Holmberg’s Morning Sickness — Episode Summary

Date: November 19, 2025
Episode Title: Perfect Fall Rainy Weather Morning Has Us Remembering Tossing Water Balloons At Local Weather People — Congress Votes To Release The Epstein Files But We're Skeptical Anything New Will Come To Light
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Brett Vesely, Dick Toledo

Main Theme & Purpose

This brisk, distinctly Arizona episode opens with the crew delighting in rare, cozy, rainy Phoenix weather and building the show around that lazy, drowsy mood. They riff on local news coverage of inclement weather, recount pranks they used to pull on reporters, and quickly spiral into larger discussions on media truthfulness, public trust, the release of the “Epstein files,” and modern-day mob justice. Beneath the gags and jabs lies genuine skepticism about transparency—whether in politics, media, or personal life in the digital age.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Luxurious Sleepiness of a Rainy Arizona Morning

• [01:35] John admits he’s unusually drowsy, blaming the perfect, damp morning.
  • “Can you call in sleepy? …Whatever you’re doing, don’t be so self-important to think that it can't wait a day. I highly recommend you turn this show off right now and go right back to sleep. Trip, I’m talking to you.” (John, 01:42)
• The group agrees rainy days are “grilled cheese days”—not meant for productivity.
• General encouragement to listeners: “Just lay down right now. Whatever you’re doing, wherever you are, lay down.”

Mockery of Local Weather News Coverage

• [03:54] John lampoons TV news for hyping storm coverage with little substance, standing in floods caused by “just slow drains.”
  • “The reason they're speeding through the puddles is you. They’re trying to splash that guy. ...You’re causing the problem, jackass.” (John, 04:30)
• He suggests TV news could boost ratings with stunts: put reporters in the splash zone and pay out for the best on-camera drenchings.
  • “$5000 to anybody who gets the big drench on one of these guys and wrecks some of our built-in the community.” (John, 06:02)
  • Imagines an app showing real-time reporter locations for drivers to “aim at.”
  • Jokes about doing white T-shirt rain stunts for best ratings.

Memories: Tossing Water Balloons at Lying TV News Crews

• [09:11] John recalls his afternoon radio days, when he'd target TV crews filming in-studio pretending to be at storm locations:
  • “I used to water balloon the—I had water balloons on standby for my afternoon show. And Channel 12 would stand on their roof across the street and go, ‘live from McKellips and Val Vista.’ I’m like, ‘No, he isn’t. He’s right [there].’” (John, 09:17)
  • Calls out specific reporters (Mary Kim Titlow, Seene McLaughlin, Dave Muncie) for misrepresenting locations on-air.
  • When Channel 12's news director complained:
    • “Well, then stop saying you’re somewhere you’re not. I’m proving you guys are fake journalists.” (John, 12:33)
• Discusses the culture of staging “live” news, frustration with media sensationalism.

On Homelessness, Public Policy, and Common Sense

• Frustration with stories on homelessness in the rain when large empty office buildings in Phoenix sit unused:
  • “Am I the smartest person on the planet? …We haven’t used the Chase 48-story building downtown that’s been empty for four years. Put them in there.” (John, 16:23)
  • “If you care, fix it. Because it’s easy. If you don’t, shut up.” (John, 17:33)
• The group riffs that capacity solutions (yoga floors for the homeless?) are met with bureaucracy and misplaced priorities.

The “Epstein Files”: Skepticism Over Political Transparency

• [21:27] Discussion pivots to the congressional vote to release Epstein documents:
  • John’s initial hope is quickly cooled: “I have a feeling, you know, this is just gonna keep going. …Now there are loopholes that make it almost impossible to release [the files]. …So did we just go through this over again for more fluff?” (John, 21:33)
• Comedy about how many people took photos with Epstein; everyone’s potentially tainted by association.
• Key concern raised: outing the innocent.
  • “He’s the one guy that said, I’m not voting to release these. Said it was going to hurt a lot of innocent people.” (John, 23:09)

Digital Dirt & Mob Justice: Private Communication in a Public World

• Contemplation on how releasing “everything” risks harming people for harmless, dumb, or taken-out-of-context remarks.
  • “A billionaire I don’t know that well that’s got an island and a plane… I don’t know Brink’s past. …and then it’s like, we’re going to release all his texts for the last 20 years. …Like that dude in the House was thinking of guys like us.” (John, 23:15)
• Examples: Jon Gruden’s downfall via old emails, or anyone’s private group chats.
• “Our texts are awful. And if one of us went to jail for something and they went through them, all of them. ‘Explain yourself’ is going to definitely be part of it.” (John, 27:29)
• Multiple jokes about scrubbing each other’s phones if legal trouble arises.

Larger Reflections: Who’s Innocent, Who’s Not—And When You Find Out

• Heavy skepticism: do mass document dumps really help victims or just fuel “gotcha” takedowns and cancel culture?
  • “The whole sweater goes away. You’re just looking for pieces of that sweater to go. The whole thing goes away. So I don’t think they’re ever going to release anything.” (John, 41:41)
• Personal anecdotes: knowing or befriending people before their crimes are public.
  • “I was paling around for a whole night with that murderer… I didn’t know what—I’m in pictures with the guy.” (John, 31:48)
  • “I talked with Brian Callan after that lady accused him of sexual assault… I will believe you. But if it turns out you’re lying, you’re screwing me…” (John, 40:46)
• Cites Arthur Blank and Michael Vick as examples of misplaced trust and betrayal.

Political Candor—The ‘Piggy’ Incident

• Jokes about Trump calling a female reporter “Piggy” on TV:
  • “He called the girl a pig on TV and I didn’t get a look at her… Was he right? …Supposed to have some sort of decorum and he didn’t.” (John, 35:11 & 37:32)
  • They muse how Trump’s supporters have embraced a new normal—reflexively blaming the target.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I am still sleeping. There’s this energy you hear is artificial. Nothing about me says go today at all. Not even close.”
  —John Holmberg (01:39)
• “The reason they’re speeding through puddles is you. They’re trying to splash that guy… Get away from the puddles. You’re causing the problem, jackass.”
  —John Holmberg (04:30)
• “I used to water balloon the… I had water balloons on standby for my afternoon show. …I can see that dickhead. If I go outside, he’s standing on the roof.”
  —John Holmberg (09:17)
• “Am I the smartest person on the planet? …We haven’t used the Chase 48-story building downtown that’s been empty for four years. Put them in there.”
  —John Holmberg (16:23)
• “Our texts are awful. And if one of us went to jail for something and they went through them, all of them. Explain yourself is going to definitely be part of it.”
  —John Holmberg (27:29)
• “Be careful with your text. That’s a good day to go back to our regular rule of cleanse. Go through your text today, start the deleting process. Now, that doesn’t matter in a courtroom, but start the deleting process.”
  —John Holmberg (38:41)
• “You may think you are [important], but you’re not. I’m not either. Like, you call in, everybody’s going to be fine. You know, that’s why you can take vacations. They got you covered. I got too much to do. No, you don’t.”
  —John Holmberg (42:57)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:35] — Show proper begins; “perfect stay-in-bed day” mood set.
• [03:54] — Skewering local TV news for storm coverage, reporter splash zone jokes.
• [09:11] — Remembering water ballooning fake-location TV weather reporters.
• [12:30] — News director confrontation; the ethics of live coverage faking.
• [16:23] — Rant: fill empty buildings with the homeless.
• [21:27] — Shifting to Epstein files and skepticism on congressional transparency.
• [23:14] — Releasing “all the files” debate; defending innocents, Gruden example.
• [27:29] — “Our texts are awful” and digital skeletons in everyone’s closet.
• [35:11] — Trump’s “Piggy” incident and America’s shifting standard for public discourse.
• [41:41] — Reflection: “sweater thread” and cost of total transparency in society.

Tone & Style Notes

• Genuinely irreverent, brisk, and self-deprecating.
• Banter fluctuates between high-energy jokes and sincere social analysis.
• Loosely structured and digressive, yet always circles back to themes of authenticity, skepticism of media and political gamesmanship, and the danger/futility of seeking absolute transparency.
• John Holmberg is blunt, both in humor and critique, giving familiar, candid radio comfort.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This HMS installment is a fast, funny, and just-barely-focused desert-morning ramble built around the joys of a sleepy, rainy Phoenix day. For all the laughs about splashing reporters and pranking local news, the episode stares down deeper issues: media honesty, public shaming, personal digital history, and the all-too-human cost of scandal. It’s classic Arizona radio—cynical, local, and always questioning received wisdom.