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This is an iHeart podcast.
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Guaranteed human 10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points.
You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for $250,000.
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This is where mindset comes in.
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Someone will be eliminated. Pressure is coming down. This is Trainer.
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Watch it on prime video starting January 8th.
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Shh.
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You won't believe what my new friend.
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Just told me about dinosaurs. Is your child having conversations you never imagined? Are they learning without realizing it? It's not a tablet. It's not a toy. It's Meco Mini plus, the AI powered companion that turns curiosity into endless learning. Hear the future of playtime. Meet the extraordinary Meco Mini Plus. Only at cost.
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Go Bring incredible sound into every corner of your home this holiday with the new Whimsound smart speaker. Get high resolution Audio with a 1.8-inch touchscreen, smart control and modern design in one powerful speaker for just 299. From Quiet Mornings to lively holiday gatherings, Whim Sound makes every moment sound better and feel better too. Get the gift of the season for the music enthusiast in your life or for yourself. Whim Sound beautifully designed, effortlessly connected. Shop now at Amazon and search Whimsound. That's W I I M S O.
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U n d this holiday season, give the gift of incredible sound with Vizio's full Soundbar lineup available at Walmart. Transform any living room into a home theater with rich, immersive audio that brings every movie, show and song to life. Whether you're gifting a loved one or upgrading your own setup, Vizio Soundbars deliver powerful, crystal clear sound that turns ordinary watching into extraordinary experiences. Stream your favorite holiday Playlist with the iHeartRadio app and discover how good your music can truly sound. Head to Walmart.com and find your perfect Vizio soundbar today.
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Come for the Black Friday seasonal savings. Stay for the award winning reporting For a limited time access to the Washington Post is just 99 cents. That's unlimited access to all of the posts for only 99 cents every four weeks. That's a great deal for the first year. After that it'll cost $12 every four weeks. You can cancel anytime, but don't wait. This Black Friday seasonal offer won't be here for long. Go to washingtonpost.com iheart and grab this deal before it's gone. That's washingtonpost.com iheart.
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Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George.
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Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty, Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty.
D
The Postal Service, FedEx and UPS just announced their holiday shipping deadlines. Yep. The FedEx and UPS deadline is December 23rd and the Postal Service deadline is last Easter.
Yeah. The last date to ship the gift is December 23rd. Then Scratch House are like after that all you's got is us. That's all you got.
I think it's interesting.
C
Scratch offs as Christmas presents, holiday classic.
D
My mom always gets those for us every single year. For whatever reason, it's been a tradition in our household. Only one time a year I have a lottery ticket is in the stocking, hung with care. Interesting that people laugh there. It's just a given. A given that we think the taxpayer funded government run package delivery is worse than the private company. We're just all in agreement with that. Enough that we can make a joke like that.
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Oh, it's a truism, right? Yeah. I've been asked to read this to you and so I will. I am nothing if not obedient. Our Christmas shipping deadline has passed. Oh no. We. We get it. Some of your procrastinators will do you a favor. Free shipping for anyone who wants to roll the dice. Because it's not like you won't get your fabulous ang swag in time for Christmas. It's just a little bit uncertain at this point. So you go to Armstrong and getty.com, get your ruin the entire country tea. That's your Gavin 2028 T shirt. One of our fine hoodies, the KFTC apron, maybe the Air Force blue wing pint glasses. Order your Ang logo gifts today. Armstrong and getty.com.
D
We were talking about genetic tendencies earlier. I wish procrastination would be looked at at the highest level. They need to do a moonshot on procrastination and figure that out. And figure out how to use crisper technology to gene edit that out of people. Because it's horrible. I've got it and one of my kids has it. One of them has it and one of them doesn't. And it's just.
C
I don't. Never mind eye color. How about procrastination?
D
Yeah, no kidding. No kidding. I don't care how tall they are. I want to give them the gift of not being a procrastinator.
C
Speaking of passing on your genes to your children. Your headline of the day. And maybe we'll take a look inside the china cabinet later because I've got a lot of good china stuff, but China adds tax to condoms as it works to boost birth rates. Well, if you want less of something, you tax it. If you want more of something, you subsidize it. That's why we tax employment and subsidize drug addicts in America. Ugh. Moving along.
D
They're taxing condoms.
C
Yeah.
D
To try to get people to use them less.
C
Yeah. That's interesting.
D
Yeah.
C
I mean, the tax would have to be just confiscatory.
D
Right.
C
I mean, I'd rather have and raise.
D
A child than spend that extra 30 cents, so.
C
Right, exactly. It's not like they're. It's the question of, do you want a straw or will you sip your iced tea out of your glass? No, I don't need a straw. No, it's a. It's a condom, for goodness sakes. Anyway, moving along, I thought this was interesting. Who is using what social media in the United States right now? The numbers are in for this last year and they are interesting. And as you might guess, they vary significantly by age group demographics. YouTube and Facebook remain the most widely used online platforms. 84% of US adults say they use YouTube at least occasionally.
D
I use YouTube every day, probably.
C
I. I'm not a big social media guy, really.
D
Why is.
C
You don't call social media? I don't know.
D
I don't use YouTube as social media.
C
It has comments and people post short videos and stuff like that. It's a quasi social media. Anyway, that 71% report using Facebook.
Now.
D
That's 100% social media.
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Half of adults say they use Instagram, making it the only other platform in the survey used by at least 50% of Americans. Significantly smaller shares use the other sites and apps they asked about, such as TikTok, which is not only a communist Chinese spy device and a perverter of the principles of our young. It is used by 37% of American adults. Can you answer 32%?
D
Yes. Can you answer this question, Katie? Because I think it's important. Like, for instance, I like the fact that my kids aren't on social media. As I define it, they're not on Facebook or TikTok or Instagram, but YouTube's listed there. They are. They both use YouTube a lot. In what way is you. Do you use YouTube as social media? Well, you're a millennial. We're. We're. What's beyond boomers. We're the silent generation. Joe and I were born in the 20s.
C
I would think it's social media silent in the least. What I'm talking now. Yes. I would think it's social media because.
E
You can record content and put it out there for people to comment on.
C
And they've kind of gone the way.
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Of Instagram and Tick Tock with those shorts.
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Yeah. I don't think either of my kids or me use it that way now.
C
Now when you say your kids are not on Tick Tock, how do you know that?
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Well, they don't have the apps.
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You don't need the app.
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How do you use Tick Tock without the app?
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Just the website. It works better with the app, I'm told, whatever that means. The Chinese burrow their way deeper into your soul.
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But every time I've tried to use a Tick Tock without the app on my phone, it wouldn't let me.
C
So that's interesting.
D
Anyway, they tell me they're not.
C
Have you, have you rebooted?
Let's see, moving along. Where were we? Okay, so WhatsApp rebooted. WhatsApp is 32%. I, I wouldn't know WhatsApp if some. I just, I don't know it.
D
I would. Somebody, I don't even remember what it was like a month ago or somebody only wanted to communicate through WhatsApp instead of texting. Oh, it's so much better. It's. It's a phone number without an actual phone number and it's, it's very easy. But I didn't understand the advantage of it over texting. I guess it's encrypted or something and that helps. I don't need my message.
C
Terrorists communicate.
D
I don't need my messages encrypted. But if you do, I guess it's good for you.
C
About a third of Americans use WhatsApp. I was surprised. Somewhat fewer say the same of as Reddit. 26%, Snapchat, 25% X is 21%, Threads, 8%. Blue sky is 4%. Man, do you hear about that? You know, it's proof of what the media is that you hear references to Blue sky as often as you do. If you're into the news, it's 4% of Americans. Truth Social is 3%.
D
By the way, a couple of my oldest son's friends.
Children of college educated, well to do.
Active parents, good families. They have the TikTok app and watch TikTok videos. They go to sleep watching Tik Tok. That's how they fall asleep.
C
Oh boy. What are we doing to our children? What is Mark Zuckerberg doing and the Chinese doing to our children? As you might have guessed already there are huge age gaps in the use of a lot of platforms. Adults under 30. Let's see. Well, for instance, Instagram, 18 to 29 year olds. Because this is just adults we're talking about here.
80% of those young people are on Instagram. 95% YouTube. Again, is that really 63% of the young folks are on TikTok? Almost two thirds. And if you look at any poll of where do you get your news? TikTok is number one for young people. Chinese communist controlled propaganda sites. Seriously, we're so fat and stupid as a republic, we deserve to go away.
D
You kind of gotta broaden your idea of news though, don't you? Also.
I don't know how much news young people are seeking out at all. What's this Pete Hegset story about the second tap on the boat? I don't know how many people are interested in that at all.
C
Yeah, some of it's, it's kind of newsy, but I don't, I don't spend.
D
A lot of time on a lot of news. When I was 20, like any really.
C
Yeah, let's see that. And they break it down in all sorts of interesting ways. Men, women, race, age, household income, urban, rural.
Lean Republican or Democrat.
Only 1% of Democrats are on Truth Social, for instance.
D
Have you mentioned Twitter?
C
Yeah, just that 21% of people are on Twitter ever. So it's, it's like in what is that so for that's like eighth place.
D
Yeah. And then I know the numbers within Twitter are of that 21% on there, only like 1% post and dominate the whole conversation.
C
The women's stand out in their use of several platforms, which we'll talk about afterward from our friends at Prize picks. The easiest and most fun way to get into fantasy sports used by millions and millions of folks. Number one fantasy sports app is prize picks. You just pick more or less on at least two player stat projections and, and you go from there. And you can combine two different sports, you can use the same player, two different stats. It's big fun.
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D
This, this is not a breaking revelation.
C
But.
D
Like, like, Katie, you're a millennial. Did, did, did the evening newscast have any relevance for you growing up? No. None for you.
C
Wow.
D
And like, in my household, my dad usually somebody flipped on the evening news and news was on.
E
Yeah.
C
Oh, okay. I just meant for me. I mean, I, I would always see.
D
My dad watching it. Yeah. And then I did during the evening. I'm old, but like, for my kids, it means zero. I mean, they don't even know that there's such thing as an evening newscast or a morning newscaster newscast at all.
C
Could you name your parents favorite weatherman or woman.
Watching the evening news? Because I remember that was part of my childhood. I knew their names. Now.
D
Liars. Well, it was the only way to get weather for one.
C
Right? Yeah, it's a good point. So getting back to the who's using what social media women stat stand out in their use of several platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. For instance, more than half of women report using Instagram, 55% compared to 44% of men. Alternately, men are more likely to report using platforms such as X or Reddit. Let's see, white adults are less likely than black and Hispanic adults and sometimes Asian adults to use online platforms like Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp. For instance, 45% of white adults report using Instagram compared with larger shares among Hispanics. It's 62%. That's a 17 point spread. Maybe it's just because Hispanics, blacks and adults is a little less.
D
Yeah, maybe it's just because I'm old, but I don't understand how a conversation is including WhatsApp and YouTube. They're like as many people are using cars or buying pumpkins this year is the way it sounds to me. I don't even know how they fall into the same category.
C
Yeah, if it was an analysis of where to put ad dollars, maybe I get it, but yeah, they're very different vehicles. You're absolutely right.
Let's see, Democrats, Democratic leaning Independents more likely to report using WhatsApp, Reddit, TikTok, Blue sky and Threads. Republicans more likely to say they use X and Truth Social, obviously.
D
Aren't we going to be on YouTube soon? Is that ever going to happen?
C
We've been talking and everybody uses social media way, way too much. Way too much. But we don't have time to talk about that. Yes, we will be on YouTube soon. Like in the new year, Something like that. Yeah, or shortly thereafter.
D
And then you'll be able to watch this show on YouTube or watch it later on YouTube. I don't even know what's happening. Somebody should tell me.
C
Carefully selected highlights.
The plans, Jack, are in flux.
D
Perfected.
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Just customized for your modern viewing experience.
D
Well, I have to comb my hair. I probably should.
C
You have no hair.
D
Well, will everybody be able to see Everybody like Michael and Katie?
C
Yeah, I think so.
D
The other dozen people working on this show that don't get mentioned Gladys. As if people will finally see Gladys.
C
We gotta have like a cartoon Gladys or something. She's very shy.
D
She is.
C
Ever since the Kaiser dumped her. Yeah.
D
Hope to. Hope to be on YouTube in the new year. Were they clinging to the boat or not Clinging to the boat? We'll get to that at some point. Among other things. Stay here.
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Armstrong and Getty. This episode is brought to you by Prize Picks.
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It's the holiday season and the best.
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Download the Prize Picks app today and use the Code Armstrong to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. That's the code ARMSTRONG to get $50 in lineups AFTER you play your first $5 lineup. Prize picks. It's good to be right.
B
10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points.
You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave you with an IFIT contract worth $250,000.
C
This is where mindset comes in.
B
Someone will be eliminated. Pressure is coming down. This is Trainer Games.
C
Watch it on prime video starting January 8th.
E
Shh.
C
You won't believe what my new friend.
B
Just told me about dinosaurs. Is your child having conversations you never imagined? Are they learning without realizing it? It's not a tablet. It's not a toy. It's Meco Min plus, the AI powered companion that turns curiosity into endless learning. Hear the future of playtime. Meet the extraordinary Meco Mini plus only at Costco.
E
Bring incredible sound into every corner of your home this holiday with the new Whimsound Smart speaker. Get high resolution audio with a 1.8-inch touchscreen, smart control and modern design in one powerful speaker for just $2.99. From quiet mornings to lively holiday gatherings, WinSound makes every moment sound better and fun. Feel better too. Get the gift of the season for the music enthusiast in your life or for yourself? Whim sound Beautifully designed, effortlessly connected. Shop now at Amazon and search Whimsound. That's W I I M S O.
A
U n d this holiday season, give the gift of incredible sound with Vizio's full Soundbar lineup available at Walmart. Transform any living room into a home theater with rich, immersive audio that brings every movie, show and song to life. Whether you're gifting a loved one or upgrading your own setup, Vizio soundbars deliver powerful, crystal clear sound that turns ordinary watching into extraordinary experiences. Stream your favorite holiday Playlist with the iHeartRadio app and discover how good your music can truly sound. Head to Walmart.com and find your perfect Vizio soundbar today.
D
The doctor who sold ketamine to Friends star Matthew Perry leading up to his.
C
Overdose death was face to face with the actor's family as they described their heartache. Dr. Salvador Placencia, sentenced to 30 months.
D
In prison for selling dozens of vials.
C
Of ketamine to Perry in exchange for.
D
Tens of thousands of dollars. Yeah, you're a bad doctor and you deserve whatever penalties.
Are due for being a doctor that gives drugs to people just so they can get high. But I just thought the whole idea of his mom and dad were there and crying and really verbally, you know, laying into this doctor and your poor son spent half his life in rehabs and like $9 million by his own Accounting on drugs. He was hell bent on being a drug addict. Somebody was gonna. He was gonna find someone to buy it from that doctor. Both did and didn't have a role in killing him. Right.
C
Yeah, I would agree. I would agree. Come on, Doc, you gotta have a scam. Just, you know, invent some sort of fake supplement and sell it on Fox News.
D
If you. I mean, this guy is really something. If you don't remember it. He's the guy that they. They found the text of this doctor saying, how much you suppose this of dollars is more unwilling to spend to get these drugs.
C
Yeah.
D
They knew they had a rich drug addict and were taking advantage of it. Like apparently lots of people doctors in.
C
LA will do for the rich and powerful predators.
D
Ain't cool now. So I had an interesting experience last night.
Decided to hit a McDonald's up for a McFlurry, which I still contend is a dessert that could be served at nice restaurants and you could charge a lot more and people would think, oh, have you had the. Whatever, give it a French name. McFlurry is a good dessert. Why'd you roll your eyes, Katie? McFlurries are good.
E
Your diet just amazes me. Anyway, continue.
D
I wonder why I'm sick all the time. Anyway.
Walk into the McDonald's and this is the first time across the line. Now, I don't know if this has happened in anywhere else in the country other than California. California do does have the unique situation that we passed a law that fast food places have to pay people $20 an hour.
C
And they laid off many thousands of people. Good job, Gavin.
D
More than 10,000 people lost their jobs in the fast food industry because they raised the wages and they found ways to get around it. At this particular McDonald's, they had been like trying to push you toward the kiosk for a long time now, but they still had the menu. And you could walk up and order if you wanted to. No more. No human being, no register. And up where they usually had the menu, where you walk into the McDonald's, the biggest screen up there, it just said, we've gone all digital to better serve you. This is not better serving me to better serve you. View our full menu on our app or at the kiosk. So I can either go on my phone and make the order and it will pop out the window at some point, or I can go over to their kiosk and do it, but there ain't no human being and there's not even a menu there anymore. So.
C
Oh, Gavin managed to outlaw teenagers and young people and oldsters and. And moms for making a little bucks, make a little money around the, the edges. You've outlawed it. Way to go.
E
They really are pushing the apps really hard.
D
Oh yeah, yeah, I know. You pull up. Are you buying on the app today? No, I'm not. Just give me my freaking food. But that's, that's where they're headed. And they, they're trying to get everybody used to it, I guess because they can eliminate human beings, which was probably inevitable anyway. But it certainly helped it along when you made it mandatory $20 an hour to to do the math on. Well, is it worth investing in this equipment now? I guess so.
C
Well, you're right. Although it's a great example of you've just not let the free market be free. If wages were driven down, there'd be certain numbers of people who thought, no, that's fine. I will still give you an hour of labor for that rate. It's worth it to me. Whatever. And just you've eliminated that. Price fixing is always bad for labor as well as goods. It's terrible.
Armstrong and Gettysburg.
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Then the space hamster flew his hot.
C
Air balloon all the way to the.
A
Bottom of the ocean.
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Bring incredible sound into every corner of your home this holiday with the new Whimsound smart speaker. Get high resolution Audio with a 1.8-inch touchscreen, smart control and modern design in one powerful speaker for just $299. From Quiet Mornings to lively holiday gatherings, Winsound makes every moment sound better and faster. Feel better too. Get the gift of the season for the music enthusiast in your life or for yourself. Whim sound Beautifully designed, effortlessly connected. Shop now at Amazon and search Whimsound that's wiimsound this holiday season give the gift.
A
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B
Today come for the Black Friday seasonal savings. Stay for the award winning reporting for a limited time access to the Washington Post is just 99 cents. That's unlimited access to all of the posts for only 99 cents every four weeks. That's a great deal for the first year. After that it'll cost $12 every four weeks. You can cancel anytime. But don't wait. This Black Friday seasonal offer won't be here for long. Go to washingtonpost.com iheart and grab this deal before it's gone. That's washingtonpost.com iheart Will you release video of that strike so that the American people can see for themselves what happened?
D
I don't know what they have, but whatever they have, we'd certainly release no problem.
C
Secretary Hicks has said he had no knowledge of this and it did not happen.
D
It was fake news, it didn't happen.
C
And then the next day from the podium the White House are saying it did happen. So either he was lying to us.
D
On Sunday or he's incompetent and didn't know it had happened.
C
I think it was wrong on all.
D
Fronts, but I don't like the Secretary of Defense blaming on on a military commander. These commands came from him and I.
C
Think the buck stops with him.
D
So our first voice was obviously Donald Trump. He was asked yesterday if you'll release, you know, the video of the second strike. And he said, I don't know if we have it, but if we have it, I'm all for releasing it. So it's going to come out. And then you heard Rand Paul who is, if you don't know his act, he is a Republican who is against most military things we do, certainly if Congress doesn't give it approval as a war and all that sort of stuff. So he's going to be against this act no matter what. But he is pointing out something that a lot of people have Pointed out, National Review today has a piece on the. The headline is something like the changing story about the second strike, because you can lay out things Marco Rubio said. Pete Hegseth said.
That they changed a lot over the last week or so. I don't know what happened then. You did know what happened, but you weren't there for the second part. Or I'm a busy man. Or they're just the stories they've changed over the days, which isn't a good look, really, by the way. I got no, I got no skin in this game whatsoever. It makes no difference to me whatsoever if Pete Hegseth serves out the entire four years or is driven out of office today. I would, I would prefer he serves all four years because that probably means he's doing a good job. And if he's driven out of office, that probably means he was doing a bad job. And that's not good for any of us. But in terms of him coming or going, I'm not. I got no interest in this other than trying to figure out what actually happened. But there's no doubt. I mean, you cannot deny that his story has changed in a way that doesn't look good of what knowledge he had of this thing at various times. I would agree. George Will, in his piece today, or yesterday, rather, in the Washington Post, was laying out. Well, let's, let's hear this first. This is ABC from last night. Martha Raddatz on the story with the latest information we just got. I don't understand why we didn't have this a week or a month earlier.
C
New information.
D
According to a source familiar with the.
C
Incident, the two survivors climbed back onto the boat after the initial strike.
D
They were believed to be potentially in.
C
Communication with others and salvaging some of the drugs. Because of that, it was determined they were still in the fight and valid targets. A JAG officer was also giving legal advice.
D
Yes. A lawyer watching this unfold. Who's. That's what a JAG officer is. It's a lawyer for the military who, who, who lets commanders know whether they're within the law or not. Was looking at the situation at the time determined. These people are still actively participating in this activity and you're okay to strike them. Why did we just find this out yesterday? Right, right.
C
That's absurd.
D
If.
C
You would think that that information is so important to the question. I'm just trying to assess. Is that classified? No, surely not. Is that a leak? No. That should just be an official statement.
D
Well, I would just think politically, you know, Whether maybe it's below Trump's level, at Pete's level, at somebody's level. You get this out immediately what's going on here. Because of that. Yesterday, Representative Mike Rogers, who I generally like, he's a Republican from Alabama, he's the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, condemned the secrecy, saying Congress had gotten more information from the Pentagon during the Biden administration than they have out of the Trump administration. That's a pretty damning comment from the chair of that committee, the Republican chair.
C
Yeah. Pete's attempts to control the flow of information out of the Pentagon, particularly he would tell you classified stuff, has probably gone too far or just not been implemented. Well, Mike Rogers, who is a serious.
D
Man, saying he is and also the current Senate Majority leader, John Thune, you know, he took over from the old turtle dude, has declined to say twice whether he has confidence in Hegdest, saying others can make those evaluations when he's asked twice this week whether he still has confidence in the Secretary of War. So, yeah, he left his, his options open there.
C
It's out. By the way, now that, which was semi obvious that the fella who is in charge of.
The operations in that part, is that Southern Command. What is the, I can never remember the, the acronyms and stuff, but the admiral who was in charge who announced that he was going to retire a year into his three year terms, indeed he and Hegseth had clashed particularly over the legality and appropriateness of targeting the drug boats.
D
Yeah. Not the, the second strike issue, just the overall issue of are we at war with these people? So we have the legal ability to do this.
C
Yeah. The whole. Which umbrella is this under? War terrorism, narco terrorism or just drug dealing? And how do you define all those things? And then what powers does the military. Well, the president, commander in chief have at his disposal to deal with it. It's really, and you know, a lot of people, including some of you people listening right now, I'm sure are, I don't want to put this in a, in a negative light. We're so used to everything being looked at through the lenses of pro Trump or anti Trump. Right. Or even pro Pete or anti Pete. And I love a lot of things Pete Hegseth is doing. Absolutely love them, but not all of them.
The question of whether this is an appropriate use for military force is a really interesting one. And folks like Andy McCarthy, who was practically standing on the ramparts, you know, bloody down to his last bullet defending Trump during all of the lawfare, warrior for justice in that case, he's saying, no, this is a stretch, this is an abuse of the use of the military, it's a criminal matter. And, and we're setting a really, really dangerous precedent with this. I happen to think he's got a really good point. So, you know, before we even get to the whole double tap thing, which I suspect pretty strongly is really overblown, it's become very partisan and suspect.
D
Yeah.
C
There are underlying questions.
D
Well, at this point it definitely looks overblown, but they brought this on themselves. The headline from National Review, the Trump team's convoluted conflicting accounts of the drug bolt seeking. And they go through various statements that were made that just don't fit together. Why'd you do that? You didn't need to do that. Yeah. If the guys were crawling across the boat radio and another drug boat, hey, we got some of the drugs, come pick them up. And it's still an active part of it. This is all under the assumption that we're at war with these people. Then the lawyer's sitting right there and makes the judgment. Well, it's a completely different story than the way it was portrayed a week ago.
C
Yeah. I think part of this is just because the Trump administration in most cases has this amazing transparentness slash availability to the media. Trump asked answers 27 questions a day, which is amazing given the recent history.
The problem though is there's a lot of going off half cocked. There's a lot of, well, I don't know. But yeah, this, and, and you know, I think that's probably gone too far. You don't want the sort of utterly dishonest, calculated messaging of the Biden administration, which was a nightmare, First Amendment wise and responsiveness of the government. And oh, by the way, he was completely senile and poop in his drawers and utterly incapable of being the commander in chief. But this is probably too far because it's haphazard and it, and it could be, I don't know that it is. It could be. This whole double tap thing is 100% justifiable. It is by the book. It is. There's just no questioning it. But you create the appearance of floundering or dishonesty when, as you described, you got conflicting kind of, you know, half assed stories coming from different folks at different times. It's not good.
D
I haven't thought about hearings in general because they're having a hearing about this today. Hearings and scandals in general. I want to get to. But first we need to tell you about this special deal they got From Tomahawk Stakes we're talking about right here. Omaha steaks.com man, that's a website. And right now, during their Sizzle all the Way sale, you can get 50% off site wide at Omaha steaks.com plus our listeners get an extra 35 bucks off with the promo code. Armstrong at checkout.
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D
So let's listen to a podcast yesterday with this woman, Megan McCardell. She writes for the Washington Post. Maybe you've seen her there. She's with the Dispatch now. Also, she is a, I don't think she calls herself a conservative, but she's a libertarian slash conservative sort of thinker writer. Anyway, she was talking about how not the scandal, like this boat thing, but any of your financial scandals. It started with, like, what Trump's doing with his family around Bitcoin and all that sort of stuff and how you just can't get any traction with these things and, and how, you know, the Hunter Biden burisma thing stunk as bad as anything could stink and obviously so. But you just couldn't make it stick. The Clinton Foundation. Good God, what was that? It was so obvious what that was. And it just doesn't get any ease. Can't get anything going here. And she was making the point and she's like, close to our age. If you're, if you're a Gen X person, you grew up with Watergate and all these hearings that mattered and got to the bottom of something. And for our generation, we kind of feel like, and that's what happens and that's what should happen. But that was just a tin blip in our history, the history of the country is all kinds of scandals happen all the time and almost nobody ever pays a price for them. That is way more true than those of us who have in our mind as little kids watching the Watergate hearings and thinking, yep, people get their feet held to the fire when they go too far. Because that almost never happens. And you've got all kinds of examples through history. For whatever reason, as a population, we just, you know, super partisans will care, but you don't get enough of the, the bulk of the electorate to care about any of these things to really dig into them, which is horrible.
C
What's the takeaway? What's the takeaway? I think the takeaway is everybody needs. What's that?
D
Humans can't govern themselves. That's my takeaway.
C
Well, that's. Yeah, that's the bottom line. But I think the takeaway is government is and always has been a cesspool of corruption. That's what it is.
D
That's.
C
It's like, you know, it's like being surprised a dog has fur. It's just, that's what government always is. But people have been hoodwinked into this idea that, no, it's mostly good and noble, occasionally around the edges, there are small problems. That's just not true. It's like I was thinking about the Somali thing with the billions of dollars and my God, when you look at the spigot of cash during COVID and so many people, hundreds of billions of dollars stolen, just obscene amounts, certainly tens.
D
Of billions.
C
Saying we should have the government or the government ought to, ought to be seen that phrase in the same way as, you know, if your 12 year old says, first give me the car keys. And just immediately you ought to think.
D
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
C
I don't need to hear what comes next.
D
Right.
C
We've got to be extremely cautious here. But we're the opposite. We've been sold on this idea that the government's going to solve all of our freaking problems. And it makes me crazy.
D
Their take, and then I'll end with this is. Was basically, I guess you'd call it cynicism, was just a. Yeah, that's, that's the way it is. There's nothing you can do about it. You know, you find out Hillary Clinton, you know, turns out to be the greatest cattle trader in history. First time she ever traded, she made a hundred thousand dollars. First day she ever tried. Nothing illegal there. And people just think, yeah, that's the way it works for the rich and powerful and just kind of roll their eyes and you just can't get these things to stick ever.
C
Yeah, it's an interesting observation. It's troubling and depressing.
D
Any thoughts on that text line 415295.
B
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Come for the Black Friday seasonal savings. Stay for the award winning reporting for a limited time access to the Washington Post is just 99 cents. That's unlimited access to all of the posts for only 99 cents every four weeks. That's a great deal for the first year. After that it'll cost $12 every four weeks. You can cancel anytime, but don't wait. This Black Friday seasonal offer won't be here for long. Go to washingtonpost.com iheart and grab this deal before it's gone. That's washingtonpost.com iheart Music streaming giant Spotify dropping its year end listening roundups. A customized report for each user of top artists, albums and songs globally. Bad Bunny was crowned the most played artist with a staggering 19.8 billion streams. The Latin artist now dethroning pop sensation Taylor Swift. Though this showgirl is still number one in the US and in one of the app's buzziest new features this year you can find your Spotify estimated listening age calculated by comparing your musical taste to others in your age group, looking at the release years of the tracks you listen to.
D
Most interesting. Yeah, my son does that where he checks out like he'll, he'll know various music artists and he'll, he'll find out I'm in the top tenth of a percent of that guy's audience of people who listen to him or something. 19 some billion streams. And how much money did he get out of that? Not as much as you should.
C
Certain substandard rabbit entertaining us at the super bowl this year. Correct.
D
Wow.
C
This season.
D
That's absolutely amazing. There's a. An opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal today written by Gene Simmons, the bass player from the rock group Kiss. Gene Simmons of Kiss, with an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal today about how artists aren't getting paid what they're due because of streaming and the way radio works and everything like that. It's certainly true. I don't know if there's any fixing it.
C
No, I don't, I don't know how they would. I've been following that story for years and years. Coming up next hour. By the way, has the British Civil war already begun? It has, according to a respected historian. Not a fake Tucker Carlson Jew hating historian, a real historian. And it is.
Both really interesting and really troubling. So stay with us for that.
D
Is Oliver Cromwell involved or.
C
No, he is not.
Can't be substantiated, man.
D
If a Guy has got 19.8 billion downloads, he should be a billionaire. And I don't think he is.
C
Yeah, from that alone. Yeah. Not just doing shows and stuff like that. Yeah, yeah, those, those numbers are, are mind boggling. I really ought to, I don't know, subject myself to some of his over.
Just out of curiosity.
D
Yeah, my, my, most of the stuff my son listens to I can't stand. But he had some new chick that he was into that we were playing yesterday as we were running errands that I liked and it was, it was just fantastic. It was him. Some music that he listened to that I could enjoy also.
C
Oh good Good. I had Courtney Barnett pop up again. Now, she's been a thing for a long time now, but I remember your initial description of her as the, really the number one lead artist in the deadpan lesbian genre. And that is, that is the perfect description.
So this has nothing to do with music? Did you have more on Spotify or anything like that? Okay, so follow up to last segment's discussion about, you know, just the government is fraud, it is corruption, it is waste of money and always will be. This is a Great piece from Reason.com Auditors submitted 24 fake applications for subsidized health insurance. Only one was denied. A new GAO report suggests the Affordable Care Act. You know.
You really shouldn't even use that phrase without pausing to note the fact that the Affordable Care act made health care a hell of a lot less affordable. Anyway, the Affordable Care Act's health insurance exchanges are rife with fraud. This is the government itself.
Let's see. So they were 23 out of 24 getting the applications accepted. Stunning. JGao report published Wednesday warns that there could be massive fraud in the health insurance exchanges due to lax anti fraud protections, Even after a 2018 study called for a more robust program to detect and block fraud fraudulent applications. So they already had a study and they already had, you know, the word went out, oh, my God, we need to do a better job. But it's government.
D
It doesn't matter.
C
They don't care.
D
I know somebody's in laws who are really good at working the system. They, they, they like, they spend time on knowing every government program that's out there and that they could possibly qualify. And it's not in their case, they're not fraudsters, but it's certainly fraud adjacent. It's, it's, it's stretching the spirit of the laws, if not the letter. And they get all kinds of government money from coming up with various things that they can qualify for with elder care or sick kids or this or that or whatever. Wow. There's lots of programs out there that if you're willing to, you know, be a little loose with your facts, you could easily, easily qualify for.
C
So the auditors created four fictional applications last year that used fake Social Security numbers and income claims that lacked any verification. All four were approved. In one case, the GAO noted that the federal marketplace said, quote, it confirmed the applicant's estimated income based on documentation we submitted. However, we did not submit any documentation to confirm the income.
D
Wow.
C
Next hour. The British Civil War. If you can't get next hour, grab it by Podcast Armstrong and Getty on.
B
Demand Armstrong and Getty.
C
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Guaranteed human.
Date: December 4, 2025
Podcast: Armstrong & Getty On Demand, iHeartPodcasts
This episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand features Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty tackling a mix of cultural commentary, current news, societal trends, and humor, with their trademark banter and skeptical eye. The show addresses topics ranging from holiday shipping norms and scratch-off traditions to the shifting landscape of social media usage, recent political controversies, the automation of fast food, government dysfunction, scandals, and the state of music streaming.
Timestamps: 03:00 – 04:39
Timestamps: 04:39 – 05:11
Timestamps: 05:11 – 16:43
Timestamps: 15:35 – 16:43
Timestamps: 19:46 – 21:14
Timestamps: 21:20 – 23:51
Timestamps: 26:33 – 39:51
Timestamps: 43:11 – 44:44
Timestamps: 45:40 – 48:01
The episode blends observational humor, skepticism, and cultural criticism. Armstrong and Getty’s dynamic is marked by playful needling, exasperation with bureaucratic systems, and insightful (if jaded) takes on both politics and pop culture. Their guests and additional hosts (notably Katie and E) add generational perspective and occasional dry wit.
This episode captures Armstrong & Getty’s signature voice and biting humor, walking you through the headlines and behind-the-scenes stories while offering a skeptical but accessible analysis of the forces shaping American life. Whether you’re a longtime fan or someone curious about the current zeitgeist in politics, tech, and culture, this episode serves up sharp observations, generational contrasts, and the kind of unfiltered opinions that fuel water cooler conversation.