Stop Yelling At Me About Golf!

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: Stop Yelling At Me About Golf!
Date: October 15, 2025
Host: iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Armstrong & Getty dive into the latest developments in the Middle East, particularly Hamas’s actions following a fragile ceasefire, and Trump’s hawkish approach to the situation. The hosts also discuss domestic and global political realities—from the performative nature of American political debates, to the durability of climate change discourse, to the latest controversy swirling around California’s political scene, specifically Katie Porter’s struggles with public perception and apology culture. Throughout, the hosts sprinkle their trademark sardonic humor, offering memorable quips on everything from presidential golf to viral political gaffes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump, Hamas, and the Middle East Peace Process (00:44–13:06)

• Ceasefire Fallout: The episode opens with Armstrong & Getty breaking down recent actions in Gaza. They highlight that, although there’s supposed peace, Hamas is rearming and cracking down on dissent, failing to return the remains of Israeli hostages as demanded in the ceasefire.
• Trump’s Warning: Clips of Donald Trump reiterating that Hamas “will disarm or we will disarm them,” with the hosts questioning the ambiguity of “we” and noting Trump’s repetition as a rhetorical device ([01:41–02:31]).
  • Quote: “They will disarm or we will disarm them. Got it.” – Donald Trump ([02:14])
• Reaction from Freed Hostages: The hosts cite an interview with a released Israeli hostage who claims Hamas feared Trump and preferred Kamala Harris to be President—a moment they use to reinforce Trump’s perception as a hardliner ([03:14–04:00]).
• Tom Friedman’s Perspective: Joe Getty references a New York Times piece acknowledging Trump’s unconventional but perhaps effective approach to Middle East diplomacy, even from a traditionally critical voice ([04:38–06:31]).
  • Quote: “Trump’s ability to combine bullying, flattering and exaggeration is truly a sight to behold.” – Reading Tom Friedman ([05:28])
• Bull in the China Shop: Armstrong draws the analogy of Trump as a bull shaking up stagnant, entrenched diplomatic norms ([06:31–07:52]).

2. The Chaotic Reality in Gaza (08:44–13:06)

• Hamas’s Brutality: Armstrong & Getty discuss reports—and some graphic details—of public executions and violent reassertion of control by Hamas in Gaza, including a multi-family conflict at a Gaza hospital ([09:49–12:42]).
• Tunnel Systems: Startling figures that Hamas’s tunnel network might rival the New York City subway system ([11:08–11:16]).
• Observation: “Dead ender, Islamist death cult, gang banging scum.” – Jack Armstrong ([12:42])
• “It is 100% going to take hard acid-ness to get Gaza turned around.” – Jack Armstrong ([12:49])

3. US Politics: Low Moments & Golf Debates (16:17–20:18)

• Mark Sanchez Incident: Brief discussion of a violent incident involving former NFL player Mark Sanchez; Armstrong & Getty pivot to lighter political content ([16:17–17:14]).
• Trump-Biden Golf Argument: They replay a clip from a presidential debate that devolved into a contest of golf handicaps between Trump and Biden, using this as a symbol of the low point of American political discourse.
  • Quote: “It was like a couple of codgers sitting around the clubhouse after too many beers… In that setting, it would be embarrassing.” – Jack Armstrong ([18:45])
  • Quote: “Let me die in peace. Do you have to attack my golfing here in the last moments of my life?” – Joe Getty ([19:41])
  • Quote: “Stop yelling at me about golf.” – Jack Armstrong ([19:49])
  • Hosts note that even on the debate stage, both men sounded exceedingly old and out of touch.

4. Katie Porter: Viral Gaffes and the Apology Circuit (13:06–44:20)

• Background: The hosts discuss California congresswoman Katie Porter’s viral outbursts, including her infamous “Get out of my shot” moment, and recent attempts at public apology ([13:06, 37:18, 39:00]).
  • Armstong & Getty mock the inadequacy and insincerity of press-crafted apologies, likening politicians’ damage control to empty PR theater.
  • Quote: “Why are politicians so tiring when they go into their ‘we know what you’re going to say’ spiel?” – Joe Getty ([39:38])
  • Quote: “Her answer was… Yes, there are many more videos out there. I’m a horrible person.” – Joe Getty ([41:28])
• Media & Public Reaction: They discuss Porter’s combative style and speculate on the career impact of her apologies, referencing criticisms from various political commentators.
  • Quote: “She’s now doing the apology circuit. And here’s how it went…” – Jack Armstrong ([38:45])
  • Quote: “You do [rise in CA politics] by prostituting yourself to the special interests, period.” – Jack Armstrong ([43:03])

