Slutty, Slutty Chimps

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: Slutty, Slutty Chimps
Date: December 10, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Podcast: Armstrong & Getty On Demand, iHeartPodcasts

---

Overview

In this lively episode, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty tackle a whirlwind of topics, blending their trademark humor and candid perspectives. The main themes span from Donald Trump’s executive order on AI and the complexities of regulating emerging technologies, to a deep dive into monogamy among mammals (including where humans fall on the "faithful" spectrum), and amusing global ironies like the World Cup Pride Match drawn between two anti-LGBTQ countries. The show also features thought-provoking sidebars on technology, foreign policy (with an eye on Ukraine), and a surprising look into Isaac Newton’s secret interests.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The AI Executive Order and State vs. Federal Regulation

(05:35–12:06)

• Main Topic: Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order to centralize AI regulation, responding to concerns about a patchwork of state laws hampering U.S. innovation and competition with China.
• Nvidia’s Influence: The head of Nvidia (the world's most valuable company) reportedly impressed upon Trump that 50 different state AI laws would cripple American innovation.
• Skepticism on Effectiveness: Both hosts doubt whether an executive order can truly override state laws, discussing the complexities of federal preemption and the low likelihood of Congress passing comprehensive AI regulation.
• Quotable:
  • Joe Getty: “You can't expect a company to get 50 approvals every time they want to do anything. Trump posted Monday that will never work.” [06:31]
  • Jack Armstrong: “It's, he's right. He's absolutely right. It's true. But the executive order won't accomplish much other than saying, hey, let's look at it this way. It's like one of his truths.” [08:12]
• Side Note: The segment highlights politicians' performative rhetoric versus real solutions, with witty skepticism about the substance of “gung ho” statements.

---

2. Self-Driving Cars: Stats and Observations

(10:55–12:20)

• Waymo’s Crash Stats: Jack shares recent data showing that Waymo’s autonomous vehicles have significantly fewer crashes (up to 96% lower at intersections) compared to human drivers.
• Distracted Driving: Critique of modern human drivers' distractions, “People are driving while texting.”
• Humorous Aside: Poking fun at viral videos of Waymo cars getting "stuck" at intersections.

---

3. The Irony of Seattle’s World Cup Pride Match

(14:10–15:14)

• Setup: FIFA’s World Cup is hosting a gay pride-themed match in Seattle based on a blind draw.
• Hilarious Outcome: The teams drawn are Egypt and Iran—two countries where homosexuality is criminalized, with Iran prescribing capital punishment.
• Witty Commentary:
  • Jack Armstrong: "They drew Egypt and Iran for their gay pride match. Wow. How perfect is that?" [14:59]
  • Joe Getty: “Fans of those countries... are from countries where you murder homosexuals.” [15:05]
• Point: The segment highlights the awkward disconnect between Western progressive gestures and global realities in an unfiltered Armstrong & Getty tone.

---

4. Are Humans Monogamous? The Science of “Faithful” Mammals

(15:14–20:50; revisited at 39:48)

• New Study: Scientists ranked mammals on monogamy by analyzing sibling patterns in populations.
• Where Do Humans Rank?: Humans come in as the 7th most monogamous mammal—above the lar gibbon, below the Eurasian beaver.
• Most Faithful?: The California deer mouse wins top prize.
• Sluttiest Mammals: Bottlenose dolphins, orcas, macaques, and black bears are notably non-monogamous.
• Insights on Human Uniqueness:
  • Birth control and dating practices make measuring human monogamy tricky.
  • Armstrong notes that human pair-bonding has unique cultural and biological factors.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Jack Armstrong: “Surprising that in slutty, slutty, sodomy soaked California, you'd have the most monogamous animal—the California deer mouse.” [17:29]
  • Joe Getty: “You could be a human being that had...a dozen sexual partners in their life and they were faithful to all of them.” [18:18]
  • “Less than 10% of mammals are monogamous. Typically males fight each other for access to females, copulating with as many as possible—giggity—to maximize the potential spread of their genes.” [19:50]
• Thought Experiment: Is monogamy a genetic predisposition or a social invention for stability?
  • Armstrong: “Are we genetically predisposed to monogamy, or did we decide as human beings...this is a bad long-term strategy?” [20:20]
  • Ongoing discussion promised for future episodes.

---

5. Ukraine-Russia Peace Deal Possibilities

(22:01–29:58)

• Ignatius’ Report: Washington Post’s David Ignatius suggests a peace plan might emerge, including EU accession for Ukraine and Article 5-like U.S. security guarantees.
• Skepticism Abounds:
  • Armstrong and Getty are unconvinced that Russia would accept or Congress would ratify such a deal.
  • The dilemma of U.S. security commitments—would America actually go to war with Russia if Ukraine is attacked again?
• Detailed Proposals:
  • DMZ along the front lines (modeled on the Korean DMZ)
  • U.S./European security pledges
  • Economic rebuilding plans
  • The enormous Zaporizh nuclear power plant possibly being managed by the U.S.
• Memorable Commentary:
  • Joe Getty: “Would Congress ratify that? Would the America First crowd be on board?...Guaranteed if Russia invades again, tries to take Kiev, we're at war with Russia. I'm not sure what I think of that.” [24:24]
  • Jack Armstrong: “It's really easy to make hollow promises.” [29:37]

