What Are You Doing?! This Is So Weird!!

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand - Episode: "What Are You Doing?! This Is So Weird!!"

Release Date: May 20, 2025

---

1. Immigration Policy Under Scrutiny

Supreme Court Decision on Venezuelan Migrants
Jack Armstrong and Michael discuss the recent Supreme Court ruling that permits former President Trump to revoke the legal status of Venezuelan migrants previously granted temporary protection under Biden’s administration.

• Jack Armstrong [02:28]: "Justice Katanji Brown Jackson, who has no idea what it means to be a Supreme Court justice, was the only noted dissent."

Local Governments Restricting ICE Cooperation
The hosts elaborate on how Arlington County in Virginia and Nashville’s mayor are implementing measures to limit local law enforcement collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), aiming to protect undocumented immigrants who are felons.

• Michael [03:47]: "The government of Arlington County, Virginia... is putting even more restrictions on police from working with federal immigration authorities."

Operation Guardian Angel Explained by Bill Malujian
Bill Malujian from Fox News provides an overview of Operation Guardian Angel, a federal initiative designed to identify and arrest illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds by collaborating with local jails in Southern California.

• Bill Malujian [04:44 – 05:14]: "They scan these criminal databases daily to find illegal aliens in local jails who have been previously deported from the United States."

• Jake Tapper [05:30]: "We're going to flood the system with warrants for criminal illegal immigrants that are in county jails."

Discussion and Critique
Jack and Michael critique the operation, highlighting its limitations and questioning why such measures weren't implemented earlier.

• Jack Armstrong [06:05]: "I can't believe it didn't happen earlier. Again, it's like an 8020 issue."

• Michael [07:00]: "This guy has a notice of deportation. You have him give him to us, obviously."

---

2. Personal Anecdotes: Navigating Bureaucracy

Jack Armstrong shares his recent experience obtaining a Real ID, detailing the cumbersome process and humorous moments, such as declaring his hair color as "bald" on his driver's license.

• Jack Armstrong [08:50 – 10:54]: "They changed since the last time I repped my driver's license was an option for bald... I could put bold. Yeah, I haven't gotten it in the mail."

• Michael [10:55]: "Respect for your people."

The conversation highlights the frustrations with bureaucratic procedures while adding a personal touch to the episode.

---

3. The Societal Impact of Internet Pornography

Exploring Christine Ema’s NYT Essay
Jack introduces an essay by Christine Ema from the New York Times, which critiques the pervasive influence of Internet pornography on societal norms and individual behavior.

• Jack Armstrong [15:51]: "Christine Ema... writes, 'if pornography is so clearly bad for women in society, why is it so hard to find its critics?'"

Effects on Young People and Cultural Perception
The hosts delve into how internet porn affects the developing brains of adolescents, leading to issues like erectile dysfunction and distorted perceptions of sexuality.

• Michael [17:37]: "Let's be honest, this is horrible for young men and women. Let's talk openly about it."

• Jack Armstrong [17:48]: "But let's just start culturally and make, you know, looking at Internet porn all the time as cool as drunk driving or smoking."

Calls for Societal Change
They advocate for a cultural shift in how society views and addresses the consumption of internet pornography, comparing it to other socially harmful behaviors.

• Michael [18:50]: "It's horrible. Let's talk openly about it."

---

4. Jake Tapper’s Book and Joe Biden’s Mental Health

Summary of Tapper’s Book
Jack Armstrong provides an overview of Jake Tapper’s book, which alleges that Joe Biden concealed significant mental health issues during his presidential campaign and tenure.

• Jack Armstrong [22:16]: "Jon Stewart took the whole story apart on the Daily Show last night... What are you doing? This is so weird."

Media’s Role and Public Cynicism
The hosts express frustration with how mainstream media and Democrats allegedly ignored or concealed Biden’s cognitive decline, fostering widespread cynicism.

• Michael [26:00]: "The mainstream Democrats were desperate to find a solution, but the idea that the best solution they could find was a senile Joe Biden, that's just embarrassing."

• Jack Armstrong [27:01]: "The Emperor's New Clothes... How does this hurt that party or help that party or whatever? Just the overall cynicism, man."

Clips and Reactions
They reference various clips and reactions from media personalities like Van Jones and Joe Scarborough, who either defend Biden’s mental capacity or fail to acknowledge the concerns raised.

• Van Jones [35:22]: "Another bombshell. Former President Biden apparently forgot the name of his longtime mate Jake Sullivan and called him Steve."

• Joe Scarborough [30:13]: "And what we found out was shocking. Just the degree to which he was addled."

Impact on Trust in Media
Jack and Michael discuss how these revelations have eroded trust in both political leadership and the media, considering the long-term implications for American democracy.

• Jack Armstrong [28:08]: "You had people who were willing to go this far in 2020 hiding a guy that had no business being President of the United States."

• Michael [34:12]: "This is the Emperor's New Clothes playing itself out in real time."

---

5. Conclusion: Navigating a Cynical Landscape

The episode concludes with reflections on the increasing cynicism among Americans towards politicians and media, stressing the importance of accountability and transparency to restore trust.

• Jack Armstrong [37:18]: "This is the Emperor's New Clothes... it's been revealed to be a massive cover up."

• Michael [35:22]: "A crime against this republic. And I think the Democrats are going to pay for a long time for being a part of what is now being revealed."

---

Notable Quotes

• Bill Malujian [05:05]: "This is a half measure. It's brilliant and effective... It's good strategy."

• Jake Tapper [05:30]: "We're going to flood the system with warrants for criminal illegal immigrants that are in county jails."

• Jack Armstrong [17:38]: "But let's just start culturally and make, you know, looking at Internet porn all the time as cool as drunk driving or smoking."

• Van Jones [35:22]: "This is a crime against the republic and it's not being treated like that."

• Joe Scarborough [30:13]: "What we found out was shocking. Just the degree to which he was addled."

---

Key Takeaways

• Immigration Policies: Ongoing legal and local government battles highlight the contentious nature of immigration enforcement in the U.S.

• Internet Pornography: Growing concerns about its impact on societal norms and individual mental health, particularly among youth.

• Political Accountability: Serious allegations regarding President Biden’s mental fitness and media complicity have heightened public distrust.

• Cynicism and Trust: The episode underscores a deepening cynicism in the American public towards political leaders and media institutions, emphasizing the need for greater transparency and accountability.

---

This comprehensive summary encapsulates the major discussions, insights, and critical viewpoints presented in the episode, providing a detailed overview for listeners who have not tuned in.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast.

[Joe Getty]

The following heartwarming yet informative scene is brought to you by Trust and Will.

[Jack Armstrong]

Son, your grandpa and I used to work on this car together, and when I'm gone, I want you to have it. Wow.

[Michael]

Thanks dad.

[Joe Getty]

Doesn't count. What you need is a will. Luckily, Trust and Will makes it easy. Designed by attorneys but customized by you, you can easily create a state specific, legally valid document that actually counts. Now let's hear this tiger purr.

[Michael]

Am I right?

[Joe Getty]

Start your [e-mail], use offer code COUNT for 10% off. Make it count. Trust and Will is an online estate planning service.

[Bill Malujian]

For details, see trustandwill.com this podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Talkspace, the leading virtual therapy provider, is telling everyone let's face it in therapy, by talking or texting with a supportive licensed therapist at Talkspace, you can face whatever is holding you back. Whether it's mental health symptoms, relationship drama, past trauma, bad habits, or another challenge that you need support to work through, it's easy to sign up. Just go to talkspace.com and you'll be paired with a provider, typically within 48 hours. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule. Plus, Talkspace is in network with most major insurers and most Insured members have a $0 copay. Make your mental health a priority and start today. If you're not covered by insurance, get $80 off your first month with Talkspace when you go to talkspace.com and enter promo code SPACE80. That's S P A CE80. To match with a licensed therapist today, go to talkspace.com and Enter promo code SPACE80.

[Jon Stewart]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio.

[Jack Armstrong]

Studio, the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Michael]

Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and get Jon.

[Jack Armstrong]

Stewart was hilarious last night on the Daily show about the whole Biden media Jake Tapper book thing. We'll get to that later this hour. And then I'm reading the book so you don't have to and got an example of Biden frightening the hell out of high level Democrats when he was gonna run in 20. It should have ended there, right? But it didn't. More on that later.

[Michael]

Your headline was this book is Unintentionally hilarious. So a handful of important headlines on the immigration front. First of all, you may have heard the Supreme Court has allowed Trump to strip the legal status from Venezuelan migrants. They'd been granted temporary what's it status by Biden. And now Trump has just undone that. So their right to live and work in the US Just by the presidential fiat has ended. A previous lower court has said, no, you can't do that. Supreme Court said, yes, you can. Justice Katanji Brown Jackson, who has no idea what it means to be a Supreme Court justice, was the only noted dissent. Couple more headlines. Very quickly, a couple of examples. The government of Arlington County, Virginia, which is just across from D.C. just across the river, is putting a even more restrictions on police from working with federal immigration authorities. Democrat county board members moving to prevent police from working with ICE during local arrests. By eliminating a section of the county's trust policy, they are trying to make it impossible for the federal authorities to safely take into custody illegal immigrants who are felons.

[Jack Armstrong]

An 8020 issue nationally and they're on.

[Michael]

The 20 side of is absolutely insane.

[Jack Armstrong]

Keep doing it, Democrats. See if you win any elections.

[Michael]

And then there was a story. Ah, there it is. Nashville's Democrat mayor orders police to report ICE operations to his Office of New Americans. So if the cops see ICE doing anything, they are required to report it to the local government so that he and the government can again thwart the federal authorities from taking into custody illegal aliens who are criminals. It is obscene. It is bizarre. Speaking of bizarre and surprising, who is standing up against this but the new guy in town in la, Bill Malujian of Fox News is going to tell us about Operation Guardian Angel. Michael, we'll start with 60 and roll from there. Hit it.

[Jake Tapper]

With this operation. We're going to be neutralizing California sanctuary state policies.

[Alex Thompson]

Bill Asale is the US Attorney in LA and the architect of Operation Guardian Angel.

[Jake Tapper]

All right, guys, thanks for circling up.

[Alex Thompson]

The Saleh has created a federal task force made up of ice, hsi, FBI, DEA and ATF agents.

[Jack Armstrong]

How's this criminal history? He's got the domestic violence.

[Alex Thompson]

They scan these criminal databases daily to find illegal aliens in local jails who have been previously deported from the United States.

[Michael]

We have a word for your arrest.

[Alex Thompson]

If they've returned to the US They've committed a federal felony known as illegal re entry. And Aseli's office will immediately seek a criminal arrest warrant against them, which unlike an ICE detainer, jails in sanctuary jurisdictions can't ignore.

[Jake Tapper]

We're going to flood the system with warrants for criminal illegal immigrants that are in county jails. They can ignore a detainer but they cannot ignore a criminal arrest warrant.

[Michael]

Now, this is a half measure. It's brilliant and effective the fact that we can only go this far to, you know, convicts who've re entered illegally and they're therefore guilty of a felony. So an arrest warrant and not a nice detainer. I mean, it's, it's really frustrating that they have to take that tack, but I'm glad they're doing it. It's good strategy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah, I, I on one hand can't believe it's happening. On the other hand, I can't believe it didn't happen earlier. Again, it's like an 8020 issue.

[Michael]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And it's very odd and frustrating that we're having to even argue the point against the Arlington county folks or the Nashville mayor. Next clip. Michael.

[Alex Thompson]

The federal task force brought us with them as they went to Twin Towers jail in downtown LA to take custody of a previously deported alien they found in their database and filed a warrant on. He was facing local charges for robbery, but the jail immediately handed him over to ice. With California's sanctuary policies unable to protect.

[Jake Tapper]

Him from the criminal warrant, they have no choice. They will comply. And if they don't comply, if they interfere in our ability to arrest a federal felon, they can expect to face consequences for that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Good.

[Michael]

Again, that same cooperation ought to be absolutely required. This guy has a notice of deportation. You have him give him to us, Obviously. Obviously. Last clip.

[Alex Thompson]

Task force officials tell us once they're up and running at full steam, they project they're going to be arresting anywhere between 40 and 50 aliens from local jails in Southern California every single week. They say if they're successful in doing this here in Los Angeles, what they're doing could be used as a model elsewhere in the country to neutralize other sanctuary jurisdictions.

[Michael]

I'm at least passingly familiar on the need for confidentiality in some of this stuff. But I think it's interesting that it's a task force of the ATF and the FBI and all those agencies they were talking about, the DEA. You know, I would volunteer 10 hours a week, or certainly four if all you have to do is go through databases and cross match. Okay, who's in jail, has been previously deported and is back in town and is subject to this. I mean, you have these vigilante folks who want to patrol the border. It's not a great idea. I understand why they did it, but man, you could have volunteers doing this sort of computer work to help out the feds, man. I'd do that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Michael]

It's not here in a minute. What's that?

[Jack Armstrong]

It's not dangerous.

[Michael]

Oh, no.

[Jack Armstrong]

Controlling the border is. Well, and it's, it's.

[Michael]

It's a silly data entry thing. You shouldn't have some big son of a. Who's trained in every aspect of policing, including firearms and the rest of it and in combat and blah, blah. And he's wearing body armor and the rest of it sitting there tapping into a keyboard to try to figure out, you know, who satisfies these two or three criterion. But anyway, I love the program. Bill Milligin of Fox News.

[Jack Armstrong]

So Friday I left the show early. I don't if you remember that. I had to get to the. I had a doctor's appointment and the dmv. They both went very quickly, which was fine, but the dmv. I got my. I'm getting my real id. I got all the paperwork in. I had. I found a bill that had my middle name on it, which was important.

[Michael]

Because without that, who do we know who you are? So I had my bill with your middle name on it.

[Jack Armstrong]

So I had my original. I had my original birth certificate from, from here in South Dakota and then had a bill with my, my middle name on it and something else with my middle name on it or whatever. And I handed over the paperwork or whatever. Thank God, now they know. They know I'm not there to hijack a plane and fly it into the World Trade Center. And I did all that and then I got my picture taken. And also since the last.

[Michael]

Before you get to that. I'm sorry, before you get to that, but can I have a word with Uncle Sam? Very, very briefly? Samuel, let me point this out. If I had signed up for, say, my electrical bill, my electrical service, and then told them my name, my middle name was Dog Face, they wouldn't know or care. They would say, all right, Joe Dog Face. Getty, here's where you send your. Your money every month, right?

[Jack Armstrong]

Just make sure you.

[Michael]

Doesn't constitute proof of anything.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know. And I had to have an. I had to have an original copy of the bill, which I do. I get it. You know, it's all online like most people are. So I went to downtown, to the city hall and had them print out an actual. With their logo on it, copy of the bill. I mean, it was just ridiculous hoops. But one thing that they changed since the last time I re. Upped my driver's license was an option for bald. It's always been Hair color, which I've always. Me and other bald people have always found hilarious. I could put down brown or black or fuchsia or whatever you want. It doesn't make any difference. I ain't got no hair right now. You can put bold.

[Michael]

Yeah. Finally.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I haven't gotten it in the rail.

[Michael]

Respect for your people.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know why they don't let you look at your picture. They didn't and then retake it. I guess they're in a hurry. But I have no idea how the picture turned out. It's coming in the mail and this week I'll look at it. I think, oh, that looks pretty good. Or I'll think, well, I got one eye squinted shut and I got something in my teeth that's no good. And that's the picture they'll use if something bad ever happens. You know, that's the one that'll be on the evening news. They'll grab your picture from the government database. I'll be this man. Was.

[Michael]

Unless there's a mug shot.

[Jack Armstrong]

True.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, if I committed a crime, that's different.

[Michael]

But yeah. Oh, right.

[Jack Armstrong]

I go missing or something like that. They're gonna use that picture.

[Michael]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know, I fall down a ravine and get stuck or something. That's what the evening news will use for my picture. I don't like that.

[Michael]

If you see this squiddy eyed freak, call the authorities.

[Jack Armstrong]

Probably still has something in his teeth.

[Michael]

So a couple of more very brief immigration related stories. Number one great feature in Breitbart about how trucking companies are illegally using migrant truckers instead of domestic truckers.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes. Everybody knows that.

[Michael]

Yeah, yeah, I know people tried to.

[Jack Armstrong]

Cause truck driving jobs and it's tough because of that.

[Michael]

I thought we had a big. Well, we do have a big shortage, but. But you can't get it as an American because you want to working a reasonable wage. Correct. So there's not a shortage of truckers. There's a shortage of companies that are willing to pay anything above I'm a Mexican. Illegal immigrant wages. Correct.

[Jack Armstrong]

Which is true with a lot of industries.

[Michael]

Yeah. So they cross over into our country with a load. They drop off the load. They're supposed to go right back. They can carry a load if they want, but no, they stay for two, three weeks and work illegally and nobody checks and nobody cares. And then finally, I thought this was interesting. Wall Street Journal reporting that the big mass deportation push that we've heard so much about, it has not affected the migrant labor force. Participation in IOTA in fact, it seems to be up. The general sentiment being, yeah, I'm a little concerned about, like getting rounded up and deported, but I gotta go to work. I got bills.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, they're also smart enough to figure out they're looking for criminals. And I'm not a criminal.

[Michael]

So, yeah, in the vast majority of cases, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Interesting essay in the New York Times today about porn that I want to mention one of my hot topics, Internet porn. We'll get to the Biden book and other stuff this hour, so stay tuned.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Bill Malujian]

This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. May is mental health awareness Month and Talkspace, the leading virtual therapy provider, is telling everyone, let's face it, in therapy, by talking or texting with a supportive licensed therapist at Talkspace, you can face whatever is holding you back, whether it's mental health symptoms, relationship drama, past trauma, bad habits, or another challenge that you need support to work through. It's easy to sign up. Just go to talkspace.com and you'll be paired with a provider, typically within 48 hours. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule. Plus, Talkspace is in network with most major insurers and most insured members have a $0 copay. Make your mental health a priority and start today. If you're not covered by insurance, get $80 off your first month with Talkspace when you go to talkspace.com and enter promo code SPACE80. That's S P A CE80. To match with a licensed therapist today, go to talkspace.com and Enter promo code SPACE80.

[Jon Stewart]

The Take it Down act criminalizes the creation and distribution of any non consensual explicit images. And if someone reports imagery like that. The new law now requires websites to take it down within 48 hours. This act was championed by first lady Melania Trump. It had broad bipartisan support.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm for it. Good luck with policing the Internet, unfortunately, but I'm for it.

[Michael]

Yeah, somebody's got to enforce this stuff. That's the real challenge.

[Jack Armstrong]

Couple of things that tie together a little bit with that. In this world, there is a piece in I don't know what was this in. I don't know what it was in that. I've been meaning to read Temptation as a public policy problem. Pot, porn and burritos are part of an ever growing temptation economy. What do we do about it? They don't mean brio specifically. They just mean unhealthy Food, pot, porn and unhealthy food. Part of an ever growing temptation economy. What do we do about it? And it's pretty interesting. It's sort of thing we've talked about before. I'm a lean libertarian on this stuff, but at some point on some things you wonder like if, like would you just take it clear to the end, like if it destroyed society completely, would you stick to. But the government shouldn't tell us not to gamble. If everybody went broken to decide it destroyed society, would be willing to change your mind on that or not.

[Michael]

It's the slippery slope of socialism. If you're ruining your life, doesn't affect me, that's up to you. But if I'm expected to bail you out or pay for your life because you've ruined it, then I get to talk, I get a say.

[Jack Armstrong]

But hard drugs wise in some areas, even like Oregon as we've seen, they've decided eh, just letting people do what they want is doing more harm to society than I'm willing to put up with. So it's kind of interesting a little bit to that point. An essay that's in the New York Times today about porn. This woman, Christine Ema, who wrote a book a couple of years ago called Rethinking Sex, she's now a Times columnist and wrote her first essay for the Times. She explores the gap between sexual ethics and sexual liberation. Sort of thing that we've talked about before. Been a. It's a very slow process we're apparently going through and I'm hoping we're getting to the point somewhere along the line where women decide this whole sexual liberation thing is not working out the way I thought it was going to. I hope we get there eventually anyway. She writes, basically, if pornography is so clearly bad for women in society, why is it so hard to find its critics? As a society we're allowing our desires to continue to be molded in experimental ways for profit by an industry that does not have our best interests at heart. We want to prove that we're chill and modern and skip the inevitable haggling over boundaries and regulation and avoid potentially placing limits on our behavior. But we aren't paying attention to how we're making things worse for ourselves.

[Bill Malujian]

Which.

[Jack Armstrong]

I've been saying for some time. I don't know why we can't get there already at the dangers Internet porn in particularly seems to be doing to society and decide that it doesn't make it me prude or uncool or a right winger or anything like that to think maybe this is doing society more harm than good.

[Michael]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know if there's anything illegal.

[Michael]

You could do it.

[Jack Armstrong]

But let's just start culturally and make, you know, looking at Internet porn all the time as cool as drunk driving or smoking.

[Michael]

Culturally, yeah. It's funny you should bring that up. I was going to interject a minute ago that Mad Mothers Against Drunk Driving was an entirely private organization, at least at first. And I think they got some help from various governmental agencies. But yeah, I think the answer to a lot of these problems is societal. Social as opposed to governmental. But on that thought too, you know, like the Internet porn and how bad it is for young people in particular, whose brains are just forming. Guys like me sometimes hesitate to talk about it a lot because we're afraid the conversation will go to First Amendment violating places. But I think you can't do that. You've got to have more trust in our system and society. You gotta call a spade a spade. You've got to be a realist and say, now I'm not calling for banning this, that or the other, but let's be honest, this is horrible for young men and women. It's horrible. Let's talk openly about it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Came up again the other day, someone talking about the. How difficult it is dating out in the world with a number of men who can't get erections because of porn, which is just shocking to me. I would think that would be. Once that happened, I would think you'd decide, hmm, I will do whatever I've gotta change in my lifestyle to fix this problem.

[Michael]

The rewiring of the human brain. And again, if it's adolescents, their brains weren't wired in the first place.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Which is highly troubling.

[Michael]

Anyway, so on a just on a social basis, shouldn't everybody know this? Shouldn't we be talking about it? Is it that they're embarrassed to talk about pornography? I don't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know either.

[Michael]

Or that it's so new, really societally? I don't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

So the new Jake Tapper book about Joe Biden, unintentionally hilarious. Also got some interesting nuggets in there. Jon Stewart took the whole story apart on the Daily show last night.

[Michael]

We.

[Jack Armstrong]

We've got a clip of that. Some really interesting entertaining stuff on the way, which I guess is what we should do. Every segment.

[Bill Malujian]

Armstrong and Getty. This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. May is mental health awareness month. And Talkspace, the leading virtual therapy provider, is telling everyone, let's face it, in therapy by Talking or texting with a supportive licensed therapist at Talkspace, you can face whatever is holding you back, whether it's mental health symptoms, relationship drama, past trauma, bad habits, or another challenge that you need support to work through. It's easy to sign up. Just go to talkspace.com and you'll be paired with a provider, typically within 48 hours. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule. Plus, Talkspace is in network with most major insurers, and most insured members have a $0 copay. Make your mental health a priority and start today. If you're not covered by insurance, get $80 off your first month with Talkspace when you go to talkspace.com and enter promo code SPACE80. That's S P, a CE80. To match with a licensed therapist today, go to talkspace.com and Enter promo code SPACE80.

[Van Jones]

Another bombshell. Former President Biden apparently forgot the name of his longtime mate Jake Sullivan and called him Steve.

[Jack Armstrong]

My God, to be fair, when you forget a white guy's name. To be fair. And I, with respect to the bombshell, Steve is not a bad guess. I think even Jake Sullivan at some point was like, is my name Steve? Because when I look in the mirror, I could be Steve. So that's funny. But as Mark Halpern, who's like the only journalist in America who's not on Fox who's doing this, keeps saying, the media is still miles away from covering this story appropriately. The question. And John Stewart's a comedian, but the question is out of that book, hey, Jake Sullivan, how many other people do you know in your life who call you by the wrong name repeatedly? Right?

[Michael]

Who you've worked with for years?

[Jack Armstrong]

What the hell?

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Nobody is being held to account on this.

[Michael]

Right?

[Jack Armstrong]

Which is just amazing. Anyway, so I started reading the Jake Tapper book last night. As I mentioned earlier, it's unintentionally hilarious how seriously they take it. And. And. And seriously act like we're about to lay a truth bomb on you. Sit down. This is gonna be hard to take, but it happened. And we're the people to tell. Like Jon Stewart said, are you kidding me? We all knew this. What are you doing?

[Michael]

What is this?

[Jack Armstrong]

This is so weird.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

And he all read this. I thought it was kind of interesting. This goes back to 2020, showing that he shouldn't have run in 2020, let.

[Michael]

Alone 24, as we quoted. Was it Barton Swaim? And the Wall Street Journal the other day, who was trying desperately to report on this and nobody was listening.

[Jack Armstrong]

Tapper and Thompson. Is that the other guy's name? Make the point that everything broke for Joe Biden, for this to ever happen at all. Anyway, the COVID is the only way he got elected president. Where he was able to. And we all knew this. I'll know this now, but where he was able to not be on the campaign trail. If he'd had to be out on the campaign trail like a normal presidential election, he would have been exposed earlier and wouldn't even have made it in 2020. But Covid happened. So they're trying to figure out how to get take advantage of his folksy political style. In Covid, leading up to the Democratic National Convention. If you remember the conventions, those that year were like all virtual with nobody there. And all that sort of stuff is very, very weird. So a creative team worked up a plan. Biden would sit in a room with several monitors beaming the faces of real Americans in front of them so they could discuss issues of importance. It was a way to do a town hall and take advantage of Joe Biden's gift for that sort of thing without, you know, being in the actual room with people. The videos came back. Hours of footage. Some on the team couldn't believe their eyes. The videos were horrible. One top Democrat said he couldn't follow the conversation at all. I couldn't believe it, said a second Democrat who hadn't seen Biden in a few years. It was like a different person. It was incredible. This is like watching grandpa who shouldn't be driving again. This was. And this was probably in 2019. Um, a special team was brought in and told to edit the videos down to make them arable, if only a few minutes worth. They had to get creative. The racial justice conversation aired the first night of the convention for less than five minutes. The healthcare exchange on the second night, under four minutes edited. The videos likely appeared fine to viewers. Biden no worse than any other senior on zoom. But two of the Democrats who were involved in the film's production together were dumbfounded. I didn't think he could be president. This isn't 2020, the second Democrat said. After what they'd seen, they couldn't understand how Biden could be capable of doing the job. This was when some top Democrats entered an angry phase. I became disillusioned with the entire apparatus because I. What I was seeing on this video in 2020, that means people were working for him every day. See this and we're keeping it a secret.

[Michael]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

From a distance of four years, the second Democrat reached a harsh conclusion about the team around Biden. They've been gaslighting us in 2020.

[Michael]

There's so much to say about this. I mean, the fact that Bernie and Elizabeth Sanders were ascendant. The mainstream Democrats were desperate to find a solution, but the idea that the best solution they could find was a senile Joe Biden, that's just embarrassing. Or maybe he was the only name big enough, I suppose, to get the Bernie's and Liz's to sit down and shut up.

[Jack Armstrong]

But the damage this has done is immeasurable in that on already cynical country about politicians, both parties and the media has turned it to 11.

[Michael]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

And it'll never go back in my lifetime. I don't know if the damage can be undone at all.

[Michael]

Yeah, it's. It's actually kind of pathetic and sad to see Jake Tapper, especially because again, Alex Thompson did some pretty good reporting about Biden's senility at the time, but he's just not as big a name as Tapper. But to have Jake Tapper essentially being pleading, can I have my credibility back? Can I have my credibility back?

[Jack Armstrong]

No.

[Michael]

They lied to me. They misled me. I didn't notice. No, it's gone. Jake, haven't you heard all those sayings throughout your life how, you know, it takes a lifetime to build a reputation in a moment to lose it. You lost it.

[Jack Armstrong]

As Jon Stewart said of the book, forgetting about the fact of how effing weird it is that the news is selling you a book about news they should have told you was news a year ago for free. Yeah, I think this is actually underappreciated as a story. Way too many people are turning it into like a partisan thing. How does this hurt that party or help that party or whatever? Just the overall cynicism, man. If you listen to the show, I talk about being cynical all the time. I'm pretty damn cynical. I'm now willing to believe practically anything. I mean, conspiracy theories are ripe for the picking now because you had people who were willing to go this far in 2020 hiding a guy that had no business being President of the United States. How many people had to know? How many hundreds of people had to know that and keep it a secret along with the media. Why would I believe anything at this point?

[Michael]

Yeah, you've got the importance of the lie. Obviously the guy's running for potus. You've got the enormity of the lie because he is just so clearly gone. And then you've got the duration of the lie. And that's in all three matter. But that's astounding. That's the part that makes me really cynical. I mean, because we all had all this information. The polls said what they said, but the inner circle just lied and lied and lied. And those who would tend to want to believe those lies, Jake Tapper went along with it for years and years. That is enough to make you cynical. We do have a fresh new clip of Tapper. And.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is from CBS News today as Jake Tapper. The book officially came out today. I started reading it last night. Asking presidential candidates about their health is difficult. They say, okay, well, let's hear from Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson trying to defend their book.

[Van Jones]

One of the things that this news does, I think is highlight how difficult health issues are for reporters to cover because these are the most sensitive, personal, intrusive questions that you can ask. So separately, on what we uncovered in our book, these are difficult questions to ask people in the White House about. And we were repeatedly, Alex was very aggressive covering this as a White House reporter. We were repeatedly lied to by people in the White House who were always saying, he's fine, he's fine, he's fine. After the election, Alex and I said, we need to find out what really happened because that was just crazy. What did the American people just go through? And we talked to more than 200 Democratic insiders, all of these interviews, almost all of them after the election. And what we found out was shocking. Just the degree to which he was addled. Increasingly there were almost like two Bidens, a fine Biden, the one you saw on the regime in 2020, and a non functioning Biden.

[Jon Stewart]

But did you guys think the aides were being deceitful or did you think that they really believed that he was going to be okay, Alex, and he would be able to do the job?

[Joe Scarborough]

I think some of the early steps were done with innocent enough reasons. You want your principal to look good. But as his diminishment increased, some of those actions became increasingly deceitful. Because the fact is that the Biden that we saw on the debate stage last June, he had other moments like that behind the scenes and increasingly so. And they started structuring his schedule, his public schedule, to make sure that the public didn't see it. And even some people inside their own administration, their own White House, their own cabinet now.

[Jack Armstrong]

So the question that Gayle King, astronaut, Gayle King should have asked as an astronaut, is and nobody's asked this yet, to my knowledge. How do you square this, Jake? Two thirds of more Americans knew it and you didn't go right. What is your answer for that?

[Michael]

What is it about you, your job, your attitudes that blinded you to what was so plainly true to the vast majority of Americans? Jake, seriously, literally 200 million people knew it and you didn't. Now talk.

[Jack Armstrong]

Jim in Cheyenne, in a little house, in a cul de sac, knew it, got no sources. And Linda in Florida, who lives in an apartment, she knew it with no sources. Explain that. I mean, come on.

[Michael]

Well, Jake would say people we knew and trusted lied to us constantly. We were misled, I would argue. Well, they told you to ignore the evidence of your eyes and ears. That's always a bad idea. And you know, don't be as a BS or Jake, his opening stuff about health concerns are always very, very sensitive. No, we're not talking about whether he has IBS or erectile difficulties. We're talking about whether he has dementia, which is undeniably, obviously fundamental to his ability to, to carry out the duties.

[Jack Armstrong]

Of the President of the United States. And you can't get around the fact that you didn't ask the hard questions of guests on your show. As we pointed out last week, when you hear the, the long versions of those, you didn't push back. He was the opposite.

[Michael]

He was an activist in shooting them down.

[Jack Armstrong]

So it's so frustrating because it doesn't matter what happens to Jake Tapper's career, but it does matter that now everybody is willing to believe any crazy conspiracy theory. And it got added to in the last four days, the Biden people put out their new prostate cancer information the day the her tape drops. I mean, come on, nobody's gonna buy that. Every doctor I saw on every show yesterday said they knew it years ago. They had to have. It's just, it doesn't make it well.

[Michael]

Right. And the her tapes are pretty devastating too.

[Jack Armstrong]

Have you actually listened? I don't think most people have heard clips like we played. Has anybody sat down and listened to his full 11 minute answ? If you listen to the whole thing in its entirety, it is jaw dropping. There's something about hearing the whole thing that makes you go, oh my God.

[Michael]

And what was he asked? What was the question? It was fairly straightforward.

[Jack Armstrong]

It was some simple question like, like, you know, what year did Bo die or something. He goes on this 11 minute tells his entire political story from when he was a kid. Rambling old man story, whispering it with all kinds of wrong details. It's, it's. And to think that that guy was in meetings with Steve Sullivan regularly discussing whether or not we should bomb Iran or something. It's crazy.

[Michael]

Speaking of dementia, I don't remember, did we play the Van Jones clip this segment?

[Jack Armstrong]

No, we have not. We should. We. We got it. We ought to play that. And Joe Scarborough one on Halperin's show to defend his this is the best Biden and F you if you don't believe me. And I haven't heard that defense yet.

[Michael]

Another guy saying, can I have my credibility back? Yeah, no, no, that's not how it works.

[Jack Armstrong]

More on the way. Stay here.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Bill Malujian]

This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. May is mental health awareness month and Talkspace, the leading virtual therapy provider, is telling everyone, let's face it, in therapy, by talking or texting with a supportive licensed therapist at Talkspace, you face whatever is holding you back, whether it's mental health symptoms, relationship drama, past trauma, bad habits, or another challenge that you need support to work through. It's easy to sign up. Just go to talkspace.com and you'll be paired with a provider, typically within 48 hours. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule. Plus, Talkspace is in network with most major insurers and most insured members have a $0 copay. Make your mental health a priority and start today. If you're not covered by insurance, get $80 off your first month with Talkspace. When you go to talkspace.com and enter promo code SPACE80. That's S P A CE80. To match with a licensed therapist today, go to talkspace.com and Enter promo code SPACE80.

[Michael]

This is the Emperor's New Clothes playing itself out in real time. There are people who knew and said nothing and that is a crime against this republic. And I think the Democrats are going to pay for a long time for being a part of what is now being revealed to be a massive cover up.

[Jack Armstrong]

Van Jones on CNN yesterday, I hope there's a price to pay and not just because it hurts Democrats and helps Republicans. There should be a price to pay for this sort of thing. And he's right. It's a crime against the republic and it's not being treated like that.

[Michael]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's not just an interesting anecdote that the Secretary of State was okay being regularly called the wrong name and never went to the press with it, or.

[Michael]

That it's a partisan question, one that Republicans pounce as. Yeah, it's terrible. Speaking of that sort of thing, Amy Bublak is a hero and she may well bring down Gavin Newsom. We'll tell you about Amy and her efforts and the scandal that's the opposite scandal that a lot of the media is reporting next hour. If you don't get next hour, hour four, grab it later via podcast. Follow us. Armstrong, you get on demand, wherever you like to get podcasts.

[Jack Armstrong]

Like other the other day, Mark Halpern said, this is making me mental. I, I feel that way, too. I feel like, okay, this is like if the Emperor's New clothes, that old story. You get to the part where the little kid says he's naked.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

And like half of the people in the crowd say, no, he's not. What? Well, you're still hanging on to the fact that he's not naked.

[Michael]

If we had time, we'd play this montage for you. And if a year later, several of the most powerful people in the kingdom were continuing to say, oh, no, he had beautiful clothes on, or look, we shouldn't look back to last year. We need to look forward.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay. To, to that. And I just, I want to hear this because I haven't heard it yet. So Joe Scarborough, pretty famously, this is after the Wall Street Journal put out their piece about Biden's mental decline. Joe Scarborough wanted to push back against it hard and said in his screed.

[J]

This start your tape right now because I'm about to tell you the truth. And f you, if you can't handle the truth. This version of Biden intellectually, analytically, is the best Biden ever.

[Jack Armstrong]

So Joe, Joe, Joe, Joe Scarborough saying f you if you think Joe Biden slipping mentally, this is late in the game. I mean, this is when everybody knew crazy. Anyway, so he was on with Mark Halpern. They're actually friends on Mark Halpern's very got like nine different TV shows right now. He was on one of them and Halpern asked him about it.

[Michael]

But looking back at that, do you say, well, it was misleading to say best Biden ever without caveating and say, except on the days when he's not the best Biden.

[J]

I mean, put in the proper context, I'm just not going to freak out meltdown on one or two clips here or there. And again, he bumbled around and he stumbled around, but he has for quite some time. That didn't seem to me to get in the way of Joe Biden being able to analyze the most important issues. And I certainly think he has a better grasp on it than probably the overwhelming majority of his critics or certainly did when I spoke with him.

[Jack Armstrong]

Scarborough, we cut that down. But Scarborough says he spent three hours with him at a dinner or something like that. And Biden was sharp that day. And so he was going off of that. Okay, so I guess that's another. The ability to. I mean, because the hatred Scarborough and his wife have for Trump, I mean, that's beyond Trump derangement syndrome. They deeply hate him and have pretty good reason for it, but he's got all kinds of reasons to turn his mind into knots. That doesn't say anything that could possibly help Trump get elected.

[Michael]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Emotionally. But that's it. It's crazy.

[Michael]

Sad series of rationalizations.

[Jack Armstrong]

Everybody would say he always had gaffes. No, no, no. Not like this. What are you talking about? Let's all just take the lesson that apparently we can delude ourselves about important things at a high level and remember that and be afraid, Be very afraid.

[Michael]

Well, they can delude themselves. I think everybody has that capacity in, in different levels. And apparently it runs high among journalists.

[Jack Armstrong]

If you miss a segment of the show ever, you can get the podcast. Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Bill Malujian]

Armstrong and Gettysburg.

[Joe Getty]

The following heartwarming yet informative scene is brought to you by Trust and Will.

[Jack Armstrong]

Son, your grandpa and I used to work on this car together, and when I'm gone, I want you to have it. Wow.

[Michael]

Thanks, dad.

[Joe Getty]

Doesn't count. What you need is a will. Luckily, Trust and Will makes it easy. Designed by attorneys but customized by you, you can easily create a state specific, legally valid document that actually counts. Now let's hear this tiger purr.

[Michael]

Am I right?

[Joe Getty]

Start your [e-mail] use offer code. Count for 10% off and make it count. Trust and Will is an online estate planning service.

[Bill Malujian]

For details, see trustandwill.com this podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. May is Mental health Awareness Month, and Talkspace, the leading virtual therapy provider, is telling everyone, let's face it in therapy, by talking or texting with a supportive licensed therapist. At Talkspace, you can face whatever is holding you back, whether it's mental health symptoms, relationship drama, past trauma, bad habits, or another challenge that you need support to work through. It's easy to sign up. Just go to talkspace.com and you'll be paired with a provider, typically within 48 hours. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule. Plus, Talkspace is in network with most major insurers, and most insured members have a $0 copay. Make your mental health a priority and start today. If you're not covered by insurance, get $80 off your first month with Talkspace when you go to talkspace.com and enter promo code SPACE80. That's S, P A C E80. To match with a licensed therapist today, go to talkspace.com and Enter promo code SPACE80.

[Jack Armstrong]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast.