Take That, Frenchie!!

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand — "Take That, Frenchie!!" (March 17, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty critically dissect current social and political trends in America, focusing on public perceptions, the influence of media narratives, and recent international developments—particularly the optics and reactions surrounding the war with Iran and NATO alliances. The hosts also delve into themes of ignorance, conformity, and the sometimes absurd disconnect between public opinion and reality, punctuated by trademark humor, sarcasm, and a few notable one-liners aimed at both domestic and international subjects. Other topics include quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and the robot arms race in Korea.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. American Public Perceptions: Morality and Ignorance

• Ignorance Over Immorality: Jack shares his belief that while he doesn't view most Americans as "immoral or evil," he suspects many are simply ignorant and uninformed.

  “I probably think the majority of my countrymen are morons. ... Just ignorant. Just don't pay attention to enough. Don't know enough stuff to make reasonable decisions.”
  — Jack Armstrong (00:16)

• Media Bubble: Michael highlights the role of a "segmented bubbly media" in perpetuating ignorance (01:09).

2. Financial Responsibility and Public Discussion

• Credit Card Debt Story: Jack criticizes that media reports on escalating credit card debt fail to discuss how people are spending, deflecting responsibility and promoting a culture of unaccountability (01:15).

3. Vox Populi — Disturbing Street Interviews

• Caitlin Bennett Interviews: The team listens to interview clips from conservative content creator Caitlin Bennett, where respondents make shocking choices between Trump supporters and radical Islamists.

  • Many respondents, even those in marginalized groups, claim to feel safer around or more solidarity with radical Islamists than Trump supporters.
  • Respondents refuse to say “Make America Great Again” but will say “Allahu Akbar” in solidarity (02:26–03:15).

  “I'll happily say Allah Akbar, the thing that has been shouted like five times in the last week and a half as radical Muslims killed innocent people. But I will not say make America great again.”
  — Jack Armstrong (03:34)

• Reactions to Ignorance:

  • Michael and Jack express frustration at the lack of awareness or logical self-preservation among interviewees.
  • Michael references how such thinking was rampant during the COVID response, where people supported policies simply for the approval it brought (05:20).

4. Media, Conformity, and Acceptance

• Virtue Signaling vs. Truth: Jack and Michael argue that many people care more about group acceptance than truth or logical consistency (03:34–05:59).

  "Many, many people...don’t look at the world through the lens of truth. They look at the world through the lens of acceptance."
  — Jack Armstrong (04:03)

5. Ignorance of Reality — LGBT & Radical Islam

• Jack expresses disbelief that some in the LGBT community are unaware of the grim realities for gays in radical Islamic countries (06:46).

  “If I knew there was someplace in the world where millions of people...that would kill me because of what I am...I would be aware of that...”
  — Jack Armstrong (06:46)

• Narrative Manipulation: Michael points to narratives pushed by political parties, as well as foreign trolls, as factors fueling misinformation and divisiveness (07:34–08:15).

6. Joy Reid’s U.S. vs. Iran Comparison

• Joy Reid Clip: Joy Reid (recently off MSNBC, now online) asserts the U.S. is only “marginally better than Iran” in women’s rights (08:42–09:22).
  • The hosts strongly reject this comparison as “crazy” and “self-hating” (09:29–10:53).

  "Joy Reid thinks we're marginally better...in terms of a place to live as a woman than Iran. How do you say that? What is that whole self-hating weirdness?"
  — Jack Armstrong (10:17) "She's, she is a crackpot. She's wrong on the facts, she's wrong on the analysis. She's just wrong about everything. Class A moron."
  — Michael (09:29)

7. Another Bennett Street Interview (College Women on Women’s Rights)

• Clip: A group of college women are asked to compare oppression in Iran vs. the Trump administration (11:40–12:28).
  • Most show a lack of knowledge about Iran; one says both are “equally as oppressive.”
  • Michael bemoans the “childlike” verbal skills and the intersectionality narrative keeping white men from having opinions (12:28).

8. International: NATO and France

• Tension between Trump and European allies over military support in the Strait of Hormuz; Trump grades French cooperation as “8 out of 10: It’s France, we don’t expect perfect” (16:02–17:13).

  “Not perfect. But it's France. We don't expect perfect.”
  — Jack Armstrong quoting Trump (16:54)

  • Joe Getty delivers the episode’s titular quip:

    “Take that, Frenchie!” (18:41)

9. Quantum Computing Explained (Poorly)

• Michael attempts to explain quantum computing, admitting he doesn’t understand it—in line with legendary physicist Richard Feynman's statement:

  “I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.”
  — Jack Armstrong quoting Feynman (27:20)

• Discussion about the incomprehensible power and potential impacts of quantum computing on multiple industries (21:27–27:44).

10. Robots in Korea

• Jack describes South Korea’s robot-run Starbucks and contrasts it with North Korea’s “robots” (actually mannequins at polling stations) (27:44–30:47).
  • Dark humor: “South Korea's officially recorded its first robot suicide.”
    — Jack Armstrong (31:05)
• Broader reflection on how culture and government create such starkly different realities between two genetically similar populations.

11. National Security — Joe Kent’s Resignation

• Joe Kent resigns as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, citing opposition to the war with Iran, blaming U.S. action on “pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” The hosts expect Trump to respond “venomously” (32:20–35:16).
  • Commentary stresses Iran’s long-standing status as top state sponsor of terrorism and the oddity of a counterterror director resisting action against them (35:33).

  “Iran is absolutely...the number one sponsor of terrorism, state sponsor of terrorism on planet Earth...You're the director of counterterrorism...you don't like taking them down.”
  — Jack Armstrong (35:33)

12. Media Critiques and Misinformation

• Michael critiques the media for pushing the narrative that there was “no plan” for the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a “completely fictional narrative” (37:11–38:15).
  • The hosts promise continued coverage and urge listeners to follow up via podcast (38:15).

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On public ignorance:
  “I probably think the majority of my countrymen are morons.” — Jack Armstrong (00:16)

• On acceptance vs truth:
  “Many, many people don’t look at the world through the lens of truth. They look at the world through the lens of acceptance.” — Jack Armstrong (04:03)

• On Joy Reid's Iran comparison:
  “She's just, she's an awful, evil, hateful human being who had a primetime show on MSNBC for many, many years with those thoughts.” — Jack Armstrong (10:53)

• Dark humor:
  “South Korea's officially recorded its first robot suicide.” — Jack Armstrong (31:05)
  “Don't date robots.” — Michael (31:13)

• On quantum computing:
  “Even if I were able to wrap my head around the physics we're discussing, how that turns into a thing that can correct my spelling...how did the qubits do that? Joe melts his own brain.” — Michael (27:20)

• On international affairs:
  “Not perfect. But it’s France. We don’t expect perfect.” — Jack Armstrong, quoting Trump (16:54)
  “Take that, Frenchie.” — Joe Getty (18:41)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Morality, Ignorance, and Credit Cards: 00:16–01:52
• Caitlin Bennett Interviews & Reactions: 02:26–06:34
• Joy Reid and Iran Comparison: 08:15–10:53
• College Women (More Bennett Interviews): 11:14–12:28
• Trump, NATO, and France: 16:02–18:41
• Quantum Computing Explainer: 21:27–27:44
• Korean Robots & Social Commentary: 27:44–31:05
• Joe Kent Resignation and Iran: 32:20–36:05
• Media Narrative on the Strait of Hormuz: 37:11–38:15

---

Summary Tone & Style

The Armstrong & Getty style is irreverent, at times acerbic, deeply skeptical of mainstream media and public narratives, and unusually candid about their own limitations (especially during the quantum computing segment). There is a recurring motif of exasperation with perceived ignorance and virtue-signaling among Americans, a darkly comedic streak, and plenty of barbed asides at political, media, and international targets.

---

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode tackles modern social and political confusion in America, exposes how ignorance and groupthink are widespread, lampoons both the left and mainstream media (especially regarding gender, sexuality, and international comparisons), and delivers a crash course—in their unique style—on emerging tech and the sometimes bizarre developments in geopolitics. The result is a fast-paced, insightful, and darkly funny podcast that pulls no punches.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast, guaranteed human

[Joe Getty]

broadcasting. Live from the Abraham Lincoln radio studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Michael]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

And now here's Armstrong and Getty. As we launch into hearing from a bunch of morons. I just saw something on the TV and so last week we had that poll. The United States, the only country in the world where a majority of its citizens think the rest of their countrymen are immoral or evil. And I don't think that, but I probably think the majority of my countrymen are morons. I might actually think that. Or just moron. It like gets to your iq. Just ignorant. Just don't pay attention to enough. Don't know enough stuff to make reasonable decisions. I do think that.

[Michael]

Right. A situation compounded by our segmented bubbly media. Yeah, right.

[Jack Armstrong]

And doing a bad job even for the segments that they see for this story, for instance, which I think will help lead us into where we're going. 27 million Americans can only afford minimum payments on their credit card. Big story. It's a record. Just came out. Gonna be one of your topics of the day. Will there be any attention paid at all to what people put on their credit card and whether or not that was a good idea? Was it baby formula and medicine for grandma or was it a lot of crap that you didn't need to do? A lot of eating out, maybe a trip, maybe some clothes you didn't need,

[Michael]

maybe milkshake every single day.

[Jack Armstrong]

Starbucks, $8 drink every single day. Anybody going to pay any attention then new. No, we're not going to pay any attention. And I think that leads to answers like this. Just like no, no, no attempt to have anybody be responsible or learn anything or whatever. I like this young woman's act. She goes around asking these questions. What is her name? I haven't.

[Michael]

Caitlin Bennett.

[Jack Armstrong]

Caitlin Bennett. She's got her own channel. She's really good. Anyway, this is pretty self evident once, once it gets going.

[Interviewer]

Who do you have more in common with? A Trump supporter or radical Islamist?

[Jack Armstrong]

Radical Islamist.

[Interviewer]

You saw someone wearing one of those red hats chanting make America great again or you saw someone shouting Allahu Akbar running down the breezeway here. Who would you feel more safe with?

[Jack Armstrong]

The one shouting Allah.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

What is about Trump supporters that you don't think you'd get along with them so well?

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm gay.

[Interviewer]

But you would do. You would get along with a Islamist?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

And you're gay.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

In solidarity with radical Islamists. Would you look at the camera and Say in solidarity. Allahu Akbar. And would you say make America great again in solidarity, the Trump supporters?

[Jack Armstrong]

No.

[Interviewer]

What is a bigger threat to America today? Radical Islam or Trump supporters?

[Jack Armstrong]

Trump supporters, I say. I say Trump. Trump supporters in Maga.

[Michael]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

I would say Trump supporters in Maga.

[Interviewer]

I'd say maga.

[Jack Armstrong]

I just want that to hang there for a little bit.

[Michael]

That is something much as that gay woman would hang in Tehran. Yeah, the. The visual. There's no communicating with those people.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, there's not. The visual you're missing out on to me mostly is the incredibly self satisfied with their answer looks on their faces. They're just so certain and so happy to say it into a microphone. I'll happily say Allah Akbar, the thing that has been shouted like five times in the last week and a half as radical Muslims killed innocent people. But I will not say make America

[Michael]

great again because raped women, mutilated them to death. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I find that disturbing. I mean, granted, not everybody thinks that, but a hell of a lot of people. One of the myths I bought into as a kid, and I've been disabused of that notion slowly but surely, is that America is a land of proud, independent individualists who cherish individual rights. Those are the principles that the founding fathers held dear, and that's the principles the country was founded on. And our system is built around that. Absolutely true. But I'd made the assumption that most individuals were that way too. And what I've slowly come to figure out is that many, many people, and I don't know what percentage it is, I honestly don't, don't look at the world through the lens of truth. They look at the world through the lens of acceptance. And if I will be accepted and patted on the back and included in the group for saying these things, not only do I not know whether they're true or not, I don't care. Michael, you're gesturing. We saw that during COVID That was the perfect example.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that's a good one.

[Michael]

Sure, sure. Even. You know, I don't. I won't get off on that tangent. But yeah, utterly unsupportable policies were enforced with an iron fist. They were utterly unsupportable, logically speaking, but they got you approval. And those people with their smug. I know what to say and I'm saying it. They could not back up their argument for 10 seconds.

[Jack Armstrong]

I would like to know how many people Ms. Bennett talked to. You know, were those the eight answers out of 50 that had more nuanced

[Michael]

responses or said, oh my God, no. MAGA people are idiots. Maybe, but fundamentalist Islam kills people like me. I mean, maybe a lot of people said that and she didn't leave them in. I doubt it, though.

[Jack Armstrong]

I doubt it too. And even coming up with as many as she did is highly troubling. You know, I don't think she spent a week doing that. I mean, the, the, the gay woman, wealth, radical Muslims. Why? Because I'm gay? Because MAGA people don't like the gays. I don't know where you came up with that. That's not true.

[Michael]

And it was a pretty strong narrative during the election. They'll take away your right to marry and the rest of it. Never mind that Trump has the highest placed gays in the history of the country and his administration. Not a factor.

[Jack Armstrong]

How are you unaware of radical Islam's view of gay people? I would think that that would seep in if I knew there was someplace, anywhere in the world where there were millions of people's peoples, people that would kill me because of what I am. I don't know. They are six foot bald guys. Boy, in that country, there are millions of people. If they find out you're a six foot bald guy, they'll hang you from your neck, from a crane or toss you off a building. I would be aware of that even if I was never going to go there. How do you not know that in the gay community that there are places in the world, in the country, in our country, where radical Muslims think you should die? How are you not aware of that?

[Michael]

Yeah, I know. It's incredible ignorance. And you also have a couple of different sorts of organizations who are trying very, very hard to convince you of that. Whether it's the Democrats who are desperate for your votes. And again, that narrative that Trump's gonna attack the gays and the whole handmaiden's tale and all that crap was pushed hard by the Democratic Party. Plus you have the Russian and Chinese and Iranian, ironically, and North Korean trolls on the Internet who are trying to push division constantly 24 hours a day. Certain number of people buy it. It's, it's disturbing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, well, so we thought we'd play this just since we're on this theme. This is Joy Reid. She's got some sort of online show now because she finally got fired at msnbc. Finally. She had a show for many years on msnbc though.

[Michael]

She's a hateful crackpot.

[Jack Armstrong]

The fact that she was ever on one of our, you know, their unwatched cable news channels, but there are only like three real ones. And the fact that she ever had a show is amazing. Giving her, given what she believes about the world. Here she is.

[Joy Reid]

Our regime has secret police. They have secret police. Our regime is oppressing women, taking away abortion rights, taking away women's rights in like 26 states, some states where they're trying to have the death penalty for having an abortion. They also oppress women. They have the highest rate of women who are in STEM careers. We're kicking women out of the military, out of university. We're saying that DEI means women can't be hired for high positions in the sciences. So we're marginally better. And we're doing it for Christianity, they're doing it for Islam. Right. So it's like we don't get told those things because it would take, would it would take away the kind of American exceptionalism narrative.

[Jack Armstrong]

We're marginally better than Iran in terms of. If you're a woman, that's nuts.

[Michael]

She's, she is a crackpot. She's wrong on the facts, she's wrong on the analysis. She's just wrong about everything. Class A moron.

[Jack Armstrong]

Those Iranian soccer player women, most of them are going back to the country even though they are offered the chance to live in Australia for the rest of their lives because in some cases the captain of the team says her family has disappeared. So she's going back. They're, they're going to be tortured, maybe killed. I read one commentator said an Iranian journalist who expects to see some of them hanging from cranes soon as a show of don't dare do this to us. And people just see, you know, it's

[Michael]

not a good old fashioned American hanging where you have your neck broken. They just haul you up so you can kick and struggle for breath till you're dead. Exactly. They're doing that. They've gone back to Iran to save their families.

[Jack Armstrong]

And Joy Reid thinks we're marginally better in terms of a place to live as a woman than Iran. How do you say that? What is that whole self hating weirdness? I just don't get it. You can want all kinds of things to improve, you can be appalled by lots of things, but why do you need to do the we're no better

[Michael]

than Iran act and comparing legislative battles over the limits on abortion to the oppression and brutalization of women in Iran? I mean, just, she's not worth even considering. She's just, she's an awful, evil, hateful

[Jack Armstrong]

human being who had a primetime show on MSNBC for many, many years with those thoughts. That's fantastic. Okay, that's enough of that. That's depressing. Yes, Joey Reed's one idiot, but all those idiots on the street that were being interviewed, that's troubling.

[Michael]

What was that? What was the audio? Well, I actually have the sheet in front of me.

[Jack Armstrong]

Whoops.

[Michael]

From yesterday was a similar. It was college women. Oh, it was Caitlin Bennett again. Michael, can you grab 11 from yesterday? Because what struck us at the time, and if you were listening, then I'm. I kind of want to hear it, too. And I hope, again, and I hope you do, too, was the childlike, you know, demeanor, verbal skills of all these.

[Interviewer]

Who was more oppressive to their women in their countries, Iran or the Trump administration here in America?

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't really think I'm the best, like, knowledgeable on this subject, so I don't really. Well, I'm not a woman. I don't think it's my right to say which group. If the other group is having more or less rights. I think it's up to the people it's actually affecting. I would say they're equally as oppressive.

[Interviewer]

I feel like Trump oppresses us to an extent because, like, we still have, like, our freedoms and stuff like that, but he's trying to get rid of them, too.

[Jack Armstrong]

I mean, wasn't, like, up until recently.

[Interviewer]

Women can open their own, like, credit card at a certain point in the

[Michael]

US I really don't know. I'm sorry, I don't know about Iran.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. The trouble with that one was they just came off as really too dumb to be in college.

[Michael]

Yeah. Which is not surprising given the state of our government schools. And we didn't talk about this yesterday, but the young man's answer, thoroughly steeped in intersectionality and understanding that he, as a white man, is not allowed an opinion. Can't speak to the oppression of women in various countries around the world, which is an idiotic notion. Would you like me to talk about the Han Chinese, the dominant ethnic group's treatment of the Uyghurs at the moment? I'm not a Uyghur, but I can do that. I get to sir or madam.

[Jack Armstrong]

So there was quite a back and forth between European leaders and Trump yesterday over whether or not they're going to help us open the straight or Hormuz. Trump just said something pretty funny about France that we ought to get to, among other things on the way. Stay here.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Grainger Ad Voice]

This is the story of the one as a procurement manager for a hospital system. She keeps every facility in her network stocked and ready. That's why she counts on Granger to be her single source for thousands of products, from disinfectants to lighting, air filters, and more. And with fast, dependable delivery, Grainger helps her keep every facility stocked, safe and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[Whimsound Ad Voice]

Bring incredible sound into every corner of your home with the new Wimsound smart speaker. Get high resolution audio with a 1.8-inch touchscreen, smart control and modern design in one powerful speaker for just $299. From Quiet Mornings to lively family gatherings, Whimsound makes every moment sound better and feel better too. Create a home filled with sound you love. Ready to upgrade your sound? Shop now at Amazon and search Whimsound. That's W I I M S O

[RK Zero Proof Ad Voice]

U N D Spring is calling weddings, patio sessions, barbecues, and you want that drink vibe without sacrificing tomorrow. That's rk zero proof. As the world's first zero proof spirits brand, RK created the warm molecule, giving you the smooth kick of whiskey or tequila with zero alcohol, zero calories, zero sugar, and all the peace of mind you need to enjoy every moment. Step into the zero proof season at

[Jack Armstrong]

rk0proof.com Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Said he's recovering from rotator cuff surgery on his shoulder. Well, well, well, look who needs me now, said Tylenol.

[Joy Reid]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

We played some Irish music. I remember I used to try to do some of that Irish dancing thing.

[Michael]

Yeah, it used to look better.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm not very good at it.

[Michael]

Lost your touch?

[Jack Armstrong]

I wear the little black shoes and the white socks. What do we got coming up? Among other things, Joe melts your brain. Okay, fantastic.

[Michael]

We're going to discuss something that's going to make AI your your pocket calculator. And that's quantum computing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, cool. I was trying to explain quantum physics to Henry just day before yesterday. Got into conversation. I was struggling to explain it because it's very hard to explain, and went to some YouTube videos which only made it more confusing.

[Michael]

Well, the best feature of me explaining quantum computing is I don't comprehend it at all. And that's part of what I wanted to illustrate. So stay with us.

[Jack Armstrong]

So we covered this a little bit earlier. The President of Germany, Chancellor, Germany, whatever they have in Germany, came out and said yesterday, we ain't gonna fight your war. We ain't gonna help you with the war. Great Britain did the same thing. Their prime minister came out. Wayne, helping you with this. Trump got quite angry about our NATO allies. We're always there for them. They aren't there for us. And back and forth. And it was kind of an ugly day, actually. Not good for that. As far as France, though this is being reported by CBS News. President Trump said he has spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron about the efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Grading their cooperation an 8 out of 10, Trump said, not perfect. But it's France. We don't expect perfect. So after your friend says, I'll help you move, and I'll give that an 8 out of 10, I mean, it's not. You're not a lot of help, but I don't expect a lot of help out of you.

[Joy Reid]

What.

[Jack Armstrong]

How about I don't show up and help you then? What a funny thing to do. So I'm the only friend who said, I'll show up with a pickup truck and help you move a couch on Friday.

[Michael]

And you.

[Jack Armstrong]

And you say I don't help much.

[Michael]

Usually I can't be there till 8:30. Oh.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, great.

[Michael]

8:30. Oh, beautiful. Super great. You know, the truth of Trump is we really needed a hammer to fix some things, but Trump hammers everything, including the TV that needed to be fixed.

[Jack Armstrong]

Speaking of AI, I'm looking up the television. Tim Cook's being interviewed for the. It's the 50th anniversary of Apple.

[Michael]

Was she.

[Jack Armstrong]

Was he. How long has he been around? Was he around from the very, very beginning and worked his way up?

[Michael]

Anyway, he was one of your background guys.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. But you talked the other day about how basically a bean counter got put in charge and, you know, the innovative guy died. And so no cool new innovative, inventing new things. Just running a business in the most conservative way possible to hang on to market share or whatever. He just looks like a lame O. He screams, I am. I've never had an innovative idea. To me, when I look at him, he's a caretaker. Yeah.

[Michael]

And probably a very skilled one, but

[Jack Armstrong]

probably very, very smart. But he does not ooze. I come up with new, cool things.

[Michael]

I didn't realize we were going to move on from France so quickly because I wanted to throw in my favorite new Norman Schwarzkopf saying that I hit you with a few days ago, that going to war without France is like going hunting without an accordion.

[Jack Armstrong]

Which is a heck of a thing to say. Also.

[Michael]

Take that, Frenchie.

[Jack Armstrong]

So Joe's going to melt our mind. And we got plenty of other stuff to get to. We do a lot of segments and hours. If you ever miss one, you should get our Oscar nominated podcast Armstrong and Getty on Demand.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Rebel.com Ad Voice]

Did you know you can save up to 70% on the best brands just by shopping at from rebel.com we're talking about strollers, car seats, high chairs, espresso machines, cookware, everything you need for way less. Here's how it works. Every single day, Rebel drops thousands of new products on the site for up to 70% off. It is a constant stream of endless deals from top brands like Uppababy, Noona, Baby bjorn, Breville, Nespresso, KitchenAid, Le Creuset and more. But you have to act fast because every deal is one of a kind. So if you see something you love, make sure you add to cart fast. So stop paying full price when you don't have to. Whether it's baby gear, kitchen upgrades or a treasure for your home you didn't know you needed, Rebbl has it for way less. Up to 70% less. Shop from rebel.com and save big.

[Grainger Ad Voice 2]

This is the story of the One. As a maintenance tech at a university, he knows ordering from multiple suppliers takes time away from keeping their arena up and running. That's why he counts on Grainger to get everything he needs, from lighting and H vac parts to plumbing supplies, all in one place. And with fast, dependable delivery, he's stocked and ready for the next tip off. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[Erin Myers]

Good morning, I'm Erin Myers in Monrovia. A bear attacked a woman walking her dog in this neighborhood and now they're trying to determine if it is the same bear that lives underneath the house here behind me. All those details coming up.

[Interviewer]

And yes, we also see that bear

[Jack Armstrong]

off to the right side. We'll get back with Aaron in just a moment.

[Joe Getty]

We all know California.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, let's go back to Aaron Myers.

[Erin Myers]

You can see the bear actually walking into the trap.

[Rebel.com Ad Voice]

Or.

[Erin Myers]

Nope, it was going to, but now it's walking out. We're going to step back a little bit. We may get back in the car depending on what it does. But right now you can see it here. They don't know if this was the bear that attacked the person walking.

[Jack Armstrong]

Doesn't matter.

[Michael]

Or where the cheesecake came from. Yes. So they're doing a live report on a bear attack and a bear. The bear shows up.

[Jack Armstrong]

Go bear

[Michael]

brought to you by the Bear on Netflix or wherever you watch that show. I gave up on it. It was too stressful.

[Jack Armstrong]

I've never seen an episode of that.

[Michael]

It's. It's a brilliantly done and at times stressful to watch.

[Jack Armstrong]

Stressful TV show. Okay, it is.

[Michael]

There's a lot of yelling.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay.

[Michael]

And. And a lot of stress on the screen. And I wouldn't recommend it for you. Oh, my darn. Unless you're looking to make your stress seem less or different than other people's stress. Yes. Yes. Anyway. Okay, so this is Joe Melts yous Mind. Here is the premise. I am going to attempt to describe to you with the help of people who actually understand it, how quantum computing works. And then we're going to play a little game here. But first I'm going to read you something because this will. This will get your attention. Your biggies like Microsoft, IBM, Google, host of other tech companies are spending hundreds of millions of dollars in the past few years, not on AI per se, but to develop a new type of computer known as a quantum computer that leverages the principles of quantum physics to solve problems far beyond the capability abilities of today's best supercomputers. Okay. Some companies say they can do it in the next two to five years. Whether they can or not, who knows? But here's what we're talking about. When they get it going. Some problems that would take a traditional supercomputer more than a trillion years to solve. I can't even imagine what that problem would be. Would take a quantum computer a few minutes. So instead of a trillion years, which is an incomprehensible number, what.

[Jack Armstrong]

How do you wrap your head around a trillion years?

[Michael]

It'll be before your toast is done and you can butter it. Changing business as usual for industries involved with financial trading, shipping, logistics, pharmaceuticals, scientific discovery, data encryption, insurance, Internet delivery and more. How it would infect Internet delivery, I can't even imagine.

[Jack Armstrong]

I would assume if that level of speed is possible, then we will get to asi. Artificial superintelligence. Just. Yeah.

[Michael]

The two of them joining forces.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. That's bright.

[Michael]

All right, so here's the game we're gonna play. And you know, Katie, Michael, everybody listening. Do you remember that feeling in your brain and your body in school when you realized, I'm not getting this and I'm going to fall behind and I'm sitting here feeling dumb because everybody seems to be getting it. I want you to remember how that feels and then raise your hand, literally or figuratively, when we get to that point in this discussion.

[Jack Armstrong]

And you're about to talk about quantum mechanics, Quantum computing. Yeah. Yes. Okay, Well, I can raise my hand now.

[Michael]

I mean, but. But see, and here's the. Here's the part that really humbles one. Including me trying to explain this. So you can hang in there. All right. Traditional computers use electronic circuits to store information in bits. Bits are digital ones and zeros. We all know that. Right. Digital code that are physically measured. By the presence and absence of electricity flowing through the circuits. I kind of get electric circuits I got. Oh, is that the feeling? It's kind of halfway across the room and gaining on me fast.

[Jack Armstrong]

If I were sitting in a class. I would be kind of subconsciously thinking, I won't understand the next sentence.

[Michael]

Yeah, exactly. I'd be thinking, totally. Can I still drop this class? And I'd be looking around to see if anybody else got that. Right. Right. So the bits are like switches. And everything a traditional computer does uses them. I can pretend I'm with you at this point. Ah, yes. Ones and zeros.

[Jack Armstrong]

Switches.

[Michael]

Yes, I've heard this before. Go on, please. Quantum computers instead use quantum bits or qubits. Most qubits are subatomic particles like stick

[Jack Armstrong]

in my ear in the morning to get the wax out.

[Michael]

Most qubits are subatomic particles like electrons. That are put in superposition or many states at once.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I do know some about that.

[Michael]

Goes up.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I've read a lot about that. That's the whole basis of the weirdness of quantum physics. Electrons can be in multiple places at once.

[Michael]

It can be a one or zero or any value between the two.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I'm out.

[Michael]

Me too. That's. That's called being in superposition. When the qubit is taken out of super position. Its value between 1 and 0 representing a probability is captured. Qubits are the base component of a quantum computer. A quantum computer's chip might have dozens or hundreds of qubits on them. That's right. Each chip might have hundreds of qubits. With each qubit added to a chip. The chip becomes exponentially more powerful. As qubits can talk to each other. Informing each other of their state.

[Jack Armstrong]

How you doing?

[Michael]

I'm fine. How are you? In this process called entanglement. Qubits share the burden of calculating probabilities. Leading to faster nonlinear computing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I know something about the super positioning stuff. But I don't understand how that translates to computers working faster. But the interesting thing about the whole quantum thing. Is that at the subatomic Level. All of the rules of physics in the universe are broken, and nobody quite understands why or how or what it means. But just, you know, something can be in multiple places at the same time, or it can go from here to there without traveling. It just appears there, or just all kinds of weird stuff. But to quote our Richard Feynman, which I always throw out whenever this comes up, he's one of the inventors of this way back in the day at Caltech. I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics. And he invented it.

[Michael]

Yes. You know, even if I were able to wrap my head around the physics we're discussing, how that turns into a thing that can correct my spelling if I spell duck without the C, for instance, how did the cubits do that? Joe melts his own brain. That's what this segment should have been called.

[Jack Armstrong]

God dang it. Okay, so in other robot news, because if the ASI takes off, then we are going to have robots running around ruling the world and everything else. You got the robot battle in the Koreas going on. I've got this video I'm looking at right here, the store, the Starbucks. South Korea is one of the leaders in robots. Not surprising. The Starbucks located in South Korea, that's run by 100 robots and only two humans. The robots take orders, bring coffee to the customers. They're even performing experiments with a dual arm robot, whatever that means. But I'm looking at these robots just flying around this Starbucks, bringing people coffee, making coffee, all that sort of stuff. So that's kind of interesting.

[Michael]

When South Korea dies out because they have no babies, are the robots just going to be standing around looking at each other like, what are we supposed to do now?

[Jack Armstrong]

Thank you. You reminded me of the Babylon Bee joke. South Korea has officially recorded its first robot suicide. Because they work so hard and get

[Michael]

so depressed and never have sex and form couples and never have babies.

[Jack Armstrong]

No joy in life. Yes. North Korea, apparently, in an attempt to keep up with the robot wars right on their border and around the world, showed off their first robot using my finger quotes at a polling state at polling stations yesterday. First of all, polling stations are hilarious because that suggests voting and that the idea that, you know, you have any.

[Michael]

I'm voting for Kim Jong Un. How about you? Oh, I can't wait.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, they had these robots using my finger quotes at the polling stations. They didn't move or do anything. This is just. It looks like a woman. It's a mannequin. It's a mannequin. There is no. They Put out still pictures of these. There are no videos because that would suggest movement. Nobody saw the move. So basically, they put out mannequins, female mannequins dressed in traditional North Korean female garbage and called them robots. Nice job. And you know, that fits in with everything that Kim Jong Un does. I'm going to call this a robot, and you're going to call it a robot. And you're going to act amazed at our technological advances.

[Michael]

These are super advanced robots that are better than anything produced in the West. Take a look. Oh, I agree. Oh, brave leader. They're amazing. Your capabilities are second to none. Do I get to live right?

[Jack Armstrong]

Wonder whose idea was to dress the mannequins up and put them at the polling stations and call them robots. But they got an extra kernel of corn that night.

[Michael]

Human beings as a whole could not be stranger

[Jack Armstrong]

that. I mean, that's its own interesting topic, that South Korea has a Starbucks run by a hundred robots. Same people, same genetic lineage, same part of the world, everything the same, except for their government, their culture. And on the other end, they've got mannequins, they're pretending our robots, and everybody's starving to death.

[Michael]

And you've got a country where people are sacrificing everything, everything to desperately try to get there. And the people in that country believe it's worse than countries that people are desperately trying to get out of. How perverse is that?

[Jack Armstrong]

South Korea's officially recorded its first robot suicide. It's a kind of a funny joke.

[Michael]

It is. It's dark, but funny.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, we got more on the way. Stay here.

[Michael]

Don't date robots.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Unnamed Caller or Guest]

Congressman Neil Dunn of Florida had had some real health challenges and it was very serious and had had a pretty grim diagnosis. And I mentioned it to the President and I said, Congressman Dunn is a real champion and a patriot because he's still coming to work. And if others got this diagnosis, they would be apt to go home and retire.

[Michael]

What was the diagnosis?

[Unnamed Caller or Guest]

It was. I mean, I think it was a terminal diagnosis.

[Michael]

He would be dead by June.

[Unnamed Caller or Guest]

Okay, that wasn't public, but yeah, okay, that's.

[Jack Armstrong]

It was.

[Unnamed Caller or Guest]

It was grim. That's what I was going to say,

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't think with a heart problem, by the way.

[Michael]

This was a heart problem.

[Unnamed Caller or Guest]

So long story short, the President called him to encourage him and thank him, and they had a conversation.

[Jack Armstrong]

HIPAA violation or something. So you want some good venom out of Donald Trump today when he gets word, oh, boy. That this Joe Kent guy, who he picked to be the director of the National Counterterrorism Center.

[Michael]

Joe Kent resigned at Tulsi's urging.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, Joe Kent resigned a couple hours ago. Said he has to resign as director of the Counterterrorism center because he can't be involved with this war with Iran because it didn't need to happen. They weren't an imminent threat. And besides, we're dancing to Israel's tune and he doesn't like it. Wow, that's a heck of a thing for a very Maggie guy to say. Trump is going to unleash his all

[Michael]

time

[Jack Armstrong]

insult screed against this guy. So that'll be something to watch.

[Michael]

Oh yeah. Oof.

[Jack Armstrong]

Now to read specifically what Joe Kent said in his tweet. He said, after much reflection, I've designed to decided to resign my position as director of the National Counterterrorism center effective today. I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby. That's a heck of a thing to say. That's quite a charge. Now Speaker Johnson, speaker of the House, who we just heard from, said a few moments ago, I don't know where Joe Kent is getting his information, but he wasn't in those briefings. Clearly that exquisite intelligence that we understood this was a serious moment for us. And he goes through great length what he says we knew about their rocket building capability, how fast they're building rockets, how hard they're working at rebuilding their nuclear weapons platform, and then you know, you got a chance when they're at their weakest to try to take them out as opposed to when they get stronger. Either agree or disagree. That that's a reason to go to war makes sense to me. But so how do you feel about mentioning another radio host? And they're pretty good. Blast about this. I thought it was pretty good, but

[Michael]

I think it's fine. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Michael]

Especially because this fellow is part of my double names only talk radio lineup that I'm putting together.

[Jack Armstrong]

Eric Erickson, who's an entertainer going to

[Michael]

be Eric Erickson, Hugh Hew and what's the other one? Isn't there like a Peter Peterman or something? I can't remember. That's going to be my lineup. Double names only. Joe Josephson.

[Jack Armstrong]

Eric Erickson said about that. First of all, he said this is why Trump should have avoided the performative s posters for positions I.e. the RFK Jr. And Joe Kent and Tulsi Gabbard and those people to bring all that crowd in as voters and

[Michael]

supporters trying to get Matt Gaetz in as a surgeon general.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. But to go further, Eric Erickson posted. We're taking out the world's number one sponsor of terrorism and the director of counterterrorism is upset about it. He'll be blaming Israel within hours. He already is. And go on Tucker shortly. That's true. He will be on Tucker Carlson today. Maybe they've already got that scheduled.

[Michael]

I'll bet. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

He is somehow going to end up rich out of this. He'll either be a show on Tucker's platform or he'll get an MSNBC show or something.

[Michael]

Oh, no. MSNBC is a chump change for a guy like this. He's going to have a YouTube channel.

[Jack Armstrong]

He'll be in the Candace Tucker world. Yeah. And make more money than he could spend in a lifetime. That is a pretty interesting point though. Iran is absolutely 100% has been this declared this by every administration for a long, long time, Democrats and Republicans. The number one sponsor of terrorism, state sponsor of terrorism on planet Earth has been for decades. You're the director of counterterrorism for the United States. You don't like taking them down.

[Michael]

I suspect he would argue, and this is crazy, I try to understand people's arguments before I say wrong. I suspected he would argue that Iran's only been antagonized by our presence in the Middle east and our alliance with Israel and that if we would just mind our own business, fundamentalist Islam wouldn't have any interest in us or some form of that argument.

[Jack Armstrong]

Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war, said Shakespeare. Once you unleash the dogs of war, all kinds of horrible crazy things can happen. I hope that doesn't happen in this case. I hope we can keep it contained to a kind of manageable we know what we're trying to accomplish and have some idea of when it could end. Opening the Straits of Hormuz has to happen, as I think is correctly being pointed out by a lot of the naysayers, it is no longer as of a couple of days ago. It's not a war. Trump can just call off and decide that's it, because the Strait of Hormuz is closed and it's gotta get opened up somehow.

[Michael]

I do want to get into some of the absolutely idiotic, inaccurate angles taken by the media, some of the narratives recently, one of which is maybe it's the most prominent at this point. There was no plan for dealing with the Straits of Hormuz or they didn't take into consideration whether. And there are more and more foreign policy advisors and generals and members, members of the Joint Chiefs who say no, no. Every single time we meet about Iran, we talk about the Straits of Hormuz. It's like you can't have the conversation and the conversation's never been had without considering the Straits of Hormuz and how if we have to clear it, it'll be a multi phase operation. It's like always talked about. So that's just a completely fictional narrative, but it's widespread right now, practically universal. So we'll talk about that and a great deal more. New York Times getting bashed as they should be for the ridiculous one sided coverage. If you don't get next hour. That's right, we do.

[Jack Armstrong]

Four hours.

[Michael]

Grab it via podcast. Subscribe to Armstrong and Getty on Demand.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.