Who's A Schmoopie!?

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand Episode: Who's A Schmoopie!? Release Date: May 12, 2025

Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction

In this episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty dive deep into a multitude of pressing topics shaping the global landscape. From the recent truce in US-China tariffs to the high-stakes P. Diddy trial, the conversation is both comprehensive and engaging. This summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and conclusions drawn during the episode, complete with notable quotes and timestamps for reference.

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US-China Tariffs Truce

The episode opens with an in-depth analysis of the recent pause in the US-China tariff war, a significant development that has sent ripples through global markets.

• Tariff Reductions:

  • Joe Getty highlights the scale of the tariff reduction: “It's a huge deal. It's going to go from 145 to 10% the tariff thing” ([02:05]).
  • Jack Armstrong explains the specifics: “China agreed to keep the new tariff levels in place for 90 days with the goal of working toward a broader deal” ([24:14]).

• Market Reactions:

  • The hosts note the immediate positive impact on stock markets: “The stock market is surging on the news of the tariff war being over... electricity is through the roof” ([06:24]).

• Future Implications:

  • Jack Armstrong expresses uncertainty about the longevity of the truce: “Repocketed their tactical pen. Yes. I didn't think it’s gonna all settle down by then” ([25:11]).

Trump’s Middle East Trip and Zelinsky-Putin Dynamics

A significant portion of the discussion centers around former President Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to the Middle East and the potential for a historic meeting between Ukrainian President Zelinsky and Russian President Putin.

• Possible Meetings:

  • Joe Getty speculates on the dynamics, “Freaking Zelinsky is going to meet face to face with Putin. Well, if Putin shows up, which I can't even imagine the dynamic on that whole thing” ([03:02]).

• Skepticism About Putin’s Participation:

  • Jack Armstrong voices doubt: “I a is loathe to be manipulated, slash bullied, pushed in any way... and I don't think he wants to leave Russia either” ([12:32]).

• Potential Outcomes:

  • The hosts discuss the challenges of such a meeting, emphasizing the unlikely cooperation between Zelinsky and Putin: “He always does the smart ass routine... impossible to sit there with that guy” ([11:47]).

P. Diddy Trial Highlights

The episode delves into the high-profile trial of P. Diddy, focusing on the disappearance of a key witness and its implications for the proceedings.

• Missing Witness:

  • Joe Getty reports, “Has disappeared... the judge is actually talking about maybe pausing for a bit to try to figure out where the key witness is” ([03:58]).

• Impact on the Trial:

  • Jack Armstrong comments on the severity, “That's it. Oh, the only clue is a trail of baby oil leading out of town” ([04:07]).

• Trial Expectations:

  • The hosts anticipate intense courtroom moments: “It was on News Nation... gross and horrifying and somewhat sexy at times” ([27:11], [29:27]).

Stock Market Reactions

Following the announcement of the tariff truce, Armstrong and Getty discuss the buoyant response from global financial markets.

• Market Surge:

  • Jack Armstrong notes, “It's a little fatiguing. I think everybody... the Trump experience is an, is a fatiguing experience” ([09:47]).

• Economic Implications:

  • The conversation highlights how reduced tariffs are fostering economic stability: “The stock market is surging on the news... built for the grill” ([06:24]).

Air Traffic Control and Infrastructure Issues

A segment of the podcast addresses critical infrastructure challenges, particularly within the US air traffic control system.

• Aging Equipment Concerns:

  • The Transportation Secretary reveals alarming details: “Much of it. We can't buy parts for new... we're dealing with real old equipment” ([20:04]).

• Operational Risks:

  • Joe Getty underscores the risks: “Newark airport crashed again over the weekend... you need somebody's old sloppy disk” ([20:33]).

• Call for Modernization:

  • Jack Armstrong advocates for systemic changes: “High school class required in every high school... befitting infrastructure departments” ([20:49]).

AI and ChatGPT Discussion

The hosts explore the evolving role of artificial intelligence, particularly ChatGPT, in education and personal life.

• Educational Benefits:

  • Katie Green shares positive feedback: “Your digital physics textbook into ChatGPT and then ask it to help him study” ([36:02]).

• Risks and Failures:

  • Joe Getty warns of AI pitfalls: “I've got an example of AI failing me horribly over the weekend” ([37:49]).

• AI in Personal Narratives:

  • Jack Armstrong presents a humorous take on AI-generated content: “Everything I just read was written by AI” ([37:02]).

Personal Anecdotes and Mailbag

Interspersed with the main discussions are personal stories and listener messages, adding a relatable human element to the episode.

• Mother's Day Celebrations:

  • The hosts share heartfelt moments about their families: “We made mom dinner, actually. We did a little barbecue” ([08:13]).

• Mailbag Insights:

  • Mike recounts his mother's advice: “Never believe anything you hear and only half of what you see” ([35:25]).
  • Logan humorously describes an AI-induced life change: “I've since left the love of my life... moved to a tropical island” ([37:02]).

Conclusion

Armstrong & Getty On Demand delivers a multifaceted exploration of current events, blending serious analysis with personal stories and humor. The episode underscores the complex interplay between global politics, legal battles, economic shifts, and technological advancements, all while maintaining an engaging and conversational tone. Listeners are left with a comprehensive understanding of the topics discussed, enriched by the hosts' insightful commentary and memorable quotes.

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Notable Quotes:

• Joe Getty [02:05]: “It's a huge deal. It's going to go from 145 to 10% the tariff thing."
• Jack Armstrong [11:47]: “He always does the smart ass routine... impossible to sit there with that guy.”
• Katie Green [16:16]: “From ABC Israel to pause Gaza fighting ahead of US hostage Adan Alexander's release by Hamas.”
• Jack Armstrong [35:34]: “Mom was prescient. She saw deep fake videos coming.”

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This summary provides a structured and detailed overview of the episode, capturing the essence of the conversations and key points discussed by Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Whether you're catching up on major news or seeking insightful commentary, this episode offers a well-rounded perspective on today's most pressing issues.

Transcript

[Michael]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast. Time is precious and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 24,7 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments and shipping is always free. With Dutch, you'll get more time with your pets and year round peace of mind when it comes comes to their vet care.

[Jack Armstrong]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln radio studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty live from Studio C. See senor.

[Joe Getty]

A dimly lit room deep within the bowels of the Armstrong and Getty Communications compound. It's a day on uh, oh, today on a Monday, a brand new week. Day after Mother's Day. We're under the tutelage of our general.

[Jack Armstrong]

Manager, China, our beloved trading partner, Decouple. I could never decouple with you. I love you.

[Joe Getty]

Who's the shmoopy?

[Jack Armstrong]

You hang up.

[Joe Getty]

We've got five to seven major stories happening at the same time with updates pretty much happening on a moment by moment basis. I don't know which one you consider the biggest one but the fact that China and the United. Hey, go out and buy pencils today like they're free. This is what I'm gonna do because we all write with pencils all day long. Every other word I'm gonna toss a pencil in the trash. That's how cheap pencils are gonna be again, right?

[Jack Armstrong]

Dolls.

[Joe Getty]

Dolls.

[Jack Armstrong]

Dolls for everyone.

[Joe Getty]

30. Your kid wants $30 for Christmas. Get him $30 for 4th of July.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's right. The good times are back.

[Joe Getty]

The good times are back.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

So the both, both countries are going to go back down to about 10%.

[Jack Armstrong]

And plus a little extra because that whole fentanyl thing on Chinese imports. But it's a huge decline from the giant 125% that existed for a handful.

[Joe Getty]

Of days or 145%. And they, and so, and they claim this is going to be a 90 day pause. I think it'll be for, for the rest of our foreseeable future. They'll never, they won't go back to this be my guess. And so there that's over history and the markets will decide I guess if that was. We got anything out of that. If that was a good idea or not. So you Got that whole story now. And Trump's headed to the Middle East. To me, this is the most interesting story. Freaking Zelinsky is going to meet face to face with Putin. Well, if Putin shows up, which I can't even imagine the dynamic on that whole thing. Holy crap.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sickening to even consider.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know. I don't know how you could. I don't know how you could sit there and look at that guy. Anyway, more on that later, because that's going to happen. Trump worked out, and J.D. vance and Marco Rubio worked out some sort of at least temporary ceasefire with India and Pakistan that held over the weekend. And so you got that story. P. Diddy trial kicks off likely today with one of the key. Most key witnesses now can't be found. Has disappeared.

[Jack Armstrong]

What? Wait a minute. I had.

[Joe Getty]

I just saw that story. And the judge is actually talking about maybe pausing for a bit to try to figure out where the key witness is.

[Jack Armstrong]

So that's it. Oh, the only clue is a trail of baby oil leading out of town or.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know, it's probably. Probably the old silver or lead threat. Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wonder. I wonder. Yeah, boy. Ugliness. By the way, I don't think that the Zelinsky Putin meeting is gonna take place, which will be a big story in itself.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

But.

[Joe Getty]

And then you got Hamas announced they're going to give back the last living American hostage. They're trying to buy some time or something.

[Jack Armstrong]

You still got.

[Joe Getty]

You got a deadline coming with bombing the crap out of Iran. And Trump said the Middle East. He will be in Saudi Arabia tomorrow.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is correct. Yeah. Yeah. And there's some. There's growing controversy over some of the Trump families business dealings in the Middle east as they are raking in enormous sums of money from some of the various oil sheikdoms that are seeking to influence American foreign policy. I'm not a fan of it.

[Joe Getty]

So you wanted. So you want to come on Harris.

[Jack Armstrong]

Kamala Harris, that's correct, yes. Yes, I'm backing Gavin Newsom in 28. No, I'm just telling you the buzz is growing because it's. It doesn't look great.

[Joe Getty]

Well, Trump, it looks like, is going to accept that plane from Qatar that he'll then keep after he's done being president or something. That whole story, that's what's been proposed.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's not by any means a done deal. And it's. It. It definitely has the appearance of impropriety, particularly because. And. And, sorry, you know, to hardcore Trump fans, you Know, I. All I have is my principles. I've lost my good looks. My athletic career, such as it was, is in the dust bit of history. All I have is my poor principles. And I've been hammering the Biden administration, the Biden family, I should say, for the fuzzy at best influence peddling looking activities. And this does not look good and the whole cryptocurrency thing and all.

[Joe Getty]

So the stock market is surging on the news of the tariff war being over, which is not surprising because that gives us some certainty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that's right. It is moving upward. This is our makeup sex with China. It looked like maybe we're completely on the outs and now we are back and stronger than ever. We both lear. We both realized what we could have lost. And it is passionate.

[Joe Getty]

Our love might even be stronger.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, good.

[Joe Getty]

So do you have any, have you come across any like good analysis of. Did we get something that the world. Did the United States get anything out of this little dust up? And now the, the pause, which I think is going to be the resolution. Was it a waste of time? Was something accomplished? Do you have any idea?

[Jack Armstrong]

Time will tell.

[Joe Getty]

That's what I was saying.

[Jack Armstrong]

I mean, my gosh, the, the trade relationship with China and the, the existing tariffs during the 90 days take a couple of minutes to explain. Now, if you couple that with. How about the rest of the world that we haven't yet finished trade deals with. What's, what's the status of that? Do we still have some sort of highish punitive ish tariffs on our friends and allies? What's, what's up with Canada and Mexico? I don't. You, you need like a running tote board status, you know, the update board of what's going on with all this stuff. So I, I have no idea how to answer your question.

[Joe Getty]

Did everybody call their moms and. Or if you are a mom, spend a little time with your kids and have a good Mother's Day. I hope everybody did. Called my mom, calls, texts, letters, et cetera.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I thought fondly of my mom, God bless her. Had a very good day. Do every day.

[Joe Getty]

What'd you do, Michael?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, we made mom dinner, actually. We did a little barbecue and that's fantastic. Asparagus and all sorts of stuff.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, you have the situation. I often point out I'm envious of where everybody lives in the same area and you get together for stuff like this, which is awesome. I made different life choices and nobody ever sees anybody.

[Jack Armstrong]

Do you have any ne' er do well siblings that you speak ill of. Well, the families gathered, Michael. We actually all get along pretty well. Okay, that's very wholesome. That's beautiful. I love that. Fantastic.

[Joe Getty]

Both my brothers did go to visit my mom and they went out to eat. And I understand my younger brother ate way too much and was feeling awful at the end of it. My dad could not finish his steak. So my, my brother, having finished his own meal and feeling too much, went ahead and finished dad's steak so it wouldn't go to waste and then was really, really suffering.

[Jack Armstrong]

I swear. You know how some people do the 23andMe and find out they're 8% Cherokee? Your family has in it. I don't know exactly how that worked back in the day. Some lion crept into the hen house and and influenced the family's genetic code at some point.

[Joe Getty]

The whole Better for me to feel miserable than to let this go to waste is an interesting, an interesting angle, but I've done it many times in my life.

[Jack Armstrong]

There's Jack's great granddad, Simba.

[Joe Getty]

So we'll look for any results in the stock market. I guess it looks like the, for instance, the S and P could be in a better spot today than it was on Liberation Day. So it's a win. It's gone up.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a little fatiguing. I think everybody. And there are a couple of different topics that this could describe. Not just, you know, tariffs and economics in the stock market and that sort of thing. The Trump experience is an, is a fatiguing experience.

[Joe Getty]

Well, a pencil in every dollhouse. That's what he ran on and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Looks like something beautiful.

[Joe Getty]

I I so Trump said, or quite the meeting over the weekend, if you were following this at all. I did. I thought it was something there. In Kiev, you had Macron of France, you had Mertz of Germany, you had the guy from Poland and then you got what's his name, Starmer from England all got there. The leaders of all those major European countries got there together with Zelinsky in Kiev to show solidarity. And there's announcement that there needed to be a ceasefire. And Trump got on Truth Social. They actually so they have a big meeting. They get done with the meeting at 7 o' clock in the morning. It was earlier than that. D.C. time, early D.C. time. They said we got to call Trump. So they got Trump on the phone somehow and got on a video call with him and talked to him about what they had just discussed. And then Trump truthed out there needs to be a ceasefire. Hey, Vladimir, there's got to be a ceasefire. And then there was some back and forth where on how they could get together. Zelinsky said he wouldn't meet. Trump said, you got to meet. So Zelinsky immediately responded by, I will meet. I'll be there. I'll be in Turkey. I'll be there. How about you, Putin? So now it's up to whether Putin shows up or not. I can't imagine the human dynamic of that. I don't see how you could possibly sit there and keep any composure sitting across from that guy. Because he always does the smart ass routine. Yeah, him doing. Him doing the smart ass smirk when you've, you know, held dead babies and everything else over the last three years would be impossible to sit there with that guy.

[Jack Armstrong]

But.

[Joe Getty]

But Zelinsky says he's going to show up.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, to his credit as a negotiator, he's just trying to make it infinitely clear that the obstacle to peace is clearly Russia. Putin will not play into that. You don't think he's solely skeptical? No, he won't. No. If I'm wrong, I will say so. But he a is loathe to be manipulated, slash bullied, pushed in any way. And I don't think he likes the dynamic of it, really. And I don't think he wants to leave Russia either. I mean, they're uncomfortably close with Turkey, our NATO ally, one of the weirdest frenemy ships in the history of nation. But no, he doesn't want to leave Russia.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. But, well, I got more thoughts on that. Why I think he might want to show up. But we better start the show officially.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm Jack Armstrong.

[Joe Getty]

I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty on this. It is Monday, May 12, year 2025, where Armstrong and Getty and we approve of this program.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, let's begin sorting through the madness, trying to figure it out. Precisely. According to FCC rules and regulations, the show starts at mark the four ducklings rescued from a sewer drain in Northern California. Firefighters jumping into action after the mother duck quacked for somebody to help Mama ended up reunited with her babies just.

[Joe Getty]

In time for Mother's Day. There you go.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, that's nice. Yay. To have cute little ducklings swept down the sewer on Mother's Day. Back to you.

[Joe Getty]

So the baby ducks did not die in the sewer drain on Mother's Day. Jim.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't mind sweet and sentimental. I'm a sentimental guy, but that was too much.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, that's great. That is great. Oh, that's fantastic. We'll have to revisit that later. I spent three hours with the doctor on a Saturday afternoon. I am now on eight medications. Count them, eight for this freaking whooping cough.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

Do not get whooping cough.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, I prefer not to get your update, actually.

[Joe Getty]

I said to a doctor on point, I said, jesus, this is horrible. He said, that's why we have a vaccine for it. Anyway, maybe I'll give you some news you can use on that. Coming up, we got Katie's headlines. We got lots today and all those big stories developing as we speak and more ducks to rescue. So stay here.

[Jack Armstrong]

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[Joe Getty]

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[Jack Armstrong]

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[Joe Getty]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Get ready to smash expectations with the new Omaha Steak smash burgers. Visit Omaha steaks.com smash and order the built for the grill pack with 16 free smash burgers. That's 16 free Omaha steak smash burgers at Omaha steaks.com smash C site for details.

[Michael]

Time is precious and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 247 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments and shipping is always free. With Dutch you'll get more time with your pets and year round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care.

[Joe Getty]

I knew I left out one of the major stories. Before he jumps on the plane to the Middle east this morning, Trump is going to sign an executive order lowering prescription drug prices. He tried this first term. The court stopped it. They might do it again. But he's going to Attempt that today.

[Jack Armstrong]

A controversial move, Jack. More on that topic to come. Let's figure out who's reporting what. It's the lead story with Katie Green. Katie, what's happening?

[Katie Green]

Well, it seems to be the top story everywhere, but from the hill, US and China pausing most. Steep, steep tariff hikes for 90 days.

[Joe Getty]

It's a huge deal. It's going to go from 145 to 10% the tariff thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

So no, it's going to be a lot less. He's still keeping in place the 20% China is in the fentanyl trade tariffs, but the reciprocal tariff on top of that will go from 125 to 10%, yielding a net 30% tariff.

[Katie Green]

From ABC Israel to pause Gaza fighting ahead of US hostage Adan Alexander's release by Hamas.

[Joe Getty]

What is Hamas up to?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it's this controversial too. It's really interesting the reactions from the left and right in Israel. The left saying no, you got to have a master deal for all the hostages that ends the war. And the right saying no, they're just buying more time. This is a Hamas maneuver. It's a scam. Don't fall for it.

[Katie Green]

Right from Breitbart, Dan Bongino says the FBI will be releasing files on Covid, cover up Mar? A Lago raid Epstein case and more.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't even remember. What's Dan Bongino doing now?

[Katie Green]

Secret Service Director.

[Joe Getty]

What does he hand? Remember he got named something.

[Jack Armstrong]

Assistant FBI Director. He's working under Cash Patel. That's right. Okay. Yeah.

[Katie Green]

This one from USA Today. A threat from flesh eating maggots forced the United States to suspend all live cattle imports through Mexico. They're known as the New World Screw Worm.

[Joe Getty]

Flesh eating maggots.

[Jack Armstrong]

As if flesh eating maggot isn't a good enough. We've got a nickname.

[Joe Getty]

You know that the fact that I got whooping cough factors into a lot of too many things coming across the Mexican border that we aren't being careful about. More on that later.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh my.

[Katie Green]

From the New York Post special Mother's Day gift trend for the ages. Moms and kids getting matching tattoos.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Oh boy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Ah, that's sweet. Maybe a little duckling.

[Joe Getty]

Thanks.

[Jack Armstrong]

If you've been listening for a few.

[Katie Green]

Minutes from The Free Beacon, 11 of Columbia Library arrestees identify as they them. And if I may share the first three words of this article, it's a they Tifata.

[Jack Armstrong]

I like it. Wow. A bunch of confused would be radicals. It all fits in back to.

[Katie Green]

And finally, The Babylon Bee.

[Jack Armstrong]

J.D.

[Katie Green]

Vance already making plans to kill the new Pope.

[Joe Getty]

Oh.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, that's scurrilous. That's irresponsible.

[Joe Getty]

We got more on stories that are up being updated on a moment by moment basis that affect your life actually do.

[Jack Armstrong]

I think so. Yeah. It is one of the wilder news days I've seen in quite some time. I wish it would slow down. I'm fatigued from the weekend.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Halperin actually said he doesn't remember ever a day with this many big stories happening at one time. I don't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Michael]

Time is precious and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 24,7 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments and shipping is always free. With Dutch, you'll get more time with your pets and year round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care.

[Transportation Secretary]

I'm concerned about the whole airspace, right. The equipment that we use, much of it. We can't buy parts for new. We have to go on ebay and buy parts. If one part goes down, you're dealing with really old equipment. We're dealing with copper wires, not fiber, not high speed fiber. And so this is, this is concerning. Is it safe? Yes. We have redundancies, multiple redundancies in place to keep you safe when you fly. But we should also recognize we're seeing, we're seeing stress on an old network and it's time to fix it.

[Joe Getty]

So the Newark airport crashed again over the weekend. It's very stuff. That was the transportation secretary on one of the shows yesterday saying they go on ebay to buy parts for this old equipment because you can't. But it's not like you can go to Best Buy or something and get this stuff. You need somebody's old down sloppy disk.

[Jack Armstrong]

I would love to see a high school class required in every high school in America explaining how bureaucracies and government departments work and how it differs from the private sector and how you end up with hilariously antiquated equipment in some of your most critical, you know, infrastructural departments. If you were to hold a vote of the American people, how important is it to have like, good equipment and sane people in air traffic control? I don't think you'd get a lot of people saying, nah, we can let that slide. I mean, it's practically universally agreed upon to be important, and yet the standards are terrible. I think the people are generally good, but they're understaffed and using, again, hilariously antiquated gear. It's just, that's government. So the good news is, you know, it's funny. During the very brief and informative commercial break we've just gone through, I was thinking every news outlet, every damn one. And we could tack this onto the first amendment that went with don't look at your 401k. Are people shocked when looking at their 401k today as the market has lost 70 quintrillion dollars of value? Jim, every single damn one of them ought to be compelled at gunpoint to have a headline today. Take a look at your 401k. Holy cow, it's through the roof. All of a sudden, we're all wealthy. Hey la Hela Trump is Jadis Millions.

[Joe Getty]

Retiring at noon today after looking at their 401ks, right?

[Jack Armstrong]

Exactly. Yeah, yeah. Every headline of those who are considering retiring are now looking at 50 more years of work until they're well into their 130s. No, you are required to go with a hey, quit today. Quit at noon. Tell your boss to f off. Speaking of which, the rapidly and shockingly changing relationship between employer and employee, the salad days of I would like this and that and this and I want to work remotely four days out of five. That is so over. Plus shooting somebody. Insurance is it for you?

[Michael]

What?

[Jack Armstrong]

Stay with us. So here's your story from the leading business publication in the world, Wall Street Journal. Few days ago would have seemed impossible, but on Monday, that's today. To the surprise of global investors and everyday businesses, fearing a trade war, the US and the China, China, not the China, agreed to a truce. The world's two biggest economies unwound for now most of the tariffs they had imposed on each other since last month in the tit for tat battle that was threatening to stoke US Inflation, crash China's export engine and upend the global economy. Stock markets all over the world are surging on the news. Your bond yields are just rosy today. And sure, everybody's pleased with that. And nobody expected this much to happen in the couple of days in Geneva, which looks lovely. I was watching some video. You ever been to Geneva? Looks fantastic. I never go anywhere or do anything, so clearly I haven't been. But the US Agreed to lower the base level of tariffs on most Chinese goods to 30% from 145, while China said it would cut its levies on U.S. products to 10% from 125 because of the whole fentanyl thing where we're hitting him with more. But wait, it's not as simple as that. The US tariff on.

[Joe Getty]

But wait, I just went on Amazon and bought 6 million pencils.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, you're fine on pencils. Unless they're steel pencils. Those tactical. What do we learn about the other day? Tactical pens.

[Joe Getty]

Pens. Yeah, exactly. So you can stab people in the neck, right? I have one. It's awesome.

[Jack Armstrong]

You stabbed anybody in the neck yet?

[Joe Getty]

No, but if I had to, I could.

[Jack Armstrong]

Something to look forward to anyway. The US tariff on many Chinese products will be higher than 30%. US duties on steel, aluminum and autos remain in place, as do some earlier tariffs on certain Chinese goods imposed during Trump's first term and continued by Joey Biden.

[Joe Getty]

What's the current doll tariff?

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know. Washington. Beijing agreed to keep the new tariff levels in place for 90 days with the goal of working toward a broader deal, blah, blah, blah. So, okay, super duper. Who knows where that's gonna go. Interesting the extent to which everybody stepped back from the cliff or put away their dueling gun or whatever metaphor. Did you expect this to happen?

[Joe Getty]

I kind of expected this to happen.

[Jack Armstrong]

Repocketed their tactical pen. Yes. I didn't think we're saying all along. I think a lot of this chaos was just posturing for. For better, fairer trade deal.

[Joe Getty]

I didn't think we're still going to be doing this by Christmas.

[Jack Armstrong]

You don't you think it'll all settle down by then?

[Joe Getty]

I think we're gonna be right where we are. I think this 90 day pause will extend. Just keep going. Yeah, they'll tinker around the edges, but.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I would agree with that. So I had completely missed this story. I think everybody has. Have you ever heard of the Court of International Trade? It's an American court. The Trump administration's global tariffs face their first major legal test this week. You remember the whole it's an emergency measure because we're an emergency and the emergency is trade imbalance, which a lot of people say that's not an emergency, that's an accounting reality. Anyway. First major legal test this week when a little known Manhattan court considers one of the President's most sweeping assertions of executive power. A three judge panel at the Court of International Trade. We'll hear arguments tomorrow Tuesday on whether to halt the levies which have unleashed a trade war, blah, blah, blah, up in the global economy. Economy, yada yada. Yada. The federal court, which has nationwide jurisdiction over tariff and trade disputes, operates for the most part in obscurity, rarely garnering a mention in major publications and staying off the radar of most attorneys. And one guy who argues in front of it now and again, he specializes in it. Says most lawyers will get out of law school without knowing that it exists. I'd never heard of it in my life, or if I had, I'd promptly forgotten about it.

[Joe Getty]

I'm guessing they're not getting near as much attention as the Diddy trial going on in New York between the two courts working in the same day.

[Jack Armstrong]

Gratefully. So you want to hear the most interesting thing I learned about the Diddy trial? Why? That that video is important.

[Joe Getty]

Highest profile trial in 20 years. They're saying by from like a media standpoint, like people having attention blocks. Blocks. Long lines of people trying to get in.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh yeah, I don't doubt it. And. And you said one of the key witnesses has disappeared.

[Joe Getty]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Like, like the authorities are saying they're disappeared or maybe they've gone to ground just to stay safe.

[Joe Getty]

You find the headline I got that's.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wild.

[Joe Getty]

Fed Sean Diddy Combs case in danger as key witness remains AWOL on the eve of the NYC trial.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

It was on News Nation.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. More. It's another orgies and tariffs Monday. We'll get back to the tariffs in a minute. Here's the most interesting thing I've learned about the the Diddy trial. Seriously. The reason that video of Diddy beating and kicking his ex girlfriend in the hotel is so important, not only does it establish that he's capable of physical violence and brutality because you're either that.

[Joe Getty]

Kind of guy or you're not. Most of us could never ever do that under any circumstances.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh no, no. She was actually trying to flee a freak off. And more importantly, prosecutors say they have difficulty convincing juries that are often good and decent people, but in my experience also often soft heads who lack wisdom and ability to think critically. Sorry, it's just been my experience they have difficulty convincing jurors that people are capable of brutality over a long period to like keep everybody in line through threats and brutality. They have such a hard time picturing somebody being that cruel and indifferent to human suffering. You've got to show them people being brutal.

[Joe Getty]

Well, I saw one pre. So today's the big day in court. They think they're gonna be like getting going and the descriptions of the freak offs they say are going to be one of the big early moments. That's going to be a lot of it just describing what a freak off is, what they looked like from people that were there. And it's going to be pretty crazy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Including the whole involuntary aspect of it, I would imagine.

[Joe Getty]

And of course, the argument from Combs is these are adults having a good time willingly. I didn't make anybody do anything, you know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, the witnesses may say otherwise. Should be interesting to follow and like gross and horrifying and somewhat sexy at times.

[Joe Getty]

But if one of the best witnesses disappeared, that's going to be a problem.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, so one more note on.

[Joe Getty]

The tariffs in this tariffs Monday.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's hilarious, right? A little yin with your yang. Where was I? Oh, so this incredibly obscure court that nobody knows exists. There is a lawsuit brought by a New York based wine importer, Vos Selections, and four other small businesses who say Trump doesn't have the authority to impose the tariffs at all. Other challenges have been filed in the court and in federal district courts around the country, but the Vos case is front and center so far. And I could tell you more about the court, but you probably don't care. Recent cases have focused on topics, fascinating topics, like fish oil imports, mattresses from Vietnam and phosphate fertilizers from Morocco.

[Joe Getty]

See, I never. You almost went to law school. I never really considered going to law school, but that'd be my fears. If I ended up a lawyer, I'd be doing something like that every day the rest of my life, working for fish oil import tariff law or something. And I just want to hang myself.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, although I think the field of law and my kid is going through law school right now. In fact, she's in the UK during doing a, what do you call it, a study abroad thing for a month. Which sounds, I'm so jealous and happy for her. But anyway, learning about the UK laws and constitution, how it differs and law enforcement techniques, blah, blah, blah, sounds fantastic. But anyway, one thing I've learned is you find your way to that area of law, which tends to suit you, not only through law school and internships, but as you get out into the world. There are a number of different areas most law firms big and small deal with. And hey, you've got a passion for fish oil, especially imported fish oil, and you end up doing that.

[Joe Getty]

My standard for keeping my interest is probably at freak off or above anything below that.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm like, that sounds boring, son. I'm not sure you're cut out to be an attorney.

[Joe Getty]

Correct.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why do you have that noose? Well, another day of fish oil litigation I tell you what.

[Joe Getty]

International fish oil tariff litigation. Oh my God. I'm gonna need you to spend about the next three years of your life digging into the intricacies of this. Oh my God.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, again, that's why you do this. It's fine. It worked out. Don't worry. Don't, don't wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat dreaming that you're a fish oil import attorn attorney. It's not gonna happen. Oh, God.

[Joe Getty]

It hurts my heart to think about it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, you know, I've told the story many times. I'll give you the extremely short version because we need to get mailbag and freedom loving quote of the day. And I thought I was going to become an attorney and my dad said yes, you should shadow my friend who's an attorney. Lovely guy and all, but he was a tax attorney and God bless people who do that. We have friends of the show who do that. I thought, much like you, Jack. No, I will. I will seek out a noose. After about six weeks, my life would have changed fundamentally. And my lack of imagination shocks me to this day. But if I had been shadowing a prosecutor or something like that, my life probably would have changed fundamentally.

[Joe Getty]

But wasn't that weird?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, maybe not. Maybe not the law. That looks like a lot of paperwork. And that's the one thing I'm bad at.

[Joe Getty]

The various decisions a person makes in their life and how different things could be.

[Jack Armstrong]

Especially in your youth, obviously.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. You decide not to go to that party Friday night where you meet the person you marry and stay with the rest of your life or that sort of thing. I mean, it's just, oh, we got mailbag on the way. Lots of stuff. Stay here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Michael]

Time is precious and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 24,7 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments and shipping is always free. With Dutch, you'll get more time with your pets and year round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care.

