I've Never Tried To Lift An Elephant

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: "I've Never Tried To Lift An Elephant" – Detailed Summary

Release Date: June 18, 2025 | Host: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty | Produced by iHeartPodcasts

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1. Introduction

In this episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into a range of pressing topics, from military strategies and political controversies to social issues and cybersecurity threats. The conversation is punctuated with sharp criticisms, in-depth analyses, and notable quotes that provide listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the current socio-political landscape.

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2. Foreign Policy and Military Strategy

a. Critique of Democratic Figures on Military Matters

The hosts begin by addressing recent statements made by Democratic senators regarding military parades and foreign policy. Jack Armstrong criticizes Senator Ilhan Omar and Senator John Fetterman for their remarks on the U.S. military and international interventions.

• Jack Armstrong discusses Senator Ilhan Omar's stance:
  “[...] Senator, she is an America hating Islamist. Yes, correct.” [02:00]

• Mike Lyons adds to the critique of Senator Fetterman:
  “He said Israel should use its successful campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which culminated with the assassination of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, as a model for how to deal with Iran.” [02:13]

b. The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator and Iran's Nuclear Facility

A significant portion of the discussion centers around the potential military actions against Iran's Fordo nuclear facility, focusing on the deployment of the GBU-57 bomb.

• Mike Lyons introduces the topic:
  “Here's something silly. So Joe was bringing us some of the facts about this giant bomb we're probably going to drop on Fordo.” [03:28]

• Jack Armstrong elaborates on the bomb's capabilities:
  “It's got more nicknames than puff Daddy. The GBU 57. Also called the Massive Ordnance Penetrator. Also known as the mother of all bombs. Or the moab, also known as the Bunker Buster.” [04:29]

c. Interview with Military Analyst Mike Lyons

To provide expert insight, the hosts bring in military analyst Mike Lyons, who shares his perspectives on the potential consequences of military interventions in Iran.

• Jack Armstrong asks about worst-case scenarios:
  “If things went really wrong, what would it look like? [...] Who knew you're going to end up with ISIS and an insurgency and everything falling apart.” [05:25]

• Mike Lyons responds with concerns about prolonged conflict:
  “Yeah, yeah. Which is why I'm in favor of making outreach and I'm sure this is happening right now to some of the key generals who are not with Allah at this point and saying, hey, it's time for the mullahs to go.” [05:57]

d. Discussion on Regime Change and Military Capacity

The conversation delves into the complexities of regime change in Iran, the potential for internal conflict, and the role of international allies like Israel.

• Richard Karn discusses potential Iranian military responses:
  “They do have military equipment inside the country. So whoever is organizing the resistance [...] they're going to know that they're going to get a hold of that military equipment.” [27:12]

• Mike Lyons highlights Israel's strategic capabilities:
  “The Israeli ambassador to the United States said [...] We've got some tricks up our sleeve that are going to make the pager attack on Hezbollah pale in comparison.” [28:09]

e. Technical Insights on GBU-57 Bomb

The hosts explore the technical aspects of the GBU-57, including its design, accuracy, and deployment limitations.

• Jack Armstrong inquires about the bomb's functionality:
  “How does it dig 250ft through solid rock before it explodes? Is that just weight and shape and trajectory?” [31:56]

• Richard Karn explains the bomb's design:
  “It's Newton's law of physics. It weighs 30,000 pounds. I mean, it just gets into the ground. It's rocket-assisted, it's got fins. It's just that level of velocity that's, that allows it to do it.” [32:11]

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3. Political Commentary

a. New York Mayoral Election Analysis

The hosts critique the current state of New York's political landscape, focusing on the mayoral race and the candidates involved.

• Mike Lyons expresses disdain for the candidates:
  “He's getting blasted by a lot of people. He's hardly ever had a job in his life.” [08:32]

• Jack Armstrong comments on the deterioration of New York politics:
  “Now it's just off the rails. And I love New York and I love you.” [10:42]

b. Supreme Court's Decision on Transgender Care

Armstrong and Getty discuss the Supreme Court's recent decision to uphold Tennessee's ban on transgender medical procedures for minors, highlighting perceived media biases.

• Jack Armstrong deconstructs media framing:
  “It's a setback for believers in radical gender theory [...] It is a setback for them, sure, thank God.” [19:10]

• Mike Lyons critiques headline phrasing:
  “But you don't present it the way most of your readers are going to receive it. Most of your readers think, good. So it's not a setback.” [19:20]

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4. Social Issues

a. Transgender Rights and Parental Advocacy

The hosts explore the implications of the Supreme Court's decision, emphasizing parental rights and the protection of minors.

• Jack Armstrong emphasizes the decision's importance:
  “It's a major victory for parental rights advocates and those seeking to protect distressed children from harmful operations.” [18:37]

• Mike Lyons supports the ruling's fairness:
  “Yeah, And I don't think that's the least bit unfair or prejudicial, even in the way that's written.” [18:43]

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5. Entertainment

a. Critique of Bruce Springsteen Biopic

Armstrong and Getty share their skepticism and criticism of the new Bruce Springsteen biopic, questioning its accuracy and Springsteen's personal evolution.

• Mike Lyons expresses dislike for Springsteen:
  “My dislike for him is so high at this point. Yeah, his, his, his, like, condescending certainty is just so thick.” [10:42]

• Jack Armstrong on Springsteen’s authenticity:
  “He was kind of cosplaying. He came from that.” [11:23]

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6. Business

a. Employee Satisfaction in Fast Food Chains

The hosts analyze a report highlighting In-N-Out Burger as the fast food chain with the happiest employees, comparing it to other chains like McDonald's and Burger King.

• Jack Armstrong shares the report's findings:
  “A new report found that out of all the fast food chains in America, the happiest employees work at In N Out Burger.” [15:17]

• Mike Lyons discusses business strategies:
  “I don't understand why it's not profitable to pay people more and have better customer service.” [17:18]

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7. Cybersecurity and National Vulnerabilities

a. Potential Chinese Cyber Attacks

Armstrong and Getty address concerns about China's cyber capabilities and the potential for future attacks on U.S. infrastructure.

• Jack Armstrong warns about vulnerabilities:
  “We ought to have an extended chat at some point about America's vulnerabilities in that way, because I don't think we spend nearly enough time talking about it.” [29:22]

b. On-Air Cyber Attack Incident

During the episode, the hosts experience a simulated cyber attack, highlighting the immediacy and realism of such threats.

• Jack Armstrong attributes technical issues to a cyber attack:
  “That's the Chinese cyber attack we just warned you about in the last segment.” [35:44]

• Mike Lyons comments on the situation:
  “Probably is. We have our best people on it.” [35:48]

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8. Additional Highlights

a. Senator Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson's Interview

The conversation touches on an upcoming interview between Senator Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson, anticipating heated discussions regarding military intervention in Iran.

• Mike Lyons anticipates the interview's intensity:
  “Ted Cruz was a national champion debater, so he doesn't mind sparring with anybody. Tucker's crazy smart and [...] it's going to be pretty damned entertaining.” [37:16]

• Jack Armstrong critiques the media's portrayal:
  “Tucker's gift is he willfully misinterprets what you've said in a way that sounds perfectly reasonable.” [38:08]

b. Humorous Advertisements Interlude

Throughout the episode, there are brief interruptions by humorous advertisements for products like the Pocket Hose Copperhead, adding a light-hearted element to the intense discussions.

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9. Conclusion

In "I've Never Tried To Lift An Elephant," Armstrong and Getty deliver a robust and multifaceted discussion encapsulating critical viewpoints on military strategies, political dynamics, social issues, and national security. Through incisive commentary and expert insights, the episode offers listeners a thought-provoking exploration of contemporary challenges facing the United States.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Jack Armstrong on Democratic Figures:
  “That Senator, she is an America hating Islamist. Yes, correct.” [02:01]

• Mike Lyons on GBU-57:
  “It's weighing 30,000 pounds. So you can try to imagine it. A school bus. Standard full size school bus. Weighs 30,000 pounds.” [04:17]

• Jack Armstrong on Media Framing of Transgender Care:
  “It's a move forward for believers in radical gender theory and the idea of sexualizing and mutilating children.” [19:20]

• Mike Lyons on In-N-Out's Employee Satisfaction:
  “But I've known other grocery store chains where they pay people better and have better employees in their. Always packed.” [16:48]

• Richard Karn on GBU-57's Functionality:
  “It's got fins to it but, but probably a good situation where again, not like Top Gun Maverick where you got to hit the grill.” [33:01]

• Jack Armstrong on Cyber Vulnerabilities:
  “We ought to have an extended chat at some point about America's vulnerabilities in that way.” [29:22]

• Mike Lyons on Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson:
  “Ted Cruz was a national champion debater, so he doesn't mind sparring with anybody.” [37:16]

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the "I've Never Tried To Lift An Elephant" episode, providing listeners with a clear and detailed overview of the topics covered.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Joe Getty]

The medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States. Recipients have done the improbable, the unexpected, showing immense bravery and sacrifice in the name of something much bigger than themselves.

[Jack Armstrong]

This medal is for the men who went down that day.

[Joe Getty]

On Medal of Honor Stories of Courage, you'll hear about these heroes and what their stories tell us about the nature of bravery. Listen to Medal of Honor on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Jack Armstrong]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln radio studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now he's Armstrong and Getty. To have a democracy, a beacon of hope for the world to now be turned into one of the, you know, one of the worst countries where the military are in our streets without any regard for people's constitutional rights, while our president spending millions of dollars, prompting himself up like a failed dictator with a military parade.

[Mike Lyons]

Remember, that's our soldiers. That' syou know, this is not an occupying force.

[Richard Karn]

You know, this is a 250 anniversary for the ARM.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why? I'm not sure why.

[Richard Karn]

It's outrageous to have a parade to celebrate the army.

[Mike Lyons]

It's celebrating, you know, a quarter of a millennia about the American Army.

[Richard Karn]

It's like, I don't understand why that's controversial.

[Mike Lyons]

Two Democrats there, so I thought that was interesting. That's Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota who hates this country, saying Trump was a failed dictator with his military parade, spending money that we don't have, blah, blah, blah.

[Jack Armstrong]

And that Senator, she is an America hating Islamist. Yes, correct.

[Mike Lyons]

Senator Fetterman, also a Democrat, saying, what's wrong? It's 250th birth of our great army and we're honoring that. What I don't understand the downside there. So there you go, two Democrats.

[Jack Armstrong]

You hear the other stuff Fetterman was saying about the Israel, Iran situation. He said Israel should use its successful campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which culminated with the assassination of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, as a model for how to deal with Iran. Yeah, just like Nasrallah. He said when asked whether the Jewish state should target Khamenei. In fact, it should have been when Israel began to dismantle Iran. Israel's fully earned the right to do whatever to finish off Iran. He said, consider what Israel has accomplished. Crushed Hamas, same with the Houthis. Neutered Hezbollah. Syria fell. All those so called experts are absolutely wrong. Iran turned out to be the ultimate paper tiger and it needs to Be put away.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah. So Fetterman is pro regime change as a Democratic senator. Then you got Rand Paul, a Republican who said on Meet the Press over the weekend that a preemptive war is not justified. This is an unjustified war as a. As a preventative or preemptive war, which I think is nuts. You have to let your enemy get the worst weapon in the world before you can go to war with them.

[Richard Karn]

Okay.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. I think Rand is out of his mind. But I absolutely love the dissent we have in this country. The fact that people can speak out and Ilhan Omar can pitch her America hating Islamism and I can call her out for it.

[Mike Lyons]

Here's something silly. So Joe was bringing us some of the facts about this giant bomb we're probably going to drop on Fordo. Gotta drop a couple of them.

[Jack Armstrong]

Fascinating. Can burrow 200 yards into solid rock before it explodes.

[Mike Lyons]

It weighs 30,000 pounds. So Chat GPT helpfully gave us some other things that weigh 30,000 pounds. So you can try to imagine it. A school bus. Standard full size school bus. Weighs 30,000 pounds. Fully loaded U haul truck. 10 mid sized cars. Or three African elegant elephants. Large male African elephant. Weighs about 10,000. So three full sized elephants. I don't know. Did that make it easier for me to picture the way to the bomb or. I don't have that much concept. I've never tried to lift an elephant.

[Jack Armstrong]

Now I'm thinking about elephants. That's. That's the only thing that did for me. Really?

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Don't know if that was easy, Jumbo. Easy. We're not gonna hurl you at fordo.

[Mike Lyons]

I'm just trying to lift you to get a sense of how heavy you are.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Hold still, would you? Yeah, yeah. It's a really an amazing weapon. The, the. It's got more nicknames than puff Daddy. The GBU 57. Also called the Massive Ordnance Penetrator. Also known as the mother of all bombs. Or the moab, also known as the Bunker Buster. It's all the same bomb we're talking about. Son of a.

[Mike Lyons]

It's not a smart bomb though, is it? It's just like gravity. You let go and gravity takes it down.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, no, it's too smart. Super targetable.

[Mike Lyons]

Oh, it is. Okay. I didn't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Scroll down. Maneuverable, I believe.

[Mike Lyons]

Dropped. I don't know that. Maybe it is.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know, I don't. I don't know. I know it can be very, very accurate. The specific. I'll have to dig for the specific. Specific technology later.

[Mike Lyons]

This Hour, we're going to talk to Mike Lyons. And the question. I mean, we had him on Monday, but there are so many things that have happened. I want to know the possible downside. I mean, if things went really wrong, what would it look like? Because I'm having trouble picturing that. But I didn't really picture what was going to happen in Iraq either. Who knew you're going to end up with ISIS and an insurgency and everything falling apart.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. Which is why I'm in favor of making outreach and I'm sure this is happening right now to some of the key generals who are not with Allah at this point and saying, hey, it's time for the mullahs to go. You're practical people, you're just greed heads. We can deal with you. Let's talk about the future.

[Mike Lyons]

Well, the son of the Shah of Iran, the guy that was in charge before the Muslim nut jobs took over, he put out a big statement yesterday saying, now is the time for everyone to rise up against the regime and take it back. And I don't know if the. The under unsaid part of that is. And put me in charge. I don't know, because we got a text earlier saying, unlike Ira, where there was no plan for who would be in charge, the Shah's son is going to take over. Well, okay, that's fine. I don't know who would declare that, but there might be some military generals who say, no, he ain't. I'm going to. And then a different military general says, you think you are? No, no, no, I am. And then they go to war and things get very ugly, as has happened throughout the history of the world.

[Jack Armstrong]

And then you've got three different guys who say, I'm the most Islamic of all of you people. I'm more faithful and adamant and whatever the. I can't remember as I sen.

[Richard Karn]

Moment.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, they're devout. They're. I'm more devout than anybody, so I deserve to be at the end. And it's a bloodbath for decades. It could happen.

[Mike Lyons]

Sure.

[Jack Armstrong]

Who is the occupying force that deals with that? If it's Iran itself, there will be plenty of exporting of horror, but that'll be mostly their problem. It's got to be internal. Who is. It's. It's a nation of 90 million people. It's a big country.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

You can't occupy it.

[Mike Lyons]

We played John Fetterman a little bit ago. Reminded me of this. So New York's got a mayoral election going on in which the. Which Case, the best choice for anybody who leans right is freaking Cuomo. It's unbelievable.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, I'd say. Does it? Anybody who doesn't lean all the way.

[Mike Lyons]

Left because the opponents are various shades of 100% Communists or Marxists. Cuomo, the lying, killing old people, destroying evidence will grab your daughter if he gets the chance. Scumbag is going to be the mayor of New York and it's the best choice.

