Will They Be Green With Bolts In Their Neck?!

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand – Episode Summary: "Will They Be Green With Bolts In Their Neck?!"

Release Date: August 13, 2025 | Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts

In this engaging episode of the Armstrong & Getty On Demand podcast, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve deep into pressing geopolitical and domestic issues, offering their unfiltered perspectives with sharp wit and insightful analysis. Titled "Will They Be Green With Bolts In Their Neck?!", the episode navigates through the complexities of U.S.-Russia relations, the evolving dynamics of the Ukraine conflict, and controversial political figures—all while interspersed with their signature humor.

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1. U.S.-Russia Relations and the Ukraine Conflict

The episode opens with a robust discussion on the ongoing tensions between the United States and Russia, particularly focusing on President Trump's negotiation strategies with Vladimir Putin.

Jack Armstrong initiates the conversation by challenging the guest's analysis of Russia’s tactics:

"Based on the description on my sheet of paper. I thought it was just going to be kind of Trump bashing Putin. Smart. Trump's dumb, but Putin has been not saying much about this, whereas Trump's talking every single day." ([01:11])

Unnamed Guest counters by highlighting that Russian strategists might be setting a broader agenda:

"They make Ukraine a part of something much, much bigger and give them what they want on a few other fronts that don't matter nearly as much to us." ([03:11])

The hosts explore the idea that Russia may be using multifaceted negotiation tactics to stall and leverage the situation in Ukraine for greater geopolitical gains. Jack Armstrong expresses skepticism about the potential positive outcomes of upcoming negotiations:

"My feeling that something positive from my perspective comes out of it is pretty low." ([05:31])

The conversation further delves into the challenges of enforcing a ceasefire, with the Unnamed Guest pointing out Vladimir Putin's manipulative nature:

"He would agree that declare a total ceasefire and then when there's some fighting... they grab a couple of square miles of a, you know, Key river crossing or something." ([07:10])

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2. Ukraine's Military Challenges

Transitioning to the situation on the ground in Ukraine, the hosts discuss the internal struggles within the Ukrainian military.

Unnamed Guest sheds light on issues stemming from Ukraine's adoption of Western military structures:

"Ukraine's once nimble army is mired in Soviet decision making." ([11:11])

Jack Armstrong reacts with disbelief:

"Oh, that's horrifying. And whose idea was that?" ([11:11])

The discussion underscores the friction between established Soviet-era military protocols and the newer, more decentralized command structures influenced by Western training. This bureaucratic entanglement is reportedly leading to decreased morale and effectiveness among Ukrainian troops.

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3. Controversial Accusations Against Adam Schiff

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to explosive allegations against Adam Schiff, a prominent Democratic figure. The conversation is intense, reflecting deep-seated partisan divides.

Jack Armstrong expresses vehement distrust toward Schiff:

"I absolutely freaking believe Adam Schiff is guilty of everything he's ever been accused of. I think he's the worst person in government." ([22:10])

The hosts discuss claims from a whistleblower who alleges that Schiff intended to leak classified information to undermine President Trump, equating his actions to treasonous behavior. Chuck Todd provides a succinct summary of the situation:

"The whistleblower was a veteran House Intelligence Committee staffer... Schiff told aides he would, quote, leak classified information which was derogatory to the president in hopes of scoring an indictment for the Commander in Chief." ([23:00])

Unnamed Guest adds fuel to the fire by dismissing Democratic defenses and framing the situation as part of a broader narrative to distract from other scandals:

"Look, this is nonsense. This is an effort to change the subject away from the Epstein files." ([24:16])

The hosts scrutinize the credibility of the whistleblower's claims and the response from the Biden Justice Department, which deemed Schiff’s actions protected under the Constitution's speech or debate clause.

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4. Lighthearted and Absurd Segments

Interspersed with serious discussions, Armstrong and Getty maintain their trademark humor by addressing bizarre and fictional news stories:

• Frankenstein Rabbits: A humorous segment about genetically modified rabbits with "horrifying spikes" invading the U.S., poking fun at sensationalist media headlines.

  "If you see one of these coming at you, you'd think, what the hell is this?" ([16:13])

• Pet Afterlife Ethics: The hosts debate the controversial idea of feeding deceased pets to zoo animals, blending dark humor with societal commentary.

  "If you were to say goodbye to your pet... and then the helpful folks at the vet brought it to the zoo to be eaten by a lion... most people would say, no, thank you." ([19:53])

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5. Future Topics Preview

Towards the end of the episode, Armstrong and Getty tease upcoming discussions on critical issues:

• Mental Health Trends: Examining the rise of AI-driven therapy and the implications for traditional mental health services.

• Genetic Engineering and Designer Babies: Delving into the ethical and societal ramifications of gene editing technologies, with a humorous nod to creating "Frankenbabies."

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Conclusion

In "Will They Be Green With Bolts In Their Neck?!", Armstrong and Getty deliver a dynamic blend of incisive political analysis and irreverent humor. From dissecting high-stakes international negotiations and scrutinizing political accountability to engaging in offbeat comedy, the episode offers listeners a comprehensive and entertaining exploration of current events. Notably, the hosts’ unabashed opinions and candid style make for a compelling listen, whether you're deeply entrenched in these issues or tuning in for the first time.

Notable Quotes:

• "Trump needs to be ready for a scenario like that, where, where, you know, Putin. So what do you got to offer me?" — Jack Armstrong ([02:13])
• "If he makes that his lead, I'd be okay with that." — Jack Armstrong ([07:13])
• "He just, he says one thing and does another. I can't trust him." — Jack Armstrong ([08:31])
• "I think Putin may be too much of a megalomaniac. How about, we'll all see." — Unnamed Guest ([09:23])

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For those seeking a blend of candid political discourse and lighthearted banter, this episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand is a must-listen.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Joe Getty]

Ice Cube's big three is the surprise hit of the summer. This Saturday, 4pm Eastern on CBS. With playoff elimination on the line, the most physical, fiercest and competitive basketball in the world. Miami's Michael Beasley and Lance Stevenson must win to make the playoffs, and breakout star Dwight Howard of the LA Riot will battle Gary Payton's Boston squad in a do or die match for both teams. Six teams are allowed for four spots and all must win. There's no crying in the big three, and the no holds barred action starts Saturday at 4pm Eastern, 1pm Pacific. Presented by iHeart.

[Jack Armstrong]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center.

[Chuck Todd]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Unnamed Guest]

And now he's Armstrong and Getty. The interesting thing that we've seen on the ground here is the Russians seem to have come to the conclusion that the best thing for them to do is be as silent as possible and let President Trump do most of the talking. And the message that they're obviously trying to send to audiences here in Russia, but of course also internationally into the US Is that Vladimir Putin is going into this meeting a winner. He's going into this meeting with momentum on the battlefield and certainly wanting to push through his own agenda as far as this meeting is concerned. And the Russians have said that they haven't changed their stance on Ukraine, which means they don't want an immediate cease fire.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's more interesting analysis than I was expecting. Based on the description on my sheet of paper. I thought it was just going to be kind of Trump bashing Putin. Smart. Trump's dumb, but Putin has been not saying much about this, whereas Trump's talking every single day. Is that any advantage in a negotiation standpoint where you don't really have any idea what Putin's gonna walk in and say? You have a pretty good idea what Trump's gonna walk in and say.

[Unnamed Guest]

You know, I don't know, it's funny. I was gonna take almost an opposite angle in that several of Putin's notable mouthpieces are making claims and posturing and trying to pre spin it, preset the question and the parameters.

[Jack Armstrong]

So first of all, I'd like to know if Trump is sitting down with anybody and discussing different scenarios and hypotheticals. I'm guessing he's not based on his track record and he's just, he's just going to go with his gut like he does. In his defense, he sat down for a lot of big deals in his life, a lot. So he's got more experience than the average person. But I'm thinking, I was thinking about one time Joe and I got called to this meeting with some real radio heavyweights and it got set up and we got there and they looked at us and they, they were basically like, so what are you here for? And we thought it was like the other way around. Like, they called us in because they had something to say to us. And, and we weren't prepared for that. And, and I just, you know, Trump needs to be ready for a scenario like that, where, where, you know, Putin. So what do you got to offer me?

[Unnamed Guest]

Right? I think that's absolutely true. I mean, that's, that's one possible tack he takes. Here's an interesting bit of information. This is a senior Russian lawmaker. He said, though the Ukrainian, and this is paraphrasing and quoting, but he said, though the Ukrainian question has been declared to be the main item of the agenda, quote, much more important global issues would be raised in Alaska, including ambitious plans for economic and infrastructure cooperation in the Arctic. And that is why, and there are a couple other quotes that clearly indicate that the Russian brain trust is thinking, look, we make Ukraine a part of something much, much bigger and give them what they want on a few other fronts that don't matter nearly as much to us, but Trump will see it as a payday and then we get to expand in Eastern Europe.

[Jack Armstrong]

That could be what they actually want. Also has the added advantage of if it's a complex multiple items agenda, you get to stall even longer. I mean, Trump's not going to have an answer for that off the top of his head. So you could take the can down for, geez, 30 days or six months if you're talking about, you know, Antarctica and all kinds of different things. And then, you know, Putin gets to continue to prosecute the war without the sanctions on that that Trump was promising and all that sort of stuff.

[Unnamed Guest]

So all of that is one of the reasons, the reason Ukraine and the Europeans are probably talking to Trump right now as we speak and saying, look, this is about Ukraine. Don't let Putin, you know, tempt you in, into some sort of Arctic, you know, navigation, mineral rights discussion, because that's what he's going to do. It's about Ukraine. Well, and, and the other thing they're trying to say is, and keep in mind, if you sign the treaty first, or as if he signs the treaty first while you're signing, he'll be violating the treaty. So just remember that about Vladimir Putin.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's A good point.

[Unnamed Guest]

What do you, what's your, what's your gut say comes out of this, this meeting Friday? Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

I, my, my. I don't know, but I would say my feeling that something positive from my perspective comes out of it is pretty low.

[Unnamed Guest]

I see a semi vague. We have reached the framework for discussions that could definitely lead to peace, which.

[Jack Armstrong]

Would be a horrible development. I was just reading in the Wall Street Journal about the gains that Russia has made in the last couple of days. They penetrated some of the defenses and have gotten quite a ways in and might be able to use that leverage to grab a pretty decent sized chunk of land like just in the next couple of days if there ends up being. We've come up with a framework for blah, blah, blah. So the sanctions are on hold until January 1st to work out the details of. That's a hundred percent a win for Putin.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah. And I bet you 100, 100 rubles that's essentially what comes out of this. And if I'm wrong, I'll gladly say so, but that, it sure feels that way to me. I don't know, maybe Trump comes out and says, no, that's it. I know a bull lesser when I see one. And although Putin is the best bull Esser perhaps on the face of the earth, he is the Tiger woods of manipulation.

[Jack Armstrong]

Now, Marco Rubio, who oddly has, is the Secretary of State and has been sidelined and all this sort of stu. The secretary states like the point person on these things. Yeah, he'd be having a, I mean he'd be the press conference everybody's asking questions to every single day. But he's not. Trump picked his own negotiator dude who's a real estate developer at Witkoff guy or Trump himself so far does not.

[Unnamed Guest]

Have a great track record, although he has been sent to, you know, solve unsolvable problems.

[Jack Armstrong]

True, nobody would have a great track record going into a talk to Hamas or Putin probably. But Marco Rubio said something along the lines yesterday that, well, the first thing is a cease. The first thing we say is there's got to be a ceasefire. If Trump can get that and say, look, I'm not discussing anything until there's a ceasefire. I don't want to hear about a missile going into Kiev and 20 more people dying in an apartment. If he, if he makes that his lead, I'd be okay with that. If we, if we do all this kick the can down the road negotiations during a cease fire, that'd be a completely different situation.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah, an enforceable cease Fire. And that's where the problem is. I, I could see, speaking of Putin and his nature, he would agree that declare a total ceasefire and then when there's some fighting, sporadic fighting continuing in the critical. They attacked US Region of Blankety Blank. Yeah, either, yeah, they fired on us first. Or you know what, we're reaching out to the commander right now. The communication's not great right now with all the jamming that's going on stuff. But don't worry, we'll take care of that. While he's on the phone, another attack takes place and they grab a couple of square miles of a, you know, Key river crossing or something.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's possible that Trump has actually met his limit. I mean, he's said some pretty strong things in the last couple of weeks about Putin.

[Unnamed Guest]

He's just a liar.

[Jack Armstrong]

He just, he says one thing and does another. I can't trust him. So if Putin, if Trump has actually come to the conclusion that he can't trust this guy at all, and he goes in there and says, okay, step one, ceasefire. It's got to be a ceasefire. If there's one missile, there's one dead. Ukrainian sanctions immediately and we send Ukraine, blah, blah, blah, you know, armament. If he does something like that, there's a chance.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah, I would agree that's what it would take.

[Jack Armstrong]

If he meets Putin and gets schmoozed by the power of smiling Putin and likes a picture of them shaking hands and smiling and falls forward, I don't know. That's going to be damn disappointing. I'll say. I think Trump's got a chance to like, make his legacy over this. Change his legacy for all time if he doesn't get punked by Putin.

[Unnamed Guest]

Is there leverage sufficient to knock a guy off of his goal of re establishing the Russian empire? Oh, I can't re establish the empire because they're, you know, hammering our oil customers, so. Oh, well, we'll just keep the empire we've got. I just, I think Putin may be too much of a megalomaniac. How about, we'll all see.

[Jack Armstrong]

How about if Europe's talking about 100,000 troops.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah, now that's, that's a threat. Wow. So speaking of disappointments, this is a bummer. Let's see what. Yeah, we got a minute. At the beginning of the conflict, I remember learning a fair amount about the fact that the Ukrainians have been training with the United States and Britain for a long time and had adapted, adopted really American style command and control structures in that. And, and this ought to be the envy of the world. Our military empowers our junior officers with decision making, you know, discretion in the field. And so whereas you have the Chinese military, for instance, where you don't dare do anything unless you go way up the chain of command. Because if. If they perceive that you've done the wrong thing, they'll just. They'll put the goat's horns on you and sacrifice you. That's the way it operates in totalitarian regimes. Whereas our guys down to the squad level practically can say, nope, that objective can't be made. Let's find a different way to do it. Anyway, the headline is Ukraine's once nimble army is mired in Soviet decision making. And evidently the guys on the front line are getting more and more unhappy about the increasingly centralized command culture that often punishes initiative and wastes men's lives.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, that's horrifying. And whose idea was that?

[Unnamed Guest]

I just think it evolved.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's just with bureaucracies, that's the way all. Every bureaucracy I've ever been a part of in my life.

[Unnamed Guest]

Turns this directionally. Well, yeah, that's true. That's a hundred percent true. And then. Then drench that with the unholy sauce of trying to, you know, shake off the effects of being a Soviet republic for eight generations or whatever.

[Jack Armstrong]

True. It's in their genes.

[Unnamed Guest]

Well, right, exactly. So they were being dragged kicking and. Well, actually fairly enthusiastically, but you know, psychologically kicking and screaming into a much more Western style of command and control. And evidently some of that is. Is eroding. Evidently the bitter joke among the Ukrainian service people is, where is it? It's essentially, it's the big Soviet army versus the little Soviet army now.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow, that's.

[Unnamed Guest]

They're bigger. We need to be better, and we're not doing it anymore.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is the last kind of news we needed.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah, that's not good.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, it's not. Coming up. Chuck Todd, if you'll remember him from Meet the Press, he explains Washington, America, and my America. To Washington. Chuck Todd warns America is headed toward a cold civil war. Based on that stuff you brought us yesterday about becoming even more red and blue states and divided. I don't know what a cold civil war looks like. Antietam and parkas. I don't know what that is, but that and other stuff on the way. Stay here.

[Unnamed Guest]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Chuck Todd]

There's nothing like sinking into luxury. @washablesofas.com you'll find the Annabe sofa, which combines ultimate comfort and design at an affordable price. And get this. It's the only sofa that's fully machine washable from top to bottom starting at only $699. The stain resistant performance fabric slipcovers and cloud like frame duvet can go straight into your wash. Perfect for anyone with kids, pets or anyone who loves an easy to clean spotless sofa. With a modular design and changeable slipcovers, you can customize your sofa to fit any space and style. Whether you need a single chair loveseat or a luxuriously large sectional, Annabe has you covered. Visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your home. Right now you can shop up to 60% off store wide with a 30 day money back guarantee. Shop [e-mail] Add a little to your life. Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Joe Getty]

The reviews and ratings are in and Ice Cube's Big Three is the surprise hit of the summer this Saturday, 4pm Eastern on CBS, with playoff elimination on the line, the stars will be flocking to Los Angeles to witness the most physical, fiercest and competitive basketball in the world. Miami's Michael Beasley and Lance Stevenson must win over Houston to make the playoffs, reeling from last week's savage beating at the hands of Chicago's possessed Montrez Harrow. Last time these teams met, Miami beat Houston, but they are a dangerous team having their manhood at stake. Then breakout star Dwight Howard of the LA Riot will battle Gary Payton's Boston squad in a do or die match for both teams will LA avenge their previous shocking loss to perennial basketball Boston rivals? To survive, six teams are allowed for four spots and all must win. Don't miss the Big three, the three on three basketball league everyone is talking about. There's no crying in the big three and the no hold spot action starts Saturday at 4pm Eastern, 1pm Pacific followed by two games on Vice starting at 6:30 Eastern.

[Unnamed Guest]

Presented by iHeartners who recently called to a California Chuck E. Cheese after an adult woman got her arm stuck in one of the arcade games. Even more embarrassing, she was there without kids. She just likes their pizza. The firefighter who successfully got her out got to choose any item from the bottom three shelves.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow, were you a mom actually trying to steal one of the worthless little pieces of crap out of one of those machines?

[Unnamed Guest]

That's embarrassing. That's an odd story. Something tells me there's like a novel length explanation to that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Although some of those have like like a PlayStation in them or whatever, they always have some some incredible prize in there that there is not Even a one in a gazillion chance you could ever grasp or win. But it's in there. So she might have been reaching in there for something like that? Yeah, she was there. She was there without kids, though. Got her arms stuck.

[Unnamed Guest]

Well, she'd seen it while her kid was operating the claw and thought, I'm gonna go get me that thing. Never mind that stinking claw. The fix is in.

[Jack Armstrong]

So we got to get to this story. Katie. Katie brought us the headline. I don't know what publication you had the headline from. I'm reading from the New York Post. Katie. Frankenstein. Rabbits with horrifying spikes growing from their heads are invading the US Experts warn.

[Unnamed Guest]

Oh, no, no, no. Poor little guys. Did you read this at all? Yeah, it's horrifying.

[Jack Armstrong]

You don't think the headline's good, though?

[Unnamed Guest]

Unbelievable headlines. The first line of the story, then ruined it for me.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, yeah, there's a virus spreading through the cottontail rabbit community that's not doing any favors to the. The little rabbits. But if you saw one of these coming at you, you'd think, what the hell is this?

[Unnamed Guest]

Oh, you'd feel your pants.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah. It's horrifying, though, so.

[Jack Armstrong]

So people should be aware if you see a. Well, an fr. Fr. Frankenstein rabbit coming your way, it's. It's some sort of virus. It's got. It's not from another planet or something.

[Unnamed Guest]

Or a demon sent from hell to eat our souls clear right out of our chests. No, you've not lost your mind. I love that the local authorities had to let people know, please don't try.

[Jack Armstrong]

To catch them, because I see a.

[Unnamed Guest]

Diseased rabbit, and I'm like, come here, little fella.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Sort of animal. Oh, aren't you cute with your disease. I want to take you home.

[Unnamed Guest]

It's a viral illness related to the human papilloma virus, which is nasty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyways, did somebody sex up a rabbit? Is that how it happened?

[Unnamed Guest]

Sure. Yeah, that's what happened, all right. In other sick rabbit news. Wait, we have no more. Thank God.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, the pictures aren't pleasing. No. So did we get any emails or texts about our conversation yesterday about this trend toward feeding your deceased pets to animals at the zoo?

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wonder if people weighed in on it. It's the idea that, like, your dog is old and you think it's part of the circle of life for it to be devoured by a lion.

[Unnamed Guest]

I took a personal survey at my.

[Jack Armstrong]

Gym, and all six of the ladies were horrified. And, yes, your dog or cat is Euthanized first. You're not taking.

[Chuck Todd]

No, you hand it over to them.

[Unnamed Guest]

Alive and they euthanize it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or so. But so they.

[Unnamed Guest]

Consumed by the lion.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or so they. Or so they tell you.

[Unnamed Guest]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

They run out of their euthanizing juice and they just let your pet run around in the lion cage and how.

[Unnamed Guest]

Dare you impugn America's zoologists. I'm sure it's all on the up and up. Actually it's in Denmark.

[Jack Armstrong]

But what's interesting is the, the number of people that seem to be horrified by it even if your pet is euthanized first. And like it doesn't bother me.

[Unnamed Guest]

But what if you. No, this is sad. This is as sad as the rabbit. My question was, you're not in charge of the content for this segment or any other. This is too sad.

[Jack Armstrong]

We did that yesterday and I just wanted to help people react. If more people were like us, like it doesn't matter once they're. Once they're gone. They've lived a good life. Circle life. Or if most people were just horrified at the idea.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah, maybe it's because I have an old dog that I'm having trouble with this. But. So if, if you were to say goodbye to your pet in the manner you see fit, whatever that might be, and then the helpful folks at the vet brought it to the zoo to be eaten by a lion, that I think that yes or no, that's the dividing line. It all is exactly as you would have it. And then when, when your pet's soul is in pet heaven, it's feeding time at the zoo. I think most people would say, no, thank you, I can't do that.

[Jack Armstrong]

I just got my pet cremated and.

[Unnamed Guest]

She'S in a beautiful earning and I'm.

[Jack Armstrong]

Not giving her to the zoo.

[Unnamed Guest]

I'm not sure it would haunt my dreams to donate my dog to your zoo, but it might.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Chuck Todd]

There's nothing like sinking into luxury. @washablesofas.com you'll find the Annabe sofa which combines ultimate comfort and design at an affordable price. And get this, it's the only sofa that's fully machine washable from top to bottom. Starting at only $699. The stain resistant performance fabric slipcovers and cloud like frame duvet can go straight into your wash. Perfect for anyone with kids, pets or anyone who loves an easy to clean spotless sofa. With a modular design and changeable slipcovers, you can customize your sofa to fit any space and style, whether you need a single chair loveseat or a luxuriously large sectional. Annabe has you covered. Visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your home. Right now you can shop up to 60% off store wide with a 30 day money back guarantee. Shop [e-mail] Add a little to your life. Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Joe Getty]

The reviews and ratings are in and Ice Cube's Big Three is the surprise hit of the summer this Saturday, 4pm Eastern on CBS, with playoff elimination on the line, the stars will be flocking to Los Angeles to witness the most physical, fiercest and competitive basketball in the world. Miami's Michael Michael Beasley and Lance Stevenson must win over Houston to make the playoffs, reeling from last week's savage beating at the hands of Chicago's possessed Montrez Harrell. Last time these teams met, Miami beat Houston, but they are a dangerous team having their manhood at stake. Then breakout star Dwight Howard of the LA Riot will battle Gary Payton's Boston squad in a do or die match for both teams. Will LA avenge their previous shocking loss to perennial basketball Boston rivals? To survive, six teams are allowed for four spots and all must win. Don't miss the Big Three, the three on three basketball league everyone is talking about. There's no crying in the big three and the no hold spot action starts Saturday at 4pm Eastern, 1pm Pacific, followed by two games on Vice starting at 6:30 Eastern.

[Jack Armstrong]

Presented by iHeart Treasonous and illegal. That's how a Democratic whistleblower characterized Adam Schiff, accusing him of greenlighting the leak of classified information to undercut President Trump during the 2017 Russiagate investigation.

[Unnamed Guest]

The President has already said he wants.

[Jack Armstrong]

To see Adam Schiff held accountable for the countless lies he told the American people in relation to the Russiagate scandal. So I've been reading up on this. This is a damn interesting story. I'm incredibly biased on this. Like while I don't know if I believe Barack Obama did the things he's being accused of or Brennan or Clapper or whatever. Brennan's less confidence that but but but I absolutely freaking believe Adam Schiff is guilty of everything he's ever been accused of. I think he's the worst person in government. I can't believe he's a US Senator and I hope this is he pays some penalty for all this.

[Unnamed Guest]

I think it's practically self evident he leaked classified info, but more on that to come.

[Jack Armstrong]

God what a scumbag. Anyway, let's hear the rest of this report and then we'll get into some more of the details. The whistleblower was a veteran House Intelligence Committee staffer. The FBI summary obtained by Fox says Schiff told aides he would, quote, leak classified information which was derogatory to the president in hopes of scoring an indictment for the Commander in Chief. It's beyond unseemly. This was just an egregious breach and a really reprehensible act on the part of Adam Schiff. Schiff's office calls this baseless smears, saying the whistleblower was, quote, not reliable, not credible, and was fired.

[Unnamed Guest]

Nothing say Democrat staffer. Worth reiterating there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, if you didn't catch a Democrat staffer. Twelve years on the, the Intelligence Committee, so. And a little more on this and then we'll fill in more of the details. Schiff, who led the Democrats first impeachment of President Trump, now faces an unrelated criminal investigation for alleged mortgage fraud. Now it looks like Adam Schiff really did a bad thing. They have them. Democrats say the GOP is trying to shift the narrative.

[Unnamed Guest]

Look, this is nonsense. This is an effort to change the subject away from the Epstein files.

[Jack Armstrong]

The problem with that is sometimes when these stories come out of an administration, it is to change the subject. But everybody from Nixon to Clinton to Trump and Obama and everybody, whenever the heat is on, they claim over something they actually did. They claim this is just a distraction from the American people. We did not bug any for. They're just trying to, you know, so that's the oldest dodge in the world.

[Unnamed Guest]

So even, you know, great example of it just to flip the partisan script is when Clinton went after Al Qaeda way back in the day and Republicans talked about Monica missiles for, excuse me, a couple of weeks.

[Jack Armstrong]

You have allergies. An explosive sneeze there, Covid.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah. Oh my God. Yeah, I have allergies.

[Jack Armstrong]

Whooping cough?

[Unnamed Guest]

I don't think so. No.

[Jack Armstrong]

So during an FBI interview In June of 2023, the whistleblower, this dozen year Democrat recalled being part of an all staff meeting, as you just heard, in which Schiff, Schiff said the Democrats, the quote is stated, the group would leak classified information which was derogatory to the President of the United States and would be used to indict President Trump. Schiff believed, for one thing, he had, he, he had told other people he thought when Hillary won, when Hillary won, he was sure Hillary's gonna win. Like everybody in the world was sure Hillary was gonna win. He believed he was gonna become the CIA director, for one thing. Schiff believed that. So he was very Excited about that. When Hillary lost, he was quite upset about it, but he was convinced. Again, this is in quotes. Schiff believed Russia hijacked the election and the United States was in the middle of a constitutional crisis. So he is driven by the fact that he believed Russia had actually changed the results somehow of a US Election and it was a constitutional crisis. Obviously, if you believed that, that you'd be pretty concerned. Classified information began leaking to the media. The Democratic minority leadership of the Intelligence Committee was aware of the leaks, but was under the impression that leaking the information was one way to topple the administration and fix the constitutional crisis. It's the same thing as Comey and so many of these people or journalists. Same as the journalists. Ignoring Biden having dementia. They believe Trump is such a threat to American democracy. Let's blow up all norms and, and violate laws and ethics of every kind to make sure the new Hitler doesn't end up being president. That's how they said at night.

[Unnamed Guest]

Exactly. It nightmarishes it to have the, the picture of Adam Schiff having the levers of the CIA at his disposal.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. He is not a long ball hitter.

[Unnamed Guest]

The whole short hitter issue. Yeah. I'm reading a book right now, Recommended by a good friend, by Michael Waller. It's Big intel, how the CIA and FBI Cold War heroes to deep state villains. And it is so far really compelling. And it illustrates something that I think if you're, you're reasonably smart, you can figure out yourself. But if you have the level of secrecy that the intelligence services have, people's own views of what the priorities of the country ought to be, no matter what the guy in the Oval Office says or, you know, no matter what Congress just passed as a law, runs wild. Gets off track. Like usually the idea that the CIA went rogue momentarily. I mean, no, no, the CIA going rogue is like the whole question. It's, it's the, the challenge of having that sort of agency.

[Jack Armstrong]

They woke up rogue.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah, exactly. They went to work rogue. They went home to their wives rogue. It's keeping intelligence services, not rogue, that is the never ending challenge of democracies. Anyway, back to you.

[Jack Armstrong]

The unidentified male source who worked as a Democratic staffer on the House intelligence committee for 12 years after more than two decades in the intelligence community.

[Unnamed Guest]

No, no, no. Discredited, disgruntled former employee was fired for cause. Just a real jackass. Nobody liked him.

[Jack Armstrong]

Told FBI agents in December 2017 that the mood among the panel became indescribable after Trump's upset win the year before. And ranking members. Ranking member. Schiff was particularly upset as he had believed he would have been appointed as the director of the CIA CIA if Hillary had won. Jumping down the this. So when Schiff floated the idea of leaking that information out because we have a constitutional crisis going on right now and we need to topple this president, the whistleblower said he objected to Schiff's idea only to be told by other participants that they would not be caught leaking classified information. So don't worry about it. Sometime later, the whistleblower said he was approached again about leaking against Trump and responded that he believed this activity to be unethical and treasonous. The whistleblower reached out to the FBI and was even invented to. To attend a mock grand jury hearing. So they were going through the motions of having him testify and see what that would look like, only to be later told that the Justice Department would not investigate further. Why did that happen? Because investigators believed Schiff was protected by the Constitution's speech or debate clause, which bars the apprehension of legislators for their professional activities, except in the event of felony treason or breach of peace. And apparently the Justice Department. And again, this is in 20. Well, so he first went in 2017. I guess this would have been in 2023. So I was about to say it was a Trump Justice Department, but it was a Biden Justice Department. So the Biden Justice Department, whether you believe this is, you know, on the up and up or not, didn't think that Schiff had run afoul of the felony treason and breach. Breach of priests, breach of peace, to the extent that they could get a win there. The whistleblower claimed during his June 2023 interview that he did not believe shift's actions were covered by the speech or debate clause, but apparently the Justice Department did. But it's the Biden Justice Department, so.

[Unnamed Guest]

Right. Yeah, this.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is something. So do you think this will go far enough that we actually see this guy testify before a panel or Congress? Like it'll go that far. You'd need somebody else to come forward.

[Unnamed Guest]

So if he actually said not really not to testify in front of a committee, I mean, then you don't need much pretext at all for that.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, no, no, no. Not to have the committee, for people to believe it, you'd need more than one person. And I mean, if he was saying to this whole committee, I think this is treasonous, which has just got a little bit it too much. I'm the good guy standing up against evildoers just a tad, it might be 100. True. But I don't know. You know, the whole I'm the hero of the story thing always concerns me a little bit. There'd be a lot of people on the committee. I mean, you got the people on the committee. He's a staffer. So if he was there for the conversation, how many people were involved?

[Unnamed Guest]

50.

[Jack Armstrong]

I mean, if you got all the committee members and staffers, okay, minimum 20 people. And nobody else has come forward. Well.

[Unnamed Guest]

And well did. How specific have we gotten in describing the. The. The situation where Schiff was advocating this? I mean, because if it was while Republicans were in the room, you'd think one of them would have said something by now.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's a good point. That's a decent point. Ranking membership was particularly upset that the mood on the panel was indescribable. Indescribable. But the House Intelligence Committee doesn't include just Democrats. Obviously.

[Unnamed Guest]

Right now there may be some contexts where just the Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee get together. Right. Maybe the nefarious plot was hatched then. I don't know. It's just a question.

[Jack Armstrong]

Almost has to be the case.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

For this story to work.

[Unnamed Guest]

So just to give you a little overarching feeling of the fast and looseness, I was trying to describe this book I'm reading, and I've done some preliminary looking into how credible it is. It seems to be. The more I read, the more I think, all right, I gotta make sure this is credible. Because it's really quite extraordinary, its descriptions of how intel actually works and when it goes wrong, how it, you know, doesn't serve the people of the United States. But one of the early accounts in the book is the fellow who wrote it, who is a young, like, arch conservative activist type and also a college journalist in D.C. and how he got on the radar of various people who are high up in the intel community, because he was very enthusiastic about going to Central America in particular, which is where there was a real divide between Reagan and his people, including William Casey, the director of the CIA, what they thought ought to be happening. And Congress, because Congress at the time was. Was heavily Democrat. I don't remember the specifics of it, but the Democrats were in general very supportive of Daniel Ortega and the Sandinistas. Look it up someday. It's a fascinating story. And he turned out to be a communist dictator. I'll be damned. Anyway, not a brave, you know, communist liberator of his people. Anyway, so this guy who had come to the attention of these heavyweights in ways I could describe, but we don't really have time. He was told to go to church and sit in a back pew and stay there till he was contacted. And he sat there and at the very, very, very, very end when the organ was playing, the director of the CIA himself, William Casey.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Unnamed Guest]

Came up to him and they had a very brief conversation. And then an assistant of Casey gave him a name, said, remember this name. Do not forget this name. It's all you need to know. And then they left. And as the guy explains in the book, because Congress had either not authorized or specifically forbidden certain acts or certain, you know, avenues for the intelligence agencies to do their work, Casey and supporters of Reagan's policies were going entirely outside the intelligence apparatus and finding private citizens who are similarly dedicated to do intelligence work for them. And because it was in church, nobody could compel Casey to testify. Wow. For various legal constitutional reasons. And so he went to church on a practically daily basis and had brief conversations with people.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

And all these people, the problem is all these people think they're, they are patriots and, and they, they can be trusted with working outside of the Constitution. Like James Comey, he believes, you know, I'm a good guy who cares about America, so it's okay if I go around the rules. It doesn't always work out.

[Unnamed Guest]

And I wholeheartedly agreed at the time and agree now with Reagan and his people what they were thinking about Central America. But it's a great illustration of, no, no, I actually believe this stuff and it is really, really important. So I'm just going to go outside.

[Jack Armstrong]

The balance into inciting an insurrection.

[Unnamed Guest]

That's right. Sometimes it incites erections and insurrections.

[Jack Armstrong]

I just hope at the end of the day Adam Schiff ends up in leg irons in like a public square men where I can throw various fruit products at his head. That's what I hope happens. More on the way.

[Unnamed Guest]

Armstrong and Getty.

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[Joe Getty]

The reviews and ratings are in and Ice Cube's Big Three is the surprise hit of the summer this Saturday, 4pm Eastern on CBS with playoff elimination on the line, the stars will be flocking to Los Angeles to witness the most physical, fiercest and competitive basketball in the world. Miami's Michael Beasley and Lance Stevenson must win over Houston to make the playoffs, reeling from last week's savage beating at the hands of Chicago's possessed Montrez Harold. Last time these teams met, Miami beat Houston, but they are a dangerous team having their manhood at stake. Then breakout star Dwight Howard of the LA Riot will battle Gary Payton's Boston squad in the a do or die match for both teams. Will LA avenge their previous shocking loss to perennial basketball Boston rivals? To survive, six teams are allowed for four spots and all must win. Don't miss the Big Three, the three on three basketball league everyone is talking about. There's no crying in the Big Three and the no hold spot action starts Saturday at 4pm Eastern, 1pm Pacific, followed by two games on Vice starting at 6:30 Eastern.

[Jack Armstrong]

Presented by iHeart Signs is now confirming it was a meteorite that smashed through the roof of a home in McDonough, Georgia, and that it was 20 million years older than Earth itself.

[Unnamed Guest]

Nicknamed the McDonough meteorite, it was seen.

[Jack Armstrong]

Streaking across the sky in June. Researchers say it's more than four and a half billion years old, 20 million years older than Earth itself. They can't measure that.

[Unnamed Guest]

I don't think it's possible.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, I don't think so. We kind of round how old the Earth is, not within. I mean it's like roughly four and a half billion years old, but it's kind of rounding. You can't round within 20 million on that. Anyway, I won't get distracted by that. Do you know there are endless meteorites on the moon? I just learned this the other day. That's a problem for like a moon base or anything like that because there's no atmosphere. You're constantly being pelted by little rocks coming at you at the speed of bullets, right? With no atmosphere to burn them up, the Earth has them coming too, but our atmosphere burns all the little ones up.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah. Fascinating stuff, isn't it So I guess there's a big debate between astronomers. Not astronomers, just space scientists, rocket scientists, literally, over whether we ought to have a moon base on the moon or an orbiting base that. That has essentially the same function.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wasn't aware of this, but that's. Yeah, that's interesting. And maybe the whole moon base on the moon that we've all been picturing is not feasible. Right.

[Unnamed Guest]

So a couple of things we're going to get into next hour and I'm really looking forward to. Although they're both a little troubling. Some stories about mental health, one that has to do with smartphones and. And one having to do with. There's a rash of people becoming therapists now as other fields disappear, partly because of AI. Wow. And I think I may have really bad news for those people.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I've gotten the best therapy I've ever gotten in my life on a whole bunch of different topics. Raising kids or whatever from chat GPT.

[Unnamed Guest]

And then the other thing I want to get into also troubling Frankenbabies featuring the Chinese Frankenstein, as he's known. The whole. Well, if we allow gene editing to get babies to blah, blah, blah, avoid this disease, how long until we have, you know, designer babies being met now? Now is when. That's when it's gonna happen.

[Jack Armstrong]

Now, some of the greatest minds of.

[Unnamed Guest]

Our time are as enthusiastic as they are about AI.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, I can't wait to hear this.

[Unnamed Guest]

There is not a, oh, we're playing God here. No, there's a let's do it, how quick can we do it spirit about designing babies.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, you people are crazy, but there's always going to be people like that, so there's no stopping any.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah, no kidding. So anyway, that stuff to come next hour among other fair.

[Jack Armstrong]

Will they be green with bolts in their neck optional?

[Unnamed Guest]

That's the point. You just check the Frankenstein box. I mean, it's a little on the nose to me. Look, I. We were planning to have a Franken baby, and so we thought square head.

[Jack Armstrong]

Bolts in the neck, greenish skin, big stitch scar across the forehead.

[Unnamed Guest]

We're kind of thinking now maybe that was a little much. But anyway, we love him.

[Jack Armstrong]

Kids are making fun of him at school. We should have thought this through. We've got more on the way. Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Ice Cube's big three is the surprise hit of the summer. This Saturday, 4pm Eastern on CBS. With playoff elimination on the line, the most physical, fiercest and competitive basketball in the world. Miami's Michael Beasley and LA Stephenson must win to make the playoffs and breakout star Dwight Howard of the LA Riot will battle Gary Payton's Boston squad in a do or die match for both teams. Six teams are allowed for four spots and all must win. There's no crying in the big three, and the no holds barred action starts Saturday at 4pm Eastern, 1pm Pacific. Presented by iHeart.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast.