What The Hell Is A Salmon Retreat?!

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: What The Hell Is A Salmon Retreat?!
Release Date: August 14, 2025
Host: Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty
Produced by iHeartPodcasts

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Overview

In this episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into a myriad of pressing political and social issues, intertwining sharp critiques of mainstream media with in-depth analysis of international relations. The discussion is punctuated with insightful commentary from their general manager, Alexander Stubb, and includes listener interactions and topical humor. Key topics include the anticipated Trump-Putin summit, media integrity, humanitarian aid in conflict zones, and cultural shifts in Western societies.

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Trump-Putin Summit: Implications and Speculations

The centerpiece of the episode revolves around the highly anticipated summit between former President Donald J. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The hosts express significant interest in the potential outcomes of this meeting, emphasizing its historical and geopolitical importance.

• Historical Context & Personalities:
  Alexander Stubb highlights Trump's relationship with Putin, noting, "Alexander Stubb could be a pivotal figure in history. He has, to a large extent, convinced Donald J. Trump that Putin is a menace, a psychopath and a liar" (01:26). This underscores the complex dynamics that may influence the summit's direction.

• Potential Press Conference Outcomes:
  Jack Armstrong speculates on the nature of a possible press conference, recalling past interactions: "I don't know why they would lie about intelligence, which was a horrible move, a horrible thing for him to say... I would love if Trump turned to him and said, look, this guy, I've been dealing with this guy for years now. Every word out of him is a lie" (03:07). The hosts ponder whether Trump will confront Putin directly, potentially escalating tensions or fostering transparency.

• Global Media and Public Attention:
  The conversation criticizes mainstream media's focus, pointing out, "national media is going for eyeballs, earballs and clicks because the amount of time they're giving the cop situation in D.C. versus the summit" (05:20). This critique highlights concerns about media prioritization during critical international events.

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Media Integrity and Reporting Bias

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to dissecting the integrity of mainstream media reporting, especially concerning conflict zones and humanitarian efforts.

• USAID Report on Gaza:
  Jack Armstrong discusses a leaked USAID report, clarifying the distinction between internal findings and media portrayal: "There is a world of difference." (07:03). The hosts argue that while USAID reported instances of aid misuse, mainstream outlets misrepresented the findings by suggesting there was no evidence of Hamas's involvement in theft.

• Censorship and Freedom of Expression:
  The hosts criticize institutions like the Toronto Film Festival for censoring documentaries on sensitive topics. Jack remarks, "They're on the side of Hamas. They hate Israel" (27:54), expressing frustration over perceived biases that hinder open discourse.

• Changing Definitions and Standards:
  Alexander Stubb addresses alterations in famine classification standards by international agencies: "They lowered the 30% threshold down to 15%, cut it in half and changed what they measure" (25:20). This shift, they argue, dilutes the severity of humanitarian crises for narrative convenience.

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Cultural and Political Climate in Western Societies

The episode also explores broader cultural shifts and political tensions within Western societies, touching on topics like immigration, LGBTQ+ representation, and ideological battles.

• Immigration and Redistricting:
  Jack Armstrong references redistricting efforts in California aimed at ending Trump's political influence: "Trump has agreed to the red lines that Zelinsky in Europe came up with that include no land swap without him signing off on it. Trump has agreed to that, according to the Wall Street Journal" (10:54). This discussion underscores the interplay between domestic politics and international relations.

• LGBTQ+ Representation in Sports:
  The hosts express skepticism and criticism towards the inclusion of gay cheerleaders in the NFL, reflecting broader societal debates on LGBTQ+ representation. Alexander comments, "If you change something , now i care. Just continue not caring. There's freedom in not caring" (37:18).

• Academic and Social Commentary:
  Discussion includes a University of Tennessee professor's take on ideological conformity and freedom of expression in Great Britain, highlighting concerns about stifled dissent and enforced consensus on social issues (31:04).

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Listener Interaction and Humor

Interspersed with serious discussions, the episode features listener mailbag segments and humorous exchanges to engage the audience.

• Listener Mailbag:
  A listener shares frustrations about the hosts' stance on health trends like bone broth, leading to a lighthearted exchange where Jack defends personal health choices: "Bone broth is fine and nutritious liquid food and I support you're eating it and God bless you" (35:14).

• Humorous Take on Zoo Management:
  Alexander humorously suggests making zoo animals more active by reintroducing prey into enclosures: "Imagine Jurassic Park" (39:06), eliciting laughter and showcasing the hosts' ability to blend humor with commentary.

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Concluding Remarks

The episode concludes with a reinforced emphasis on the importance of the Trump-Putin summit and a teaser for upcoming discussions. The hosts maintain a critical stance towards mainstream narratives, advocating for independent thought and skepticism of established media portrayals.

• Final Thoughts on Summit Consequences:
  Jack Armstrong warns of severe repercussions if Putin does not agree to cease hostilities post-summit: "He does nothing. I would love for somebody to say that standing next to the guy... If Putin does not agree to stop the war after your meeting on Friday, yes, there will be consequences. Tariffs. There will be very severe consequences" (20:06).

• Audience Engagement:
  The hosts encourage listeners to stay tuned for further analysis and discussions, reinforcing the show's commitment to addressing critical and sometimes controversial topics.

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Notable Quotes

• Alexander Stubb on Trump-Putin Relations:
  "Alexander Stubb could be a pivotal figure in history. He has, to a large extent, convinced Donald J. Trump that Putin is a menace, a psychopath and a liar." (01:26)

• Jack Armstrong on Media Prioritization:
  "national media is going for eyeballs, earballs and clicks because the amount of time they're Giving the cop situation in D.C. versus the summit." (05:20)

• Jack Armstrong on Media Misrepresentation:
  "There is a world of difference." (07:03)

• Alexander Stubb on Famine Classification:
  "They lowered the 30% threshold down to 15%, cut it in half and changed what they measure." (25:20)

• Jack Armstrong on Summit Consequences:
  "If Putin does not agree to stop the war after your meeting on Friday, yes, there will be consequences. Tariffs. There will be very severe consequences." (20:06)

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Conclusion

This episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand weaves together critical analysis of international politics, media scrutiny, and cultural commentary, all delivered with the hosts' characteristic candor and wit. By addressing complex topics with clarity and passion, Armstrong and Getty provide listeners with a thought-provoking exploration of current events and societal trends.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Joe Getty]

IHeart presents the big three playoffs this Sunday. The remaining four teams battle to make the championship in the most physical, fierce and competitive basketball league in the world. The action starts with the big three monster energy celebrity game. Then Dwight Howard and his LA riot take on Montrez Harrell and Dr. J Chicago triplets. The finale will see popular Miami 305 with stars MVP Michael Beasley and Lance Stevenson take on Nancy Lieberman's Dallas power who will make it to the Big Three championship. The no holds barred action starts Sunday at 3P Eastern, 12 Pacific only on CBS.

[Jack Armstrong]

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

[Katie Green]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Alexander Stubb]

Enough here. Armstrong, get it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Live from Studio C, senor on summit eve. We are in a dimly lit room.

[Alexander Stubb]

Deep within the bowels, the Armstrong and Getty communications compound.

[Jack Armstrong]

And today we're under the tutelage of.

[Alexander Stubb]

Our general manager, Alexander Stubb.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know who that is.

[Alexander Stubb]

Alexander Stubb could be a pivotal figure in history. He has, to a large extent, convinced Donald J. Trump that Putin is a menace, a psychopath and a liar. And part of the reason he has Trump's ear. Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland. Really good golfer.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, so Trump was playing golf with this dude?

[Alexander Stubb]

Honest to God.

[Jack Armstrong]

Cool. That's awesome.

[Alexander Stubb]

So whatever it takes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Do you think that played a role in Trump's different view of Putin?

[Alexander Stubb]

It's practically guaranteed they've become buds. And if you know anything about Finland's history vis a vis the Soviet Union and Russia, The Finns don't play when it comes to Russian aggression. They know all about it.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, as we were talking last week on the anniversary of dropping the bomb, the war in the Pacific really started in 37 when Japan invaded China. The war in Europe really started in 38. Is that when it was 36. Whenever Russia invaded Finland, they went to war at a very high level. Right at the time that the rest of Europe was exploding and it was a bloody, bloody battle. But you're right, Finland does not play.

[Alexander Stubb]

No incredibly tough, resilient and realistic people. And this guy who. He's. He's really an interesting guy. He's like a triathlon guy. And in a avid golfer, speaks five languages. But he and Trump have bonded, become buddies. And he's been in Trump's ear about Putin.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, good.

[Alexander Stubb]

You know what?

[Jack Armstrong]

I was thinking that as I was thinking, I would love to see Trump. So there's going to be a news conference. That's Breaking news. It looks like there's going to be a news conference after the summit. Trump and Putin standing up there, taking questions. Really? That's what all the reporting is.

[Alexander Stubb]

Wow. I know the Western press.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. I know. My, my podcast, I'm always talking about from the Telegraph, which is the best info on the war in Ukraine that exists on planet Earth, if you're into it. I listen every day to at least part of it, and I've got some really good stuff they passed along yesterday, but they sent one of their reporters to be there. So. The White House has not confirmed a press conference. The belief is Trump never turns down a press conference, and Moscow has said.

[Alexander Stubb]

Yes to a press conference.

[Jack Armstrong]

And I was just thinking, you know, things did not go well in 2018 when Trump was standing up next to Putin. I don't know why they would lie about intelligence, which was a horrible move, a horrible thing for him to say. He took the side of Putin over, over the United States, and it just, I hated the whole thing, but I would love it if Trump stood up there and treated Putin like he treated Rand Paul in the debate state, like he treated Chris Christie. I would love if he did that sort of thing. I would love if he turned to him and said, look, this guy, I've been dealing with this guy for years now. Every word out of him is a lie. If he told me it was three o', clock, I'd check my watch. He does nothing. I would love it if Trump, because we all know he's got that gear, right, treat him like Rosie o'. Donnell. We know he's got that here. How?

[Alexander Stubb]

Careful now. You're going to start World War Three. Wow. I, I suppose that is one possibility of how it would go. The other is much like the previous experience, but I, I'm leaning more toward, you know, the scenario you've painted.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, that would be fantastic. That'd be great for the world. Just end this charade. Look, he's nothing but lies. Everything's a lie. We know what he's doing here. He's just trying to drag this out. He kills civilians every single day. He has no interest in peace. I would love for somebody to say that standing next to the guy.

[Alexander Stubb]

Right, right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Since it's the truth.

[Alexander Stubb]

This is exciting.

[Jack Armstrong]

I know.

[Alexander Stubb]

You ready to do a Saturday show? I'm ready. I'm in.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know. I think the stakes are very, very high. I, I, I assume that national media is going for eyeballs, earballs and clicks because the amount of time they're Giving the cop situation in D.C. versus the summit. I was watching ABC News last night. They got cops in D.C. they got like four different disturbances on planes that are, you know, one off have nothing to do with you. And, and, and a weather to like a one minute package around Putin and Trump meeting. This is a big freaking deal.

[Alexander Stubb]

The news could be a pivot point in history. Absolutely. A massive point in history. Some guy yelled something on a plane gets, gets the lead or yet another storm somewhere. Oh my gosh. Life threatening heat threatens the eastern part of Northern Kentucky. We'll go to Ginger Z, our chief meteorologist. What the hell? If it's hot, wear a light shirt. All right, take off your jacket. There you go. It's raining outside.

[Jack Armstrong]

Go inside. I'll tell you what, if there is a press conference after that thing, whatever I'm doing, I'm going to find a place to be able to watch that because that'll be freaking something.

[Alexander Stubb]

Yeah. Wow. Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

So here's what I learned from the Telegraph podcast yesterday. Now there's a always in a war, a massive psyops operation going on on both sides. For obvious reasons I think I get the feeling that the, the first casualty of war is the truth thing is presented like I don't know what. But of course it is. It's part of the job of being at war is convincing your other enemy of things that you know benefits you.

[Alexander Stubb]

Well and rallying your own side. Yeah, it would be incredibly important.

[Jack Armstrong]

It'd be malpractice if you didn't do that.

[Alexander Stubb]

But.

[Jack Armstrong]

So the Telegraph was reporting yesterday. The London Telegraph, according to their sources. Now this could be ops by Ukraine, but according to their sources, it's, it's closer to accurate than the Russian version of that whole. They broke through the line and gobbled up a bunch of land is just not true. It's just not true. A few guys here and there on motorcycles went through the line. The line where this occurred is very porous. Like the troops are very far apart. So you might have a mile where there's nobody. So yeah, you could drive a dirt bike through there and get way through there and claim you're there. But Ukraine says the first group, there's three groups of two to six men. That's it. The first group they killed and they're hunting down the second group, the second and third group, and they'll kill them too. They didn't establish anything, but it's just Russia trying to let the world know they're on the offensive, they're gaining ground. So you know, we better come up with something which is smart.

[Alexander Stubb]

Yeah. Boy, this could go anywhere. Absolutely anywhere. Of the, I don't know. Imagine five different outcomes to this meeting, and in my mind, each one is 20% likely. You know what I mean?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Alexander Stubb]

Just very, very difficult to predict at all which direction this might go.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, and Trump being such a wild card on what he says, you know, you just don't know what's going to happen there either.

[Alexander Stubb]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Man, they're going through a lot of scenarios on Morning Joe, which I watch because I know Trump watches it too, of, you know, Putin trying to play Trump into a situation where they're both bad mouthing Zelensky, not impossible to see happen.

[Alexander Stubb]

Right, right. But getting back to our general manager, as Putin and his fellow KGB indoctrinated mind game, you know, expert advisors were trying to figure out how to manipulate Trump, I'll bet they didn't. Game plan. But what if he, like, totally bonds with one of our most implacable critics over the game of golf?

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Alexander Stubb]

You know, it's a complicated beast that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Donald J. The most interesting thing I heard about the whole Europe thing. Susielinski was in London, 10 Downing street meeting with Kerr Stormer. They made a big announcement. Most interesting thing I heard about the whole Europe part of this we can do next. But after we start officially, I'm Jack Armstrong, he's Jo Getti on this. It is Thursday, August 14th, the year 2025. We're Armstrong and Getty, and we approve of this program.

[Alexander Stubb]

Okay, let's begin then. Officially, according to FCC rules and regulations, the show starts at Mark. Get this. Trump is hosting Putin at a US Military base because it's peak tourist season in Alaska and the options were limited.

[Joe Getty]

This meeting could end a war. And Alaska's like, oh, sorry.

[Alexander Stubb]

But the Marriott conference room is all tied up with a Rotary Club salmon retreat. Salmon retreat. Rotary Club salmon ret.

[Jack Armstrong]

Jimmy. So as Henry Kissinger famously said, if I want to talk to Europe, who do I call? The problem with referring to Europe like it's one thing is it's not. It's a whole bunch of different countries with different ideas. And so there was a, I forget who it was. This some reporter or something. The, the, the, the quote is the best part. Doesn't matter who came from observing Europe around this whole Ukraine thing. Sue Trump. The Wall Street Journal is reporting today, like right now, that Trump has agreed to the red lines that Zelinsky in Europe came up with that include no land swap without him signing off on it. Trump has agreed to that, according to the Wall Street Journal. That would be a big deal.

[Alexander Stubb]

Inski signing off.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that would be a big deal if that is true. But how much guarantee on anything of a ceasefire is Europe willing to do in terms of troops or, you know, threatening, given weapons or whatever? And this person who observes Europe says the problem with Europe is it's a mishmash. A mishmash of those who want but can't, can but won't, and can't but won't.

[Alexander Stubb]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Which is pretty interesting.

[Alexander Stubb]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

You got some countries that could help, but they ain't. You got some countries that would love to help, but they can't actually, because they ain't got nothing. And then there's the won't and can't crowd, which would be, you know, probably a third of Europe, right?

[Alexander Stubb]

Yeah. And look, the idea of them banding together, informing the eu, it was smart, it was a good idea in some ways. They're still working it out. But if you were to look at the last 300 years of history in Europe and somebody told you, all right, you got to pick one word to describe the history of Europe, that word would have to be war. I mean, they've been killing the hell out of each other every chance they get. You can list a dozen different conflicts just, just to warm up various, you know, land battles, you name it. Just constant warfare. The reporter and independence movements that turned violent. Blah, blah, blah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Reporter I was listening to yesterday had been in Ukraine and was talking about the absolutely amazing, br brilliant, cutting edge drone stuff they're doing in Ukraine in garages. You got really smart, handy dudes working out of garages, nearing the front lines, near the front lines, coming up with new stuff every day to try to adjust to what Russia is doing. But they don't have enough money to do what they want to do. So they run GoFundMes and they put GoFundMe's up, hoping that people will donate enough money so they can Amazon various parts or do various R and D, everything like that. And how. And his point was how ridiculous it is that Europe hasn't stepped up and is funding these things. So they're not using GoFundMes to try to figure out how to build their drones.

[Alexander Stubb]

They got the same problem every socialist civilization ends up with. They're out of money.

[Jack Armstrong]

Unbelievable. We got Katie's headlines on the way and a bunch of other stuff. Stay here.

[Alexander Stubb]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Katie Green]

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[Jack Armstrong]

I have a comment on the big Taylor Swift podcast. She rarely does interviews and did a very, very long interview with her boyfriend and his brother yesterday or two days ago. Also, I learned a lot about the whole redistricting fight that I can't believe Republicans haven't been able to get on to talk shows when they're interviewed, they do a terrible job of preparing for this stuff.

[Alexander Stubb]

Two parties, the evil party and the stupid party. Also coming up as Katie Green herself prepares to read US headlines. One of the most egregious dishonest headlines in the history of looking at egregiously dishonest headlines. And it came out in the last week or so, got a tremendous amount of attention. I'll, I'll unmask it for you in a bit. Right now, let's figure out who's reporting what. It's leap story with Katie Green.

[Jack Armstrong]

Katie?

[Unnamed News Reporter]

Alrighty. Starting with ABC News, Putin says Trump is making, quote, energetic efforts to end the war as the summit nears.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, we were just in the lunchroom and Michael is saying, I said Trump needs to treat Putin like he treated Chris Christie or Rand Paul on the debate stage. Needs to treat him like he treated Zelinsky in the Oval Office. That's what I'd like to see.

[Alexander Stubb]

Bring J.D. vance, huh? Have a wingman say to Trump there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Say to Putin to his face, you're losing a thousand guys every two days or whatever the number is, you butcher.

[Unnamed News Reporter]

Speaking of crap, headlines from NBC, ICE sent three US Citizen children, including one with cancer, back to Honduras with their deported mothers.

[Alexander Stubb]

Okay, so you're Satan for dividing families and you're Satan for keeping them together. Okay, super.

[Jack Armstrong]

Thanks.

[Alexander Stubb]

NBC for your input. How are your ratings?

[Unnamed News Reporter]

From cnn, Newsom says California to redraw congressional maps to quote, end Trump presidency.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay. I got a bunch of interesting information on redistricting that I didn't know. I should know it. I should have heard it from Republicans out there when they're being interviewed about this, but they don't do the research for some reason.

[Unnamed News Reporter]

From the New York Times, Fed faces high bar for big cuts despite White House pressure.

[Alexander Stubb]

Okay.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, interest rate cuts.

[Alexander Stubb]

Interest rate cuts.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay. Yeah.

[Unnamed News Reporter]

From the New York Post Toronto Film festival, outrageously cuts October 7th documentary because Hamas didn't give footage permission.

[Jack Armstrong]

This story is incredible. We'll get into it later.

[Unnamed News Reporter]

From the Independent. Musk's Grock calls Trump the most notorious criminal in Washington, D.C. when asked about violent crime in the city.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, it's whatever open model language learning thingy. And that's been a talking point of the left. That's what Joaquin Jeffries, the leader of the Democrats in the House, said the other day. Yeah. There's criminal in Washington, D.C. it's at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Oh, no.

[Alexander Stubb]

Oh, Singer. A million votes just changed because your cleverness, Hakeem.

[Jack Armstrong]

But that's probably where Gro got it.

[Alexander Stubb]

Yeah.

[Unnamed News Reporter]

From Page Six. Jussie Smollett claims Chicago police and Rahm Emanuel are villains while denying the hate crime hoax. He is still going with this.

[Jack Armstrong]

Not gonna give up on that. Okay.

[Alexander Stubb]

You are a cuckoo bird. Way to double down, bro. Yeah, you get more support every day. From what I've heard.

[Unnamed News Reporter]

USA Today man charged with assault, insulting federal agent in D.C. with a sandwich. Went up to the ICE officers and said, I don't want you here, and hurled a sub. And now he's caught a felony charge.

[Jack Armstrong]

He threw something at somebody. Yep.

[Alexander Stubb]

All right. And it's a waste of a sandwich from Fox News.

[Unnamed News Reporter]

Chicken linked to slightly more gut disruption than beef, according to a new study.

[Alexander Stubb]

Good.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm glad to hear that. What is gut disruption? I'm a beef guy. You know what? Gut disruption is it? You know what?

[Alexander Stubb]

Disrupted.

[Jack Armstrong]

You heard the guy in there groaning that that's what it is.

[Alexander Stubb]

Oh, good. Wow.

[Unnamed News Reporter]

All right. Babylon B quote, crime is down in D.C. shouts journalist currently being pummeled by group of thugs.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, no kidding.

[Alexander Stubb]

What a story that is. There's actually a class action lawsuit going on against the D.C. city fathers and mothers for systematically misreporting crime. Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Interesting. Yeah, we got more on that, too. We got a lot of stuff to catch up on. I hope you can stay here.

[Alexander Stubb]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Katie Green]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Putin does not agree to stop the war after your meeting on Friday. Yes, they will.

[Alexander Stubb]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

What will those consequences? There will be consequences. Tariffs. There will be. I don't have to say there will be very severe consequences. Well, I got a lot of attention. He wasn't specific, but we're going to get into that more in hour two, so stay tuned.

[Alexander Stubb]

So I can't remember, were you going to go first on the Hamas stuff or was I? Okay, all right, great. So this is just, I, I can't believe I still have the capacity to be, to be surprised by the dishonesty of the mainstream media. It's my childlike nature. But last month you saw, and it was actually just a couple of weeks ago, really big headlines in Reuters, CNN, ABC, NPR, et cetera, that the U.S. aIDS Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, quote, found no evidence of systemic theft by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Ua, abc, specifically USAID reported, failed to find any evidence that Hamas engaged in widespread diversions of assistance. Okay, here's what happened. So usaid, one of the offices that still is funded, does internal analysis tracking reports of waste, fraud and abuse of humanitarian aid in Gaza. According to that report, over the covered period, which was 18 months, they received 156 notifications of fraud, waste and abuse from their NGO non governmental organization partners in Gaza, amounting to a loss of about $5 million. The key finding was for all 156 incidents, partners did not provide any information in their incident reports alleging sanctioned group or foreign terrorist organization involvement. Again, the key finding was our NGO partners did not say anything about foreign terrorist organization involvement. But when the analysis was leaked to legacy news organizations, they reported Something completely different. That there was no evidence. They failed to find any evidence. There is a world of difference.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, those are very different things.

[Alexander Stubb]

Oh my God. Between notifications of aid misuse and actual misuse and quoting Jonas Dew here in an article, two sources familiar with USAID and its analysis confirmed that their the partner's failure to report terrorist involvement does absolutely not mean there is no evidence of theft by Hamas. Quote, the report appears to be wholly reliant. Reliant on self reporting by UN agencies and NGOs who are extremely reticent to report Hamas interference out of fear of violent retribution by Hamas, said a senior official familiar with the USA report.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, I was assuming it was because they're ideologically on the side of the Palestinians and Hamas and hate Israel, but you're saying they're physically afraid. Wow.

[Alexander Stubb]

Oh yeah, yeah. These are the NGOs that are on the ground. They do not dare call out Hamas for theft.

[Jack Armstrong]

So that's one better. The next story I'm going to do is another example of that's once more of radical Islam winning because. Because they threatened to hurt or kill you.

[Alexander Stubb]

Right. Couple more items. When the Reuters study story was published, quote, nobody at the highest levels of the USAID administration had yet seen the report, said a senior official at the State Department. It was deliberately and intentionally manufactured and distributed to plant a deliberate false narrative. Worse yet, Hamas used Reuters framing to fuel accusations of starvation and genocide against the US and Israel. Allegations of theft, quote, were reluctantly recently refuted by an internal investigation by the US aid agency which confirmed the absence of any reports or data indicating the theft of aid by Hamas, said a Hamas guy. And that was dutifully reported by the mainstream media.

[Jack Armstrong]

If Hamas, if there was evidence that Hamas was not stealing food, it would be a very big story because that would be incredib of character of their decades long reign as a, you know, a bunch of thugs who steal stuff.

[Alexander Stubb]

It would be a seriously important headline to say Hamas no longer stealing aid. Yeah, as you said, that would interrupt decades of. And one more very quick note and we can get into this later maybe, but the UN agency that actually declares we are in famine conditions or we have a proto famine or we have a famine quietly changed their standards in the last couple of months.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay.

[Alexander Stubb]

It's unbelievable.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, as Jonah Goldberg wrote the other day in the LA Times, famine is a plural word. To have a famine you need lots of people starving. Why does the media seem to be struggling so much to come up with more than that one kid to put on their front page.

[Alexander Stubb]

If there are so many people starving real quickly, they used to. The standard was you had to find 30% of children in an area suffering from acute malnutrition, as shown by comparing their weight to their height. 30% comparing weight to height the agency's July report used another metric, mid upper arm circumference, a measure that can be done much more quickly and is considered less precise. It also lowered the 30% threshold down to 15%, cut it in half and changed what they measure. That's a pretty big shift in standards, one veteran aid insider told the Washington Free Beacon, suggesting the ipc, that's your integrated food security phase classification, blah blah blah quote is lowering the bar, trying to make it easier for the famine determination to be made. The IPC report revealed that shift through a small statement attached to an asterisk under a graphic titled when is famine Classified?

[Jack Armstrong]

I was a very skinny kid. If you had measured my arm circumference in seventh grade, I'm sure I would have met the famine definition.

[Alexander Stubb]

I had guns like Hulk Hogan, God rest his soul.

[Jack Armstrong]

And then this story, here's another one of Islam winning the day and I had to get to the very end of the story to understand why. Toronto Film Festival it's second only to the Khan Film Festival in terms of film festivals that are a big deal for your Hollywood elite and they all fly there and they go there and they watch the films and they talk about them and blah blah, blah. A new documentary about the October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas has been booted from the Toronto International Film Festival because organizers insist the filmmakers need the rights from the terrorist group to use their footage in the massacre. The footage that those Hamas guys got with the the GoPros on top of their heads as they raped grandmas and shot babies and all that sort of stuff. The Toronto Film Festival said, well, we, we don't. You don't have the rights from them to use this, so we're not going to allow your film. And I thought again, it was just outrageous. They're on the side of Hamas. They hate Israel. At the end of the article, they quote somebody. The New York Post said they learned that the the film One had insurance to protect its creators and festival from potential lawsuits on the actual legal part of it. I mean, who's going to prosecute that case anyway? Hamas and sources told the Post that the festival pulled the doc out of concern that potential anti Israel protests would form in downtown Toronto and could turn violent.

[Alexander Stubb]

Yeah, I was going to say that rights thing sounds like an excuse to me. And that's absolutely true. Yeah, the. The angry Muslims will tear the place apart. So can't show it. So once again, just keep retreating, Western civilization. Keep retreating. It'll be fine.

[Jack Armstrong]

And I always use the same example. The dudes that made south park could make a musical mocking Mormons. That was one of the biggest hit musicals in America because the Mormons aren't going to kill you. Go ahead, make them make a movie mocking Islam, anyone, and run it somewhere. But no, you won't. Because they get not just the heckler's veto, but the murderous lunatics veto.

[Alexander Stubb]

Right. You know, which brings us to one more point that I'll flesh out later.

[Jack Armstrong]

God, that's embarrassing. We're not going to allow people to see this movie about October 7th because you don't have the rights from Hamas for this footage.

[Alexander Stubb]

Yeah, that's. Yeah. Of, you know, entire families being machine guns. Yeah, yeah. Great piece. You know what, I'll tell you about it in a minute afterward from our friends at Trust and Will. Look, if you've accumulated like anything, including a house or a little bit of wealth or whatever, you absolutely need an estate plan. So the people you love aren't just feeding money to lawyers and tearing each other and apart in courts forever or going through the horrific probate process. Get a sec. The security and peace of mind by making their state plan. Now with trustandwill.com who gets your labubu collection.

[Jack Armstrong]

You need to have this sort of thing, you know, lined out so everybody understands, you know, what court's deciding this. You can manage your own trust and will online with the easy to use website starting at $199. All your important documents in one place with bank level encryption. By the way, if you're worried about that, that in terms of putting it all together, live customer support through chat, phone or email. It's really easy to do.

[Alexander Stubb]

Did you say starting at $199? When I talked to a lawyer, I was told that it was. Yeah, that's right. It's that great. Secure your assets and protect your loved ones with trust. And will get 20% off on your estate plan documents by visiting trustandwill.com Armstrong. That's trustandwill.com Armstrong. Think of the Labu boos do that today. So this University of Tennessee professor wrote this piece and it's funny. It's great minds think alike. Or at least my mediocre mind thinks like his. The question of what do you want to call it? Ideological dam Breaking postponed confidence. He's writing about Great Britain and how there has been overwhelming agreement on the immigration crisis there, but people haven't known it. They've been thinking. And folks, this may sound fairly familiar to you, particularly if you live in blue states where you had become brow beaten into thinking. I guess everybody's into this DEI stuff and the critical theory and queer theory and men can become women. I think it's insane. But I'm looking around and nobody's disagreeing. So I guess I'm in the minority.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right? You join the pronouns on your emails just because you think you're supposed to, not because you believe it.

[Alexander Stubb]

Right. And to avoid trouble. Well, this guy's writing about how in Britain the powers that be have been straining mightily to keep people from being able to express their opinions. But now that it's happening, people are looking around and saying, no, I'm not in a small minority of quote unquote bigots. Everybody agrees, they just haven't let us say it out loud and it's a bit of a damn burst. So more on that to come.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow, that's pretty interesting.

[Alexander Stubb]

Yeah, yeah, and we, we talked about that in another context. I think it was the, the DEI thing, assumed acquiescence, assumed agreement, where you're sitting there in the humiliating racist Robin d' Angelo retraining to convince you that white people are the source of all evil, blah, blah, blah, the whole DEI thing. And you're looking around and. And you see one guy who looks like he wants to say something but everybody else is being quiet. So I guess they agree. No, no, it's not. It's the people who just can't bring themselves to standing up and say don't assume. If you know what, have more confidence. That's what I would say. If you listen to something and think this is Looney Tunes, trust yourself. You're probably right.

[Jack Armstrong]

So we got Mailbag on the way. We'll jump back into the whole Putin Trump summit, which I think is a huge deal that's happening tomorrow in Alaska. And a bunch of other news. Hope you can stay here.

[Alexander Stubb]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Katie Green]

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[Jack Armstrong]

I just saw the video footage. You've probably heard the story. It's getting way too much attention. Drunk nut job on a plane swinging a skateboard around, screaming racial slurs. They restrain him twice on the flight. He gets out twice. Then finally this great big giant dude I just watched the video of it comes over, picks him up under the arms like he's 8 years old. Carries him to the back, sits him down, says sit down.

[Alexander Stubb]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

I mean this dude was huge. Yeah, that was great.

[Alexander Stubb]

Quantity is its own quality, as they say about warfare. Here's your freedom loving quote of the day sent along by Paolo. Guys, you must have seen mention this Thomas Sowell quote but just in case it's one of the all time greats quote. Envy was once considered one of the deadly sins before it became one of the most admired virtues under its new name, social justice. Oh, that's a Thomas Soell for the win. Mailbag. Drop us a note mailbag at Armstrong. You get a dot com Great crop emails today. Gotta start with this one though, I'm afraid. Guys, guys, I'm excited about this transition. It's a lot less stressful. Been listening to your show since you arrived many years ago. Wish I had a dollar for every time I recommended you to people, but I can only half listen now. Jack has been driving me crazy over the last couple of years but his rant about bone broth was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. That was all time stupid.

[Jack Armstrong]

I didn't know where this was going, but I didn't expect that.

[Alexander Stubb]

Yeah, well, just keep kicking. Our beloved listeners, our friends, our supporters.

[Jack Armstrong]

That was the one that did it. Bone broth.

[Alexander Stubb]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, my thing is it's just these things. Bone broth, kale, pink salt, whatever. They become trendy and then you all jump on it and I don't know.

[Alexander Stubb]

Karen, bone broth is fine and nutritious liquid food and I support you're eating it and God bless you and. And all your efforts, dietary and otherwise.

[Jack Armstrong]

Dunk Your boo boo and bone broth and just love your life.

[Alexander Stubb]

No, no. Idiot. Probably lost us another listener. JT from Livermore bringing it. So, Chuck Todd, talking about a cold civil war. As usual, the Todster is a metaphorical day late and a dollar short. We're already in a cold civil war. And like the original, there's a good side and a bad side. The good side is the side that believes in the good of the country and inequality and freedom. As an aside, perhaps those words sound familiar to you? Founding documents, Federalist paper, anybody? The rule of law and the right to self determination. The bad side hates the country, loves any group that hates this country and is willing to do or say anything to keep their power in order to continue their attempt to fundamentally transform the country away from the self determining, freedom seeking entity was created to be. It is the Dems that support illegal immigration, open borders, porn in school, experimental surgery on children, late term abortion, infanticide, open air drug markets, anti free speech, anti constitution. It's the Dems pushing to pack the court, resist ballot integrity, spread lies like Russia Gate and Hunter's laptop. It's the Dems who support terrorists like Hamas and Iran and admire dictatorial regimes like China and put the country's national security at risk by hiding the senility of Biden for years. Okay, moving along. On a similar but very different note, Drew, the millennial guys been seeing a lot of rabble on the right over the gay Minnesota Vikings cheerleader guy. I'd missed this somehow.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know this story either.

[Alexander Stubb]

Apparently they've got a gay fella as a cheerleader now.

[Jack Armstrong]

Shocking.

[Alexander Stubb]

Drew writes. I am sorry. I didn't realize so many grown men on the right cared so passionately about NFL cheerleading. I usually just watch for the football part, but I guess a lot of guys are really upset over the cheerleading. What's next, a lesbian on the Bachelor? This is unacceptable. I never understood this tendency with people. Something exists your whole life and you could not have cared less about it because it's dumb and pointless in this case. But if it changes somehow, now I care. Just continue not caring. There's freedom in not caring.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, my son will tell you that. Katie has some details on the male gay cheerleader.

[Unnamed News Reporter]

There's not one, but two.

[Alexander Stubb]

Good Lord.

[Unnamed News Reporter]

Gay male cheerleaders.

[Alexander Stubb]

Good Lord. Pairs.

[Unnamed News Reporter]

They come in pairs.

[Alexander Stubb]

Wow. All right, so they got a couple of gay fellows jumping up and down in many. You know, that fits. Minneapolis, of course.

[Jack Armstrong]

Unless you're in the stadium and you happen to have seats right where they are. You don't even know they're there.

[Alexander Stubb]

The French mark writes, this evening, I went to the community meeting in my liberal enclave. Various city people were presenting something of a pathway toward a master plan to justify their jobs and solicit resident feedback. He says, if climate change, BIPOC, LGBTQ +, -, etc. Marginalized urban forest, ecological open space preservation, housing, climate hazard, heat wave, vulnerable and unhoused pollution, vehicle traffic, electric vehicle connected, and biodiverse were on your bingo cards. Man, you cleaned house. Oh, boy. Buzzword fest.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Alexander Stubb]

On a lighter note, Marina from San Diego on the topic of feeding your former pets to zoo animals.

[Jack Armstrong]

Boy, it's just the math. Works out to me.

[Alexander Stubb]

Well, then this is. This is kind of tangential, but. Guys, don't judge me, but I have a pass to the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. Wonderful place. Wonderful to visit it if you get a chance. And on more than one occasion, I've thought, man, there are a lot of gazelles here. Like, they're all over the place. Then there are the poor, lethargic lions and tigers. Don't they deserve a little excitement and a little thrill for the visitors, too? I mean, not every day, but maybe once a month, drop a little those gazelles in. Think Jurassic Park.

[Joe Getty]

Barbaric, right?

[Jack Armstrong]

And it would happen.

[Alexander Stubb]

It's not. It's as natural as could be.

[Jack Armstrong]

It would happen to a certain percentage of them in the wild. Yeah, it's as natural as could be. And think how much exciting that would be for the. I was gonna say it'd be exciting to watch. I don't know if I'd want to watch, actually.

[Alexander Stubb]

Oh, I'd go to frigging Gazelle Day every month. Oh, my God.

[Jack Armstrong]

See, my theory is, you got shelters full of stray cats and dogs nobody wants. You got hungry animals at the zoo.

[Alexander Stubb]

Wow. If anybody didn't leave over the bone broth thing, they're. They're reaching for the dial right now.

[Jack Armstrong]

You euthanize them first, but. All right, we got to get into the news of the day. We do. Four hours every single day. If you missed a segment, get the podcast. Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Alexander Stubb]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Aha. Presents the Big Three Playoff. This Sunday, the remaining four teams battle to make the championship in the most physical, fierce, and competitive basketball league in the world. The action starts with the Big Three Monster Energy celebrity game. Then Dwight Howard and his Ellie Riot take on Montrez Harrell and Dr. J Chicago triplets. The finale will see popular Miami 305 with stars MVP Michael Beasley. And Lance Stevenson take on Nancy Lieberman's Dallas power, who will make it to the big three championship. The no holds barred action starts Sunday at 3:00pm Eastern. 12p only on CBS.

[Alexander Stubb]

This is an iheart podcast.