[Jack Armstrong]

Excelsior.

[Mike Lyons]

Here's the guy in second place currently, Zoran Mamdani, who's running. And the reason I thought of Fetterman is he's getting blasted by a lot of people. He's hardly ever had a job in his life. He's about 50. He's hardly ever had a job in his life with just three years in the workforce, including his rap career, which he had for a while, and some gig he had for his mom. His mom had him doing something and he had a rap.

[Jack Armstrong]

Is he a trustafarian? Yeah, sort of.

[Mike Lyons]

He has no professional experience, like at all and has never really done anything. But that was our knock on Fetterman. He had been laying around on his mom's couch and do nothing. And he's fantastic and like, seems like a really smart guy with good judgment to me.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Since the stroke, weirdly enough. Yeah, this, this trustafarian guy in New York is. He is just a treat. I mean, there is no, you know, communist Marxist program so discredited that he can't endorse it. Rent control and just. He's in favor of everything that's been a miserable failure. Every time it's been tried, it's a measure of something. And I'm sure there are brilliant treatises and books written on this, but the fact that Brandon Johnson should be the mayor of Chicago, I mean, he is a hack and a half witness. Now, you might have this communist in charge of New York. Don't get me started on the west coast cities which went so far down the road. Some of them are actually lurching back rightward. San Francisco, tip of the cap. There's. There's something very, very weird going on politically, I mean, because New York. I'm familiar with the history of New York mayors. I mean, going way, way back. You know, Mayor Koch and Dinkins and cast of characters, Rudy Giuliani, much like Cal Unicornia. It used to be a city that leaned one way but would go back and forth. And then was. Was pretty sane in a lot of ways. Now it's just off the rails. And I love New York and I love you.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah, you don't sound like a nut at all. Did you see the trailer is out? I haven't seen it yet. Before we take a break, did you see that there's a new Bruce Springsteen biopic out?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, man.

[Mike Lyons]

Speaking of. Never had a job. He never had a job. Even though he came up as a Representing the working class. Working class hero dude.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, he was kind of cosplaying. He came from that.

[Mike Lyons]

He did come from that. He was surrounded by that, but he wasn't that. He was definitely cosplaying.

[Jack Armstrong]

And so if he hadn't ruined it all by going like, uber limousine liberal, I would be interested in that.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah. So I just wondering how accurate it'll be to his story. And I listened to a lot of music over the weekend as I dropped my son off in LA and then had to drive back. So a lot of driving and I went through a whole bunch of Bruce Springsteen stuff in my many hour drive and it was almost hard to enjoy. My dislike for him is so high at this point. Yeah, his, his, his, like, condescending certainty is just so thick.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's just.

[Richard Karn]

Ah.

[Mike Lyons]

And the fact that so much of his. Now that I know he's such a cosplaying phony on a lot of this stuff, even, you know, you don't. I'm trying to think of an example. There are a lot of writers who wrote things that they didn't personally do themselves. Doesn't mean the writing's not good.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. And. And there's absolutely value to art that represents a certain, you know, group of people in their lives and their values and that sort of thing. And sometimes artist is not of them, but I think it. It's hard to take now that he's become what he's become.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah, you can't.

[Jack Armstrong]

You can't give him the benefit of the doubt anymore because of that smug, condescending certainty about everything. Hey, Bruce, I'm not a monster. I'm a pretty reasonable guy and, you know, medium bright. You and I disagree completely. Doesn't that interest you at all? Or you just assume that I'm some.

[Mike Lyons]

Sort of monster with evil intentions.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, exactly.

[Mike Lyons]

6 3. Rolling for the Supreme Court in the direction you want. If you think the transgender thing has gone off the rails, something Robert said in his majority opinion is getting attention straight up fire, as some people call it. Maybe, maybe we can get to that. Among other things on the way.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[J.R. Martinez]

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[Mike Lyons]

By texting 64,000 you agree to receive recurring automated marketing messages from Pocket Hose.

[Richard Karn]

Message and data rates may apply. No purchase required.

[Mike Lyons]

Terms apply.

[Joe Getty]

Available at pockethose.com Terms the Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States. Recipients have done the improbable, showing immense bravery and sacrifice in the name of something much bigger than themselves.

[Jack Armstrong]

This medal is for the men who went down that day. It's for the families of those who didn't make it.

[Joe Getty]

I'm J.R. martinez. I'm a U.S. army veteran myself, and I'm honored to tell you the stories of these heroes on the new season of Medal of Stories of Courage from Pushkin Industries and I Heart podcast from Robert Blake, the first black sailor to be awarded the medal to Daniel Daly, one of only 19 people to have received the Medal of Honor twice. These are stories about people who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor going above and beyond the call of duty. You'll hear about what they did, what it meant, and what their stories tell us about the nature of courage and sacrifice. Sacrifice. Listen to Medal of Honor on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Jack Armstrong]

Some business news A new report found that out of all the fast food chains in America, the happiest employees work at In N Out Burger.

[Mike Lyons]

Well, In N Out put out an ad to celebrate.

[Jack Armstrong]

Check this out. In N Out Burger is proud to have America's happiest employees. We always believe that a happy employee makes a happy customer. So thanks for wearing the red apron and being so dedicated.

[Richard Karn]

In N Out Burger.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's nice, right?

[Mike Lyons]

I like that. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, hang on. I'm hearing that another restaurant chain just made an ad about their workers, too. Watch this.

[J.R. Martinez]

Welcome to Waffle House. Forget a nine to five, you're working nine to survive. It's the apron.

[Mike Lyons]

You're gonna need a Captain America shield.

[Jack Armstrong]

To make it into Octagon.

[Mike Lyons]

Just hang in there till closing time.

[Richard Karn]

Sight we never close.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, there's a hurricane fire belt to a pipe.

[Mike Lyons]

Keep making waffles, jackass. I'm making waffles.

[J.R. Martinez]

Waff Waffle House.

[Jack Armstrong]

Get your rabies shot. That's pretty good.

[Mike Lyons]

Tie yourself to what? And keep making waffles.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Mike Lyons]

So we are driving to Los Angeles, and we're at the in and out right before you get to the Grapevine. And it's Saturday, 11 o' clock in the morning, and it's so crowded. I mean, it was just a mad house, the drive through, and we went in and everything like that. And I'm looking over, there's a Burger king, there's a McDonald's. There's what?

[Jack Armstrong]

And there's, like, hardly anybody there. So I just.

[Mike Lyons]

I don't understand why it's not profitable to pay people more and have better customer service. Because I'm making the assumption that most of it is people like the customer service. And maybe it's mostly just because people like the burgers better. I don't know. But in and out's always completely packed. Same with Chick Fil A. Same with this grocery store chain, locally, the. The Nugget. But I've known other grocery store chains where they pay people better and have better employees in their. Always packed.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it just.

[Mike Lyons]

I don't understand the. It must. Must pencil out to have the employees. You pay the minimum and everybody hates it, but you come out ahead because you. Whatever.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, they're. They're kind of different markets, they're different submarkets, and you target one or the other. The people running McDonald's aren't trying to, quote, unquote, compete with the In N Out burger. Exactly. But different price point, different clientele.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah, I just. I would think being super busy would be worth paying people more. But it must not pencil out, like I said.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. So I wanted to get to this. I'm changing plans real quickly because earlier we'd shared with you, for instance, the New York Times Supreme Court upholds Tennessee ban on transgender care, Setback for transgender rights, part of the Trump administration's fierce assaults on transgender rights. Here's an alternate way to put it. This is the National Review. Supreme Court upholds Tennessee ban on transgender medical procedures for minors. The Supreme Court upheld the state of Tennessee's ban on irreversible transgender procedures for minors. A major victory for parental rights advocates and those seeking to protect distressed children from harmful operations. Amen. Hallelujah.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah, And I don't think that's the least bit unfair or prejudicial, even in the way that's written.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, no, that is factually correct. Using, you know, gender affirming care, which is a bizarre phrase designed purely to beg the question, win the argument. That ought to. That is that that ought to be in quotes.

[Mike Lyons]

Well, and then having in the headline, almost every headline I've seen a setback. How do you have a setback for something a majority of people don't like?

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a move forward for believers in radical gender theory and the idea of sexualizing and mutilating children. It is a setback for them, sure, thank God.

[Mike Lyons]

But you don't present it the way most of your readers are going to receive it. Most of your readers think, good. So it's not a setback.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is absolutely, you know, another example of how perverse and bubbled the media is. They have no idea.

[Mike Lyons]

So the war within the Republican Party, whether or not we should get more heavily involved in the war with Iran. Those of you who think it's a horrible idea, gonna ask Mike Lyons what could go wrong? What would going wrong look like? Among other things?

[Jack Armstrong]

Coming up, Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States. Recipients have done the improbable, showing immense bravery and sacrifice in the name of something much bigger than themselves.

[Jack Armstrong]

This medal is for the men who went down that day. It's for the families of those who didn't make it.

[Joe Getty]

I'm J.R. martinez. I'm a U.S. army veteran myself, and I'm honored to tell you the stories of these heroes on the new season of Medal of Stories of Courage from Pushkin Industries and I Heart podcast from Robert Blake, the first black sailor to be awarded the medal to Daniel Daly, one of only 19 people to have received the Medal of Honor twice. These are stories about people who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor going above and beyond the call of duty. You'll hear about what they did, what it meant, and what their stories tell us about the nature of courage and sacrifice. Listen to Medal of Honor on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Mike Lyons]

Tucker Carlson is sort of the leading voice on we shouldn't get involved in, in these forever wars, as he calls them, and it's going to destroy the country. He actually said with Steve Bannon the other day that this will destroy Trump's president, could destroy the American empire if we get involved in attacking Iran. He had Senator Ted Cruz on yesterday for a long episode which doesn't come out till today. But this is the clip they released from that Ted Cruz, who is in favor of getting involved in attacking Iran.

[Jack Armstrong]

How many people live in Iran, by the way? I don't know the population. At all? No, I don't know the population. You don't know the population of the country you seek to topple? How many people living around 92 million. Okay.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

How could you not know that?

[Mike Lyons]

I, I don't sit around memorizing population tables.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, it's kind of relevant because you're calling for the overthrow of the government. Why is it relevant whether it's 90.

