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Jack Armstrong
Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio.
Katie Greener
Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center.
Jack Armstrong
Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty.
Phil Graham
Honestly, serious question. I should put this to the listeners. I don't even know if I want to be this kind of person or not. I'm not a boycott person. I'm not a. Well, I'm not a boycott person, but I don't think I could have listened to that screed from Springsteen and stayed for the rest of the concert. It was just a one step too far for me. For me.
Jack Armstrong
I held my breath and. And waited it out like a painful dental procedure. Then when the second chapter began, that's when I would have said, all right, f this. Pardon me, I'm out. The. The painful part is you can't boo them because he'll think you're just saying Bruce.
Phil Graham
Well, right. As I mentioned earlier, the part that bothers me the most is it's got that whole I'm cool and all you people are cool that agree with me, and we're the cool people, and people that don't agree with us are uncool people. That is enough to drive me out of the arena.
Jack Armstrong
Not just uncool, but stupid and down with fascism.
Phil Graham
Oh, good Lord. And then.
Jack Armstrong
User of Telecasters.
Phil Graham
Your point earlier, just from a. I mean, you know, just narrow Bruce Springsteen's audience thing. He used to be the champion of the working class, and the working class is clearly MAGA. I mean, they're like 65% of his audience is probably MAGA.
Jack Armstrong
Now, if you could take every character from every single Bruce Springsteen song and animate them, they would vote in the 80th percentile for Trump. Yeah, that's correct. Yeah. He's just. He is a very wealthy creative artist. A very old, very wealthy creative artist who's utterly out of touch with the people he thinks he represents.
Phil Graham
You know what the most annoying, pretentious thing is that ever happened? And this is how many Christmases ago now? Maybe five. When him and Obama. Thank you, Gladys. When him and Obama did that DVD book set thingy, did you ever see any of that? And then the bookstores, you could get this big giant coffee table book, and it had Bruce and Obama's faces on the COVID laughing and then pictures of them together having a conversation about America. And then there's a video that goes with it and stories from Bruce. I mean, it's just. It was the most over the top two completely out of touch rich people. It was vomit worthy.
Jack Armstrong
Oh yeah.
Phil Graham
What would be the exam? Like the reverse for the other crowd? I mean it'd be like if Trump and I don't even know what it would be. Obama and Springsteen sitting around like bathed in their own self enjoyment is just too much.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. Either missed that or blotted it out because it was too terrible.
Phil Graham
I'll send you a link in white. It's got a real.
Jack Armstrong
Oh God, Annie Lebow.
Phil Graham
It's so artistic. You know, we're ah.
Jack Armstrong
The whole thing.
Phil Graham
I hate everything about it. If I ever walked into somebody house and they got that on their coffee table, I'm not even gonna say anything about why I'm leaving. I'll just turn around and walk out.
Jack Armstrong
Wait, where'd he go? I'm setting fire to it. All right, so final hour of the week. Got a lot of stuff to squeeze in. Gonna have to choose carefully. There's £15 a show for a five pound bag. But let's kick it off with the Friday tradition. It's fun. Look back at the week that was. It's cow clips of the week. You're saying he's gay? That is a true statement. Lights are blinking, the sirens are turning. Oh my God. The America I love that has been a beacon of hope and Liberty for 200 years is currently in the hands.
Christina Quinn
Of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.
Jack Armstrong
The drastic de escalation in the trade war between the United States and China. So there is a chance to rebalance together. This is not a political conference. This is a business conference. I want to make a deal with Iran.
Michaelangelo
I want to do something if it's possible.
Jack Armstrong
There's two steps. There's a very, very nice step and there's a violent step. I don't want to do the second, the equipment that we use, much of it, we can't buy parts for new. We have to go on ebay and buy parts. Any of the representatives that were there.
Katie Greener
You lay a finger on them, we are going to have a problem.
Jack Armstrong
You can't intimidate me. Come on, give me a break.
Joe Getty
You know I was wearing a green uniform Border patrol agent for five years.
Jack Armstrong
Before she was even born. The bottom line is the White House was lying. I think some of the criticism is fair.
Joe Getty
To be honest of me.
Jack Armstrong
Again, it makes me mental. It clear with me now. Two of the heroic reporters were covering this intensely during the Biden years.
Joe Getty
We're coming up close to the $1 trillion amount is lost every Year to fraud.
Jack Armstrong
You saw it coming.
Joe Getty
Oh, yeah. I mean, it was like they threw money in the air and just let people run around and grab it.
Jack Armstrong
Sean Diddy Combs.
Phil Graham
These so called freak offs happen weekly.
Jack Armstrong
Many of the sessions photographed and filmed.
Michaelangelo
She even testified about him.
Phil Graham
You know, threaten to blow up rapper Kid Cudi's car.
Jack Armstrong
And if you get convicted, Trump's gonna pardon him. President, could I ask you a question? What? I'm in London and I just paid for this damn fat drug I take. I said it's not working. The Bullet train more expensive and slower than a bus. Hansen has been working on a songs about California's idiotic, just spectacularly evil theft. Bullet train more expensive and slower than a bus. That was the jingle I wrote. Yeah.
Phil Graham
Oh, that's fantastic.
Jack Armstrong
Fleshed out by AI. That has to be.
Phil Graham
That has to catch on. The bullet train more expensive and slower.
Jack Armstrong
Than a bus hey, play 15 for us, Michael.
Phil Graham
Bullet train.
Jack Armstrong
Foreign tax paying Money it down the train don't see LA or San Fran but it will make Newsome look like less of a man the bullet train more expensive than slower than a bus Hop on.
Phil Graham
Ride it.
Jack Armstrong
What was I saying before? You laugh. I laugh.
Phil Graham
That is hilarious.
Jack Armstrong
Let's run that 5 million times, please. I love it. Again right now. I love that Hansen has become like the show's AI voice.
Phil Graham
Yeah.
Jack Armstrong
Like we can't hear him, but he just sends us all of these nuggets.
Phil Graham
Especially when Newsom finally announces and he's trying to make his way through the Democratic primary. Every time we mention him, it's got to be that hook.
Jack Armstrong
The bullet train more expensive and slower.
Phil Graham
Than a bus.
Jack Armstrong
Pouring tax paying money down the drain it won't see LA or San Fran but it will make Newsom look like less of a man the bullet train more expensive and slower than a bus that is just gold.
Phil Graham
Oh, I want to be the person who plays the tambourine on that song. All I do is I just hit it on my hip and shake it.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. Hey, it's good work if you can get it. Hey, let's is this is 13 the. The metal one. Michael, play that. It's a scam of boondoggle A waste of our time From Merce to Bakersfield who's would take that ride? Slower than a plane More expensive than a bus It's a sunk cost. It's time to end this bus.
Phil Graham
I think it's interesting cost getting into economic principles in the middle of the song.
Jack Armstrong
You don't hear that so much in metal. I Like the fact that AI, which is all knowing, pronounces Merced, Merced. Even though there is no word Merced. The only way you would ever write M E R, C E D in the English language is to, you know, the town of Merced. But AI, with all its genius, doesn't.
Phil Graham
Know that you haven't walked into a mall and found yourself. You looked around and I was immersed.
Jack Armstrong
No. No, I haven't. You know, I like the metal, but I like the airy, dopey, poppy feel of the other Partridge Family.
Phil Graham
Ish.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, yeah. It's just so relentlessly pleasant. In describing the utterly indefensible theft of billions and billions of hundreds of billions of dollars. Bullet train, hop on board. Tax paying money down the.
Phil Graham
Like a mascot as I sing this.
Jack Armstrong
But it will make news. Some look like less of a man look fully trained, more expensive than slower than a bus Hop on board, folks. The California Bullet train coming to you in the year 2076.
Phil Graham
Oh, that was the other part that was great is that they said most of it will be done in two decades. They didn't even say all of it. Two decades from now.
Jack Armstrong
Merced to Gilroy.
Phil Graham
Palmdale. Gilroy to Palmdale.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, oh, right, right. Palmdale. Yes. Check out a map, folks, if you're not familiar with the sprawling geography of Cal Unicornia, because Hanson loves when I suggest things that give him more work. Could we get a shirt? Could we get a shirt?
Phil Graham
The bullet train, more expensive and slower than a bus. I will wear that shirt.
Jack Armstrong
I will. I will wear it all. I will wear it all the time. It's got to have the California, the Cal Unicornia state flag on it too. Yep. Walking billboard right here. Yeah. So, wow, I love that fitting in.
Phil Graham
With the Bruce Springsteen working man thing. I listened to a podcast yesterday with Senator Phil Graham. Anybody remember him? Senator from Texas, Republican, Ph.D. in economics. I didn't remember that. He ran for president a couple times. Didn't get a whiff. You know why? Because he was like a serious guy about small government and fiscal sanity.
Jack Armstrong
We want a game show host.
Phil Graham
Yay. But he's got a new book about out about the myths of. He'd written a book called the Myth of American Inequality a couple years ago and he's got a new one out called the Triumph of Economic Freedom that point out some interesting things about kind of the whole Bruce Springsteen thing. Really, that is, I thought, really interesting. Maybe I'll pass that along. Among other things on the way. Stay here.
Jack Armstrong
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Phil Graham
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Michaelangelo
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Jack Armstrong
Listen to this guys. I read that the Denver airport was recently hit with an outage and some pilots couldn't contact air traffic control for six minutes. Meanwhile Newark airport was like six minutes. Please call us when you hit six dates that wait six minutes.
Phil Graham
Yeah, air traffic controller in the Wall Street Journal today talking about how close call that he had a week or so ago at Newark and how he's really worried there's going to be a crash soon because of these various outages and he just barely caught one and was able to to straighten it out. Two planes that were headed toward each other. You can't do this endlessly where you have, you know, two minutes here, two minutes there. Drop out at busy airports.
Jack Armstrong
No, no There are problems top to bottom with the system. I. I believe that firmly.
