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Trainer Games Narrator
Guaranteed human 10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract worth $250,000.
Jack Armstrong
This is where mindset comes in.
Trainer Games Narrator
Someone will be eliminated.
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Pressure is coming down.
Jack Armstrong
Trainer games on Prime Video. Watch the trailer on trainergames.com get into.
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Jack Armstrong
Today make their holiday unforgettable with a.
Joe Getty
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Jack Armstrong
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Joe Getty
Very happy half off holiday because right.
Jack Armstrong
Now Mint Mobile is offering you the gift of 50% off unlimited. To be clear, that's half price, not half the service. Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price, so that means a half day. Yeah, give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for three month plan.
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Jack Armstrong
Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio.
Joe Getty
Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center.
Jack Armstrong
Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty. Live from Studio C. Senor.
Joe Getty
It is a dimly lit room. We're deep within the bowels of the Armstrong and Getty Communications compound. Last full week before Christmas. Holy cow. And today we're under the tutelage of our general manager, honorary.
Jack Armstrong
Honorary general manager Rob Reiner. What the hell? Yeah, but our actual general manager today, the Boy Scouts. Jack will explain.
Joe Getty
Well, we're gonna raise money this, for Scouting USA this week. It's our last week of being on the air. It's our last week of shows for 2025, and we're making a really, really big push to raise money for Scouting usa. And we'll explain why we think that's a good idea a little bit later. We're hoping that as you're running around spending money on everything in the world, including yourself, you can throw a couple of dollars the direction of Scouting USA and let's see how much money we can raise, if nothing else, to allow more kids to join that maybe don't have the funds to be able to do so. But we'll talk more about that later.
Jack Armstrong
Well, yeah, and why it's impossible. You've got the War on Boys, you got the left demonizing boys, and you got a great organization that advocates traditional values and training kids up to be great young men. I love it.
Joe Getty
Well, if you haven't heard me talk about it, the. What I've seen since my son joined Boy Scouts last March is just stunning. Stunning as an organization. So I can't wait to talk about that later. I am, as always, shocked by what the news decides to cover. There are three, like, big stories going right now, and it seems like they put the only one of world significance last. Rob Reiner and his wife being stabbed to death. Is a very interesting story and we will talk about it, no doubt, but it is of no greater significance to anyone outside the Reiner family, really. Friends and family. Then you got the shooting at Brown University, which I suppose it's got a little significance, but we have one of these a week and it's always some angry nut job and we never come to any conclusion. Happens too often. But maybe you want to talk about this or that. But, but the one that they put in third place, if they mention it at all, the slaying of all those people in Australia, clearly by. By. By people that swore allegiance to isis, who wanted to kill Jews. That is of huge global significance and a problem the world needs to deal with. And it's being put in third place at best as a news story.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. If it's covered at all. It's, wow, the shocking rise in anti Semitism in the United States. Wow, the shocking rise in anti Semitism in Australia, Germany, Britain, France, wherever. And nobody ever says, where's all this antisemitism coming from? Exactly. Okay. Part of it's young woke types, young leftists. Who's pushing them in that direction? Anybody ever asked that? No. It's acted as if it's, you know, dots that are utterly unconnectable. What a strange coincidence. Well, let's just move on because I'm uncomfortable with this discussion.
Joe Getty
Well, the way I just heard it portrayed on NPR was it's a gun issue. It's clearly a gun issue. Australia is going to take a long look at their gun laws, see if they can tighten them. And how did these guys get their guns? And they're going hard at that. The problem is not the gun thing. The problem is you got a whole bunch of fundamentalist Muslims pouring into various countries who, one, hate Jews or two, don't believe in your structure of society and everything else and have no interest in assimilating. And what is the world gonna do with that? That is a huge story. Like world changing makes history books 200 years from now story.
Jack Armstrong
Mm. Yeah, I was just reading more about the crackdown on free speech in Europe and particularly Britain, which is perhaps the worst, which is sad because that's our old grandpappy Britain. And the point that, or I should say the motivation behind a lot of the crackdown on, you know, social media posts bring discomfort or strife or whatever the idiotic wording of these laws is, is the authorities are desperate to just like, let's just not have any conflict. Let's just pretend there's no conflict here at all and maybe everything will calm down and everybody will be fine. It's the classic, you know, ignoring a problem until it becomes so terrible. There's no ignoring it and you let it go too far.
Joe Getty
I was actually thinking, I'm glad this is our week of raising money for a good cause. It comes at a good time because there's some horrible things going on number which are going to be solved in a this week. And maybe we can focus on good for a little bit this week as opposed to have to talk about that all the time. Because that is a frustrating topic. The, the whole. So I assume you heard, if you follow the news at all. But somebody went onto the campus of Brown University, which is in Providence, Rhode island, and started firing off their gun and killed people. One of those kind of shootings. The interesting one on this one is they ain't got the shooter. Usually the shooter is dead or arrested. Usually dead, sometimes arrested on the loose, not very often. That's a. That's a new one.
Jack Armstrong
Shadowy figure caught on video dressed all in black. No idea who he is or where he went.
Joe Getty
Then to the story that is of no greater significance, but certainly damned interesting. How does a giant Hollywood icon and his wife end up stabbed to death in a really, really fancy neighborhood with all kinds of protection and.
Jack Armstrong
Well, here's where I jump in and disagree with you. There's a good chance it has no greater significance. A decent chance. It also absolutely could be yet another tale of a multiple arrestee, perhaps convict turned loose by California's justice system over and over again. Or junkie that's been allowed to just continue being a lawless junkie for years and years on the streets of California.
Joe Getty
You're not leaning toward the kid like the New York Post is?
Jack Armstrong
I don't know. I don't know. They got a. Gotta see.
Joe Getty
They got a kid who's been homeless and a drug addict a lot of his adult life. Seems like it was. Somebody was able to get into the house easily.
Jack Armstrong
Right, Right. Yeah. It's interesting how the respectable media. And maybe this is a good thing is not going there.
Joe Getty
Oh, I think it is a good thing. Well, the first story I read in the New York. I mean, like, shortly after the news broke was. Then they just went to a paragraph about the kid who's had all kinds of drug problems, been on the street. And I thought, what a second. Was there a sentence that transitioned to this? Or you just throw that in there? I mean, what, what are you. What are you trying to imply here? I mean, do you have any knowledge that we don't have? I mean, they just threw in a paragraph out of nowhere about their kid and his problems. And I thought, what? But then later, then the reporting started to be. Be that the police were actually looking at the kid.
Jack Armstrong
But yeah, the daughter, I guess, told the cops, hey, look, to the son. Interesting. You know, the New York Post is like the talk radio of newspapers. It's like, yeah, it might be true. Let's go ahead and say it. Right.
Joe Getty
Yeah, but, you know, which is its own value, especially with Twitter out there, which is going to do it anyway. Right, but that would, that would, you know, and this Is awful, obviously, if it isn't the kid. And he's like, got his act together and he's like, hey, I'm with. I was playing tennis. I'm sad as hell. My parents just got killed. Leave me alone. But, yeah, the idea that somebody that could get into the house would be welcomed into the house. I was surprised when I heard they're now treating it as a homicide. You don't see a lot of murder suicides with stabbings. No.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. Good lord.
Joe Getty
That's quite.
Jack Armstrong
Either way, it's horrific.
Joe Getty
Oh, yeah. Anyway, obviously, you know, they. I saw somebody label him as one of the biggest figures in the history of television. And I'd say that has to be true television and movies. He definitely would be. Yeah, he'd be one of the biggest.
Jack Armstrong
Giant. Absolute giant.
Joe Getty
Yeah.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. And we'll go through his credits, but they are many.
Joe Getty
He was on Bill Maher's basement show just a couple of weeks ago.
Jack Armstrong
I watched it.
Joe Getty
Very, very funny. I love the stuff when they weren't being political because I don't agree with Meathead's politics. But it's funny. That is his character on TV that made him famous was the same like, as who he was.
Jack Armstrong
That may be one of the reasons he was able to portray Meathead so authentically. Maybe it's straight out of his heart.
Joe Getty
But anyway, on the Bill Maher show when they weren't talking politics, he was a very, very entertaining guy with, you know, Hollywood stories and just. Just funny. Funny dude.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, hilariously funny. Yeah. Incredibly talented. That's why I wish artists would just maybe not be quite so obnoxious. I mean, if you want to express your point of view, fine, but you don't have to be like obnoxious and mean about it. And he was frequently. But anyway, didn't deserve to be killed, probably by his wayward son.
Joe Getty
And then another shocking headline we'll talk about later. Jimmy Lai was found guilty in his trial in Hong Kong. That's a shock since the Chinese Communist Party had taken over the justice system there and hate him. And he is probably going to die in jail. He should be a hero for the world. He should get the Nobel Peace Prize or something someday.
Jack Armstrong
You know, I'm going to make an interesting point here. I'm going to make a point I'll let you be the judge of. It's interesting. Was going through emails preparing mailbag for later in the hour. And one of our beloved listeners expressed to us what a horrible weekend it was with the murder of the Jewish people in Australia. The shooting at Brown University, the killing of the Reiners, et cetera, et cetera. And it struck me that, you know, none of those really impacted that person or me personally. And I certainly would have come across the accounts of them, read about them, that sort of thing. But I just thought it was an interesting notion because horrible, ugly things happened. It was a. Somewhere in the world. It was a terrible weekend. And if you direct your gaze in the right directions, you're going to have a horrible weekend and a horrible day every single day of your life. I mean, just look at Africa, for instance. I won't go into detail, but look at it. There's carnage and genocide going on there.
Joe Getty
You don't even want to hear about.
Jack Armstrong
So it's just yet another example of the omnipresence of the worst things on earth in our news feeds and the rest of it, all the time. It's not healthy. No. Human beings are not designed for that. We're designed to experience life personally, not by proxy from 15,000 miles away. The worst stuff they can find.
Joe Getty
Yeah. I hope that person meant, you know, for the news cycle. It was a bad weekend. Not for my life. If. If taking in the news means you had a bad weekend, that's not good.
Jack Armstrong
Well, yeah. I wouldn't fault them, though. I think they're. They're making a very common. Well, they're having a very common experience. You get all of this horror. Horror washing over you, and it starts to affect you. I know it does me.
Joe Getty
Yeah. We made Christmas cookies, watched some Christmas shows, worked at the Christmas tree lot for the Boy Scouts. Variety of things. My son volunteered with the food bank on Saturday morning. It was all good stuff. Very few rapes or murders in my life over the weekend.
Jack Armstrong
Favorite cookie. Round the horn. Don't think about it. Favorite cookie. Jack, you want to lead?
Joe Getty
It's got to be these sugar cookies for Christmas. Why are they. Why do we only make them once a year? They're the best cookie in the world.
Jack Armstrong
Because we'd all weigh 800 pounds. It's got to be carefully limited. Michael. Favorite cookie? Snickerdoodle. Oh, the snickerdoodle is a.
Joe Getty
Aren't you fancy?
Jack Armstrong
Oh, fancy. Katie Green. Favorite cookie.
Vizio My Hub Commercial Voice
The classic chocolate chip.
Joe Getty
Yeah, it's pretty.
Jack Armstrong
It's pretty hard to be homemade chocolate chip.
Joe Getty
I got to go.
Jack Armstrong
I'm with Katie on that one.
Joe Getty
God dang it. Christmas cookie is good, though, with the frosting on it. The buttercream frosting. Holy crap. Okay, we got to start the show officially. We're running out of time. I. I like five of them.
Jack Armstrong
Last night, only five?
Joe Getty
My son did all the work.
Jack Armstrong
That means ten.
Joe Getty
Like, cops say they have to double drinks when they ask you how many drinks you had. When they pull you over, you have to double it.
Jack Armstrong
So, yeah, like doctors say, ask them how much they exercise, then cut it in half. Ask them how much they drink, then double it.
Joe Getty
That's the truth. I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty on this. It is Monday, December 15, year 2025. We're Armstrong and approve of this program.
Jack Armstrong
Here we go. Let's begin. Officially, according to FCC rules and regs, final week of the broadcast year at mark. And of course, I'm going to say a few words about the terrible shooting in Sydney, Australia. Okay, so.
Joe Getty
And first, of course, as I always say, no matter what, go Bills. They beat the Patriots today.
Jack Armstrong
It's a big deal. Wow.
Joe Getty
As a Jewish guy, I'm going to say something about the slaughter of Jews in Australia. But first, go Bills.
Jack Armstrong
Wow.
Vizio My Hub Commercial Voice
Wow.
Jack Armstrong
That was odd.
Joe Getty
Okay, we got Katie's headlines on the way. Stay here.
Jack Armstrong
Armstrong and Getty.
Trainer Games Narrator
Ten athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for $250,000.
Jack Armstrong
This is where mindset comes in.
Trainer Games Narrator
Someone will be eliminated.
Commercial Voice (Story Dream Machine)
Pressure is coming down.
Jack Armstrong
Trainer games on Prime Video January 8th. Watch the trailer on trainergames.com Hear that?
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Jack Armstrong
We've got a.
Joe Getty
Couple of great texts from people whose kids went through Boy Scouts and want to talk about how great it was for their kids and their friends. Maybe we'll get to that later. If you want to donate now, like you got to run off to work or whatever, go to armstrongandgetti.com we made it really, really easy to donate. We're going to talk more about it later.
Jack Armstrong
We want to make sure kids who can't afford to be in scouting. Can be in scouting. Give as much as you can. Five, ten bucks, whatever, that's fine. Katie Green has who's reporting what. It's the lead story. Katie, what's happening?
Katie Green (News Reporter)
So much awful news. The big stories of Brown University shooting. So we'll start with the three headlines from there from NBC. Person of interest in Brown University shooting to be released as manhunt for killer is on the way.
Joe Getty
Sorry about that. Thought it was you. Anyway, have a nice day. Yeah.
Katie Green (News Reporter)
CNN manhunt for Brown University shooter enters third day and ABC Mayer says anxiety level has risen amid manhunt. All right, Fox News Hollywood director and actor Rob Reiner and wife Michelle found dead as rumors swirl everywhere.
Jack Armstrong
Sounds like a family thing.
Joe Getty
Everybody on the text line. It was the son, it was the sun. It was the sun.
Jack Armstrong
So yeah, yeah. Terrible.
Katie Green (News Reporter)
Washington Post. Australian officials allege Bondi beach shooting was carried out by father and son.
Jack Armstrong
Radical Muslims hated the Jews. You see their religion superior to everyone's and they want to kill anybody who denies it, especially the Jews.
Joe Getty
And I like to people that are making this point, this is what globalize the intifada is. That's what that phrase that your college kid was chanting means.
Katie Green (News Reporter)
This CBS OpenAI and Microsoft sued over ChatGPT's alleged role in fueling man's paranoid delusions before murder suicide in Connecticut.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, I read about that one. It's, it's crazy. It's the usual. They just agreed with everything he said, no matter how paranoid and bizarre it was.
Joe Getty
Well, I haven't heard this. Well, talk about about more about that definitely.
Katie Green (News Reporter)
USA Today Pelosi says quote, without a doubt, Obamacare is her greatest accomplishment.
Joe Getty
There you go.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, good lord. Wow. That's a claim.
Katie Green (News Reporter)
New York Post doordash driver caught pepper spraying food bizarrely claims she was aiming at a spider.
Joe Getty
Huh.
Jack Armstrong
Was the spider rioting? Right?
Joe Getty
That's interesting.
Jack Armstrong
That's interesting how stupid lies people make up when they're in trouble. Ridiculous.
Katie Green (News Reporter)
Study finds one sperm donor fathered 200 children and passed on a deadly mutation. And it could happen again.
Joe Getty
Oh, wow.
Jack Armstrong
Yikes.
Vizio My Hub Commercial Voice
Yeah.
Katie Green (News Reporter)
And finally, the Babylon bee. Jesus kind of bummed he was born on December 25 and now his birthday will forever be overshadowed by Christmas, which.
Joe Getty
Was kind of the theme of a Charlie Brown Christmas as we watched it last night. I want to talk about that too.
Jack Armstrong
That's a multi layered joke there by the folks. The Babylon be very nice.
Joe Getty
That's a deep one. That's deeper than usual. We have so much to get to Today we're going to talk to a representative of Scouting America to explain to you all the good that they do and why you're gonna want to donate money, among other things.
Jack Armstrong
Later Today, Armstrong and Getty.
Trainer Games Narrator
10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIC contract for $250,000.
Jack Armstrong
This is where mindset comes in.
Trainer Games Narrator
Someone will be eliminated.
Commercial Voice (Story Dream Machine)
Pressure is coming down.
Jack Armstrong
Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th watch the trailer on trainergames.com the holidays.
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Commercial Voice (Story Dream Machine)
If you're searching for a gift that creates lasting memories, the Story Dream Machine is a wonderful choice. It's perfect for birthdays, milestones or holidays, and each machine comes with three enchanting stories to start the journey. There's even a White Noise nightlight mode, making it a cozy companion for bedtime. Want to make it even more special? Add story collections sold separately and share the tales you cherished from your own childhood. It's a heartfelt way to connect across generations and spark imagination. Get your little one the gift to make their bedtime magical with enchanting stories and even a white noise nightlight mode to keep them cozy while they sleep. The Story Dream Machine is perfect for birthdays, milestones or holidays, and each comes with three stories, with more story collections available to share your favorite tales to make it even more special. Sold separately, you'll find the Story Dream Machine at Walmart, Target, Amazon, Costco and LittleTikes.com bring story time to life with the Story Dream Machine.
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Commercial Voice (Story Dream Machine)
O o.com Some potential progress in talks to try and end the war in Ukraine. Top US Negotiator Steve Wykoff meeting with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy for more than five hours in Germany, Zelensky says he's prepared to drop his country's demand to join NATO. That's been a major sticking point for Russia.
Joe Getty
Yeah. The next sentence is if the United States puts in guarantees of defense. Okay, well, yeah, I dropped the NATO demand too. If I had the biggest military in the world saying we'll come to your aid if you get attacked, what do you need NATO for? So that's kind of interesting to me. The number one story around that whole thing was the first story on 60 Minutes last night. Did you see that? About how Germany's rearming and how serious they are about it all because of the whole Ukraine, Russia thing. And I loved, I want to get the clip. The defense minister of Germany. The last thing said on that story last night was, hey, if you like being able to demonstrate in the street and worship whoever God you want or love whoever you want, and like this sort of freedom, you have to fight for it. That's Germany saying that. The pacifist, my whole life, pacifist. Germany saying, if you want freedom, you need to be willing to fight for it.
Jack Armstrong
And they are.
Joe Getty
They are the, as he pointed out, the number three economy in the world. And they're pouring tons of money into this. And they're they've got lots of recruits and it was really, really interesting. But also, did you see the part with the cockroaches?
Jack Armstrong
They, they.
Joe Getty
It's kind of a funny aside because the other stuff was very serious and very real. But then they also. There they figured out a way to steer cockroaches. They put a little like backpack on cockroaches and then you have a little steering wheel and you can steer them around.
Jack Armstrong
And you found that funny? There's nothing funny about armed cockroaches.
Joe Getty
I just thought. So you.
Jack Armstrong
Good lord. You find them in your kitchen, you decide to kill them, they decide to kill you back.
Joe Getty
It's like driving a remote control car, except you're driving these cockroaches around. And they showed, they demonstrated it. Cockroach walking across the floor. And you can make it turn left or right or do whatever.
Jack Armstrong
But you saw that promotional video from the company doing those experiments how, you know, you could outfit those cockroaches with cameras and all and just have them swarm into some enemy, you know, area. The Lair hideout.
Joe Getty
Famously hard to kill, can squeeze through any crack. Practically nothing kills them.
Jack Armstrong
Right, right. Yeah. Amazing. The. The one more comment on the Germany thing that I want to get to. A really interesting story about the American military, but the German thing. Look, I realize not everybody is a history freak, okay? But you're talking. Anytime anybody brings up the German military, everybody's gotta say, but people are uncomfortable about this because of the Nazis.
Joe Getty
Yeah, I was surprised.
Jack Armstrong
Germany's unfortunate history. And there was some concern given that that was 80 years ago. 80 years.
Joe Getty
Well. And really the rise of that ideology was a hundred freaking years ago. I mean, come on.
Jack Armstrong
Right, right. It's fine. Hey, don't go Nazi, all right? We won't. Okay, There we go. We're fine. Let's defend ourselves now.
Joe Getty
I know, I was surprised by that too. The amount of time. I mean, it's clearly a thing there. In Germany, they worry about it all the time and it's a serious scar.
Jack Armstrong
On their national identity. Definitely.
Joe Getty
But at some point, like Norman, Norm MacDonald's bit. Actually it was on the last episode of letterman When Norm MacDonald did his thing about Germany, started a war with the world twice. And as he said, you know, the more I learn about Adolf Hitler, the more I don't care for him.
Jack Armstrong
If you are a 60 year old German leader of, you know, whatever politics, the military, whatever, right now, you were born 20 years after the war ends. I'm not blaming you for it. You weren't there.
Joe Getty
Yeah, that Is interesting.
Jack Armstrong
The long parents were infants.
Joe Getty
The long shadow of that.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, well, it was pretty horrible, but it's fine. Let's get over it. Look, don't be Nazis. Okay, okay. We won't again. It's solved. There we go.
Joe Getty
Well, especially since they're spending all this money there in Germany and, and rearming and retraining and all this sort of stuff with, you know, with the statements of if you like freedom, this is why we need to be strong. It's not if you hate the Jews, here's why we need to be strong. Or if you hate France, this is why we need to be strong.
Jack Armstrong
If you would enjoy a Fourth Reich with some Lebensraum.
Joe Getty
Yeah.
Jack Armstrong
Everything we deserve. Yeah, no, they're not saying that. Anyway, so we have many times asked the question, is the US military adapting quickly enough to the modern battlefield? Whether it's the cyber stuff or more specifically, more, you know, relevant to today's news. The, the, all the drone warfare and counter drone warfare in Ukraine, the fast moving, light, cheap battlefield of today versus gigantic tanks and artillery systems. There are, there are, you know, the guns of Navarone might still matter in the next big conflict, but a lot of it's going to be fought quickly and lightly. Are they doing enough Wall Street Journal with a great feature over the weekend talking about these massive maneuvers taking place? Well, massive, massively important in Hawaii as our guys, the army specifically are trying out all sorts of different drone technologies in the hot, humid jungles because there's a certain giant country that's hostile that if we have to get into shooting war with them, a lot of it's going to be in hot, humid jungles, on islands specifically.
Joe Getty
Do we have remote control cockroaches?
Jack Armstrong
Not yet, but we're working with the Germans.
Joe Getty
Are those going to be available for Christmas? I mean, Christmas is next Thursday. If I could get those for the kids and they could steer the cockroaches around the living room and have battles or whatever, that'd be fun.
Jack Armstrong
Trust me. Wait for the next generation. They're just beta testing the remote control cockroaches. They'll be crashing into your lamps and stuff like that or it doesn't work.
Joe Getty
And all you've done is bring a bunch of cockroaches in your house.
Jack Armstrong
Right? They shake off their little packs and then go hide in the shadows. So you got these guys running around with really realistic drone encounter drone exercises, trying all sorts of different systems. And it also goes into how the military is really changing its procurement protocols, which is Something everybody says they need to do so that you're not signing five year deals with one big defense company. And by two months from now, their drones are out of date. They've been counter whatever countered by the enemy. And I came away from reading this with a couple of impressions and it's funny, I don't think they mention him specifically. I have not heard a single person say anything negative about Pete Hegseth and his leadership of the Pentagon purely in terms of readiness to fight. I've never heard anybody even question his seriousness on innovation and protecting our troops and being smart in warfare. So far it seems like he gets very high marks in that. I don't, I could be wrong. But again, nobody's even questioned it.
Joe Getty
Interesting.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, they, they criticize him in general. Sensory, too mouthy or whatever. He fires people too fast. I don't know. But anyway. But the, the last aspect of this I want to talk about is having the technology is one thing. Being able to build it really, really fast is the other thing, because Ukraine and Russia are making millions of drones a year and China can outproduce them both. And so the Army's hoping to spur domestic drone production over the next few years by hooking up with the best, most innovative companies and saying, look, we're going to need you to change with the technology. We'll change with the technology. Let's get into BE Yeah.
Joe Getty
When I read the other day how many drones China's creating compared to us, it was, it was very troubling, very trouble.
Jack Armstrong
Oh yeah, yeah.
Joe Getty
And then the clip we started with Zelinsky saying, oh, sure, we'll give up the getting in NATO if we get guarantees from the United States. Do you think we're going to give them the sort of guarantees he's wanting? Where we would come to? I mean, we'll go to war with Russia if he reinves. That'd be a hell of a thing.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, I'm highly skeptical.
Joe Getty
I would think it would. I'm not exactly sure what I think of it as a policy. I mean, that'd basically be the policy if Ukraine joined NATO or if, or today if Russia invades a NATO country.
Jack Armstrong
I mean, that's the business end of NATO. So in what sense are they not in NATO? They don't get to come to the cocktail parties. We'll have mutual defense treatings. But they're not in NATO. What does that even mean?
Joe Getty
And I know some of you feel like surrounding Russia with NATO is what caused this. And we pushed Putin into feeling like he had no choice but to evade Ukraine, that whole thing. But it would be an interesting move given Trump's history. It'd be the. The opposite of what he's been saying running on for all these years.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. One of the flaws in the United States as an ally, especially when you make a promise like that that everybody's looking at and saying really, they're really going to do that, is the next administration might not feel the same and might not be ready to put their guns where their mouths are.
Joe Getty
Oh, Biden. Endlessly. We're with you. To the end. To the end. The crowd cheers Endlessly. Okay, marginally. Kind of sort of depends on public polling and the next administration. Yeah, all that sort of stuff.
Jack Armstrong
Well, Ukraine gave up their nukes because we said we would protect their sovereignty and then we didn't.
Joe Getty
I mean, well, if you're an NFL fan and a Chiefs hater, good news. They aren't going to be in the playoffs this year and they certainly aren't going to be in the super bowl for the first time in a very long time. You don't have to worry about the Chiefs. I don't know what you're thinking in terms of price picks nowadays. Maybe, maybe get some Patriots on there. I guess.
Jack Armstrong
Less or more on Philip Rivers needing to sit down, take a cat nap during the game. 44 year old coming off the bench. First time in five years, right?
Joe Getty
Grandfather with 10 kids.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, amazing. We'll tell you more about that later. But prize picks is easy, easy, easy. Fun fantasy sports. You don't have to go to a draft, then your team sucks after three weeks and you realize your season is over. No, with prize picks, you don't have to wait until next year's draft. Prize picks let you play fantasy football every week, pick your favorite players and win when they hit their projections. Every week, no draft required, just at least two players and tell us whether they're going to get more or less than the stat.
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A lot of teams got bumped out of the playoffs this weekend.
Jack Armstrong
Doesn't matter.
Joe Getty
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Joe Getty
Former Chargers star Philip Rivers because the Indianapolis Colts needed a quarterback. They tapped him at age 44, hadn't played in years. It just shows you how few people can do that job.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, to, to some extent. Also, Rivers was good friends with the head coach and he knew the offense. He even installed it. He was coaching high school football. He even installed that offense in his. At his high school. Simplified, obviously, but. And I'm sure the coach said, hey Phil, how you doing? Like physically and stuff. Are you. What's it? You haven't gained 75 pounds, have you? Because he knew, you know, he's got it up in his head and you know, the bottom line of the story is 44 year old Philip Rivers hadn't played in five years. He came back and he achieved the average quarterback ranking for all the quarterbacks in the league.
Joe Getty
Good for him.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, yeah, it's really an amazing story. He's a hell of a nice fella too, so he's easy to root for.
Joe Getty
Didn't get his legs broken or anything like that.
Jack Armstrong
No, no. One of my favorite sports writers, Jason Gay, the Wall Street Journal said, especially early in the game, he looked like he was stumbling around like trying to make a sandwich in the dark.
Joe Getty
What kind of a phrase is that?
Jack Armstrong
That's unfair.
Joe Getty
It's an unfair phrase, that's what it is. Okay, we got Mailbag.
Jack Armstrong
I will say one thing too, as I think I may have a better body than him right now. Get out there and prove it. You can play for the Raiders. They need somebody.
Joe Getty
That's a funny comment, Michael. So in a shirts off competition, you like your chances? Wow, that's bold. Oh, okay. Mailbag on the way.
Jack Armstrong
Stay.
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Jack Armstrong
This is where mindset comes in.
Trainer Games Narrator
Someone will be eliminated.
Commercial Voice (Story Dream Machine)
Freshman is coming down.
Jack Armstrong
Trainer games on Prime Video January 8th.
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Joe Getty
Jacob this is.
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Joe Getty
Well, two quick things we'll talk about later. Obviously, Rob Reiner's son is in custody. In custody. So that's new news. And also breaking, the FBI foiled a big New Year's Eve terror plot that would have targeted la. Four have been arrested. Be interested to see who those were and what their goals were. So we'll get to that later.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, indeed. Here's your freedom loving quote of the day, which I've misplaced, actually, in a completely different context. Brian sent along some quotes from his his favorite True west magazine. These are old Vaquero sayings, old cowboy sayings. You can't change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying about the future. No doubt men will travel the world to right wrongs and punish evildoers instead of going to therapy. The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest.
Joe Getty
Now that is good. Oh, bring that up again later. We gotta discuss that's one of the best things I've ever heard.
Jack Armstrong
Beautiful.
Joe Getty
I gotta memorize that.
Jack Armstrong
Oh please. That's one of the I got chills. Mailbag. Drop his note. Mailbag it armstrong and getty.com is the email address.
Joe Getty
Let's see.
Jack Armstrong
Marina from San Diego thanks us for our kind words. I can't remember what they were, but you're welcome. She disagrees, though, on my lawn dart comment, which was we're a better country when you could hurl lawn darts in your backyard for fun. She says, let's say you're at a picnic and some bozos nearby don't know how to throw a lawn dart. Or naive teens decide this looks fun. That's just you gotta keep your head on a swivel. That's it. Be prepared. As the Boy Scouts might put it, the world is a dangerous place and when you're a kid, if you got weighted spikes flying around in the backyard, it keeps you on your toes.
Joe Getty
God, I was around so much drunken lawn darting in my life and nobody ever got hurt. It's not like every time you broke out the lawn dart, somebody went to the hospital.
Jack Armstrong
Somebody got a puncture wound, right? Moving along Burbank, Luke writes, Joe, I wish I'd known about your enthusiasm for beavers years ago. Would have invited you to skate in the Beaver Cup. MIT and Caltech hockey players played each other in the early 80s, mainly because both schools mascots are beavers. It morphed into an annual alumni game with loose rules for ringers and went till about 2022. There may have been some drinking and partying.
Joe Getty
That's funny. The Beaver cup.
Jack Armstrong
Oh, that's so American. I love that. I love that about this country. Let's see. JT and Livermore. Frequent correspondent Peggy Noonan's article from Friday show seemed to be saying that MTG's breakaway from Trump was a signal event that led the way, showing others you can fight Trump and win. Except MTG didn't win. She didn't even make it to the end of her elected term. How can she say with straight face that she's faithfully representing her constituents back home when she quits one year into her two year term? I was quitting, representing her people.
Joe Getty
Yeah, yeah. I don't think there was enough attention to she did what was best for her as opposed to the people who elected her.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, yeah. MTG has shown the path to getting drummed out of the party. Where I disagree is anybody will follow mtg's lead. I, you know, I think maybe people were gilding the lily or over egging the pudding. The point is there's much, much more disagreement, open disagreement with Trump among Republicans on a variety of issues. That prohibition, that taboo is gone. Paolo, I want to talk about this more later. Wall Street Journal had a big article about the creation of Tilly Norwood, the AI actress freaking out Hollywood. This, this company, this producer went to a tremendous amount of time and effort and expense to work with AI ChatGPT specifically over and over and over again to produce the perfect female movie star, which now they're going to use in AI generated movies. And, and I may have changed my mind at least a little bit on AI and creativity. I hate that AI can make songs.
Joe Getty
I want to talk about that then.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah. Or art. But just a very short version is the idea of making a film, a motion picture, a movie, if you will, is so overwhelming. That is such a huge endeavor that a lot of people have script ideas or scripts, but. But they just, they can't get the ginormous enterprise that is a film up and off the ground.
Joe Getty
And reading is dead. I was going to talk about that a little bit later. The only way you're going to be able to reach anybody with a story is going to be some sort of movie, film, something.
Jack Armstrong
Yeah, yeah. And how much time do we have, Michael? Yeah, no time to cram this in. It's a little more philosophizing. Maybe we'll do that later.
Joe Getty
We're going to kick off hour two, explaining to you why you should donate money to the Boy Scouts or Scouting USA as it is called now. We're going to try to raise money this week. So far we've raised $12. I mean, we haven't officially kicked it off yet, but we're at $12, which is not a good start. You can go to Armstrong and getty.com and click on the Donate button and get to that right away. We're going to explain to that, including me explaining what I've seen with my son and his friends, what it's done for them. What a great organization if you care about boys and girls, because girls can do it too. And leadership qualities and morals and values and all that sort of stuff.
Jack Armstrong
Stuff.
Joe Getty
Hardly anything better out there than Scouting usa. So we'll talk about it in hour two. If you're missing get the podcast Armstrong and Getty on Demand armstrong and Getty.
Trainer Games Narrator
10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract worth $250,000.
Jack Armstrong
This is where mindset comes in.
Trainer Games Narrator
Someone will be eliminated.
Commercial Voice (Story Dream Machine)
Pressure is coming down.
Jack Armstrong
Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th. Watch the trailer on trainergames.com get into.
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Is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
Release Date: December 15, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Summary prepared by podcast summarizer
In this episode—broadcast during the show’s final week of 2025—Jack and Joe launch a fundraising drive for Scouting USA, take on a heavy news cycle, and weave their signature blend of sharp analysis, gallows humor, and candid reflection. The main conversations orbit around the value of the Boy Scouts, the global significance of anti-Semitism and terrorism, the media's priorities in covering news, and the toll that a constant stream of bad news takes on individuals. Lighter moments include Christmas cookies and remote-control cockroaches.
“What I’ve seen since my son joined Boy Scouts last March is just stunning. Stunning as an organization.” (04:14 – Joe Getty)
“You’ve got the War on Boys, you got the left demonizing boys, and you got a great organization that advocates traditional values and training kids up to be great young men. I love it.” (04:01 – Jack Armstrong)
“There are three, like, big stories going right now, and it seems like they put the only one of world significance last.” (04:14 – Joe Getty)
“Nobody ever says, where’s all this antisemitism coming from? Exactly. … What a strange coincidence. Well, let’s just move on because I’m uncomfortable with this discussion.” (05:34 – Jack Armstrong)
“It’s just yet another example of the omnipresence of the worst things on earth in our news feeds and the rest of it, all the time. It’s not healthy. No. Human beings are not designed for that.” (13:24 – Jack Armstrong)
“He was on Bill Maher’s basement show just a couple of weeks ago… Giant. Absolute giant.” (11:08 – Jack Armstrong)
“Because we’d all weigh 800 pounds. It’s got to be carefully limited.” (14:32 – Jack Armstrong)
“Anytime anybody brings up the German military, everybody’s gotta say, but people are uncomfortable about this because of the Nazis… given that was 80 years ago.” (29:12 – Jack Armstrong)
Armstrong & Getty continue their characteristic blend of irreverence, candor, and concern for American culture. Even when discussing heavy topics, humor and warmth surface—especially in lighter sidebars and calls for community engagement. The hosts invite listeners into both introspection and action, making the episode accessible and relevant even to those who haven’t tuned in.
This episode features a nuanced critique of the week’s most pressing (and least discussed) news, an earnest effort to fundraise for accessible scouting opportunities, reflections on the psychological drain of modern media, and the kind of zany banter (“remote control cockroaches!”) that defines Armstrong & Getty’s appeal. You’ll find both substance and levity, with a particular focus on the intersection between world events and everyday experience.
If you have kids, are concerned about civic values, or just want a smarter take on the news cycle, this episode is for you.
End of Summary