5. Climate Change: Boondoggles and Shifting Narratives (24:31–33:24)

• Climate Politics as Performance: The hosts discuss Holman Jenkins’s critique of climate policy, namely, that US regulations have negligible effect and function as a “boondoggle” for special interests ([24:31–28:10]).
• Michael Moore’s Critique: Both are surprised that left-leaning filmmaker Michael Moore exposed US climate policies as largely fraudulent in his 2019 film—and that the left suppressed it ([26:05–27:25]).
  • Quote: “It was shadow banned for pointing out that the US climate policy was a fraud.” – Jack Armstrong ([26:15])
• Public Belief & Policy Reality: Skepticism about whether the debate on climate action will ever become honest or grounded, given entrenched interests ([28:07–29:20]).
  • Discussion of how Europe’s climate ambitions have damaged their economies, using Germany as a case study ([31:13–32:56]).
• Nuclear Comeback: Hosts are buoyed by US Army plans to deploy small nuclear reactors, viewing it as a sign that “sanity is creeping in” ([33:20–33:43]) and the beginning of the end for what they call the “climate change cult.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “They will disarm or we will disarm them. Got it.”
  – Donald Trump, on disarming Hamas ([02:14])

• “It’s gonna be something to watch over the next... hours and days at least on this whole returning the bodies situation and the disarming situation—again. They will disarm or we will disarm them. And he means now, right?”
  – Joe Getty ([07:52])

• “Dead ender, Islamist death cult, gang banging scum.”
  – Jack Armstrong, describing Hamas ([12:42])

• “Let me die in peace. Do you have to attack my golfing here in the last moments of my life?”
  – Joe Getty, ridiculing the presidential golf handicap debate ([19:41])

• “Stop yelling at me about golf.”
  – Jack Armstrong ([19:49])
  [Title drop]

• “Her answer was, if you can’t read between the lines, yes, there are many more videos out there. I’m a horrible person…”
  – Joe Getty, on Katie Porter ([41:28])

• “I think it [criticizing climate policy] helps describe who the person is for people who aren’t sure... Oh yeah, the fat progressive film documentary guy.”
  – Joe Getty, on Michael Moore ([26:04])

• “You don’t rise to the top of California politics by being a good leader or politician. You do it by prostituting yourself to the special interests, period.”
  – Jack Armstrong ([43:03])

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• Trump’s Gaza Warning & Middle East Politics: 00:44–07:52
• Chaos and Violence in Gaza: 08:44–13:06
• Viral Apologies (Katie Porter): 13:06, 37:18, 39:00, 41:11
• Presidential Golf Debate Highlights: 17:40–20:18
• Climate Policy Critique: 24:31–29:20
• Europe’s Economic Decline & US Liberty: 31:13–32:56
• The Nuclear Option: 33:20–33:43

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Tone & Style

Armstrong & Getty’s conversation weaves together current events, biting satire, and irreverent humor. They are consistently skeptical of political spin (both domestic and international), quick with asides and pop culture references, and unafraid to lampoon politicians from all sides. Expect bracing takes, a focus on media narratives, and an overall playful yet critical tone.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is a whirlwind tour through geopolitics, culture-war controversies, and American political dysfunction, held together by Armstrong & Getty’s comedic instincts and no-BS approach. The title, “Stop Yelling At Me About Golf!” captures both the absurdity of the political moment and the duo’s frustration with spectacle over substance. Whether you’re interested in the Gaza situation, want a cynical laugh at American debates, or are tracking California’s latest political flameout, this episode is rich in colorful commentary and memorable soundbites.

Transcript

[Tristan Redman]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Asma Khalid]

America is changing and so is the world.

[Tristan Redman]

But what's happening in America isn't just a cause of global upheaval. It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere.

[Asma Khalid]

I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, D.C. i'm.

[Tristan Redman]

Tristan Redman in London, and this is the global story.

[Asma Khalid]

Every weekday, we'll bring you a story from this intersection where the world and America meet.

[Tristan Redman]

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jack Armstrong]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln radio.

[Joe Getty]

Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center.

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Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty. After his groundbreaking trip to the Middle.

[Joe Getty]

East, President Trump with a warning to.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hamas, saying they must disarm as part of the next phase of his peace plan. Israel accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire.

[Joe Getty]

Deal by not releasing the remains of.

[Jack Armstrong]

More hostages, threatening to cut desperately needed.

[Joe Getty]

Aid into Gaza in retaliation. Yeah, so they gave the live hostages back. They're supposed. Hamas is supposed to give back all the deceased. They passed away. What? Natural causes. The people that were murdered were tortured to death or starved to death. They're supposed to give those remains back in their, like, 22 bodies. Hamas has not returned to Israel. They returned one yesterday that turned out to be somebody else.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

So here's Trump in his own words, key on. On the word we and wonder who we is here.

[Donald Trump]

Well, they're going to disarm, and because they said they were going to disarm, and if they don't disarm, we will disarm them.

[Tristan Redman]

How we do that.

[Donald Trump]

I don't have to explain that to you, but if they don't disarm, we will disarm them. They know I'm not playing games. We have told them we want disarm and they will disarm. And if they don't disarm, we will disarm them. And it'll happen quickly and perhaps violently, but they will disarm. Do you understand me?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes.

[Donald Trump]

You say disarmed because you always. Everyone says, oh, well, they won't disarm. They will disarm. And I spoke to Hamas and I said, you're going to disarm, right? Yes, sir, we're going to disarm. That's what they told me. They will disarm or we will disarm them. Got it.

[Joe Getty]

I should try that on my kids because it clearly works for him. Or he thinks it's important to repeat your main message. Oh, yeah, like 15 times. I should Try that more often. Anyway, who's we? Hamas will either disarm or we will disarm them, perhaps violently.

