People Have Found Alternative Pancake Toppings

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: "People Have Found Alternative Pancake Toppings" – Episode Summary

Release Date: January 13, 2025
Host: iHeartPodcasts – Armstrong & Getty Show

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Overview

In this engaging episode of the Armstrong & Getty On Demand podcast, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into a variety of pressing political and economic issues, blending insightful commentary with sharp wit. From the waning days of President Biden's administration to the intricate dynamics of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies, and the economic trajectories of Canada under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the conversation offers listeners a comprehensive analysis of contemporary socio-political landscapes. Additionally, the episode touches on international cybersecurity threats and reflections on former German Chancellor Angela Merkel's controversial memoir.

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Key Discussions

1. The End of Biden's Presidency and Political Climate (00:46 – 06:01)

The episode opens with a critical examination of President Joe Biden's tenure, highlighting the perceived disengagement of his staff and skepticism about his claim of nearly defeating former President Donald Trump in the elections. Michael comments on Biden's self-assessment:

"In an interview with USA Today, the old coot insisted he could have beaten Trump in the election. In fact, only two things were holding him back. His widespread unpopularity and breathing."
— Michael [02:46]

The hosts express doubts about Biden's leadership efficacy, particularly in light of his administration's approach to DEI policies and appointments, such as Pete Hegseth's controversial nomination for Under Secretary of Defense.

2. DEI Policies and Corporate America’s Shift (04:16 – 09:16)

A significant portion of the discussion centers on DEI initiatives within the military and corporate sectors. Michael critiques Elizabeth Warren's stance on DEI, labeling it as "fraud" and associating it with "neo-Marxism." He argues that DEI efforts are less about promoting diversity and more about undermining established institutions:

"DEI is you call something racist until you control it. It's a technique of infiltration. You have people who want to tear down the powers that be in Western civilization."
— Michael [05:34]

The conversation extends to corporate America, where Michael references a Wall Street Journal article titled "Corporate America Drew Back from DEI," highlighting the retreat of major corporations like Ford, Walmart, and McDonald's from these initiatives.

3. Canada’s Economic Struggles Under Trudeau (09:27 – 16:42)

The hosts shift focus to Canada's economic performance under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Michael presents data contrasting Canada's GDP growth with that of the United States, emphasizing a decline in business investment and employment in key sectors such as agriculture and natural resources:

"Cumulative real GDP per person growth in nine years had been 1.7% in Canada, 18.6% in the US. When data for the fourth quarter of 2024 are published, the gap will almost certainly widen."
— Michael [11:17]

He criticizes Trudeau's policies, linking them to increased federal department headcounts despite declining employment and economic output. The discussion also touches on the rise of antisemitism in Canada, correlating it with increased immigration policies.

4. Angela Merkel’s Memoir and Legacy (15:02 – 23:13)

Michael critiques former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s memoir, "Freedom," labeling it poorly received and attributing Germany’s current socio-economic issues to her leadership:

"The Financial Times wrote in response to her memoir that she was, quote, 'the most damaging European leader since 1945.' Andreas Roeder, the chair for modern contemporary history at the Johannes Gutenberg University... only a few years later, her era feels like ancient history."
— Michael [20:35]

He discusses the rise of far-right movements in Germany as a consequence of Merkel's progressive policies, including open immigration and green energy initiatives, which, according to him, have destabilized German society.

5. Cybersecurity Threats from China (26:15 – 39:28)

A substantial segment is dedicated to cybersecurity concerns, spotlighting comments from FBI Director Christopher Wray on 60 Minutes about the pervasive cyber threats posed by China:

"China's cyber program is by far and away the world's largest, bigger than that of every major nation combined and has stolen more of Americans personal and corporate data than that of every nation big or small combined."
— Christopher Wray [30:35]

The hosts discuss the implications of China's infiltration into American civilian infrastructure, including water treatment plants, transportation systems, and the electric grid. Michael underscores the urgency of addressing these vulnerabilities:

"If we go down a couple more years down this road of just whistling happily and ignorantly, thinking we'll always be a big fat, strong superpower, we'll be just screwed all the worse."
— Michael [36:19]

6. Personal Anecdotes and Light-Hearted Moments (03:46 – 48:04)

Interspersed with serious discussions, the hosts share personal stories and humorous exchanges, such as debates over coat removal styles and experiences with wearable tech like the Oura Ring. These segments add a relatable and entertaining dimension to the episode, balancing the heavier political content.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• "DEI is you call something racist until you control it. It's a technique of infiltration."
  — Michael [05:34]

