Rhymes With Bass Shole...

Summary

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Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: Rhymes With Bass Shole...
Date: August 21, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty

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Overview

In this episode, Armstrong & Getty dive into contemporary political antics, social trends, and international affairs, combining their trademark wit and skepticism. Key topics include the "Latinx" debate in politics, California's reputation as a hostile environment for business (with a focus on Gavin Newsom), the peculiarities of modern dating culture ("Shreking"), and the complexities of international security guarantees, especially in relation to Ukraine and NATO. The show is lively, irreverent, and makes frequent use of sarcasm and pointed commentary.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The “Latinx” Conversation & Political Posturing

Timestamps: 03:35–06:02

• Armstrong and Getty lampoon the use and politicization of the term "Latinx," describing it as an out-of-touch, unnecessary label that few in the Latino community actually use.
• They highlight California Governor Gavin Newsom’s shifting position and use of “Latinx” in his public persona, especially as he postures for a potential presidential run.
• Michael: "Not one person ever in my office has ever used the word Latinx. So can we finally put that to bed?" (03:37)
• The hosts discuss how politicians focus on headlines instead of addressing substantial issues.

Notable Quote

• Michael: "Trans boys and girls sports or the term Latinx, which is one of the dumbest things that's ever happened in my lifetime. He has to run away from it if he wants to be president." (05:35)

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2. California’s Business Environment & Gavin Newsom’s Response

Timestamps: 06:02–11:05

• The hosts review the announcement from Bed, Bath & Beyond’s new CEO, detailing the company’s refusal to re-enter California due to the state’s overregulation and high costs.
• Newsom’s sarcastic social media retort targeting the company is dissected and mocked for lacking substance.
• They juxtapose losing private sector jobs with increases in government employment in California.
• Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy is referenced, criticizing Newsom for driving away business and people.
• The conversation devolves into comedic riffs on the nature of “bed, bath, and beyond” (“What’s the ‘beyond’?”) before circling back to the seriousness of anti-business policies.

Notable Quote

• Joe: "Instead of addressing policy, he says, 'Oh yeah, the same company that went bankrupt and closed all their stores two years ago.' Let me explain something to you, Gavin, because you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth..." (08:35)
• Joe: "Go ahead, Gavi, give us some more of your clever, clever snark. What a blank—rhymes with 'bass shoal.'" (10:25)
• Michael: "He is a blank. What a blank whole thing to say." (10:25)
• Joe: "Oh, please run for president. Please, I beg you. Because your humiliation will nourish my soul for a thousand years." (10:54)

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3. Modern Dating Trends: “Shreking”

Timestamps: 11:51–24:13, 45:47–49:50

• Michael introduces “Shreking,” a trend where people intentionally date unattractive partners expecting to be treated better, referencing both a USA Today article and insider anecdotes.
• The hosts express astonishment and disgust at the concept, critiquing the shallowness and dysfunction involved.
• Michael: "Shreking involves dating someone you're not attracted to in the hopes that this person will treat you better in return." (16:58)
• Joe: "If you even have in your mind at all that you're dating down, it is doomed." (18:46)
• Joe gives classic relationship advice: "Marry your best friend who you happen to be sexually attracted to. That's what you're looking for. Quit with your Shreking and your ghosting..." (19:19)
• Ridicule ensues over stories of women charging men $500 for dates—a practice likened to escorting or to "renting a Ferrari" for public image purposes.
• Both hosts condemn the transactional and superficial nature of such arrangements.
• Joe: "You're doomed to misery. Let's go ahead and bottom line it here." (49:24)

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4. International Affairs: Ukraine, Russia & Security Guarantees

Timestamps: 28:32–41:44

• Discussion of Russia’s insistence on being part of any group guaranteeing Ukraine’s security and the skepticism around Western interpretations of Putin’s positions.
• Analysis of diplomatic failures, miscommunications (e.g., American misinterpretation of Russian statements), and Trump’s negotiating tactics.
• The hosts examine NATO’s Article 5: its reliability, political reality, and how it might apply in a crisis, especially regarding the Baltic states.
• Debate over whether international agreements mean anything when force and national interest ultimately dictate action.
• Joe: "Any soldier could tell you the idea of purely defensive war is not war. That's a shooting gallery." (36:53)
• Michael: "Putin is hoping that the NATO countries won't actually honor that. Article 5. An attack on one is an attack on all. That won't actually honor that when it comes to push and shove..." (40:05)
• Joe: "Strategic clarity… that's a practically 100% guarantee against aggression." (40:22)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Joe to Newsom: "Go ahead, Gavi, give us some more of your clever, clever snark. What a blank—rhymes with 'bass shoal.'" (10:25)
• Michael: "Oh, please run for president. Please, I beg you. Because your humiliation will nourish my soul for a thousand years." (10:54)
• Joe on Shreking: "Can we just use the term dysfunction and move on? Not everything needs a name." (19:08)
• Joe’s dating advice: "The secret to happy marriage is marry your best friend who you happen to be sexually attracted to." (19:19)
• Joe: "You're doomed to misery. Let's go ahead and bottom line it here." (49:24)

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Segment Timestamps

• Latinx & Political Pivots: 03:35–06:02
• California/Biz Exodus & Newsom Snark: 06:02–11:05
• Modern Dating Trends – Shreking: 11:51–24:13, 45:47–49:50
• International Affairs (Ukraine, NATO, Putin): 28:32–41:44

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Tone & Style

The episode features the classic Armstrong & Getty approach—sarcastic, blunt, skeptical, and humorous, particularly when addressing hypocrisy in politics and absurdities in social trends. Conversations are conversational, unscripted, and peppered with mockery and personal asides.

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Summary for New Listeners

This episode provides sharp, funny, and fiercely opinionated takes on political branding, economic realities in California, the bizarre stratification of modern dating (like "Shreking"), and geo-political chess games in Europe. If you like satire-cutting through the noise and aren’t shy about strong opinions, Armstrong & Getty deliver a densely packed hour of infotainment.

Transcript

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Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Gast.

[Michael]

Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Yeti.

[Joe]

The Latinx stuff that, by the way.

[Michael]

Not one person ever in my office.

[Joe]

Has ever used the word Latinx.

[Michael]

So can we finally put that to bed? But where did that even. No more Latinx, everybody. Well, I just didn't even know where it came from.

[Joe]

I'm like, what are people talking about?

[Michael]

I hope we can really paint a picture in terms of our consciousness of how impactful this has been on the Latinx community. About 3/4 of renters in the state that have fallen behind in rent represented in the Latino and African American community, the Latinx and black communities. You've got politicians that are banning not assault rifles, but the word Latinx, they're not even serious. Wow, that's even farther. So that's Gavin Newsom doing his bro podcasts that he's doing all across the country now as he tries to be like just a regular guy running for president. And he's doing a pretty good job of it might work for him. But claiming that Latinx, whoever even heard of that before? I don't know, what does that even mean? And then a little montage of him using the term in recent years, including one in where he's fighting against trying to take away the word Latinx, blasting.

[Joe]

Anybody who would dare disparage it.

[Michael]

Oh boy. But I'll bet it works. People don't hear the, you know, like in newspapers or books, there's the big headline and then there's a little sentence underneath. People don't hear the sentence underneath. 90% of people, they just get the big headline of everything, of every story. And you know, that's funny though. He's got to run away from so much of that stuff because it's so freaking crazy. Oh, yeah.

[Joe]

I mean, yeah. The list is long of policies that are abhorrent to most Americans or, excuse me, I should have taken my cough surprise and or results that are abhorrent to Americans. For instance, as we outlined last hour, Cal unicorni has lost 100,000 private sector jobs and added 361,000 government jobs since 2022. It's just astonishing.

[Michael]

Well, let's be, let's be happy about this stuff, though, people. Rather than condemning the hypocrisy, we should be happy. He understands that he needs to run away from the nonsense like trans boys and girls sports or the term Latinx, which is one of the dumbest things that's ever happened in my lifetime. He has to run away from it if he wants to be president. He is determined and he's right. And that's good news, right?

[Joe]

It is. Although don't let down your guard because we've received, I don't know, half a dozen emails just in the last 48 hours from folks that are getting ready to get back in the classroom as teachers in California and are going through their state mandated D I white supremacist woke doctrine right now. They're getting educated in that quote, unquote educated. So getting back to Gavi, and we talked about this fairly recently, if you're just tuning in. But the whole Bed, Bath and Beyond thing, the head of Bed, Bath and Beyond, do you have that statement? Or I mean, for people who are not familiar, just real quickly.

[Michael]

Yes, I do. I'm sorry, this is. I got the other screen up about shreking, a dating trend in which people are dating unattractive people on purpose. That story we got to get to later this hour.

[Joe]

Yes, yes, yes. In different species of giraffes. Yes, I already did the giraffes.

[Michael]

Shreking we will do this hour, though. It's an actual thing and it's really quite entertaining. So the CEO of Bed, Bath and Beyond puts out a statement yesterday. We will not operate or open retail stores in California. This decision isn't about politics, it's about reality. California has created one of the most over regulated, expensive and risky environments for business in America. It's a system that makes it harder to employ people, harder to keep doors open, and harder to deliver value to customers. The result, higher taxes, higher fees, higher wages that many businesses simply cannot sustain.

[Joe]

And then Gavin Newsom, in a snarky Social media post yesterday replied, the company.

[Michael]

That already went bank bankrupt and closed every store across the country two years ago.

[Joe]

Okay, I will be responding to that in a moment after a word from Kevin McCarthy, former Speaker of the House, multi generation Cal Unicornian 33.

[Michael]

Michael, this is another example of a failed California under Gavin. Instead of a governor going out trying to create businesses, he continues to push him away. We saw not just businesses go away, but we're losing population because of the problem of where, how they're governing California.

[Joe]

All right, thank you, Kevin. Good to hear your voice.

[Michael]

What's the beyond? I get bed and bath, but what's the beyond?

[Joe]

Hallways, kitchens, multiple rooms and door corridors can be furnished. All right, so Gavin, here is my response to your sarcasm.

[Michael]

Anterooms.

[Joe]

Oh yeah, Foyers. Don't get me started.

[Michael]

Window treatments. Okay, that's.

[Joe]

Oh, absolutely, yes. Although you do have windows in beds and baths, Michael. So is it really. That's a good point. Yeah. Okay, where were we? I'm sure there was a thread. Oh, yes. So Gavin's snark about a CEO saying, your state is so hostile to business and so difficult to operate in, we're not even going to try. And instead of addressing policy, he says, oh yeah, the same company that went bankrupt and closed all their stores two years ago. Let me explain something to you, Gavin, because you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. You've been successful in business because you've been bankrolled up to your ears by all of your rich relatives. But here's the way it works. Big companies sometimes fail to adjust with the times. Something, you know, changes. Whatever. They're unsuccessful, they declare bankruptcy and they reorganize. Bed Bath and Beyond has a lot of fans. It's a cool store. I'm a fan. Judy and I shopped there for a lot of stuff for years and years and were super bummed to hear it was closing. Well, now they're reopening with a little different concept that's going to be better for consumers and more likely to be a successful business. It's the very thing we treasure in America, Gavin. Innovation, adaptation, creativity and sticking to it. And these people who are doing that said, the one place we're not gonna bother is California cuz it's so hostile to business. Go ahead, Gavi, give us some more of your clever, clever snark. What a blank.

[Michael]

That's.

[Joe]

That was the perfect way to end my screed. It's a multi syllable, rhymes with bass shoal. That's. He is a blank. What a blank whole thing to say.

[Michael]

Yeah, it is, really.

[Joe]

I mean, it's beyond, like, bad governance or, you know, misunderstanding of the economy.

[Michael]

It's just.

[Joe]

You're being a dick.

[Michael]

Ooh.

[Joe]

Oh, please run for president. Please, I beg you. Because your humiliation will nourish my soul for a thousand years.

[Michael]

Oh, wow. Soul nourishing. A thousand years.

[Joe]

I stand by my statement.

[Michael]

That was a very standing on a hillside with a staff in a robe for some reason sort of statement to make. Well, I'm.

[Joe]

I'm heading to London on vacation and I'm feeling Churchillian.

[Michael]

I think I was picturing kind of a Gandalf sort of thing there. Wow. For a thousand years you shall not pass. Gavin Newsom. Lightning and storm clouds gathering.

[Joe]

I love that. If anybody's good at AI and can do that, please, we are lucky. Send me the video.

[Michael]

Yes, we are lucky in that the topic of Shreking as a dating thing came up and somebody with knowledge of this specifically texted someone I know who has friends that have been shreking.

[Joe]

Oh, no.

[Michael]

This is dating somebody who looks in a swamp who looks like Shrek. Unappealing on purpose. Why would you do that? It's kind of interesting. I guarantee you, you'll be surprised by this. And appalled. Surprised and appalled.

[Joe]

Oh, good.

[Michael]

So stay tuned for that.

[Joe]

Among other things, Armstrong and Gettysburg.

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[Christina Quinn]

If you eat too many ultra processed foods, you could be starving your gut microbes and they'll get hangry. That's one of many things I learned after working on a new audio course about the gut microbiome. You can learn how to keep your gut happy by listening to Try this from the Washington Post. I'm Christina Quinn. I host Try this. Dig in with me on practical advice for life's common challenges. Follow Try this right now, wherever you're listening. Seriously, try it.

[Abeka Homeschool Representative]

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[Michael]

Aren'T, well, people aren't dating or getting together as much as they used to be, period, in a way that is really unique to human history. And then the way that people date, what they do, like want to get together and get together with people is different than it's ever been. And there obviously would be, you know, upsides and downsides to all that. The online thing, which is really heavy on. It's almost got to be really heavy on appearance, right? Because you're looking at a picture and then you're deciding based off of that whether you're interested in them or not.

[Joe]

When, as a quick aside, appearance in photographs, right? Which can be different, honestly, than attractiveness in person.

[Michael]

Very much for a variety of different ways. Some people are better looking than their photographs generally, and some people are the opposite. And then just. Haven't we all had this experience? You get to know somebody a little bit, they become either way better looking or way less attractive through their personality. It's just a fact. It's just a fact. So. And then you got this. Joe mocked the idea of this term, but I got inside information that this is actually happening. Shreking. USA Today in its stupid USA Today way, writing a story about something called Shreking as a new dating trend that's afoot. Uh, the term derives its name from the animated film Shrek. I think you can figure that out. Shreking involves dating someone you're not attracted to in the hopes that this person will treat you better in return. Unfortunately, when you get Shrek as a verb, it means the person you lowered your standards for still ended up hurting you or not treating you very well. And then I guess that feels worse because plenty of people have put looks lower on the list or hoped attraction would grow over time. And that in itself isn't a bad thing, says this analyst for USA Today. When it, when it backfires is when someone assumes that just because they're dating down and look that they'll automatically be treated better. And then if that doesn't happen. They're disappointed. If you even have in your mind at all that you're dating down, it is doomed. I mean, that is just. What a terrible way to think about someone. Oh, my God, yes, Kane, you're already.

[Commercial Announcer]

Putting them below you.

[Michael]

Yeah, exactly. And on something as. As not important or uncontrollable as looks. I mean, it's just. It's just such an awful thought. I tried dating down. Ah, stop right there. Ooh. Ah. What a horrible thing to say or think.

[Joe]

Can we just use the term dysfunction and move on? A, not everything that happens is a trend. B, not everything needs a name. C, just try to find somebody. You know what? Best advice I ever heard. Who? Who was it? Oh, God, Saad, the oddly named fellow scholar from. I think he's Jordanian. Anyway, he said the secret to happy marriage is marry your best friend who you happen to be sexually attracted to. That's what you're looking for. Quit with your Shreking and your ghosting and your whatever the hell trend.

[Michael]

I don't even remember what they all.

[Joe]

Are because they're all so stupid.

[Michael]

We've all been there. Said one person who's been in the dating world with this. We give the guy we're not attracted to a chance, thinking he will for sure know what he has and treat us well. But then he doesn't know what he has.

[Joe]

Yeah, what he has is a shallow beach. What he has is a calculating she devil. And he should run from you, succubus. Run, son.

[Michael]

Run away. Did you ever think that possibly that's it? He went out with you and figured out you're just shallow and vacuous and all kinds of not appealing to him, and that's why he Shrek you. Not because he didn't know what he had. He found out what he had, what he said and didn't like it.

[Joe]

Amen, brother.

[Michael]

Katie.

[Joe]

Yes, yes, Calculating she devil. Yes. Yeah.

[Michael]

Okay, she just sounds like she sucks and she's putting somebody below her and holding herself on a pedestal.

[Joe]

So, yeah.

[Michael]

No way. Okay, so I gotta get this because somebody texted me. I know, and this is some inside information because I assumed when I heard about this that this is not really a thing they try to.

[Joe]

Eddie Murphy is Donkey and Shrek, by the way, one of the great characters in cinematic history.

[Michael]

There's a Shrek 5 coming out. My son informed me yesterday too. In which Shrek's son or daughter is the star of the show.

[Joe]

Milk that franchise. Milk it.

[Michael]

Milk it. So this person texted me, somebody who lives in la told her yesterday that Shreking is all about finding the really ugly guy that looks like Shrek. You know, lazy eye, bad skin, the unfortunate figure in hopes that you're so far out of his league that he will treat you right. And said they have done this as well as their girlfriends and it hasn't worked out that well. But. So this is someone who. With who knows multiple people who in their mind have dated down and then been disappointed that they didn't get special treatment because they didn't realize what they had.

[Joe]

Good.

[Michael]

This. I know the. All this. All of this language is horrifying.

[Joe]

You remember the old. The brilliant speech that that gal gave? I can never remember her name. Live in New York, but leave before you get too hard. Live in Northern California, but leave before you get too soft. Live in la, but leave before you get too shallow.

[Michael]

Yeah, no kidding. So this person is heavy into plastic surgery, I guess.

[Joe]

Oh boy.

[Michael]

This person also charges guys for first dates. Katie.

[Joe]

The reason a name for ladies like you.

[Michael]

The reason being if he likes the way she looks. It takes a lot of money to look that good. Makeup, Botox, hair, expensive clothes. If you want to take this person for drinks, it's $500 up front so that she can get dolled up for the date and look good. And guys are paying for this. And this is a prostitute. Well, this isn't a sex exchange thing is just. You want to be at the bar with me and have people see you? I need 500 because it's going to cost a lot of money for me to look the way you want me to look. Guys, stop doing this. Stop it.

[Joe]

Why would you support this horror?

[Michael]

I don't know. I hope they're forever alone. The fact that this per. This person is actually getting dates that way the women, not the men. By the way, that's.

[Joe]

Well, she's an escort. Yeah, it's.

[Michael]

Yeah. Too. I mean, it's that important to you to be seen with somebody that looks a certain way? You're willing to pay 500 bucks? What. What is your. What is your friend circle?

[Joe]

Move to Kansas and live there for two years. Okay. Just. That's my treatment plan for you.

[Michael]

What are the kids saying? Touch grass? Yeah, exactly.

[Joe]

God, is that a trend? No.

[Michael]

The whole concept of dating down. I'm dating. I'm dating down because I think they'll treat me better when they realize what they've got here.

[Joe]

It is. If you think you're dating down, they are.

[Michael]

Oh, boom. For the win.

[Joe]

There it is.

[Michael]

Show over. Oh my God.

[Joe]

USA Today I don't like humans. I really don't.

[Michael]

Kidding.

[Joe]

I mean individuals I like very much, but humankind?

[Michael]

No. They have a quote in the last paragraph in USA Today that emphasizing looks in terms of dating is probably not the best idea. Thank you for that advice USA Today.

[Joe]

Really appreciate that Government of the UK says to save water delete your old.

[Michael]

Emails what Armstrong and Getty.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Big Three Basketball Announcer]

The reviews and ratings are in and Ice Cube's Big three is the surprise hit of the summer. And to cap off the season, iHeart presents the Big 3 Basketball Championship and 8th Annual Big 3 All Star Game this coming Sunday, August 24th. Live from Orlando, the remaining two teams fight it out for the Big 3 Championship Dr. J Trophy in the most physical, fierce and competitive basketball league in the world. Don't miss the wild conclusion of Big Three's eighth and most historic season ever. This is the game no one wants to lose and there's no crying in the Big three. The action starts with the Big Three eighth Annual All Star Game. Don't miss All Stars Dwight Howard, Montrez Harrell, MVP Michael Beasley, Lance will make you Dan Stevenson, Jordan Crawford, Greg Monroe, Earl Clark, Nazir Kor and more show you why they are the best three on three basketball players in the world. Big three's exciting all star game plus the crowning of a new big three champion. The no holds part action starts Sunday at 2pm Eastern 11 Pacific only on CBS.

[Christina Quinn]

If you eat too many ultra processed foods, you could be starving your gut microbes and they'll get hangry. That's one of many things I learned after working on a new audio course about the gut microbiome. You can learn how to keep your gut happy by listening to Try this from the Washington Post. I'm Christina Quinn. I host Try this. Dig in with me on practical advice for life's common challenges. Follow Try this right now, wherever you're listening. Seriously, try it.

[Abeka Homeschool Representative]

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[Commercial Announcer]

The White House not reacting after the Kremlin poured cold water on claims of progress, saying it won't agree to security guarantees for Ukraine unless Russia is part of the group providing Ukraine security.

[Michael]

This will not work. We have already explained more than once that Russia does not overstate its interests, but we will ensure our legitimate interests firmly and harshly. Discussing security issues without the Russian Federation is a utopia, a road to nowhere. Russia wants to be involved in the security of Ukraine.

[Joe]

Ellen As Jackie Heinrich continues in A moment, in fact. Why don't you play the next clip, Michael, then we can discuss on Russian state media.

[Commercial Announcer]

The Kremlin dug in further, saying security guarantees should come from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, which also includes China, giving Moscow another lever to veto implementation, which is the same position Russia's held since 2022, and not how the White House described Putin's position after Trump's meeting with him in Alaska.

[Michael]

We agreed to robust security guarantees that I would describe as game changing. We didn't think that we were anywhere close to agreeing to Article 5 protection from the United States.

[Joe]

Now, what the heck was Witkoff thinking?

[Michael]

He was misinformed. Again. We talked about this yesterday. There was a mistransl or he misheard or something at the very beginning. This, of this, going back a couple of weeks. I remember when we were on the air saying, Witkoff's in Moscow right now talking to Putin. And then everything came out of this. The, like, incredible pace of Trump getting on board and European leaders and Zelensky fly. All of that came out of Witkoff saying they've agreed to security guarantees. And it seems that, no, they never did. He, he, he either made it up, which I don't think that's it. I think he just misinterpreted something. Russia's never agreed to the whole security guarantees of, of European troops on the ground in Ukraine. He thought they did, and that's where all this flowed from.

[Joe]

Or the master manipulators manipulated him into thinking that they had agreed to that. Because, you know, you got to admit, among their options is just outright lies.

[Michael]

Sure. Of course.

[Joe]

Although your metaphor, by the way, people are really enjoying, as I've talked about this in real life, that the flowers have been arranged, the toast has been written, the guest list has been gone over a couple of times, and, and the groom says, get married.

[Michael]

What? That's Putin, right?

[Joe]

What agreement?

[Michael]

When is it going to dawn on. Well, the president. But when is it going to dawn on all the media and everybody else and all the pundits writing this and that, that Putin has zero interest in this. He's just, he, you know, you know, I heard this this morning several times on several different cable shows overnight. And this is true. Russia attacked Ukraine with the highest number of drones and rockets in a month. One of the biggest attacks of the entire war. And then they say something like this could derail the peace process. When is it going to occur to you that he isn't thinking about that? That's not on his mind. He wasn't thinking, how will this affect the peace process when he sent in the drones and the missiles?

[Joe]

In fact, when you say it out loud, I laughed. I mean, I couldn't help myself. And not out of mirth, out of, you know, horror and recognition, of course. What a bizarre thing to even say. And yet that's the assumption that's been running through all of this. The, you know, back to my theme of human beings. I don't, I'm, I'm not sold on us as a species. I think there is a huge vein of self delusion running through this whole thing, which Putin is more than delighted to exploit.

