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Jack Armstrong
This is an iHeart podcast.
Joe Getty
Did you know that adults 60 plus lose more than $60 billion each year to financial exploitation? Greenlight's new Family Shield plan empowers you to monitor your loved ones, accounts for suspicious activity, watch out for their safety with place alerts and protect them with up to $1 million in identity theft coverage. Protect your seniors today at greenlight.com familyshield. That's greenlight.com/sl family shield.
Jack Armstrong
Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.
Michael
Armstrong and Getty.
Jack Armstrong
And now, here's Armstrong and Getty.
Michael
I was reading about this new Samsung phone that some of your tech reviewers are calling the final iPhone killer. I don't know if that's true or not. IPhone dominates the market and I'm an iPhone guy and I can't imagine, but man, it's got some really cool stuff on it. Maybe I'll talk about that later. I don't know.
Jack Armstrong
Dominates the market in the US that's one of the very few places. Samsung is the global giant by far.
Michael
So I live in the United States.
Jack Armstrong
Do you?
Michael
I do.
Jack Armstrong
It checks out. He does. So, a couple of thoughts on the Iran deal. Israel slash the US Deal. First of all, David Friedman was the ambassador to Israel during Trump. One got booted out by Biden, which is the tradition there. Of course, when Republicans put their people in, it's always reported as some sort of unnatural horror. The mainstream media and the Democrats do it and nobody says anything anyway. Friedman said, well, he just says, Clinton, the U.S. embassy will move to Jerusalem. Bush, the U.S. embassy will move to Jerusalem. Obama, the U.S. embassy Will move to Jerusalem. Trump, I have moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem.
Michael
Right.
Jack Armstrong
Bush Israel cannot make peace with any more Arab nations without a Palestinian state. Obama, Israel cannot make peace with any more Arab nations without a Palestinian state. Trump, I have brokered peace deals between Israel and four Arab nations without a Palestinian state. And finally, Clinton, Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. Bush Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. Obama, Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. Biden, Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. Trump, I've destroyed Iran's nuclear weapons. Seeing a pattern here. For all of my problems with Trump, his lack of regard for the way things have been done or the conventional thinking is both his greatest weakness but clearly his greatest strength.
Michael
No doubt.
Jack Armstrong
So putting aside the current wrangling over whether the ceasefire has started or whether Trump's momentarily mad at BB Netanyahu for continuing to hurl ordinance at the Mullis, the question is, where do we go from Here. What is next? Brett Baer had a couple of terrific guests on Special Report last night, including Norm Rule, who's a. No, who is a longtime diplomat with expertise in the Middle east. We'll start with 61. Go from there.
Brett Baer
Michael, there's a healthy dose of skepticism because the Iranians don't have a great track record of meeting whatever they talk about either publicly or privately. Is that fair?
Kareem Sajapur
That's more than fair. And in fact, in recent hours, Iran's parliament has withdrawn approval to work with the iaea. They've talked about pulling out from the Non Proliferation Treaty. Iran remains aggressive within the within the region. Iran government. Iran's government is aiming to survive at a time when its air defenses are in essence so weak that Israel or the United States can own any building in the country, let alone the sky. So in essence, it's looking to survive and to stabilize itself. But we'll see how the next few days play out.
Brett Baer
Yeah.
Jack Armstrong
And then Brett transitions a bit into the question of regime change and where the Iranian people are, and he's talking in the next clip. The other voice you're going to hear is Kareem Sajapur, who is a think tank guy and a writer and an expert on the region.
Brett Baer
There's a lot of mystery about opposition on the ground, what that looks like. You know a lot about it. Where does it stand?
Norm Rule
Well, it's a very polarized society in that you have a small minority that's ruling. I described it's a regime which aspires to be like North Korea and a society which aspires to be like South Korea, modern society. They want to live in an open world, prosperous country. They want to put the national interest before revolutionary ideology. The challenge in Iran, like many dictatorships, is that probably around 15 to 20% is what the regime's loyalists are composed of. They're highly armed, they're organized. They're willing to kill en masse to stay in power. And society at the moment, opposition is unarmed, unorganized, and they're not willing to die en masse to take power.
Brett Baer
Normal.
Jack Armstrong
How about that? The folks with the guns are in control. That's a shock. But how I love that line. You've got a leadership that wants to live like North Korea and a people that wants to live like South Korea.
Michael
That's pretty good. To that previous clip where he talked about Israel or us or anybody really has the ability to get into any building in Iran and bomb whichever floor they want. Has there ever been a major country as defenseless as Iran is right now. I don't know.
Jack Armstrong
No, no, it's, it's, it's wild to see. We'll skip to 64. I think Brett asked the question here. It sets itself up.