• "Cumulative real GDP per person growth in nine years had been 1.7% in Canada, 18.6% in the US."
  — Michael [11:17]

• "Angela Merkel... was the most damaging European leader since 1945."
  — Michael [20:35]

• "China's cyber program is by far and away the world's largest."
  — Christopher Wray [30:35]

• "If we go down a couple more years down this road... we'll be just screwed all the worse."
  — Michael [36:19]

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Conclusions and Takeaways

The episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand offers a critical lens on current political and economic policies in both the United States and Canada, questioning the efficacy and motivations behind DEI initiatives and leadership decisions. It also raises alarm over international cybersecurity threats, particularly those emanating from China, urging immediate and robust action to safeguard American infrastructure. Through a blend of data-driven analysis and candid dialogue, the hosts encourage listeners to stay informed and engaged with the evolving global landscape.

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Final Thoughts

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty conclude the episode with reflections on the discussed topics, emphasizing the importance of awareness and proactive measures in addressing the challenges highlighted. They blend humor and seriousness, leaving listeners both entertained and thoughtful about the issues shaping the world today.

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For more insights and discussions, visit Armstrong & Getty or subscribe to the Armstrong & Getty On Demand podcast on your preferred platform.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

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[Joe Getty]

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[Michael]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center.

[Jack Armstrong]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty Armstrong and.

[Michael]

Getty and now, here's Armstrong and Getty so Joe Biden's presidency is nearly over. His staff has all but checked out. They've even stopped changing the batteries in his life. Alert. In an interview with USA Today, the old coot insisted he could have beaten Trump in the election. In fact, only two things were holding him back. His widespread unpopularity and breathing.

[Unknown]

Old coot made me laugh more than the punchline.

[Michael]

Yeah, no kidding. Name funny word. Coot. Even old coot as I saw on a completely different topic, I was just thinking about something else and as I said to my beautiful bride before work today, so apparently the holiday pounds aren't just gonna magically melt off.

[Unknown]

Right? That's funny.

[Michael]

I had a similar dismounted the scale.

[Unknown]

Similar thought myself just in the who. I mean it's a trite saying at this point, you know, something like moment on the lips, lifetime in the hips or anything like that, but it's true.

[Michael]

Oh yeah.

[Unknown]

I mean I'm on the scale today and thinking those several eating choices you made over the break worth it at this point, not in any way whatsoever.

[Michael]

Putting it on is falling off a log. Taking it off is a job.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Michael]

Anyway, I wish you well in your efforts as I hope you wish me. So a couple of things really quickly mentioned Pete Hegseth earlier I was looking at this excerpts of this 33 page rant that Elizabeth Warren unleashed as we are heading toward the hearings for a number of the Trump appointees or you know, designates Hegset sub secretary of defense.

[Unknown]

That's a big job, especially with a couple of wars going on.

[Michael]

Oh, incredibly important. Yeah. One of the main problems that that Elizabeth Warren has is she hammers him for things like here it is. You've claimed that the dumbest phrase on planet Earth in the military is our diversity is our strength.

[Unknown]

That is a dumb phrase.

[Michael]

Yeah. That makes me want to support him. As noted above, you also called for firing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and quote any general that was involved, any general, admiral, whatever that was involved in any of the DEI woke s. Oh boy. Now I really, really want to support him. Additionally, you complained in the war on warriors there was a book you wrote, I believe that quote a woke military emphasizes the made up military values of diversity and inclusion and fails to recruit masculine men who make up a warrior class.

[Unknown]

Does she think she's convincing me to not want him to be? Yes, Obviously we're the wrong target for this, but I think most of those things are at least somewhere in the 5050 range in this country. If not, please overwhelmingly favored.

[Michael]

Right, Right. So anyway, I don't love Pete's chances at this point, but that sure as Hell ain't why. You know what is the why for him?

[Unknown]

You don't like his chances because of what?

[Michael]

Just whether he's worthy contentious hearings. Plus I know Joni Ernst, veteran and senator from Iowa, is a little concerned about some of the things he said about women in combat. He has now walked back those comments.

[Unknown]

Well, that'll all explained in the hearing, right?

