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Jack Armstrong
This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.
Joe Getty
It's a celebration 250 years in the
America 250 Announcer
making and we want everyone in America from Maine to Montana, from Alabama to Alaska to be a part of it.
Joe Getty
This year marks America's 250th anniversary and we're coming together from coast to coast at star spangled events, live performances, and the largest day of giving in American history.
America 250 Announcer
Join the nationwide celebration at america250.org
Jack Armstrong
what if your next favorite hobby came with a built in crew? That's cornhole. Whether you're brand new to the game or just looking for an excuse to get outside, there's a whole world of players out there ready to welcome you in local leagues, weekend tournaments, backyard throwdowns. It's all happening near you. Find your people at your next event@iplaycornhole.com events new hobby, new friends. Same you just having a lot more fun.
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Most Mother's Day gifts end up in a drawer, but a song lives in the heart forever. This year, tryjoybox.com is giving away 1 million free custom songs to celebrate 1 million incredible moms. Just share a few memories and Joybox produces an original track and greeting card just for her. Instantly, it's the most personal gift you'll ever give and right now it's completely free. Make mom the star of her own song@tryjoybox.com 1,000,000 songs $0 only@tryjoybox.com Premier Protein
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Jack Armstrong
Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.
Joe Getty
Armstrong and Getty.
Jack Armstrong
And now here's Armstrong and Getty. Thanks for tuning in to the best
Joe Getty
weekend talk show in America.
Jack Armstrong
We're Armstrong and Gettys.
Joe Getty
So much to talk about as always. The confusing back and forth conflict with Iran. Where is it? Who's in charge? How are the negotiations going? Plus all the news around the country and around the world without the left wing media spin. That's what we try our very best to bring you every week.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, we do 20 hours of this every week. If you want more, find our podcast, Armstrong and Getty on Demand. I hope you enjoy the best weekend talk show in America. Has this war made made the US Stronger strategically or. Or the opposite?
Joe Getty
I think it's pretty much made the US Weaker ultimately. I don't think this has been exactly
Jack Armstrong
what the United States bargained for. And there you go. There's CBS Evening News coverage of the war in Iran. You ask one guy, did the war make the US Stronger? Weaker. He goes with weaker. And in other news, what the hell? I actually uttered an oath out loud when I saw that in the news last night. I like Elliot Ackerman. That was the analyst there, his book about war, one of the best things I've ever read in my life about war. Highly recommend it to anyone. You could listen to it. He reads the book if you do the audiobook. But it so good. But anyway, asking one guy who says this has been, it's been bad for the United States, like, well, that's the final word is nuts. If you've been paying attention to the war at all. There are all kinds of different opinions by lots of people giving their straight analysis of it's been a success, it's been a failure, it's been this. It's that, you know, mixture of that's just why. Why do we need to do this? Why treat us like we're idiots? Because we are idiots. Is that why?
Joe Getty
That's the one right there. Yeah.
Jack Armstrong
That was the CBS Evening News. God, that bothered me, quote, unquote.
Joe Getty
Journalists, talking heads are so incurious, as I'm frequently saying. I mean, it was obvious that he was noodling through the answer and gave an answer. It's made us weaker. How do you not follow up with in what way? You obviously were struggling to answer that definitively. Tell me about your thinking. No, of course not. No, you just good thing or bad thing? Good thing or bad thing?
Jack Armstrong
And actually you're sort of going to play that to tease that we'll talk about the war in Iran later. Not here, but every one of these discussions, whether it's made us weaker, stronger price of gas, whatever it is around with the war with Iran has needs to be filtered through the Is it worth it to stop them from having a nuclear weapon filter and a heaping
Joe Getty
helping of we're in the middle of it. So hard to say.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. And it's not over yet. But anyway, more on that later. So the Epstein note is out. Here's what it said. If they find my body, Hillary did it signed Epstein's mom, which is a joke.
Joe Getty
A lot of ways to interpret that. I, it's, it's, it's a puzzle.
Jack Armstrong
You can only get the Epstein's mom joke if you're at least 60 years old from welcome back Cotter back in the day. Anyway, here's the actual report on Epstein's suicide note, whether it's real or not.
News Reporter
This is the purported suicide note that his former cellmate claims Jeffrey Epstein left behind the first time he tried to kill himself in jail. A federal judge ordered it unsealed tonight, giving the public and investigators their first look at it. They investigated me for months, found nothing. The note said. It is a treat to be able to choose one's time to say goodbye. What you want me to do? No fun, not worth it.
Joe Getty
Wow. All right. You know it's funny, I had the same gripe. The Wall Street Journal has an article about this thing. It is 3, 6, 7 lines long, partial lines long and they all edit it and summarize it for you.
Jack Armstrong
It's seven lines long. Just say what it says.
Joe Getty
Here's what it says. They investigated me for month, found nothing. So 15 year old charges unreadable. It is a treat to be able to decide, choose when time to say goodbye. What you want me to do? Bust out crying? No fun, not worth it.
Jack Armstrong
That's my new slogan. No fun, not worth it.
Joe Getty
I'm going to bellow that as I leave many a gathering, meetings, court hearings, you name it.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, and you just leave it. Not, not. You're not arguing toward hanging yourself with your pants, you're. Oh, different argument.
Joe Getty
I'm gonna stand up and say no fun, not worth it and walk out.
Jack Armstrong
Aaron Katerski of ABC News goes on to say that it hasn't been verified if it's real or not at least yet. And the question looms of if this existed all these years, how did it just come out now? Which seems a little
Joe Getty
A sealed part of a case involving one of his
Jack Armstrong
cellmates but still somebody, somebody had to know that existed. The cellmate knew existed obviously and various lawyers, judges, whoever. All this time with everything going on with Epstein, there was a suicide note out there and it was kept secret. I just, I'm, I'm this.
Joe Getty
I find out to believe this con, it was one of his possession. I don't know the law around this. It's possible it would be highly illegal to release it as it's evidence case this guy was I would guess trying to use it as leverage
Jack Armstrong
to get
Joe Getty
a reduced sentence or whatever.
Jack Armstrong
Are you going to tell me nobody would make an illegal leak around the Epstein case at this point?
Joe Getty
Absolutely not. That would be unethical, Jack.
Jack Armstrong
Really throw back your head. Hilarious statement right there. Yeah.
Joe Getty
Yeah. Especially if TMZ is paying, you know, seven figures for it or whatever. Everything around the Epstein case has been a.
Jack Armstrong
Probably shouldn't have been leaked from day one.
Joe Getty
Yeah. True enough.
Jack Armstrong
What? And it's his first suicide attempt, which
Joe Getty
I had forgotten existed, which to me
Jack Armstrong
makes it all the more likely that he killed himself, which I've always believed anyway. The fact that he tried to kill himself once before, and nobody's doubting that that was real, or. I've never heard anybody doubt that his
Joe Getty
first suicide attempt was for real.
Jack Armstrong
If you. If you try to kill yourself once
Joe Getty
and fail and then you end up
Jack Armstrong
killing yourself and everybody jumps to the conclusion of he couldn't have killed himself. Seems kind of weird to me.
Joe Getty
Of course. Sure. Sure. Michael, you need to. To use is what you want me to do. Bust out crying. You need to yell that at Jack now and again. No fun, not worth it. I'll keep that in mind. Excellent.
Jack Armstrong
No fun, not worth it.
Joe Getty
Yeah.
Jack Armstrong
Is that the kind of note you would write right before you hang yourself in your cell?
Joe Getty
I like the. It's a treat to be able to choose one's time to say goodbye.
Jack Armstrong
That sounds real.
Joe Getty
Sure.
Jack Armstrong
But no, no, of course he's a sociopath. At least.
Joe Getty
Incredibly self indulgent to the point of victimizing many other people.
Jack Armstrong
Because I was about to say, you got nothing for kids, wife, friends, posterity? Nothing. But he's a sociopath who lived purely for his own pleasure. And the pleasure had come to an end, so.
Joe Getty
Well, probably had neither wife nor kids, so that would be odd to shout out to them.
Jack Armstrong
He has no kids?
Joe Getty
I don't think so.
Jack Armstrong
Never married.
Joe Getty
Yeah. Ghislaine Maxwell.
Jack Armstrong
I don't. You'd think I'd know this, but I don't know it. I've never heard reference to a wife or kids.
Joe Getty
No. Me neither. No, I don't think he's the Marian type.
Jack Armstrong
Either way. I suppose if you're a sociopath who's lived only for pleasure, there's not much to say when you've reached the end of the road. I guess the pleasure's over. Oot.
Joe Getty
Who else you gonna name Jack? Jack, his beloved Uncle Jim and the Easter bunny. What are you doing fantasy land here? Outrageous. I'm just mad because he was right about. Somebody would've leaked it. The cellmate. Nicholas Tartaglione. Nikki Tarts. Guarantees called Nikki Tarts on the street. Briefly shared the Manhattan cell with Epstein. He said he found the letter and gave it to his lawyers. The former police officer was later convicted of multiple murder counts and sentenced to life in prison. So he's a real treat.
Jack Armstrong
Wow.
Joe Getty
Yikes. Yeah.
Jack Armstrong
Before we take a break and move on to other stuff, well, first this and then my favorite clip of the day. First this and then my favorite clip of the day.
Joe Getty
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Jack Armstrong
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Jack Armstrong
Wolf, so we, we got to talk about the war in Iran at some point where we are on that. There was a mayoral debate for Los Angeles. I really get the sense that in terms of news coverage, I think in California and nationally there seems to be more attention on the mayoral race in LA than the governor's race for whatever reason.
Joe Getty
There's a lot there, I think.
Jack Armstrong
I don't know if it's the personalities or the storyline with the fires or whatever.
Joe Getty
Oh, yeah, that's it. You've got a entertainment because you got some big personalities, including this Spencer Pratt.
Jack Armstrong
Is that his name? Yeah.
Joe Getty
I'm not young enough to have watched his reality show, but. So you got him, you got Karen Bass, who's a big name. You have the Wildfire, which is a compelling narrative and you've got a city that may be the. The target of more fascination around the world than anywhere else. Los Angeles, where dreams and movies are born.
Jack Armstrong
So we've got some of the debate stuff a Little bit later this hour. And we want to talk about the rise anti Semitism. But this is my favorite clip of the day. This is. We opened the show with the opening clip from the show there, Michael. This is about the people getting sick and dying on the ship, the cruise ship and all that sort of stuff. They think they've nailed down where the haunt of virus came from.
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Joe Getty
Wow. Honey, did you sign us up for this tour?
Jack Armstrong
Let's stop here in Argentina and go check out the. See, I've got every book, every bird in my book. I've checked the mark. Including some very rare birds. But I haven't seen the. The Argentarian trash s bird yet. So let's go over to this landfill and watch it peck around in the garbage. Sure. A lot of rat feces around here anyway. Well over.
Joe Getty
I wouldn't worry about it.
Jack Armstrong
I wouldn't worry about it either. Holy crap. Yeah.
Joe Getty
I'm telling you, that's, that's. That's not a pleasant outing.
Jack Armstrong
I always thought part of the whole bird watching appeal would be some of the locales you would go to to. To observe birds. Not a landfill.
Joe Getty
Right. Honey, look. It's the Argentinian refuse hawk. Beautiful plumage. Or maybe they were rat watching and they followed the rats to a bird sanctuary and were disappointed at all the birds flying around.
Jack Armstrong
Rat watching. That's what I should do. Going to New York this summer.
Joe Getty
We're gonna see Dread disease.
Jack Armstrong
We're gonna try to see the North American subway rat.
Joe Getty
It's one of them pizza rats they got there in New York.
Jack Armstrong
We got more on the way that we mentioned. Stay here.
Armstrong and Getty.
Joe Getty
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Jack Armstrong
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Joe Getty
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Jack Armstrong
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Joe Getty
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Ethos.com Armstrong It's a celebration 250 years in the making and we want everyone
America 250 Announcer
in America, from Maine to Montana, from Alabama to Alaska to be a part of it.
Joe Getty
This year marks America's 250th anniversary and we're coming together from coast to coast at Star Spangled events, live performances and the largest day of giving in American history.
America 250 Announcer
Join the nationwide celebration@america250.org
Jack Armstrong
what if your next favorite hobby came with a built in crew? That's cornhole. Whether you're brand new to the game or just looking for an excuse to get outside, there's a whole world of players out there ready to welcome you in local leagues, weekend tournaments, backyard throwdowns. It's all happening near you. Find your people at your next event@iplaycornhole.com events new hobby, new friends. Same you just having a lot more fun.
TryJoyBox Advertiser
Most Mother's Day gifts end up in a drawer, but a song lives in the heart forever. This year tryjoybox.com is giving away 1 million free custom songs to celebrate 1 million incredible moms. Just share a few memories and joy. Box produces an original track in greeting card just for her. Instantly, it's the most personal gift you'll ever give. And right now it's a completely free make mom the star of her own song@tryjoybox.com 1 million songs $0 only@tryjoybox.com you
Jack Armstrong
know what will not change is America and how wonderful we are as wow.
Joe Getty
That was a good transition. Wow.
Jack Armstrong
Geez.
Joe Getty
It's beautiful.
Jack Armstrong
As laid out by Marco Rubio yesterday. And I thought, why can't other politicians sound this great when they're talking up the United States? Here's Marco Rubio yesterday.
Marco Rubio
My hope for America. And how do you deal with that? Yeah, look, I mean my hope for America is what it's always been. I think it's the hope I hope we all share. We want it to continue to be the place where anyone from anywhere can achieve anything. Where you're not limited by the circumstances of your birth, by the color of your skin, by your ethnicity. But frankly, it's a place where you are able to overcome challenges and achieve your full potential. I think that should be the goal of every country in the world, frankly. But I think in the US we're not perfect. Our history is not one of perfection, but it's still better than anybody else's history. And ours is a story of perpetual improvement. Each generation has left the next generation of Americans freer, more prosperous, safer, and that is our goal as well. But it is a unique and exceptional country. And as we come upon this 250 year anniversary, I think we have a lot to learn and be proud of in our history. It is one of perpetual and continuous improvement where each generation has done its part to bring us closer to future, fulfilling the vision that the founders of this country had upon its founding.
Jack Armstrong
That is so good. And I wish every politician could spew that out that way. Particularly I like this is the thing I need to have at the ready all the time. When you run into the haters, our record is better than everybody else's. Everybody show me the country that has a better record than us. You want to go with France or England? What country are you using as an example of being so fantastic throughout world history that it's better than the United States?
Joe Getty
Yeah, yeah. You can maybe get the impressionable college kids with that argument. That might make sense to them as they, they learn more. You'll, you know, the activists know that, but you can't admit that if you're going to overthrow a system. So they've got to continue to make the completely spurious, ridiculous claim that this is the most racist country on earth.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, you're never going to get the Marxist probably. But I think there's too much of the bulk of the like regular people that buy into that crap just because there aren't enough people making the case as good as Marco just did.
Joe Getty
Right.
Jack Armstrong
That Reagan used to all the time, for instance.
Joe Getty
Yeah. I'm a huge fan of Marco. Have been for a very long time. That was beautiful. That was great. It was perfectly said. And of course because he did well at the briefing, it sparked 2028 chatter. Fundraisers and, and what do you call sultans have said he could have vaulted past JD Vance. It's like guys, it's May of 2026, we're involved in a war, our debt just passed the gdp and it's so ironic given our freedom loving quote of the day from Karl Proper talking about how everybody's constantly putting their hope and the next person will be wonderful and lead us out of the wilderness. Washington is so obsessed with who's in, who's out, who's on top. Who's looking like they could be on top? Who's gonna win? Who's gonna seize the reins of power in a way that it's sad that politics has become the true American pastime, because that's not what we should be paying attention to. We should be paying attention to how are we being governed right now. Specifically in your town, then your county, then your state. And if it ever comes up, the federal government.
Jack Armstrong
It's so bass acors, if I may indulge. 20:28 Talk briefly. I wonder if the thing you need to be to get the Republican nomination, as even the numbers among Republicans and MAGA people have slid on Trump. I wonder if by the time we get to nominating time, if it'll be better to be seen as an extension of Trump, like J.D. vance or a break from Trump, which I think Marco Rubio. I don't think Marco Rubio is tainted by Trump. JD Vance is going to try to run, I think, as like an extension of Trump keeping the Trump thing going. I don't think Marco Rubio is going to be.
Joe Getty
That.
Jack Armstrong
I'm talking about for the primary voter. Primary voter. I think the Republicans might be ready, even Republican primary voters might be ready for a new page.
Joe Getty
And Marco's the guy by the time we get there. Yeah, we're not there yet, but it's. It's possible. I think both of those guys are smart enough to. To perceive what are the. What parts of Trump's legacy are still attractive to masses of voters and what aren't and thread that needle. Who can do it more skillfully? I'm a Rubio guy.
Jack Armstrong
I'll buy a hat today. I don't know what the hell J.D. vance is.
Joe Getty
Neither does he. I mean, he might have core beliefs and he just puts them aside to hang on to proximity, to power, because that's the only way you win in D.C. you know, the gray area of cynicism versus practicality. Everybody draws their line differently.
Jack Armstrong
Trump did threaten, though. And I've said this several times in the last several weeks, dude, you can't keep. I mean, it's like the parent analogy we always use. You can't keep threatening the sanction and not follow through. Pretty soon your kid is just going to walk all over you.
Joe Getty
Yeah.
Jack Armstrong
One more time. And I'm taking your phone. Yeah, I've still got my phone. You've been saying that for a month, so I think I will go ahead and ignore you as I walk to my room.
Joe Getty
Yeah, no kidding.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, boy. All right, I'll Bet him. You know, I could be wrong. I've said it, you know, been wrong several times in the last several weeks. He's holding off. I don't think he wants to like restart the war at the level that he's talking about, but I think he's going to throwing thought he's going to
Joe Getty
like four or five times and throwing
Jack Armstrong
out a little check yourself before you wreck yourself.
Joe Getty
You know, we got a second. You got to do a 44 for me, Michael.
Marco Rubio
So look, the times come for Iran to make a sensible choice and it's not easy for them to do that obviously because they have a fracture in their own leadership system. And apart from that, I mean the top people in that government are, to say the least. You know, they're insane in the brain. And so we need to address that,
Joe Getty
which I believe that's enough. As a reference to the Cypress Hill hit of a similar title back in what, the 90s? Insane in the membrane. Insane in the brain.
Jack Armstrong
Is that just the way he thinks and talks or does he feel like that that is gonna get him votes or something?
Joe Getty
Oh, no, I think that's just the references. If he's looking, you know, if I'm looking for a phrase in my head, yeah, I'll probably have some sort of classic rock lyric come to the the four now and again. He's younger, a little bit younger.
Jack Armstrong
He might, he might want to make a clear break. Generational break from Trump would have to make Patti Page references if he's going to use lyrics.
Joe Getty
Good pull there,
Jack Armstrong
Armstrong and Getty.
Joe Getty
It's a celebration 250 years in the
America 250 Announcer
making and we want everyone in America, from Maine to Montana, from Alabama to Alaska to be a part of it.
Joe Getty
This year marks America's 250th anniversary and we're coming together from coast to coast at star spangled events, live performances and the largest day of giving in American history.
America 250 Announcer
Join the nationwide celebration@america250.org
Jack Armstrong
what if your next favorite hobby came with a built in crew? That's cornhole. Whether you're brand new to the game or just looking for an exciting to get outside, there's a whole world of players out there ready to welcome you in. Local leagues, weekend tournaments, backyard throwdowns. It's all happening near you. Find your people at your next event@iplaycornhole.com events. New hobby, new friends. Same you just having a lot more fun.
TryJoyBox Advertiser
Most Mother's day gifts end up in a drawer. But a song lives in the heart forever. This year, tryjoybox.com is giving away 1 million free custom songs to celebrate 1 million incredible moms. Just share a few memories and joy. Box produces an original track in greeting card just for her. Instantly it's the most personal gift you'll ever give and right now it's completely free. Make mom the star of her own song@tryjoybox.com 1,000,000 songs $0 only@tryjoybox.com Premier Protein
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it's for getting after life, not just Fitness. With 30 grams of protein, 160 calories and no sugar added, helping people fuel their joyful lives. With Premier Protein, you can say yes to more. Whether it's crushing a big presentation at work, building an epic fort with the kids, or hitting the hiking trail with friends. Premier Protein offers delicious flavors like cafe latte, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, strawberry and cake batter to name a few. Find your favorite flavor@premierprotein.com Coors Light announced
Jack Armstrong
the launch of their first non alcoholic beer, Coors 0.0% and I love their
Joe Getty
new slogan course 0.0 get custody back.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, that's pretty funny.
Joe Getty
Oh boy.
Jack Armstrong
And dark. Quick update on Project Freedom before we move on. That's what Trump announced yesterday. And that was the whole we're going to get ships going through the Strait. Again, he didn't announce we're opening the straight. He announced ships will go through the Strait without a lot of details as to how they would.
Joe Getty
And I think everybody is making the same dog that heard something weird face that I am. Wait, what?
Jack Armstrong
And we have guided missile destroyers in the area. We have a hundred land and sea based aircraft, we have 15,000 service members that are going to be part of Project Freedom without a specific commitment to what we are going to do. Then CENTCOM announced before we came on the air today that two US Flagged merchant vessels that had been trapped there since February, since the war began, got through. Okay. Well, that seemed like a good sign. Well, in just the last 45 minutes, the IRGC has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed. And after that, according to the South Korean news agency yonhap, which I subscribe
Joe Getty
to, you should too liberal for me.
Jack Armstrong
South Korean government officials are checking into reports that a South Korean vessel, South Korean flag vessel, has been struck in the Strait of Hormuz. So the IRGC said it ain't open, it's closed, and then they're apparently fired on a ship. So we'll keep you updated on how that whole thing's going and in hour three we'll talk to Mike Lyons and try to Get a handle on what's happening.
Joe Getty
If I'm the irgc, I may not, I might not fire on an American flag vessel because that'll, that'll bring hell raining down. But I might see how America reacts to us hitting one of their allies, a pretty good ally. Wonder how the allies are going to hang together. No, now I would be wondering, right?
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, this could be a spicy day.
Joe Getty
Yeah, they are, because these people are evil, but they are smart. They read the headlines about Keir Starmer and ze Germans criticizing Trump and saying he has no plan and merits saying America's been humiliated at the bargaining table and the rest of it, which is a bizarre take, but yeah, the IRGC is testing that.
Jack Armstrong
So every year around 4th of July, I decide to read a Founding father sort of book, one of the classics or new one or whatever. This year I'm starting early. I'm going to read nothing but founding stuff leading up to 4th of July and our 250th birthday and all that sort of stuff. And a lot of my favorite podcasts had been mentioning this new book about John Adams called Making the Presidency by Lindsay Shervinsky. And enough of my favorites mentioned it. I thought, okay, I'll give it a look and some couple chapters into it and man, there's all kinds of new stuff in there that if I'd heard it before, I didn't remember it. And if you're a history buff, you read the John Adams David McCullough book 25 years ago when that came out, which moved John Adams from a, you know, kind of an. Also ran in the Founding Fathers derby. My whole life growing up, it was always Washington, Jefferson, maybe you get some Alexander Hamilton. Adams was always just, he was a one term president kind of. He is, he is right up there. And in terms of couldn't have had the country without him. Oh yeah, and glad he got rescued from history by David McCullough and then this book will continue it. And a lot of what I'm learning from this book is the reason he was a one term president wasn't because he was a failed president. It was because he stood up to the, to the, the, the, the, the extreme of his own party. Like, no, no, no, no, no. Just because we're in office, we're not going to go that far. And that's what got him booted out. As we often know in modern politics, standing up to your own party in certain times will doom you.
Joe Getty
Wow. So he got primaried, huh?
Jack Armstrong
He basically, basically got primaried by, by, by, you Know, by history and, you know, whether you're Paul Ryan, was that. Who is the speaker of House there, beginning of Trump's term or whatever. And, you know, you know, if you're. If you're one of those people that are actually have the country's best interests at heart, sometimes it doesn't work out for you, depending on the times we live in. But here's the stuff that I thought was interesting, and this is the overall topic of. Whenever we talk about things are more partisan than they've ever been, and we're falling apart and all that sort of stuff, and then some smart person like our friend Tim Sandifer or whoever steps in, says, no, we've been partisan many, many times before Civil War, very partisan. And. But other times in our history, and, and I knew that about the. The founding, that, you know, we got into parties very quickly. I didn't realize it was this quickly. So George Washington writes his farewell address in year three of his first term because he's leaving. I am done. I am. This is it. Good luck to the country. I hope you all do well. But he is done. And. And everybody's like, what? You can't leave yet. You got to stay. No, I am done, dudes.
Joe Getty
I miss my farm. I'm tired of this, right?
Jack Armstrong
And, you know, running a war and then being in government, which he didn't want to do at all. He didn't want to be in charge of the Continental Congress, all that sort of stuff, and he wanted out. And so he writes his farewell address with the help of Madison, basically writes it for him. And that first cabinet that he had, that you learn about in school, that is just full of all the people that are on our money and, you know, that are on mountains and stuff like that. They all. So. So he's convinced by a number of people in his cabinet and others to stay that, look, we can't. You got to stay for one more term. We ain't going to make it. We just. We got to figure some things out first. He reluctantly decides to stay again. Madison. Madison basically writes his first farewell address. By the time he gets to the second farewell address, when he actually leaves and they're still begging him to stay, he and Madison aren't on speaking terms. That's how quickly it fell apart. He and freaking father of the Constitution, James Madison would not even speak to each other in that second term. That's how bad things got so fast.
Joe Getty
What was the problem? Did a check come between them?
Jack Armstrong
Chick. That's right. Dolly Madison, not the snack Treat. But the hottie, no, she was a snack. You know, just the factions that happen in all government, how much power the presidency should have and versus all the things that we still argue about to this day. But man, I didn't realize it turned so quickly in the first term. And all the heroes of the first term, your Alexander Hamilton's and your Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State, they, they left after the first term and you had a bunch of people that aren't remembered by history in the second term and things got ugly so fast and I don't know what the lesson is that you take from this. So then when he gives his farewell address, he, he decides to use the first farewell address that Madison wrote just because he knew he was going to be attacked so harshly by Madison and Jefferson and others. In his farewell address, he used the one that Madison wrote so that he come out and say, hey, you know, you know where those words came from? Freaking James Madison. All right, so back off.
Joe Getty
Wow.
Jack Armstrong
That's where I mean it sounds very now. Ish.
Joe Getty
Wow. Yeah.
Jack Armstrong
That he had to do that. The freaking father of our country, George Washington, you know, the indispensable man, the one guy everybody could agree on, had to play those kind of games seven years in to avoid being attacked brutally in the press by the people. But that no longer agreed with him. So what is the lesson from that? That's just the nature of democracy. Maybe it's why democracies don't work. I don't know that you end up in those situations.
Joe Getty
I think it's similar to what we're always trying to put across to the modern audience. That the period of peace and prosperity we just came out of, that's not the norm. Right? Strife and struggle and war and being a little uneasy, that's the nor. You'll be okay. Similar, Similar lesson, I think. What's the name of the book you're talking about again? George Washington. What a guy.
Jack Armstrong
Moby Dick. It's a, It's a John Adams book. Making the. Making the presidency. And it's a basic. Basically how they're. The, the, the thesis is to have a norm, which we are now in the business of both parties destroying all norms. But to have a norm, it can't happen once, it needs to happen twice. And John Adams was the twice. You had this administration do it then when John, John Adams does it again. Now you've got a norm. And whether or not that holds or not is basically the premise of the book. But. So maybe it's only cataclysms pull us together briefly, and then we look back on that era. Why can't we go back to there? We only had that because of a cataclysm. Because funnily, in the same week, this book I'm reading, Ike's Bluff, which I've read before, included Eisenhower writing his farewell address in the middle of his first term because there's no freaking way he was going to run again. He had a 75% approval rating and didn't want to stick around for another term because everybody convinced him. Look, you got to. We just. You have to. Because of this and that's going on. And why did he have a 75% approval rating? Because similar to Washington came out of a cataclysm. He wasn't really associated with either party. But those are outliers. Those aren't really things you can get back to that were the standard that we should consider the norm. Those were outliers because of cataclysms.
News Reporter
Yeah.
Joe Getty
Circumstances. Yeah. I've touted this book before. I will tout it again now. Our friend Tim Sandifer's new book, Proclaiming Liberty. What is the subtitle of that? I like a good subtitle. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence. Again, how Adams was indispensable working with Jefferson to craft the Declaration. And the thing I love so much about the book is, and I was reading it the other night, I got so fired up, if I'd had a musket, I'd have picked it up and gone to look for an Englishman. Wow. The idiotic idea, oh, my God, we're almost out of time. That, that some, like modern progressive historians are like, they just broke away from England to ensure their own wealth and to consolidate control, to continue slavery is so freaking idiotic. It's unbelievable. The way the Parliament, especially everybody talks about King George, but the way the Parliament was constantly abusing us. And I know I was a couple of hundred years from appearing, but I mean, just jerking us around, utterly disregarding any. Not only, like, you know, taxation without representation and the base and the natural rights of man, but like, even being nice, just constantly changing this and extracting that and saying, shut up, you don't have a legislature anymore.
Jack Armstrong
We're.
Joe Getty
We're unconvening your legislature. And us saying, that's not a thing. And them saying, we'll shoot you in the face if you make a. If you make any noise about it. Utterly, horribly abusive relationship. And then Tim gets into the particulars of the Declaration of Independence, which if you don't have perspective. You're like, he sent forth swarms of officers to eat our substance. What is he talking about? Oh, it's so good and so interesting. It explains why there was a revolution and you'd have grabbed your musket to those bastards.
Jack Armstrong
So I'd be interested in hearing from you. If Washington and Madison were not on speaking terms before his second term ended, why would we expect any difference from Trump and Chuck Schumer? You know, and this where it's like they can't even go out to eat together. Washington and Madison couldn't go out to eat together.
Joe Getty
Correct me if I'm wrong, I think the two of them were both sincere, though, about their difference.
Jack Armstrong
Ah, that's a, that's a decent point, right?
Chipotle CEO
They weren't.
Joe Getty
Gaslighting, clickbaiting, fundraising onlineing liars.
Jack Armstrong
Interesting text line 415295 KFTC Armstrong and Gettysburg.
Joe Getty
It's a celebration 250 years in the making.
America 250 Announcer
And we want everyone in America, from Maine to Montana, from Alabama to Alaska to be a part of it.
Joe Getty
This year marks America's 250th anniversary and we're coming together from coast to coast at star spangled events, live performances and the largest day of giving and a American history.
America 250 Announcer
Join the nationwide celebration@america250.org
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Chipotle CEO
for a little more. Promise you there's never a team member on that line is going to say no to you. We will continue to put heaping spoonfuls of food bowls and Doritos. It has always been our brand ethos, and it is still to this day. We serve big, beautiful bowls and burritos, no questions asked. I tell my team all the time, put as much food in that bowl and burrito as you possibly can. I want the consumer to tell you it's too big.
Joe Getty
That's a guy.
Jack Armstrong
Chipotle. Wow.
Joe Getty
It's the CEO.
Jack Armstrong
So is that. I just. I'm amazed. I don't feel like I go to restaurants because their portions are so giant. I don't ever go anywhere where the portions aren't giant. So I. That's not a. Like a draw for me. That's.
Joe Getty
That's squarely aimed at the young man market, isn't it? Or the poor, or the. The gal who knows she can get two to three meals out of the burrito that's the same size as her head. Yeah.
Jack Armstrong
The problem with burritos is every time I get one anywhere, when I start with it, holding it in my hand just like I held Sam and Henry when they are babies. Roughly the same size.
Joe Getty
Yes. The burrito, wherever I bought it, I
Jack Armstrong
think I say to myself, my son the other night, do not let me eat this whole thing. Look, I'm holding this. This thing feels like it weighs five pounds. There's no way I should eat this whole thing. All right? If half of this isn't left when I stop, I've made a mistake, and then I eat the whole thing.
Joe Getty
Damn, you're like a hungry bear.
Jack Armstrong
Well, you get going and it tastes good and you think, have it, then I'd have to wrap it up and put it in the car, and car's gonna. Might as well just eat it. Okay.
Joe Getty
All right. Yeah. Let's show hands to those of us who are able to restrain ourselves and take a bit home. Yes, that's fine.
Jack Armstrong
Well, I used to tell my kids, it's part of your charm. If I. If I. If I eat. If I eat this, punch me in the neck, you know, whatever. Like, then Henry punched me in the neck one time, not realizing he was kind of what I Want like, you know, a saying rather than oh gee ordered. It really hurt getting punched in the neck, so I've had to change my direction.
Joe Getty
Yeah, imagine getting stabbed in the neck like in the la mayor debate. Anyway, so the other day we brought you the story of how mar a lago face is the hottest thing in plastic surgery and how really rich women show how rich they are. Not with the designer handbag. Too easy to get. Not by flying first class. Too easy to do. No, by getting their face carved up. By getting too much quote unquote plastic surgery. It's insane. Beauty standards, especially for women, are one of the most just fascinating and crazy topics on earth. The most coveted cosmetic enhancement in Asia right now, elf ears. Demand for injections and other measures to artificially enhance ears is soaring. Especially in South Korea where a wide face is something to hide. Elf ears are the coveted look in beauty obsessed South Korea where residents seem to be on a never ending quest for cosmetic improvements that basically children that
Jack Armstrong
basically be pointy ears larger, more out
Joe Getty
from your head and or pointy ears
Jack Armstrong
while the larger out from your head is a surgery that was like lots of people get to get rid of that.
Joe Getty
Yes. In the west, yeah. Larger ears can create the illusion of a smaller face, a prized trade in East Asia where big heads aren't usually a big plus. Japanese use handheld massage rollers to reduce overnight facial swelling. Chinese deride people with larger, flatter mugs as having pancake faces. Koreans idolize an angular V shaped jawline. Evidently the elf ear movement swept through all of those countries in recent years, but has really stayed on in South Korea. The country is home to the beauty belt, a Seoul neighborhood that has more plastic surgery clinics than LA Miami and Rio de Janeiro combined.
Jack Armstrong
I feel like western society, advanced Western society used to look at those African tribes like that put the plates in their lips to make their lips all big and flappy. Or if you put the rings around your neck to stretch your neck out is like really backwards and simple. And how ridiculous is that? But we're doing the same thing, just in a different way. Yeah, it's just as ridiculous to do whatever Jeff Bezos wife is doing.
Joe Getty
And here's a glimpse of the modern world. Elf ears first emerged about five years ago when an influencer in China posted about undergoing surgery to have more prominent pointy ears. The hashtag elfear cosmetic surgery now has more than 780 million views on China's Weibo. That's just China, which is admittedly a giant country. But as the trend took hold, less invasive options began to arise for the ELF ear. Curious Besides filler injections, there's also tape designed to create a similar effect when wedged behind the ears. Still, the look didn't fully latch on in South Korea until last year when a K pop singer named Mimi, part of the oh My Girl group, confessed to using ELF ear tape. Thousands of ear tape products proliferated online. Queries for ear filler exploded by 1200 percent on Barbie Talk, an information platform for cosmetic influencers and cosmetic procedures.
Jack Armstrong
I don't think I could date a chick with elf ears. You're gonna have to throw on a beanie. I just can't look at those.
Joe Getty
I don't know. Elfin haircut is kind of cute, but I don't know if I need the ears. The pointy ears. South Korea really needs to have some children.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, yeah.
Joe Getty
Weirder and weirder.
Jack Armstrong
Too much time on your hands.
Armstrong and Getty.
Joe Getty
It's a celebration 250 years in the
America 250 Announcer
making and we want everyone in America from Maine to Montana, from Alabama to Alaska to be a part of it.
Joe Getty
This year marks America's 250th anniversary and we're coming together from coast to coast at star spangled events, live performances and the largest day of giving in American history.
America 250 Announcer
Join the nationwide celebration at america250.org what
Jack Armstrong
if your next favorite hobby came with a built in crew? That's cornhole. Whether you're brand new to the game or just looking for an excuse to get outside, there's a whole world of players out there ready to welcome you in local leagues, weekend tournaments, that backyard throwdowns. It's all happening near you. Find your people at your next event@iplaycornhole.com events new hobby, new friends. Same you just having a lot more fun.
TryJoyBox Advertiser
Most Mother's Day gifts end up in a drawer, but a song lives in the heart forever. This year tryjoybox.com is giving away 1 million free custom songs to celebrate 1 million incredible moms. Just share a few memories and joy. Box produces an original track and greeting card just for her Instantly. It's the most personal gift you'll ever give. And right now it's completely free. Make mom the star of her own song@tryjoybox.com 1,000,000 songs $0 only@tryjoybox.com Premier Protein
Premier Protein Advertiser
it's for getting after life, not just Fitness. With 30 grams of protein, 160 calories and no sugar added, helping people fuel their joyful lives with Premier Protein, you can say yes to more Whether it's crushing a big presentation at work, building an epic fort with the kids, or hitting the hiking trail with friends, Premier Protein offers delicious flavors like cafe latte, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, strawberry and cake batter, to name a few. Find your favorite flavor@premierprotein.com.
This episode delivers Armstrong & Getty’s signature freewheeling analysis of the biggest news stories and American culture, featuring frank discussions on geopolitics (especially the ongoing war with Iran), U.S. history, and social trends. They debate media coverage, political leadership, the legacy of America as it turns 250, and mix in comic relief through riffs about cruise ships, modern beauty standards, and Chipotle portions.
The hosts deliver their commentary in a lively, irreverent, and conversational style. They balance sharp critiques of politics and media with self-deprecating humor and cultural riffs. The tone is direct, occasionally sarcastic, and always approachable.
The episode promises a continued focus in later hours on the LA mayoral debate, rising antisemitism, and ongoing developments in U.S. foreign policy. For listeners wanting more, Armstrong & Getty On Demand offers deeper dives into these topics throughout their weekly catalog.