The Best Weekend Talk Show In America Hour Two

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand — "The Best Weekend Talk Show In America Hour Two"

Date: May 9, 2026
Host: iHeartPodcasts

---

Episode Overview

This episode of Armstrong & Getty delivers their signature no-spin breakdown of national and global news, with a special focus on the confusing state of US-Iran relations, the media’s role in shaping narratives, and in-depth commentary on recent statements by media personalities like Tucker Carlson. The show also takes aim at state politics (especially in California and Washington), explores the fallout from aggressive progressive policies, and meanders into lighter, even gross-out moments for comic relief.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Tucker Carlson: Trump, "Spells," and the Antichrist

Timestamps: 02:24–15:11

• Tucker Carlson’s Recent Comments
  Tucker’s controversial New York Times interview is dissected, particularly his claim that Trump has a "spellbinding" quality — possibly with supernatural overtones:

  • “You spend a day with Trump and sort of like you’re in this kind of dreamland. It's like smoking hash… there may be a supernatural component to it. I’m not a theologian, but it’s real.” (Tucker Carlson as quoted by Michael, 02:24)
  • The hosts debate whether Carlson is sincere or playing into conspiracy-theory demographics for profit.

• Mark Levin’s Response
  Mark Levin’s Twitter reaction is quoted:

  • “Folks, Carlson is, in my opinion, mentally ill. That’s the explanation, not complicated.” (Joe Getty quoting Mark Levin, 03:22)

• Gaslighting & Accountability in Media
  The conversation turns to modern media dynamics, particularly how some figures now feel empowered to flatly deny things they’ve said, even when on tape:

  • “That seems like the next level to me: for you to play audio of me saying something and I just flat out say, I never said that.” (Joe Getty, 06:56)

• Conspiracy and Rhetorical Manoeuvring
  They analyze how Carlson hedges wild statements with caveats—e.g., invoking “theologians” to deflect criticism, and discuss propaganda’s success in making people doubt what’s real.

  • “That is a real rhetorical Cirque du Soleil tap dance.” (Jack Armstrong, 07:39)
  • "I think he's appealing to people who believe that sort of thing. Kind of a magical thinking, conspiracy theory crowd." (Jack Armstrong, 03:48)

Media Cynicism and Profit Motive

Timestamps: 09:00–11:17

• The hosts reflect on Carlson’s career arc and speculate that, after years in politics and media, he’s opted to profit from division and controversy:
  • “Scoreboard for Tucker Carlson is his bank account... He’s making more money now than he made at Fox News…” (Joe Getty, 09:00–09:29)
  • “You have no conscience, or you’ve become completely cynical.” (Jack Armstrong, 09:38)

Breakdown of State Visits and Political Theatrics

Timestamps: 18:46–23:46

• Trump-Xi State Visit Planning
  The intricate and sometimes bizarre protocols for diplomatic visits are explored—for example, fistfights between security teams, DNA-protection measures, and elaborate menu planning to avoid poisoning:
  • “Their mission ensuring no trace of the Chinese leader’s DNA, fell into foreign hands… grabbing Xi’s utensils and plate and spraying them with an unidentified liquid.” (Jack Armstrong, 19:47)
  • “A medical team travels with the president, supported by a full surgical suite on Air Force One.” (Joe Getty, 23:23)

California Politics, Newsom & the Bullet Train

Timestamps: 23:56–27:19

• Newsom on Maher & the Bullet Train
  The hosts critique California Governor Gavin Newsom’s repeated, often misleading talking points about the state's economic health, homelessness decline, and the spiraling costs of the high-speed rail project:
  • “We've got to update our talking points. We've seen a 9% decline in unsheltered homelessness. Got to update our talking points. We've seen a 60% increase in permits for housing.” (Gavin Newsom, 23:56)
  • “You just said something wildly untrue and got applause for it. So yeah, I think you’re right. It’s bubble politics…” (Jack Armstrong, 27:19)

Seattle, Socialism, and Wealth

Timestamps: 27:19–34:36

• Seattle’s Socialist Policies and Business Exodus
  The team highlights the case of Seattle socialist mayor Katie Wilson—a 43-year-old living on a parental allowance—whose anti-business stances coincide with businesses (like Starbucks HQ) leaving for more tax-friendly states:

  • “She’s 43. A socialist who mommy and daddy finance, which is honestly the history of most socialist thinkers…” (Jack Armstrong, 27:59)
  • “I think the claims that millionaires are going to leave our state are like super overblown. And if the ones that leave like bye.” (Mayor Katie Wilson, 29:40, as mocked by Jack Armstrong)

• The Realities of Taxation and Wealth Creation
  The discussion underlines that much of tax revenue comes from the wealthy, and confiscating billionaire wealth wouldn’t solve systemic financial woes:

  • “She thinks…wealth just exists. And the only question is how to divide up the pie. They never think about creating it because they can’t.” (Jack Armstrong, 31:00)
  • “Socialism has failed everywhere. But its flaws are exposed much faster in free countries like the United States where individuals and businesses can simply leave for more welcoming jurisdictions.” (Washington Post editorial cited, 34:14)

Business Flight from Progressive States

Timestamps: 35:10–36:59

• The economic consequences of progressive policies in states like Colorado and California are laid bare, with entrepreneurs and companies jumping ship:
  • “[Colorado’s] tech haven…is devolving into the place of their nightmares, California.” (35:53)
  • “Dozens of companies are skipping town for more welcoming climes…” (Jack Armstrong, 36:48)

Gross-Out/Comic Relief Segment: "Boob Mold"

Timestamps: 37:08–41:18

• A lighthearted, stomach-turning detour, as Joe Getty relays a doctor’s patient story involving extreme personal neglect and resulting “boob mold.”
  • “He had to ask her to lift those up... and there was a tremendous amount of mold growing underneath her boobs.” (Joe Getty, 39:32)
  • “Sub booble mold. I'll bet the, the scent... The aroma was…” (Jack Armstrong, 40:05)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Modern Media and Truth:
  “You don’t need to tell the truth because your crowd will not hear the pushback. It doesn’t make any difference anymore… so I can say anything.” (Joe Getty, 06:06)

• On Cynicism in Media:
  “I think with Tucker, he’s become completely cynical…he finally got to the, ‘Oh, this whole thing is fake. Everybody’s just saying what they need to say to make money.’” (Joe Getty, 09:41)

• On Progressive Governance:
  “She believes many things to be true, particularly on the topic of economics that simply are not true…These people, these socialists, come out with these ideas that are just harebrained, they don’t make sense, they don’t work.” (Jack Armstrong, 31:00)

• On Political Bubbles:
  “It’s bubble politics and he’s a fairly, you know, expert practitioner of it.” (Jack Armstrong, 27:19)

• On Gross-Out Storytelling:
  “Boob mold. Somebody whose boobs are so big and hang down and she doesn’t clean herself that the mold is growing under there.” (Joe Getty, 40:01)

---

Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:36–02:17 | Show intro & episode theme | | 02:24–15:11 | Tucker Carlson, Trump, spells, Antichrist, media gaslighting | | 18:23–23:46 | Taco Bell story, state visit protocols, Trump & Xi security | | 23:56–27:19 | Gavin Newsom, California economic myths, bullet train | | 27:19–34:36 | Seattle socialist mayor, business & millionaire exodus | | 35:10–36:59 | Colorado’s reverse-migration, effects of progressive policies | | 37:08–41:18 | Gross-out comic relief (“boob mold” story) |

---

Language and Tone

The hosts bring a mix of sarcasm, skepticism, and exasperation—especially when covering political topics—while often diving into biting mockery and dark humor for comic effect. There is frequent riffing, exaggeration for comedic effect, and a clear “no-BS” attitude throughout.

---

Summary Takeaway

This episode is a classic Armstrong & Getty blend—deftly skewering political absurdities, calling out media gamesmanship, and wrestling with the rising tide of populism and ideological bubbles. With their trademark mix of frustration and laughs, they make the case that reality is increasingly up for grabs—whether in coastal state politics, progressive cities, or the headlines spun by media kings.

Transcript

[Announcer]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

[Mood.com Advertiser]

Let's be honest. Buying cannabis shouldn't be complicated, sketchy or low quality. That's why I want to tell you about mood.com. that's m o o d dot com. Mood ships federally legal cannabis straight to your door. No medical card, no hassle. And here's the kicker. The quality is better than anything you'll find at your local dispensary. Yeah, I said it. Whether you're into edibles, concentrates, flower, or just looking to explore, you'll find it all at Mood. And it's not just the variety that makes them stand out. Every product is sourced from small American owned family farms that care deeply about what they grow. It's cannabis you can trust, delivered discreetly and ready to elevate your mood. And because you're a listener, you get 20% off your first order. Just head to mood.com for that's mood.com to get started.

[Jan from Toyota]

Hey campers, it's Jan from Toyota. This summer we're headed to Camp Toyota and the fun starts now. We're kicking things off by kicking up mud. Jump in, campers. We're going off roading in a 4Runner. Next we're heading to the hot springs in Arav 4. And finally, park your tundras and Tacomas around the campfire because we're roasting marshmallows. There's Dunner Dart here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Dealer inventory may vary, so your participating

[Toyota Advertiser]

Toyota dealer for details, event hands June 1st Toyota. Let's go places.

[Jack Armstrong]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln radio studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center,

[Announcer]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty. And now, here's Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Thanks for tuning in. The best weekend talk show in America. We're Armstrong and Gettys.

[Jack Armstrong]

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.

[Joe Getty]

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.

[Michael]

You know, there were a lot of cowardly people, as there always are. And Trump engenders cowardice in the people around him through intimidation. And there is a kind of quality that he has that's spellbinding. And I think it probably literally is a spell and the effect is to weaken people around him. And make them more compliant and more confused. And I've experienced this myself. You spend a day with Trump and sort of like you're in this kind of dreamland. It's like smoking hash or something. It's interesting. Very interesting. And there may be a supernatural component to it. I'm not a theologian, but it's real. And anyone who's been around him can tell you it's real.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

That's Tucker Carlson. He did an interview with the New York Times over the weekend in which he said a bunch of amazing things. We brought you some of them last week. But he, I. Well, let me read what Mark Levin tweeted out with a clip. That clip there. Mark Levin, who's got a TV show on Fox and does a radio show. A lot of you know that I

[Jack Armstrong]

tried to knock Jack's phone out of his hand with my own spell.

[Joe Getty]

It didn't work. Folks, Carlson is, in my opinion, folks, Carlson is. That's we. Mark Levin talks. Folks, Carlson is, in my opinion, mentally ill. That's the explanation. Not complicated. I didn't think that before. I thought he was just a grifter. That clip there where he sounds completely sincere. I think he has a supernatural power to put spells on people. I mean, that's a crazy thing to say.

[Jack Armstrong]

Supernatural, late onset psychosis. For Tucker, it's fairly rare. I think I still go. His gift is seeming sincere. I think he's appealing to people who believe that sort of thing. Kind of a magical thinking, conspiracy theory crowd. I sit ready to be corrected that

[Joe Getty]

he at various times what he means by spell and supernatural. Because after supernatural, he said, I don't know. I'm not a theologian. Okay, now you're talking about something in the world of God and stuff. Y you throw a theologian, it's not just like witch magic stuff. And that comes in, in this clip.

[Michael]

You cannot mock other people's gods and put yourself in their place, period. That is a deal killer for me. That's worse than the war with Iran, in my opinion.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. But I ask because, you know, you've been talking on your show about whether Trump is the Antichrist.

[Michael]

I have not said that.

[Interviewer]

On your show, the day after Easter, you noted he did not put his hand on the Bible during his swearing ceremony as president. You said, and I'm quoting, maybe he didn't put his hand on the Bible because he affirmatively rejects what's inside that book. And then on a recent show, you went further saying, here's a leader who's mocking the gods of his ancestors. Mocking the God of gods and exalting himself above them. Could this be the Antichrist?

[Michael]

I actually did not say, could this be the Antichrist? Here's a leader who's mocking the gods of his ancestors, Mocking the God of gods and exalting himself above them. Could this be the Antichrist? Well, who knows? I don't know where that comes from, but I know that those words never left my lips because I'm not sure I fully understand what the Antichrist is. If there's just one. I actually tried to understand it. I may have said some are asking that. I'm not weighing in on that because I don't understand it.

[Joe Getty]

So because you're listening to this in audio, not watching the video, you couldn't tell there that they, they, they, they went to a clip of Tucker show in which he clearly obviously said, could Trump be the Antichrist? Then he says, I don't know where you got that? I never said that. So that's where we are, ladies and gentlemen. That's where we are.

[Jack Armstrong]

Turn on the gas lights, everybody.

[Joe Getty]

You know, in my ongoing thing about you don't need to tell the truth because your crowd will not hear the pushback. It doesn't make any difference anymore. Trump may have invented it or figured out the media landscape.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know.

[Joe Getty]

That's what Gavin Newsom's doing. That's what lots of people are doing. AOC does it all the time. People have figured out nobody's going to hear the pushback. So I can say anything. The people who love Tucker aren't going to watch a New York Times interview with Tucker Carlson on New York Times website, guaranteed.

[Jack Armstrong]

But those of us who would and think Tucker has either lost his mind or is now a grifter are at least temporarily set back thinking, well, whoa, he just outright denied having said it in spite of the tape. Could it be AI? Is it a creation? I confused. I don't know. And this is the great aim of propaganda. I don't know what to believe.

[Joe Getty]

I'm not confused. I think he just, he can just deny it. Like I said, his crowd's not watching this, so he can just roll with it. But that's a heck of a thing that, that seems like the next level to me is for me to, for you to show me a play audio of me saying something and I just say flat out say, I never said that.

[Jack Armstrong]

What?

[Joe Getty]

What?

[Jack Armstrong]

Tucker? You know, I'd love to spend enough time to like chart this out or talk to somebody who's already figured it out. Because I'm sure they exist. I used to, when Tucker was on Fox News, I'd watch his show and his opening segment was so good. He's such a good writer.

[Joe Getty]

So good. I watched it every single night.

[Jack Armstrong]

And every show is a masterclass on how to argue unfairly. But there's got to be like a classical fallacy or description of what he said in the first clip about that Trump can cast a spell, an actual spell. It might be supernatural. I don't know. I'm not a theologian. And so he trots out a premise that Trump can cast spells in the way of the supernatural, whether it's, you know, Harry Potter or Satan or whatever. And then to deflect any possible objection, says, I don't know, I'm not a theologian. Which introduces into the discussion the notion that one must be a theologian to enter an opinion as to whether Trump can cast spells. So that is that real rhetorical Cirque du Soleil tap dance.

[Joe Getty]

Well, and then you get into this. I mean, this is like Candace Owens sort of thing here. He didn't put his hand on the Bible. Why is that? Is it because he rejects everything in there? Oh, come on, give me a break.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, that's. There's an enormous, spectacularly lucrative market for what he's doing. I think that's your explanation, what I

[Joe Getty]

was going to say to you. That's funny. It flitted out of my head. If you're a Jim Rome fan, the sports radio host Jim Rome used to always say scoreboard, because, like, all you're complaining about this and that and your arguments. Scoreboard, who had the most points at the end of the game, who won? Scoreboard for Tucker Carlson is his bank account. Scoreboard. I mean, he might be worth a hundred million dollars. He probably is. He's making more money now than he made at Fox News, making $20 million a year.

[Jack Armstrong]

Fox. Yeah, yeah. And Candace is making shortstop money.

[Michael]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know how you sleep at

[Jack Armstrong]

night because you have no conscience or you've become completely cynical.

[Joe Getty]

I think with Tucker, he's become completely cynical, and I could see how you'd get there. I think he's around politics. He was so close to it his whole life and worked for cnn, msnbc, abc. And it worked for everybody at various points was around all these politicians. I think he finally got to the, oh, this whole thing is fake. Everybody's just saying what they need to say to make money. The politicians, the media, people, everybody. Okay, now I'm going to do it,

[Jack Armstrong]

and I Think like a woman. A woman or. Well, that was good, Michael. I really enjoy that. Like a woman or a man scorned, I think, and I don't think I'm being naive. I think he actually cared pretty deeply about certain principles for a long time.

[Joe Getty]

I do, too. That's why I always watched him and

[Jack Armstrong]

read him and then realized that the pros that are in charge of government couldn't give an S about those principles. And they only pretend to agree with them, to either drag you along or shut you up. But no, they're. They're completely, wildly cynical. You combine that with a notion that is amoral but understandable, that, look, these people are going to give their money and loyalty to somebody. I could let Candice have the whole pie, or I can join in and make that money, too.

[Joe Getty]

This is next level, though. When they play you a tape from your show, it's easily findable. You can go to his website right now and watch him call Trump the Antichrist. And for him to say, I never said that, I mean, that is. We're in a new spot now.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't like this spot. You got any other spots I could choose from?

[Joe Getty]

Holy crap.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's why I'm always saying, I'll be in the woods if you need me. I believe these waters to be unnavigable.

[Joe Getty]

So this got him a lot of attention, and we might as well hear him lay it out on why he. Because we were, we were at the convention, the Republican convention. Tucker got the biggest crowd response of anybody. But Tucker, Trump, when he walked out,

[Jack Armstrong]

it was like you'd gone to see Robert Plant and Jimmy Page walked on the stage in terms of rapturousness, and

[Joe Getty]

he was great, and he had no notes and anything, and he just walked out there and he winged it and he was fantastic. And now he and Trump have broken and he explains all that now, 80,

[Michael]

80 truly believe that the baseline requirement, that ticket of admission to the conversation is admitting when you are wrong. And I spent 10 years defending Trump on Fox News. I probably do it again because on the issues, I agree with him. I never said a. I never defended a single thing I didn't believe. But at this point, the consequences of this decision are so bad for the United States and for my, my family. And he's talking about that like you have to say. You just have to say it out loud. Like I'm a small reason. I don't think I'm. I don't think I moved a of votes, but I tried to. I told people this guy will keep us out of the next. Iraq, specifically, will keep us out of a regime change war with Iran. And here we are in the middle of a regime change war in Iran where hundreds of Americans have been wounded, some number have been killed. They won't tell us. And that's just the opposite of what I said would happen. So I'm sorry.

[Joe Getty]

He's sorry that he helped play the role in getting Trump elected. Now, I've heard him in interviews and then other people talk about this. It is about the war in Iraq. Something broken his brain. That was the, that was the straw that broke the camel's back where he decided, okay, this is all a lie. He feels like because he, he supported the war with Iraq. He tried to convince people, I think he was at cnn then it goes way back. He, he tried to convince people, no, the Warner rack is a good idea, and here is why. And then when it turned out there were no weapons of mass destruction, all that. He feels like he personally was lied to. Maybe he was. And that's when everything broke for him. He said, oh, okay, okay. This is all, this is all freaking game. You go, okay, well, now I'm gonna do it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Another interesting Tuckerism there. The whole we don't know. They won't tell us. I think they have told us.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, he's so good at that with,

[Jack Armstrong]

like, names and addresses. But I ran into some guys who are lapping this stuff up a week or two ago and that sort of thing. Something's been hidden. But you and me, we're way too smart to believe it is so appealing to people, to their egos, their sense of justice. We've talked about it a lot.

[Joe Getty]

I got a question for you before we take a break.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Do you believe Tucker thinks Trump might be the Antichrist?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, boy.

[Joe Getty]

I'll answer while you think. I. If you'd asked me last week, I'd have said no after hearing that interview. I think maybe he actually believes it. He's a very religious guy, Tucker. I think he actually believes it.

[Jack Armstrong]

And that would also explain his bizarre, indefensible defense of, like, Eastern Orthodox religion, including the Russian Orthodox Church. He thinks we're in the cataclysmic battle for good and evil with the whole woke crowd and Rainbow Trans Coalition people. And yeah, they're brutes, but you got to be a brute to defend Christianity. He might believe that. Wow.

[Joe Getty]

Any thoughts on that? Text line 415295 KFTC.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Announcer]

When you send a business gift, you're doing More than saying thanks, you're delivering a message one of appreciation, recognition and connection. With four Imprint, that message lands with certainty. From premium drinkware and apparel to tech totes and more, you'll find high quality products that reflect your brand with care. Supported by 4imprint's expert service and their 360 degree guarantee, you can be 4imprint certain your gift arrives right on time and on brand. Explore gifting with [e-mail] for imprint for

[Jan from Toyota]

certain hey campers, it's Jan from Toyota. This summer we're headed to Camp Toyota and the fun starts now. We're kicking things off by by kicking up mud. Jump in campers. We're going off roading in a 4Runner. Next, we're heading to the hot springs in Arav 4. And finally, park your tundras and Tacomas around the campfire because we're roasting marshmallows.

[Jack Armstrong]

Dealer inventory may vary so you're participating Toyota dealer for details.

[Toyota Advertiser]

Event ends June 1st. Toyota let's Go Places.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, so for the final trivia question,

[Joe Getty]

what is the largest mammal in the world?

[Jack Armstrong]

Reminder, no phones allowed.

[Joe Getty]

Sir, in the orange phone away please.

[Toyota Advertiser]

Um, my kid a smart smoke alarm

[Joe Getty]

sent an alert through the Ring app.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, sure.

[Toyota Advertiser]

No, there's smoke in my house.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, right. A smoke alarm texting you. That's a new one.

[Toyota Advertiser]

See, the train monitoring agent is calling now.

[Michael]

Hello.

[Announcer]

The Kida smart smoke alarm sends real time mobile alerts in the Ring app. And with a subscription, emergency help can be requested even when you're not home.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, ok, back to trivia. Oh, seriously, you in the green, why are you on your phone Blender texting

[Joe Getty]

you about a smoothie recipe?

[Announcer]

Visit [e-mail] to learn more. A compatible Ring subscription is required for 24. 7 Smoke and carbon monoxide monitoring sold separately.

[Toyota Advertiser]

Summer is calling. The road, the water, the open sky. Wherever your plans take you, one thing should always come with you. Peace of mind. That's where Air Medcare Network and Flyu Home memberships come in. Air MedCare Network provides emergency air ambulance service with specially trained medical crews ready to respond when seconds count. Flyuhome adds protection with when you're far from home, delivering hospital to hospital Air medical transport when it matters most and you will pay nothing out of pocket only with membership and Air MedCare's providers. One membership helps protect your entire household, including students away at school. Even if you are uninsured, underinsured or have high co pays and deductibles, our members are financially protected so you can focus on summer Fun now take 20% off membership only during our Summer of Safety Safety campaign. Just visit airmedcarenetwork.com today to enroll before summer travel begins. Membership terms and conditions apply.

[Jack Armstrong]

Authorities in Florida arrested a Taco Bell employee last week after he allegedly fired a gun at a customer who filled a water cup with soda. Police are calling the man unstable and Taco Bell is calling him employee of the month.

[Joe Getty]

He can't have somebody sell to have a water, then go over to the soda machine, put pop in there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Let's break down a society.

[Joe Getty]

Exactly. What's next?

[Jack Armstrong]

My God. So Trump is meeting with Xi Jinping in a week, couple of weeks, something like that. I don't. Nobody knows the 12th. I believe they know down to the minute, down to the second, what's going to happen. One fascinating piece I came across about planning for these state visits and it's especially important now because during Trump's last state visit to Beijing in 2017, nine years ago, his security detail and Xi Jinping's got into a fist fight in the corridor of the Great hall of the People while the leaders were meeting in an adjoining room. A couple of diplomats had to pry the combatants apart. And now normally there aren't that sort of fistfight, but the logistics that go into these things are mind boggling. Who fought the security details?

[Joe Getty]

Both leaders, like our Secret Service, people against their people.

[Jack Armstrong]

Fist fight. Yeah, yeah, fisticuffs.

[Joe Getty]

So.

[Jack Armstrong]

And the story by a Chinese sounding fellow in the Wall Street Journal, how to avoid fistfights and poisonings at world leaders summits. They open with the story of when you remember when Winnie the Pooh was in San Francisco and, and Gavin Newsom and the government of San Francisco actually cleaned up the streets for the communist, not for the citizens and taxpayers, but they cleaned it up for the communists and moved the bums and junkies out of the way. But anyway, he had just. Xi Jinping had just finished a lunch of herbed ricotta ravioli at a secluded estate outside San Francisco when his security agents sprang into action. Their mission ensuring no trace of the Chinese leader's DNA, fell into foreign hands. The agent, measuring 6 foot 3, both of them 6 foot 3, dressed in identical dark suits, were observed grabbing Xi's utensils and plate and spraying them with an unidentified liquid. Welcome to the unseen theater of great power diplomacy.

[Joe Getty]

So they don't want us to get a little DNA, which we might run through and find out he's got the gene for some sort of cancer and be able to predict when he might Die or something.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or something. Give me 15 minutes and maybe a bong hit and I might be able to come up with some use at DNA. Of course, I'm not a bio. Molecular biologist.

[Joe Getty]

Sounds a little. I mean, we might actually do that, and we probably actually do do that, but I. I doubt it comes to much.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. If there's a way to exploit it, let's try. But Rick Waters, I quote, he's a former State Department official who helped organize Trump's visit to Beijing in. He says these visits are traumatic for those of us who have to organize them.

[Joe Getty]

You know, we would absolutely do that with Putin. Probably do it with Xi too, then, like with Putin particularly, you'd want to know, is he on some sort of drugs that, you know, treat kidney disease or this kind of cancer or that or whatever?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, never mind the DNA in the saliva, what else? Yeah, yeah, Spit in this tube, Vladimir. Why? Don't worry about it. Oh, let's see. Everything from.

[Joe Getty]

You can't get him to spit in

[Jack Armstrong]

the tube, so you just grab his

[Joe Getty]

fork after he has his tiramisu.

[Jack Armstrong]

Exactly. Everything from tarmac protocols to takeover of entire hotels is planned ahead. State visit involves a traveling party of dozens of people. Multiple aircraft transport the president, cabinet members, the press, presidential limousines. The armored beasts are shipped ahead. Secure communications equipments follow. Secret Service and White House communications specialists arrive early to sweep the venues, establish secure eavesdrop proof rooms, and negotiate how many armed Americans can operate on Chinese soil. The Chinese require a formal. Formal diplomatic note submitted well in advance for every firearm and walkie talkie the US Wishes to bring in with a full explanation of why it's necessary. A medical team travels with the president, supported by a full surgical suite on Air Force One. Menus hammered out course by course. Ingredients screened to avoid poisoning. Not just assassination poisoning, but good old food poisoning. These trips are planned in 15 minute increments. We call it a tick tock, said Dennis Wilder, a senior national security official who helped arrange W's trip to China in the early 2000s. And then they labor over who's going to ride in which car of the motorcade. People get upset when they're too far back. What are the Chinese going to think if I walk out of car number four instead of car number two? They labor over this stuff.

[Joe Getty]

So the idea that you got a full setup to do surgery if something happens to the president means you must have surgeons on board to do that surgery. Man, that's a. You fly around the country and don't do much job oh, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Surgical nurses, the whole tray of equipment, anesthesia, an anesthesiologist.

[Joe Getty]

And four years is almost certainly going to go by without you doing anything ever.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

That's a good.

[Jack Armstrong]

Get a splinter here. I'll take care of it. Armstrong and Getty.

[Gavin Newsom]

California is dominant. We also have seen the last three years population growth. We've got to update our talking points. We've seen a 9% decline in unsheltered homelessness. Got to update our talking points. We've seen a 60% increase in permits for housing. We've got to update talking points. I'm very proud of the state of California.

[Joe Getty]

Was that edited Hansen, or is that actually the way he presented it?

[Jack Armstrong]

So he presented it.

[Joe Getty]

Interesting.

[Jack Armstrong]

So obnoxious.

[Joe Getty]

I saw an ad and anti Gavin ad by one of the gubernatorial candidates over the weekend. I guess where does that whole California is the fourth biggest economy on earth thing? If it were its own country, which you say is misleading and I've always wondered about that. We should. We should go deep on that someday. But it also went with, if California was its own country, it'd be about the most expensive country on earth. And here's why. That I thought was really interesting. We should get into that later.

[Jack Armstrong]

Be like living in Monaco. So Gabby boy was on with Bill Maher and I think a lot of us were excited about that. That the great reformed liberal, the great speaker of truth to power, Bill Maher, would rake Gavi over the coals. But no, it turns out they're buddies and he just softballed him. And it was incredibly disappointing. This was at least something.

[Joe Getty]

Gavin, you got to get rid of the train.

[Gavin Newsom]

The train.

[Jack Armstrong]

I say this as a friend.

[Joe Getty]

You got to let that train go.

[Jack Armstrong]

Let the train go.

[Joe Getty]

It's up to $231 billion.

[Gavin Newsom]

That's not. That's just not. It's not. We're doing. We're doing $119 million segment. We got it back on track. It goes back three administrations. I inherited a mess. We put it back on track. All the environmental work is behind us. We're actually laying the track. All the legal litigation, all the land issues are all behind us. We're actually making this project work. And so that's a fact now on the issue of California.

[Joe Getty]

So for whatever reason.

[Gavin Newsom]

Of course it has. And you can't make up for the past. I can only make up for my segment literally and figuratively. As governor over the last seven years.

[Joe Getty]

For whatever reason, Bill Maher decided to not say this week the California Bullet Train association on their Own website said they had updated the total to whatever it is.

[Jack Armstrong]

200, 231 billion. Yeah. And experts who are like, if you're serious about building this thing even close to his promise, say it's going to be like 400 to 500 billion. So Gavin was just flat out lying. His own high speed rail Commission said 231 billion. He said, oh, that's not true at all. He's just a liar.

[Joe Getty]

What does that mean?

[Jack Armstrong]

And then I wish I pushed him

[Joe Getty]

on it because I'd like to have heard what Gavin would say about that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Trump blasted out this long truth about how low rated Bill Maher is. Irrelevant. He's a weak and ineffective person. He was scared when he came to the White House and just terrible. Barely more talented than Kimmel. And Gavin's a liar, which is true. And look at la, San Francisco, the horrendous homeless problem over the railway catastrophe, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, so speaking of progressive, I'm not

[Joe Getty]

sure being a liar works at all anymore as a thinking that'll bring somebody down. As I keep saying. I think Trump figured out and now Gavin figured out. Oh, okay, I get it now nobody, your own people never hear the pushback, right? So you don't have to worry about it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, he just said something wildly untrue and got applause for it. So yeah, I think you're right. It's bubble politics and he's a fairly, you know, expert practitioner of it. So speaking of the progressive Seattle and its utterly fuzzy headed progressive dream world, rainy pine tree soaked waterfront brand of progressivism, elected this woman child, Katie Wilson in November. An avowed socialist who's been on an allowance of $10,000 a year from her parents because life is kind of expected. She's expensive. She's 43. 43. A socialist who mommy and daddy finance, which is honestly the history of most socialist thinkers, quote, unquote.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, I went to the May Day celebration in my town Friday. I was driving by the park and saw all the communist flags and stuff like that. Oh, right, it's Mayday. And I live in Davis, California, so of course there's, there's a gathering in the park. I'll have to talk about that later.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, please.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

So nine days after winning Seattle's November mayoral election, Katie Wilson joined the Starbucks baristas who were picketing and pledging to boycott the coffee conglomerate until the union gets its way. And then in March, not long ago, the chain said, yeah, we're closing five additional stores in Seattle, including four that had unionized poor Financial performance, bad customer experience. And by the way, last week they announced we're establishing our new corporate headquarters in Nashville and we're going to invest $100 million and bring 2,000 jobs to Nashville and out of here. Goobay. And the 43 year old Ms. Wilson, who gets the allowance from her mommy and daddy, is defiant about the consequences of her antagonism towards successful people who create value for society. That is a quote from the Washington Post editorial board. The Washington Post. Speaking recently at a Seattle University event, the mayor brushed off claims that taxpayers are going to respond poorly to higher taxes. I think the claims that millionaires are going to leave our state are like super overblown.

[Jan from Toyota]

And if you know the ones that leave like bye.

[Jack Armstrong]

So. I will quote her and somebody, if you are skilled in calligraphy, please, please scratch this down in that fancy, fancy font. I think the claims that millionaires are going to leave our state are like super overblown. And if the ones that leave like bye.

[Joe Getty]

And then cheers.

[Jack Armstrong]

That sentence again. And if the ones that leave like bye. Oh boy. And then the Washington Post editorial. So does she not realize that millionaires

[Joe Getty]

and billionaires pay the vast majority of all the taxes?

[Jack Armstrong]

She well, that crowd, do they not know the math on that or are

[Joe Getty]

they just being populists? And it plays well because most people don't know the math on that, that it's millionaires and billionaires that are paying practically all the taxes. And without them you're doomed. And if you could, as has been pointed out many people, by many people, you could, you could confiscate all the billionaires wealth just confiscated all. And we still wouldn't make a dent in our overall federal problem with, with our entitlements.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. I'm reminded of the quote from Thomas Solo. We hit the folks with just to open the show or toward the beginning of the show. What? And I'll hit you with it in a second. But the answer to your question, I think is that Katie Wilson has no idea how wealth is created. She believes many things to be true, particularly on the topic of economics that simply are not true. She has been, you know, there's always been the contrast between book smart and street smart. The problem in the modern day is that book smart is fictional. Book smart is utterly like in contrast to what happens in the real world on the street. So these people, these socialists come out with these ideas that are just harebrained, they don't make sense, they don't work. They've been tested over and over again and failed over and over again, as Thomas Sowell said, what do the poor most need? They need to stop being poor. And how can that be done on a mass scale except by an economy that creates vastly more wealth? Yet the political left, Katie Wilson, has long had a remarkable lack of interest in how wealth is created. As far as they're concerned, wealth exists somehow and the only interesting question is how to redistribute it. I think that's the long and short of it. She thinks like you're Jerry's Brown and you're, you know, all sorts of progressives all over the place, that wealth just exists. And the only question is how to divide up the pie. They never think about creating it because they can't. Back to the Washington Post. Her arrogance is increasingly typical of the state's political elites. In March, the governor signed, Bob Ferguson signed in a law millionaires tax that would add an additional 10% or so rate on incomes over a million dollars.

[Joe Getty]

10% at once. Oh my God.

[Jack Armstrong]

With the tax on the horizon, that's

[Joe Getty]

when the CEO of Starbucks or the guy that started Starbucks announced he was leaving and claimed it wasn't related to that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced that he and his wife are leaving Seattle for Miami. Florida has no state income tax. Schultz is right.

[Joe Getty]

Because of the weather, he said.

[Jack Armstrong]

Speaking to a local TV station last year, Microsoft president Brad Smith acknowledged that, quote, I'm probably more worried right now about the business climate in Washington than at any point over the last 30 years. If other people are paying for jobs to leave and we're taxing them to stay, that will make everything harder. Hey, Brad, just say what you mean. I know you don't want to offend the stupid little socialists, but say it's going to drive business out of Washington. Yeah, I don't say that will make everything harder.

[Joe Getty]

That's the most annoying part of this whole thing is when Walgreens closed its doors in San Francisco, it didn't say it's because of the policies. There's too many junkies on the street and we get robbed all the time. They had to pretend it's. Well, there's cutbacks in a difficult economy, underperforming stores. Same as Schultz leaving Seattle. I remember when he made that announcement and he wouldn't say out loud. He pretended it wasn't because of the. No, it's a coincidence. This, this millionaires tax that you just passed that I'm moving to Florida. Say it out loud. Say this is an anti business. Doesn't make sense. Look, I'm A liberal Democrat. But this doesn't make any sense.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wish he'd have said it out loud. Right, you're driving jobs out. Finally, this socialism has failed everywhere. But its flaws are exposed much faster in free countries like the United States where individuals and businesses can simply leave for more welcoming jurisdictions. The question, and this is a question we've asked many times, is how much economic damage gets done before voters start electing politicians who reverse course.

[Joe Getty]

Man, my kids were. We walked through the May Day celebration and they just kept asking you how do these people believe this? Because they've heard my screed forever that communism has killed more people than anything else on earth. More than World War II. Many more people killed by communism. Socialism as a, as a way to run your government. And you got all those people in the park. Would you like to help elect a socialist representative? People were yelling to me from tables, no thank you, you nut jobs.

[Jack Armstrong]

It is the political version of a five year old saying, let's eat candy all day with absolutely no concept of how disastrous that would be. The college kids been blessed the most

[Gavin Newsom]

who have disproportionately extracted by whatever skill more and more from the national wealth. They're going to have to share more of that.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is one of the worst statements ever made my.

[Joe Getty]

By the four term governor of California. I understand the young people that were at the May Day celebration, but there's a lot of older people there, including old people walking around with their signs like how you've been around for a long time. Where has this worked for you, this whole communism thing?

[Jack Armstrong]

You nut jobs, human being, human beings ability to ignore reality is unbelievable. Now Colorado gets a brief kicking from the Wall Street Journal. Entrepreneurs flock to Colorado. Now red tape is driving some vocal group of California software engineers and venture capitalists are increasingly, increasingly grumbling that their tech haven in the Rocky Mountains is devolving into the place of their nightmares, California. You hear that Gavin? People who actually create wealth say the place of their nightmares is California. They talk about how during the 2010s, the Rocky Mountains from Boulder to Colorado Springs was dubbed Silicon Mountain. And now you've got a collection of more than 300 prominent business leaders who are saying out loud all year utopian regulations are hindering growth and dozens of companies are skipping town for more welcoming Clives than Colorado. Same policies, same results. Duh. Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Do you want to, you want, you want at some point to hear the grossest thing I've ever heard?

[Jack Armstrong]

No.

[Joe Getty]

No.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, Michael, you get a vote too.

[Michael]

Go ahead.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, no.

[Jack Armstrong]

You've betrayed me, Michael. I know if Katie was here, she'd say, hell yeah, let's hear.

[Joe Getty]

She would say that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Are you gonna. Oh, my God.

[Joe Getty]

I'm trying to.

[Jack Armstrong]

What I said about. All right, I will say one more thing, and then you can decide on it. I am a super big fan of the, like, lightweight Columbia. Makes good clothes. You know, I've got some stuff from what's the other, Like, Eddie Bauer. It's like they call them guide pants or whatever. Super light, super stretchy, but they keep the damn bugs off you and the sun off you, too. Anyway, strategy number five. Use fans and spatial repellents in outdoor living areas. Fans, because they're not good flyers. Spatial repellents are devices that create a protective radius. These devices, also called spatial emanators. Thermacell makes one. I've always been skeptical that those are fake, but they often have rechargeable batteries and emit just a small amount of a chemical that will deter the mosquitoes from coming into an area. If you're going to be eating outside and staying in one place, I think that they can create an effective bubble of protection around you. And again, these are entomologists who study mosquitoes. So I guess those things are real. What the heck? Catch me outside. How about that? There's a mosquito. Yeah. What have you decided?

[Joe Getty]

So this is apropos of nothing other than me bringing up dirty people. And every time the story of people who aren't clean comes up, I think about this because I heard it firsthand. It was from the medical professional who told me the story. So it's firsthand, but you're hearing it secondhand. But it's always stuck in my head and it's really gross. And if you don't want to hear gross, turn off the radio for a little bit.

[Jack Armstrong]

I guess I have a bad feeling about this.

[Joe Getty]

He had a very overweight patient that came in for some sort of health problem. And he always hated when she came in and he felt bad about this, but she smelled so horrible, it was difficult to deal with her. I'll bet that happens a lot.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's sad. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway, the problem was around her abdomen area, and her very, very large, big woman boobs were covering her abdomen area, so he had to ask her to lift those up.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, boy.

[Joe Getty]

And there was a tremendous amount of mold growing underneath her boobs.

[Jack Armstrong]

Boob mold. Oh, no, you don't want that.

[Joe Getty]

And that's what was causing her to smell so bad.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know about you folks, I was actually braced for something worse than that. What's worse than that? Feeling of relief.

[Joe Getty]

Can you make up some. Make up something worse than that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah, Yeah. I can't. But I won't, because I have restraint.

[Joe Getty]

I don't think I can make up something worse than that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Boob mold.

[Joe Getty]

Somebody whose boobs are so big and hang down and she doesn't clean herself that the mold is growing under there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sub booble mold. I'll bet it was. I'll bet the. The scent. The aroma was. That's what he said.

[Joe Getty]

I could hardly stand to be in

[Jack Armstrong]

the room with her vomitus. The hell?

[Michael]

An aggressive scent.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, golly. That's a bad way to be. I had moldy.

[Joe Getty]

What? Moldy is a bad way to be.

[Jack Armstrong]

I had a twofer for you, the second half of which is quite cerebral. And it's an analysis of how the state of Utah is trying to deal with bums and junkies and not in the cal. Unicornia way of just. Or, you know, Seattle, Portland, whatever. Make them as comfortable and happy as possible. But they're running into all sorts of problems, which does not mean it's not worth doing. And we will talk about it tomorrow. I. Damn it, I swear we will. But I was going to pair it with this vagrant in the East Village of New York who has been called the smelliest man in New York City. He's a vagrant junkie with no control of his bodily functions. And he's become infamous in that part of New York. Wow. That's worse than boob mold. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

It's such a different thing, but yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

This description I will not read to you. Good. Do they notice that which is heard cannot be unheard?

[Joe Getty]

Do they not notice that themselves? Like a boob mold lady. Then she in the car, sometimes think, what is that? Is there a McDonald's wrapper in here?

[Jack Armstrong]

The fascinating thing about smell is the longer you smell something, the less you can smell. True.

[Joe Getty]

Your mind compensates somehow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Smell rose. Smell a rose for 30 solid seconds, and by the end it'll be like, why was I so enthralled by that 30 seconds ago? It's weird.

[Joe Getty]

Or having worked in lots of feedlots and stuff like that, you don't even

[Jack Armstrong]

notice it at all, which is a blessing. Yeah. You Armstrong and Gettysburg.