[Michael]

I think so. I hope they give him a fair shot. I just, I, I fear that they will go with somebody who is, has got gravitas and experience and is a good old hand in Washington D.C. and he's not going to be the energetic force for change that Pete wants to be. So I'm anxious to hear the hearings. I hope they give him a fair shot. But having said that, I came across this in the Wall Street Journal and the Wall Street Journal editorial board is abso great as good as there is on questions of woke crap in dei. But their reporters, many of whom are young, are absolutely not. And I came across this piece Corporate America drew back, back from dei. The upheaval isn't over and they name check Ford and Walmart and McDonald's and John Deere and Tractor Supply and all sorts of stuff, all sorts of corporations like that. But the part that bothered me, and this goes to the this is not the beginning of the end. It's the end of the beginning is these reporters and I'm trying to find the exact quote. Supporters of DEI say most boards and executives still support diversity diversity efforts even if they they avoid the term and bend to the demands of activists or try to sidestep skirmishes with the Trump administration. There are still too few people who get that DEI is not about diversity. That's fraud. They say it's about making sure that black people and brown people and gay people have a fair shot at the American. No, it's not. It's a technique of infiltration. You have people who want to tear down the powers that be in Western civilization. They're neo Marxists. WOKE is a pretty good overlap with the neo Marxists. Diversity means getting more people in this organization who want to overthrow it. Like us. Equity is just communism and inclusion is Back to that first point. Include more people who want to overthrow this institution like we do. It masquerades as racial justice. That's not what they're trying to do. And that's the point that you've got to get. It's neo Marxism. It's not about race. They're just trying to use racial, you know, tensions and gripes to Take over. As James Lindsay has put it, DEI is you call something racist until you control it. Having said that, moving along a couple of woke world leaders actually quite a few are getting the bums rush including woke Elvis. Cute little Justin Trudeau in Canada and Matthew Lau. The National Review wrote a piece about his performance over like the last four or five years.

[Unknown]

It's miserable.

[Michael]

Not only just skyrocketing immigration that's causing the same sort of well they social and economic problems in Europe but other stuff too.

[Unknown]

Yeah, it's interesting thing. The immigration change in Canada was dark. I remember how many years ago. Gladys, do you still play the harp?

[Michael]

No, just no, no, no, no. Just saying I remember is not. You're abusing Gladys. It's got to be clearly a reminiscence of your past life. Not your past life like I'm a psychic but you know what I mean. Michael, do you agree I think Jack was a little hasty to go to the the back of the hand there?

[Unknown]

Yeah, I think so.

[Michael]

Gladys, can you play the specific time frame?

[Unknown]

Thank you Gladys. I think she's quiet quitting. But anyway, I had some Canadian friends and so I was just trying to figure out the time period on this. This would have been about 20 years ago. I was running around with these Canadian friends of mine and, and I had been. I traveled to Canada a couple of summers in her own Loved it up there.

[Michael]

So I was just thinking about learned nothing about how to remove your jacket?

[Unknown]

Apparently I still take off my coat like a girl. Canadians, they take off their jacket in a very manly way.

[Michael]

You're damn right.

[Unknown]

I was asking about. I would have moved to Canada and then they were both from Canada and they were like no, that' that's a, that's really hard to do. Really hard to do. You have to prove that you can support yourself without a job or have a specific kind of skill that is needed. And I thought okay, wow. So that stuck in my head. That is really hard and I like that. I think we should be like that. I, I, I remember that stuck in my head.

[Michael]

Well Trudeau like that if you follow the law.

[Unknown]

Yeah, well Trudeau came in and changed all that. They changed their policies in Canada and they went more like the United States currently is where anybody can come in for any reason. They were hardcore. You better have enough money to support yourself for life and make it clear you're not going to get on a program or you have a job skill we want or you can't come forever in Canada.

[Michael]

Right. Europe, absolutely the same. And Then they threw the borders open and it's been disaster. Speaking of which, we'll get to Angela Merkel in just a second. But listen to this here. Since Trudeau took office and through the third quarter of last year, which is the last available data, cumulative real GDP. GDP per person growth in nine years had been 1.7% in Canada, 1.7%. It was 18.6% in the US. When data for the fourth quarter of 2024 are published, the gap will almost certainly widen. Canada's real GDP per capita fell for six consecutive quarters as of the third quarter of 2024 and is expected to have fallen again. This means that Canadians on average would have 17% higher incomes today if Canada's real G had tracked with the United States when Trudeau was in power. Let's see Canada's economic and this is not about Canada and Trudeau per se, it's about progressive policies. Canada's economic performance under Trudeau is even worse. When you examine the details. The component of GDP that drives long term improvements in living standards and productivity growth is business investment. But business investment in non residential structures like machinery, equipment, intellectual Property is down 8.2% in Canada. Cumulative real per capita down 8.2% since Trudeau took office. By contrast, the United States is up almost 35%. Down 8% versus up 35%.

[Unknown]

Well, their main industries are maple syrup production and hockey pucks. And people have found alternative pancake toppings.

[Michael]

Although again, this is about. And the United States had wonderful numbers. If if California did not have tech, those numbers would be far worse. In particular blue states. The only thing that saves California's bacon is tech. If all of tech moved to Texas overnight, holy crap, would there be a reckoning? Anyway, under Trudeau, businesses invested less while the government, Surprise, surprise, expanded significantly. 2015 to 2024, total employment in Canada's agricultural industry fell 18%. Federal Department of Agriculture and Agri Food headcount. I'm sorry. So agriculture declined by 18%. The federal Department of Agriculture increased by 11%.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Michael]

Of course, total employment natural resources fell 1%. Headcount in the federal department increased 39%. So on their multiple, multiple departments they cite. And then finally consider the social disorder that Trudeau sparked. There's been a recent explosion in antisemitism across the country, including violent attacks, police reported hate crimes, more than tripled over the last eight years even after accounting for population growth. Huge increase of crimes against Jews coincident with their importing. Many, many, many, many folks from Muslim countries.

[Unknown]

Yeah, I was listening to National Review PO and they were all in agreement on how horrible it would be to take in Canada as a 51st state because they make California seem like Wyoming in terms of their political beliefs. I mean they are not a free speech culture. They're also, they're also much more of a government takes care of US culture cradle to grave than than anybody in the United States. Even the liberal states. We don't want that culture.

[Michael]

No, no indeed. I want to get to Charman Angela Merkel before the end of the hour. She's put out a big new memoir and it's not landing the way she thought it would.

[Unknown]

Interesting. I don't know anything about that.

[Michael]

You will if you stay tuned.

[Unknown]

Gonna be super windy the next couple of days in la. That is unfortunate man. Got a lot more on the way. Stay here.

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A couple of different things we want to play from last night's 60 Minutes coming up. That'd be Christopher Ray, the FBI director with a couple of things he's worried about which were horrifying. And then a State Department group of people that were on there bad mouthing the United States, helping Israel. That I found very maddening. We'll get into that.

[Michael]

Watch that steam and pile. I'm not interested. So I thought this was interesting. Just as a fan of geopolitics and policy and leadership and the parallels between the United States and Europe and Canada for that matter, as we were just talking about. But Angela Merkel, who was hailed during your time in charge as the new face of leaders in Europe and the new Europe, she's so wise and so smart and I wish she could be our president, blah, blah, blah. Well, she went out of office unpopular and many of the birds that she unleashed have come home to roost. She just wrote a 736 page memoir entitled Freedom, which is ironic, but we'll get in. We may not have time for that, but it's getting terrible reviews. And the German people have reacted extremely negatively because all of the progressive policies that she advocated, including wide open borders, wide open immigration from the Middle east and Africa, and progressive politics, green energy, whatever you got German society falling apart in a lot of towns, the rise of what's being called the far right, you got people who can't afford their energy. They became dependent on Russia. Right.

[Unknown]

That's the underreported story to me is years and years of moving closer and closer to being dependent on Russia clear up through time to invade Ukraine. I mean, what did you think was gonna happen, you nutjobs?

[Michael]

Well, right. And what's funny about this, kind of a bitter brand of funny, but she's unleashed this, this memoir and everybody's essentially reacting. Oh, that's right, that's right. She's the cause of all of this. And so she's getting a hell of a kicking. The Financial Times, which in 2015 called her one of Germany's great chancellors, wrote in response to her memoir that she was, quote, the most damaging European leader since 1945. Whoops, said Andreas Roeder, the chair for modern contemporary history at the Johannes Gutenberg University. Blah, blah, blah. Her key policies have all been exposed as wrong by the passage of time. Only a few, a few years later, her era feels like ancient history. Unbelievable. Oh, and one more point on this. There's. There's more to it, but I know you don't care that much about German culture and politics, but what was I going to say? It flitted right out of my mind. It's important. Oh, that's right. This article and all of them tip their caps to the fact that the far right in Germany, far right political parties are rising up and some of them have troubling associations with neo Nazis or whatever. Here's the deal, and this is this. I'm saying this not as a guy rooting for one thing or another, but as a guy who studied political science for years and years and years. If you have an issue, for instance rampant immigration and crime that the mainstream of your country is really unhappy about, but you've browbeaten them into believing that they're not allowed to talk about it cuz it's rude or it's racist or whatever, they will be afraid to talk about it. The quote unquote far right on the other hand doesn't give a crap what you consider rude or racist and they're going to talk about it loudly. And people who have been suffering in silence because they've been cowed into silence will turn to those far right quote unquote sources or political parties or whatever. That's the problem with suppressing people's honest feelings about your policies is after a while people think, okay, the only people who are saying what I think are these so called far right parties, I guess I'm with them.

