I'll Saw Off Your Arm, Frenchie!!

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: I'll Saw Off Your Arm, Frenchie!!
Date: October 20, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong, Joe Getty, with Katie & Katie’s Husband

---

Episode Overview

This episode covers America’s “No Kings” protest movement, perceptions of Trump and “democracy,” the brazen Louvre jewel heist, China’s dominance in rare earths, and personal news from the team. The tone shifts from satirical and irreverent political commentary to heartfelt personal moments.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The “No Kings” Protests and Modern Political rallies

• Largest Protest in US History?
  • Organizers claim 7 million participated in 2,700 “No Kings” rallies nationwide, ostensibly as a vague, anti-monarchist protest targeting Trump ([00:14]).
• Superficial Motives of Protesters
  • Multiple live “man on the street” interviews reveal protesters often struggle to articulate specific grievances against Trump.
    • “What do you, what do you, what do you don't like to do? You can't come up with one thing like one vague…” – Jack ([03:59]).
• Groupthink and Social Currency
  • Joe and Jack analyze social motives for protest attendance, suggesting much is driven by peer approval rather than conviction or knowledge.
    • “Many women, not all... and many low testosterone men do not look at issues through a lens of fact-finding or truth. They look at it through the lens of acceptance. Will this get me more social currency?” – Joe ([04:27]).
• Dangerous Rhetoric
  • Some protesters take it to extremes, joking or musing about presidential assassination and violence against officials—a point the hosts note is underreported compared to college cancel-culture incidents ([03:14], [03:34]).
• The Use and Misuse of “Democracy”
  • Referencing Barton Swaim’s column, the hosts discuss how Democrats have misused the term “democracy” in their opposition to Trump and note the Founding Fathers’ skepticism of pure democracy ([05:52]).
    • “You can make a reasonable case that the Democrats’ present woes stem from the misuse of a single word.” – Joe, quoting Swaim ([05:52]).

---

2. Trump’s Enduring Political Gravity

• Trump as Political Gravity Well
  • The conversation moves to Trump’s ongoing magnetic impact on American and even global politics (“He has been the gravity in this country practically in the world for a decade now.” – Jack, [10:04]).
• Popularity vs. Policies
  • The irony that many dislike Trump personally, yet many of his positions (on elite universities, immigration) are closer to public opinion than critics allow ([09:19], [10:04]).

---

3. The Louvre Jewel Heist – “I’ll Saw Off Your Arm, Frenchie!!”

• A Brazen Daylight Crime
  • Four thieves disguised as construction workers use a crane and power tools to steal Napoleon III’s crown jewels from Paris’s Louvre in 4 minutes ([14:32]–[16:06]).
  • Security guards were threatened with power tools:
    • “I’ll saw off your arm, Frenchie!” ([16:06] – episode title drop).
• Inside Job?
  • Speculation that knowledge of unalarmed windows points to an inside accomplice ([16:49]).
• Aftermath & Insurance Games
  • Discussion of insurance companies ‘quietly’ paying thieves to return priceless items—cheaper than paying out full claims ([18:07]–[18:33]).
  • “You give that back, we'll give you $5 million for it… No questions asked.” – Jack ([18:21]).

---

4. China’s Rare Earths Dominance & U.S. Vulnerability

• Strategic Chokehold
  • Joe explains how China’s market manipulation crushed U.S. production and consolidated rare earth minerals (“China poured government money into their rare earth mining and refining operations… then dumped their goods into the market.” – Joe, [20:48]).
• Policy Quandary
  • The hosts debate whether the U.S. needs government industrial policy or private sector solutions, highlighting the “painted ourselves into a strategic corner” dilemma ([26:49]–[27:17]).
  • Colorful language for China’s leverage:
    • “They could crash the stock market in a day... We are in a terribly vulnerable spot... They got us by the sack.” – Joe & Jack ([23:26]–[24:22]).
• Environmental Outsourcing
  • Critique of “woke environmentalism”: Western nations outsource ‘dirty’ mining, but still depend on those resources, calling out this hypocrisy ([25:24]).

---

5. Trump & Foreign Policy – Ukraine & Russia

• Trump’s Stance on Ukraine & Russia
  • The hosts dissect reports of Trump pressuring Zelensky to cede parts of Ukraine, reluctance to send arms, and the perceived double standard in how he treats different world leaders ([27:17]–[31:46]).
  • “Spent two hours on the phone with Putin and then seemed to flip completely back over to that side again.” – Jack ([31:28])
• On Appeasing Aggression
  • Concerns that “carrot” strategies with Russia would reward illegal land grabs; analogies to “giving Johnny the candy after he throws a tantrum” ([30:13]–[30:51]).

---

6. Personal Moment: Katie’s IVF Journey

• A Heartfelt Announcement
  • Katie shares her IVF journey and a recording of her baby’s heartbeat:
    • “Last Thursday, we had our first ultrasound and heartbeat appointment. So unlike me, he has a heart.” – Katie ([34:02]–[34:39])
  • The hosts get sentimental about new life, parenthood, and the marvels of fetal development ([34:49]–[37:10]).
  • “The miracle of life... you’re capable of miracles, the only miracle that counts and, and that’s being devalued.” – Joe ([37:10]–[37:56])
  • Playful banter about naming the child “Jack Joe Mike Mike.”

---

7. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jack on the perils of protest groupthink:
  “It’s amazing to me how many people get swept up in protests without, like, really wanting to pay attention.” ([01:37])

• Joe, summarizing social motivations:
  “Will this get me more social currency? Will I be accepted if I express this opinion?” ([04:27])

• Use of humor throughout:
  “Am I right, Joe?” – “I don’t think so. No.” (dry comedic timing, [32:16])

• On the Louvre heist threat:
  “I’ll saw off your arm, Frenchie!” ([16:06]) – Episode title and highlight.

• On U.S.–China strategic dependency:
  “We’re in a terribly vulnerable spot. So what do we do? …They got us by the sack.” ([23:26]–[24:22])

• On life’s reality checks:
  “For whatever reason, I woke up and I was convinced it was Saturday morning… It was freaking Monday.” – Jack ([38:22])

---

8. Quick Hits / Other Segments

• Tasteless protestor jokes and shock value ([03:14])
• Brief aside on lithium batteries and flying safety ([11:34]–[12:06])
• Baseball & sports humor ([13:49])

---

Timestamps for Major Segments

• No Kings protest discussion: [00:14] – [07:32]
• Democracy and Trump’s popularity: [05:52] – [10:24]
• The Louvre heist in detail: [14:32] – [19:00]
• China & rare earths/US strategy: [20:27] – [27:17]
• Trump, Zelensky, and Ukraine: [27:17] – [31:54]
• Katie’s IVF story & heartbeat: [34:02] – [38:20]

---

Tone & Style

Armstrong & Getty’s trademark blend of sarcasm, skepticism, and political irreverence pervades the episode. While often flippant or darkly comic—especially when discussing contemporary politics—moments of sincere warmth and celebration emerge, particularly around team members’ personal milestones.

---

Summary Prepared for Listeners Who Missed the Episode
This episode is a fast-moving blend of political lampoonery, news breakdowns, and heartfelt life updates, encapsulating both the absurdity and gravity of current events, with plenty of memorable quotes and sharp analysis.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Joe Getty]

Broadcasting live.

[Jack Armstrong]

From the Abraham Lincoln radio Studio at.

[Katie]

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

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty. Millions of Americans took to the streets in peaceful protest on Saturday and what has been described as one of the largest single day demonstrations in US history. An estimated 7 million people gathered across some 2700 no Kings rallies in cities from coast to coast, according to organizers. Trump responding via social media, posting an AI generated video depicting a crowned Trump flying a King Trump jet.

[Jack Armstrong]

What an interesting idea. They, like, fabricated a slogan, a attacked attack on this. This whole thing. A way to approach it as opposed to a particular issue. You know, usually it's Roe versus Wade or.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, he couldn't get nearly enough people to show up for that. You got to go with the super vague omnicos. No kings. No damn kings. We want no kings here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it worked. Biggest protest maybe ever.

[Joe Getty]

But let's get more specific. What were they out there for?

[Jack Armstrong]

Trump's a bitch.

[Katie]

Yeah.

[Katie's Husband]

Why is that?

[Joe Getty]

I don't know. He's just. We don't like him. That's the word around here. Any. Any particular reason why you don't like him? No clue at all. I'm just going with everybody else saying.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm just going with what everybody else is saying. It's amazing to me how many people get swept up in protests without, like, really wanting to pay attention. I mean, I can understand not being involved in politics, not paying attention, but also not going to rallies. Not.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Not not paying attention and going to rallies. That just seems like a weird combo.

[Joe Getty]

Well, the inevitable college girl chanting from the river to the sea. What river? I don't know. The one there. What? C. I don't know. I'm not really up on this. I mean, it's just. It runs rampant through all these demonstrations. They're there because they enjoy getting together and feeling like they're part of the group and we all agree with each other and it's such a warm, fuzzy feeling, and I'm super excited. And Trump's the bad guy and. And we all hate him. And no Kings. Before we get to the serious analysis of it, more delightful audio of folks at the protest. This one happens to be from Philadelphia 42. Michael, why specifically are you out supporting no Kingston?

[Katie]

I think protest is important.

[Joe Getty]

What's the main reason you're out here protesting President Trump with a lot of.

[Katie]

The decisions that are being made?

[Joe Getty]

Is there any decision in particular you disagree with?

[Katie]

Okay, so I would start With. I don't even think it's appropriate for me to have this interview.

[Joe Getty]

He started to take control and do illegal things. So deporting illegal immigrants, is that illegal?

[Katie]

Deporting illegal immigrants?

[Katie's Husband]

If they're here peacefully, yes.

[Katie]

Give me everybody you can possibly bring.

[Joe Getty]

Into the United States.

[Katie's Husband]

Why can't anybody seem to actually kill the President?

[Jack Armstrong]

Because no one's been successful.

[Katie's Husband]

And good presidents are dead.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Now, I realize this is nut picking, but wow. Still. Wow. One more.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. This is 45 from Chicago.

[Jack Armstrong]

Michael, you gotta grab a gun. We gotta turn around the guns on this fascist system.

[Joe Getty]

These ICE agents gotta get shot and wiped out. This state, the state machinery that's a.

[Jack Armstrong]

Full display right there has to get wiped out.

[Joe Getty]

And we're supposed to be worried about college kids making really tasteless jokes and their, their, their text feed, you know, last week, please. Unbelievable. Not seeing a lot of headlines about that guy. The college kids, lots of them.

[Jack Armstrong]

And then so again I, I get deciding, you know what? I ain't following politics. I don't get not following politics and, and showing up to rallies like that first person. What do you, what do you, what do you don't like to do? You can't come up with one thing like one vague. He shouldn't be blasting drug dealers out of the sea or something.

[Joe Getty]

Many women, not all, certainly, hence the word many and many Low testosterone. Men do not look at issues through a lens of fact finding or truth. They look at it through the lens of acceptance. Will this get me more social currency? Will I be accepted if I express this opinion? And that's, that's what you're seeing. That's how those people look at the world. Here's, here's one more that got my attention. And it's gonna lead into some semi serious analysis. Oh, that's right. Before we get to that one. 44. Michael, the fact that Trump and company are just chuckling at it tells you a lot. I mean, there's no need to mount some sort of counter narrative. The counter narrative was, oh yeah, I'm a king. Yeah, look at me flying a fighter jet in a crown, which by the way, your oxygen mask wouldn't fit in the helmet and everything. It's just bad. It's bad safety, bad aviation safety. Anyway, it's just silly. But here's one. The inevitable 60 plus white woman. I'm not sure where she was, but they featured her on ABC News last night as if she was a good spokeswoman for the cause. What brings you out here today? Democracy is Dying. We have to say democracy is dying and we have to save it. She said, okay, super.

[Jack Armstrong]

So they're right, but it's more of a general commentary.

[Joe Getty]

Interestingly, Barton Swaim, who's emerging is one of my favorite writers, was writing about this over the weekend and he says you can make a reasonable case that the Democrats present woes stem from the misuse of a single word. Their manic, unthinking resistance to everything Trump says or does has its origins in their failure to know what they mean by democracy. And he talks about the attack on democracy, the threat to democracy. They've been calling Trump that every single day since 2015. The phrase fizzled after he won with a plurality of the popular vote in 2024. But Mr. Trump's bitterest enemies have never managed to doubt the postulate that he menaces the American form of government. They keeps repeating it over and over. And then he goes into the fact that the founding fathers didn't like democracy. The word to them suggested mob rule, demagoguery, and interestingly, a republic too, given to democracy, they thought, would allow big personalities to leverage the public's whims against the established order. James Madison memorably concluded in federalist number 10. I've got the entire text of that tattooed on my back. Took weeks, weeks. And, and honestly, the last few sentences are, are on my hind end. But anyway, we ran out of space. Should have used a different font while.

[Jack Armstrong]

She have to lower your pants to, to read the end of Federalist 10.

[Joe Getty]

Right. Katie, it's, you know, with the tattooing thing you, you got, you've, you're experienced in this. You know, you get a good artist, you trust them and sometimes things don't go great.

[Katie's Husband]

Yeah, you've seen that one that goes around the Internet says no regerts.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Katie's Husband]

I think the big headline is that you have basically a tramp stamp now though.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or, or I always liked plan A he. Because they ran out of room for.

[Joe Getty]

The D. Right, right. Yeah, I got a tramp stamp. And particularly patriotic women really respond to that. Anyway, where were we? I guess. And, and, and he points out is it. I get Callum Butchers and Barton Sway mixed up because they've got such funky names. Anyway, this is. Swaim points out that the American people decide to worry a lot less about that than the founding fathers did. We want everything to be popularly elected. First it was senators and then our political parties. No more smoke filled rooms and movers and shakers. It's all, you know, the primary system and popular elections. And then he, then he points out, and here's where I thought it got really interesting. A decade, a decade after his entry into politics, Mr. Trump's enemies still make no attempt to distinguish between his own popularity or lack of it, and that of the objectives to which he applies his enemies energies. Most Americans around 55% disapprove of Trump don't like the way he goes about things. It does not follow that majorities think he's wrong about most things. The opposite is nearer the truth. On nearly all of his big ticket items, the President's attitude fully accords with that of the public. The guy likes to write in fancy talk. But what he's saying is it's a bunch of 80, 20 issues, or at least 60, 40 issues that Trump is really active on. Mr. Trump's war on elite universities has occasioned some criticisms, some made by this newspaper's editorial board. But ignore Mr. Trump and his tactics and ask yourself how many Americans think the country's fancy schools are an unmitigated blessing and don't deserve some rough treatment for turning generations of young minds into oatmeal.

[Jack Armstrong]

Nobody practically, right? Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

And then he goes a little more into the, the university thing, obviously, the immigration thing. That ICE or immigration's custom enforcement pushes the bounds of legality and it's no knock roundups is pretty obvious. But Democrats align themselves with a tiny minority when their denunciation Mr. Trump makes them sound as if they think illegal aliens have the right to live and work in the US as long as they don't kill people. And he goes into another couple of examples and he says, and the title of it I will now reveal, is Democracy thy name is Trump. Trump is exactly what the founding Fathers might have been concerned about. A giant personality that starts to matter more than the policies and the people flock to him.

[Jack Armstrong]

He has been the gravity in this country practically in the world for a decade now. I wonder what's going to happen when he leaves the stage. I got into that conversation with somebody over the weekend. I mean, he is, he is not going to be replicated. And I don't care if J.D. vance wins or whatever. There's nothing's going to be like the gravity of Trump.

[Joe Getty]

Right? Right. What's next will be interesting, I'd say. I'll tell you what's next. Game 7 baseball playoffs. Tonight you got the football underway, the basketball is back, and prize picks is the easiest, most fun way to participate in daily fantasy sports. Super easy. You just pick more or less on at least two player Stat projections go from there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, you can follow Price Picks players directly on the app. Copy their lineups in one click. So whether it's a friend or a celebrity partner, just someone whose picks you like, you're following somebody else on the app. You can do that. You can hit the follow button and check out every lineup they create in this new feed tab on Prize Picks. What an interesting idea. So you might have to use your own opinions. You use the opinions of somebody else you trust and believe in.

[Joe Getty]

Right? One click. Prize Picks also offers injury reboots. If one of your players leaves the game in the first half and doesn't return, Prize Picks will not count it as a loss. That's pretty cool. Downloads the download the Prize Picks app today. Use the Code Armstrong to get $50 in lineups after you play your first file. Five dollar lineup. It's automatic. You don't have to win. That's the Code Armstrong to get 50 bucks in lineups after you play your first five dollar lineup. Prize picks. It's good to be right.

[Jack Armstrong]

How the heck did that lithium battery thing explode into flames in the overhead compartment on that plane? Did you see that video?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Haters gonna hate and lithium's gonna lifty. I mean that. That's what they do. That's why they tell you you can't check them in your bags.

[Jack Armstrong]

Man, if I was sitting on that plane and somebody opened up the overhead bin and there were flames shooting out, I think this is not good.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Oh yeah, it's horrible. And they ask you when you check luggage, any lithium ion batteries in your luggage?

[Jack Armstrong]

Now he said, I don't know. I hope.

[Joe Getty]

I don't.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know what kind of batteries.

[Joe Getty]

No. Ish. Not that I know of. Maybe.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. I don't have the slightest idea. We've got to talk about the jewel heist at the Louvre. One of the most amazing thieveries in world history that happened over the weekend.

[Joe Getty]

I had nothing to do with it.

[Jack Armstrong]

What an incredible story.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it is just bold. I mean, brazen is the word everybody's using and it is. Oh, and speaking of lithium ion batteries, you ought to pay off that. How China got a stranglehold on the rare earths. And what can we do about it?

[Jack Armstrong]

As you can see, we have so much on the way. I hope you can stay here, Armstrong and Getty.

[Katie]

Tired of spills and stains on your sofa? WashablesOfAs.com has your back. Featuring the Annabe Collection. The only designer sofa that's machine washable inside and out where designer quality meets budget friendly prices. That's right, sofas start at just $699. Enjoy a no risk experience with pet friendly, stain resistant and changeable slipcovers made with performance fabrics. Experience cloud like comfort with high resilience foam that's hypoallergenic and never needs fluffing. The sturdy steel frame ensures longevity and the modular pieces can be rearranged anytime. Check out washablesofas.com and get up to 60% off your Anna Bay sofa backed by a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not absolutely in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping or restocking fees. Every penny back Upgrade [e-mail] Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Jack Armstrong]

In the clinching game of the NLCS.

[Joe Getty]

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani pitched six scoreless innings, struck out 10 batters, then hit three home runs. It is a feat. It is a feat previously only accomplished by Jorge Santos.

[Jack Armstrong]

Jorge Santos, who got his sentence commuted by Trump over the weekend and is out of jail.

[Katie's Husband]

Why?

[Jack Armstrong]

Because he was a loyal Republican voter, according to Trump.

[Joe Getty]

Oh boy. Yeah, troubling.

[Jack Armstrong]

So if you want to buy Napoleon's watch, I have it. I got it on ebay last night. A Bunch of Jewels floating around the world if you haven't heard this story.

[Joe Getty]

Stunning raid on Paris's world famous Louvre, Officials say at 9:30am four men disguised as construction workers moved this mechanical ladder up against a second floor balcony and that CCTV captured two of them using power tools to cut into the Apollo Gallery where French Emperor Napoleon III's crown.

[Jack Armstrong]

Jewels are on display, taking nine pieces in all.

[Joe Getty]

The Louvre closed for the rest of the day. The concern now what those thieves might do next with the priceless jewels. The fear is that it gets broken up in Seoul because a consumer will have a very, very difficult time telling that. Hey, this emerald came from say a.

[Jack Armstrong]

The thieves executed the heist in the Louvre again in broad daylight with the museum full of people in a mere four minutes, entering through a window accessed via a crane mounted on a truck. Now, was the truck already there and they jumped in and drove it, or did they bring the truck there? I haven't heard that.

[Joe Getty]

No, they brought it. It's the sort of crane truck that's super common in Paris because they have narrow like hallways and stairways and so if you're moving in, you go up a crane into your front window.

