offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Joe Getty]

I got to put on my Dodgers hat. Dodgers play today at home. I got to get my Dodgers hat. I'm on the bandwagon, man.

[Michael]

Bandwagon. Jumper. Fake fan.

[Joe Getty]

Boo. Boo. A term I do not recognize. Fake fan as opposed to. I don't know what that means.

[Michael]

Boy, the brewers are beating up on my Cubbies. I think brewers are headed for the World Series. But we shall see. That's why they play the games, Jack.

[Joe Getty]

Not good for ratings, I'll tell you that. No, no.

[Michael]

Good ball team though. So welcome to the major media. Big clown themselves. He that's enough of that music, Michael. It's annoying. So I came across a couple of stories in a row during my rigorous preparations for the show today, Jack, that.

[Joe Getty]

For some reason that music and the circus and everything like that reminded me of the Jerry Seinfeld bit where he says, what is this? What is going on here?

[Michael]

Right, right. Describing the ax.

[Joe Getty]

Is anybody enjoying this?

[Michael]

Katie mentioned to us off the air, Katie, are you handy that her ex went to clown college or something?

[Katie]

Yeah, he went to clown school.

[Joe Getty]

Your ex boyfriend went to clown school.

[Katie]

He could juggle like nobody's business.

[Joe Getty]

Is that what attracted you to him or did he do this after you, well, you dumped him and he just. He went off on a bender and ended up in clown school.

[Michael]

Oh.

[Katie]

This was something I learned while we were dating.

[Joe Getty]

Okay. And was that a red flag, as they say?

[Katie]

It was just kind of. It was more like a.

[Michael]

Why? It didn't really go any further. Was it an ongoing effort at the time or was that in his hazy past?

[Katie]

It was. It went to a bunch of different kind of like art schools and clown.

[Michael]

School was one of them. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Did he wear the big shoes?

[Michael]

College clown grad school.

[Joe Getty]

Did he wear shoes?

[Katie]

Red nose, all of it.

[Michael]

Wow. Yeah. Oh, he was committed. You got to admire that. Yes. You got to dream big.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Michael]

Interesting. Well, you wanted to be a circus performer as a kid, right, Jack?

[Joe Getty]

I did, I did. But I was a child. I was not a grown man.

[Katie]

Not a 21 year old man.

[Joe Getty]

No. Would he like put his hands upon his back and all of a sudden give you a bouquet of roses that was made out of a balloon?

[Katie]

Oh, yeah. And like 38 handkerchiefs coming out of his pants, you know, it's crazy.

[Michael]

Oh, hey, speaking of Wisconsin, as we were, I roadied for a summer for a band called jugular that with two GS and they played like, what would you call like Kenny G jazz, but more upbeat than that, more rockin than that. And had a couple of jugglers. What a musical juggling act.

[Joe Getty]

Wait a second, is this a real story? And how have I never heard this before? You wrote it for a combination Kenny G juggling act.

[Michael]

Well, Kenny G, if he had balls, man. Yes, yes. What? Yeah, and they were nice people too. Carried the gear around, listens to the show, drank free beer.

[Joe Getty]

What was the audience like?

[Michael]

They, they played music festivals like we, we. They played the Milwaukee Summerfest.

[Joe Getty]

But like middle aged women.

[Michael]

I mean Milwaukee tie in which I had failed to make. And I apologize for that.

[Joe Getty]

Who was digging the slightly more uptempo Kenny G with juggling act Drunks in the Sun.

[Michael]

It appeared okay. People at a music fest. They were very, very good. But again, more, more like your fusion, funk, jazz, kind of melodic.

[Joe Getty]

So Wisconsin was home of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus Summer. That's where they camped in the summer and getting ready for the year. And we, we went a couple times, I think when I was a kid. And you'd watch them pract other stuff and that, that's where they would like, you know, it's like training camp for football teams. It was like training camp for the circus. And they would do their high wire act and their juggling and all the different things they're getting ready.

[Michael]

Yeah. Little did the bearded lady know that bearded ladies would soon be a dime a dozen. Poor confused kids. Anyway, so back to the. To the media thing. You've probably heard the story about the Des Moines, Iowa superintendent who turned out to be an illegal immigrant and a gun toting nut. And, and, and also didn't have the degrees he claimed to. Well, the New York Times had a big featured story on it and I thought, yeah, okay. The, the headline caught me. The superintendent's bio seemed to too good to be true. It was. Ian Roberts rose through the ranks of American education with talent, charm and riveting backstory. He was also hiding a shocking secret. I thought, oh, this is remarkable for the New York Times. And then I read their unintentionally self beclowning story. I'm gonna read you the lead here. School district leaders in Des Moines drew up a detailed wish list. When they set out to hire a new superintendent in 2023. They wanted someone who could increase reading scores. That's great. Perfect. Improve the math. Math skills of black boys. Why black boys in particular? Probably because they were bad. You'd think they would be worried about everybody. But that's fine. I get it. But in their three point description of what they're looking for, point number three is adhere to an affirmative action plan and much more. Most of all, you've got a short list of qualities the person must bring to education. And item number three is adhere to an affirmative action plan.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Michael]

Most of all. And well, ironically, you know this guy's story. But most of all, Des Moines public schools needed a galvanizing leader who could meet a moment shaped by the aftermath of COVID and the racial justice movement of 2020. Wait a minute, wait a minute. Why does any school district in America worry about affirmative action plans and the racial justice movement of 2020? That's. This is an indictment of Des Moines schools. Anyway. His application seemed almost too perfect. Spent most of his career in urban school systems. Charismatic, hands on administrator. Wrote books, gave speeches, posted of degrees from brand name universities. His life story was compelling. An immigrant from Guyana who competed in the Olympics and spoke bluntly about his experiences as a black man in the United States. But then the next weird part. They. They were in love with this guy. Wanted to hire him. Red flags would pop up. The district learned about a past brush with law enforcement and a misstatement on his resume about where he had earned a doctorate. He just completely lied about his degrees. How New York Times. Is that a misstatement on your resume?

[Nate Friedman]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

So did they do this story, like, after.

[Michael]

But Des Moines officials moved ahead to hire him anyway? Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

That's the punchline to the story is they found out that his PhD was fake and that he was a liar and scam artist and they hired him anyway, which is just crazy. Yeah.

[Michael]

And. And, and they said he was a US Citizen. Turns out he was not. Which to me is the least of the problems here in this story. It's just amazing. Then this story from. Yes.

[Joe Getty]

How much time we got, Michael?

[Katie]

One minute.

[Joe Getty]

Could this, could we jam this in here real quick? This clip from Steven Pinker. It's really short. Hero to the left thinker Steven Pinker on DEI. That's clip 10.

[Steven Pinker]

You know, I have nothing against diversity, equity and inclusion, but, you know, as. As Voltaire said about the. The Holy Roman Empire, it was neither holy nor Roman nor an empire. And diversity, equity, inclusion is. It imposes an intellectual monoculture. It. It favors certain groups over others, and it has a long list of offenses that. That mean you can be excluded.

[Joe Getty]

Good for Steven Pinker saying that out loud to an audience that didn't want to hear it, because that leads to the sort of crap you just heard with that Des Moines educator, and he.

[Michael]

Was clearly a DEI hire himself.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Michael]

Diversity means more Marxists. Equity means Marxism. Inclusion means including more Marxists. I didn't get to story number two. And the media be clowning themselves. The Wall Street Journal writing about the government shutdown. It is ironic and amusing. We'll get to it next hour. If you can't be here for next hour, grab the podcast. Subscribe to Armstrong and Yeti on Demand. Armstrong and Getty.

[Announcer]

This is an iHeart podcast.