[Unknown]

Christopher Wray, FBI Director on his way out the door with Trump coming in, laid out some of the things he's worried about or how bad China is on the global stage and other stuff. So stay tuned.

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[Unknown]

Know, my current obsession is France, 1870-1871. Can't read enough about it.

[Michael]

Really.

[Unknown]

Got started at the big art museum in Washington D.C. on that with the display they had and I just, I'll have to talk about it at some point. Fascinating period of time.

[Michael]

1870-71.

[Unknown]

Correct. Wow, that horrible year as they call it. But more on that at a different time also.

[Michael]

Was that the great Baguette famine?

[Unknown]

Well, it's when they went to war with Germany and got their asses kicked. And they had been the dominant power for a hundred years in Europe and they got coming to them what I hope we don't get coming to us. After years and years of just assuming you were the dominant power, I was.

[Michael]

Afraid there was a modern parallel and.

[Unknown]

Then how it interacted with impressionism and the rise of a new art form that happened at the same time with many of the painters being involved in the politics of the day, which is really freaking fascinating. But last hour I talked about how I take off my coat like a girl. We've gotten a lot of texts about that, including one who said that's like number 50 on the list of 100 things you do like a girl. So. Okay, but people want a video. So after the show I might have to take a video of me taking off my coat. We'll post it and then you can either comment on whether or not do I Take my coat off like a girl, as Katie has said. And a friend of mine, my son said it last night, I told a friend of mine laughingly and they said, oh yeah, you've always taken your coat off like a girl. I was like, what just will you.

[Michael]

Be able to, to, to take off your coat in, in the usual fashion without being self conscious on the video?

[Unknown]

I think so. I only know one way to take off my coat. I didn't know it was like a girl. Anyway, we'll post that and then you can maybe give me some tips on how to more in a more manly fashion. I take off my skirt number one.

[Michael]

Maybe put your, put your purse down on a chair before you take your coat off. Right, right.

[Unknown]

Similar joke. So this was on 60 Minutes last night. Outgoing FBI director Christopher Wray. I was trying to remember this this morning. So he wasn't supposed to leave for a couple of years. They have 10 year terms by design so that they're not, they don't over, they overlap with presidential administrations. They wouldn't be timed with presidential administrations. That's on purpose. And I wasn't particularly happy that Trump was forcing him out. Then something happened last week and remember I said, well now I'm glad he's going. Do you remember what the story was? We found out something about Christopher Wray or something he believed or something he said or something he did.

[Michael]

Well, it was, it might have been the gallon New Orleans, who immediately after the inspired terrorists attack said this is not a terrorist incident. That is incredibly in undisciplined.

[Unknown]

That is it the fact that he didn't come out and say that is inappropriate. Yeah. I'm glad you're leaving.

[Michael]

You know, I, I've known quite a few FBI agents in my life, including some who rose to a fairly high level. And the idea that you would say something that undisciplined is just unthinkable. It's, it's just crazy. It's, it's like an NFL quarterback handing the ball to the other team and saying, oh, I didn't understand. It's just the guys in my jersey. Well, you just, you can't even picture it.

[Unknown]

Have there been any stories going the other direction over the last decade? Any of the things that have come out that one was public but you know, the behind the scenes stuff with Peter Strock and his girlfriend and then we're going to stop Trump and blah, blah, blah. Have there been any things come out on the, on the conservative side of politics that seem out of bounds? I don't remember any. Are they all like lefty stuff?

[Michael]

Interesting. There are plenty of unsung stories where the FBI has done a great job and you just never hear about it.

[Unknown]

Sure.

[Michael]

Politically speaking, the other side of the aisle. Not that I'm familiar with at all.

[Unknown]

Things that are semi scandalous where they shouldn't be involved in politics. Are there any. They all seem to go one direction.

[Michael]

Well, that's because if you're an actual conservative, the idea of I'm going to use my position illegally or unethically to get a better result. You're not a conservative.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Michael]

You don't get it.

[Unknown]

Good point. Anyway, Christopher Wray was on 60 Minutes last night. He said a lot of interesting things. I don't know if this needs any setup. I guess we'll find out after we play it.

Here we go.

[I]

China's cyber program is by far and away the world's largest, bigger than that of every major nation combined and has stolen more of Americans personal and corporate data than that of every nation big or small combined. But even beyond the cyber theft, there's another part of the Chinese cyber threat that I think has not gotten the attention publicly that it I think desperately deserves. And that is Chinese government's pre positioning on American civilian critical infrastructure to lie in wait on those networks to be in a position to wreak havoc and can inflict real world harm at a time and place of their choosing.

[Unknown]

I feel like the president should be having a press conference today taking questions on just that clip of Chris Ray on 60 Minutes last night.

[Michael]

I would hope the awareness and the taking of action to counteract it is appropriate to the size of the threat because I feel like, and I've been howling about this for a long time, I feel like we are set up like a bowling pin and China has capabilities we can't even dream of, which Ray actually gets into in the next clip.

[Unknown]

But that whole they have a bigger cyber program than every other country combined.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Okay, here we go.

[Michael]

But they're already in our systems. As he explains, the Chinese have already.

[Unknown]

Insinuated malware into critical American infrastructure.

[Michael]

That's correct.

[Unknown]

Like what?

[I]

Things like water treatment plants. We're talking about transportation systems, we're talking about targeting of our energy sector, the electric grid, natural gas pipelines, and recently we've seen targeting of our telecommunications system.

[Unknown]

Well, let's roll on with more of what China's doing than we can discuss. They have been listening to the telephone calls of people in the United States government.

[I]

Some people, we believe that they have collected Their content, the actual communications of those people.

[Unknown]

Ray wouldn't say it, but we have confirmed China gathered communications of US national security officials, the Kamala Harris campaign, and Donald Trump himself. So I'll ask you, Joe, we've been talking about this now for several weeks. Josh Rogan, I think is the guy who laid it out best for us months ago is last year. How many Americans know that China not only hacked into all of our cell phone systems and everything like that and can listen to every single person's phone call and read all their texts and it's still true today. How many people in America know that?

[Michael]

That. Practically none. 3%, maybe.

[Unknown]

How do you explain that?

[Michael]

Because we media sucks.

[Unknown]

I think part of it's. That part of it is just the safe and comfortable thing. Getting to what I was talking about. France had been the dominant military power in Europe for century and everybody just kind of ignored that Germany had come up with all these new weapons systems and everything like that that France hadn't. And this is the history of the world. It repeats itself over and over and over again. You just, you, you've been dominant for so long, you think we'll always be, nobody can touch us. Nobody's ever been able to touch us. We're fine.

[Michael]

Yeah. I mean, I could probably cook up like three reasons that this is such an under told story or under emphasized story. Part of it has to do with a lot of our media is uncomfortable with anything that like talks harshly about the Chinese because, well, wait a minute. Because we have Chinese American people and Chinese immigrants and Chinese students and we don't want any racism because they're just so stupid. I don't, I don't know. I don't know when, when the smacking comes, when the poop hits the fan. I'm hoping it's a long time because China's weakened enough economically that as Ian Bremmer was saying when we interviewed him recently, and that podcast is available wherever you get podcasts, Armstrong, you get the extra large or on demand. But what was he saying? Oh, they're weakened enough that they've had to scale back some of their global ambitions. And I hope that's tr. But if indeed the poo hits the fan and China decides to pull all those triggers that they have in our infrastructure right now, it will be the only thing anybody in America talks about for weeks and weeks until it's straightened out.

[Unknown]

Or decades or centuries, depending on how it plays out.

[Michael]

I was reminded the other day. Was it. Yeah, I guess it was a talking to. Ian Or. Or it might have been 60 minutes that. That whole. What was the. That pipeline on the east coast that can. That carries 90% of the gas or whatever. That was Chinese hacking.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Michael]

Or was it Russian hacking? It doesn't matter. The point was it was hacking. All of our infrastructure that's connected to a computer is hackable, and China, to their evil, evil credit, has been working like crazy to infiltrate it.

[Unknown]

We might be saved just by the fact that China has mismanaged their economy so poorly that they think we can't get into a. Right now they've got all the. All the groundwork laid for when they were going to pull the trigger on Taiwan or something or bigger. And. But they just are too broke and economically weak to do it right now because, yeah, all of a sudden your water is not safe to drink, your cell phone doesn't work, so everybody's in a panic, you got no electricity at home. The level of disruption, you can't even hardly imagine it.

[Michael]

I'm reminded of your oft mocked prayer that God will send you a minor health scare so you'll clean up your act as if, you know, cancer and organ loss wasn't enough. But there's. There's part of me that thinks we need something like that in the US that gets everybody's attention. So we wake the hell up. Because if we go down a couple more years down this road of. Of just whistling happily and ignorantly and thinking, well, we're a big fat, strong superpower, we'll always be, nobody can hurt us, we're just going to get screwed all the worse.

[Unknown]

Chose referencing my many times where the year saying, I wish I'd have a mild heart attack because then I would probably get my eating together. It's blasphemous to say that sort of thing, but I feel like we've had the mild heart attack as a country. China hacking into all your cell phones, reading all your texts, and listening to all your phone calls is not a mild heart attack. But nobody. Nobody's interested.

[Michael]

Among their conclusions. Boy, Joe Giddy and his wife are sappy. Secondly, they hacked into the Kamala Harris campaign. They're thinking, what the hell? Who's running this? Why don't they write a speech for her? Boy, is she stupid.

[Unknown]

Well, they've got a whole file today on how I take them off my coat like a girl because they've been following my text line.

[Michael]

So you're blackmailable, right? Alone. Probably not, because you're. You're open about it. Do we want the. The final Clip array. Might as well. Yeah, it's good.

[I]

There was a guy, a Pakistani citizen just a few months ago, who we worked with our Canadian partners to arrest. This guy was trying to get into the US to get to New York City to conduct a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn. And in his words. Not my words, his words, he wanted to conduct the largest attack in the US since 9 11. So what I would say to the American people is that when you think these things are happening half a world away, it's like that little inscription on.

[Michael]

Your mirror in your car.

[I]

Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.

[Unknown]

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. Objects in mirrors are closer than they appear.

[Michael]

Yes, objects. Like I said, objects in the mirror. Scott Pelley. Yeah. I actually think Chris Wray is a pretty good guy. I think he suffers perhaps from being downstream of eight years of the Obama administration and the pressures they put on the FBI and hiring decisions and affirmative action and DEI crap and the rest of it. And now I think he's sitting atop an organization that's suffering from those decisions and policies. But I. I don't know. I don't. I don't. I can't see into the guy's heart and mind.

[Unknown]

Well. And, you know, to whatever extent that matters at this point. But I want to be wrong about all this stuff. I want to be wrong. I want China to not have the big win at some point. I want there to not all of a sudden one day be a terrorist, sell do all kinds of horrible things and they all snuck across the border during the Biden administration. I don't want those things to happen, but, man, there's sure a decent chance that it does.

[Michael]

Yes. Yeah. In fact, the idea that it doesn't happen is really wishful thinking.

[Unknown]

Right. We'll finish strong. Stay here.

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[Unknown]

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[Michael]

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[Unknown]

And feels like hmm.

[Michael]

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[Jack Armstrong]

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[Unknown]

Big third.

[Michael]

And six wide open. Then Samuel Zigs and Zags slips to a tackle.

[Unknown]

He's taking it home for the touchdown. That was Josh Allen throwing a touchdown pass for the Buffalo Bills as they stomped the Broncos, getting us closer to what practically every NFL fan has been waiting for and expecting Chiefs Bills to see who goes to the super bowl again. That's going to be a heck of a game. Can't wait.

[Michael]

The Philadelphia Eagles might have something to say about that matchup. Jack, stay with us. Stay tuned. We'll break down the players and the.

[Unknown]

How would the Eagles in the NFC have anything to say about who's in the AFC Championship game?

[Michael]

Oh, AFC Championship. Yeah, sorry I was thought you're on the Super Bowl. I was only half paying attention Back to you.

[Unknown]

So I wanna know if anybody's tried one of these aura rings. I saw em at Target, I didn't know anything about em and my son was like, oh, you don't know anything about this? And he went on a rant. I don't know why he knows about it. See an ad somewhere, I guess. Anywho, they look like a pretty nice modern ring. Although I don't not a ring guy and I'm not married so I don't know where I would wear it. But it's a smart ring. They're about 400 like this. The cost of a, you know, a medium smartphone. But you get the app for your iPhone or whatever kind of phone you have and it tracks over 30 different biometrics. You wear it on your finger all the time. Sleep activity, stress, heart health, women's health metrics, you know, lady time. The Oura Ring 4 is powered by smart sensing which adapts to your unique finger delivering the most accurate continuous data day and night, night. They, they claim that it's. It's a lot of the information that you get from smart Fitbit sort of things watches, but it's better because it's tight around your finger and it's also needs a smaller battery, can last longer, blah, blah, blah. Seems like a fairly good idea. I just wondered if anybody had ever used it. You should text us or email it. Email us if you've used this and liked it on eight days of battery life. So you could just leave it on pretty much all the time. Time.

[Michael]

Yeah. A good friend was urging me to check out tracking my sleep via the Apple watch for instance. But I. I hate the idea of wearing a watch while I sleep. I know you get used to it.

[Unknown]

I wear, I have a watch I never take off ever, ever, ever, ever. Congratulations, sleep, shower, whatever. So I'm very used to it. So I could do that for the biometric stuff, but how about a ring? Could you wear a ring all the time?

[Michael]

I'd prefer not to, but I suppose so.

[Unknown]

Huh. Would be nice to have that information though, wouldn't it? A week or how I sleep or when my heart rate gets the highest or lowest or all kinds of different stuff. I'd be kind of interested when I'm.

[Michael]

Having my lady time because men can menstruate, as we've learned recently from what you have freaking lunatics who definitely believe you. You'll fall for anything many people have.

[Unknown]

My question would be like a lot of tech, is this something I would continue to be interested in or Would I be interested in it for like a week or two? Like the latest VR headset and then it goes in a drawer. I am actually kind of interested in my sleep patterns. I'd like, I haven't, I don't really know how much sleep I get every night, night or every week. I make some good data. Here's your host from Final Four. Final thoughts, Joe Getty.

[Michael]

Let's get a final thought from everybody on the crew to wrap things up for the day. There he is, our technical director, Michelangelo. Michael. Lead us off. My message is very simple for Jack. Even though you, you know, take your coat off like a lady, we still, we still like you. You still, you know, we still look up to you. Oh, yeah.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Thank you.

[Michael]

Diversity of coat removal. Katie Green, our esteemed newswoman. It has a final thought for us. Katie.

[Unknown]

I tried that sleep tech with the ring and it told me I slept like crap and then I was like.

[Michael]

Neat and that was pretty much the end of it.

[Unknown]

Neat. Thanks for the info.

How am I going to fix that?

I don't know.

[Michael]

Yeah, now I can't sleep at night because I'm worrying about how I sleep at night. Jack, a final thought.

[Unknown]

We are seven days away from Trump's inauguration. They have announced the singer of America the Beautiful will be Carrie Underfed, among other fantastic acts there at the inauguration.

[Michael]

Oh, that reminds me, Robin Zander, A Cheap Trick sang the national anthem for the which one of the playoff games yesterday in Tampa Bay did a really good job too. Sounded completely not like Cheap Trick. He was crooning it. Anyway, my final thought, it was our freedom loving quote of the day this morning. Clay Routledge, who's a writer, economist or a professor of some sort. We're living in an era of woke capitalism in which companies pretend about to care about social justice to sell products to people who pretend to hate capitalism.

[Unknown]

That is good Armstrong. And yet he wrapping up another grueling four hour workday.

[Michael]

So many people to thank, so little time. Go to Armstrong and getty.com. you can pick up some Ang swag, drop us a note, grab the podcast, see you tomorrow.

[Unknown]

God bless America Armstrong. And get a match made in heaven. The two get together every morning at 6:00, go over a ton of stuff. We're all better off. We're all better off we're all better off.

[Michael]

Better off when we're working together. What the hell was that?

[Katie Green]

That was quite entertaining.

[Unknown]

Oh no, Joe.

[Michael]

Unbelievable.

[Unknown]

It's outrageous and so grotesque.

[Michael]

I'm gonna call my lawyer. Gonna.

[Unknown]

This is not the time. Finger pointing. Joe yes it is.

[Michael]

It's perfect time.

[Unknown]

Oh okay.

[Michael]

So everybody chill on that high note.

[Unknown]

Bye bye.

[Jack Armstrong]

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[Unknown]

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[Michael]

Okay we could be here all day. Try Clorox Scentiva for a trusted clean with long lasting freshness. Also available in lavender and coconut. Use as directed.