[Jack Armstrong]

Plus, if you saw people in workers outfits in a crane, you wouldn't Think twice about it. You think. You wouldn't even think about it. It just.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

They're doing some work anyway. They weren't doing some work. They were stealing. They use chainsaws and angle grinders. Grinders. To breach display cases, seizing items of immense historical value before fleeing on scooters, motorcycles. And they got away with the stuff.

[Joe Getty]

They threatened. They got in. Then they threatened the guards with the power tools. I'll saw off your arm, Frenchie. And they got him to back off. And the people, the guards probably appropriately turned to evacuating people. So nobody got their arms sawed off.

[Jack Armstrong]

The French government said it was an intolerable humiliation.

[Joe Getty]

Agreed.

[Jack Armstrong]

Fairly humiliating. It's quite amazing that your security is. Whatever it is that they would allow that to happen. What you do.

[Joe Getty]

I think somebody would have said, hey, why are they grinding up there on the third floor? What's it. What work is going on right now. But, and again, you know, four minutes is a pretty short span of time.

[Jack Armstrong]

I saw a guy in Fox and, you know, all kinds of experts everywhere making crap up so they can be on cable news. But this guy in Fox said it had to be an inside job because how in the hell did they know that those windows didn't have sensors on them? Why didn't the windows have sensors on them? Because they were so high up and nobody thought that anybody could ever come in that window.

[Joe Getty]

Maybe, Maybe get simply safe home security. Yeah. Code Armstrong.

[Jack Armstrong]

Simplisafe.com Armstrong kind of hard to imagine that happening. And then lots of people speculating that they will melt down the metal and take the jewels out of it and sell the jewels individually because they're still worth a ton of money even without the historical significance. They're worth a lot more with the historical significance. And in that case, you got to find some Saudi billionaire who's happy to, you know, buy it on the down low so they can show it off to their friends. This used to be Napoleon, Chinese oligarch.

[Joe Getty]

Who'S gonna dance around naked in the crown.

[Jack Armstrong]

This used to be Napoleon's crown, but then somebody points out, yeah, Napoleon iii.

[Joe Getty]

All right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Excuse me. Napoleon, his great grand nephew, who everybody hated, who had to go to England and live in exile.

[Joe Getty]

Sold it to me. Told me it was Napoleon.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, technically true, but Napoleon III doesn't count. Another thing I didn't know about this, and this is, this made me more interested in becoming a master thief of priceless art and jewel and stuff like that.

[Joe Getty]

That's your next chapter?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. They're insured at Such a high amount of money that the insurance companies will often offer. And they try to keep this quiet because you don't want to inspire people like me.

[Joe Getty]

They'll offer you, look, you give that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Back, we'll give you $5 million for it. You give it back, no questions asked.

[Joe Getty]

Right? Because numbered account, because it saves them.

[Jack Armstrong]

Money, because it's insured for, you know, whatever, $50 million.

[Joe Getty]

So it's much cheaper to buy it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Back from the scumbags than to actually insure the piece.

[Joe Getty]

That's got to be what's happening here.

[Katie]

Almost.

[Joe Getty]

Unless you already have a buyer lined up, you would never take the gamble.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, so. And I guess that happens a lot. It's just they try to keep that quiet and, you know, it's just like the number of people that, you know, actually give the money for various cyber hostage situations.

[Joe Getty]

I like how one of the most priceless crowns they dropped on the way out here. Put this in the bag. The bag.

[Jack Armstrong]

Clank.

[Joe Getty]

You didn't bring a bag? No, we got to just like wrestle it out in our arms. I guess. You didn't bring the bag. Soccer blue. So how did China get a chokehold on the rare earth stuff? Really interesting. And what do we do about it? Next segment. Stay with us. Armstrong and Getty.

[Katie]

Tired of spills and stains on your sofa? WashablesOfAs.com has your back. Featuring the Annabe collection, the only designer sofa that's machine washable inside and out. Where designer quality meets budget friendly prices. That's right, sofas start at just $699. Enjoy a no risk experience with pet friendly stain resistant and changeable slipcovers made with performance fabrics. Experience cloud like comfort with high resilience foam that's hypoallergenic and never needs fluffing. The sturdy steel frame ensures longevity and the modular pieces can be rearranged anytime. Check out washablesofas.com and get up to 60% off your Anna Bay sofa backed by a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not absolutely in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping or restocking fees. Every penny back. Upgrade [e-mail] Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Joe Getty]

The irony of the message is pretty clear for everyone. If President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now.

[Jack Armstrong]

If President Trump was a king, they would not have been able to engage.

[Joe Getty]

In that free speech exercise out on the mall, by the way, which was open because President Trump hasn't closed it so, I mean, it's.

[Jack Armstrong]

They needed a stunt, they needed a show.

[Joe Getty]

Chuck Schumer has needs cover right now.

[Jack Armstrong]

He's closed the government down because he needs political cover and this was a part of it. That's a pretty decent point. I'd forgotten the shutdown was going on.

[Joe Getty]

Completely forgot, right? Oh, yeah, right. And if Trump was a king, he could also do something pretty quickly about our vulnerability to China in the whole world of rare earth materials. This is really an interesting quandary for free society and people who prize the free markets. So as recently as 1991, the US led the world in the production of rare earth minerals, partly because we had a giant mine in California Mountain Pass. But when China faked out the US and said we're just a poor developing country and I don't know, maybe communism isn't so great and maybe we could be friends and maybe if you help us build our economy, we'll become more like a democracy. Completely duped us for decades. Read Michael Pillsbury's the 100 Year Marathon. It's brilliant, really describes it. But one of the things they did was they poured government money into their rare earth mining and refining operations. And then when anybody in the west like the US Tried to compete, they dumped their, their goods, the supplies into the market and just crushed the market. And so our companies went out of business or sold themselves to Chinese entities. And then China consolidated their hundreds of rare earth companies into a few super giant powerhouses that could work with the communist Chinese. And so even now, as we're trying to resurrect our domestic rare earths industry, China is doing, it's using all the levers a dictatorship can to try to crush that. And so the US Is going to have to take a. The US Government, it's going to have to take probably a more and more activist goal role, rather in, in fulfilling the goal to building up our domestic capabilities. And you know, Trump's already got big investments in various companies, whatever the hell that means. And we might have to get into these quasi public private partnerships that are really, really unhealthy for a system like ours, for reasons I could, you know, drone on and about. But the point is, when you have the government controlling billions and trillions of dollars worth of industry, then you get a situation where it's just asking for good governance that has anything to do with the needs of the people, forget it. There's too much money at stake. But you can'.

[Jack Armstrong]

Let your number one enemy control the entire supply. Clenandium or Whatever. Rare earth metal is important.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah, I'm glad you brought that up, because they could crash the stock market in a day.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, wow.

[Joe Getty]

They could bring all of our car companies and most of our tech companies to their knees in a day if they were to announce, hey, by the way, you can't buy any of this stuff. Fu. Which is why China enacted some new restrictions. I'm not going to describe them because it's kind of technical and boring, but they essentially said, yeah, we're going to make it a lot harder for y' all to get this stuff. And Trump, that's when he responded with 100% tariff on. On bunches of Chinese goods are all Chinese goods. I can't remember everything because that's. I mean, they have us by the. You know, use whatever descriptor you prefer. We are in a terribly vulnerable spot. So what do we do?

[Jack Armstrong]

The sack.

[Joe Getty]

That's a good one.

[Jack Armstrong]

They got us by the sack.

[Joe Getty]

The nards, the nagils.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sure.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a little harsh. When I heard it come out of my mouth.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah. Perhaps a little restraint. I don't know. So one of the aspects of this that's so annoying to me. Well, two of them. Every time we. In the past, pre Trump, and for all my problems with Trump, he was the guy who said, china's screwing us. Why are we letting them? Anyway, Every time, past administrations would go to China and say, hey, y' all are dumping made upon. Made Uptonia into the market and you're killing us. And they would turn out their pockets and say, well, we're a poor developing economy. You've got to let us do this for a while. Just till we're up on our feet. Then we'll compete fairly. Okay, China, so long as you promise us you're reforming. Oh, we're reforming, they would say. And so we just got caught with our pants down. And now we're again incredibly vulnerable. Oh, the other aspect.

[Jack Armstrong]

China is a hole.

[Joe Getty]

You know what? Our guy is asleep at the switch.

[Jack Armstrong]

China is.

[Joe Getty]

Asshole. There he is. He was taking a smoke break. He smokes a lot. I'm worried about him. But one of the aspects of it that bothers me so much is and the whole woke environmental thing. And there's. There's smart, reasonable environmentalism, then there's the Gavin Newsom woke crap. And what annoys me so much is we still use every bit as much oil, we still use every bit as much natural gas, and every bit as much of these rare earth minerals, but we have Third World Countries mine it and refine it for us so we can tiptoe around in our white gloves and say, look how clean we are. We don't rape the environment by mining these materials. No, we just use them and let somebody who's way less concerned about the environment get them for us. That's the opposite of being an environmentalist, you flaming blanking hypocrites. So China, trust me, they know the hole they have over us and they're not going to let it go easily. And so what do we do as a government? I don't know, Jack. Do you have the answer? We build up. Us. Did you say it's a condom conundrum?

[Jack Armstrong]

No, why would I say it's a condom?

[Joe Getty]

It sounded like condom. You with your. Your idiotic adolescent joke.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, well, I didn't. I said it's conundrum, which is a perfectly.

[Joe Getty]

So you claim. So you claim. Anyway, it's a sophisticated term. Go to my doctor and get my ears de. Waxed again. Where was I? Oh, you know, Uncle Sam's Mining. Do we have a government controlled giant mining apparatus or do we actually have the government pick winners and losers and invest in giant companies that can get us back to self sufficiency? It's. It's a tough one. Yeah, we, we painted ourselves into a strategic corner through the naivete of the past.

[Jack Armstrong]

And Trump's supposed to meet with President Xi at some point here and soon, I guess. I don't know.

[Joe Getty]

Our frenemies, the Chinese, you might be meeting with.

[Jack Armstrong]

He might be meeting with Putin soon. They announced that last week and they're trying to put that together. Gotta take.

[Joe Getty]

You gonna turn the screws on Putin, Trump?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. If you can explain that to me, I'm interested. I'm hoping there's something behind the scenes we don't know about, because the stuff that's on the face of it is he pressured the hell out of Zelensky over the weekend. He talked about it last night on the plane that Zielinski's got to give up the Donbass region. That's the Donetsk basin, Donbass. Big chunk of Ukraine that Russia has taken chunks of. And Trump really pressuring Zelensky to give up on that, saying no to the Tomahawk missiles. And when does he ever pressure Putin? Does that happen? And why not? He pressured Netanyahu. I mean, that's all the credit everybody gave him for making this amazing Middle east peace deals that he pressured both sides. Does he pressure Putin ever?

[Joe Getty]

Well, he, I think.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why not?

[Joe Getty]

The point it's much more. You know, the pressure on Netanyahu existed, but he exercised well. He enacted the policy that, all right, you've got an intransigent, you know, party to these negotiations, put maximum pressure on him. Take out Fordo, let the Israelis drop a bomb in Dohar, you know, kill off Hezbollah, kill off Hamas, go into Gaza City, maximum pressure. It's worked a couple of times now, but with Putin, it's kid gloves. And by the way, don't give me. Well, he has nukes, World War Three, blah, blah, blah. You lost the right to make that argument when Tucker Carlson said bombing the Fordo plant would lead to World War Three. Please. It led to a whimpering and just balless. Iran begging for mercy.

[Jack Armstrong]

I finished The Tucker Carlson fourth episode of the World Trade Center 911 documentary.

[Joe Getty]

Oh. Oh, boy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Here's a hint. It's the Jews.

[Katie's Husband]

But.

[Jack Armstrong]

What was I going to say about.

[Joe Getty]

Not the people who are swearing for decades that they would kill us and we know them by name and. Right. Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's something else I was going to say about Putin or whatever. So the Financial Times is reporting that Trump and Zelensky were shouting at each other in their Oval Office meeting on Friday. And when Trump finally decided, nah, not giving tomahawks to you, why? I don't know. That seemed like that was the direction it was going. But anyway, Rand Paul was on one of the talk shows yesterday and he said, people keep talking about sticks. How about carrots? We're hitting them with pretty hard sanctions right now. Why don't. What if we tell Russia we'll release all these sanctions if you end the war? Which of course will be criticized by some as rewarding a completely illegal move of just attacking the country next to you and taking their land, but.

[Joe Getty]

Correct.

[Jack Armstrong]

It would end the war. Could end the war.

[Joe Getty]

No.

[Jack Armstrong]

Got it.

[Joe Getty]

I don't think it would. It would not end Russian aggression in any way. Not closet. For appearances.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. You'd have to put some sort of peacekeeping forces in there, a trigger mechanism.

[Joe Getty]

Would you take from that if, if you were Putin?

[Jack Armstrong]

I would get my ducks back in a row and take more land.

[Joe Getty]

Take Estonia. Yeah. The message is you push hard enough, the west backs down, gives you what you want.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, well, the real.

[Joe Getty]

I wasn't going to give Johnny the candy, but he threw a tantrum. I'm sure it won't happen again.

[Jack Armstrong]

Please. Right, exactly. So similar to the Middle east, is this the thing with Russia and Ukraine, who's going to be the international force that keeps things in place? There in Gaza, who's going to put troops on the ground or whatever. And then that would be the day after situation. Russia, Ukraine, if you come to some sort of agreement, who's going to be the force that keeps the agreement? These questions have not been answered.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it still seems like it's thin ice to me. But we'll see. There are twists in the road ahead. Everybody knew it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Brief version is because I want to be, I want to be helping Ukraine more. Very brief version is Trump was talking really tough about sending Tomahawks and all these different things. Spent two hours on the phone with Putin and then seemed to flip completely back over to that side again. That's what it looked like to me.

[Joe Getty]

So Putin may be the greatest manipulator currently doing business on the planet or.

[Jack Armstrong]

Trump just really likes being his friend or something. And I'm not exactly sure what that is.

[Joe Getty]

I hope that's not the case. I suspect it may be. Yikes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. You know what we gotta get to today, Katie, Katie's special audio clip that we have not played yet. I don't even want to say what it is. We'll let you set it up next segment. Katie, okay. That you brought in. This is a very personal, touching sort of thing. So you're not going to want to miss this. This is an arm. This is an Armstrong and Getty first, I think.

[Joe Getty]

Am I right, Joe?

[Jack Armstrong]

Have we ever done this before? I don't think so.

[Joe Getty]

I don't think so. No.

[Jack Armstrong]

No. Very. Among other things on the way. Stay here.

[Katie's Husband]

Armstrong and Gettys.

[Katie]

Life's messy. We're talking spills, stains, pets and kids. But with Anibe, you never have to stress about Messes again. @washablesofas.com Discover Anibe 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]

Officials are saying this year's fall foliage season will end sooner and will have More muted colors.

[Jack Armstrong]

Cool.

[Joe Getty]

Guess I'll just kill myself then. Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Ah, that's funny. That's kind of a snarky millennial who gives a crap about fall colors sort of joke. That sounds like something my kids would really enjoy, that joke. So, Katie, Katie, Katie needs to set up this clip because this is a big deal.

[Katie's Husband]

Okay. So I've talked a couple of times on the program about how my husband and I have been going through the IVF process get. Trying to get knocked up. And we in the beginning of September, went through the embryo transfer of our little baby boy that will obviously be named Jack Joe, Mike. Mike. Last Thursday, we had our first ultrasound and heartbeat appointment. So unlike me, he has a heart.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's Jack, Joe, Mike, Mike.

[Katie's Husband]

That's little Jack, Joe, Mike Mike's heartbeat.

[Jack Armstrong]

Unlike you, he has a heart. That's a good joke.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah. That's freaking amazing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Isn't that incredible? It is. And I was thinking this the other day because my son's band teacher, they're having their first kid and he's all excited about that. There is nothing as life changing or relationship changing as that first kid. I mean, just everything in the entire world that you think about changes when that happens. And it's just amazing.

[Joe Getty]

When Judy was first pregnant with Caitlyn, many, many moons ago, I dove into fetal development. I became super interested in it for obvious reasons and read books and articles and stuff like that. And I'm not going to get into the politics of this because it's not an appropriate moment, but anybody who thinks a fetus is not a human being till very late in the game has no idea what they're talking about.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh.

[Katie's Husband]

I mean, it's the pictures that I'll put them on. On my Twitter account, she took the cursor and she pointed. You can see his little arms and his legs in the ultrasound, and he is currently the size of a jelly.

[Joe Getty]

Bean, but fully recognizable human. Give it another couple of months.

[Katie's Husband]

Oh, I can't wait. It's just. It's been so amazing. And the process was hard, but so worth it. And to hear that made it. I mean, I knew it was real, but hearing that heartbeat just kind of brought it all the more to life for me.

[Joe Getty]

Of course.

[Jack Armstrong]

How long has that technology been around? Did they have it when your first kid was born, Joe?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

So it's been around that long?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Yeah. I don't know how it's progressed in terms of, like, sensitivity and how early you can hear the heartbeat and that sort of thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know, but like all this stuff unimaginable to my parents. Knowing the sex ahead of time or hearing the heartbeat or knowing anything.

[Katie's Husband]

So my, my. I. I did have. I. I misspoke. I had one ultrasound prior. Could not hear the heartbeat. Last Thursday. Did hear the heartbeat. I'm. I'm at eight and a half weeks.

[Jack Armstrong]

So it was a little fast. Were you drinking a lot of coffee or.

[Katie's Husband]

Oh, just totally jacked up. No, it's just supposed.

[Joe Getty]

Sounds like. Sounds like me after I come up a flight of stairs pretty much.

[Jack Armstrong]

Exactly.

[Joe Getty]

It's more stairs than it looks.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's me four cups of coffee in.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that's Jack when he's having one of his caffeine freezers.

[Katie's Husband]

He starts checking his pulse.

[Jack Armstrong]

End up in the ER because I drink so much coffee.

[Joe Getty]

Amazing. Absolutely amazing. The miracle of life. And the fact that a certain segment of our political population thinks that a woman's supernatural goddess like miraculous ability to bring life into the world is somehow a lesser occupation than occupying a cubicle and making a few bucks. That's a much more important and respectable thing to do.

[Jack Armstrong]

It makes you equal with men.

[Joe Getty]

Yes.

[Katie's Husband]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

Why? Why would you want to be equal with men? You're capable of miracles. The only miracle that counts and, and that's being devalued. Family is being devalued. Makes me insane.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, congratulations on being a birthing person.

[Katie's Husband]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[Joe Getty]

Men. Men can give birth too. So let's not be using prejudicial terms like mother.

[Jack Armstrong]

True.

[Katie's Husband]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well.

[Katie's Husband]

And so little Jack. Joe. Mike. Mike is due on May 27th.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, that's a good. That's a good time. Good time, isn't it?

[Joe Getty]

For short, probably. Joe.

[Katie]

Right?

[Joe Getty]

Something's gotta give.

[Jack Armstrong]

Thank you for sharing that, Katie.

[Joe Getty]

You know, that's wonderful, Katie.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know what I did this morning, it was horrifying. Well, I didn't do it on purpose. It just happened. For whatever reason, I woke up and I was convinced it was Saturday morning. So I woke up and I was like thinking of my plans for the day and oh, you know, God's cruelest trick I just was going through. You know, it looks like it's going to be nice and probably ride my bike and then I'll do this and clean the garage.

[Joe Getty]

That's Monday.

[Jack Armstrong]

Not only was it not Saturday, it was freaking Monday, which is the week.

[Joe Getty]

You'Re gonna get down the salt mine. You're gonna dig, boy. That's what you're gonna do.

[Jack Armstrong]

God, that was so tough on my psyche. It was painful. I thought I was gonna cry.

[Joe Getty]

So after these life affirming moments, how about this? Young women are nuts and proud of it. And the Internet has a lot to do with it in a really insidious way.

[Jack Armstrong]

Not surprised.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, we'll have that for you next hour.

[Jack Armstrong]

Great. So that's lots of stuff. We do 20 hours of live radio every single week. If you missed a segment or an hour, get the podcast. You should subscribe to Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty. This is an iHeart podcast.