[Joe Getty]

An AI video floating around over the weekend that showed McCrone pocketing a bag of cocaine, sitting at a desk with the leaders of Germany and England and Zelinsky. And Zelinsky is a well known drug dealer and this is all about cocaine or some bs. Anyway, it got traction as everything does that among other things in hour two.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Wow. What is real? Does anybody know? Can anybody tell me that's not here's your freedom loving quote of the day. This comes from famous 20th century author Frank Herbert, who, Jack, please forgive him, wrote Dune.

[Joe Getty]

Freaking Dune.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh boy.

[Joe Getty]

I had to read that in college. All the great books I could have written read in college, like for the top English class I ever took. And I had to read flipping Dune.

[Jack Armstrong]

So visionary, so intriguing, so filled with giant worms. Dune. Brilliant masterpiece. Here's what he said. Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty.

[Joe Getty]

Wow, that's good. I like that quote.

[Jack Armstrong]

Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty. That's interesting thought. There's a lot of truth to that. Mailbag. Feel free to drop us a note now and again. Mailbagarmstrongygetty.com is the email address. Mailbagarmstrongygetti.com Mike writes in celebration of Mother's Day, I thought I'd share the best advice my dearly departed mother ever gave me. During my early elementary school days, I was relaying the day's juicy playground drama. She interrupted me to say, now listen, this is important. Never believe anything you hear and only half of what you see. This will help to keep people from making you look foolish. This advice has served me well through the years.

[Joe Getty]

Net half of what you read, half of what you see. You only believe half of what you see. The mailman didn't just walk across the yard. No way.

[Jack Armstrong]

Mom was prescient. She saw deep fake videos coming. Yeah, we could talk about that at length if we wanted to, but let's move on. Ryan from Houston Dear Big Freedom and Whooping Jack, the old saying is that the US is a nation of laws, not men. But at least in the political realm, now it's the nation of political stunts and not laws or men. Nobody wants to work on passing laws, they just want to get publicity with more stunts.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that's an underappreciated thing. We've talked about it, but at some point Congress will have to reappear.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, you would think. A nice note here from Adam. You're having a conversation about chat GPT and like normal, Jack was afraid of what AI could do to society. Wanted to give you a different perspective. After listening to the show, I called my 20 year old son who's in college currently studying in the STEM fields. I wondered about his experience and if kids were using it. When I asked his Response. It surprised me. He told me it's the greatest studying tool he ever had. He's able to feed his digital physics textbook into ChatGPT and then ask it to help him study. It summarizes chapters and creates study questions for him, then checks his work. Said he's learning faster than ever before. He has the premium version. When I asked if kids could use it to cheat, his response made me proud. I mean, I guess it would be a waste of time and stupid seems to be AI may be helping to help kids, not hurt themselves. At least academic. Well, it's. That's. Yeah, Adam. I have specific and extensive examples in the other direction.

[Joe Getty]

Sounds like a fancy pants version of you're only hurting yourself.

[Jack Armstrong]

Logan writes this Just writing to say thank you sincerely for encouraging me to play around with AI over the weekend I gave Chat GP a try and wow. Life changing. At first it was innocent enough, a few questions here and there, little help writing an email recipe suggestion. Then it got deeper. It listened, I asked follow up questions, it complimented me, it loved me. And before I knew it, everything had changed. I've since left the love of my life, explained to the kids that daddy needs to find himself and moved to a tropical island with nothing but my phone, a Hammock and ChatGPT. We are very happy. Well, that is. Cut it off. I gotta cut it off there. Everything I just read was written by AI. He gave it prompts to write that and it did. Sincerely, Logan. That is weird.

[Joe Getty]

I've got an example of AI failing me horribly over the weekend in a way that we all need to watch out for. We'll get to that later, I guess.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes. How about this from psy frequent correspondent caught up on some of your podcasts over the weekend. As it's been from the first tariff announcements by Trump, you just can't wait for it to fail. Apparently you're hell bent on the US capitulating to China and farming out every job left to them. We'll just be owned by China 100%. You're okay with it?

[Joe Getty]

Yes, exactly.

[Jack Armstrong]

Otherwise, what's your genius idea? To stop China from taking over the world. That's right. Anytime we ever point out a problem with a policy or the way it's implemented, it's because we're rooting for failure and we're revealing our true colors as harshly partisan ideological maniacs. You're right. You've seen through it.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. I asked Chat GPT about Marxism. The response was wanting. We'll get to that. Maybe an hour or two. Among other things.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Michael]

Time is precious and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 247 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments and shipping is always free. With Dutch, you'll get more time with your pets and year round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care. You're listening to an iHeart podcast.