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Rodney Williams
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Rodney Williams
I'm Rodney Williams.
Travis Holloway
And I'm Travis Holloway.
Rodney Williams
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Rodney Williams
Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio.
Katie Green
Studio at the George.
Travis Holloway
George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now here.
Rodney Williams
Button, hit your button. Live from Studio C, a dimly lit room deeper than the bowels of the Armstrong and Getty Communications compound. And hey, y' all. Today we are under the tutelage of.
Travis Holloway
Our general manager, Donald J. Trump, the decider in chief.
Rodney Williams
He's our general manager. That's a heavy one. You don't, you don't do that very often. You did it with your serious voice too, which kind of frightened me, actually.
Travis Holloway
Right, I did, Jack.
Rodney Williams
Yeah.
Travis Holloway
And the most impactful decision of his term, his presidency, his life, whether to hammer Iran, quite possibly.
Rodney Williams
I was looking at the headline of the Weekly World News, which is a newsletter I look at every single morning when I wake up and it said the. The world holds its breath for Trump's Weekly World News.
Travis Holloway
Are you sure?
Rodney Williams
The wide world of news, I think, is what I say.
Travis Holloway
Weekly World News generally reports on the bat boy and space alien autopsies not to go to during these serious times.
Rodney Williams
The first thing I read every single day, I want to know they figured out the moon landing or a variety of other things. Yeah, yeah. So it hasn't happened yet for, for all the Trump's a madman talk for so many years by certain crowds. He is a very deliberate person when it comes to sort of thing, so it would seem.
Travis Holloway
And a manager of a tumultuous coalition as well, which we will discuss.
Rodney Williams
Does Iran pose a threat to the United States? New poll out from Fox, which is a very respected polling organization and it's about 75, 25. Yes. About three quarters of people. Yes. Which is interesting. I'm not, I suppose ultimately I'd end up there, but I don't personally feel threatened by Iran today, but long term, I hate the idea of them getting a bomb. I think it's worth going to war to keep them from getting a bomb.
Travis Holloway
Well, and their proxies have certainly killed a prodigious number of Americans and damaged our stuff many, many times through the years. The isolationist wing of the Republican Party might reply, well, you know, stick closer to home and that wouldn't happen. I happen to disagree.
Rodney Williams
But yeah, I'm looking at a map of our assets in the Middle east right now. We've got more aircraft carriers and destroyers and planes and everything gathered in that area. The most we've had Since March of 2003 when we invaded Iraq. So, I mean, we are really geared up for things to go crazy if.
Travis Holloway
They do purely defensive or positioning forces for something more specific and offensive.
Rodney Williams
Well, if I had to bet money, I would think we're absolutely going to go offensive here at any point in the next couple of days. But I took in a number of podcasts yesterday with experts on the whole where things could go wrong if, if, if things spiral. Where it would be a lot of it is the devolving into civil war. I mean, the, what we've been talking about if, if the, if the leader goes, who's in charge? And whoever's running the army might say I'm in charge. But then whoever's running, you know, Revolutionary Guard or whatever other wing of military might say, no, you're not, I'm in charge. And various people gather behind them. And then the next thing you know you got a full on civil war. And then also religious breaks down by those. And then the idea of it spilling into Iraq, which is not particularly stable, and there's a whole bunch of people that are. Half, a lot of the country in Iraq is half Iran already anyway, but a whole bunch of it is not. And then just that becoming a whole big giant cauldron of mess.
Travis Holloway
Yeah. The question of identity looms huge, obviously in the Middle east because a lot of those Iraqis, quote unquote you're referring to, don't see themselves as Iraqis at all. They see themselves as Shia Muslims, for instance, and probably more specifically this offshoot of Shia Islam. That is who I am and by God I'm willing to die for it.
Rodney Williams
But is that worse than letting Iran get a bomb? That's the whole thing is, is that, that would, that would be awful if that happens and we have a giant civil war spreading across two giant countries in the Middle east and all kinds of refugees headed into other countries in Europe and wherever. But is that worse than Iran getting a bomb? I don't think so.
Travis Holloway
One interesting perspective on that question comes from India, which had a chance to knock out Pakistan's, you know, nascent nuclear program back in the day and didn't do it. And now a lot of Indians believe they're suffering death from a thousand cuts as militant groups from Pakistan constantly Attack India and its people. And they can't do a lot about it because Pakistan has nukes.
Rodney Williams
Right. So anyway, so we, we got a lot of information on that whole thing. And I took in the entire Tucker Carlson Ted Cruz interview throughout the afternoon and evening last night because it's like two hours long and took a while to get through it. And it was quite damned interesting, I thought.
Travis Holloway
Was the whole thing is fever pitched. Is that clip we played yesterday.
Rodney Williams
Well, if the whole thing was, you'd have to. Yeah, I don't think you could listen.
Travis Holloway
To it, you know, drag them off of each other.
Rodney Williams
Well, you can't stay at 11. I mean, that, that does. Yeah, but it was, it was something. I mean, it got Tucker. It would be hard to sit there with Tucker and talk to him about something you disagree with him about for two hours. Because Ted Cruz had kept saying, could you be a little less condescending in your replies so we can have a conversation? Could you stop being so snarky every time I say something? I mean, I don't know how many times he said that.
Travis Holloway
Yeah, yeah. As I said yesterday, I joked that I could give a class on arguing unfairly. Tucker would be the president of the university.
Rodney Williams
Yeah.
Travis Holloway
He is one of the most amazingly skilled he is. To arguing unfairly. What or net Cole Coleman was to blowing into a horn. I mean, he is an artist.
Rodney Williams
Yeah, he really is. He really is. I was studying his technique. I'm going to try to do it later this morning. I'm gonna have Joe say something. You could say practically anything. And then I will try to do a Tucker Carlson impersonation of. Of how you respond when somebody says, it'd be a good way if you want to get out of your marriage, this would be a good way to do it. Learn to argue.
Travis Holloway
Like how to make someone hate you.
Rodney Williams
Yes.
Travis Holloway
By arguing Tucker Carlson style.
Rodney Williams
Yes, it absolutely is that.
Travis Holloway
And then I'm excited about this.
Rodney Williams
At one time, I mean, he made. One time. Tucker did apologize. Where, where, where? Ted Cruz said. So there, there you go with that laugh. You're famous for that laugh. So you just, you go with the dismissive laugh. And then. And Tucker said, you know what? You know what? You're right about that. I, I sincerely apologize for that. It's a, it's a bad habit I have. I shouldn't have done that. That was inappropriate.
Travis Holloway
Wow. Exposing something resembling a soul.
Rodney Williams
But yes. How to blow up your marriage or your relationship. Arguing Tucker Carlson style. We'll get to that a little bit later. The one thing I did figure out, though, it's Ian Bremmer tweeted out that he had watched the whole thing and he said, you will learn nothing from. About the world from this. And I responded to Ian, I said, yeah, Ian, but I learned a lot about this division between the Tucker world and the rest of Maga. Like, a lot by watching that, which seems to be a topic that a lot of the media seem is pretty damned interested in. I finally understand better the woke. Right thing. Tucker brought it back I don't know how many times to the. I walk past people dying on the street every day and we're worried about Ukraine. I step over people who are dying from drug overdoses on the way to, you know, my car in the parking lot. And we care more about Israel than that. The amount of time he spent worried about drug addicts on the street, that's the woke, right?
Travis Holloway
I guess, because I don't understand concerns in general. I think, well, why do you keep.
Rodney Williams
Using that example like five times?
Travis Holloway
Because people die. That's dramatic. I don't know.
Rodney Williams
I worry about drug addicts on the street only in the fact that it interrupts my life so much and they steal from me. I worry about that. Other than that, I don't know what government policy that could be enacted if we spent less time defending Israel. I have no idea what that would be.
Travis Holloway
Right. Today at Tucker Carlson University, we'll be studying the false choice.
Rodney Williams
What the hell are you going to do about all the drug addicts out there who decide to use the fentanyl and the new meth that's worse than the old meth that ruins your brain? What the hell is that?
Travis Holloway
Right.
Rodney Williams
You're blaming that on our. On the government and society. I just don't get that.
Travis Holloway
Well, and. Or implying that the only way to free up funds for whatever you have in mind, or mind share for whatever you have in mind is to not support our allies. It's just a terrible false joke.
Rodney Williams
As we know in California, we have spent so much money on the drug addicts on the street, which they call the homeless problem, just incredible amounts of money and ended up with more drug addicts on the street. So Tucker acting like. Or the woke.
Travis Holloway
Right.
Rodney Williams
I guess acting like there's. There's a simple solution to all the drug addicts on the street and that was caused by our government's focus on other countries to start with. And the government could fix that if they would just spend some money on it. What are you talking about? Yeah, that made me nuts that that's beyond a false choice to me. I don't even know. I don't even know what you're talking about. I wish Ted Cruz would have pushed back harder on that. But anyway, I want to get into that later. The how to argue like Tucker, seriously, you want to end your marriage? Learn it. You could do it today, you could do it this evening at the dinner table. You make him or her hate you for the rest of your life.
Travis Holloway
Yeah, I, yeah, I'm fascinated by the question of what he actually, Tucker, actually believes. I know if I were a shill for Putin, and I'm not saying that I know he is, he just acts like one a lot, I would make all sorts of arguments about why it is good and decent and moral not to back Ukraine, for instance, or not to back Israel. And the one we've been describing is that would convince a certain percentage of people and you craft other arguments to sway other people. It's a bad argument. Well, it's logically, it's a house of cards.
Rodney Williams
It doesn't really matter to me what one Tucker Carlson thinks or why, but it does matter to me in the fact that he has a lot of sway over a ton of people included a lot of you that I don't quite get. So that's what I was looking to understand.
Travis Holloway
Oh, exactly. I think I was trying to imply that certainly.
Rodney Williams
Yeah, yeah. Let's start the show. Officially, I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty on this. It is Thursday, June 19th, known as Juneteenth, the year 2025. We're Armstrong and Getty and we approve of this program.
Travis Holloway
All right, let's see. Get started now, officially, according to FCC rules and regulations, here we go at Mark.
Rodney Williams
By the way, Tucker, it's a very weird thing, the obsession with Israel when we're talking about foreign countries. Hardly an obsession. You're not talking about Chinese, you're not talking about Japanese, you're not talking about the Brits, you're not talking about the French. The question what about the Jews? What about the Jews?
Travis Holloway
Oh, I'm an anti Semite. Now, Senator, you're asking the questions.
Rodney Williams
You're asking, why are the Jews controlling our foreign policy?
Travis Holloway
That's what you just asked.
Rodney Williams
And so Tucker, for the next hour and a half kept saying, you called me an anti Semite. No, I didn't. Yes, you did a lot of that.
Travis Holloway
Beautiful. Well, we read a letter from somebody of a very Tucker Carlson esque bent yesterday that was flamingly, proudly anti Semitic.
Rodney Williams
The rest of that, by the way, we'll play it later is you're calling me an anti Semite and you know it. Ted Cruz says, no, I'm not, and Tucker says, you did it in a sleazy feline way and you should be ashamed of yourself.
Travis Holloway
So then the rest of the the.
Rodney Williams
Rest of the argument, Ted Cruz keeps coming back, going back to you called me a sleazy feline. A sleazy feline.
Travis Holloway
Wow.
Rodney Williams
Which is quite an insult.
Travis Holloway
Wow. Everybody calm down. Back to your corners.
Rodney Williams
Okay, we got Katie's Headlines, we got Mailbag, we got other news of the day. I hope you can stick around.
Katie Green
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Travis Holloway
And here we have a specimen from the early 2000s, a legacy investing platform.
Rodney Williams
Please don't touch the exhibit, folks.
Travis Holloway
It could crash.
Hannah Jewell
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Rodney Williams
Coast, there was that trial with that woman with her husband, the cop who died, and she was accused of being blamed for it.
Travis Holloway
And she got acquitted, squashing with her suv. Right.
Rodney Williams
Crowd outside the courtroom cheering like crazy. And the news, ABC News, and everybody had it last night and I didn't know a thing about it. So did I miss out on a major trial? Is it an east coast thing?
Travis Holloway
It's certainly hotter there as it was the Boston area.
Rodney Williams
Right, Right. Yeah, Yeah.
Travis Holloway
I actually played golf with a guy from the Boston area yesterday, oddly enough, and he, he's been following the trial and asked me with the excitement, are you following this all night? It's unbelievable, right?
Rodney Williams
Apparently in the Northeast, it was just like it was, you know, it's one of those big trials that everybody follows and talks about and it didn't spread across the country because I don't know anybody who brought it up.
Travis Holloway
Yeah.
Rodney Williams
So maybe we'll hit on that later.
Travis Holloway
Let's jump right into the headlines. Who's reporting what? It's the lead story with Katie Green. Katie, hit it.
Katie Green
Well, starting with Axios, Trump presses aides on whether bunker buster plan to bomb Iran will work.
Rodney Williams
Yeah, he had multiple days in a row where he's been meeting with the National Security Council and talking to all the experts. And I guess according to Axios, he really grilled him on the, hey, is this whole bunker buster thing going to work like we claim it's going to?
Travis Holloway
So he is being very deliberate and he active. The White House actively leaked, obviously, the fact that he had approved the attack plan but was waiting to see if the ayatollahs would come around, giving him one more chance.
Katie Green
From the Associated Press. United States says foreign students seeking visas must unlock all social media accounts.
Travis Holloway
Yeah, if you're America hating zealots, you can't come. That seems perfectly reasonable. Can you imagine some sort of virulent, anti French government American saying, come on, you got to let me study in Paris. I said, no, we don't want you. We got enough trouble. It's perfectly reasonable.
Katie Green
From the New York Times. Fed sees higher inflation and lower growth ahead.
Rodney Williams
Higher inflation and lower goes. I don't like that.
Travis Holloway
What?
Rodney Williams
That's not good.
Travis Holloway
Katie.
Rodney Williams
No.
Travis Holloway
Bring me bad news for, for espn.
Katie Green
Los Angeles Lakers owners sell majority stake in the team at $10 billion valuation.
Travis Holloway
The Lakers were almost our general manager today. The most valuable sports franchise on Earth. $10 billion sale just completed.
Rodney Williams
Yeah, that's a big deal.
Katie Green
From Breitbart.com leftist echo chamber, Blue sky suspends J.D. vance's new account within 30 minutes of creation.
Travis Holloway
Wow. Did they give some sort of rationale for that or they just. They're a bubble.
Rodney Williams
We're a bubble.
Katie Green
Yeah. And then after they, they banned him, they reinstated his account about 10 minutes after that.
Rodney Williams
So they're being performative in the way that he's often performative. And that's all we do is we perform.
Katie Green
Right.
Travis Holloway
And we mentioned their name on the air. Way to go, Katie.
Katie Green
Oh, great.
Travis Holloway
Wow.
Katie Green
Oh, I'm really screwing this one up. From the New York Post. Man with real life girlfriend and child proposes to AI Chatbot after programming it to flirt. Quote, I think it's actual love.
Travis Holloway
Oh, so put them in a padded room.
Rodney Williams
This is. Is it worse if this is real or if this is just a way to get attention?
Travis Holloway
They're both bad.
Katie Green
And finally, the Babylon Bee, Ted Cruz destroyed in Interview as he's unable to name Ayatollah's favorite starter Pokemon.
Rodney Williams
I was actually thinking why is Ted Cruz doing this? And I thought he is trying to explain to the Tucker crowd. Bring, bring some of them over to his side because he realizes he's going to be running against JD Vance among other people in 2028. He's going to be running for president and he needs that crowd. That's my guess.
Travis Holloway
Well, and if he loves his country, he might just be explaining his preferred foreign policy too.
Rodney Williams
Well, I don't know if you why you have to get into it with Tucker for that, but anyway, you got more on everything on the way. I hope he can stay here.
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Travis Holloway
And here we have a specimen from the early 2000s, a legacy investing platform.
Rodney Williams
Please don't touch the exhibit folks.
Travis Holloway
It could crash.
Hannah Jewell
Ready to step out of the Financial history museum@public.com you can invest in almost everything stocks, bonds, options and more. You could even put your cash to work at an industry leading 4.1% APY. Leave your clunky, outdated platform behind. Go to public.com and fund your account in five minutes or less. Paid for by Public Investing, Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. Full disclosures@public.com disclosures we've all done it.
Katie Green
You see a headline but don't have time to read the whole story. Or there's so much news you're not sure what is worth your time. Colby I'm Colby Ekowitz, co host of Post Reports, the weekday afternoon podcast from the Washington Post. Post Reports brings you what's relevant and revealing. Breaking stories, politics, wellness, culture. Each episode goes beyond a headline for the context you need. Find Post Reports now wherever you're listening. For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves, loved ones, neighbors, the communities we.
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Travis Holloway
Israel, probably. I, I haven't heard. Except for one guy with a written report from Tehran.
Rodney Williams
Yeah, I don't think.
Travis Holloway
Yeah, I don't think anybody's there.
Rodney Williams
Okay.
Travis Holloway
Yeah.
Rodney Williams
So that said though, by her last night, one of Israel's biggest hospitals got hit today with some injuries. And Iran says they weren't shooting for the hospital, they're shooting for a military target and accidentally hit the hospital. That's either true or it's not, I don't know, but ain't good.
Travis Holloway
So I was looking at yesterday's schedule when I asked for the clip. Michael, if you would like to yell at me, that would be, I think, appropriate probably.
Rodney Williams
That's okay. I'll let you off.
Travis Holloway
Okay. All right, fine. Yeah, I actually had a different clip in mind, but that's fine. It was that Netanyahu wants very much for Trump to administer the final blow to knock out the Fordo facility. And on that topic, obviously the big story of the day, there are a couple of different angles that are, that are interesting about this. Jack, you've been reporting on or leading the discussion on what might go sideways if indeed the US joins in the attack. I've just come across another poll. This is the JL Partners poll poll of over a thousand registered voters, including 624 Republicans. And the New York Post published this one, but man, I've come across some wacky results. In this one, Republican voters back US strikes on Iran by a margin of 58 to 25. And that includes 65% of self described MAGA Republicans, an even higher number than traditional Republicans. That the result strikes me as somewhat odd.
Rodney Williams
Yeah, I don't know that poll.
Travis Holloway
Yeah, I don't either. The fact that New York Post went with it suggests that it's not completely wackadoodly, but, but anyway, I thought this was really interesting. A couple of writers in the Wall Street Journal talking about why Iran's axis of resistance is missing in action. And I thought, well, it's because, you know, Israel blew the junk off of a lot of Hezbollah guys. Their junk is more or less decimated. And that is absolutely true. But there's a lot more. In Iraq, your Iranian backed Shiite militias have not targeted US military bases as they have in the past. Yemen's Houthis fired a few missiles at Israel on Sunday, but have remained silent in the five days since. Four or five days since. And they mention that a lot of these groups when they were in a fight, like with Bashir al Assad, Iran didn't help them. It didn't step up to help them.
Rodney Williams
Oh, interesting.
Travis Holloway
And so that whole axis of a hole seems to be falling apart and.
Rodney Williams
Has been reported by a number of people. Russia's not coming to Iran's aid for whatever reason. Putin has said.
Travis Holloway
Right, right. Although he has helpfully volunteered to broker a deal between Israel and Iran.
Rodney Williams
Right.
Travis Holloway
Now. That's a tempting prospect, isn't it?
Rodney Williams
Well, he did that and we all laughed at it with the whole Syria using chemical weapons. And the administration jumped on it. And John Kerry allowed Putin to negotiate the, the, whatever it was with the chemical weapons, which everybody thought was a farce, but it was an off ramp for Barack Obama, who had drawn a red line. So.
Travis Holloway
Right.
Rodney Williams
It is a good way to get out of it. I don't think we're going to do it in this case.
Travis Holloway
So the other aspect of why some of the, the proxies haven't left to Iran's defense or started attacking US And Israeli targets is a very simple illustration of the way this stuff works. I would, I would summarize it. Well, I'll quote this think tanker from London for all of these networks right now. It's about survival. They all understand the wrath of these types of military campaigns. In other words, they have all looked at it and said, no, the, the, the big dogs are serious now. We don't want any part of your crap. We got our own problems. We got our own little fight for supremacy in our corner of the godforsaken Middle East. And Israel in serious about putting a hurt on people. So we don't want any, any part of it. That's what we call, I'll give you a hint. It's a D word. Deterrence.
Rodney Williams
You.
Travis Holloway
If you wish for peace, prepare for war. Yeah.
Rodney Williams
David Sanger's piece in the New York Times today is what could go wrong, basically. And his, his main thing, in addition to a whole bunch of obvious stuff, I mean, a, one of the Stealth bombers could, you know, have mechanical problems or get shot down. You know, they get a lucky shot with whatever defenses they got left or something like that. Something like that could happen, but more likely is Iran does start firing at our bases, kills a couple American soldiers, and then there is a fair amount of public outcry and pressure on Donald Trump to like, really respond because now American soldiers have been killed and that escalates and you're very quickly to having to take out the Ayatollah because he's killing US soldiers that you could get there really quick.
Travis Holloway
Right. And on another front, similar though, and I've been. It's, it's tough to know how seriously and literally to take some of this stuff, but I think I do to a large extent. If the US really got involved, that could stir anti American anger in a way that we don't quite get as Americans among the Middle Easterners. I mean, even, and obviously there are quotes around this, but even the evil Jew, I mean the, the Arab folks never admit it, but yeah, the Jewish folks have been in Israel, controlling Israel on and off for thousands of years. They are of that region. They might be the evil Jewish, but they're, you know, another one of the tribes, another one of the religions of the Middle east. And it's on. We're trying to kill each other. But when the big dog who doesn't even live there starts wrecking stuff and killing people, people in that region get pretty unhappy about it. So there, it could trigger another wave of anti American anger, resentment, etc.
Rodney Williams
All these things to me, and I think this is what ultimately is going to be decided. All these things could be true at various levels or combinations. Still not as bad as Iran having a nuclear weapon. And that's where you end up.
Travis Holloway
You do have to boil it down to that again and again. You're right.
Rodney Williams
Yeah, right. I thought it was interesting. Well, let me, let me just read the first paragraph because I thought this was pretty good. US Strike on Iran would bring risks at every turn. Man. There was a great piece in the National Review the other day that Noah Rothman wrote about how we are so for a variety of reasons, of things that have gone bad in the past, like so scared and so. But what if this and what if that with everything we do now in a way that we didn't used to be. Yeah. There are downsides, sure.
Travis Holloway
There always are.
Rodney Williams
But ultimately we don't want them to get away. I don't know. It's not a good, it's not a good way to look at your life.
Travis Holloway
Well, what.
Rodney Williams
We could go on vacation this summer. But you know, what if one of us gets sick or we run out of gas?
Travis Holloway
Okay. What if a pipe breaks when we're gone? It's flooded, Right?
Rodney Williams
Yeah. And I'm not trying to be too dismissive of how awful like Iraq went, but you can't paralyze yourself with every bit of things that could go wrong. Anyway, the leading point, especially because you.
Travis Holloway
Have to spend Equal time and energy on what could go wrong if Iran has a nuke.
Rodney Williams
Oh my God, yes, definitely easy to write those paragraphs. It sounds so surgical, so precise. Exactly the kind of air attack that only the U.S. force can. Air Force can execute. A series of B2 bombers lifts off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Refueled in the air, they head for a remote mountain in north central Iran far from civilians, where they get Iran's most heavily fortified nuclear site. Fordo in their sights, they drop their giant 30,000 pound bunker busters one after another, blasting a giant hole down into the centrifuge halls that have been in the bullseye since Barack Obama and other leaders of Britain and France revealed their existence in 2009. Destroying them. And they turn around and they fly back. It's something that they take off from Missouri, fly all the way there, drop the bombs and then fly all the way back.
Travis Holloway
Right. With all our bases around the world, we don't want those B2s anywhere but in the homeland.
Rodney Williams
That's my assumption.
Travis Holloway
Too valuable, too important and so little used maybe.
Rodney Williams
Why would you, why would you keep them anywhere but in the middle of the United States where they're safe?
Travis Holloway
Well, right. And if you can get them anywhere on earth virtually in, you know, within a day, that's pretty quick.
Rodney Williams
Uh huh. Oh wow. That's gonna be exciting to watch when it happens. What's your sense of how much heads up we'll have? Like will we hear about it after it happened or will we be watching it live on television?
Travis Holloway
The former, I think it'll be. Will be told it has happened. Although with like open source intelligence, the Twitter account we both like so much. People are very, very good at not reading the tea leaves. It's just seeing. All right. This refueling plane was just moved to this base. These pilots were just scrambled and people figured out.
Rodney Williams
Well, have you been following the whole pizza thing that they do? A number of websites are doing.
Travis Holloway
I don't think so.
Rodney Williams
Yeah, so there are some.
Travis Holloway
Oh, go ahead sir.
Rodney Williams
Domino's and various pizza places around D.C. that when they get super crazy busy, it's because they know people are up late having big all night meetings.
Travis Holloway
Everybody's at work at the Pentagon all night.
Hannah Jewell
Right.
Rodney Williams
Usually means something big is about to happen or is going on, which is pretty an interesting way to figure it out.
Travis Holloway
Our fighting men and women deserve better pizza. That's funny, that's even our civilian employees.
Rodney Williams
I'm a fiscal conservative, I don't want to waste money. But you got, you got Some of our smartest minds deciding whether or not to kick off World War iii. And you're getting them dominoes.
Travis Holloway
Yeah. Send that to Iran. Yeah. They'll be so busy on the pot, they won't be. Oh, wait a minute. Sorry. I'm coming off like Jimmy Fallon taking shots at what you call it Arby's.
Rodney Williams
Get sued for that. Stated that. Domino's.
Travis Holloway
No, I didn't. No, I didn't. I misspoke.
Rodney Williams
Okay, yes. Katie, don't.
Katie Green
Don't go knocking the dominoes we don't want. It's too good to send Iran. We got to send them something worse.
Rodney Williams
I haven't had dominoes in a long time.
Katie Green
Dude, I tried their stuffed crust this last weekend and it was so good.
Rodney Williams
You know what? My son and I are gonna try that. Maybe tonight my son and I have Domino's pizza. I haven't had it in a long time. I should give him another try.
Travis Holloway
No, you're a flip flopper. You're condemning them seconds ago, but based.
Rodney Williams
On perhaps old data, perhaps outdated information about Domino's. Yeah, I should try it again too.
Travis Holloway
When the facts change, you change your mind. Like Churchill. You're not a flip flopper. You're Churchillian.
Rodney Williams
We've got Mailbag coming up next.
Katie Green
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Hannah Jewell
You know what's great about your investment account with the big guys? It's actually a time machine. Log in and zoom. Welcome back to 1990. It's time for an upgrade. At public.com you can invest in almost everything stocks, bonds, options and more. You can even put your cash to work at an industry leading 4.1% APY. Leave your clunky, outdated platform behind. @Public.com Go to Public.com and fund your account in five minutes or less. Pay for by Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. Full disclosures@public.com disclosures we've all done it.
Katie Green
You see a headline but don't have time to read the whole story. Or there's so much news you're not sure what is worth your time. Colby I'm Colby Ekowitz, co host of Post Reports, the weekday afternoon podcast from the Washington Post. Post Reports brings you what's relevant and revealing. Breaking stories, politics, wellness, culture. Each episode goes beyond a headline for the context you need. Find Post Reports now wherever you're listening. For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal.
Hannah Jewell
They include a lot more people than.
Katie Green
Ourselves, loved ones, neighbors, the communities we.
Rodney Williams
Call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts.
Hannah Jewell
At Thrivent, we help plan your financial.
Katie Green
Picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to.
Hannah Jewell
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Katie Green
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Rodney Williams
Connect with us@thrivent.com have you ever wiped with a piece of dry single ply toilet paper and wondered, is this as good as it gets? Well, it's not. It gets a lot better. Thanks to the wet extra large cleaning power of Dude Wipes, they comfortably clean up whatever TP leaves behind on your behind. It's time to stop being an A hole to your B hole and start experiencing the confident clean of Dude Wipes. Available at Amazon and at major retailers nationwide. Dude Wipes Best Clean Pants down so our friend Tim Sandifer has got a little information about how Juneteenth that's today is the United States most libertarian holiday. Actually going to read that and try to understand it. Got to admit, I don't quite have my head wrapped around Juneteenth, which is a company holiday for us. I found out when I got to work national holiday.
Travis Holloway
The fact that Joe Biden, right, the.
Rodney Williams
Fact that we're all working today is a little racist.
Travis Holloway
By whom? Are we the racists?
Rodney Williams
Are we the the people that compelled me to work? I think I don't know you and Michael keep me out of this.
Travis Holloway
Fair enough. Here's your Freedom Woman quote of the day from Andre Breton, French writer and poet, co founder, leader and principal theorist of surrealism oh, wow. He said there is nothing with which it is so dangerous to take liberties as liberty itself. I might rephrase that as don't take liberties with liberties. Protect it fiercely.
Rodney Williams
Gotcha.
Travis Holloway
Yeah, Mailbag.
Rodney Williams
Yeah, kind of like you should believe in moderation. Including, you know, moderation in moderation.
Travis Holloway
It's one of them. Yep. You can drop us a Note mailbag@armstrongetti.com Jess and Wiley, Texas writes on the Supreme Court transgender ruling the other day and New York Times Magazine coverage of it. The problem isn't the transgender folks. It's that much like string theory and experimental jazz, most Americans can't grasp it with their dumb cheeseburger brains. That's her characterization of the New York Times characterization.
Rodney Williams
That's pretty funny. I must and I actually read part.
Travis Holloway
Of it and I'm digging into it.
Rodney Williams
I must have a cheeseburger brain because I have tried to understand string theory and quantum quantum physics and I just cannot get it.
Travis Holloway
Yeah, I gave up more or less at the beginning. So Frequent correspondent JT and Livermore on the topic of a crazy, crazy Iran. Iran is sworn to destroy Israel and all the Jews. To that end, Iran has empowered and sponsored several nation states to also attack Israel. Iran sanctioned tens of thousands of missile attacks from Lebanon and Gaza, attacked Israeli ships at sea, and of course, all the atrocities on October 7 were facilitated and condoned by Iran. Iran also pays families of suicide bombers a pension if their children kill Jews in a suicide attack. Many people would call any or all of these actions acts of war, but apparently Iran didn't actually declare war. In fact, Iran claims Israel's attacks are the declaration of war. What does it say about Iran that they swear to Destroy Israel, get four nation states to attack Israel, culminating on October 7, then blame Israel for daring to fight back? Question how do you deal rationally with people in countries that are irrational?
Rodney Williams
Saw somebody pointing out yesterday that during the Iran rack war in the 80s and we're in which a million people died, Iran was using children to send out into minefields to try to clear minefields. That's how they would do it. And tell their parents, you know, they're going to be martyred and they'll be welcomed by. However that whole thing works. Yeah. After the dead. So send the kids out there to get their legs blown off. Figure out where the mines are. Nice culture.
Travis Holloway
Yeah. Indeed. His PS Is following your discussion about how China has so many big successful apps that are stealing data from every customer, I realized at least one devastating way that China could use that info on A coordinated attack against the US if they ever decide to. China could take all the credit card information they're supposed to be keeping safe, secret and secure. They could flood the e commerce world with hundreds of millions of false charges, false money transfer requests and other general bogus financial interactions. Imagine the chaos and confusion if along with our attacking our power, water and communications, they also used all those credit cards to make bogus purchases and cash advances. Don't trust China, he says.
Rodney Williams
That would be the most annoying attack that I can imagine. There are other attacks where I think I'd rather you blew up my car, my house or my car. Then you gave me a bunch of paperwork that I'm going to have to straighten out over months.
Travis Holloway
Yeah, if the water is shut off, the need to straighten out a false cash advance is fairly minor concern. But. But let's see. Let's skip around how outsideshow Bob, I haven't heard anyone mention the threat of potential terrorist attacks here linked to Iran. We've been told that large numbers of suspicious Middle Eastern citizens cross the border. If so, wouldn't it make sense that their Iranian handlers would give them the green light if they perceive we're declaring war on them? This is my fear. Brings up another question. Why haven't we heard of any deportations of Middle Eastern or Chinese people? And is the DHS and their leadership being too myopic about their mission? It's a discussion for another day.
Rodney Williams
So today's Thursday by the way. And remember, the Israeli ambassador to the United States said Thursday or Friday you're going to see something that makes the pager attack pale in comparison. So okay, that gonna happen today or tomorrow?
Travis Holloway
Israel is well ahead of us time zone wise, right?
Rodney Williams
Yeah.
Travis Holloway
So yeah, it's getting late on Thursday. Yeah, clocks are ticking.
Rodney Williams
Don't lie to me man. I want some exciting Ted Cruz and Tucker getting into it. Kind of explaining the whole rift in MAGA world. We can get into that now or two, among other things. Get the podcast if you missed the segment Armstrong and Getty.
Hannah Jewell
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Katie Green
You don't know me yet, but I.
Rodney Williams
Bet we have something in common. We all wish we were better functioning humans.
Katie Green
Maybe figure out how to sleep better, have more meaningful relationships, cook more that search for practical knowledge. It's my job at the Washington Post. I host a podcast called Try this. Every episode is like an audio class.
Rodney Williams
And we learn together. I'm Christina Quinn. Now you know me.
Katie Green
Check out Try this wherever you're listening.
Rodney Williams
I'm Rodney Williams.
Travis Holloway
And I'm Travis Holloway.
Rodney Williams
Welcome to the wealthbreak podcast, a real conversation about finance. Let's be honest, building weft doesn't look the same for everyone. I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have to revisit that and we're not stopping at success stories.
Katie Green
What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it?
Rodney Williams
Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same. Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app. Have you ever wiped with a piece of dry single ply toilet paper and wondered, is this as good as it gets? Well, it's not. It gets a lot better. Thanks to the wet extra large cleaning power of Dude Wipes, they comfortably clean up whatever TP leaves behind on your behind. It's time to stop being an A hole to your B hole and start experiencing the confident clean of Dude Wipes. Available at Amazon and at major retailers nationwide. Dude Wipes Best Clean. Pants down. You know, some people say that Odoo business management software is like fertilizer, the way it promotes growth and all. But other people say Odoo is like.
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Armstrong & Getty On Demand: Episode Summary
Title: The Bat Boy & Space Alien Odysseys!
Release Date: June 19, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts
Description: The official, On-Demand podcast of The Armstrong & Getty Show! Accept no substitutes!
In this episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand, hosts Rodney Williams and Travis Holloway delve deep into pressing geopolitical tensions, primarily focusing on the escalating conflict between the United States and Iran. The discussion is interspersed with insightful commentary on internal American political dynamics, media influence, and societal issues. Additionally, Katie Green contributes by presenting the day's headlines, while Hannah Jewell offers brief interludes promoting various products and services. The episode combines rigorous analysis with candid conversations, making complex topics accessible to a broad audience.
The primary focus of the episode centers on the fraught relationship between the United States and Iran. Rodney Williams expresses personal views on the threat posed by Iran, emphasizing the long-term dangers of Iran acquiring nuclear capabilities. He states:
"I hate the idea of them getting a bomb. I think it's worth going to war to keep them from getting a bomb." [04:36]
Travis Holloway expands on the regional implications, highlighting the historical context of Iran's proxies and their impact on American interests:
"Their proxies have certainly killed a prodigious number of Americans and damaged our stuff many, many times through the years." [05:12]
The hosts discuss the substantial U.S. military presence in the Middle East, noting the deployment of aircraft carriers, destroyers, and other military assets:
"We've got more aircraft carriers and destroyers and planes and everything gathered in that area. The most we've had since March of 2003 when we invaded Iraq." [05:27]
They explore the potential for offensive action against Iran, debating the risks of escalating into a broader conflict or even a civil war within the region. Rodney Williams raises concerns about the domino effect of such actions:
"We could end up with a full-on civil war... spilling into Iraq, which is not particularly stable." [06:56]
Rodney and Travis shift focus to the internal political landscape, particularly the influence of figures like Tucker Carlson and Ted Cruz within the GOP. They critique the argumentative styles and rhetoric employed by these personalities, suggesting that such tactics may exacerbate divisions within the Republican base.
Rodney reflects on a recent interview between Tucker Carlson and Ted Cruz, highlighting the tension and inability to maintain a constructive dialogue:
"Ted Cruz had kept saying, could you be a little less condescending in your replies so we can have a conversation?" [09:11]
Travis humorously compares Tucker Carlson's debating skills to a form of art, emphasizing his proficiency in "arguing unfairly":
"Tucker would be the president of the university... he is an artist." [09:20]
The discussion underscores the challenges within the Republican Party, as leaders navigate between traditional conservative values and the more combative stance favored by the MAGA faction.
The hosts critique modern media narratives, particularly focusing on the portrayal of social issues like drug addiction. They argue that prioritizing foreign policy concerns over domestic crises, such as the opioid epidemic, reflects misplaced priorities in government policy.
Rodney emphasizes the lack of effective solutions despite significant funding:
"In California, we have spent so much money on the drug addicts on the street... and ended up with more drug addicts on the street." [12:10]
Travis further critiques the narrative presented by media personalities, suggesting that framing domestic issues as secondary to international conflicts is detrimental to societal well-being.
Katie Green segments provide a roundup of the day's significant news stories:
Trump's Bunker Buster Plan:
U.S. Visa Requirements for Foreign Students:
Federal Reserve's Economic Outlook:
Los Angeles Lakers Ownership Sale:
Blue Sky Suspend JD Vance’s Account:
Man Proposes to AI Chatbot:
Ted Cruz's Interview Performance:
In the Mailbag segment, listeners like Jess and Wiley from Texas inquire about the recent Supreme Court transgender ruling and its portrayal in media outlets like the New York Times Magazine. The hosts critique the oversimplified explanations, arguing that complex issues are often reduced to easily digestible but inaccurate narratives:
"The problem isn't the transgender folks. It's that much like string theory and experimental jazz, most Americans can't grasp it with their dumb cheeseburger brains." [44:15]
This critique underscores the frustration with media's inability to convey nuanced perspectives on intricate social and scientific topics.
The episode also touches on various other topics, including:
Technological Vulnerabilities:
Cultural Observations:
Economic Strategies:
Rodney Williams on Iran's Nuclear Threat:
"I hate the idea of them getting a bomb. I think it's worth going to war to keep them from getting a bomb." [04:36]
Travis Holloway on Media Personalities:
"Tucker would be the president of the university... he is an artist." [09:20]
Katie Green on Foreign Students' Visa Requirements:
"United States says foreign students seeking visas must unlock all social media accounts." [21:41]
Andre Breton’s Quote on Liberty:
"There is nothing with which it is so dangerous to take liberties as liberty itself." [43:30]
This episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand offers a comprehensive exploration of current geopolitical tensions, internal political dynamics, and societal issues, all woven together through engaging dialogue and critical analysis. By addressing both international conflicts and domestic concerns, the hosts provide listeners with a multifaceted understanding of the complexities shaping today's world. The inclusion of timely news headlines and listener interactions further enriches the discussion, making it a valuable listen for anyone seeking to stay informed and engaged with contemporary issues.