Brett Baer
When you were doing what you did for so many years, did you ever see this day coming?
Kareem Sajapur
No, not in terms of, of the conditions at the time. It would have taken a very different set of conditions which were achieved because of the Israeli persistent hammering of Iran's proxies and of Iran itself, which was.
Michael
Only possible because of October 7th. That's the weird unspooling of history that always happens. One of the worst days will be worst day in Israel's history. One of the worst days in Jewish history may end up being great for.
Jack Armstrong
Israel and Jewish people and for humanity, I would argue, because I believe fundamentalist Islamic is a serious, excuse me, a serious threat to the health and safety of humanity. It's an insidious ideology and it has been set back terribly. As we were talking about earlier, it was Netanyahu versus Soleimani. And Soleimani said, I have built these seven armies and Israel will never be able to fight through them. And Netanyahu said, hold my whatever they drink in Israel, beer. And it took a hell of a long time, a hell of a lot of money and some very good young lives. But they have absolutely abandoned the idea of we will just quake in fear and trust that our adversaries are not going to hurt us. And they've said, no, we're going to defeat them instead. And they've made enormous progress.
Michael
Isn't that a weird thing about life? Whether it's your own individual life or bigger history, globally, just you don't know what's a good thing and what's a bad thing until things play out. Sometimes something seems like it was really good. It turns out you'd have been better off without it. And the other way around, it's just, you never know.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, it's absolutely true. Let's get back to Kareem Sajupor. I found this super interesting to 65 Michael.
Brett Baer
Kareem. The administration, including the Vice President, very clear that they're not gung ho on regime change. Despite the President's true social, where he said, hey, if they do it, it's mega. Make Iran great again. Is there going to be a push.
Norm Rule
From the administration or from the Iranian people within? You know, at some point there is going to be a reckoning in Iran. Iran in many ways is like the latter stages of the Soviet Union. It's A, it's a zombie regime whose ideology is dead, but it still has a lot of repressive capacity.
Brett Baer
And in other words, it's not impotent. It can still repress its own people especially.
Norm Rule
And they don't have a plan B. You know, as Norm was just saying now, very few friends in the world. So for their mentality, in some ways there's kill or be killed. The thing that you want to watch in the Iranian context, in the context of many dictatorships, is elite fissures. Is the regime starting to splinter at the top. A lot of their senior commanders have been assassinated, but so far we haven't seen major defections or splinters.
Michael
Man, that, that's his best guess and he may be right and he's an expert, but man, watching regimes fall over the years, it just, it's so hard to predict. Things look, can look so steady from the outside and they just collapse overnight. And then you got ones that look super, super shaky. Well, this ain't going to last long and they hang on for another 10 years.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, I'm a student of Iranian politics, not an expert. There are unique aspects to Iran that a lot of places don't share and that's specifically fervent religious fundamentalism combined with self preservation and economic concerns and boy, that's teasing that out. Well, like you point out, sometimes it's completely shocking how quickly it all falls apart. This has different layers to work through, but I'm sure it'll be every bit as crazy when it does unfold. And then finally JD Vance was on with Brett. Was it the previous night or. All this stuff is happening so quickly. I'm seeing if we. JD said it's not a, the question of where the enriched uranium is is not the fundamental question is what's that? Michael? It was last night. It was last night. Okay. And he said, yeah, that's not that big a question, not a fundamental question. Final Note from Cream Sagaportin 66 he disagrees.
Norm Rule
It's imperative that we get a hold of this highly enriched uranium or understand where it is because despite the fact the Vice President said their nuclear program has been decimated, that's not to say that they can't, you know, they have the technical. Know how they can assemble a cascade of centrifuges in a basement somewhere, they have the uranium. So if they're still hell bent on acquiring a weapon, you know, that's something that we obviously have to impede.
Jack Armstrong
Okey doke.
Michael
If we can. So somewhere there is 900 pounds of fairly enriched uranium. And then they might have centrifuges we have no idea about. And I wouldn't be shocked to see breaking news any of these days where Iran announces they've got the bomb. They've got a bomb. They pulled it off.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. I suppose they desperately want that.
Michael
Sure.
Jack Armstrong
And it would absolutely make sense if I was a strategist working for Iran. I'd say, agree to anything, submit to anything, offer no resistance. Abs Be like a puppy, roll over and show your belly. Then meanwhile over there at these centers, we're working on those centrifuges as fast as we can. We've got to buy time until we can set off a nuke as a demonstration. That's the only way we survive. Let's get to work now. So I, that's, that's one of the reasons I'm a little mystified by Trump pissed off at Israel for continuing to prosecute their efforts to prevent that. Who knows? Maybe things will change again. The next 24 hours, it's, it's has been, you know, volatile.
Michael
You know what's coming up? The anniversary of Live Aid. If you're old enough to remember that it happened in 1985, July 13th. I just saw CNN's got a big retrospective special with interviews with a lot of new musicians and people that were there and everything like that. Maybe we'll talk about.
Jack Armstrong
Will we be.
Michael
We'll be back by then. We'll talk about that on that anniversary. That was quite the dealio. Did it accomplish anything in terms of actually stopping starvation?
Jack Armstrong
It was one of the great amount of money.
Michael
It's one of the greatest concerts of all time. But how much it accomplished in terms of the famine, I don't know.
Jack Armstrong
It was fraught with difficulties and complexities. I know that.
Michael
As those things always are.
Jack Armstrong
Right? Yeah. Yeah. It's easy for them to get out of hand and just the money to go in the wrong places. And the bigger something gets, the harder it is to control.
Michael
Yeah. Anyway, much to talk about. Hope you can stay here.
Joe Getty
Armstrong and Getty looking after a senior loved one. Balance protection and independence with Greenlight's new Family Shield plan. And all in one money and safety app. Monitor your senior loved ones financial accounts for suspicious activity. Track their safety with place alerts and protect them with up to $1 million in identity theft coverage. Caregiving shouldn't mean sleepless nights. Enjoy more and worry less@greenlight.com familyshield that's greenlight.com family family shield.
Unknown
The CEO of the messaging app Telegram said in A recent interview that his multi billion dollar fortune will be left to the six children he has with three different partners and the more than 100 children conceived through sperm donation. And I just have to say it's refreshing to see a billionaire who knows how many kids he has.
Michael
All right. I didn't like that joint.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah.
Michael
You have a joke that's funny.
Jack Armstrong
I think we've done all our jokes today already.
Michael
No. Well, we should have stopped earlier.
Jack Armstrong
So you went with unfunny ones. Okay, there will be a meeting later.
Michael
So here's a protester unhappy that she got run over.
Protester
On Saturday after leaving the no Kings protest, I was struck and injured by a motor vehicle. The cops here in Catskill, New York took several days to get an accident report together. They never. I've been asking for information for days because I've been very traumatized by this event. And now, in order to re. Traumatize me, the cops here are telling me that it's my fault that I put my human body in the street to be hit by a motor vehicle. And now they're giving me a citation for being in the road. Honestly, I think that's a bunch of crap, and I'm very, very upset.
Michael
Who bleeped out crap?
Jack Armstrong
That's crap. Don't. Don't bleep out the crap and grab a bunch of grabbers crap.
Michael
In the modern world, the president is dropping F bombs and we bleeped crap.
Jack Armstrong
But if I might return to the thread of the audio.
Michael
I don't know which protesters she was that got run over. I think is a different one than the one I put out on Twitter. That blonde girl who was like, up on the hood of the car, she thought she could stop cars because I'm an angry college girl. Nothing can stop an angry, angry college girl. Except maybe 2,000 pounds of Detroit steel or Japanese steel or whatever it was that ran over her leg. Then he keeps going forward and she just kind of slides down the hood, and then he runs over her leg. And then she's screaming and yelling. How dare he? Well, don't stand in front of cars, you moron.
Jack Armstrong
Well, we've.
Michael
We've, you know, we. We raised them. They didn't get this way on their own. We've taught them that their feelings matter more than anything else in the world. And you can do anything you want. You can smash out windows, you can take over a building. You can stop traffic. You can do whatever you want. You can glue yourself to a basketball court because what you care about matters more than Anything in the world.
Jack Armstrong
Go ahead and mess with the bull as much as you want. You will never get the horns. Yes, we've taught them.
Michael
So it's election day in New York City for mayor. It's actually the primary, but whoever wins the Democratic primary is going to be mayor. They got ranked choice, probably not going to get over 50%. So it's going to go to multiple rounds. But according to all projections, at least on the polls that came out yesterday, this communist mam. Danny. Is going to win over Andrew Cuomo. More reporting on that. Many business leaders, including the leading grocer billionaire John Castamatis, threatened to close all of his grocery stores if this dude wins. Because the dude is claiming he's going to run government grocery stores with lower prices and all that sort of stuff to compete. Running on a freebie heavy platform, promising free bus rides for everybody. Everybody gets to ride the bus for free city run grocery stores and higher taxes on the rich. And this is what's going to win in New York City.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, and strict rent control too.
Michael
Yep, yep. And taxpayer funded transitioning for children. And he's going to set up a commission to go after hospitals that don't do surgeries on kids who want to change their sex.
Jack Armstrong
Right? Yeah. Great. I can picture people like coming back from the space station saying wait a minute, there's a communist running. Did you say against Andrew Cuomo?
Michael
Yeah, I know.
Jack Armstrong
The disgraced groper. Old people killing mobster. And I love New York.
Michael
I actually see back.
Jack Armstrong
And I love you.
Michael
I actually haven't seen an interview with this Ma' am Danny dude who might be the new mayor. He's apparently really good. Really good. He never had a job. He's one of those people. He's really good speaker, very charismatic, very likable.
Jack Armstrong
Happy, well educated, wealthy, Trustafarian.
Michael
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. With all kinds of crazy unworkable ideas. So that'll be fun to watch.
Jack Armstrong
Fail Armstrong and Getty.
Joe Getty
Did you know that adults 60 plus lose more than $60 billion each year to financial exploitation? Greenlight's new Family Shield plan empowers you to monitor your loved ones, accounts for suspicious activity, watch out for their safety with place alerts and protect them with up to $1,000,000 in identity theft coverage. Protect your seniors today at greenlight.com familyshield that's greenlight.com familyshield if I'm the President.
Hillary Clinton
We will attack Iran. Whatever stage of development they might be in their nuclear weapons program in the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them. That's a terrible thing to say. But those people who run Iran need to understand that because that perhaps will deter them from doing something that would be reckless, foolish and tragic.
Michael
As Hillary Clinton in 2009, she would have been Barack Obama's Secretary of State at that time. And is that right?
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, he just gotten inaugurated.
Michael
So that was a strong we're not going to let Iran get the bomb or we will obliterate them comment from Hillary Clinton.
Jack Armstrong
And instead they went with the jcpoa, which some would say was an important agreement that enriched, that made Iran realize they could. Other people say it went crazy enriching under that stupid fake agreement.
Michael
She also didn't say we will go to Congress and get the war, a war declared so we can obliterate them.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, yeah. Handful of headlines. Speaking of that, John, you with a great piece in the National Review. Trump's strike on Iran was constitutional. And my favorite part of this is that, well, he goes into the Federalist Papers and Hamilton and but then he mentions that it started with George Washington who prosecuted the so called Indian wars without a declaration. Thomas Jefferson fought the Barbary pirates on his own authority. Abraham Lincoln launched an army and a navy and launched them against the south without calling Congress into session. FDR ordered escorts for British convoys and attacks on German submarines. Congress has declared war five times. Presidents have committed military forces to combat abroad more than 130 times, including the Vietnam War, which has the W word right in the name anyway. Gerard Baker, Wall Street Journal Trump's Iran strike looks judicious and pragmatic. By attacking key nuclear sites, the US Enters a fight in our national interest in which an ally has done most of the heavy lifting. This from the. Oh, you know, I did that at length. We'll skip over here.
Michael
We had a half a million troops in Vietnam in 1965, I believe.
Jack Armstrong
Wasn't a war, it was a police action. How do, how could you have a.
Michael
Half a million troops somewhere fighting and dying and Congress doesn't declare war. I mean, if you're not going to. In that case, this whole bomb and fordo seems to pale in comparison.
Jack Armstrong
Right. And again, Vietnam mostly perpetrated, prosecuted by Democratic presidents. Nixon at the end. I found this really interesting. Why Russia is giving Iran the cold shoulder after the Israel attack. Tehran was promised military aid before the airstrikes, but it got little more than rhetoric from Moscow. Putin obviously prioritizing Russia's interests, such as avoiding escalation, maintaining ties with Israel and Trump over fully backing Iran. And they mentioned that Russia has a history of not really supporting allies in crisis like Armenia and Syria and suggesting that Iran may face a similar disappointment.
Michael
They go with the sucks for you doctrine.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, exactly. We made you big promises. Yeah, but we're. That would be really inconvenient to us to actually carry through them. So Jerry Seinfeld says you can take the reservation, but you don't have. Yeah, it's the same thing if, if your buddy is Russia or China for that matter. Another headline, this is from the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal. Trump in the 12 day war. Iran's feeble retaliation shows how damaged the Khamenei regime is. Absolutely true. Then they mentioned that the Justice Department. Another story. Trump's Iran attack spurs concerns of retaliation in the U.S. i don't think the regime wants anybody to retaliate against the US As I said earlier, and I stand by my analysis, if I'm a high level advisor to the mullahs, I'm saying show your belly like a dog, like a beaten dog. Don't resist. Agree to everything and anything. Meanwhile, behind the scenes under deep cover, enrich uranium as fast as you can, but don't show a whiff of resistance. Cajole Trump into thinking the battle is over.
Michael
We haven't read from Trump's long tweet that he put out yesterday. Congratulations to everyone. All caps exclamation point. It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a complete and total ceasefire in approximately six hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed the in progress final missions for 12 hours, at which point the war will be considered ended officially. Iran will start the ceasefire and upon the 12 hour, 12th hour, Israel will start the ceasefire. And it goes on like that on the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will. I would like to congratulate both countries, Israel and Iran, on having the stamina, courage and intelligence to end what should be called the 12 Day War. In all caps, this is a war that could have been, that could have gone on for years and destroyed the entire Middle East. But it didn't and never will. God bless Israel. God bless Iran. God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States and God bless the world. In all caps.
Jack Armstrong
First of all, excellent dramatic reading. Ah, God bless Iran. Congratulations. Everything's great and Iran's thinking, what? You brought us to your knees. To our knees, rather not your knees. You brought us to our knees and now we're getting God Bless Iran. But again, to me that's, I don't, I don't know, maybe I just don't understand the four to seven dimensional chess. But Iran is dangerous and just because you think it's over doesn't mean they think it's over. They're radical, fundamental Islamists.
Michael
Well, they don't know what the they're doing. Israel gets a say too. And so Israel and Iran continue to fight at each other a little bit. And that's when Trump said this. They don't know what the they're doing. Yes, he said that this morning on every television station aired that, you know.
Jack Armstrong
What'S the latest updates? I haven't really been paying attention to the last, you know, couple of hours.
Michael
But after that tweet went out yesterday is Iran said they had not received any ceasefire proposal and sees no reason for one. A senior Iranian official told CNN that went on for several hours. Israel just didn't say anything. So it was quite a few hours before anybody said anything. Then they both came out and said, yes, we agree to a ceasefire. Although things kept blowing up in both countries.
Jack Armstrong
The latest update is ran and Israel and Iran deny violating a nascent truce, offering their own versions of events. And they cite the time difference involved. Iranian time is half an hour ahead of Israeli time, which is seven hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time, blah, blah, blah.
Michael
I'm not. Yeah, that happened and there was some bombings, both sides after the supposed deadline, but that's over now, it would seem. And maybe this is an actual cease fire. I guess we'll see how long it lasts.
Jack Armstrong
Representative AL Take me to the river. Greene, Democrat of Texas says he will introduce articles of impeachment against President Trump.
Michael
Okay.
Jack Armstrong
Citing an abuse of power in the use of the military in a war.
Michael
Without congressional authorization, which Trump responded today in a post. Make my day in all caps.
Jack Armstrong
Who elects this wackadoodle? Al Green. He was the guy with the cane who shook his cane to Trump and staged that publicity stunt at the, what was State of the Union or whatever or the, the speech just so he could get dragged out and become a martyr for the cause.
Michael
Man, if I ever end up super old and have a cane, I'm gonna shake my cane at people all the time. That'll be my go to move. You better watch out.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, yeah. Threaten them with you old cane shaking.
Michael
Jack.
Jack Armstrong
Jack.
Michael
Yeah, I know him. Every time he gets mad, he starts shaking his cane at you.
Jack Armstrong
Sure. Bald guy. I've still got my cane that I used for my hip surgeries with the The Romanian hand engraved wolf cane with the head of a wolf on there. It's good. Good heavy cane, too. Good heavy wood, and you got the metal tip. You could do some serious damage.
Michael
You could beat down a secessionist with that, couldn't you? You gonna keep that around for when you're really old?
Jack Armstrong
I suppose so. I mean, it's a good cane.
Michael
Nobody does canes really anymore. I mean, occasionally you see one. I feel like I see way more as a fashion statement canes than I see. Helps me walk canes. Walkers seem to be way more prevalent because they're so light and effective. And you fold up and put them in your car.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, I suppose so. I mean, my mom.
Michael
My mom uses a walker thing mostly, not a cane, huh?
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, the cane's kind of a middle ground. Need a little help, though. The walker is safer. That said, that's your being cautious.
Michael
I've never tried to use a cane, so I don't know what it'd be like. Do you think the wolf head. Was it hard to get a grip on that thing? I don't know if I want a wolf head. I think I want whatever is the best grip for keeping me from falling.
Jack Armstrong
Now, it's. Well, no, you get. It's a nicely curved wooden handle. And then, you know, beyond where my thumb and forefinger are forming the loop here, that's where the wolf head is.
Michael
Okay.
Jack Armstrong
So you don't grab him by his head. He's. He exists outside of your grip.
Michael
Gotcha.
Jack Armstrong
Yes.
Michael
And then you use the cane as one of your legs. Is that the idea?
Jack Armstrong
Well, no, not entirely. I mean, I'm not like a Civil War amputee. No, you use it when your bad leg comes down. You've got it generally on the opposite side of you.
Michael
So you're splitting the weight between the cane and your leg.
Jack Armstrong
Precisely, Doctor.
Michael
Okay. Now, I understand cane technology.
Jack Armstrong
Wolf is entirely. Stylistic choice does give me strength in a way that's difficult to explain.
Michael
There's your cane again. We will finish strong.
Jack Armstrong
Next, Armstrong and Getty. Yo, yo, yo.
Michael
How y' all doing?
Jack Armstrong
So this is kind of apropos. Nothing other than the fact that we like it. Bill Maher had a couple of guests on Friday, including fat Paul Bagala. I'm sorry, you know what? What? I'm overweight. Why would I say that, Paula? I just find him incredibly annoying. He's. He's doughy. Am I thinking of a different.
Michael
You must be. Paul McGalla is a tiny little waif of a man.
Jack Armstrong
Okay, I have the wrong Clintonite. I apologize to Paul Bagala, his friends, his family. Pluff. It wasn't Pluff it. Who was it anyway? And whoever the Clintonite advisor Obama bro dude was, he was joining mar in making cynical noises about the Army's birthday parade that Trump held last week that was the subject of so much conversation worth mentioning that Wesley Hunt is a member of America's Armed Services, retired now a congressman from Texas. Here's how the exchange went.
J
Do I think it was a good.
Michael
Idea to have a parade?
Jack Armstrong
No. But if you're going to do it, if you're going to have a vaguely fascist parade, do it right.
J
I want to say something about the.
Jack Armstrong
Parade.
J
To offer another opinion from our side of this whole thing, and that is it was the 250th birthday of our United States Army.
Michael
Right.
J
As I said, thank you very much. And somebody that served this nation as an Apache pilot. Again, my brother and sister going to West Point. Six years in military service, mostly in the Army. My great, great grandfather fought in the Civil War. And you know what? I saw President salute the Corps of Cadets as they walked past him. I watched them salute the 75th Ranger Regiment as they walked past them. I sat there and watched the fireworks behind the Washington Monument. And you know what I thought? Damn, that's absolutely outstanding. And it's far better than Joe Biden checking his watch when bodies were being returned to Dover.
Jack Armstrong
Okay, wait a minute.
J
This is a. Hold on. This is a contrast that we were talking about and why you lost, because we are talking about a man that's talking about patriotism in parades like that. When I was growing up, I served because I used to go to these parades and watch my dad participate in them. I saw the Blackhawks Landing. I visited my sister at West Point. I said, by God, I want to serve this country, too. And so the dichotomy of what we're seeing with President Trump and his patriotism, saluting the flag, actually making an effort. Now, whether you like it or agree with the execution, the effort is there. That's all you want to see.
Jack Armstrong
Execution does matter. First of all, thank you for your support, Bill.
Norm Rule
No, I mean that.
Jack Armstrong
I say that to everybody. Always have. For 23 years.
J
I watched you for 20 years.
Jack Armstrong
Absolutely. That was good stuff, Wesley.
Michael
Yeah, that's fantastic.
Jack Armstrong
Well said.
Michael
We got a possible war going on right now, so I hadn't seen Donald Trump's latest tweets. Do I have time for this, Michael? How much time I got?
Jack Armstrong
We got a minute 30.
Michael
Perfect. So one from a little earlier, this was an. Israel's planes were still in the air headed to bomb Iran, and Trump was trying to stop that. Israel's not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home while doing a friendly plane wave to Iran.
Jack Armstrong
Is that a thing wagging the wings really?
Michael
Like, yeah, we're not gonna bomb you. Just saying, hey, nobody will be hurt. The ceasefire is in effect. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Donald J. Trump, President of the United States. Which is funny, the fact that he makes these giant proclamations about law or world changing events through tweets and then just, you know, signs them with his name. Donald J. Trump, President of the United States. And then an hour after that, all caps on this one, Israel, do not drop those bombs. If you do it, it is a major violation. Bring your pilots home now. Donald J. Trump, President of the United States. Is he actually communicating that way? I mean, is that for us to see Andy communicated to them, or is that actually the full communication on these things?
Jack Armstrong
I don't know.
Michael
I don't know.
Jack Armstrong
I wouldn't think as a president you would want to say, don't do it, don't do it, don't do it, and then have it defied. Because then you're in a position where you have to then do something really stupid and counterproductive to an ally. This is, this is the worst side of Trump. The best side is when he said, you know what, everybody's talking about moving the embassy to Jerusalem. We're moving it. And he moved it and it was fine.
Michael
But doesn't he contact Rubio and say, hey, Rubio, get a hold of Netanyahu right now.
Jack Armstrong
No, he just tweets it, apparently it's final thoughts, boys. That'll do, boys.
Michael
Soon we'll hear your comments, entertain us, give us closure.
Jack Armstrong
For the show is nearly done.
Michael
Love that. Here's your host for Final Thoughts, Joe Getty.
Jack Armstrong
Hey, let's get a final thought from everybody on the crew to wrap things up for the day. Wouldn't that be delightful? There he is, our technical director to lead us off. Michelangelo, final thought. Well, I had a final thought, but due to limited time, I will not be able to share it today. So thank you for this matter.
Michael
Yeah, I agree.
Jack Armstrong
Thank you. Thank you for this matter. Thank you for the. What? Katie Greener, esteemed muse woman has a final thought. Katie, I forgot what it was. It ran that fast. Thank you for this matter.
Michael
I'm gonna try. There's my final thought. I'm gonna try communicating with my kids. This way I won't talk to them directly. I'll just tweet out things. Make sure you have your homework done and your room cleared. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Your father.
Jack Armstrong
Wow. Wow. Gosh. My final thought is I'm back to having that whole it's too nutty feeling. Just the whole Trump administration, foreign policy and all. I was thinking it's just too nutty. Then it was like, oh, now I get what he's doing. This is great. We're solid with this. Now I'm back to this is nutty.
Michael
I Can we ignore it on vacation? I'm not sure. Some pretty big things could happen.
Jack Armstrong
Maybe.
Michael
Armstrong and Getty wrapping up another grueling four hour workday.
Jack Armstrong
So many people. Thanks. A little time. Go to armstrong yeti.com hotlinks get some swag. Pick up an ang hoodie. Oh, those are very popular. Helps keep everybody on payroll during these challenging times. Drop us note mailbag@armstrong and getty.com Last.
Michael
Time I ignored news on vacation, I missed 911 for a whole day. We'll see you tomorrow. God bless America. As soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of Armstrong and Yeti. The biggest load that we've seen.
Jack Armstrong
Are you yo.
Norm Rule
Absolutely.
Jack Armstrong
Don't you think that's a little odd? It has to stop like the day before yesterday. I'm gonna call my lawyer. Gonna.
Unknown
So let's go out with a bang.
Jack Armstrong
We'll say ship instead of that word.
Michael
You. You made me sweat. Just saying that made me jump. Yeah, Michael.
Jack Armstrong
Jump you babies.
Michael
On that high note.
Protester
Bye bye.
Jack Armstrong
Armstrong and Gettys. This is an iHeart podcast.
Podcast Summary: Armstrong & Getty On Demand – "Old Cane Shakin' Jack!"
Podcast Information
The episode begins with Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center. After a brief advertisement segment (which is skipped in this summary as per instructions), the hosts dive into current events and personal anecdotes.
[00:57] Michael:
Michael initiates a discussion about the new Samsung phone, dubbed by some tech reviewers as the "final iPhone killer." Despite acknowledging the iPhone's dominance in the U.S. market, Michael expresses uncertainty about Samsung overtaking Apple but notes the new phone's impressive features.
[01:16] Jack Armstrong:
Jack counters by highlighting that while the iPhone dominates the U.S., Samsung remains the global giant, emphasizing the company's substantial international market share.
The primary focus of the episode centers on the complex relationships between the United States, Israel, and Iran, with a particular emphasis on recent tensions and policy shifts.
Discussion on U.S. Embassies and Presidential Policies
[01:28] Jack Armstrong:
Jack critiques various U.S. administrations' stances on Israel and Iran. He outlines how each president—from Clinton to Trump—has approached the U.S. embassy's location in Jerusalem and Iran's nuclear capabilities, noting a pattern of promises and actions that reflect each administration's priorities.
Notable Quote:
"[02:09] Jack Armstrong: Bush Israel cannot make peace with any more Arab nations without a Palestinian state. Obama, Israel cannot make peace with any more Arab nations without a Palestinian state. Trump, I have brokered peace deals between Israel and four Arab nations without a Palestinian state."
Current Conflict and Ceasefire Efforts
The hosts discuss recent military actions involving Iran and Israel, exploring the strategic implications and potential outcomes of the ongoing conflict.
[02:51] Michael:
Michael questions the defensiveness of Iran, expressing astonishment at the nation's current vulnerabilities.
[03:21] Brett Baer (Guest):
Brett introduces expert Norm Rule to discuss Iran's political landscape, highlighting the polarized society and the minuscule but highly organized loyalist faction maintaining the regime's grip on power.
Notable Quote:
"[05:11] Norm Rule: It's a very polarized society in that you have a small minority that's ruling... They want to live in an open world, prosperous country."
Regime Stability and Potential for Change
[08:21] Brett Baer:
Brett and Norm delve into the possibility of regime change in Iran, comparing it to the latter stages of the Soviet Union and emphasizing Iran's lack of a viable alternative ("Plan B") should the current regime falter.
Notable Quote:
"[08:53] Michael: That's his best guess and he may be right and he's an expert, but... it's so hard to predict."
Nuclear Capabilities and Trump's Policies
The discussion shifts to Iran's nuclear program, the importance of controlling enriched uranium, and critiques of Trump's unconventional communication methods regarding the conflict.
[10:17] Norm Rule:
Norm stresses the critical need to secure highly enriched uranium to prevent Iran from assembling nuclear weapons.
[18:45] Hillary Clinton (Clip):
A historical clip of Hillary Clinton emphasizing the U.S. commitment to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
[21:06] Michael:
Michael reflects on Trump's recent tweets attempting to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, questioning the effectiveness and authenticity of such proclamations.
Notable Quote:
"[24:33] Jack Armstrong: First of all, excellent dramatic reading. Ah, God bless Iran..."
Protester Incident and Public Safety
The hosts discuss a protester being run over in Catskill, New York, highlighting controversies surrounding police reports and public safety during protests.
[14:02] Michael:
Michael narrates an incident where a protester was struck by a vehicle, criticizing the police response and handling of the situation.
[15:07] Michael:
He further elaborates on societal attitudes towards protests and personal accountability.
NYC Mayoral Elections
A lively discussion ensues about the upcoming Democratic primary for New York City's mayoral race, focusing on the projected victory of a candidate perceived as radical and the potential reactions from the business community.
[16:11] Michael:
Michael speculates on the implications of the projected Democratic candidate's victory, referencing promises of free public services and higher taxes on the wealthy.
Notable Quote:
"[17:33] Michael: He's going to set up a commission to go after hospitals that don't do surgeries on kids who want to change their sex."
The hosts shift to a more personal and humorous discussion about canes, walkers, and mobility aids, sharing stories and preferences regarding their own devices.
[27:06] Michael:
Michael jokes about using a cane as a defensive tool in old age, blending humor with personal experiences.
[28:37] Jack Armstrong:
Jack explains the functionality and design of his wolf-headed cane, emphasizing its practicality and aesthetic appeal.
In the concluding segment, Armstrong and Getty share their final thoughts, reflecting on the tumultuous nature of current events and expressing sentiments of uncertainty and frustration regarding the ongoing geopolitical tensions and domestic issues.
[35:15] Jack Armstrong:
Jack encapsulates his feelings about the unpredictable nature of Trump's administration and foreign policy.
[35:42] Michael:
Michael echoes sentiments of uncertainty, pondering whether to disengage from the news during vacations to avoid missing critical events.
Closing Remarks:
The episode wraps up with humorous banter, final promotional mentions, and light-hearted exchanges between the hosts, maintaining their signature blend of serious discussion and casual dialogue.
Notable Quote:
"[36:38] Jack Armstrong: Jump you babies."
Geopolitical Tensions: The episode provides an in-depth analysis of the strained relationships between the U.S., Israel, and Iran, highlighting historical and current policy decisions that have shaped these dynamics.
Iran's Political Landscape: Expert insights shed light on Iran's internal conflicts, the stability of its regime, and the challenges in predicting potential regime change or shifts in power.
Nuclear Threats: The importance of controlling Iran's nuclear capabilities is emphasized, with discussions on the strategic implications of enriched uranium and nuclear weapon development.
Domestic Affairs: The hosts touch upon significant local events, including protester safety and the high-stakes New York City mayoral race, illustrating their commitment to covering a broad range of topics.
Personal Touches and Humor: Interspersed with serious discussions, the hosts maintain a personable and humorous tone, sharing anecdotes and light-hearted conversations to engage their audience.
Unconventional Communication: Criticism of President Trump's unique communication style, especially his use of social media for significant geopolitical announcements, is a recurring theme, reflecting concerns over its effectiveness and sincerity.
Jack Armstrong on U.S. Policies:
"[02:09] Jack Armstrong: Bush Israel cannot make peace with any more Arab nations without a Palestinian state... Trump, I've destroyed Iran's nuclear weapons."
Norm Rule on Iran’s Society:
"[05:11] Norm Rule: It's a very polarized society... They want to live in an open world, prosperous country."
Michael on Trump's Ceasefire Tweet:
"[24:33] Jack Armstrong: First of all, excellent dramatic reading. Ah, God bless Iran..."
Jack Armstrong on Execution Matters:
"[32:06] Jack Armstrong: Execution does matter. First of all, thank you for your support, Bill."
This episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand offers a comprehensive exploration of pressing geopolitical issues, interwoven with local political discourse and personal anecdotes, all delivered with the hosts' characteristic blend of insight and humor. Whether you're a regular listener or new to the show, this episode provides valuable perspectives on international relations, domestic politics, and the ever-evolving landscape of current events.