[Michael]

With Trump, I can't figure out if it's a. It's the classic sales tactic of you act like there's a deal in the hopes that there is one, and if there isn't one at the end. Well, there wasn't. But is he just pretending, doing the whole sales guy thing, or does he actually believe Putin's a, you know, we got the hot mic moment with him and Macron, you know, might not believe this, but I think he really wants to do a deal for me. I mean, Trump said that. Not in front of the cameras.

[Joe]

Yeah, every president's a bit of an egomaniac. I mean, it's just, it's one of the job requirements. But Trump, Trump is ego driven in a way that others have not been really, or at least he's just much more obviously driven by various, by the feeling of status and praise and reputation, that sort of thing. And he fancies himself the world's greatest dealmaker. And he saw an enormously challenging and enormously important deal to be made. I mean, with the loss of life. He's absolutely right. And I just wonder whether Trump isn't so desirous of a deal that it's led him to misperceive certain realities. Yeah, he's wanted it too much. Which is funny. It might have been Charlie Cook of the National Review, Somebody I was listening to the other day mentioned that he needs to reread his own book, the Art of the Deal, which he allegedly. Well, he wrote with a ghostwriter. But because it's made bluntly clear in that book, if you want the deal more than the other guy, you're going to get screwed. And it's funny that that dynamic seems to be playing out here. Again, it might be motivated partly by his ego, but partly by a desire to quit seeing children killed, which is, you know, God bless him for that. But either way, the risk, if you don't give up crap about a deal. Your risk of being played by Putin is very high. If you deal with him, if you really, really want a deal, holy cow, you're in trouble.

[Michael]

Well, it's possible he just was misled by Witkoff, came back and told him, say, I talked to Putin. Putin said he's okay with European troops on the ground in Ukraine as a peacekeeping force. Trump thought, okay, great, that's a good starting point. Now let's get everybody together. And turns out that's not true. That was never, that was never said.

[Joe]

Maybe it's just that the naivete that Americans so often have in dealing with people from other cultures, where I could see the Russians saying something like, duh, that is something we would be willing to consider. And of course they would never, ever accept it. But they just said they'd be willing to consider it. So we, of course we would consider it. So we can reject it. And he said, yeah, they said they'd consider European peacekeeping, keeping troops.

[Michael]

I don't know. I don't think there's any way Putin ever accepts the idea of thousands of French, Russian. Well, the Telegraph headline yesterday was US Air Force could police Ukraine skies as 10 European nations are ready to send peacekeeping forces. 10 according to the Telegraph. I just don't, I don't see how he's going to allow that at all. And then that whole US Patrolling the skies, I saw some former military dude talking about that and how, how, you know, the devil's really in the details on that. Are we going to go with the, if we're shot at, we're going to respond. I mean, is that the rules of engagement or not? Right. And would it all only be defensive? Would it be offensive if, if French and British troops came under fire, would we let them handle that on the ground or do we immediately go offensive into Russia? Attacking is stopping that. I mean, what, what would be the rules of engagement on that?

[Joe]

Well, right. It's an excellent question. I think any soldier, professional soldier, could tell you the idea of purely defensive war is not war. That's a shooting gallery. You just volunteer to be in a shooting gallery. Ask a lot of the guys who served in Afghanistan during some of the incredibly ill advised rules of engagement, which handcuffed them and told them, you can't shoot until you're being shot at. Horrifying, but don't get me started. So it's an excellent question.

[Michael]

We'd be, we'd be really into the war and very close to at war with Russia if we decide to supply Air cover.

[Joe]

Correct. I mentioned this note from jt. We got, why does Putin need to sign anything? Since Russia will violate any agreement, they'll like, violate it the moment it's signed. They just don't care. And he asks, how would a signature by Putin change a single thing about what European troops would do to support Ukraine? They already know they can't trust him, so why not just put boots on the ground and demand that the current lines be honored or else the Trilat group will respond. I'm totally serious. Name one thing that would be different in the deployment of European troops if Putin signed an agreement. It's, you know what, most of it's just political, JT A. It would give you legitimacy internationally in a way that I think is really jivey. And it's hard for us to understand why anybody would give a crap about that. It's like, you know, the plausible deniability of saying, those soldiers who took over Eastern Ukraine, not Russian forces, they're come to be called the little green men because it was such a joke that they weren't Russian forces. But for some reason, that sort of plausible deniability matters, I guess. Anyway, my point is the agreement that would be signed might help to give international legitimacy when the allied forces struck back against Putin. But I wouldn't spend a lot of time and trouble getting Putin to sign on to something he's gonna violate next week. If, as you are hinting at jt, the only thing Putin cares about is force and power. Organize the force and say, you cross this tripwire, the force is gonna be used against you or through talking. I think that would be perfectly fine if you are willing to accept that it's worth Europe and the US's interests and risk of escalating to back Ukraine in that way. I know a lot of you don't.

[Michael]

Well, it works both ways, too. I've been. I'm a fan of George Will of the Washington Post, and he's been talking and writing for years about Article 5, the whole NATO thing. That's as rock solid an agreement as you can get. But he always talks about treaties and agreements are true until they're not. And. And at any point, any NATO nation, including the United States, could decide, you know what, we're not going to go to war for Estonia or whoever, one of the NATO nations. We're just not. I know we're supposed to, but we're not in the same way that Putin would violate his. Any European country could violate the NATO agreement and might. I'll bet. I Hope it doesn't happen. But I'll bet we see that around Taiwan at some point. The whole. You're not going to take that. Okay, well I guess maybe they are. And we're not going to actually go to war with China over that.

[Joe]

Which is why countries work so hard to be intertwined because international agreements only exist as long as they serve the individual countries, you know, individual interests.

[Michael]

Putin is hoping that the NATO countries won't actually honor that. Article 5. Article 5 An attack on one and is an attack on all that won't actually honor that when it comes to push and shove over, you know, I don't know a Chuck a Poland or Estonia or whatever.

[Joe]

This is the opposite of strategic ambiguity. I think we ought to have utter strategic clarity. You like screw up the turf on a soccer field in estonia. We'll put 100,000 troops there the next day.

[Michael]

I don't know. I don't know if Estonia is actually in NATO or not. But that's not my point. Just one of those little NATO countries. Are we going to go to war over that or not?

[Joe]

I'm talking about the. And they are the Baltic nations. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. 100% clarity that that is a practically 100% guarantee against aggression against it going from step one, the little green men and the minor incursions. To quote the world's worst president, Joe Biden, it's a guarantee against them.

[Michael]

Yeah, well, there might be a reason that people aren't saying that out loud. Because they don't want to be. They don't want to be held to it.

[Joe]

Estonia, when I am elected president, number one, God help us. Number two, I will make that policy clear. A lot of golf.

[Michael]

Estonia has been a member of NATO since 2004. So there you go. They are and you. How many of you ever even heard of Estonia? Would you want your kid fighting in Estonia to protect it? And that'll be a political question at some point. Maybe. We got a lot more on the way. Stay here.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Big Three Basketball Announcer]

The reviews and ratings are in and Ice Cube's Big Three is the surprise hit of the summer and to cap off the season, iHeart presents the Big 3 Basketball Championship and 8th Annual Big 3 All Star Game this coming Sunday, August 24th. Live from Orlando, the remaining two teams fight it out for the Big 3 Champions Championship Dr. J Trophy in the most physical, fierce and competitive basketball league in the world. Don't miss the wild conclusion of Big Three's eighth and most historic season ever. This is the game no one wants to lose and there's no crying in the Big three. The action starts with the Big Three eighth Annual All Star Game. Don't miss All Stars Dwight Howard, Montrez Harrell, MVP Michael Beasley, Lance will make you Dan Stevenson, Jordan Crawford, Greg Monroe, Earl Clark, Nasir Kor and more show you why they are the best three on three basketball players in the world. Victory's exciting all star game plus the crowning of a new big three champion. The no holds part action starts Sunday at 2pm Eastern, 11 Pacific only on CBS.

[Christina Quinn]

If you eat too many ultra processed foods, you could be starving your gut microbes and they'll get hangry. That's one of many things I learned after working on a new audio course about the gut microbiome. You can learn how to keep your gut happy by listening to Try this from the Washington Post. I'm Christina Quinn. I host Try this Dig in with me on practical advice for life's common challenges follow Try this right now, wherever you're listening. Seriously, try it.

[Abeka Homeschool Representative]

As a parent, you wear many hats. At dinner, you're the chef. When your kids play, you're the ref. And let's face it, you're basically a full time chauffeur. Fortunately, when it's time to wear your teacher hat, Abeka makes things easy. Our proven, flexible homeschool curriculum is designed to let your kids retain and build on the knowledge they acquire, setting them up for success later in life Abeka Learning for life begins with the right homeschool education.

[GoDaddy Advertiser]

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[Joe]

A British man set a Guinness World record by riding 55 different roller coasters in one week.

[Michael]

Anything to avoid brushing his teeth. Wow. And Joe's gonna be in Great Britain next week and you're going to survey the the the dental care of the Brits, among other things, and report back to us.

[Joe]

I will also test the bounds of free speech and report back on how woke their museums are. Hello.

[Michael]

Not surprisingly, we got a fair number of texts about shreking, which according to the USA Today and somebody who texted me with personal knowledge, is a thing where women date down. And I feel like anybody uses the term date down should be pushed off a cliff. People date down on purpose thinking this is a cliff.

[Joe]

Good enough. Or should it be a volcano? Just asking back to you.

[Michael]

People who date down in terms of looks feel like they'll be treated better because this person really realizes what they've got, which is an appalling sentence.

[Joe]

Really is.

[Michael]

And the fact that there are a bunch of people that think that and actually do that is disgusting. This might be how I got married. Yeah. Oh, maybe I'm just so outrageous because I'm wondering how often does this happen to me?

[Joe]

As a friend of the Armstrong Getty show wrote shreking, I thought I was just charming. Well, now I know.

[Michael]

On the topic though. So a person I know said that some of her friends have done this. They have dated down, thinking they would get treated better and then weren't treated better. And so they call that being Shrek and were disappointed. And as Joe pointed out, maybe they just figured out you're a shallow.

[Joe]

A manipulative she devil. Yes.

[Michael]

It's not quite as complicated as it sounds. But then there was the other person, this friend of mine, the person who Shrek, who actually tells guys, if you want to go out with me, it's gonna. I need $500 to look the way you want me to look. Hair, nails, everything like that. And then you get to be seen with me, I guess, or whatever. And I thought that was appalling, but we got this text regarding rent a hottie. How is that different from renting a Ferrari? So no one should ever rent a Ferrari. If you have the dollars, do what makes you smile.

[Joe]

Yeah. I would suggest that you have priorities that will lead you not to happiness. But you do. You, brother, There's.

[Michael]

I can't. I'll have to think about it for longer than I've got right now. On why it is incredibly different to rent a Ferrari to see what it's like to drive a Ferrari.

[Joe]

Well, I was going to say, number one, you get to drive the Ferrari, if you know what I'm saying.

[Michael]

Well, okay, I wouldn't even think of that. But if you're. But, well, it's different. Are you.

[Joe]

No, seriously, he's paying money to be seen standing next to a Ferrari.

[Michael]

That's stupid. See, I would rent a Ferrari, maybe to actually drive a Ferrari, because I don't know what it's like. I've never done it, and it might be pretty cool. And then for a variety of reasons, I can't or ever won't own one because it doesn't make practical sense. Is that the similar thing? But it's way different than the. If you're actually dating, like, you're trying to be in a relationship with somebody, which is, like, one of the most satisfying things that can happen in your entire existence on planet Earth. And if that's what your goal is and you're going about it this way, I. I don't. I don't know what you're doing.

[Joe]

Well, you're doomed to misery. Let's go ahead and bottom line it here.

[Michael]

Doomed to misery. Yes.

[Joe]

It's a clear case of dtm. I mean, I know when I see it.

[Michael]

So if you tell her I'm not paying you $500, is she gonna show up in sweats and no makeup and I told you.

[Joe]

What an odd way to live your life.

[Michael]

No kidding. How's that working out for you? Would be a good question.

[Joe]

You know, there are, you know, subsectors of American society that are as foreign to me as, you know, somebody in Africa with a plate in their lip or, you know, in Afghanistan where they play that sport where you whack a calf's head around on horseback or something like that. Or can't remember precisely how it works.

[Michael]

If you're picking somebody only and looks so how long is that enjoyable? I would think that would wear off so fast. I don't really have anything in common with you. I don't really find you very interesting, but I guess I'll look at you for how long does that last?

[Joe]

So the amusing side is the British government wants you to conserve water and one of the ways they suggest you to do it is by deleting your own year old emails. That story unbelievable. And one of Obama's climate czars says, you guys want to know the real truth about climate change? I got it for you.

[Michael]

Oh boy.

[GoDaddy Advertiser]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Sports Announcer]

Iheart presents the Big three Playoffs this Sunday. The remaining four teams battle to make the championship in the most physical, fierce and competitive basketball league in the world. The action starts with the big three monster energy celebrities. Then Dwight Howard and his LA riot take on Montrez Harrell and Dr. J Chicago triplets. The finale will see popular Miami 305 with stars MVP Michael Beasley and Lance Stevenson take on Nancy Lieberman's Dallas power who will make it to the big three championship. The no holds barred action starts Sunday at 3pm Eastern, 12 Pacific only on.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Christina Quinn]

If you eat too many ultra processed foods, you could be starving your gut microbes and they'll get hangry. That's one of many things I learned after working on a new audio course about the gut microbiome. You can learn how to keep your gut happy by listening to Try this from the Washington Post. I'm Christina Quinn. I host Try this. Dig in with me on practical advice for life's common challenges. Follow Try this right now, wherever you're listening. Seriously, try it.

[Abeka Homeschool Representative]

As a parent, you wear many hats. At dinner, you're the chef. When your kids play, you're the ref. And let's face it, you're basically a full time chauffeur. Fortunately, when it's time to wear your teacher hat, Abeka makes things easy. Our proven flexible homeschool curriculum is designed to let your kids retain and build on the knowledge they acquire, setting them up for success later in life. Abeka Learning for life begins with the right homeschool education. Learn [e-mail] Ah, come on.

[Christina Quinn]

Why is this taking so long?

[Michael]

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[Michael]

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[Christina Quinn]

This is an iHeart podcast.