Phil Graham
So I mentioned this. I was listening to a podcast interview with former Senator Phil Graham, who I did not have on my radar in my life. I wish I had because I actually saw our friend Tim Sandifer, who we had on earlier in the show. If you missed that, get the podcast. Armstrong and Getty on demand. Tim Sandifer changed his registration in California to Republicans so he could vote for Phil Graham when Phil Graham briefly ran for president back in the day, although he never got to, because Phil Graham dropped out because he's one of those people, like a lot of politicians, it's like actually serious about governance and spending and dealing with things, and those people never get the nomination.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. He's not a pandering whore. Yeah.
Phil Graham
And he's got a book out right now and he's in his 80s now. He's a very old guy. He was a senator from Texas. The Myth of American inequality came out a couple of years ago and he's got a new one, the Triumph of Economic freedom, which sounds like, like very similar, like restructuring, hoping it gets attention again. But one of the things he pointed out, and I've never heard this before.
Jack Armstrong
That.
Phil Graham
For all kinds of different, like artistic, cultural reasons and some economic reasons, the Industrial Revolution gets a bad rap and always has and it continues till this, to this day, of this idea that there was, before the cult, the Industrial Revolution, there was some sort of man. It was great to be a farmer out in the fields, living the good life free of, you know, being bothered and. And everything like that, and exploitation. And then the Industrial Revolution came along and forced everybody into this exploitive world and all this poverty.
Jack Armstrong
That is the narrative. Yep.
Phil Graham
He points out that a lot of that has to do with Charles Dickens and a number of other people who wrote that story. And it just kind of caught on and has lived forever, ignoring the fact that the reason people float into the factories and everything like that is because the life they were living was incredibly exploitive and brutal on the farms, almost always farming mostly for someone else, and them getting all your work and you barely getting by and you living with like 15 people in one house and half the kids died and all these other statistics that got so much better after the Industrial Revolution.
Jack Armstrong
Right.
Phil Graham
And that prior to the Industrial Revolution, I thought this was really interesting. The idea of what do we do about the poor people? Started with the Industrial Revolution. It was the first time anybody had ever even considered the fact that. Fact that maybe we could do away with people who are just so incredibly poor and have such miserable lives. Prior to that, it was just assumed that most of us did and would and always will and because there was like a chance that maybe you could get out of that. Ever since then there's been this weird belief that it's horrible that there are poor people that are being exploited and have rough lives and we need to, you know, have a war against that and eliminate it.
Jack Armstrong
Right.
Phil Graham
It's only because things got so good that you could even have that conversation. So we've kind of have it completely backwards, our view of that whole thing.
Jack Armstrong
Right. What's really interesting to me is the sort of person who becomes a scribbler hasn't changed a ton. I don't think in in 150 years in that you have something built that's amazing and complex and incredibly productive and it has some fairly serious flaws and people point out those flaws and to a very, very large extent they get fixed. But the the view of history, because it's written by the very sort of person who is in the mainstream media today, lionizes the fixers of the problems who deserve credit. But it makes into monsters the designers of the giant system that was incredibly successful but just needed some tweaks.
Phil Graham
Life got so much better if it.
Jack Armstrong
Was inevitable all the good stuff would happen, right?
Phil Graham
Life got so much better for the average human being ever since the Industrial Revolution and But it's portrayed as a.
Jack Armstrong
Horror mostly, yes, because of its pretty notable imperfections, but. Yeah, but the imperfections worse than the.
Phil Graham
Imperfections they were dealing with before, right? Children are dying, they were being exploited. They were short lifespans. Etc etc before the Industrial Revolution.
Michaelangelo
Armstrong and Spaghetti welcome to the W where elite athletes are redefining the game of basketball. From buzzer beating shots, jaw dropping defense and logo threes, the WNBA delivers non stop action and world class talent every game. These athletes don't just play the game, they elevate it. The New York Liberty are the reigning champions and the Golden State Valkyries are the newest team to join the league since 2008. This season will be the first with Kelsey Plum on the Los Angeles, Phyllis Sparks, Jewel Lloyd on the Aces and Alyssa Thomas in Phoenix. Whether you're a lifelong basketball fan or new to the game, the WNBA invites you to be a part of something bigger. Catch live games, follow your favorite teams and witness history in the making. Watch the WNBA this season on ABC, CBS, ESPN, ION and Prime starting May 16th.
Joe Getty
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Phil Graham
And I don't know if you know about Shopify. You do actually. If you've ever used our store like Armstrong and Yeti T shirts and stuff like that, that's because of Shopify that we have that website. They're the platform so we can just concent on the funny T shirt.
Jack Armstrong
Starting your own business is intimidating. Can be lonely because you have to wear so many hats. Shopify is there for you as a business partner to get you started. So helpful.
Phil Graham
Yeah, Shopify is packed with helpful AI tools that write product descriptions, page headlines, they even enhance your product photography.
Jack Armstrong
And Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e commerce in the US from household names like Mattel and Gymshark to brands just getting started.
Phil Graham
Yeah, you can get the word out about your product. Like you've got a giant market marketing team behind you and it's Shopify.
Jack Armstrong
Turn your big business idea into With Shopify on your side, sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com armstrong go to shopify.com armstrong.
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Phil Graham
How you feeling about Friday, huh? Excited. Gonna party. I'm gonna party.
Jack Armstrong
I don't believe you're gonna party.
Phil Graham
Probably not party. Probably take care of my kids, figure out some meals, do some laundry, get to bed on time. I usually get to bed early on Friday night. Yes, every night of the week. For some reason at this point in.
Jack Armstrong
My life, I cannot say the same. So I started my day with a early morning jabbing. Had to have the standard blood. My visit with my doctor and got an appointment and all what you need to do these days. And my wife, who's like a week off on the cycle of going to see the doctor, had her blood work done at the same place. And she said, oh, I hope you get, you know, what's her name? She's the little gal. She's so bubbly and so cheery and so wonderful. So I got there today and there she is. Not only is she cute and bubbly and cheery, she loves Jesus. And she let us know we were discussing the nice weather, etcetera, blah, blah, blah. And I thought, okay, great. Yeah, that's the gal Judy was talking about. And then out comes from the bowels of the building, a darker presence this big. There's no reason to go into description. A large. A woman of large.
Phil Graham
You know what's interesting here is I have no idea where this direction is this story is going. I don't know if we were about to get off on how Christian she was or. No, I don't know. We're going.
Jack Armstrong
You gotta hang out for the ride. That's. That's the brilliant. That's the brilliance of my artistry.
Phil Graham
I'm hanging on this. I'm hanging on for the ride. I don't know what's about.
Jack Armstrong
Big old gal radiating hatred for humanity from every pore. She was glowing with hatred of humankind just visible on her face.
Phil Graham
And they're both phlebotomists.
Jack Armstrong
Yes, Joe, we. We refer to those as Large Marge in charge. Yes, well, Large Marge was in charge. Oh, give me the sweet little girl. Give me the sweet little girl. But no, no, I got the mountain of malevolence.
Phil Graham
You don't request. I request. Remember I used to have my guy Pong, My man Pong. And I liked Pong. And I would. I would. I would show up and say, I want Pong. So I'll wait however long it takes until Pong comes out. Up.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. The place I go, you know, I only go like once every six months, once a year. And. And they're not consistent. There are a bunch of different gals and I think one dude once who. Who worked there, but anyway, can I.
Phil Graham
Have the one that doesn't look like they've been in prison? You could say that.
Jack Armstrong
Can I. Can I get the one who is gonna jab me with the needle whether I need it or not? Can I not have her? Yeah, she actually is pretty good. It was fine, but. But, you know, I found myself, like, trying to manage the relationship with being really pleasant and upbeat without being gushing, you know, because if you're in a foul mood, and she was clearly in a foul mood, if you're in a foul mood, the super chipper person who's trying to bring you out of it, that's not helping. So I thought, all right, you just gotta play your cards right. That job, it's like, you know, you're being robbed and you're just trying to. Look, you can have my wallet and all. Let's just send it here. There.
Phil Graham
Look at the. Lay back and think England.
Jack Armstrong
Well, exactly. I was getting jabbed one way or the other. And I wanted it to be, you know, a good. It turned out to be fine. Professionalism intact.
Phil Graham
More than any other job, though. I mean, because we are. We're all human beings and we have good days and bad days and days when we're in good moods and bad moods. And that job, it's got to be particularly difficult. You know, you have your, I don't know, an argument with your husband or your teenager says something you hate when you drop them off at school or whatever. And then you gotta go in and be delicate with. Or you can take it out on your kid. Everything I do for that kid, like, God, no, no. I've been raising that kid and I feed him and everything and they have.
Jack Armstrong
No plus, you're dealing with the public for your entire shift. And anybody who's dealt with the public knows that that alone will put your teeth on edge. But anyway, it worked out all right. I'm just so glad it's over. Anyway, so I've been wanting to get to this, and I don't know why exactly, but I find the dynamics of this so interesting. Speaking of managing a one on one relationship, and that is the history of American presidents getting played by Vladimir Putin. And this is written by Tom Rogan. I don't know Tom. I know Joe Rogan. I know what's everybody from the Washington Post.
Phil Graham
Josh.
Jack Armstrong
Josh Rogan. Right. Well, this is a. Yet another Rogan.
Phil Graham
But anyway, you read the, the David Sanger version of Putin and Bush and how they hung out together like friends back in the day. Yeah, yeah, that was rough to read in. In retrospect.
Jack Armstrong
Well, this Rogan leads with Donald Trump says he wants peace in Ukraine. The problem is that Mr. Trump sees Vladimir Putin for who he wishes Putin to be. See if you agree with this, friends. He wishes him to be a hardened but practical, you know, negotiator rather than who he is, a former KGB lieutenant colonel who revels in the dark art of ruthless manipulation. Mr. Trump was shaped by the Wheeler Dealer New York City real estate scene. Mr. Putin was shaped by the brutal maximalism of the KGB's Red Banner Institute. But Mr. Trump is not the first US president to take an unrealistic view of his Russian counterpart. Consider his predecessor's experiences. And I was reminded of the patheticness of this, going through this. The first American president to deal with Putin was Bill Clinton. And he chose to remain largely silent on human rights concerns in Russia, including the incredible civilian casualties during the second Chechen war. Mr. Clinton instead focused on wooing Mr. Putin to join the post Cold War democratic international order. Mr. Putin did nothing of the sort. He intimidated the Russian media, cultivated an inner circle of oligarchs, and took, took Russia down the road of totalitarianism. All while Mr. Clinton stood idly by, hoping. But I don't know what Clinton was supposed to do, honestly. But next came George W. Bush meeting Putin in June 01. Bush said he, quote, looked the man in the eye and found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy, adding that he gained a sense of his soul. I, as a human being, I have soft feelings for George W. Bush. That is one of the most ludicrous things I've ever heard. Certainly in retrospect that was wishful thinking of titanic scale jail. Yeah. Mr. Bush had been duped by Mr. Putin's KGB mind games. Mr. Putin appealed to Mr. Bush, a born again Christian, with a story about his mother's Orthodox cross being rescued from a fire in her dacha. Mr. Putin adopted a similar tactic with Mr. Trump's chief foreign affairs negotiator, Steve Witkoff, telling Mr. Witkoff that he had prayed for Mr. Trump. What he learned of the assassination attempt against him in July. Putin has never prayed for anything in his life.
Phil Graham
No, the, the fact that, that some people, including many of our listeners, believe Putin's some sort of protector of Christianity. Good Lord.
Jack Armstrong
One more example. And then, you know, the main point, which, which Jack is certainly hinting at. Then there was Barack Obama. Soon after taking office in 09, Obama essentially excused Russia's invasion of Georgia five months prior, publicly seeking a reset in relations. That July, Obama traveled to Moscow to meet with Putin. Obama adviser Michael McFaul, who served as ambassador to Russia for a number of years, recounts in his 2018 book How Putin quickly asserted dominance over the American president. Putin, quote, putin spoke uninterrupted for nearly the entire time scheduled for the meeting, documenting the injustices of the Bush administration. This was a guy, this is the Bush administration that could see into his. This was a guy with a chip on his shoulder. Obama listened patiently, maybe too patiently. It was my assignment to read out this meeting to our press corps later that day. I couldn't tell them that Obama had merely listened the entire time. Then they go into the history of the appeasement of Obama. I think what maybe our presidents underestimate, one after the other after the other, maybe for reasons of their own egos, is that they're up against a master, a master manipulator. Not just a hard ass negotiator and a cutthroat, but a guy who's gifted in not coming off as a cutthroat, in anticipating what you want to hear and giving it to you.
Phil Graham
Maybe the first time, the first president, that's fine, you can get away with that. But since then, I don't see how you get manipulated by the guy. It seems pretty obvious what he is. He's a ruthless. He will. He would murder your child if it benefited him. He's that guy.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. Yeah. Or even, even if he thought there was one in four chance it would benefit him. Yeah, your child would be dead. Trump clearly is prone to being swayed by flattery. I mean, that's just beyond denial at this point. And it was. I've been watching Special Report with Brett Baer, especially this week, in which he's talked to various leaders in the. The countries that Trump's visited in the Middle east in which he's done some really, really interesting diplomacy that might be, like, crazy beneficial for the next 50 years. There's some stuff that's bothered me, but I think a lot of it is really, really impressive what Trump's been doing. But it's been unbelievable how every figure Brett Baer interviews goes way over, above and beyond the call of duty in praising Trump. Like, it's almost like they've got a timer going off every fourth sentence to make sure they throw in some lavish praise for Trump and. And Putin. Yeah.
Phil Graham
On that front, I'm concerned. Trump said earlier today, he said, it's time.
Jack Armstrong
Time.
Phil Graham
It's time Putin and I meet. We got to make that happen. And I'm really concerned about how that meeting goes. That Trump might just lavish praise on Putin to his face and bad. They both sit there and bad mouth Zelensky, and I don't know what we do with that.
Jack Armstrong
That would be tough to take. Yeah.
Phil Graham
In fact, I almost predict that's what's going to happen.
Jack Armstrong
But Putin will, like, like, have a $10 million documentary of Joe Biden's deceit and dementia produced and show it to Trump. He will build a shrine to Melania's beauty. He'll cut off his own thumb. Maybe he needs to. To convince Trump they're on the same page and they're the kind of guys who. Who get it. Other people don't get it like we do, but we sure do.
Phil Graham
Maybe he can get some of those hair swinging dancers that they had in Abu Dhabi yesterday day. Trump seemed to like those. The girls that swung their hair.
Jack Armstrong
I got to get the hair Swinging dancer video. I missed that somehow. Something. Yeah, but we'll have to see. I don't get it either, how one president after another after another makes the same set of mistakes. Well, even realize they're dealing with an alligator. They're dealing with a reptile.
Phil Graham
You don't need to meet with the CIA and have them, you know, read their profile that they've dug up and put together for you. How about the fact that he burned all those people in that apartment building so he could blame the Chechens and start a war.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah.
Phil Graham
I mean, that's. Who does that.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah.
Phil Graham
That's the kind of guy you're dealing with. He would burn a whole bunch of families of the Russians so he could blame it on the Chechens and start a war because he wanted to.
Jack Armstrong
Sure, yeah, that's straight out of his philosophy. And and Hitler's and others. No dang, Michael, this is not a gratuitous Hitler mention. This is a specific sighting of very difficult. Different exactly. But the great man view of history is if you are not willing to sacrifice tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of lives, you will not be one of the great men of history. If you blanch at sacrificing all those lives, you don't deserve the gig. You're in the wrong job, chum. That's what Vladimir Putin would say. You got to know that going in.
Phil Graham
Man, if they meet, that is gonna be some high stakes drama, I'll tell you that.
Jack Armstrong
Wow.
Phil Graham
We'll finish strong.
Michaelangelo
Next Armstrong and Getty welcome to the W where elite athletes are redefining the game of basketball. From buzzer beating shots, jaw dropping defense and logo threes, the WNBA delivers non stop action and world class talent every game. These athletes don't just play the game they elevated. The New York Liberty are the reigning champions and the Golden State Valkyries are the newest team to join the league since 2008. This season will be the first with Kelsey Plum on the Los Angeles Sparks, Jewel Lloyd on the Aces and Alyssa Thomas in Phoenix. Whether you're a lifelong basketball fan or new to the game, the WNBA invites you to be a part of something bigger. Catch live games, follow your favorite teams and witness history in the main making. Watch the WNBA this season on ABC, CBS, ESPN, ION and Prime starting May 16th.
Joe Getty
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Katie Greener
We all have that piece. You know the one, the thing that's so you. You've basically become known for it. And if you don't have yours yet, you'll find it on ebay. Putting you on here fashionistas. Ebay is where you'll find those. One of a kind. Can't stop researching. Stay up dreaming about pieces again and again. I'm talking that Miu Miu off the Runway red leather bomber, the Cousteau Barcelona top with the cowboy on it. Or that Patagonia fleece in the 2017 colorway. All these finds are on ebay and they even offer millions of main character pieces backed by authenticity guarantees. Ebay is the place for pre loved and vintage fashion. EBay, things people love.
Christina Quinn
Not everyone who handles your personal information is going to be as careful as you are. And it only takes one mistake to expose it to hackers and identity theft. Maybe that's why there's a new victim of identity theft every five seconds in the United States. Fortunately, there's Lifelock. Lifelock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats to your identity. If your identity is stolen, a LifeLock US based restoration specialist will help solve identity theft issues on your behalf, guaranteed or your money back. Plus, all Lifelock plans are backed by the million dollar protection package, meaning Lifelock will reimburse you up to the limits of your plan if you lose money due to identity theft. You can't control how diligent others are with your personal information. But with Lifelock you can help protect it. Act now and save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code iheart or go to lifelock.com iheart for 40% off. Terms apply.
Michaelangelo
You don't know me yet, but I bet we have something in common. We all wish we were better functioning humans. Maybe figure out how to sleep better, have more meaningful relationships, cook more that search for practical knowledge. It's my job at the Washington Post. I host a podcast called Try this. Every episode is like an audio class.
Jack Armstrong
And we learn together.
Michaelangelo
I'm Christina Quinn.
Jack Armstrong
Now you know me.
Michaelangelo
Check out Try this wherever you're listening.
Jack Armstrong
Here's a headline I think you brought us Katie the other day and I finally dug into the story. The US engineers found rogue communication devices and Chinese solar panels. Yeah, which as someone who has solar, I'm a little concerned. Yeah, I've got to admit, I thought, okay, devices in solar panels. I don't spend a lot of time like spilling national secrets on my roof or anything. So what's the significance of this? Because I'm a bit of a dimwit, but. So these Chinese made solar power inverters and batteries had these undocumented communication channels that could allow, according to a source Reuters talk to the rogue components provide additional undocumented communications channels that could allow firewalls to be circumvented remotely with potentially catastrophic consequences. The story illustrates a security issue that's haunted analysts since the dawn of the Internet of Things. The sudden craze for adding Internet connectivity to all manner of devices, from household appliances to industrial machines. Scenery. I was thinking about that the other day. I. So I have a fountain in my backyard that is connected to an app where I can control the schedule that it runs. But I was sitting there going, dude, even my fountain runs through the Internet. Yeah, yeah, that's. That is the thing. I've resisted this very early on in the Internet of Things era, I ran into an article that explained how, you know, the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world were exploiting the fact that they are now in your thermostat, in your ring doorbell or whatever. Yeah. And I was so off put by that, I haven't really dug into it. But. So in the case of these suspicious Chinese power inverters, the devices were designed to connect solar panel arrays and windmills to power grids. And they have Internet capability, mostly allegedly. So their performance can be monitored and their software can be updated easily. But these, these people set up firewalls or these companies set up firewalls in their technology teams to prevent the devices from sending unauthorized signals. And they physically inspect equipment from China to look for bugs, and they find them with shocking regularity. This is so obviously an effort by the Chinese to get into our power power grids and our systems and our circuits, both individual homes and in. In. In mass areas. So they can like, simultaneously send signals that then F up the grids. That's what the nastiness is going to look like. Everything shuts down. That's what we need on a Friday. This is final Thoughts with a. We are so asleep. Anyway, let's get a final thought from everybody on the crew to wrap things up for the day, beginning with our technical director, Michelangelo Michael. Final thought. This means I can now hack into my neighbor's thermostat, make it 90 degrees in their house, just because I don't like them or something. Oh, good call. Then make it 50. Jack has had to dash off to an appointment. Katie Greener, esteemed newswoman, has a final thought. Katie I have sneezed 23 times during the course of the show. I just want to let you guys know. Yeah. Wow. Allergies coast to coast are are terrible. Is it climate change? And if so, what the hell are you going to do about it? Anyway, get some tissues. Hey, you've stolen my dreams. You've made me sneeze a lot. Anyway, my final thought is heavy. Have a great weekend. I'll be on the golf course if you need me. So many people to thank, so little time. Armstrong and Getty wrapping up another grueling four hour workday. We have many pleasures, many pleasures awaiting you@armstrongandgetti.com including the swag store. Pick up an AMG T shirt for your favorite AMG fan. We're working on the new T shirt. California's bullet train. More expensive and slower than a bus.
Christina Quinn
Yes.
Jack Armstrong
Expected to sell it like hotcakes. We will see you on Monday. Thanks so much for listening. God Bless America. Armstrong and Getty is an unpredictable beast. I was wondering, you know, what you felt about that. You drive in and you drive out in particularly and child listen.
Michaelangelo
It's cold.
Phil Graham
And that's the type of courage we.
Jack Armstrong
Need in America to stand up for.
Phil Graham
One final message.
Jack Armstrong
The count California Bullet Train More expensive and slower than a bus. Ride it. Have a great Friday.
Phil Graham
You Armstrong and Getty welcome to the.
Michaelangelo
W where elite athletes are redefining the game of basketball. From buzzer beating shots, jaw dropping defense and logo threes, the WNBA delivers non stop action and world class talent every game. These actions athletes don't just play the game, they elevate it. The New York Liberty are the reigning champions and the Golden State Valkyries are the newest team to join the league since 2008. This season will be the first with Kelce Plumb on the Los Angeles Sparks, Jewel Lloyd on the Aces and Alyssa Thomas in Phoenix. Whether you're a lifelong basketball fan or new to the game, the WNBA invites you to be a part of something bigger. Catch live games, follow your favorite teams and witness history in the making. Watch the WNBA this season on ABC, CBS, ESPN, ION and Prime starting May 16th.
Katie Greener
In the heat of battle, your squad relies on you. Don't let them down. Unlock elite gaming tech@lenovo.com Dominate every match with next level speed, seamless streaming and performance that won't quit so you can push your gameplay beyond performance performance with Intel Core Ultra processors for the next era of gaming. Upgrade to smooth high quality streaming with Intel Wi Fi 6e and maximize game performance with enhanced overclocking Win the tech search power up@lenovo.com lenovo lenovo.
Christina Quinn
Not everyone who handles your personal information is going to be as careful as you are. And it only takes one mistake to expose it to hackers and identity theft.
Jack Armstrong
Theft.
Christina Quinn
Maybe that's why there's a new victim of identity theft every five seconds in the United States. Fortunately, there's Lifelock. Lifelock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats to your identity. If your identity is stolen, a LifeLock US based restoration specialist will help solve identity theft issues on your behalf, guaranteed or your money back. Plus, all LifeLock plans are backed by the million dollar protection package, meaning Lifelock will reimburse you up to the limits of your plan if you lose money due to identity theft. You can't control how diligent others are with your personal information, but with Lifelock, you can help protect it. Act now and save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code iheart or go to lifelock.com iheart for 40% off. Terms apply.
Phil Graham
Hey, we're Armstrong and Getty and I don't know if you know about Shopify. You do actually. If you've ever used our store like Armstrong and Getty T shirts and stuff like that, that's because of Shopify that we have that website. They're the platform so we can just concentrate on the funny T shirt.
Jack Armstrong
Starting your own is intimidating, can be lonely because you have to wear so many hats. Shopify is there for you as a business partner to get you started. So helpful.
Phil Graham
Yeah, Shopify is packed with helpful AI tools that write product descriptions, page headlines, they even enhance your product photography.
Jack Armstrong
And Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e commerce in the US from household names like Mattel and Gymshark to brands just getting started.
Phil Graham
Yeah, you can get the word out about your product like you've got a giant marketing team behind you and it's Shopify.
Jack Armstrong
Turn your big business idea into With Shopify on your side, sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com armstrong go to shopify.com armstrong.
Katie Greener
There'S an efficient way to get caught up on a lot of news. It's called the seven from the Washington Post. It's a newsletter and podcast. Whether you're reading or hit play, you get seven stories you need to know and you can consume it all in just a few minutes. The 7 is out every weekday morning by 7am Eastern I'm Hannah Jewell. I'm one of the writers and I host the show Find the seven Podcast Wherever you're listening. The newsletter link is waiting for you in the show notes.
Jack Armstrong
You're listening to an iHeart podcast.
Armstrong & Getty On Demand - Episode: "More Expensive & Slower Than A Bus!" Summary
Release Date: May 16, 2025
Host: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts
[03:07 - 04:53]
The episode kicks off with Jack Armstrong and Phil Graham discussing Jack’s recent experience at a Bruce Springsteen concert. Jack shares his frustration with Springsteen's political commentary during the show, which he felt was exclusionary and disrupted his enjoyment of the concert.
Jack Armstrong: "I held my breath and waited it out like a painful dental procedure. Then when the second chapter began, that's when I would have said, all right, fuck this." [03:29]
Phil Graham: "The part that bothers me the most is it's got that whole 'I'm cool and all you people are cool' that agrees with me, and we're the cool people, and people that don't agree with us are uncool people. That is enough to drive me out of the arena." [03:47]
The hosts critique how Springsteen's approach alienates segments of his audience by creating a divide between supporters and detractors.
[08:10 - 13:57]
Transitioning from music to infrastructure, Jack Armstrong introduces a humorous jingle he crafted about California’s bullet train, highlighting its inefficiencies.
Phil Graham enthusiastically praises the jingle, discussing its catchy nature and potential popularity.
They delve into the logistics and public perception of the bullet train project, emphasizing public skepticism and budget concerns.
[32:45 - 40:50]
A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to analyzing the interactions between recent U.S. presidents and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The discussion critiques the attempts of Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump in handling relations with Putin, portraying them as naive or overly accommodating.
Phil Graham: "He [Putin] would murder your child if it benefited him. He's that guy." [37:57]
Jack Armstrong: "Trump clearly is prone to being swayed by flattery. I mean, that's just beyond denial at this point." [38:30]
They reference Tom Rogan’s writings, detailing how each president underestimated Putin’s manipulative tactics.
The hosts express concern over President Trump's approach, predicting that any meeting between Trump and Putin would likely result in mutual praise, neglecting global security issues.
[18:44 - 22:54]
Jack and Phil shift focus to recent technical outages at major U.S. airports, specifically Denver and Newark, highlighting the potential dangers these failures pose to aviation safety.
Jack Armstrong: "I read that the Denver airport was recently hit with an outage and some pilots couldn't contact air traffic control for six minutes." [18:44]
Phil Graham: "Air traffic controller in the Wall Street Journal today talking about how close call that he had a week or so ago at Newark and how he's really worried there's going to be a crash soon because of these various outages." [19:01]
They discuss the systemic issues within the aviation communication infrastructure, stressing the urgency of addressing these vulnerabilities to prevent potential disasters.
[45:12 - 50:30]
In the concluding segment, the hosts share humorous and personal anecdotes, including Jack's experience at a medical appointment and Phil's thoughts on balancing work and family life. They also touch upon emerging cybersecurity threats related to Chinese-manufactured solar panels with rogue communication devices.
Jack Armstrong: "We are so asleep. Anyway, let's get a final thought from everybody on the crew to wrap things up for the day." [26:55]
Phil Graham: "Maybe figure out how to sleep better, have more meaningful relationships, cook more that search for practical knowledge." [45:33]
Finally, they promote upcoming content and encourage listeners to engage with their merchandise and online platforms.
Political Division in Entertainment: The discussion around Bruce Springsteen underscores how political statements within entertainment can polarize audiences, potentially diminishing the overall experience.
Infrastructure Critique Through Humor: The satirical bullet train jingle serves as a medium to critique the inefficiency and high costs associated with large-scale infrastructure projects.
Presidential Diplomacy Failures: The analysis of U.S. presidents' dealings with Putin highlights ongoing concerns about effective foreign policy and the dangers of underestimating adversarial leadership.
Aviation Safety Risks: Technical failures in airport communication systems are presented as critical issues that require immediate attention to ensure passenger safety.
Cybersecurity Concerns: The mention of Chinese-manufactured solar panels with potential security vulnerabilities emphasizes the growing risks in the Internet of Things (IoT) landscape.
Phil Graham on Springsteen's Concert:
"People that don't agree with us are uncool people. That is enough to drive me out of the arena." [03:47]
Jack Armstrong on the Bullet Train Jingle:
"The bullet train more expensive than slower than a bus hey, play 15 for us, Michael." [09:21]
Phil Graham on Putin:
"He would murder your child if it benefited him. He's that guy." [37:57]
Jack Armstrong on Presidential Relations with Putin:
"Mr. Putin was shaped by the brutal maximalism of the KGB's Red Banner Institute. But Mr. Trump is not the first US president to take an unrealistic view of his Russian counterpart." [35:54]
This episode of Armstrong & Getty delves deep into the intersection of politics, infrastructure, and security, all woven together with the hosts' characteristic humor and critical analysis. Whether you're interested in the nuances of political discourse or the intricacies of modern infrastructure projects, this episode offers a comprehensive and engaging exploration of these topics.