---

6. Tangents & Noteworthy Sidebars

• Comedian Elena Hershey on Bowling (04:23–05:22)
  • Hilarious take: No other sport lets you randomly achieve perfection after a year of not practicing, unlike bowling.
  • Armstrong: “You don't once a year go to an ice skating rink...and land a triple lutz.”
• Self-Protection Online: Webroot and Scams (30:02–32:08)
  • Cautionary tales about falling for phishing emails (Audible, PayPal, Buick recalls).
  • Armstrong: “People are driving while texting.” [12:06]
• Breakthrough in Sourcing Critical Minerals in the U.S.: Gabbro Rock (32:08–33:10)
  • Silicon Valley startup Brimstone can extract minerals from common rocks, potentially reducing China dependence.
  • Armstrong: “No, no. You get critical minerals from common rocks. Oh, okay.”
• Isaac Newton, Alchemy, and Hidden History (35:11–38:07)
  • Joe Getty dives into Newton’s secret obsession with alchemy and theology, only recently revealed in auctioned papers.
  • Getty: “He wrote more about this [alchemy/theology] than he did about anything about gravity...”
  • Surprising reveal: John Maynard Keynes bought Newton’s secret papers in the 1930s.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Monogamy Study:

  • Armstrong: “The California deer mouse. In slutty, slutty, sodomy-soaked California, you'd have the most monogamous animal.” [17:29]
  • Getty: “Slutty, slutty animals. Disgusted by the whole thing.” [20:43]

• AI Skepticism:

  • Armstrong: “I'm extremely skeptical about how successful an executive order would be in preempting state laws. Some general, hey, don't mess with AI. It sounds silly.” [06:57]

• On History & Slavery Narratives:

  • Armstrong: “This obsession with self-hatred and it's just not based on fact at all. But if somebody with an authoritative sounding title tells a bunch of youngsters that that's the truth, they believe it.” [38:11]

• World Cup Irony:

  • Armstrong: “They drew Egypt and Iran for their gay pride match. Wow. How perfect is that?” [14:59]
  • Getty: “Fans of those countries... are from countries where you murder homosexuals.” [15:05]

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• AI Executive Order & Regulation: 05:35–12:06
• Self-Driving Cars & Human Drivers: 10:55–12:20
• Seattle World Cup Pride Match Irony: 14:10–15:14
• Monogamy in Mammals: 15:14–20:50; also 39:48
• Ukraine/Russia Peace Talks: 22:01–29:58
• Comedic Take on Bowling: 04:23–05:22
• Critical Minerals from Gabbro: 32:08–33:10
• Isaac Newton and Alchemy: 35:11–38:07

---

Tone and Language

The episode is delivered in Armstrong & Getty’s classic conversational, sardonic, and curious style—mixing dry humor, playful cynicism, and genuine curiosity for nuanced topics. Both aren't afraid to call out political theater, point out life’s absurdities, or share their personal learning journeys.

---

For New Listeners

This episode is a great example of why Armstrong & Getty have cultivated such a loyal audience: it’s unpredictable, sharp, and balances hard news with deep-dive tangents and irreverent comedic asides. Whether you care about AI, global geopolitics, animal behavior, or the secret life of Isaac Newton, there’s something here to learn—and to laugh at.

---

Skip the ads, but don’t skip the banter or the smart, sideways insights. For more, tune in to the Armstrong & Getty podcast feed.

Transcript

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

[Jack Armstrong]

Check engine ABS or maintenance light on. Take the guesswork out of your warning lights with O'Reilly Veriscan. The service is free and provides a report with solutions verified by ASE Certified Master Technicians. And if you need help, we can recommend a shop for you. Ask for O'Reilly Veriscan today. Oh oh oh. O'Reilly.

Auto Parts.

[Joe Getty]

If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference. That's why hands down, you count on Grainger for auto reordering. With on time restocks, your team will have the cut resistant gloves they need at the start of their shift and you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

Does your child dread going to school every day? It's time to try. Oregon Charter Academy. Our online school offers interactive learning in a safe environment with a dynamic and responsive curriculum. Providing your student with support to will bring you relief knowing you found just what your child needs. Don't wait. Enroll [e-mail] and see the difference it makes for your child. Oregon Charter Academy what learning should be.

[Joe Getty]

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

[Jack Armstrong]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty.

Coming up, Seattle. Because Seattle is Seattle is going to have a Gay Pride themed soccer match as part of the big FIFA championship in North America because of the blind draw of teams. Guess which teams will be playing the Gay Pride match. It's as funny as it could possibly be.

[Joe Getty]

Oh wow. Okay. Look forward to that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Also, my favorite story of the day. A scientist has ranked dozens and dozens of mammals on monogamy. Where do human beings rank in the list of mammals? Wow.

[Joe Getty]

Okay.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes.

Slutty, slutty chimps. Stay tuned.

[Joe Getty]

Donald Trump's gonna sign an executive order at the end of the week this week. So in the next couple of days about AI I want to tell you about, but first, I was scrolling Instagram last night in bed when I should have been trying to get to sleep, but I couldn't get to sleep because of this dang cough. I keep coughing myself awake.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wondered why you texted me at the hour you did. They went on though.

[Joe Getty]

I got medicine. I keep coughing anyhow. And I'm also I should be reading, but I'm at the most difficult chapter in Ulysses as I continue to Try to read this book. It's. It's where most people stop if they ever make it that far. It is so freaking hard.

And it's an hour and a half read, according to my Kindle. So that's a long chapter.

[Jack Armstrong]

A chapter. Oh, can you describe why it's so hard?

[Joe Getty]

Yes, I can.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay.

[Joe Getty]

So the scene. And I only know this because I went to like the. A crib notes tutor. I wouldn't have figured this out from the content. They're at a hospital where a woman is in labor and going to have a baby. So the chapter both.

Mimics the nine months of a pregnancy, including the birth, while.

Demonstrating the evolution of the English language, starting at the very beginning of the written word till now.

[Jack Armstrong]

What the hell with the language of the chapter is progressing in a way analogous to a pregnancy progressing. Right. Good Lord.

[Joe Getty]

And it's impossible to have any idea what's going on.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, whatever happened to boy meets girl?

[Joe Getty]

So anyway, so I didn't feel like reading that last night and I was scrolling through and I came across this comedian and I wanted to get all the credit because this is so funny. Should just play the clip. Elena Hershey is her name. She's making the point, and I never heard anybody say this before, about how she know has no respect for pro bowlers because she, like most people, goes bowling like once a year. And even then being no good at it, going once a year, not paying attention, she usually rolls a strike at some point, which is the best thing you can do in bowling, right? There's no other sport where like once a year you can go out and accidentally half drunk not paying attention, do the best thing you can do in that sport. You don't once a year go to an ice skating rink, as she said, and land a triple lutz.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right? Just randomly have a beer, step into the batting cage and just rip 100 mile per hour fast fastball in the left center. Yeah, no, that's not happening.

[Joe Getty]

No other sport like that, you know. You know, you know, I thought that was pretty funny. Back to reality.

[Jack Armstrong]

So.

[Joe Getty]

This is from the Wall Street Journal today. Somehow I missed this truth social from early in the week. Donald Trump.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the guy that runs Nvidia that always wears the cool Tom Ford leather jacket. It's the most valuable company in the world. I think he told Donald Trump that this patchwork of AI laws across the country every, you know, 50 states with a gazillion different kind of laws is really going to slow down our ability to maximize AI and stay ahead of China. And that got Trump's attention, apparently. And it's a decent argument. I mean, it's beyond a decent argument. It makes perfectly good sense. Yeah. That the US Needs to avoid a collection of disparate state rules for AI. Setting off a month long frenzy that is expected to culminate in this week in the signing of an executive order.

That will fix that somehow. Trump truth doubt. You can't expect a company to get 50 approvals every time they want to do anything. Trump posted Monday that will never work. And he's expected to sign some executive order. And I don't know how they're gonna word it in such a way that that can't happen anymore, but it's really gonna unshackle these AI companies and let him scream, forward with whatever it is they're trying to do, for better or worse.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. I'm extremely skeptical about how successful an executive order would be in preempting state laws. Some general, hey, don't mess with AI. It sounds silly.

[Joe Getty]

That's funny. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said an executive order doesn't. Can't preempt state legislative action mean Ron.

[Jack Armstrong]

High five, Ron. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Others in the Republican Party seem open to supporting Trump's approach despite their opposition to a moratorium on state AI laws. A spokesman for Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who's pretty darn Trumpy, who, like DeSantis, has criticized state preemption, said she backs Trump's AI strategy and looks forward to working with him to win the AI race while protecting Americans, which is a nice phrase that doesn't get anywhere near a solution for the problem.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I can see her chief of staff saying, governor Trump's made an announcement. Do you want to go with the standard, I'm with him, gung ho statement because it doesn't matter. And she said, yeah, that's perfect.

[Joe Getty]

Well, so what do you think? It's going to happen. I mean, it is true. How in the world are we going to not get surpassed by China if you have to deal with 50 different states rules for everything you try to do?

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Yeah. I should have made my sentiments more clear. They are as follows. It's. He's right. He's absolutely right. It's true. But the executive order won't accomplish much other than saying, hey, let's look at it this way. It's, it's like one of his truths.

[Joe Getty]

So you could, could Congress pass a law then?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, they could pass a federal law, but I think the chances of that happening are about zero. There are too many smart people in Congress who would realize any law we passed today would be outdated tomorrow. We're wasting our time.

[Joe Getty]

Republicans have been promoting the preempting of state AI rules for years. The idea gained momentum in the last year and a half when Democratic states such as Colorado, here in California and New York signed laws imposing guardrails on tech companies.

And of course these guardrails are being in put in place by people who have no idea what they're talking about cuz nobody really does.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or, or they're just responding to people concerns about AI in a way that won't do any good. But they can portray themselves as hey, we're trying, we're protecting you and your families.

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

An executive order is a clear signal of the administration's robust commitment to a federal AI governance framework. The question now is what that framework will be. Well, I would say we better do it flipping fast. Like by next week.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. Oh, speaking of tech stuff, I came across this the other day I thought was super interesting. Now the source is Waymox. Oh, do we have a commercial here? Michael Omaha Steaks. Oh, what a delight it is to tell you briefly about Omaha Steaks and their sizzle all the way sale. 50% off site wide on the best gift you could possibly give somebody who does not need stuff anymore in their lives. They don't need a tie or a sweater or a decorative pillow. They need Omaha steaks deliciousness, burgers, dogs, desserts. So good, you name it.

[Joe Getty]

So the SIS all the way sales, this you can get 50% off site wide@omaha steaks.com right now. Yeah, half off everything site wide. Plus if you're a listener of the Armstrong and Getty show, you get an extra 35 bucks off with the promo code Armstrong at checkout. And man, this thing shows up in the next however many days you're going to have all this food to prepare during the big Christmas break. How great is that?

[Jack Armstrong]

Grass fed grain finished beef, more marbling for exceptional flavor. The choice of steakhouses, professional chefs around the world say big on gourmet gifts and more holiday favorites. Omaha steaks.com for 50% off site wide during the sizzle all the way sale for an extra 35 bucks off. Use that promo code Armstrong at checkout terms apply C site for details. That's Omaha Steaks.com and the code is Armstrong.

[Joe Getty]

My only final comment I would throw in on what we were just talking about is China ain't worried about this at all. No, at All.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, no. Could not give a crap. So we're going to try to break on time. I'll squeeze this in very, very quickly. Speaking of artificial intelligence and that sort of thing, self driving cars are clearly the future according to Waymo. True, according to Waymo, which is imperfect. Absolutely funny. Videos surface virtually every day of three waymos looking at each other at an intersection for an hour and a half. But crashes in intersections compared to human drivers over an equal number of miles driven. Crashes in intersections 96% lower. Crashes with pedestrians, 92% lower. Crashes with cyclists or motorcyclists, 83% lower. Anybody who rides a bike a motorcycle can tell you because we you all know if people are looking for cars, they don't see motorcycles. Nobody can exactly explain it, but people will turn left, right in front of a motorcycle that's got a blazing headlight and it's coming at them anyway. Lateral crashes. It's merely a 73% decrease.

And as one writer commented, after these statistics challenge you to go for a walk around any American city. See what the drivers are doing while they drive. Texting. They're all texting. It's no longer texting while driving. People are driving while texting.

Anyway. The gay themed Seattle soccer match everybody's so excited about coming up. And hilarious matchup for that + ranking mammals by their monogamy. Don't check into that hourly hotel until you hear the next segment.

[Joe Getty]

I look forward to that. And David Ignatius of the Washington Post believes there's hope for this peace plan between Russia and Ukraine based on the people he's talking to. We can get into that a little bit later. It's pretty interesting. Stay tuned.

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

Armstrong and Getty run a business and not thinking about radio. Think again. Cause more people are listening to the radio on iHeart today than they were 20 years ago. And only IHEART broadcast radio connects with more Americans than tv, digital, social, any other media, even twice as many teens than TikTok. And that reach means everything. Just think about the universal marketing formula. The number of consumers who hear your message times the response rate equals the results. Now let's get those results growing for your business. Radio's here now more than ever. And iheart's leading the way. Think radio can help your business. Think iHeart. Streaming, podcasting and radio. Where the reach is real. Let us show [e-mail] that's iheartadvertising.com or call 844-844-Iheart one more time. Just call 844-844-iheart and get radio working for you.

[Joe Getty]

Is that Bing Crosby?

Probably from like the 40s. Well, we're listening to A White Christmas the Other Day. That was the. The version of White Christmas by Bing Crosby you usually hear was recorded in 47, 1947.

[Jack Armstrong]

If I could sing like Bing, I'd never shut up.

[Joe Getty]

So.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, that's right. First I gotta pay this off. There's some really interesting news coming out of Britain. They've got a new kind of woke party and the Islamists and the woke us are starting to fight, not surprisingly, because their views are antithetical to each other. Good Lord. Anyway, that's why a lot of people.

[Joe Getty]

Predict the conservatives are going to have a huge breakthrough soon.

[Jack Armstrong]

I certainly hope so. So Seattle, going to Seattle. They got a World cup match for the coming FIFA World Championships that are going to be all across North America. Well, they announced that the big game is going to be gay pride themed in Seattle, but there's a blind draw for who's in what matches. And they drew Egypt and Iran.

For their gay pride match. Wow. How perfect is that? Wow.

[Joe Getty]

So the fans of those countries, if they came to watch the matches are from countries where you murder homosexuals.

[Jack Armstrong]

Both Egypt and Iran criminalize gay relationships. And indeed in Iran, capital punishment is still the maximum penalty under the law for being gay or gaying with another person. Yeah, that's correct. So how frickin funny is that? Seattle? Oh my God. Oh, you're so enlightened. We know. You can shut up now. Anyway, moving along, how monogamous are human beings compared to other mammals?

And this study, the scientist assessed monogamy by comparing the number of full and half siblings in a population. In a exclusively monogamous group, you'd only ever see full siblings, whereas in a more promiscuous one, full siblings would be rare. You'd seen a lot of, you know, half brothers.

[Joe Getty]

I'm looking forward to this. And I feel like he can veer off into a pretty interesting discussion.

[Jack Armstrong]

I certainly hope so. Here are a couple problems though, with measuring humans. In most species, who you get it on with maps pretty well with, who you reproduce with. But in humans, we can have 10 years of sexual relationships with various people that produce no offspring. But then we're married for the rest of our lives and have three kids.

[Joe Getty]

Do animals have sex for pleasure only?

[Jack Armstrong]

Right? Oh, well, that's an interesting question.

[Joe Getty]

I don't think they do.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, humans in certainly many humans consider it perfectly normal to. It's not a lack of monogamy, it's A lack of long term relationships. You try various mates until you come up with the right one in a way that the animal kingdom doesn't really do. You can have 10 girlfriends before you get married and be faithful to all of them.

[Joe Getty]

My son last night said I need to find a hot chick who really likes dinosaurs and fat guys.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's what the Internet's made for, son. Anyway, so it's actually tricky with humans because of birth control as well. There are very few mammals other than humans that use birth control. But if you just look at the sibling outcomes, humans are pretty steadfast. We rank the 7 most, 7th most monogamous on the scientists list. Coming right below the Eurasian beaver and above the lar gibbon. The most faithful mammal they can find is the California deer mouse. Surprising that in slutty, slutty, sodomy soaked California you'd have the most monogamous animal. The California deer mouse.

[Joe Getty]

Right, but you're using terms like faithful or whatever as if.

These are determinations these beasts are making.

[Jack Armstrong]

Exactly. They've thought it over and decided, you know, all this around is just making me miserable. I need to find somebody I care about and settle down.

[Joe Getty]

Or even if, even for human beings. You could be a human being that had, I don't know, pick a number, a dozen sexual partners in their life and they were faithful to all of.

[Jack Armstrong]

Them, as I said. Right, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

So in animals it doesn't, I don't know how animals look at it.

[Jack Armstrong]

It doesn't track that way. Exactly. So your number one's the California deer mouse, followed by the African wild dog. How about that? Boy, dogs in America don't look very faithful to me when I see him in a park coupling. There's a mole rat.

[Joe Getty]

She was a.

[Jack Armstrong]

A mustached tamarind. You see the tamarind with the porn star stash, you're thinking that's a playa. You'd be wrong. Very monogamous.

[Joe Getty]

The mustache tamarind.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's right. Then you got your Ethiopian wolf, your Eurasian beaver. Humans. Then a gibbon, a meerkat and a gray wolf. And then, then you get down to the slutty end of things. Bottlenose dolphins, orcas, macaques and black bears took many of the bottom spots with 4% or lower rates. This, this kind of sheep, the soy sheep, native to Scotland, known for their hardiness and small size. And, and also for their cheating hearts. Their monogamy rank is 0.6%. Pure siblings or full. Full siblings.

[Joe Getty]

And I gotta believe that's got something to do with their needs for procreating and keeping the species going.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, right.

[Joe Getty]

Because that's what it's all about.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. And they make the point that.

Oh.

[Joe Getty]

Where is the mustachioed muskrat? Or whatever you're talking about is not. You know, it says in the Bible that we should not couple with. They're not into that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. And they mentioned that Overall less than 10% of mammals are monogamous. Typically males fight each other for access to females, copulating with as many as possible giggity to maximize the potential spread of their genes. Here's the question that fascinates me and I'm sure there's science that I'm just not familiar with on this question.

Like the classy mustachioed tamarind.

Are we genetically predisposed to monogamy or did we decide as human beings, us killing each other constantly to see who mates with whom is a bad long term strategy. Can we all calm the hell down? Maybe pick a mate and stick with her?

[Joe Getty]

Well, I think it's probably kind of both evolutionary, I think. Yeah, I think there's all kinds of advantages to monogamy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Putting religion inside, certainly. And moral teachings. Yeah, I wonder.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that is interesting. Some of those slutty, slutty animals disgusted by the whole thing that she.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

We didn't have tariffs. You would have no steel. But we wouldn't have one steel mill anywhere in the United States. And that would be really bad for Scott. National security. We need the one thing you need. You need steel. You know, you can give up certain products. You can give up pencils.

That's under the China policy. You know, every child can get 37 pencils. They only need one or two. You know, they don't need that many. But you always need, you always need steel. You don't need $37 for your daughter. Two or three is nice, but you don't need $37. Pretty interesting. So Trump last night kicking off a tour he's going to make where he's going to go around talking up the economy and the winds and that sort of stuff. But man, continuing on that angle of your kids are getting too many toys.

[Jack Armstrong]

I just, I can't believe that it's a Jack Armstrongian position that, you know, cheap Chinese crap is no good anyway. We were better off when we had bought fewer things of higher quality. But lecturing America and telling them they ought to have different consumer habits is. It's an iffy proposition.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah, that's interesting. Anyway, maybe we'll play a little more from his rally last night. That's not what I intended to talk about. I want to talk about where we are on this peace deal that Trump has been pushing and lots of people have been pushing between Ukraine and Russia. And I was assuming it was dead. But David Ignatius, who's one of the great writers on foreign policy in America and as some of the best sources say, he says people he's talking to close to the deal, Americans, Ukrainians and Europeans think this might actually happen. And here's a simple description, David Ignatius writes of what a peace deal should look like in Ukraine. A sovereign nation obviously, its borders protected by international security guarantees, part of the European Union and rebuilding its economy with big investments from the United States and Europe. I was surprised to hear that that's going to happen or is likely to happen. The negotiating package involves three documents, a Ukrainian official said. The peace plan, security guarantees, and an economic recovery plan. The talks are far from over, with Ukraine and European supporters planning to lease a joint set of amendments today. Here are some of the ideas.

Ukraine would join the European Union as early as 2027, so a year and change from now. This rapid accession to the EU worries some EU powers, but the Trump administration thinks it can overcome opposition from Hungary, which has been the biggest opponent. And membership in the EU obviously would foster trade investment because you'd part of be part of that whole thing.

The United States would provide. Now this is where I think it's really interesting for the MAGA crowd, the America first crowd, the this is none of our business crowd. The United States would provide what are described as Article 5, like security guarantees to protect Ukraine if Russian Russia violates the pact. Ukraine wants the US to sign such an agreement and have Congress ratify it. European nations would sign separate security guarantees.

[Jack Armstrong]

And the Russians are going to agree to that. It's de facto NATO membership, isn't it seems, or something that's close to it.

[Joe Getty]

That's a good point. I mean, what's the difference between NATO and this? Doesn't make any difference if it's called NATO.

And would Congress ratify that? Would the America first crowd be on board with that? Guaranteed if Russian invades again, tries to take Kiev, we're at war with Russia. I'm not sure what I think of that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I'm making my bad smell face.

David Ignatius is a good writer and an insightful one. If he thinks it's in a shape that could turn into something acceptable, I believe him.

[Joe Getty]

He said this is what the sources from the United States Ukraine and other European countries are telling him are the deal.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. I'd like to know their level of certainty or optimism.

[Joe Getty]

Part of the reasoning is that Zelinsky can't sell anything to his country short of this sort of guarantee. Really.

Man, that would be something, though. We have a. An attack on one is an attack on all. Agreement with Ukraine, with Russia right there, however many miles from Kiev, and a.

[Jack Armstrong]

Lot of people assuming that Vlad would just bide his time, restock his coffers with bullets, etc. And then go back to trying to take over the entire country. And that sounds like it would be very, very west leaning the nature of Ukraine in a way that the Russians can't accept. I'm very, very skeptical, partly because Putin always has as his option.

You know what? I'm going to pound them for three more months, then we can talk again.

[Joe Getty]

Right. Well, we're not even done here yet. Some of these are. So a demilitarized zone that's not really that surprising to me, would be established along the entire ceasefire line, all the way from the Donetsk province in the northeast to the cities further south. Behind this DMZ would be a deeper zone in which heavy weapons would be excluded. This line would be closely monitored. It'd be like the DMZ that divides north and South Korea. So it wouldn't be that easy for Russia to just roll right through it. I mean, you'd see them coming.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Closely monitored by whom and with what enforcement mechanisms. It reminds me of the bizarre situation where we. We at various times have come up with these. These agreements with Iran about inspecting their nuclear facilities. Then sometimes they just say, nah, you can't come into this plant. And the people stamp their feet and write strong letters and file a grievance, and then we go on with our lives.

[Joe Getty]

Well, and also in terms of the United States, yeah, sure, we got your back if they invade you. Just like we said in the early 90s when you gave up your nuclear weapons and we signed, what is it, the Budapest Paper or whatever it's called, we signed an agreement saying, we'll protect you from foreign invaders, just give up your nuclear weapons. And we didn't.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, right.

[Joe Getty]

And then this part, they got that big, giant nuclear power. The largest nuclear plant in all of Europe is in Ukraine. We've talked about that before. The Zaporizh nuclear power plant would no longer be under Russian occupation. Negotiations are discussing the possibility that the United States take over running the facility.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hmm. All right. There's a lot here.

[Joe Getty]

Now. David Ignatius throws in his opinion here by saying the biggest mistake Trump can make is to insist that it's now or never. Diplomacy doesn't work that way. And as Trump has said many times, including in his book, the worst thing you can possibly do in a deal is seem desperate to make it that makes the other guy smell blood and then you're dead. Trump's definitely not looking like he's desperate to make a deal. Putin certainly isn't.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

Trump should make a reasonable deal that will last. Otherwise he might end up with nothing in this miserable conflict. Could enter an even more destructive phase.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I just, I think Trump, speaking of being too hot to trot for various things. Too hot to trot for hanging another hide on his wall. Look, I brought peace between Ukraine and Russia. And Russia's sitting there thinking, I'm not observing this. And Ukraine's thinking, this ain't gonna work. Well, but Trump still gets to point to the hide. But if it's like that.

[Joe Getty]

But if it's this deal that's not giving away the farm. I mean, if, if they've got ratified by Congress written guarantees that the United States jumps in if Russia invades again. Holy crap.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm extremely skeptical that something like this will become the agreement.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know about either end of it. I don't know that Putin would say, sure, I'm fine with that deal, or that our Congress would ratify it. And I'm not sure I'm in favor of it. I'd have to think about it more.

[Jack Armstrong]

But. Right, let's. Let's talk about arming them some more, giving them long range weapons. Or can we kick Germany again and tell them to and give Ukraine more arms before we say, yeah, we'll commit American boys if Russian. If Russia crosses the tripwire. There's a lot here that stinks.

[Joe Getty]

How would we leap all the way from we're not sure we should give you that weapon or not to. We're at war with Russia if they go any further. That seems like a hell of a jump.

[Jack Armstrong]

Unless it's a hollow promise. It's really easy to make hollow promises.

[Joe Getty]

Well, that'd be pretty awful.

[Jack Armstrong]

Correct?

[Joe Getty]

You do that a couple times and nobody believes anything you say.

[Jack Armstrong]

That would be awful again?

[Joe Getty]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

Oof. Okay. But that's where it stands currently. And again, Ignatius, his sources say that that is.

Feasible, possible, could actually happen. That's what they're working on.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, pray for peace, prepare for war. And prepare for hackers and, and hackers, robbers and bastards who try to ste identity online. And at Christmas time a lot of people are given tablets and smartphones and that sort of thing, but a lot of folks don't aren't really super savvy about protecting themselves. And that's why webroot total protection for the whole family is such a good idea. Granny's not going to fall for that. Your package is delayed link because webroot for instance blocks risky sites before she could even click among many other tools.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, you're blaming on Grammy Granny and dumb people. I think I almost did today I got one from Audible books. You're about to lose your credits or something like that. I thought well that can't be. And I went to Clay. I thought wait a second. That's close to the right number of credit. Yeah. So it's just somebody hoping I have Audible books and would click on it. That's how easy it is to fall for something like this. And having the protection from web roots. Pretty handy VPN for privacy cloud backup.

Right now you can save 60% for a limited time. It's gonna protect all your devices.

[Jack Armstrong]

Real time antivirus built in password manager identity protection with credit and dark web monitoring. If identity theft hits, you get rapid alerts and up to a million dollars in expense reimbursement. Don't wait. Protect your devices privacy and identity for the whole family this holiday season into 2026 for less than 75 bucks. Again, 60% off. Go to webroot.comarmstrong that's webroot.com armstrong. The software will not last. Act now. Live a better digital life with Weberoot.

[Joe Getty]

It's pretty clever that they do that. And like I almost clicked on the Audible thing. You know, they're just hoping that they catch it. Like I get a PayPal thing every single day. Your PayPal account is overdue and I know it's not. It's a fake one and I don't click on it. And I'm trying to figure out how to block it and I can't. But then sometimes they get a. Your Buick is got a recall. And I, I never owned a Buick so I'm pretty sure that one doesn't fit.

[Jack Armstrong]

But that's an easy one. Well, given the cost of zapping out those messages, which is nil if you get a 1 in 50, 000 response.

[Joe Getty]

Rate, it's a huge win y. Yeah, no kidding.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Unbelievable. Speaking of technology, I thought this was cool. It's good news. Good news. Do you know about Gabbro Jack? Gabbro G A B B R O, I do not. It's an unremarkable rock, so cheap and abundant it's used for gravel and building roads. But it might be part of how we break our dependence on China's critical minerals.

[Joe Getty]

So it's the opposite of a critical mineral.

[Jack Armstrong]

There's plenty of it. No, no. You get critical minerals from common rocks. Oh, okay. It takes technology, chemistry, all sorts of stuff to isolate the useful stuff from less useful stuff. I didn't even take a chemistry class, much less excel in it. But Silicon Valley, here's Oakland, California. A startup called Brimstone is processing this gabbro with proprietary chemistry and off the shelf equipment to produce aluminum, magnesium and other minerals frequently imported from China. There's a huge boom in. All right, let's get loose of dependence on China on these critical minerals and rare earths and the rest of it, which I think is great.

[Joe Getty]

I'm tempted to go off on my Isaac Newton alchemy tangent, which I've been holding on to for quite some time, but maybe some other day.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow, wait a minute. That sounds intriguing. Sciency.

[Joe Getty]

He was more an alchemist than he was a mathematician and we didn't know this until fairly recently.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Being a bit of a hahaha.

[Joe Getty]

Please.

Offer all for religious reasons. He's a very religious guy, but he had to hide that at the time because it was so uncool.

[Jack Armstrong]

Alchemy or mathematics?

[Joe Getty]

Alchemy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, okay. All right. Yeah. I'm not super up on the history of they're trying to turn lead into gold. I read that in school.

[Joe Getty]

That's not what alchemy mostly is.

[Jack Armstrong]

For some reason.

[Joe Getty]

We were about that our whole lives. Damn schools.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

It's mostly a religious thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

What? Yeah, now you gotta tell us.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know if I do. Anyway, we got more on the way.

[Jack Armstrong]

Stay here, Armstrong and Getty. And listen to this.

[Joe Getty]

Trump just threatened to raise tariffs on.

[Jack Armstrong]

Mexico by 5% if they don't send.

[Joe Getty]

More water to the U.S. smart.

[Jack Armstrong]

If there's one thing I feel totally confident in, it's water from Mexico.

[Joe Getty]

Remember when we learned several years ago that that whole don't drink the water thing is pretty much true anywhere you.

[Jack Armstrong]

Go in the world.

[Joe Getty]

Just because your body has become accustomed to water here or wherever you live and when you travel to someplace else, they their water is different and often upsets your stomach? And it's not just Mexico. It can be any first world country where that happens.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'd say I didn't. I missed that or didn't know it or Something, I mean, because in Mexico you'll be very, very sick.

[Joe Getty]

But it can happen anywhere. Just because you're not used to. Like the people of Mexico don't get sick from drinking the water because their bodies have accustomed to it. Is the theory. I don't know. I didn't do the science, I didn't do the drink water in a lot.

[Jack Armstrong]

Of places around the world and done fine, but true.

[Joe Getty]

Although I've drank water in Mexico and done fine.

[Jack Armstrong]

So.

[Joe Getty]

So I was talking about Isaac Newton alchemy like we always do on Wednesdays.

So I, I was on this Isaac Newton cake about a year ago or whatever and read a couple books about him. He's understudied. Absolutely fascinating dude. And I get pulled into it actually by this secret stuff we learned about him not that many years ago. Isaac Newton, father of mathematics and then inventor of all these physical principles, you know, laws of motion and all these different things. But his main thing that he had to hide there in England in the late 1600s because the religious climate was religion. He was a very, very devout religious person. But his of the relationship between Jesus and the church and all these different things wasn't what was in favor at the time. And he would have gotten thrown in jail if, if his thinking and writings had been out loud. So he was really into alchemy, which we were taught in school was all about turning lead into gold, which it often was. But that was not primarily the reason for alchemy. And I kind of wonder why books didn't tell us this at the time. I think there's maybe a reason it was mostly a religious thing. It was about. It had to do with the way human beings can change and blood into water and all these different sorts of things fitting in with the Bible and their, their theological beliefs. It wasn't just purely we could take lead, which is easy to find, and turn into gold and become rich. It was way more a God thing. And I think they wanted to downplay that for some reason. Anyway, Isaac Newton, one of the greatest scientists of all time, was super into it. He wrote more about this than he did about anything about gravity or anything else. He wrote more about this, but it was hidden and nobody saw the papers until the 1930s. Isaac Newton's papers went up for auction in the 1930s. And because the famous economist.

Keynes of England, that Keynes is in Keynesian economics, he, John Maynard Keynes, he bid on them, won the Isaac Newton papers and discovered all these writings about all of his theological, spiritual stuff about alchemy, nobody knew that Isaac Newton had this side to him until Keynes the economist bought these papers and then wrote a couple of books about it and revealed it to the world. He was more a theologian than he was a into physics, but he had to hide from everyone.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Wow, how interesting. Brilliant guy. Obviously one of the.

[Joe Getty]

One of the more.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, in my spare times, maybe I'll go ahead and invent modern mathematics.

[Joe Getty]

One of the more brilliant people that have ever lived. And the fact that he had to hide all that from everybody and it just fairly recently got discovered by a famous economist, which.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, all of history is grossly oversimplified, partly because you almost have to. Although I just ran into a great unmasking of the Idiot 1619 project and the notion that American slavery was so much worse than we. And we really invented slavery in the United States.

[Joe Getty]

Oh my God.

[Jack Armstrong]

God is so much worse than other slavery in other parts of the world. And this obsession with self hatred and it's just not based on fact at all. But if somebody with an authoritative sounding title tells a bunch of youngsters that that's the truth, they believe it. And you can't blame them, really. And it's troubling because we've got a couple generations of people with really perverse beliefs about this country and they're 100% certain that they're right. What are you gonna do? Do a better job of policing what's going on in schools, for one thing.

[Joe Getty]

No freaking kidding. There's a decent chance that book is being taught in your kid's school.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Particularly in blue states. Yeah. It's absolutely obscene.

[Joe Getty]

And it's horse s. It comes out of the south side of a northbound horse.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, it does. I mean, for one thing, the incredibly tiny percentage of the Atlantic slave trade that ended up in the continental United States. I mean, it's a tiny percentage. The vast majority of the slaves were sent to Central and South America. And there's now. What time is it now? We don't have time for this, but maybe we'll. We'll get on to that another time. But the many, many, many, many more slaves survived in the territory that became the US or in the US Than in South America, which is why they have a lot of descendants here. Because if you were sent to the. To clear the jungles of Brazil, you die. Anyway, more on that another time. Are human beings designed to be monogamous? I've actually done more reading on that question. It's interesting. Very interesting.

[Joe Getty]

Huh? Okay. I feel like we are, but you think that Maybe that's just a. I don't know. We'll discuss it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Don't put your dirty words in my mouth.

[Joe Getty]

If you miss the segment or an hour, get the podcast. Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Jack Armstrong]

Much more Armstrong and Getty.

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.