[Mike Lyons]

Million or 80 million or 100 million.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why is it relevant? Because if you don't know anything about the country. I didn't say I don't know anything about. Okay, what's the ethnic mix of Iran? They are Persians and predominantly Shia. Okay, you don't know anything about Iran. So. Okay.

[Mike Lyons]

I am not the Tucker Carlson expert on Iran.

[Jack Armstrong]

You're a senator who's calling. You're the one who is the government about the country.

[Mike Lyons]

No, you don't know anything about the country. So as jazzy little clip that they released, I look forward to more of that conversation. But what I've been wondering about, you know, I didn't anticipate what was going to happen in Iraq after we invaded. What would it look like if things went wrong with Iran? We dropped the bunker busters and then, then what's the like, worst case scenario? I don't even know what's, what's the downside.

[Jack Armstrong]

Let's talk to military analyst Mike Lyons, who served the United States military in a variety of capacities throughout his career, including NATO. Mike, welcome. How are you?

[Richard Karn]

Good to be back.

[Mike Lyons]

So if things went off the rails, went the wrong direction, you know, unleashed the dogs of war, you never would know what's going to happen. What would that look like?

[Richard Karn]

Well, first of all, this is not Iraq of 2003. Nothing similar to that at all. If we get involved militarily, we're going to thread this very thin needle when it comes to Fordo and the facility and the fact that we designed a weapon system just to do exactly that. Go after and destroy this facility of which is not guaranteed it would happen either. It's, it's well reinforced, well underground concrete bunkers, 90 degree angles. We're not sure we can get a straight target out to it. So multiple passes could take place. Lots of things could go wrong. This is not a guarantee that we would do anything, but that's the only thing we would do now. We're not going to get involved with regime change. We're not targeting Khomeini. We're not going to do that. We're going to leave that to the Israelis whatsoever. So I don't believe the Colin Powell, you break it, you buy it rule applies here. I think we're just going to help Israel if they ask for this one very specific mission. Oh, but I do think you'll have to put boots on the ground, though. You're going to have to send boots in there to make sure. Oh yeah, yeah. I'm not Talking about the 1st Armored Division, but JSOC Special Forces we have in Syria right now. You're going to have to put some eyes on the ground to make sure that that facility has actually been destroyed. And again, not large formations, but it's likely what was going to have to happen as well.

[Jack Armstrong]

You don't think the Israelis could handle that?

[Richard Karn]

They probably could. I'm sure we're going to want to. If we drop the, if we drop it, we're going to want to go see ourselves. I guarantee it. JSOC is not going to leave the room unless they have that authorization to go as I think that they could handle it. They're handling a whole lot right now, but they're running a sprint. Their campaign has been a sprint and they will run out of ammunition, they'll run out of capability. It'll culminate here in a few weeks. And I think, you know, people I talk to say they think that they could get this over with by the end of next week. And what's, what does that mean? Well, it means that they think they've destroyed all the uranium nuclear capability. And I think it includes Florida, which means we have gotten involved. And from their perspective, they want regime change. So they're going to own that should. And when that come, I'd like to think that we're working diplomatically behind the scenes right now, getting other countries involved like we did during Desert Storm, again where it was effective. But I just don't know. We'll see what happens. It's a great opportunity. It's a tremendous opportunity for the United States to get the Middle east fixed once and for all for the next century.

[Mike Lyons]

Well, I agree. But to get back to the worst case scenario, since that's the big argument within the Republican Party right now, there is some reporting yesterday that Iran is positioning missile launchers or whatever to try to attack specifically our base in Iraq. If Iran does do that, do we get drug into this on a bigger level?

[Richard Karn]

I still think no. I think we respond maybe a little bit disproportionately, let's say. But it doesn't mean we're going to go after the supreme leader. We're going to go after their military capability. And I don't think that's the case. I think it's a lot of bluster. I think they're out. They don't have planes that don't fly. If we wanted to put the arrangements at the bottom of the Persian Gulf, it would take probably 30 minutes if they're even out there anyway. So again, this is a lot of bluster that's taking place of capacity that they don't have that I think that doesn't drag us in. This is not 2003. It's completely different. The targets are completely different. In 2003 we overthrown Saddam, we get regime change. Yeah, no question. We didn't think about phase five. Now what? And that got us into the forever war. Now I'm not telling you that it's going to be easy here because the ethnic mix in Iran is challenging as Tucker was trying to trap Senator Cruz into saying, it's fundamentally Persian though it's fundamentally non Arab actually. And that's where I believe where it will go should that happen.

[Jack Armstrong]

If you were to take a wild guess what I know you said we're not specifically looking for regime change, I wonder if the Israelis would agree. But if indeed the leadership structure gets shaken up in Iran, what do you anticipate would happen next? Military dictatorship for till further notice?

[Richard Karn]

Right. I'm not sure where the cuds force and where the Republican Guard units are. Where's the army in this whole fight? They're not anywhere, you know, they're not in the streets. We don't there's no pictures. There's nothing going on. So I'd like to think that they would have the first shot at this, I believe and then I then based on what civilians control there, which is really not a lot, it's very dispersed of where the situation is. It does make a difference who gets control of the military equipment and they do have a large army because they, you know, but again, that army can't invade Israel anytime soon. And the fact that they've used these proxies who are also invisible. Right. There's no allies on the side of the Iranians right now. So. But again, they do have military equipment inside the country. So whoever is organizing the resistance, and perhaps Mossad is working that inside already, they're going to know that they're going to get a hold of that military equipment, because that's going to really matter once the. Once that leader topples.

[Mike Lyons]

Well, I don't know if you heard what the Israeli ambassador to the United States said on Monday, but in an interview he said, wait till Thursday or Friday. We've got some tricks up our sleeve that are going to make the pager attack on Hezbollah pale in comparison. That's more or less what he's saying. Holy crap.

[Richard Karn]

Yeah. Israel is so creative. Right. And I think so. For example, I just talked about the military equipment. They could have some kind of cyber attack that renders all of that equipment unusable. I mean, they think well over the horizon. They are so creative and they figure. So I have to think that, you know, they're ahead of every enemy they've ever faced. Right. Hezbollah, with the pagers getting blown up in your pants and every step of the way. So I have to think that they have laid the groundwork for knowing full well that that military equipment threatens any kind of revolution that takes place. And it's probably cyber. It's probably something that's going to render that equipment just a bunch of pillboxes that won't be able to be used.

[Mike Lyons]

Wow.

[Richard Karn]

See them in the streets, right? Yeah.

[Mike Lyons]

That would be something to see and a warning for us about what China could do to us someday.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, goodness. Yeah.

[Richard Karn]

No question. Every day we learn about China. Drones. We're still just scratched the surface on creativity when it comes to drones, but we're not even. I hope. We're thinking about it, Mike.

[Jack Armstrong]

We ought to have an extended chat at some point about America's vulnerabilities in that way, because I don't think we spend nearly enough time talking about it. But we'll table that for the moment. Tell us what you know about the massive ordinance penetrator, the GBU 57, that they're thinking of using against the Ford O site.

[Richard Karn]

Right. So that was a specific weapon designed to penetrate DB bunkers. The original. The original one was A28. The GB28. And that was back in the Persian Gulf War to get to Saddam's bunker busters back then. But they knew, as Iran learns from Israel attacking the nuclear facilities, that they had to bury it. And what North Korea does, this is also. North Korea has the same check. In fact, North Korea helped the Iranians build it. But this one penetrates 250ft, goes well into it now and it's, it drives through the ground. That's the difference between the Moab and the Moab. The Moab is the massive ordnance air burst. Right. The air burst is a different kind of weapon system. It's the upper conventional limits of conventional warfare. It doesn't penetrate the ground. It creates over pressurization, destroys everything in a wide area of space. This bunker buster goes deep into the ground on purpose, deep into the ground and blows up there. However, the way that this bunker is designed with right angles, we all saw Top Gun, right? We all think that this is going to be this target, that they're going to double tap once and double tap twice. It's just not going to work that way. They're going to have to hit multiple different areas to try to funnel in to get all the centrifuges that exist in this very extensive plant.

[Mike Lyons]

By the way, before we let you go, Wall Street Journal is reporting today that Israel is running out of some of their equipment they're using to shoot down missiles and everything.

[Richard Karn]

Likely the arrows and David Slings, those are the ones and the Thaad, those are the ones that are protecting them against the Iranian missiles, if not Iron Dome. Iron Dome was purely rockets and Hezbollah and kind of close in battle. And I know the heads up came before and we're going to try to resupply them as much as we can, which is why I think you've seen the Navy move in. The Navy has interceptors and can go after some of those cruise missiles. The thing is the Iranians are just shooting at targets that they can't aim at, they can't hit. They don't even know what they're hitting. They're just terror weapons at this point.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hey, a follow up question on the GBU 57, the bunker poster. How does it do what it does? How does it dig 250ft through solid rock before it explodes? Is that just weight and shape and trajectory? How does it do that?

[Richard Karn]

Yeah, it's Newton's law of physics. It weighs 30,000 pounds. I mean, it just gets into the ground. It's rocket assisted, it's got fins. It's just that level of velocity that's, that's in on it, that, that allows it to do it. So, you know it's, it's never used, been used in combat before. So we really don't know if it'll go 250ft or 200ft, but it's designed to go into the ground and when you drop it from a B2, which is the only aircraft that can deliver it, which is the issue, see a C130. A C130 is a prop driven slow and low aircraft delivers the Moab because the Moab doesn't, you know, have the same requirement to be as the B2 has got to get very high in the altitude, drop it from a very long space, let, let Sir Isaac Newton take a hold of it and drive that bomb right into the ground.

[Jack Armstrong]

And how accurate is it?

[Richard Karn]

Very accurate because it's GPU guided. I mean it's got fins to it but, but probably a good situation where again, not like Top Gun Maverick where you got to hit the grill. You know, if it gets close, it's going to be okay. I'm sure that they have the weak spots in where they believe that, that, that that plant is and where Fordo is and they know exhaust, exhaust pipes for example and areas like that. But, but again, right angles in different ways that the, that the bunker has been designed still are going to make it difficult to just think we're going to get it in one pass. It's going to take multiple, multiple passes to take that down.

[Jack Armstrong]

Military analyst Mike Lyons. Great stuff, Mike. We truly do appreciate it. Thanks.

[Richard Karn]

Great guys. Thanks for having me, as always.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah, that was really good. So informative.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, wow.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah, no kidding. Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, that, that cyber stuff you're talking about both Israel's capabilities and what might be happening in the next 48 hours and our vulnerabilities to China's decades long efforts to infiltrate the US in every conceivable way it can. Man, that's, that's some worrisome stuff.

[Mike Lyons]

Maybe the best thing that's ever happened to us is Ukraine and Russia and Israel and Hamas and Iran. In that we get to see the latest technologies used and wake us up to them that we wouldn't have.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, costly lessons, but yeah, I see your point.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah, we got more in the way.

[Jack Armstrong]

Steer Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States. Recipients have done the impression, showing immense bravery and sacrifice in the name of something much bigger than themselves.

[Jack Armstrong]

This medal is for the men who went down that day. It's for the families of those who didn't make it.

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[Mike Lyons]

Okay, you're gonna have to tell me on the air, Michael, what's the problem? Is the computer going down?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, we having a computer issue.

[Mike Lyons]

God dang it.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's the Chinese cyber attack we just warned you about in the last segment.

[Mike Lyons]

Probably is.

[Jack Armstrong]

Probably is. We have our best people on it. Okay, we got it back.

[Mike Lyons]

We actually do have our best people on it with. Because there are not a lot of people around. This is the rest clip that Tucker put out about his interview with Ted Cruz as a tease to. I assume he's going to unleash the whole interview today. You're the one who claims they're not.

[Jack Armstrong]

Trying to murder Donald Trump. You know, I'm not saying that.

[Mike Lyons]

Who can't figure out a good idea to kill General Soleimani. And you said it was bad.

[Jack Armstrong]

They're trying to murder Trump.

[Mike Lyons]

Yes, I do.

[Jack Armstrong]

Because you're not calling for military strikes against them in retaliation. And if they really believe that carrying.

[Mike Lyons]

Out military strikes today.

[Jack Armstrong]

You said Israel was right with our help.

[Mike Lyons]

I said we. Israel is leading them, but we're supporting them.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, this. You're breaking news here because the US Government last night denied, the National Security Council spokesman Alex Pfeiffer denied on behalf of Trump that we were acting on Israel's behalf in any offensive capacity.

[Mike Lyons]

We're not bombing them.

[Jack Armstrong]

Israel's bombing them. You just said we were. We are supporting Israel. You're a senator if you're saying the United States government is worth a run right now. People are listening.

[Mike Lyons]

I love it when Tucker goes into his. Well, you just said it's really soft. Like, he takes. He does. I've done this before, too, and it's unfair and it will make people nuts. If you want to get punched in the face or have her, you know, walk out of the room when they're hot, you go super, super low key to try to make it seem like they're out of control and you're not.

[Jack Armstrong]

I realized Ted wanted to be there and is enjoying the tussle on one level, but I'd have been very tempted to say, I'm not playing that game. I know what you're doing. I wonder. I wonder if the National Security used. You just said we. All right, could you check Tucker's feed.

[Mike Lyons]

To see if he's released it or not? Not, because I just want to know how long it is. I wonder, did they talk for an hour and a half like he usually does, or is it like a 10 minute interview? But Ted Cruz was a national champion debater, so he doesn't mind sparring with anybody. Tucker's crazy smart and. And has his own. Whatever you call it, you know, the world's greatest at arguing unfairly talents, so it could be pretty damned entertaining. I look forward to checking out a little more of it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Tucker's gift is he. He willfully misinterprets what you've said in a way that sounds perfectly reasonable. Yes, that's his superpower.

[Mike Lyons]

Yes. Well, you just said we.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or he pretends that there are no shades of meaning in certain words. He pretends that there's one definition of them and everybody agrees on them. Like with. We're doing it with the Israelis. Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're breaking news here. They just said we're not taking it. All right.

[Mike Lyons]

I actually thought that was a decent point of the. They wanted to assassinate the president. Wait a second. You're not saying we're attacking. We didn't attack them when we found out that they wanted to assassinate the president. So that's not the reason we're doing it. Why are you throwing that out there? Unless you're just going to go with the. The argument that you're building a case for why you need to attack Iran, and that's one of the pieces.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it's the. Exactly. Yeah. It's one aspect of. Yeah. All right, well. Boy, that whole Thursday or Friday, something's gonna happen that makes the pager attack look simple, unimpressive. Holy cow. I can't wait to find out what it is.

[Mike Lyons]

Cyber's a good guess for Mike Lyons. If just everything shut down and all of a sudden they couldn't respond to anything, would that get the world's attention? We'd actually get to see what that looks like.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. So pretty good handful of stories I'm just really anxious to get to in hour four of the show. We've been concentrating on a couple of the super giant stories so far. If you don't get our four Grab it via Podcast subscribe to Armstrong and Getty on Demand Armstrong and Getty.

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[Mike Lyons]

You agree to receive recurring automated marketing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Messages from Pocket host.

[Richard Karn]

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[J.R. Martinez]

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[Mike Lyons]

Terms apply. Available at pockethose.com Terms the Medal of.

[Joe Getty]

Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States. Recipients have done the improbable, the unexpected, showing immense bravery and sacrifice in the name of something much bigger than themselves.

[Jack Armstrong]

This medal is for the men who.

[Joe Getty]

Went down that day on Medal of Honor Stories of Courage. You'll hear about these heroes and what their stories tell us about the nature of bravery. Listen to Medal of Honor on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast.