The Conversation Pit!

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "The Conversation Pit!"

Date: August 19, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty | Producer: Michael
Podcast by: iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

This episode of Armstrong & Getty features the duo’s trademark freewheeling conversation on American political absurdities, current events, and pop culture. Key themes include gerrymandering and voting, dramatic turns in U.S. and international politics, critical media literacy, domestic habits (the “conversation pit”), and reflections on personal routines from health to guitar learning. The hosts approach every topic with a mix of humor, skepticism, and exasperation, often riffing off one another and producer Michael’s eclectic contributions.

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Main Discussion and Key Insights

1. Redistricting, Gerrymandering, and Political Gamesmanship

[03:36–07:58]

• Texas Democrats & Redistricting:
  Jack Armstrong discusses how Texas House Democrats’ attempt to block new GOP-drawn congressional maps by leaving the state seems to be winding down, shifting the battle to upcoming lawsuits.

• Gerrymandering Across the States:
  Joe Getty and Michael highlight that both parties engage in gerrymandering, but current headlines focus on Republicans in Texas and Gavin Newsom’s suggestion to increase Democratic control in California.

  • Michael (on California's proposed map):
    "The analysis looked at his proposed map and it was hilarious...the city of Huntington Beach was divided, slivers of it, into three different districts...The comment was, 'Oh, look, an elephant,' because it was just this weird shaped district, like an elephant's head and then a trunk..." [05:45]
  • Joe laments the performative nature of this:
    "Congresspeople choosing their voters as opposed to voters choosing their congressperson." [05:38]

• Long-Term Consequences:
  They observe that extreme gerrymandering could backfire in a wave election, potentially destabilizing party control.

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2. State Policies and the "Woke" Divide

[07:58–10:01]

• Illinois Aid Expansion:
  Michael critiques Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker for broadening student financial aid eligibility—including to illegal immigrants and some transgender students disqualified for not registering for Selective Service—calling such platforms unserious in the context of broader fiscal woes.

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3. Mail-in Ballots, Voting and Election Integrity

[10:07–14:59]

• Trump’s Attack on Mail-in Ballots:
  Hosts play audio from Donald Trump vowing executive action to eliminate mail-in ballots, which he calls corrupt and unique to the U.S.

  • Trump (audio clip):
    "Mail in ballots are corrupt. Mail in ballots. You can never have a real democracy with mail in ballots..." [10:17]

• Fact Check & Legal Reality:
  Joe corrects misconceptions, reading from the Constitution that voting rules are largely set by states—not the President.

  • Joe Getty:
    "None of these changes can be commanded via executive order. As the Constitution spells it out quite clearly..." [11:44]

• Ballot Harvesting and Fraud Fears:
  Joe and Michael describe real risks with ballot harvesting (far more than with individuals voting multiple times), and lament lack of safeguards in certain states:

  • Joe: "The whole ballot harvesting thing I believe is a problem." [13:56]

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4. Shifting Policies: Party Attitudes & Voting Habits

[14:30–15:05]

• Changing Mail-in Voting Demographics:
  Until recently, mail-in ballots were favored by older and rural Republicans, a dynamic that shifted when Trump began criticizing them.

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5. News, Distracted Driving & Life’s Humorous Sidelights

[15:05–15:40]

• Bret Baer Ticketed:
  Brief mention of Fox news anchor Bret Baer getting a ticket for distracted driving, leading to a comedic riff about how common phone use is behind the wheel.

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6. Design Trends & The "Conversation Pit"

[19:52–21:21]

• Interior Fashion Fads:
  A viral interior decorator rejects TVs, microwaves, and overhead lights in favor of lamps and lit candles—sparking the hosts’ mockery of impractical lifestyle advice and pivoting to the idea of the “conversation pit.”
  • Joe Getty:
    "If I'm a childless, pretentious person with lots of free time, that would be a one way to live." [20:31]
  • Michael:
    "You gotta combo it up so that it's also a conversation pit. Right? Normally a pit is not a good term, but for conversation it is for some reason." [21:09]

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7. Sick Day Science: Zinc, Placebo, and Colds

[21:21–22:29]

• Colds & Remedies:
  The group debates the efficacy of cold remedies—zinc, Airborne, vitamin C—and the power of the placebo effect.
  • Joe Getty:
    "I feel like the zinc does help. If you can cut the length and severity of a cold by half like they claim, that's not nothing." [22:05]

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8. Reading Ulysses & Finnegan’s Wake

[22:33–24:23]

• The Challenge of James Joyce:
  Joe recounts tackling Ulysses, using both an audiobook and text, enjoying the dual experience but noting the time commitment. Michael jokes about the impenetrability of Finnegan’s Wake.
  • Joe Getty:
    "I've been listening to it and reading it at the same time. It says it'll take 40 hours...could take me roughly till I'm 96." [23:02]

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9. Ukraine, Russia, and International Machinations

[28:52–32:26]

• Trump as Peacemaker?:
  Discussion of whether Trump could broker anything between Putin and Zelensky, with colorful speculation on the risks of dealing with Putin.

  • Joe:
    "Zelensky would kill Putin if he could. Putin wouldn't want to walk out of there with bloody hands and be known as the guy who killed him. He's been trying to kill Zelensky for years." [29:13]

• Diplomatic Cynicism:
  The hosts use a "wedding" analogy:

  • Michael:
    "...one of the people who's party to it is like, I'm not getting married...and they're gonna have a meeting at some point between the bride and the utterly unwilling to be a groom groom." [31:40]

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10. Israel, Gaza, and Media Critique

[32:26–41:36]

• War’s Realities & International Pressure:
  The hosts sharply criticize media framing of the Israel-Gaza conflict, particularly the pressure on Israel regarding civilian welfare in wartime conditions.

• Misleading “Starvation” Photos:
  They discuss a Free Press article finding that many viral photos of allegedly starving children were actually of children with preexisting health conditions.

  • Joe Getty:
    "Wait a second. They ran a correction saying that kid was not starving, he had other health conditions. They ran their correction on their PR Twitter feed that has like 80,000 followers." [39:30]
  • Michael:
    "You either in the propaganda business, you're either lazy, sloppy, or you did that all completely on purpose." [40:37]

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11. From International Crises to Golf to Celebrity Guitar Moments

[41:08–47:02]

• Trump Golf Courses:
  Joe and Michael joke about Trump's claim of championship golf prowess and the opulence of his courses.

  • Michael on Trump’s golf acumen:
    "He cheats like crazy. He's quite good for a guy his age. He's not as good as he claims..." [41:53]

• Brad Paisley's Guitar Tradition:
  Hosts note country star Brad Paisley giving away a guitar to inspire kids at his concerts, which prompts personal stories about music lessons and the difficulties of teaching one’s own child an instrument.

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12. On Motivation, Practice, and Grand Ambitions

[47:07–48:57]

• Practice vs. Wishful Thinking:
  Jack muses on how wanting to be skilled (in music, writing, sports or fitness) is not the same as doing the daily work.

  • Jack Armstrong:
    "Whether it be writing, guitar, golf, pretty much whatever you want to do...It's all about a little bit every day as opposed to one afternoon...then not again for another month. It's a little bit every day." [49:59]

• Plato’s Wisdom:
  Michael quotes:
  "It was the great Plato, I believe, who said, if you would play the flute. Play the flute." [48:52]

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13. Final Thoughts & Recommendations

[49:22–50:28]

• Team Final Thoughts:
  • Michelangelo is intrigued by AI therapy.
  • Newswoman Katie Green is inspired to pick up guitar again.
  • Jack re-emphasizes daily practice over occasional bursts.
  • Michael recommends Netflix's "Quarterback" documentary:
    "It's unbelievably compelling and interesting. And like all documentaries, it's about human beings..." [50:12]

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Notable Quotes

• "Congresspeople choosing their voters as opposed to voters choosing their congressperson."
  — Joe Getty on gerrymandering [05:38]

• "I feel like the zinc does help. If you can cut the length and severity of a cold by half like they claim, that's not nothing."
  — Joe Getty on cold remedies [22:05]

• "If I'm a childless, pretentious person with lots of free time, that would be a one way to live."
  — Joe Getty, mocking impractical home advice [20:31]

• "I'm not sure I would blame Trump for the [mail-in ballot] change. I just think the Democrats saw an opportunity."
  — Michael [14:59]

• "If you would play the flute. Play the flute."
  — Michael, citing Plato [48:52]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Time | |----------------------------------------|-------------| | Texas Redistricting & Gerrymandering | 03:36–07:58 | | Mail-in Ballots & Election Integrity | 10:07–14:59 | | Ballot Harvesting Concerns | 13:01–13:56 | | Ulysses, Finnegan’s Wake, Reading | 22:33–24:23 | | Putin, Zelensky, Trump & Diplomacy | 28:52–32:26 | | Israel-Gaza War & Media Accountability | 32:26–41:36 | | Practice & Ambition Discussion | 47:07–48:57 | | Team Final Thoughts | 49:22–50:28 |

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Episode Highlights

• The hosts provide a running, skeptical critique of modern politics—whether it’s state-level gerrymandering, the manipulation of public aid, or the perennial posturing around elections.
• They blend this with lighter musings: lampooning design trends, reflecting on habits like music practice, and sharing pop culture miscellania (from Brad Paisley to Netflix docuseries).
• The dialogue is sprinkled with sarcasm, historical trivia, and the hosts’ signature dry wit—never straying too far from cynicism, common sense, or self-deprecation.

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Tone

Irreverent, skeptical, brisk, and conversational. The hosts move seamlessly from deeper political critique to everyday observations, always foregrounding humor and the view that common sense is in short supply.

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This summary provides a comprehensive breakdown for listeners who missed the episode—delivering both substance and style in keeping with Armstrong & Getty’s unmistakable voice.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

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[Joe Getty]

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[Joe Getty]

From the Abraham Link Radio studio at.

[Commercial Announcer]

The George Washington Broadcast Center. Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

And now here's Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Publicans here in Texas are just one step closer to getting those new congressional maps past these Texas House Democrats returned after that 15 day stay away, in part because there's not much more that they can do to try to block this piece of legislation now. Instead, their attention is going to turn to the upcoming lawsuits that will be pursued. Now, GOP lawmakers have not set a timeline for when these new congressional maps could be passed, but it could be as soon as this week. And that is when these Texas House Democrats plan to make their arguments that can be used in those legal cases.

[Joe Getty]

I haven't paid this close attention to this dang story, but isn't this almost entirely performative? From what I understand, they have the legal right in Texas to do this, correct?

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Okay.

[Michael]

Well, and the Democrats have gerrymandered their states pretty much as far as they can already go. I want to get into the California situation in a second or two. Why not have a friend of the Armstrong and Getty show, Kevin Kiley, lead us there. Next clip MICHAEL I think it is a very unhealthy thing for democracy.

[Joe Getty]

I think it's bad for representative government.

[Michael]

I don't think it's particularly good for either party.

[Joe Getty]

In fact, members of Congress in both parties hate it.

[Michael]

The voters certainly don't like it. So that's why I've actually introduced a.

[Joe Getty]

Bill in the House to bring this whole thing to an end, saying that.

[Michael]

You don't redistrict, you can't gerrymander in.

[Joe Getty]

The middle of the decade or well, okay, but how about ever I don't be nice if we could get get rid of it. I realize it'd be impossible to completely get rid of it, but surely you can come up with some legislation where you can't Have a snake that curls around. Be a district ever.

[Michael]

Yeah, Well, a couple of things. Number one, when Eldridge Gary was gerrymandering it in the beginning was like the year 1801, right?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. He was a signer to the Declaration of Independence.

[Michael]

Yeah. It's just part of what we do, love it or hate it.

[Joe Getty]

And what it is is congresspeople choosing their voters as opposed voters choosing their congressperson.

[Michael]

Yeah. And I wish I had the Twitter thread in front of me. I thought I'd send it to myself. Maybe it didn't, but. So Gavin Newsom has floated the idea of redrawing the map in California to change it from completely gerrymandered for Democrats to, like, obscenely stacked in favor of Democrats, even though the vast majority of Californians like the allegedly nonpartisan citizens Commission. That does it right now. But Gavi is trying desperately to look like a hero to the left. And that's most of what this is. But the analysis looked at his proposed map and it was hilarious. I mean, number one, like, it went down to Orange county where, you know, there are actually a fair number of Republicans and Republican seats. And like, the city of Huntington beach was divided, slivers of it, into three different districts and, and Garden Grove was cut in half. And one of the districts, the comment was, oh, look, an eleph, because it was just this weird shaped district, like an elephant's head and then a trunk that extended like into and around other districts and just completely ridiculous.

[Joe Getty]

But as pointed out last week, while short term that would give Democrats more seats, long term it weakens your hold on a whole bunch of different Democratic seats. And if people ever got fed up, you could have a sea change occur.

[Michael]

Right. Because you've, you know, you got a safe, you know, 20 point win in this district. So you think, you know, why don't we peel off 10% and put it in those two districts and, and we'll have sway there. But, you know, as you point out, if there's a, a change election, you can have an enormous change. Well, not only that, but as has been pointed out by several folks, the Republican states are less gerrymandered than the, than the Democrat states. And so they have more. If it becomes a game of screw your neighbor, the Republicans have a lot more screwing they can do than the Democrats because the Democrats have pushed it so far already.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know if I like that name, but it's, it's colorful, isn't it?

[Michael]

Anyway, so, yeah, Gavi is completely phony, trying desperately to be the Hero of the left. Oh, oh. Meanwhile, JB Pritzker, fat child mutilator. JB Pritzker, Wow. Is he going to run to the center, as so many sane Democrats are saying, look, we got to abandon the woke thing. We got to talk about what people care about. What happened. What we used to like the working class around here, normal people. What happened. Now it's all like grad student assistant lecturers that are our party. Anyway, JB is running in the other direction. Even though Illinois is drowning in debt, J.B. pritzker signed a bill into law opening student financial aid to all residents regardless of immigration status. Opening a pathway for illegal immigrants residing in the state to receive educational financial benefits. The bill purports to establish, quote, equitable eligibility for financial aid and benefits. The bill reads that a student who is an Illinois resident but is not otherwise eligible for federal financial aid, including but not limited to a transgender student who is disqualified for failure to register for selective service. Because there are millions of those, right? Some boy who feels who thinks he's gay, but he thinks maybe that means I'm a girl because his teacher's been lecturing on him and lecturing him on it now comes off as transgender and then doesn't register for his elective service again. We've heard about the millions of cases of those. Or a non citizen student who has not obtained lawful permanent residence. Nobody like that shall be kept away from financial aid and benefits. So illegal or I'm sorry, college scholarships for illegal immigrants and non selective service registering transgender boys is his platform. Okay, the good fight. Oh, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Whoo.

[Michael]

People are going to be flocking to your side.

[Joe Getty]

So Trump jumped into the whole mail in ballot thing.

[Michael]

Oh, yeah, that's right. That's right. Why don't we just play the audio, Michael, you got that?

[Joe Getty]

31 mail in ballots are corrupt. Mail in ballots. You can never have a real democracy with mail in ballots. And we as a Republican Party are going to do everything possible that we get rid of mail in ballots. We're going to start with an executive order that's being written right now by the best lawyers in the country to end mail in ballots because they're corrupt and you know that. We're the only country in the world. I believe I may be wrong, but just about the only country in the world that uses it because of what's happened. Massive fraud all over the place. Is that true? Do you have any idea? Do other. Does Europe use mail in ballots for their elections?

[Michael]

I don't actually know that.

[Joe Getty]

There has not Been massive fraud. I guess it's all in the determination of the word massive. But I don't know if I'm pretty sure there's never been an election that we thought would gone the other direction based on known mail in ballot fraud. But I do know as a renter I got 15 ballots last election to different names who lived there. I mean a lot for everybody, everybody that ever lived there. In the last five years I got a ballot.

[Michael]

The screed Tron unleashed on Truth Social was actually his longest ever. They think I could read it to you, but it's quite long and has a lot of capital letters.

[Joe Getty]

It starts with Call me Ishmael. It's very long.

[Michael]

But as Jeff Blair points out in the National Review, da da da. I can read Article 1, Section 4 of the US Constitution as well as you can. And I know that none of these changes can be commanded via executive order. As the Constitution spells it out quite clearly. The times, places and manner of holding elections for senators and representatives shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof. But the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations, except as to the place of choosing senators.

[Joe Getty]

So I'm never gonna get my wish. So I've just given up on it. I would like it to go back to voting day. It's a day and we all go vote. That's what I would like. I would feel, I would just make me feel way more comfortable with the.

[Michael]

Outcome of all my elections and eliminate a couple of the dope, dopey woke holidays and, and make election day holiday if you want, or mandatory time off, which is already the law come to think of it. Yep.

[Joe Getty]

No, I'd be fine with that. Make it a holiday, but whatever. It seemed to work pretty good for a couple hundred years there. I'm all for it. I just, I don't think it'll happen though.

[Michael]

No, it's election.

[Joe Getty]

It's election several months depending on where you live.

[Michael]

Yeah. I will agree with you though for the record that mail in ballots are absolutely fraud central. I mean they enable fraud to take place especially in blue states that have legalized ballot harvesting. So you just wallpaper an apartment complex with mail in ballots, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them.

[Joe Getty]

So that's the bigger threat than.

[Michael]

Well, and then the, the poll, the, the volunteers, the activists, they go, they take them out of mailboxes, they just knock on doors, say hey, I can fill that out for you. Sometimes they even money under the table, of course, and then they turn in because you can Ballot harvest. They turn in dozens and dozens or hundreds of ballots, many of whom of which were not, you know, signed and certified by the person they're sent to. And nobody ever checks in a lot of blue states.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that. The whole ballot harvesting thing I believe is a problem. And I wish there was a way to do away that the, I don't know how many people are filling out. You know, you live somewhere and you get six ballots and you're filling it out with a fake name and sending it in. But the ballot harvesting is a problem.

[Michael]

Yeah, yeah. So if Congress wants to pass a law that tightens all this stuff up, Constitution says they can. You know, as soon as a Democrat Congress comes in, they'll loosen it up again because they're in favor of fraud and half wits and, and the brain dead voting. But that's the best you can do in a democracy.

[Joe Getty]

And of course it's interesting that until Trump jumped into it, the people who used mail in ballots were way heavy on the Republican side. Until Trump jumped into the issue and then Democrats started thinking, no, this is our deal. And so then they overtook Republicans for people who do mail in balloting as a way to fight back. But it used to be older and rural people who are way more likely to be Republican that used mail in ballots.

[Michael]

Yeah, I'm not sure I would blame Trump for the change. I just think the Democrats saw an opportunity.

[Joe Getty]

Anywho, so that's that one of our favorite news anchors, Brett Baer of Fox, got ticketed for distracted driving.

[Michael]

Good.

[Joe Getty]

During the, during the crime crackdown in Washington D.C. finally, Justice. He's probably looking at his phone. How dare he. You ever, you ever actually look into other people's cars when you're in traffic?

[Michael]

No.

[Joe Getty]

It's like 90% of people are looking at their phone.

[Michael]

They glance up occasionally.

[Joe Getty]

It's amazing. There isn't. There aren't more wrecks really. Okay, we got more on the way. Stay here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

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[Joe Getty]

Come on.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why is this taking so long? This thing is ancient.

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[Joe Getty]

Interior decorator with a list of things we should not have in our home.

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Number one, a tv. Everybody places their furniture to face that ugly black box. And I don't want it in my.

[Joe Getty]

House to disturb the beauty.

[Tech Commercial Announcer]

Number two, a microwave similar to the tv. I'm somebody who cooks every day and I never need to use a microwave. 3 is laundry drying all over the house.

[Joe Getty]

It just kills the vibe.

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Four is overhead lighting.

[Joe Getty]

It makes everybody look a lot less attractive.

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The best thing to do is have lamps all around the room. Five is unused candles. Light them just for an hour or so.

[Joe Getty]

It looks used. It looks a lot better.

[Michael]

All right, whatever.

[Joe Getty]

If I'm a childless, pretentious person with lots of free time, that would be a one way to live.

[Michael]

His point about lumps was a good one. It is more flattering lighting the light one.

[Joe Getty]

I agree with the rest of it. Just don't. Don't have laundry around. Well, that'd be nice, but I got kids and laundry and I gotta try it somewhere. So I'll pick it up when I get home.

[Michael]

You have your couches facing the ugly black box.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I agree. I agree. It looks cool. Rooms that you can have the furniture, you know, have a television. But I have a television. We watch television. So we gonna do a couple of things that I want.

[Michael]

You gotta combo it up so that it's also a conversation pit. Right? Normally a pit is not a good term, but for conversation it is for some reason.

[Joe Getty]

So I got a question for you. You have a cold, you said I do.

[Michael]

A high? No virus, I believe.

[Joe Getty]

Where. Where are you currently on Your belief in various things that will cold do you immediately jump on zinc or echinacea or vitamin C or any of those things?

[Michael]

Funny you should mention that. My wife suggested I hit the zinc. I can't remember the name of it. Dissolve in your mouth. Orange flavored thingies every few hours.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I gotta try that. Airborne's a combination of zinc and vitamin C, which I don't know if it does you any good at that point or not. I don't have any idea. But I feel like the zinc does. It might be I may be suffering from.

[Michael]

What's that?

[Joe Getty]

Where you believe? Yeah, I might be suffering from placebo, but I feel like the zinc does help. I mean, if you can cut the length and severity of a cold by half like they claim, that's not nothing.

[Michael]

I hope I started soon enough because it says, excuse me, started it like the earliest sign of a cold and I think I waited a day. But what the heck.

[Joe Getty]

Damn it.

[Michael]

I know. Slow on the uptake.

[Joe Getty]

I read that review you sent me from somebody, the funny review of the book Ulysses. Since I'm still in the midst of reading Ulysses. Ulysses. If you. If you listen to it, I just realized. So reading it's very difficult as I've been listening to it on audiobook. Much easier because the person who reads it with their tone of voice can let you know when you're doing inner mind dialogue. Which is if you can't tell, it's really, really hard.

[Michael]

Oh yeah.

[Joe Getty]

But anyway, I've been listening to it and reading it at the same time. It says it'll take 40 hours. That's a lot of time. And I don't have a lot of spare time. So I could take me roughly till I'm 96 to get through the book.

[Michael]

But this review set aside an entire work week for it. Nine to five with an hour for lunch every day.

[Joe Getty]

Got a couple of days off next week. I'm really looking forward to really diving into it. But this review, this one star review of it is pretty funny.

[Michael]

I'm sorry, it'd be eight to five. Yes. Back to you.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Person did not like it. Did not enjoy reading Ulysses. Have you ever attempted to read the other James Joyce book that makes Ulysses seem like reading Run Dick, Run Finnegan's Wake? Have you ever even attempted to read Finnegan's Wake Up?

[Michael]

I dove into it once and thought this is completely mystifying and I'm hating it.

[Joe Getty]

That I feel like is a joke. That's like a Andy Warhol sort of let's see if I can throw this crap at people and some people will pretend to get it. Yeah, that's what I think it is.

[Michael]

Yeah, there. I've just conceded there are things that I am bad enough at that I'd be wasting my time because there are lots of other things I could be doing instead and I don't turn my nose up at like theoretical physics, Lord know, string theory, whatever that is. That stuff. I just, I don't get it. So I leave it to others.

[Joe Getty]

I would say say on the other side of the coin though, I'm enjoying reading Ulysses so much. It's my favorite thing to do. I can't wait to get to it every single night. It's just really loving it so much. Some interesting new stuff about the war and Ukraine and Russia and Trump and boots on the ground and all that sort of stuff. Among other things on the list.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Gettysburg this Labor Day say.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Big 3 Basketball Promo Voice]

The reviews and ratings are in and Ice Cube's Big Three is the surprise hit of the summer. And to cap off the season, iHeart presents the Big 3 Basketball Championship and 8th Annual Big 3 All Star Game this coming Sunday, August 24th. Live from Orlando, the remaining two teams fight it out for the Big 3 Championship Dr. J Trophy in the most fitting, physical, fierce and competitive basketball league in the world. Don't miss the wild conclusion of Big Three's eighth and most historic season ever. This is the game no one wants to lose and there's no crying in the big three the action starts with the big three 8th annual all star game don't miss all stars Dwight Howard, Montrez Harrell, MVP Michael Beasley, Lance will make you Dan Stevenson, Jordan Crawford, Greg Monroe, Earl Clark, Nazir Kor and more show you why they are the best three on three basketball players in the world. Big three's exciting all star game plus the crowning of a new big three champion. The no holds part action starts Sunday at 2pm Eastern, 11 Pacific only on CBS.

[Joe Getty]

Come on.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why is this taking so long? This thing is Ancient.

[Tech Commercial Announcer]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Whoa, this thing moves.

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[Jack Armstrong]

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But if these two people can't sit.

[Michael]

In a room without killing each other, we're not going to end the war. So Trump is a peacemaker, but you got to have willing partners. You can only expect so much from a single man. Was that.

[Joe Getty]

See if they can get in a.

[Michael]

Room, not kill each other, and come out willing to talk again. Wow.

[Joe Getty]

I mean, he doesn't mean literally, but Zelensky, if he could, would kill Putin. And should.

[Michael]

And vice versa.

[Joe Getty]

And should. Well, yeah.

[Michael]

Putin's desperate to be rid of Zelensky and his entire government in a different sort of way.

[Joe Getty]

Putin wouldn't want to, like, walk out of there with bloody hands and be known as the guy who killed him. He's been trying to kill Zelensky for years, and that is well documented. Zelensky would kill Trump, Putin, with his bare hands and be fine to walk out of the room with blood on his hands and, you know, arrest me, do whatever you want. I did a service to my country. But, yeah, so Putin's literally trying to kill Zelinsky every single day. Every single day. If he ever gets a clear shot or the chance to poison him or whatever, he will. And Zelensky would like to kill Putin if he could. So that is an interesting situation.

[Michael]

I'd say where it goes from here, nobody knows. The hard work is yet to begin.

[Joe Getty]

I was talking to somebody yesterday. I gotta ask somebody I know in. In security about Putin getting in the car with Trump, because Putin's a known killer, and did the Secret Service check him for weapons or anything like that? I.

[Michael]

No. No.

[Joe Getty]

So you let a known killer get alone in a car with Trump, and how about the whole, you know, Putin has killed people, not with his own hands, but he's ordered people killed with those tiny amounts of the super awful poison.

[Michael]

Yeah. Mm.

[Joe Getty]

So he could have, like, you know, just clapped Trump on the back with a little bit of that poison. He secretly took the antidote to the poison on the plane before he got into the limo.

[Michael]

Clever Russian bastard, right?

[Joe Getty]

Trump keels over dead. Well, he's an old fat guy. Not surprising. He had a heart attack. He'll be missed, says Putin. And, you know.

[Michael]

Well, thank God that didn't happen. Jack, thanks for warning us.

[Joe Getty]

I had something more serious, but I've lost heart for it. But maybe we'll do that later. Oh, my main theme of the day. And been reading some more stuff about that. Does Putin have the slightest interest in any of this? Does he. Does he have any interest whatsoever in what Europe and Trump come up with, or. Just like, I'm gonna continue the war no matter what you say or do, I feel like I can win this thing. I feel like you're gonna give up. I feel like things are going pretty well for me.

[Michael]

So, yeah, there's one of me and like a dozen of you and you don't even agree with each other most of the time. So, yeah, I'm just waiting out. I'm messing with you and waiting. Yeah. You know, I liked your metaphor early in the show that. But everybody's going on and on about the flower arrangements and the guest list and the venue and then the reception venue and. And one of the people who's party to it is like, I'm not getting married. Not getting married to anybody. But, you know, the other side really wants a marriage. So they just keep planning and. And they're gonna have a meeting at some point between the bride and the utterly unwilling to be a groom. Groom.

[Joe Getty]

Let's present him with a honeymoon that is instead of Hawaii, Europe. It doesn't make any difference. He ain't getting married. He's never said yes.

[Michael]

That could be the case. Yeah, we'll have to see. So enough of Ukraine. We haven't. And many people haven't talked about Israel much in Gaza and the rest of it. Although if you flip on npr, they are just absolutely obsessed with Gaza and Israel and that whole thing just because. Well, we've discussed why it's a victim oppressor thing from the point of view of postmodern neo Marxism. And it's a battle they feel like they can win, but it's. It's ridiculous the way they're framing it, in my opinion. A couple of headlines. Oh, you know, I. I heard a great analysis by an expert in urban warfare who is talking about how the standards being applied to the Israelis in a war. Because this is not a terrorist suppression exercise. This is the government of Gaza attacking Israel and Israel taking the fight to the government of Gaza and seeking to deny them the power to harm Israel again. And so the rules of engagement are warfare, not counterterrorism. And that there has never been in the history of this sort of warfare a standard like is being applied to Israel to protect and feed all the civilians and not make them relocate. Either that's cruel, that's a genocide or something. Or ethnic cleansing. No, civilians always leave war zones. Always. You know why they're not in this case? Because Egypt won't have them and Jordan won't have them and nowhere will have them. Because if you import a bunch of Palestinians, you import political violence and unrest. Anyway, having said that. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Talk about the underreported. Part of it is how Egypt immediately reinforced their walls to keep the Palestinians out of their country. I mean, Egypt could easily accept a whole bunch of people coming across the border or let food in across there, and they don't.

[Michael]

Oh, yeah, the. Well, yeah, if you were to have a mass exodus of people temporarily or whatever, there's tremendous amounts of room in the Sinai region and tremendous amounts of money and financing to build, you know, camps and food and water tanks and the rest of it. So everybody would be absolutely peachy. I mean, granted their house has been destroyed by a war, but their government shouldn't have declared war on Israel anyway. Handful of headlines here. Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad hailed Canadian, British and French plans to recognize a Palestinian state quote as the fruits of October 7th. Why are all the countries recognizing a Palestinian state today? The senior member of the Hamas politburo asked during an interview on AL JAZEERA Before October 7, did any country dare recognize a Palestinian state? The fruits of October 7th are what caused the entire world to open its eyes to the Palestinian issue and they are moving toward it with force.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. So they basically just declared we are getting a positive benefit out of what we did on October 7th. Murder worked. Murdering civilians, babies, old ladies, setting people on fire, raping all those college girls at the concert. It worked well.

[Michael]

Yay for us. He made it clear that, that the accords between Israel and the Arab states, the Gulf states were proceeding and were about to be finalized and they had to derail that and they derailed it. So he said in, in practically every way, October 7th was successful.

[Joe Getty]

Well, that's horrifying.

[Michael]

Yeah, it is. Moving along. Charming story here. Former youth organizer for AOC busted after urging attack on Jewish students at Brooklyn Public High School. This iman Abdul, age 27. Let's see. Tweeted, I think it was tweeted. Posted a screenshot of the location of this high school for the sciences in Manhattan Beach. If anyone needs a public school in New York City to attack for whatever reason, Lexus driving Israel hell loving Zionists misspelled all attend here. They've all gone on birthright, adding to a popular program that offers free 10 day trips to Israel for Jewish young adults. Blah blah blah. She worked for the Democratic primary campaigns of AOC and state and state senator Julie Salazar. Paid canvasser for Salazar and she was charged with. Oh my gosh, where are the charges? A lot of serious charges about inciting terroristic threats and blah blah, blah, man.

[Joe Getty]

It's. It's one thing to be anti the Israeli army or anti the Netanyahu government or. But if you're wanting to take it out on Jewish kids in America. You're a freaking nut. Well, you hate Jews is your thing.

[Michael]

Ah, the NYPD arrested Ms. Abdul, Islamist activist and Marxist.

[Joe Getty]

How odd.

[Michael]

That's the Red Green connection we've talked about charging her with making a terroristic threat, acting in a manner injurious to a child, aggravated harassment and making a threat of mass harm. Moving along, a great piece from the Free Press. The GOP divide over Israel is mostly fiction and they tip their cap to the Tucker Carlson Steve Bannon crowd. But in terms of. And like Marjorie Taylor Greene. But she's increasingly isolated and out of step on GOP foreign policy. And there practically is no GOP divide. A recent Gallup poll, for instance, earned considerable coverage for finding that only 32% of Americans approve of Israel's military actions in Gaza. But dig deeper and you learn that the shift is entirely attributable to collapsing Democratic and to a lesser extent independent support. Republican backing for Israel's war against Hamas has increased since last year from 66 to 71%. And the proportion of Republicans who approve of Israel's actions in the 12 day war against Iran runs even higher at 78%. So it is roughly an 8020 issue. And then finally this again, the Free Press. They became symbols for Gazan starvation, but all 12 suffer from other health problems.

[Joe Getty]

This is an interesting story.

[Michael]

Yeah. A Free Press investigation found that the viral photos lacked important context. The subjects have cystic fibrosis, rickets and other serious ailments. And it wasn't just that little 18 month old Muhammad, et cetera, et cetera, name that was on the front page of the New York Times. He had serious preexisting health conditions affecting his brain and muscle development.

[Joe Getty]

Now wait a second. They ran a correction saying that kid was not starving, he had other health conditions. They ran their correction on their PR Twitter feed that has like 80,000 followers.

[Michael]

Yes. Yeah. And that was not a one off. An investigation by the Free Press revealed that at least a dozen other viral images of starvation in Gaza also lacked important context. The subjects of those photos have significant health problems. Those appeared all over social media, in the reports of leading international aid organizations and some of the most prestigious newslet outlets in the United States. And some really crappy ones, including cnn, NPR and the New York Times. Without disclosing that, the complicated medical histories that help explain their stark appearance. And what's interesting is they found this pretty easily. They just did searches on these people's names and found local news accounts and other things talking about their terrible health situations that had nothing to do with starvation.

[Joe Getty]

Nice job mainstream media.

[Michael]

You either in the propaganda business, you're.

[Joe Getty]

Either lazy, sloppy, or you did that all completely on purpose.

[Michael]

Yeah, there's no doubt it's miserable there. Miserable because it's always miserable for civilian populations in war zones. So Israel ought to just let Hamas win or just leave them alone now because they've, they've, Hamas is no longer a threat, I keep hearing. Yeah, that's for the Israelis to decide.

[Joe Getty]

Breaking headline the PGA Tour is returning to a Trump golf course next year. Their schedule includes Trump national draw for the Miami stop.

[Michael]

Have you ever played legendary golf course?

[Joe Getty]

Have you ever played a Trump golf course?

[Michael]

No, no. There are a handful I'd really like to, but no, I haven't. Gold cups and gold flags, gold clubs, gold fairways, gold everywhere. Gold.

[Joe Getty]

You'd like to because they're pretty nice.

[Michael]

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. They're all terrific. I mean he's, you know, for all of Trump's quirks and faults, he's a fiendishly enthusiastic golfer. And like his course in Ireland is supposed to be spectacular. I'd like to play that.

[Joe Getty]

How good a golfer is Trump?

[Michael]

Well, he cheats like crazy. He's, he's quite good for a guy his age.

[Joe Getty]

He's almost 80.

[Michael]

Like surprisingly good for a guy his age. He's not as good as he claims he is because he claims he like every year he won the, the club championship and the senior club championship. There's zero chance that's true.

[Joe Getty]

When he's, when he was younger, you think he legit did?

[Michael]

It's possible.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Michael]

He's a good player.

[Joe Getty]

We'll finish strong.

[Jack Armstrong]

Next Armstrong and Gettys.

[Commercial Announcer]

This Labor Day, say goodbye to spills, stains and overpriced furniture with washablesofas.com featuring Annabe, the only machine washable sofa inside and out where designer quality meets budget friendly pricing. Sofas start at just $6.99, making it the perfect time to upgrade your space. Annabe's pet friendly stain resistant and interchangeable slipcovers are made with high performance fabric built for real life. You'll love the cloud like comfort of hypoallergenic, high resilience foam that never needs fluffing and a durable steel frame that stands the test of time with modular pieces you can rearrange anytime. It's a sofa that adapts to your life. Now through Labor Day get up to 60% off site [e-mail] Every order comes with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping, no restocking fees, pays every penny back. Shop [e-mail] Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Big 3 Basketball Promo Voice]

The reviews and ratings are in and Ice Cube's Big Three is the surprise hit of the summer and to cap off the season, iHeart presents the Big 3 Basketball Championship and 8th Annual Big 3 All Star Game this coming Sunday, August 24th. Live from Orlando, the remaining two teams fight it out for the Big 3 Champions Championship Dr. J Trophy in the most physical, fierce and competitive basketball league in the world. Don't miss the wild conclusion of Big Three's eighth and most historic season ever. This is the game no one wants to lose and there's no crying in the Big Three. The action starts with the Big Three eighth Annual All Star Game. Don't miss All Stars Dwight Howard, Montrez Harrell, MVP Michael Beasley, Lance will make you Dan Stevenson, Jordan Crawford, Greg Martin, Monroe, Earl Clark, Nazir Kor and more show you why they are the best three on three basketball players in the world. Big three's exciting all star game plus the crowning of a new big three champion. The no holds part action starts Sunday at 2pm Eastern, 11 Pacific only on CBS.

[Jack Armstrong]

Ah, come on. Why is this taking so long? This thing is ancient.

[Tech Commercial Announcer]

Still using yesterday's tech, upgrade to the ThinkPad X1 carbon ultralight. Ultra powerful and built for serious productivity with Intel Core Ultra processors, blazing speed and AI powered performance. It keeps up with your business, not the other way around.

[Jack Armstrong]

Whoa, this thing moves.

[Tech Commercial Announcer]

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[Estate Planning Commercial Announcer]

Life moves fast. A new home, a new baby, a new chapter. But without an estate plan, your future's still vulnerable. With trust and will, you can name guardians, start a trust, create health care directives and more. All online in about an hour. It's attorney designed, state specific and built to protect what you love. Plans start at just $199 and every plan is safe, secure and kept completely private. From families with young kids to adults caring for aging parents. Trust and will makes it simple to take control without a law office, paperwork, stress or court delays. Go to trustandwill.com and use code RADIO to save 20%. Start your plan today. Don't wait for life to force your hand. Estate planning is one of the smartest, most loving things you can do. Trust and Will is an online estate planning service. See website for details.

[Jack Armstrong]

Looking to buy your first car or home? Understanding your FICO score is key to achieving your life goals. Knowing your FICO scores helps you apply for loans with confidence and avoid surprises. With MyFICO, you get access to your FICO score credit reports 247 monitoring and alerts on the go Take the mystery out of your score and get your FICO score for free today. Visit myfico.com free that's myfico.com free and discover the score lenders use most with her bright pink cowboy hat and birthday sign held high, 8 year old cadence was shocked when country superstar Brad Paisley noticed her. But then.

[Joe Getty]

But here's what got me through it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Paisley signing his guitar.

[Joe Getty]

Learn how to play this before passing.

[Jack Armstrong]

It to her in front of this South Carolina crowd.

[Joe Getty]

I thought it was amazing.

[Jack Armstrong]

The surprise. A long standing tradition at Paisley's concerts.

[Joe Getty]

That's how you make a Taylor Swift.

[Jack Armstrong]

To inspire young guitar players.

[Joe Getty]

That's how you make a Taylor Swift. So Brad Paisley, who's one of the world's greatest guitar players, hands out a guitar to young people saying, hey, go learn to play guitar. And it reminded me of my son is taking guitar lessons right now. I attempted teaching him, but he did not like the vibe of learning from his own dad. For whatever reason, as often happens with kids and parents or husbands and wives or whatever. Maybe it'd be better to have your wife take lessons from a different dude than from you. Sometimes that just works out.

[Michael]

I guess it's a good idea.

[Joe Getty]

Why is that?

[Michael]

Well, I'm thinking of the game of.

[Joe Getty]

Golf or just in general, that sort.

[Michael]

Of thing where I actually said to my wife, I want to be your man, not your swing coach because it's a frustrating game and I don't want to be on the receiving end of it. Well, and the other the defensiveness of a kid and a parent being corrected.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Michael]

Just nah, it's just. It doesn't work. Yeah, in a lot of cases it doesn't work.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway. I was also thinking about the the idea of. So I, I don't know if you'll stick with it or not. Based on averages of kids sticking with musical instruments, I'd say the average would be he's not going to. Maybe he will because I practice a musical instrument every single day. So he lives in a household where that's a thing. But a lot of people want to do things like I think about when I wanted to be a writer, but I didn't want to write. People who want to play the guitar, but they don't actually want to practice. Maybe people like the idea of golfing, but don't want to practice golfing. It's just. Do you want to put in the actual effort? I want to be in shape, but I don't have to go to the gym. You know, that sort of thing. It's.

[Michael]

It was the great Plato, I believe, who said, if you would play the flute. Play the flute.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Well, there's Jack and there's Joe, and it's time to.

[Michael]

With the help of Katie Green and Michelangelo, stabilizer decline.

[Joe Getty]

I picture a Labubu singing that with its head dancing back and forth.

[Michael]

I really wanted to be able to sleep tonight. Now that.

[Joe Getty]

Here's your host for Final Thoughts, Joe Getty.

[Michael]

So many people to thank. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm premature on that. I'm. I apologize. Hey, let's get a final thought from everybody on the crew. I was deep in thought. Michelangelo, lead us off. Final thought. I like this idea of using AI for therapy.

[Joe Getty]

Therapy.

[Michael]

But I'm intrigued by Jack saying that.

[Big 3 Basketball Promo Voice]

Grock has a beautiful female voice.

[Michael]

I'm picturing him driving his car to Lovers Point and just being alone with his AI.

[Joe Getty]

Alone with my Grock.

[Michael]

Oh, boy. Katie Green, our esteemed newswoman, has a final thought. Katie, I think you guys just inspired me to pick my guitar back up. I haven't picked that thing up in longer than I'd like to admit.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Michael]

Come on back.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Michael]

Jack, final thought for us, for everything.

[Joe Getty]

Whether it be writing, guitar, golf, pretty much whatever you want to do. Going to the gym. It's all about a little bit every day as opposed to one afternoon. You do six hours and then not again for another month. It's a little bit every day.

[Michael]

Yeah. My final thought. And I'm late to this party, but I jumped on the Netflix documentary series Quarterback about playing quarterback in the NFL. It's unbelievably compelling and interesting. And like all documentaries, it's about human beings. Although there's plenty of football in it. Interesting.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty wrapping up a blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

[Michael]

See you tomorrow.

[Joe Getty]

See you tomorrow. God bless America. Armstrong and Gekki.

[Michael]

It's a wrap for the Armstrong and Gaddy.

[Jack Armstrong]

We gotta cut Jack and Joe loose.

[Michael]

Save on Michelangelo.

[Jack Armstrong]

Katie K. The newsletter it she's gonna stick around.

[Michael]

Cause someone's gotta be here to make all of tomorrow. Armstrong and Getty.

[Big 3 Basketball Promo Voice]

Iheart presents the Big 3 Championship next Sunday, August 24th, the remaining two teams fight it out for the Big 3 Championship Dr. J Trophy in the physical, fierce and competitive basketball league in the world. The action starts with the Big Three 8th annual All Star Game featuring All Stars Dwight Howard, Montrez Harrell, MVP Michael Beasley, Lance will make you, Dan Stephenson, Jordan Crawford, Greg Monroe, Earl Clark, Nazia Kor and more show you why they are the best three on three basketball players in the world. Big Three's exciting all star game plus the crowning of a new Big Three champion. The no holds barred action starts Sunday at 2:00pm Eastern, 11 Pacific only on CBS.

[Jack Armstrong]

Come on, why is this taking so long? This thing is ancient.

[Tech Commercial Announcer]

Still using yesterday's tech Upgrade to the ThinkPad X1 car ultralight, ultra powerful and built for serious productivity with Intel Core Ultra processors, blazing speed and AI powered performance that keeps up with your business, not the other way around.

[Jack Armstrong]

Whoa, this thing moves.

[Tech Commercial Announcer]

Stop hitting snooze on new tech. Win the tech [e-mail] Lenovo Lenovo unlock AI experiences with the ThinkPad X1 carbon powered by Intel Core Ultra processors so you can work, create and boost productivity all on one device.

[Joe Getty]

Looking to buy your first car or home? Understanding your FICO score is key to achieving your life goals. Knowing your FICO scores helps you apply for loans with confidence and avoid surprises. With MyFICO you get access to your FICO score credit reports 247 monitoring and alerts on the go. Take the mystery out of your score and get your FICO score for free today. Visit myfico.com free and discover the score Lenders use Most song stands about an.

[Big 3 Basketball Promo Voice]

Obsessed fan who's taking me too literal.

[Commercial Announcer]

From Eminem and the producers of 8 Mile.

[Joe Getty]

Never seen anything like Eminem fans.

[Commercial Announcer]

This is the story of a fan base.

[Michael]

I had to look in the mirror.

[Commercial Announcer]

And be like, am I one of these crazy stans that created a culture?

[Jack Armstrong]

I do have an addiction to Eminem.

[Joe Getty]

I travel the world for him.

[Jack Armstrong]

Without Eminem, I wouldn't have the life.

[Joe Getty]

I have right now. What's your friend?

[Commercial Announcer]

First question stands new documentary streaming August 26th on Paramount plus.

[Big 3 Basketball Announcer]

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[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast.