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Jack Armstrong
This is an iHeart podcast.
Joe Getty
Ah, come on.
Jack Armstrong
Why is this taking so long? This thing is ancient.
Christina Quinn
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Jack Armstrong
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Christina Quinn
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Jack Armstrong
If you eat too many ultra processed foods, you could be starving your gut microbes and they'll get hangry. That's one of many things I learned after working on a new audio course about the gut microbiome. You can learn how to keep your gut happy by listening to Try this From the Washington Post, I'm Christina Quinn. I host Try This. Dig in with me, Andrea. Practical advice for life's common challenges follow. Try this right now, wherever you're listening. Seriously, try it.
David Fromm
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Jack Armstrong
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Christiane Amanpour
I'm Christiane Amanpour and I've been on the front lines and interviewing world leaders for more than 30 years. And I'm Jamie Rubin, a former advisor to both Presidents Clinton and Biden. We were married for 20 years and divorced for seven. Now we've joined forces on the X Files to make sense of how we ended up with no World Order. Listen to Christiane Amanpour presents the X files on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Jack Armstrong
Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center.
Jamie Rubin
Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.
Joe Getty
Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Yeti.
Christina Quinn
What are the top BL staffers is actually working in the White House to help us understand the jobs numbers. When I saw the jobs revisions, I literally called up that person and said, I think there's a typo because I've been following these numbers all the way back when I worked with Alan Greenspan for something like 40 years that I've never seen revisions like this.
Joe Getty
Okay, so that's Kevin Hassett, whatever he is in the Trump administration talking about the economy. This was for your Trump hating news shows, the number one story all weekend long that. So the jobs numbers came out on Friday. We talked about them. Trump fired the person in charge of those numbers coming out, though, as I learned over the weekend, they have very little to do with computing the numbers. There's a giant staff of people that do that and plug it into formulas. And then this woman found out about him like two days before they came out. And then she just signs off on him.
Christiane Amanpour
But there's really no discretion there.
Joe Getty
No. So, so, so as usual, Trump does what Trump does. So he, he, he came out and claimed that she is a hack and political and fudged the numbers to try to make him look bad and that.
Christiane Amanpour
She'S been doing, quote, today's job numbers were rigged in order to make the Republicans and me look bad.
Joe Getty
And he said that sort of thing in various forms all weekend long. And then, so there were all kinds of headlines in the New York Times, Washington Post, those sorts of places, NBC News and that, that sort of thing. There's Larry Summers up on the TV on ABC this week. I watched him yesterday and Larry Summers actually said, this is the sort of thing Richard Nixon didn't even dream of doing, which I thought was a little over the top on his end. New York Times headline was Trump Fired America's economic data collector. History shows the perils. And they go immediately into this is what Hitler did, that sort of thing.
Christiane Amanpour
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Yeah, he went in there and cleaned house. As you know, Hitler will.
Joe Getty
I wish Trump wasn't claiming that this woman was, you know, fudging the stats just to hurt him and Republicans and everything like that. But the real story, at least as explained by this Kevin, hassett person I thought was kind of interesting. And the only place I heard it was on Meet the Press when Christian Walker asked him the question. So here is a somewhat lengthy. But I think it might be helpful if you end up with an. In an argument with a friend about this explanation for what's going on here.
Jamie Rubin
What evidence does the administration have that she manipulated the jobs numbers?
Joe Getty
Right.
Christina Quinn
Well, what we've seen over the last few years is massive revisions to the jobs numbers. In fact, they were extremely reliable. The kind of numbers that you want to guide policy decisions and markets through Covid. And then when Covid happened because response rates went down a lot, then revision rates skyrocketed, so that the typical monthly revision often was bigger than the number itself. And now we had a number that just came out. The actual number for the month wasn't so bad, but the two months before were revised down by more than had ever happened since 1968. And in 2015, Alan Greenspan and I were asked to attend a conference at BLS where we were asked to give advice about how to modernize the data. And we warned that if they didn't try to let the data collection and calculation keep up with the data that was happening in the economy, that we would have problems like this.
Joe Getty
For instance, they revised downward July from 144,000 jobs to 19,000 jobs. The biggest revision, as he pointed out there, since 1968 in Covid. And since COVID businesses reporting their job numbers has changed. They've stopped participating. So the numbers are all over the place and out of whack. And he's just making the argument that, that the old formula, when do. When they're doing things doesn't work. And he and Alan Greenspan went to a conference, as you just heard, and talked about it, and blah, blah, blah. And as he said in that other clip, we're working with somebody right now from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to try to figure out what the numbers actually are. Because I got these on Friday and called them up and said, is this a typo? This can't be right. And so it's all out of whack. That explanation makes way more sense than the way Trump portrayed it. And then if you, you know, I don't know if you need to fire her, but if you said, we're gonna, we're gonna get a fresh set of eyes on this, we need to, they need to redo the whole system. So I've got somebody in there that's gonna take a look at it. I think that would have landed a lot better than claiming it's a rigged system to try to hurt Republicans.
Christiane Amanpour
Right, right. I would agree. This is the 20% of Trump's act that even most big Trump fans wish he would rein in a little bit. Yeah. Because Hassett makes an excellent point. And this does not smack as trying desperately to make sense of what Trump said to me like some other things do.
Joe Getty
Right.
Christiane Amanpour
That makes sense.
Joe Getty
That.
Christiane Amanpour
Okay, so these revisions are now, I mean, like an enormous percentage of the total number. Well, if it goes from. Yeah, no, total number is useless.
Joe Getty
Correct. If it goes from 144 to 19, why make any economic decisions or have markets react to the original number?
Christiane Amanpour
What are we even doing here? Right, Exactly. And so, yeah, you know, the fact that the system was exposed as antiquated and no longer adequate. Trump reacted in a childish, knee jerk fashion. Not all that shocking. But yeah, this, this rings true to me. The revision should not be nearly so enormous or the system is just completely broken. We need a new one. Again, whether Ms. McEnharfer or whatever his name. Her name is needed to be MacIntarfer, whether she actually has got kind of a Velma of the Scooby Doo gang.
Joe Getty
Look to her anyway find alluring or what do you.
David Fromm
What do you suggest?
Christiane Amanpour
It's Right. I'll just say intriguing. Anyway. Rut row. Oh. So anyway. But yeah, whether she would have been a good person to be in charge of the turnaround or not. I don't know. It's entirely. It is possible to do the right thing in the wrong way or it's.
Joe Getty
Possible that she just said, yeah, it's ridiculous. I'm all for re. Redoing the way we come up with these numbers. Put me in charge of it. I'd love to, but who knows? It's possible this was to bump Epstein off. I mean, it ended. The Epstein thing is not. I didn't hear the word once yesterday on the Sunday shows. And from all reporting, the Trump White House was pretty desperate to finally end that damn scandal once and for all. I don't know if that's what happened here or not. It seems like I had one more thing to say.
Christiane Amanpour
Well, you know, it's funny, I. I'm less likely to believe that just because of Kevin Hassett's explanation. Yeah, because it makes perfect sense. Well, what are we even doing here with these statistics that wildly wrong.
Joe Getty
But Trump's portrayal of it could have been to get everybody's attention, which it certainly did.
Christiane Amanpour
Well, he has parlayed being under attack to his advantage. Now his entire career on the political scene. And. And it's been helped along by the. He's been under attack for most of the time.
Joe Getty
Everybody overplays their hand. And I've been complaining about this for years. If. If people would stop doing that, it would be so much better. So I generally like Larry Summers, who was president of Harvard and Obama's economic guy. He's a generally pretty reasonable Democrat. For. For a Democrat. I like him better than most people they put out there. But. So he did a list of Trump, of what we're headed now into now is authoritarianism. Trump did this, and he mentioned a couple other things that were a little uncomfortable. I'm uncomfortable with that. Trump has done. And then he said in the way Trump has gone after the colleges. Okay, why did you say that?
Christiane Amanpour
Oh, no.
Joe Getty
Why did you say that? Harvard had ranked last in free speech. Columbia was not allowing Asian kids or Jews. I mean, come on. So everybody overplays their hand and then they lose all credibility.
Christiane Amanpour
And how desperate is Larry Summers to have status among his peers or whatever? I don't know what's inside the guy's head. He's a smart guy, but he was fired by Harvard for daring to suggest, you know, some of the imbalance in the STEM fields is just men tend to be, on average, better at this stuff and more interested in it. And for that, he was hounded off the campus by the woke left. So you'd think he would have a little bit of a regard for the. The need to reform our disgusting, perverse college campuses. Oh, campus madness update coming up next hour. Stay with us.
Joe Getty
So hopefully that wraps up another Bureau of Labor Statistics Monday. Every Monday we check in on that bureau.
Christiane Amanpour
Well, you got to get it out of the way on Monday.
Joe Getty
Well, everybody's waiting for it over the weekend. Oh, no.
Christiane Amanpour
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Joe Getty
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Joe Getty
On the Naked Gun remake that came out over the weekend? A lot of attention among people who love those movies, the Leslie Nielsen style of comedy. But this one has Liam Neeson in the lead role and I've never pictured him really doing a comedy like that. But the it was pretty funny on Saturday Night Live. True. The Rotten Tomatoes reviews and critics reviews have been fantastic on this movie. Pamela Anderson, the old Baywatch chick, is the lead female in it and they.
Christiane Amanpour
Are said to be dating now.
Joe Getty
Oh, that's right.
Christiane Amanpour
Yeah.
Joe Getty
That's so interesting how often people meet on the set and end up together. Is it just because they're all pretty people and if you two put two really attractive people in a room, they're going to end up together? Is that.
Christiane Amanpour
Well, there's that, I guess. But having been a thespian of some note in my younger days, you spend a, a hell of a lot of time with people. You are very close physically with them a lot. And, you know, sometimes you're interacting in a role where you are acting various emotions and they start to feel a little realish. In fact, that's, you know, one of the hazards of being married to an actor is you just if you spend weeks on a set or rehearsing a play pretending to be in love with somebody who's kind of attractive. Danger, Danger.
Joe Getty
Yeah. I wouldn't dig if my wife or girlfriend had a job where I'm gonna be six months in a hotel with this really hot young guy pretending to be in love with him.
Christiane Amanpour
Right? Yeah. And we're gonna go through ups and downs and struggles and laughs and tears and frustration and all the ups and downs of life, but we'll do it together. Oh, boy.
Joe Getty
Yeah. Anyway, that's that story. So you said you had a gender bending madness update.
Christiane Amanpour
Campus Madness, Captain.
Joe Getty
The campus Madness.
Christiane Amanpour
That's it. Also a look, believe it or not, we're going to go from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to congressional redistricting, which is one of the other big controversies of the day. But I promise you, promise you it's not boring.
Joe Getty
And this is the first day for all of us in a world without Lonnie Anderson. More on that later. Stick to it.
Christiane Amanpour
I'm at wkrp. That's right.
Joe Getty
Soldier on.
Jamie Rubin
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Christina Quinn
Lenovo is built for creators who don't wait for inspiration. They chase it with inventive tech, built in AI tools and seamless performance. Lenovo devices powered by Intel Core Ultra processors are designed to bring your wildest ideas to life faster. That's the power of Lenovo. With intel inside. Enjoy flexible financing, rewards on every purchase and free shipping. And students get special offers when you create an account@lenovo.com.
Unknown
Across the country, everyday Americans are standing up to expand freedom and opportunity not just for themselves, but for their neighbors and communities. They're small business owners, parents, farmers and local leaders, people who are pushing back against government overreach and showing what's possible when liberty is protected and individuals get involved. I'm David Fromm, host of the American Potential podcast where we bring these stories to life. We don't just talk about policy solutions. Each week we share the impact of how these solutions benefit everyday Americans. Because behind every issue is an individual, a family or a community that's been impacted reminding us that policy becomes personal. So whether you're passionate about keeping more of your hard earned money, expanding school choice, or cutting red tape, you'll hear from the people making a difference as they share their stories. Listen now to American Potential on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or wherever you get.
David Fromm
Your podcast, there's something special about folks who come through without being asked. Like your coworker surprising you with your favorite coffee just because. Or your friend handing you the aux cable the moment you get in the car. No debate, no fight, just positive vibes. That kind of love, it just hits different. And that's exactly the energy. AT&T is on with their new guarantee. If there's ever a network interruption, AT&T will proactively credit you for a full day of service. No calls, no emails, no jumping through hoops. It's just handled. It's like the universe saying, I got you. Except this time it's not the stars aligning, it's your network. And let's be real, that connection is everything. Whether you're holding down the group chat, checking in on your parents scrolling TikTok, your network's gotta come through. And if there's a problem, AT&T is on the case. No stress, no drama, just real backup when it counts. Credit for Fiber downtime lasting 20 minutes or more or wireless downtime lasting 60 minutes or more caused by a single incident impacting 10 or more towers. Restrictions and exclusions apply. See att.com guaranty for full details. AT&T connecting changes everything.
Jack Armstrong
If you eat too many ultra processed foods, you could be starving your gut microbes and they'll get hangry. That's one of many things I learned after working on a new audio course about the gut microbiome. You can learn how to keep your gut happy by listening to Try this from the Washington Post. I'm Christina Quinn. I host Try this. Dig in with me on practical advice for life's common challenges Follow. Try this right now, wherever you're listening. Seriously, try it.
Christiane Amanpour
Liz Warren fell down on the Senate floor yesterday and to everyone's surprise, didn't even yell Geronim. Her new Indian name is fall on ass.
Joe Getty
Oh, that's pretty funny. How y' all doing? So we got some good newsy stuff for you. We talked about this expensive bed on the One More Thing podcast a while back. This really expensive mattress, which.
Christiane Amanpour
Oh, I remember that. Yeah.
Joe Getty
I'll hit you with the price here in a moment because if you haven't heard about this, it's shocking. We actually walked by one of these stores. It's Hostins. I don't know how you pronounce it. H A S T E N S. It's Scandinavian, so I don't know how they pronounce it, but they don't have many stores. The beds are ridiculously expensive. And we walked by one of their stores on Park Avenue in New York. We were leaving Central park and I was. We were walking along all these ridiculously expensive stores and oh my God, it's One of those bed stores, but you had to have an appointment and we were not dressed for people to go in and look at these kind of mattresses. I would love to have laid down one. I don't even know if they know.
Christiane Amanpour
Let us, sorry, poor people, we can't allow you in here.
Joe Getty
So I, I don't remember how I came across this over the weekend and reignited my interest in this sort of thing, that it exists, but so I went on ebay and there's one available on ebay that's used, so they only want $48,000 for it. This used mattress comes with the box spring. So it's mattress and box spring for $48,000.
Christiane Amanpour
There you go. Yeah.
Joe Getty
And the owner of it, since I put it on my watch, sent me an offer yesterday, took $4,000 off. They're only asking $40,000 now for this mattress and box spring. This mattress is made of horse hair and some particular rare kind of horse and cotton. It's all natural materials. It is said by reviewers. I remember when I talked about this on our podcast, the person that reviewed it, I think, for the New York Times said it's ridiculously overpriced and nobody is ever going to buy one of these. But it is unlike sleeping on anything you've ever slept on. It's as if you're suspended. You're just floating. You can't even tell or any. There's any pressure on any of your body. You're just kind of floating there. And it's amazing. But the original price on this particular mattress and box springs, that I'm, you know, I'm trying, I'm deciding whether or not to pull the trigger at 40 grand was $84,000. 83,980, please. $84,000 for a mattress and box spring?
Christiane Amanpour
Look, if you fly private all the time, go ahead and buy the horse hair mattress. We prefer sex workers hair, by the.
Joe Getty
Way, Jack these days, the horse, the beast of burden.
Christiane Amanpour
Oh, I apologize. I misunderstood. But if that's your lifestyle, go ahead. If not, that's insane. Don't you remember that email we got from a gal? She said, yeah, we bought one of these things and you've got to like have the horrors hair massaged every two weeks. That's the most uncomfortable thing ever.
Joe Getty
No, that's part of the upkeep. Yes, you have to have its, what is it called, a rejuvenation or something like that. Somebody needs to come into your home at least once a year and re massage it to make it But I was just reading a review from somebody who's got one on Reddit. They said if you have the person come and rejuvenate it all the time, it feels. They've had it for four years. Feels exactly like it did on day one. If you don't get it rejuvenated, you have a very expensive sack of garbage. They said. But, wow, I would like to lay down on one. There's a store in Silicon Valley. No surprise. I might. I might have to go over there sometime, and I'll wear my suit jacket and try to look like I belong there and make an appointment and lay down on one so I can report back. Isn't it amazing, though, that anybody would ever pull the trigger on a $84,000 mattress and box spring?
Christiane Amanpour
Like a lot of things, I think it exists, so you can mention that.
Joe Getty
You have it, but I can't believe they sell enough of them to be able to even be a company. You wouldn't think you'd sell two a year. Well, it's at the store.
Christiane Amanpour
There are thousands of billionaires, and how often do you get more? Every day? I don't know.
Joe Getty
The bed's supposed to last.
Christiane Amanpour
Billionaire. I don't know. Maybe they get you. They sleep very. You know, I would think if I.
Joe Getty
Walk into this, I would think if I'd have walked into that store in Park Avenue, I'd been the first customer in six months. You saw one of you, I don't know. Anyway.
Christiane Amanpour
You here on purpose, sir? Oh, yes. Oh, my Lord. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Okay, okay, okay. It'll be okay. All right. Here we go. All right. Yeah. You know, it's funny. I was just reading that according to several organizations, companies, people that would know, American consumers are going way towards thrifty now. A lot of luxury buying is down, generics are up, bulk buying is on the rise. Even your fancier burritos are going unordered in your eateries.
Joe Getty
Your fancier burritos.
Christiane Amanpour
Yeah. Well, trust me when I tell you, like Chipotle, they keep very, very careful track of what is being ordered and what's not. And they're seeing a trend toward lower dollar orders.
Joe Getty
Wow. So, maxed out, credit cards, student loan payments coming back, probably a certain amount of uneasiness about the future. That'd be. I mean, I would never buy that bed anyway. But I would never be able to sleep because I'd be thinking, God, if the economy really crashes, I'm going to feel like an idiot on this $83,000 bed.
Christiane Amanpour
Gee, money.
Jack Armstrong
Armstrong and Getty.
Jamie Rubin
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Christina Quinn
Lenovo is built for creators who don't wait for inspiration. They chase it with inventive tech, built in AI tools and seamless performance. Lenovo devices powered by Intel Core Ultra processors are designed to bring your wildest ideas to life faster. That's the power of Lenovo. With intel inside, enjoy flexible financing, rewards on every purchase and free shipping. And students get special offers when you create an account@lenovo.com.
Unknown
Across the country, everyday Americans are standing up to expand freedom and opportunity not just for themselves, but for their neighbors and communities. They're small business owners, parents, farmers and local leaders, people who are pushing back against government overreach and showing what's possible when liberty is protected and individuals get involved. I'm David Fromm, host of the American Potential podcast where we bring these stories to life. We don't just talk about policy solutions. Each week we share the impact of how how these solutions benefit everyday Americans. Because behind every issue is an individual, a family or a community that's been impacted reminding us that policy becomes personal. So whether you're passionate about keeping more of your hard earned money, expanding school choice or cutting red tape, you'll hear from the people making a difference as they share their stories. Listen now to American potential on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or wherever you get your your podcast.
Jack Armstrong
If you eat too many ultra processed foods, you could be starving your gut microbes and they'll get hangry. That's one of many things I learned after working on a new audio course about the gut microbiome. You can learn how to keep your gut happy by listening to Try this from the Washington Post. I'm Christina Quinn. I host Try this. Dig in with me on practical advice for life's common challenges. Follow Try this right now, wherever you're listening. Seriously, try it. Hi, I'm Cindy Crawford and I'm the founder of meaningful beauty. When Dr. Sabah and I decided to do a skincare line together, he said to me, we are going to give women meaningful beauty. And I said, that's exactly right. We want to give women meaningful beauty, which means each and every product is meaningful. It has a reason to exist. It's efficacious. You're going to get results, and then you just go out and live your life. Meaningful Beauty Confidence is beautiful. Learn more@meaningfulbeauty.com.
Jamie Rubin
A high stakes showdown in Texas as House Democrats flee the state to delay a controversial Republican led push to redraw the congressional map in cities like Austin, Houston and Dallas.
Joe Getty
The proposed map could flip five seats.
Jamie Rubin
From likely wins by Democrats to Republicans. The move could help them keep their.
Jack Armstrong
Razor thin House majority by carving up.
Jamie Rubin
Cities like deep blue Austin into multiple red districts, leaving just one Democratic stronghold in the center.
Christiane Amanpour
So this is controversial and it's not usually done midway between censuses. Usually redistricting is done every 10 years when the census comes comes out. But if there is probably no other topic in politics that has more hypocritical posturing than redistricting, as each side yells at the other that, well, we'll show you what they're yelling in a moment or two. But the president of Texas, Greg Abbott, has told the Democrats, you got to come back to the session or you're maybe committing a felony and we're gonna, we're gonna get you. And the Democrats reacted by quoting a famous line from Texas history, come and get it, meaning us or something.
Joe Getty
Well, and how do they teach us when we're seventh graders that gerrymandering is illegal? And then you grow up and you realize like practically everything in the country is gerrymandered.
Christiane Amanpour
Right, Exactly. It's just called redistricting. And the sad and pathetic state of jurisprudence on this is actually the interesting part. We'll get to that in a second or two. But here's some of the heated rhetoric. 72 Michael if Donald Trump is allowed to do this, if he is allowed to once again cheat and get away with it, wow, there is no stopping this.
Christina Quinn
This will spread across the country.
Joe Getty
This is an American and this is undemocratic. Republicans are stealing Our democracy right before our very eyes. If you ever look at the map of districts, you see how and the Republicans and Democrats work together oftentimes on these so they can not battle over very many seats. It's really ugly. But the, the like, you know the lines go see, grab this part of a town that's all gonna be blue voters and then this little part of the country that's gonna be all red voters are separate. Even though the town like this is the way it used to be in the town I'm in now, I don't know what the lines are now, but they had carved it out. It should be the whole town. We all live in this town, so we should be a voting block people in this town. But they didn't. They grabbed part of the town where the liberals lived and the other part of the town for one district and another part of the town for the Republicans and just. Yeah, it's ridiculous, right?
Christiane Amanpour
The idea being that they want mostly safe districts so they don't have to spend any money in them. And then there are a handful of up for grab districts that have great fights in them. One more bit of heated rhetoric, this from fat, immoral child mutilator J.B. pritzker, the governor of Illinois. We know that you are making great.
Joe Getty
Sacrifices to resist the power grab that's being perpetrated by Donald Trump, by Governor.
Christiane Amanpour
Abbott and by Texas Republicans.
Joe Getty
We will not let power go unchecked.
Christiane Amanpour
Right.
Unknown
Or let your voices and their voices go unheard.
Christiane Amanpour
In a hilarious and soon to be forgotten aspect of this, Gavin Newsom came out and said essentially this is thieving democracy. This is un American, this is immoral. We need to do it. So he's threatening to re. Re redistrict California to squeeze out the few Republican seats. Actually, they're a pretty good number, but anyway, so I thought that was interesting. Blah, blah, blah. They're all grandstanding and sooner or later the Democrats will come back and there'll probably be some sort of compromise. But that's not the interesting part. Oh, and that's all you're going to hear all day long is they, look, they're fighting, they're fighting. But that'll get it. That'll get worked out eventually. What the interesting part to me is that and this is such a failure of our system, the, the status of law about redistricting is one of those parts of the law that everybod just kind of says, yeah, nothing to see here. Don't look too closely. So you got your Voting Rights act passed A number of years ago, Supreme Court is going to take on a major may truly historical case. They announced on Friday during the October session they're going to rehear a redistricting challenge and, and they broaden the case even more by asking the parties to address the question of whether the state's creation of a second majority minor conjectural district violates 14th or 15th amendments. I know this is a little thick, but, but here it is. The equal protection clause of the Constitution says you can't change what you do government because of the race of the person involved or the religion or the creed or who they sleep with or whatever. You can't. But section two of the Voting Rights act says, yeah, actually you can if they're black or brown or white. In fact, you can draw these crazy districts to make sure that there are the right number of what they call majority minority districts. Meaning for instance, I don't know, in Kansas a lot of Hispanic people, they gotta get a district. And how about the black folks over by Kansas City? They gotta have a district over there. And I don't care how crazy quilt weird looking it is, you gotta draw em a district. Well, obviously those two things are not compatible. And the supreme court back in 1986 unleashed a ruling that satisfied no one. And nobody can figure out that it requires states to draw these majority minority districts if the minority populations are large, compact and politically cohesive, but the white votes sufficiently as a group could defeat a minority's preferred candidate. So it's gotta be, it's gotta be a community of the racial minority people. It can't be a crazy quilt boa constrictor, you know, laid across parts of the state. And those two things have been completely at odds for the longest time now. Since 1986, nobody knows what the law is. States think, well, we can't be run afoul of the equal protection guarantee. Yeah, we can't get in trouble under section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. So what do we do? I don't know, let's kind of just half ass these weird districts. So it's long overdue. The SCOTUS is going to say, all right, here's the deal. And it's probably going to be one or the other.
Joe Getty
Boy, it'd be something if they had a ruling that would cause us to redraw districts all across the country and get it back to, well, something not what it is. Like we were just explaining the two major parties have worked together to make most of the seats safe. Do you know that that's why third parties can't ever get anywhere. They've gone out of their way to make sure the Republicans and Democrats will have a certain giant number that are almost impossible to dislodge people from. And then they'll fight over the other 50 or whatever number they've decided on that they'll make competitive. And if you drew all these lines in a more normal way, like this town is represents a group of people, all the people living a rural lifestyle outside of it are a different group of people like that, which would make more sense. We'd have way more competitive races and. Well, does anybody think the way things are going right now is a good thing? No. Nobody.
Christiane Amanpour
Congress has its lowest approval ratings ever and they're like lower than everything. But paper cuts, gonorrhea.
Joe Getty
And there's such an advantage to playing toward the fringe of your own party as opposed to the middle of the country. The middle of politics, not the middle of the country.
Christiane Amanpour
But it was just a little while back that Clarence Thomas was commenting on this Louisiana case and said, look, court, you've got to figure this out because this is absurd. This is exactly what we're supposed to do. And we're not doing it figuring out whether the section 2 or the this stupid case run afoul of the Constitution's equal protection clause. So there could be a giant change coming in the way these maps are drawn, coming up in. Well, the session is in October. Then when do they unleash those decisions? It's not the next June, is it?
Joe Getty
Usually? Yeah. The big ones. Yeah.
Christiane Amanpour
All right, well, 2026 could be a giant year for redistrict. Anyway, I thought that was the interesting part, that we've been existing in this weird. Yeah, everybody knows the Constitution doesn't permit this, but the court hasn't taken it on. Situation that's about to end.
Joe Getty
I think we're going to get into the whole blue jeans commercial thingy again in hour three. Some interesting things were said over the weekend about that whole controversy.
Christiane Amanpour
I heard about this. The Nazi Eugenesis blue jeans commercial. Plus, speaking of that sort of thing, popular young women. Does Caitlin Clark have a civil rights case against the wnba? Well, I say absolutely she does.
Joe Getty
Wow, that'll be exciting. I just saw this headline. I'll have to dig into it. China is standing firm against the United States demands that it stop buying oil from Russia and Iran. That is going to be a big deal.
Christiane Amanpour
And they've gone back. And this varies, like every week after week. It goes back and forth. They've Gone back to choking off our supply of various rare earth minerals and stuff we need.
Joe Getty
But this whole trying to squeeze Russia because they're not cooperating with ceasefire or whatnot. The India and China is going to be interesting to follow and it's going to happen over the next couple of weeks. A lot want to get to this story later too. Las Vegas, Joe was manning people pulling back on spending. Las Vegas is down quite a bit. Year to year visits to Las Vegas were down 11% in June versus a year earlier. That's quite a bit one year. Year to year. 11%. And I would certainly put trip to Las Vegas in the first things we cut when money gets tight category, wouldn't you?
Christiane Amanpour
Oh, yeah, yeah, definitely.
Joe Getty
I don't like these trends.
Christiane Amanpour
McKinsey poll recently top concern for U.S. consumers, 45% said rising prices and inflation. About 30, little under. 30% said tariff policies. Well, 23% said ability to make ends meet.
Joe Getty
Well, that first number is quite possibly affected by that second one. I mean, so those all could be the same number, right? You're confirmed about concerned about inflation and tariff. Could be all the same thing. I think we all have a little PTSD around inflation. That's brutal. Inflation is brutal, man. You lose a lot of your net worth really freaking quick.
Christiane Amanpour
Oh, yeah.
Joe Getty
When that. When inflation hits, it's physically frightening. Hell, yeah. I don't like to think about it. I was thinking about it on my walk the other day, like just how much less I make than a couple of years ago because of inflation. Unless you have a job where it tracks with inflation, you've taken a pretty big pay cut over the last several years. Everybody has.
Christiane Amanpour
And don't forget, it's a hidden tax. So the government class can spend lots of money and accumulate more power and wealth themselves. They tax you by devaluing what you own.
Joe Getty
That sucks.
Christiane Amanpour
Fight the power, man. Fight the power. Yeah. Fiscal responsibility is not just some sort of like, intellectual stance. It's protecting what's yours.
Joe Getty
So we'll do Lonnie Anderson, the Burt Reynolds years. That will be our three. Today we're trying to. Okay, we're trying to break down our Lonnie Anderson tribute into different sections so we can honor every portion of her life. My brother is the king of celebrity deaths. I don't know what his tracking is, but he's always the first person to ever text me anytime an old celebrity dies.
Christiane Amanpour
I don't know, he's got like TMZ style connections to the undertakers of Hollywood.
Joe Getty
Or what he hit me with. The world has lost Lonnie Anderson Text in the middle of the day yesterday and I said damn it was my response. We've got more on the ways to.
Jack Armstrong
Here Armstrong and Getty.
Jamie Rubin
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Across the country, everyday Americans are standing up to expand freedom and opportunity not just for themselves, but for their neighbors and community. They're small business owners, parents, farmers and local leaders, people who are pushing back against government overreach and showing what's possible when liberty is protected and individuals get involved. I'm David Fromm, host of the American Potential podcast where we bring these stories to life. We don't just talk about policy solutions. Each week we share the impact of how these solutions benefit everyday Americans. Because because behind every issue is an individual, a family or a community that's been impacted reminding us that policy becomes personal. So whether you're passionate about keeping more of your hard earned money, expanding school choice, or cutting red tape, you'll hear from the people making a difference as they share their stories. Listen now to American Potential on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or wherever you get your podcast.
Jack Armstrong
If you eat too many ultra processed foods, you could be starving your gut microbes and they'll get that's one of many Things I learned after working on a new audio course about the gut microbiome. You can learn how to keep your gut happy by listening to Try this from the Washington Post. I'm Christina Quinn. I host Try this. Dig in with me on practical advice for life's common challenges. Follow. Try this right now, wherever you're listening. Seriously, try it. Hi, I'm Cindy Crawford and I'm the founder of Meaningful Beauty. Well, I don't know about you, but like, I never liked being told, oh, wow, you look so good for your age. Like, why even bother saying that? Why don't you just say you look great at any age, Every age. That's what Meaningful Beauty is all about. We create products that make you feel confident in your skin at the age you are now. Meaningful Beauty. Beautiful skin at every age. Learn more@meaningful beauty.com.
Christiane Amanpour
President Trump is bringing back the Presidential Fitness Test for public schools. Teachers are excited because it means students will have much better stamina during sex. Oh.
Joe Getty
Oh, wow. I saw two of those last week of the teachers having sex with, you know, teenage boys. They always look the same.
Christiane Amanpour
Yeah.
Joe Getty
Pretty, attractive, kind of blonde, whatever.
Christiane Amanpour
On the verge of losing their girlish beauty and their power over males. Yeah, there ought to be like a recognized name for that syndrome, the gray haired Cinderella syndrome or something, I don't know.
Joe Getty
But Joe and I are of the generation, like many of you who went to school during the Presidential Fitness test that John F. Kennedy started in the early, early 60s and it lasted for 50 years.
Christiane Amanpour
I believe it's good for children to attempt something they can't possibly do.
Joe Getty
I was just reading that there's no data showing that that did any good. First of all, there are only four kids in a half a century in all of the country that ever did the required pull ups.
Christiane Amanpour
Right.
Joe Getty
I mean, so. And we all felt that way about it. I mean, there was a, there were a number of things that nobody in your school could do or one kid could do. And so what were we supposed to do with that information? I guess we're all just failures. I mean, well, and it wasn't like.
Christiane Amanpour
That kid was an eight year old exercise devotee. They were just very skinny and strong for reasons of genes or they grew up on a farm or something.
Joe Getty
Well, there's a certain build that works for pull ups.
Christiane Amanpour
Right.
Joe Getty
That, yeah, it doesn't even matter if you're very, very fit. It doesn't work for other people. Anyway. We all recognize fairly quickly, including the gym teacher, that what are we doing here? I mean, there's one kid in the school that can do this. What are we supposed to say, you're all gonna die or what? What is the message? It was an unfair to little Jimmy. Now I heard somebody mentioning that sitting at the bottom of the rope that they could never climb. Was rope climbing part of the presidential fitness thing?
Christiane Amanpour
Oh yeah.
Joe Getty
Oh it was. Oh yeah. I could scramble to the top and touch the beam at the top of the gym like a monkey every time. It was easy for me. But it was horrifying. I mean because you were at the top of a gymnasium over a hard floor like 30ft in the air. It was frightening as hell.
Christiane Amanpour
Well, that was the sort of courage that defeated the Nazis, Jack. And that's what we've lost in America. You can't climb to the top of the rope. How are you going to defeat the modern Nazis?
Joe Getty
I didn't realize. I kind of remember when it went away 10, 15 years ago. They did away with it and we mocked it back then. And so it's coming back, I hope in a form that has some doable goals where you could as like a seventh grader think, oh I almost did it. You know, if I exercise a little bit next year I could do it where as I could have worked out the rest of my life and I was never going to be able to do 10 pull ups. But the original intention of it was it was when TV became such a fad and JFK and the administration at the time thought in like 1961, kids are watching way too much TV and I get, get it fat and lazy. Unless we don't have the schools get involved in this. And that's where it came from.
Christiane Amanpour
Yeah, yeah. It's funny looking back because I couldn't climb the rope at all. And you know that I could do, I could do a reasonable number of those pull ups but I couldn't do enough. Meanwhile, and this, this is 12 year old me, Trust me, I take no pride in this. Meanwhile, as I'm utterly failing the physical fitness test, I'm running roughshod over the other kids in like three different sports. And so what again, what are we doing here?
Joe Getty
Right? Was the question we all had. I, I think I could still climb the rope. Does anybody have a rope in the gym? They could have me come. Could you open the gym on a weekend?
Christiane Amanpour
You'd have to gym. Oh I see, like a municipal gym.
Joe Getty
Does anybody have a gym they could open on?
Christiane Amanpour
No, Nobody has a freaking rope. We don't have like a 1 meter diving board in our swimming pools because some kid might jump backwards and crack their head open. Please, We're a soft country.
Joe Getty
If you got access to an old timey gym, let me know. I'll come out. I want to see if I can still climb the rope clear to the top. I think I could. One minute.
Christiane Amanpour
Medicine balls are back in. So old timey. What's old is new, Jack.
Joe Getty
Every gym has medicine balls in it. Now. I've noticed that. How I I wonder, is planking a thing? Dudes do my gym. Only chicks are doing planking.
Christiane Amanpour
Oh yeah? Well, they ought to be.
Joe Getty
So I'm over in the planking area and it's just, it's just women talking about the new season of the Bachelorette and over in the the dudes are in the other side throwing weights around. I just wondered, have I been tricked into doing the chick exercise?
Christiane Amanpour
But wow, I'm just gonna let that hang there in the air like somebody broke wind? A chick exercise?
Joe Getty
You know, chick exercises. It's never been easier in human history to feed yourself than now. Which is interesting given some hunger PSAs. I keep hearing the blue jean ad with the sexy chick Trump commented on it. So did jd, Vance Armstrong and Getty. Ah, come on.
Jack Armstrong
Why is this taking so long? This thing is ancient.
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Jack Armstrong
Whoa, this thing moves.
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Jack Armstrong
If you eat too many ultra processed foods, you could be starving your gut microbes and they'll get hangry. That's one of many things I learned after working on a new audio course about the gut microbiome. You can learn how to keep your gut happy by listening to Try this from the Washington Post. I'm Christina Quinn. I host Try this Dig in with me on practical advice for life's common challenges. Follow Try this right now, wherever you're listening. Seriously, try it.
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Christiane Amanpour
And I've been on the front lines and interviewing world leaders for more than 30 years. And I'm Jamie Rubin, a former advisor to both Presidents Clinton and Biden. We were married for 20 years and divorced for seven. Now we've joined forces on the X Files to make sense of how we ended up with no world order. Listen to Christiana Manpour Presents the X files on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Jack Armstrong
This is an I Heart podcast.
Episode Release Date: August 4, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts
In this episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand, titled "What Are We Even Doing Here?", hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty navigate through a whirlwind of contemporary political and economic issues with their characteristic blend of insightful analysis and sharp humor. From scrutinizing the Trump administration's handling of economic data to dissecting current consumer behaviors and the contentious topic of redistricting, the duo offers listeners a comprehensive look at the forces shaping today's socio-political landscape.
The episode kicks off with a deep dive into former President Donald Trump's recent decision to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Trump's move was ostensibly aimed at addressing what he perceives as manipulated job statistics meant to tarnish his and the Republican Party's reputation.
Joe Getty [04:22]: "Trump fired America's economic data collector... [and] history shows the perils. And they go immediately into this is what Hitler did, that sort of thing."
The hosts critically examine the legitimacy of Trump's claims, debating whether the drastic measure was a strategic move to divert attention or a genuine concern over data accuracy. They reference insights from Kevin Hassett, an economic advisor, who suggests systemic issues within the BLS's data collection and revision processes.
Christiane Amanpour [08:06]: "This is the 20% of Trump's act that even most big Trump fans wish he would rein in a little bit."
Armstrong and Getty argue that the BLS is grappling with outdated methodologies that fail to capture the complexities of the modern economy, especially post-COVID-19. They contend that Trump's approach oversimplifies the problem and fails to address the underlying infrastructural deficiencies within economic data reporting.
Shifting focus to broader economic issues, the hosts discuss the persistent concerns surrounding inflation and its impact on everyday Americans. They reference a McKinsey poll indicating that 45% of U.S. consumers are most worried about rising prices and inflation.
Joe Getty [39:24]: "Maxed out, credit cards, student loan payments coming back, probably a certain amount of uneasiness about the future."
Armstrong and Getty explore how inflation acts as a "hidden tax," eroding purchasing power and disproportionately affecting lower- and middle-income households. They emphasize the psychological and financial strain it places on consumers, leading to shifts in spending habits.
Christiane Amanpour [40:06]: "And don't forget, it's a hidden tax. So the government class can spend lots of money and accumulate more power and wealth themselves. They tax you by devaluing what you own."
The conversation also touches on changing consumer trends, such as a decline in luxury purchases and a rise in thriftiness, as evidenced by a notable 11% year-over-year decrease in Las Vegas visits.
A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to the heated debate over congressional redistricting. The hosts discuss the recent controversial move by Texas House Democrats to flee the state to delay a Republican-led effort to redraw congressional maps—a maneuver that could potentially flip five seats from Democratic to Republican control.
Jamie Rubin [28:50]: "The proposed map could flip five seats. From likely wins by Democrats to Republicans."
Armstrong and Getty critique the practice of gerrymandering, highlighting how both major political parties collaborate to create "safe districts," thereby diminishing competitive electoral races and marginalizing third-party candidates.
Joe Getty [30:03]: "The lines go, see, grab this part of a town that's all gonna be blue voters and then this little part of the country that's gonna be all red voters are separate. It's ridiculous, right?"
They also discuss the looming Supreme Court case that seeks to reconcile conflicting aspects of the Voting Rights Act with the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution, predicting that the outcome could necessitate a nationwide overhaul of redistricting practices.
Injecting their trademark humor, Armstrong and Getty pivot to the topic of luxury consumer goods, spotlighting an $40,000 used mattress and box spring available on eBay.
Joe Getty [19:46]: "We actually walked by one of these stores... a really expensive mattress... used mattress comes with the box spring. So it's mattress and box spring for $48,000."
The hosts debate the practicality and absurdity of such exorbitant prices for mattresses, juxtaposing it against the broader economic struggles faced by average consumers. This segment serves as a satirical commentary on consumerism and the lengths to which individuals will go for perceived comfort and status symbols.
In a nostalgic and critical look back, Armstrong and Getty discuss the resurgence of the Presidential Fitness Test in public schools, initiated by former President Trump.
Christiane Amanpour [45:15]: "President Trump is bringing back the Presidential Fitness Test for public schools. Teachers are excited because it means students will have much better stamina during sex."
They humorously critique the relevance and effectiveness of such physical fitness standards, recalling their personal struggles with events like rope climbing and pull-ups during their school days. The hosts argue that modern fitness assessments often set unattainable goals, leading to widespread frustration and feelings of failure among students.
Joe Getty [47:35]: "We all recognize fairly quickly... What are we doing here?"
Touching on international affairs, the episode briefly examines China's resistance to U.S. demands to halt oil purchases from Russia and Iran. Armstrong and Getty highlight the complexities of this stance amidst global energy politics and the ongoing efforts to influence Russian actions regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
Joe Getty [38:10]: "China is standing firm against the United States demands that it stop buying oil from Russia and Iran. That is going to be a big deal."
In wrapping up, Armstrong and Getty reflect on the interconnectedness of political decisions, economic policies, and their tangible impacts on everyday Americans. They emphasize the importance of informed citizenship and active participation in democratic processes to address systemic issues like economic disparity and electoral manipulation.
Christiane Amanpour [37:39]: "The SCOTUS is going to say, all right, here's the deal. And it's probably going to be one or the other."
The episode concludes with a call to listeners to remain engaged and critical of the evolving political landscape, urging vigilance in safeguarding democratic institutions and economic fairness.
Notable Quotes with Timestamps:
This episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand offers a multifaceted exploration of current events, blending serious analysis with relatable humor. Whether dissecting political maneuvers or pondering the quirks of consumer culture, Armstrong and Getty provide listeners with both information and entertainment, encouraging a deeper understanding of the forces at play in today's world.