[Jack Armstrong]

The signatories to the treaty, the accord. I mean, what he really means is Israel with US Support, doesn't he? I assume so, yeah. But he didn't say we're not going to disarm willingly.

[Joe Getty]

So it's like if I'm a Dodgers fan and I say we really looked good last night, I don't actually do anything.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's you and Shohei Ohtani, right? Collectively.

[Joe Getty]

Wanted to get this on. I actually haven't heard this. This is one of the freed Israeli hostages talking about if Kamala had been elected. This is back in February. He was released at his Omar shepherd. And he's talking about the fact that he was treated poorly by Hama. And then when Donald Trump was elected. Watch. They were very scared of him. They wanted who the terrorists were afraid of Trump.

[Donald Trump]

Yeah. They wanted Kamala to be children.

[Nikki Lorenzo]

You talked politics with them.

[Donald Trump]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. They wanted Kamala to be elected when Trump came into. Became president. Yeah.

[BambooHR Announcer]

The.

[Donald Trump]

The way they treated us changed.

[Joe Getty]

More food, treated me better. That, you know, that doesn't surprise me. Does it surprise you that Hamas said, oh, crap, Trump got elected? Well, I mean, Kamala Harris was sending the message on a daily basis, do whatever the hell you want. We're going to lean on Israel.

[Jack Armstrong]

Leave Hamas alone. Leave them in peace. Right?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Isn't that something? That's, you know, put aside your political theories and theorists and talking heads on cable tv. That's real world proof of what, you know, we've been saying for a long time.

[Joe Getty]

Speaking of putting away your political theory, I'll just touch on this Tom Friedman in the New York Times. I don't know if you read him, but he's one of the most respected thinkers on the Middle East. I don't always agree with him. He's a super lefty. He always sides with Democrat ideas and hates Republicans for the most part. That's one of the reasons this is so interesting. What he's written today in the New York Times. Mr. Trump on the Middle east, please move fast and break things. And he writes. Listening to President Trump telling Israelis and Arabs on Monday that they were at the historic dawn of a new Middle east was like watching Trump selling his bankers on a plan to build the biggest, most beautiful, most amazing hotel in the world on a toxic waste dump. On the one hand, you tell yourself, this man must be crazy. Doesn't he know the history of this place? You can't build a hotel there. On the other hand, a voice in the back of your head whispers, what if he can bring it off? Trump's ability to combine bullying, flattering and exaggeration is truly a sight to behold. And it was on full display Monday and is addressed to the Israeli Knesset and then to more of the 20 world leaders there. I will give Trump this. No traditional diplomat on foreign policy or foreign policy professor would have advised the President to take such risks, to declare that we are on the road to Middle east peace and that he, Donald Trump, will chair the board of peace. Then we'll deliver it. But Trump went to business school, not the school of foreign service. And he clearly believes that he can cajole muscle and bluster this conflict to a happy ending. And I'm not going to bet against him or for him, but I'll give. But I do think he can pull it off. That's an amazing thing from somebody who hates Donald Trump as much as Tom Friedman. This whole recognizing that ignoring the rules of the past can work in your favor. Obviously it wouldn't always work in your favor, but sometimes it can.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. I was thinking about Trump as the proverbial bull in the China shop. And there are situations where the China shop, the China that you're talking about is, is just the tired out old expectations and conventional wisdom we've been talking about. It needs a bull because the China shop sucks. Nobody wants the China, nobody buys it, and it just sits there collecting dust. And his point about how Trump presents a grand vision in the case of the Middle east and the various actors, the various heads of the countries and diplomats, they are now put in a position of either I go along with that grand vision or I face Trump's cajoling, bullying and bombs. So it's, it's a beautiful example of that. If you have an intractable problem, make it bigger. And now they're all in the position of this brave, beautiful new Middle East. Am I on board or not? I guess I'm on board. Nobody's talking about a big, beautiful, brave Middle East. A couple of years ago, it was the very narrow, just tired out, two state solution. We must work toward a two state solution, which is just the worst sort of lip service to solving the problem.

[Joe Getty]

It's gonna be something to watch over the next, well, not even months or years, maybe hours and days at least on this whole returning the, the bodies situation and the disarming situation again. They will disarm or we will disarm them. And he means now, right I really.

[Jack Armstrong]

Want to get to the the Hamas situation right now. After a quick word from a friends, that is it. Price Picks Michael oh yeah. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Between the baseball playoffs and the football, it's a great time to get in on daily fantasy sports with Prize picks. The easiest, simplest, most fun way to spice up your view in your favorite sports.

[Joe Getty]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, Price picks is really simple to pay. You just pick more or less on at least two player stats. If you get your picks right, you could cash in. They pay out super quick and are super crazy safe with your information. Join millions of users Sign up for America's number one fantasy sports app. Download the Prize Picks app today. Use the Code Armstrong. You get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. You don't have to win, just use that Code Armstrong. You get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. Prize picks. It's good to be right. So the situation in Gaza right now is crazy. So they're at peace with Israel. Hamas is. But instead of laying down their arms and making clear that now is the time for peace, Hamas is quickly rearming, trying to take control of the streets, show that they're still in charge and they're rounding up anybody who's opposed them. Now that these Israelis are out of the way and either exiling them or shooting them dead in the streets in front of crowds.

[Joe Getty]

Well, they're claiming that they're having trials there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh yeah.

[Joe Getty]

And finding them guilty and not much.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right of collaborating with the Israelis or whatever.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know if you've seen some of the pictures and videos, but they are horrific. Just horrible.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Clashes around a hospital in Gaza City on Sunday left dozens dead. Some peace, according to the Hamas unit. Blah, blah blah. Videos emerged Monday verified by various news organizations that show Hamas fighters dragging a number of men from one family into a public square in broad daylight, forcing them to kneel and executing them in front of onlookers.

[Joe Getty]

Well, there are rival gangs that want to be the people that run Gaza instead of Hamas. Hamas has been running it for a long, long time. And Hamas is. The people that are left are saying, no you ain't.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, and it's interesting, the stuff that Trump said right before the quotes that we were just playing, he was asked about Hamas's deployment of security forces and ongoing crackdowns while he was on Air Force One. He said the group had understandably asked to be allowed to secure the devastated enclave. Quote, they've been open about it and we gave them approval for a period of time, but they're going to disarm, and if they don't disarm, we will disarm them. In that whole bit, have you heard.

[Joe Getty]

This stat that people keep mentioning that Hamas still has a tunnel system the size of the New York City subway system?

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow, that's unbelievable. I heard there are a bunch that remained, but not that. That's significant. That's crazy.

[Joe Getty]

Incredible.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. So there's one story, one early target of the Hamas guys was the Dog Mosh family. Dog Mosh in Gaza City, long history of friction. This family backed the Fatah faction of the plo. You may remember those guys from back in the day. On Sunday, massed Hamas fighters armed with Kalashnikovs and pistols showed up outside the Jordanian hospital in Gaza City. A number of Dogmash family members had taken shelter there during an Israeli offensive. Hamas ordered them to leave. They also demanded the family hand over 10 members it alleged had cooperated with Israel. They said they couldn't turn over its sons. At the hospital gates, armed Hamas fighters threatened to clear the hospital by force unless the family members left immediately. When they refused, some of the gunmen raised their weapons. One pointed a weapon at a family member, threatened to bring the hospital down on top of him if he didn't leave. Another family member shot the Hamas guy dead. And that killing sharply escalated the fighting. Hamas closed off access around the hospital, besieged the neighborhood and opened fire with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades. Just absolute craziness. Dead ender, Islamist death cult, gang banging scum.

[Joe Getty]

This could be pretty exciting over the next several days or 1,000 years.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah, it's a good thing. Trump is a hard ass and BB's a hard ass. We'll have to see how hard ass the Gulf States are because it is 100% going to take hard acid ness to get Gaza turned around. 100% hard ass.

[Joe Getty]

Katie Porter, remember her from last week? She became a bit of a household name. I hadn't even heard of her here in California.

[Jack Armstrong]

Get out of my effing shot.

[Joe Getty]

I don't have to answer that. I'm calling this. And we got. She tried to apologize yesterday, so we'll get to that coming up in just a little bit. While I'll talk about that and what was the other thing I wanted to get to oh, she's we're gonna take a look back at what somebody called the high point in US democracy that I had forgotten about. This is just like a Throwback Wednesday sort of thing.

[Donald Trump]

Oh wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay.

[Joe Getty]

That I think you'll find entertaining, so stay tuned for that.

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[Asma Khalid]

America is changing and so is the world.

[Tristan Redman]

But what's happening in America isn't just the cause of global upheaval. It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere.

[Asma Khalid]

I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, DC.

[Tristan Redman]

I'm Tristan Redman in London and this is the Global Story.

[Asma Khalid]

Every weekday we'll bring you a story from this intersection where the world and America meet.

[Tristan Redman]

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Joe Getty]

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has been accused of drunkenly assaulting a delivery driver before the driver stabbed him. The penalties offset repeat first down. If convicted, Sanchez could be sent to prison or worse. Back to the Jets. Those are decent jokes around a horrifying story of a drunken giant ex NFL football player who decided to beat up an old man. Or beat an old man to death is what he was going to do. Until that old man. Until that old man pulled the knife. Did you see that Sanchez's ex wife came out? Or ex. I don't know if they're ever married.

[Jack Armstrong]

Ex baby mama, I think. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Came out and said, I'm not surprised she had full custody of their kid because he's a violent lunatic. And said, I'm not surprised at all by this. So.

[Jack Armstrong]

And degenerate drunk.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah, that's a rough story. So, boy, this is apropos of nothing. I just, I was scrolling media and I came across this. Somebody was calling this the low point or peak moment of US democracy or whatever. So we all remember the disastrous debate between Trump and Biden. It changed the course of perhaps world history. See the Middle east currently, but we forget this part of it. If you remember watching it, it degenerated into this toward the end. This is not flattering for either one of them or for America as a whole.

[Donald Trump]

I just won two club championships, not even senior, two regular club championships. To do that, you have to be quite smart and you have to be able to hit the ball a long way. And I do it. He doesn't do it. He can't hit a ball 50 yards. He challenged me to a golf match. He can't hit a ball 50 yards. I'd be happy to have a driving contest with him. Kareem. I got my handicap, which when I was vice president, down to a six. And by the way, I told you before, I'm happy to play golf if you carry your own bag. Think you can do it? That's the biggest lie that he's a six handicap of all. I was eight. Handicapped. Yeah. Eight.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, no.

[Donald Trump]

But I had. You know, I've seen you swing. I know. You swim.

[Jack Armstrong]

It was worse than I remember.

[Joe Getty]

I know. Me too. That's why I wanted to play it, because we all got. I mean, it drove the guy, it drove the Sitting president out of office. It is a world changing. I mean, from the first moment. So we forgot that happened at the end. But when they got it and it goes on after that, when they got into that long conversation of which 80 year old is the best golfer.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah. I mean, it was like a couple of conjures sitting around the clubhouse after too many beers. It was. And. And in that setting, it would be embarrassing.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, you're right. If it were kind of getting late at night at the bar there at the golf course and you got a couple of 80 year olds getting into it over who's the best golfer, you'd think is.

[Jack Armstrong]

You were never a six. This is degenerating.

[Joe Getty]

This is.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is.

[Joe Getty]

Can you even carry your bag? I don't think you're good.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'll play you anytime if you carry your bag. Think you can. All right, fellas, we gotta talk about something else. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

You didn't see the visual, but when Biden says. And God, Does Biden sound 150 years old in that?

[Jack Armstrong]

I was just gonna say that was the other big impression, was that it sounds like two old men arguing about golf while one of them is in his deathbed.

[Joe Getty]

Right, right. Let me die in peace. Do you have to attack my golfing here in the last moments of my life?

[Jack Armstrong]

Let my family in here. Stop yelling at me about golf.

[Joe Getty]

But when Biden says, I got my handicap down to a six, Trump rolls his eyes and makes his face. That's so funny. Like he is actually personally offended by the fact that Biden claimed he had a six handicap. That's what was on his mind during the president debate. That guy's lying about his handicap. Oh, that's funny.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, wow. Low moment. Definitely.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, my God.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, speaking of bad politics, that simmering ball of angry hate, Katie Porter of California attempting to apologize. Oh, that went well. We'll have that audio for you.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Yeah. I wonder how much she blew up her career. We'll know soon enough. How many times does an apology, and I mean not in politics, just in any realm, not make things worse? Uh, I think only if you, like, apologize immediately and it's like out of your own mind. As opposed to anytime somebody focus groups or talks to, you know, some handler or something like that, whether it's a corporation or whatever, it almost always makes the situation worse. Right. Fuel to the fire.

[Jack Armstrong]

For sure.

[Joe Getty]

Almost always. Anyway, we got that for you and a whole bunch of other stuff on the way. If you missed the segment at the podcast, Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Nikki Lorenzo]

Armstrong and Getty.

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[Asma Khalid]

America is changing and so is the world.

[Tristan Redman]

But what's happening in America is isn't just a cause of global upheaval, it's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere.

[Asma Khalid]

I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, DC.

[Tristan Redman]

I'm Tristan Redman in London and this is the Global Story.

[Asma Khalid]

Every weekday we'll bring you a story from this intersection where the world and America meet.

[Tristan Redman]

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[BambooHR Announcer]

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[Joe Getty]

Katy Perry, the pop music superstar was spotted smooching the former Prime Minister of Canada and Trudeau. What a couple this I've been wondering how Canada was going to exact their Revenge for the tariffs and this is it.

[Donald Trump]

They're taking our women.

[Joe Getty]

They're not just taking our women, they're taking our astronauts. That's a good joke. He's not an obnoxious political weenie.

[Jack Armstrong]

Kim is pretty funny.

[Joe Getty]

Taking our astronauts.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow, that was a good joke.

[Joe Getty]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

So this is just yet more proof, as if you needed it, that the whole green energy climate change thing was a for profit scam. This is some great writing. Holman Jenkins, who I really enjoy, he's talking about, you know, during the Obama years they, there was a finding by the epa, I think it was that, that, that carbon emissions that cause climate change threaten people's health so they could regulate it like mercury in the rivers or smog in the air. And he's writing about how 39 scientists from various organizations just signed a find, signed a finding that in fact greenhouse gases are in fact a danger because The Trump administration EPA just said no, they're not. So you got these 39 scientists. Anyway, so to quote Jenkins, read on. Realize their book length report is concocted for a bureaucratic and legalistic purpose, not a scientific one. The finding in the Obama years came to justify regulatory actions that have zero impact, none on climate change. Not only are US emissions too small a share of the global total to matter, in practice, EPA actions mostly just drive US emissions offshore. Whatever they think, the 39 scientists are part of a machine now defending its own activity and privilege in one of the biggest boondoggles in the history of policy making. And then he points out, and I was totally unaware of this, Michael Moore, the fat progressive film director, why would I take a shot at his body shape?

[Joe Getty]

It helped.

[Jack Armstrong]

Unnecessary.

[Joe Getty]

I disagree. I, I think it was necessary. I think it helps describe who the person is for people who aren't sure. Oh yeah, the fat progressive film documentary guy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, the judges will permit it. It will stand. Objection. Overruled. Anyway, he had a movie come out in 2019, Planet of the Humans, and he says, remember that? Of course you don't. It was shadow banned by the left and film distributors. Not because it wasn't climate apocalyptic enough. It was over the top on climate apocalyptics. It was shadow banned for pointing out that the US climate policy was a fraud. Oh, who actually believes this stuff?

[Joe Getty]

Okay, so he actually believes climate change is a problem. It, we need to worry about it and that all the stuff we're doing is fake and people need to know that because we're not making a dent. Well, good for him. I mean, you know, that's, that's better than knowingly lying like the Al Gore crowd is doing, right?

[Jack Armstrong]

As Jenkins writes, it consisted of colossal pork barrel spending that was having no effect on the alleged problem.

[Joe Getty]

That is amazing. Michael Moore, one of the most revered documentary filmmakers of the left ever, gets memory. Hold on.

[Jack Armstrong]

Tell that truth.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Wow. That's interesting.

[Jack Armstrong]

They have Richard York of the University of Oregon seen marveling in the film at the self willed blindness of the U.S. policy community to a simple question. Do clean energy subsidies result in fossil fuels being displaced? He says in a voice of wonder, no, they don't even know that. That's the question. It reminds me of when Californians found out that not only was there no measure of how effective the bums and junkies billions of dollars spent had been, there wasn't even a mechanism to look into the question. And that's what this guy's saying about the, the, the climate change stuff.

[Donald Trump]

You.

[Jack Armstrong]

Know, and then he goes into detail. Interesting and good writing. But.

[Joe Getty]

So like I'm pretty, I'm pretty optimistic that we're on the other side of the whole trans issue and we're never going to go back to it at its peak, you know, from a couple of years ago where things were just off the rails. But I don't, I don't have much faith that we'll get on the other side of the climate change thing where people will start being honest. Do you think maybe we're actually our head that direction?

[Jack Armstrong]

It's going to be a tough one because a lot of people are completely convinced that what they have been told is correct.

[Joe Getty]

Well, I meant more.

[Jack Armstrong]

The left is dedicated to keeping that.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I meant more in terms of being honest about what things actually are doing something and aren't doing something. I mean, to Michael Moore's point, you need more. People like him are saying, yeah, climate change is real, but the stuff we're doing isn't doing anything. I'm not worried about climate change the way he is, but none of these things are doing any good. So what are we doing it for? You combine people that don't believe in climate change with people who are honest about it, but realize this stuff is phony and maybe we could kill it, most of it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

Because we can't actually do anything about it. We can't actually do anything about it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Reality bats last, as we often say. I feel good that it's moving in that direction. There are a bunch of headlines actually that the entire world Europe is, is now put its electric car in backward in reverse when it comes to electric Vehicles. The whole world is saying, you know, this wasn't quite what everybody was saying it was, including even China, which leads the world in electric vehicle use and sales and manufacture and the rest of it. So I think. I think sanity is creeping into the issue. But a couple of more stories real quickly. Unless you add more on that. I love the topic, but the United nations is about to tax you. If. If you know the other stuff we've talked about today hasn't boiled your frog already, this will.

[Joe Getty]

Global government.

[Jack Armstrong]

Voters are showing their opposition to the net zero climate agenda whenever they get the chance. In the US and increasingly in Europe. It just doesn't make sense. People don't like it. But that isn't stopping the United nations, which this week is poised to impose what amounts to a global tax on carbon emission emissions. And yes, if you're wondering, this is the definition of taxation without representation, here's how they're doing it. The International Maritime Organization, a UN body based in London, hopes that it's meeting this week to secure final approval for its net zero framework for shipping. And it would impose charges per metric ton of carbon dioxide that ships emit above certain levels. And the tax would be several hundred dollars per metric ton, depending on various factors. That could translate to an annual tax take of 10 to 12 billion dollars.

[Joe Getty]

Well, and then see how many of the people behind that new rule somehow profit from that. But that's horrifying. So I mentioned that I listened to a podcast.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, and all the money would go to the UN by the way. Oh, lovely.

[Nikki Lorenzo]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

I mentioned I was listening to a podcast out of Great Britain talking about what a disaster, their net zero. They really took net zero seriously and just destroyed their economy. A lot of Europe did. In fact, I got a stat on that that I wanted to bring that I came across.

[Jack Armstrong]

Recent poll, 75% of Brits agree with the statement Britain is broken.

[Joe Getty]

75% just in general, not just around climate change stuff.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, but I mean it. That selling out the economy to that cult is one of the main drivers of unhappiness and dissatisfaction of all of Europe.

[Joe Getty]

Yesterday it was announced Nvidia is worth more than the entire German stock market. That one company, Mississippi's. We had this stat last week. Mississippi's per capita income is almost the same as Germany's. So the most powerful economy in Europe, Germany is roughly the same as our poorest state in the United States.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes.

[Joe Getty]

That is incredible.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

And one thing we don't.

[Jack Armstrong]

I said we don't have near enough understanding of in this country is why we have such an engine of creativity and growth. It's called liberty, for God's sake.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, we've been the richest country for a long time, but not to this extent versus relative to Europe. And a lot of it is because of all that climate change crap. They did so much climate change crap to just destroy their economies. That's amazing. Our poorest state is as powerful as Germany. It's incredible.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it really is. Final story that I wanted to squeeze in because it's all kind of related. Note to self buy stock in nuclear. Here's the headline for you. U.S. army plans to power bases with tiny nuclear reactors. The Janus program fulfills a Trump order to start powering military installations with state of the art nuclear technology. This is such a great idea.

[Joe Getty]

Dang. Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Time to go. Nuke.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hey hippies with your no nuke crap and your climate change bull s and I wish I could use the word. Your day is done. Man. I just pray that J.D. vance wins the next election or whomever we there's. I mean we got so far down the road to Crazyville, it's gonna take.

[Joe Getty]

A minute or two to get our.

[Jack Armstrong]

Way to find our way back to Sanity Town. At least Sanity Heights in the suburbs.

[Joe Getty]

Exactly. So the least attractive politician in America, and I mean that personality wise, is this Katie Porter person who.

[Jack Armstrong]

Michael. Come on. My effing shot. You're asleep at the switch. No. What?

[Joe Getty]

Hello. We don't have that clip.

[Asma Khalid]

Yeah, that is.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway, so she tried to apologize yesterday. It did not go well. And we'll have that for you coming up. Stay tuned.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

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[Asma Khalid]

America is changing and so is the world.

[Tristan Redman]

But what's happening in America is isn't just a cause of global upheaval. It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere.

[Asma Khalid]

I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, D.C. i'm.

[Tristan Redman]

Tristan Redman in London, and this is the global story.

[Asma Khalid]

Every weekday we'll bring you a story from this intersection where the world and America meet.

[Tristan Redman]

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[BambooHR Announcer]

When you're in HR, it can feel like nothing is easy. From payroll to pto, from onboarding to benefits and everything in in between. It's a constant juggle of tasks, systems and spreadsheets. But your HR software, that's the easy part. Meet BambooHR. Trusted by over 34,000 companies, it handles all your HR tasks, payroll, benefits and time tracking so your team and your company can grow as fast as. Well, bamboo. And BambooHR software is actually easy to use. One simple system that pulls all your people data together in one place. So you can ditch scattered systems and wasted hours on tasks that should only take minutes. Because when HR is easier, you can focus on what matters Most, your people. HR is hard. Bamboo HR is easy. Ready to simplify all your HR tasks for a limited time, get a $100 Visa gift card when you complete a free [e-mail] giftcard. Again, that's bamboohr.com gift card. Terms and conditions apply.

[Joe Getty]

So the Always attempting to make a joke. John Kennedy of Louisiana Saturday Night Live did a pretty good of mocking him or conceptualizing him. Saturday night. John Kennedy, always trying to make a joke, said probably the best way to end the shutdown would be to lock Thune and Schumer in a room with Katie Porter and tell them they can't come out until there's a deal.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's funny. It is. That is funny. The delightful Katie Porter of California, have you heard her act? This is what brought her to a lot of people's attention last week.

[Nikki Lorenzo]

And the state could lose. Get out of my shot.

[Joe Getty]

I wanted to tell you that that's actually incorrect.

[Asma Khalid]

It's not that it's electric vehicles.

[Joe Getty]

It's that if we don't meet the.

[Washable Sofas Announcer]

Commitments under the Paris climate Accord.

[Nikki Lorenzo]

Okay, it does. Okay. You also were in my shop before that. Stay out of my shot.

[Joe Getty]

Stay out of my shot.

[Jack Armstrong]

And of course, gotta have a dance remix. Come on, Internet.

[Joe Getty]

What are you doing?

[Jack Armstrong]

You're going lazy. On. And then the video where she cut short an interview with a perfectly reasonable reporter because she just didn't want to. She. Well, she's had seething ball of hatred and anger. Everybody knows that she poured boiling mashed potatoes on her husband's head. She's known as Mrs. Potato Head in Orange County, California, et cetera. Well, she realizes that her hopes of being the governor of the most corrupt state in the union are shaky now because she had really been in the lead because she's the best water carrier and, and, and, you know, doer of deeds for the powers that actually run California unions and the lawyers.

[Joe Getty]

I guarantee you, in the back of her mind, she has inklings of being president of the United States someday.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, so anyway, having realized that her being exposed as an angry homunculus with a face like a closed fist has hurt her chances, she's now doing the apology circuit. And here's how it went. We'll start with ad.

[Nikki Lorenzo]

Should California voters feel confident that there aren't any more Katie Porter videos out there? Well, what I know is that I could have done better in those moments. I'm going to be focused on earning their votes and earning their trust. That's true in every election. I've only ever had tough elections. So I'm absolutely aware that I'm going to have to continue, continue to show them. I'm going to have to answer every question. I'm glad I got to continue that interview and finish that interview and answer all her questions. And that's what I'm going to continue to do to show Californians not only that I understand their problems, but that I have the, the will and the strength of character to actually get something done about them.

[Donald Trump]

Why.

[Joe Getty]

Why are politicians so tiring when they go into their we know what you're going to say spiel? Just so tiring.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that was not bad. She is reasonably skillful when she's not in the throes of her frequent temper tantrums. But the reporter, Ed, is dogged on her trail and wants to follow up.

[Joe Getty]

But not just the CBS interview, the.

[Nikki Lorenzo]

Interview with the staffer. Can voters be confident that there won't be another one of those videos that's.

[Joe Getty]

Going to come to light?

[Nikki Lorenzo]

What I do know is that I could have done better on that situation.

[Joe Getty]

But that's not a no.

[Nikki Lorenzo]

So is there potentially another video that.

[Joe Getty]

We'Re going to see?

[Nikki Lorenzo]

Nikki, I, I'm going to be honest with you. I know that that video and that video was several years ago, as you know, and apologize to the staffer. That's super important to me and will continue to try to hold myself to do better.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's.

[Nikki Lorenzo]

That's what I can promise.

[Joe Getty]

Stop asking me this question. I'm gonna put potatoes on your head.

[Jack Armstrong]

And Nikki Lorenzo, the Fox 40 reporter.

[Joe Getty]

Is not having it.

[Nikki Lorenzo]

But not that there's not going to.

[Joe Getty]

Be any more videos, because that's what people are wondering.

[Nikki Lorenzo]

Are we going to see something else like that? I can tell you what I've told you, which is that I am taking responsibility for this situation. And I'm also not going to back down from fighting back for California, from being tough. I don't think this is a moment where the same old, same old is going to cut it. But that doesn't change the fact that. That I. What I did to that staffer was wrong. I've acknowledged it to her in that moment, and I'm acknowledging it now.

[Jack Armstrong]

She ground all the enamel off of her teeth right by now in the interview, trying not to attack the reporter with her hands because she is such.

[Joe Getty]

A ball of anger and hate. If she had had a pot of boiling potatoes handy, she would have dumped them on the potato on the reporter's head.

[Jack Armstrong]

Thank God she didn't.

[Joe Getty]

Her answer was, if you can't read between the lines, yes, there are many more videos out there. I'm a horrible person. I have yelled at children. I have drown cats. I have done all kinds of awful things, and they're all on video and they're going to come out. I'm gonna have to answer for all of them.

[Jack Armstrong]

What you need to understand, Nikki, is that those incidents weren't exceptions. That's how I live my life. So, yes, there are almost certainly videos.

[Joe Getty]

Should have said. Do you mean today? I've done it several times today where I've been video doing awful things. So I've got them cataloged.

[Jack Armstrong]

You want me screaming at a handicapped man, a handicapped woman, a small child, a child with a cat or without a cat? We've got it all. Alphabet.

[Joe Getty]

Berating a staffer, berating a voter. What would you like of me berating? I got my whole berating category. Yes, Katie.

[Jack Armstrong]

There's actually a video service called Cameo where she could set herself up and people could purchase videos of her yelling.

[Joe Getty]

At them and she could give up politics and make a boatload of money doing that. That'd be funny. I have friends who. Nothing could be funnier than if I had her yelling at them for their birthday.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'd pay 50 bucks for that.

[Joe Getty]

Absolutely. So we used to have Steve Hilton on Now and Then. He's a British guy who you see on Fox has his own show. He tweeted out Katie Porter just ripped the mask off. These California Democrat politicians are all like this. An arrogant, entitled ruling elite who think they're above accountability for their failures. I think that's very true. That's happens in all one party states. It's just the history of one party governance. You, you end up with lots of people like this who think they can say and do anything right.

[Jack Armstrong]

And to paraphrase the great Katie Grimes in this cavalcade of Katies, she you don't rise to the top of California politics by being a good leader or politician. You do it by prostituting yourself to the special interests, period. The public employee unions and the related unions. They don't give a crap whether you have the good of the people of California in your heart. No, they just want you to carry their water. So yeah, you get to Katie Porter's. Can you imagine her being the best choice to lead a state, please.

[Joe Getty]

I can't believe that she actually went with I fell short. Given the fact that that's Gavin Newsom's phrase from when he got caught eating at the French laundry department. We're all human.

[BambooHR Announcer]

We all fall short sometimes.

[Jack Armstrong]

You would have thought she have the same PR people. I'll bet they do. They probably hired the same crisis PR company.

[Joe Getty]

You'd have thought that she I am going to hold myself to a higher standard and do better. I know that I fell short. You can't say that when Gavin is the last politician in California to have a level this level controversy.

[Jack Armstrong]

What else are you going to say? I suck. People hate me and I hate them.

[Joe Getty]

And I hate them. If you miss a segment, get the podcast. Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Nikki Lorenzo]

Armstrong and Gettysburg.

[Asma Khalid]

America is changing and so is the world.

[Tristan Redman]

But what's happening in America isn't just the cause of global upheaval. It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere.

[Asma Khalid]

I'm Asma Khalid in Washington D.C. i'm.

[Tristan Redman]

Tristan Redman in London and this is the Global story.

[Asma Khalid]

Every weekday we'll bring you a story from this intersection where the world and America meet.

[Tristan Redman]

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast.