Ruthless Podcast — Episode Summary

Episode Title: America is BACK - Astronauts to the Moon + Newsom’s Fraud Scheme
Date: April 3, 2026
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan (out), John Ashbrook

Overview

This episode of the Ruthless Podcast channels the next-generation conservative talk into a lively, uncensored, and irreverent commentary on recent news. Hosts Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, and John Ashbrook (with Michael Duncan off this episode) dig into America’s renewed spirit around the Artemis II moon mission, investigate massive fraud in California under Governor Gavin Newsom, ridicule TMZ's move to politicize celebrity-style coverage of Congress, and close out with a variety of fun, borderline outrageous stories. All topics are delivered with their signature roasting wit, skepticism for progressive media narratives, and “own the libs” energy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. America’s Artemis II Moon Mission - National Pride Rekindled

Celebrating the Artemis II Launch

• The crew reflects (03:36–08:43) on watching NASA’s Artemis II launch from a D.C. bar. The entire bar—diverse politically—erupted with patriotic cheering, drawing comparisons to watching “like an overtime field goal” in the Super Bowl.

  • Smug (00:00; 08:03): “It was awesome seeing so many Americans so happy that America's doing big things again.”
  • Ashbrook (00:06; 04:58): “Spontaneously, the place erupts in applause…not like it’s a Republican bar…it was like we were watching the Super Bowl or something.”

• Mission Significance:

  • The hosts underscore how Artemis II will “go further out into space than any human has ever traveled”—circling the moon and returning, prepping the next actual moon landing (05:10–06:22).
  • Smug (05:10): “They’re going further out into space than any human has ever traveled.”
  • Smug, whose father was a rocket scientist involved in developing the solid rocket boosters, shares pride in America’s “doing tremendous things” again (05:34).

• Critique of the Media (06:22, 08:03):

  • Mainstream coverage, they argue, downplays the excitement and significance: “You wouldn't know it by watching mainstream media, but it's indicative of this latent political patriotism.”
  • Smug (08:03): “For so long, we've been told our best days are behind us. And, oh, we all will have to accept this decline and go back into your pods and eat your pellets…those days are over.”

• American Optimism vs. Nihilism:

  • The podcast roasts media outlets criticizing or downplaying the moon shot on technicalities (e.g., Wired’s “zoning rules on the moon”) as symptomatic of a “loser thought” that Americans are ready to reject (08:43–09:19).

• Favorite Moment:

  • CNN’s “man on the street” interview with a young, GoPro-wearing enthusiast:
    • Kid (06:53): “We’re going back to the freaking moon. That’s…”
    • Hosts celebrate the “best live reaction I’ve ever seen.”

2. TMZ Expands to D.C.: Celebritizing Politicians

TMZ Comes to Washington

• TMZ is relaunching a D.C. operation to crowdsource footage and vacation snaps of lawmakers, “at your expense,” during government shutdowns. Hosts discuss how this reflects the transformation of politicians into influencers more than civil servants (09:19–11:38).

  • Ashbrook (10:13): “I just don’t care what Keanu Reeves...I’ve never really cared about...This is actually not TMZ's first D.C. rollout… but in this era of politicians who desperately want to be famous… it could actually fit.”

• Media, Politics, and Tracking:

  • Josh offers insider context: Both parties have long sent young “trackers” to gather embarrassing footage, but the podcast worries TMZ’s efforts will fuel online outrage, particularly against Republicans—dubbed “an extension of what we’ve seen and criticized out of Stephen Colbert” (14:57).
  • Smug (16:07): “Media Matters had layoffs and Harvey’s like, ‘Don’t worry, I got you.’”

• Security Concerns (17:42):

  • Raising real concerns, Holmes underscores how in today's climate “too much political violence” makes real-time doxing or outing of politicians’ personal whereabouts dangerous—“You’re directing crazy people to do crazy things.”

3. Gavin Newsom’s California: Unprecedented Fraud

(20:09–33:45)

The Issue: $180+ Billion in Fraud

• Drawing from a New York Post piece, the hosts detail how, on Newsom’s watch, organized crime, scammers, and global fraudsters (including Romanian rings and prisoners on death row) have stolen at least $180 billion in unemployment and welfare fraud.

  • Josh Holmes (21:10): “Let me just read the top…best estimates suggest…fraudsters…have stolen at least $180B.”
  • Ashbrook (22:37): “Everyone worries about some Nigerian prince in their email…[but] the guy you need to be worried about is actually the governor of the state.”
  • Smug (28:20): “The system is doing what it's designed to do... as blue as possible and the fraud numbers go up. Now, now it's not enough to tax people's income... now we need to go grab retirements... the wealth tax.”

• Absurd Claims vs. Oversight:

  • The system allegedly had “more people applying for unemployment than people over 18 in the state” at one point.
  • State acknowledgment of $20B in confirmed fraud; third-party experts say it’s much higher (24:28).

• Legislation to Legalize Fraud?

  • Smug (32:14): Reports on a CA bill raising the felony welfare fraud threshold from $950 to $25K — “it effectively legalizes welfare fraud.”
  • Josh Holmes (32:46): “Can you imagine introducing a bill where you're like, let's raise the threshold of theft to make sure that we price out the vast majority of theft.”

• Political Dynamics:

  • Hosts are adamant: “There is no such thing as a moderate Democrat” on this issue; the political model relies on this government largesse and fraud as a system of patronage (27:01–28:20).

• Quote Roundup for Fraud Segment:

  • Smug (25:48): “A system does what it's designed to do.”
  • Ashbrook (36:41): “They want their people to get more of your money.”
  • Josh Holmes (27:01): “There is no such thing as a moderate Democrat.”
  • John Ashbrook (29:06): “I saw...twenty members of Congress flew to Minnesota to rally to stick up for the system that is stealing your money.”

4. Variety Segment: News, Weirdness, and Outrageous Antics

(36:20–61:52)

Fun Time Friday: Judging Judges

• They read out listener comments from the previous episode about impeaching judges, showing their followers’ engagement and frustration with current judicial leniency (36:20–37:17).

British Paternity Drama: Identical Twins Edition

(37:35–43:42)

• Story: UK court cannot determine which of two identical twins is the father of a baby after a woman slept with both men within four days.
  • Memorable quote, Holmes (39:53): “You're gonna be the father type thing.”
  • The panel riffs on the limits of DNA, the woman’s (questionable) choices, and the “disgusting British trajectory set from the top.”
  • Smug (41:31): “Disgusting people have disgusting problems…and this is one of those situations where I actually wish death upon everyone involved except for sweet pea, the child.”

Chocolate Spiked with Viagra

(43:45–47:14)

• News: California company’s “Gold Lion Aphrodisiac Chocolate” recalled after FDA finds undeclared Viagra/Cialis ingredients.
  • Holmes (44:52): “They're marketing their product, the chocolate, as a boner pill in and of itself.”
  • Hosts mock news coverage for missing the obvious ("male sex chocolate" packaging), joke about the scandal’s comic potential, and speculate it might be a marketing stunt.

Windsurfer Hits Whale in SF Bay

(47:38–50:09)

• Viral video: Surfer spectacularly collides with a whale.

  • Holmes (48:02): “The guy hits the whale with the surfboard…he hit it pretty hard.”

• Pivot to Smug’s Whale-Reducing College Thesis:

  • Smug details a college paper suggesting that hauling all whales onto land (for oil/food) would offset sea level rise through displacement, all as a sarcastic response to climate alarmism.
  • Smug (51:03): “…if you kill every whale…and brought them onto land…sea levels will go down…plus you can power the entire Earth.”

Escape Artist: Woman Breaks Out of Cop Car

(53:02–56:46)

• Clip: Woman with hands cuffed behind her back slips through a partially open police car window and escapes, only to be caught again soon after.

  • Holmes (55:00): “This woman deserves to be free.”
  • Ashbrook: “She loves crime so much, after escaping, she broke into another house within the hour.”

• The segment morphs into jokes about converting repeat offenders into game show contestants—Ruthless’s “American Ninja Warrior: Criminals' Edition.”

The Cartel Olympics

(57:35–60:06)

• Panel discusses a magazine story about Mexican cartels kidnapping world-class athletes to compete for them. They debate the ethics of various criminal “entertainment” schemes, joke about real and hypothetical “Cartel Olympics,” and riff on notorious athletes like Michael Phelps being “inspired.”

Notable Quotes

• Smug (08:03): “For so long, we've been told our best days are behind us...those days are over.”
• Ashbrook (22:37): “The guy you need to be worried about is actually the governor of the state.”
• Josh Holmes (27:01): “There is no such thing as a moderate Democrat.”
• Smug (25:48): “A system does what it's designed to do.”
• Smug (51:03): “If you killed every whale of every type and brought them onto land...you could power the entire Earth.”
• John Ashbrook (55:34): “She loves crime so much…after escaping, she broke into another house. She must be a kleptomaniac.”
• Smug (57:22): “You find that group of individuals, if you remove them from society, crime goes down. But if you put them on a game show, then entertainment goes up. This is how we win.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Artemis II Launch & Patriotism: 03:36–09:19
• TMZ & D.C. Politicians: 09:19–18:38
• California Unemployment Fraud: 20:09–33:45
• Judges/Listener Feedback: 36:20–37:17
• British Paternity Drama (Twins): 37:35–43:42
• Viagra in Chocolate Recall: 43:45–47:14
• Windsurfer Hits Whale/Whale Math: 47:38–52:06
• Woman Escapes Police Car: 53:02–56:46
• Cartel Olympics Discussion: 57:35–60:06

Tone & Style

Breezy, sarcastic, and performatively outraged, the Ruthless crew serve up hard-right commentary leavened with crude jokes, absurd analogies, and cultural riffs. They model “own the libs” banter, deliver sharp broadsides at progressive priorities, and cultivate an in-group camaraderie around “minions” (their listeners). No institution or individual, left or right, is spared from their ridicule.

Takeaway

For conservatives feeling demoralized by decline talk, regulatory malaise, or progressive overreach, this episode celebrates America “doing great things again” while exposing, in their terms, “the fraud, hypocrisy, and unseriousness” of contemporary Democrats—especially in California. For everyone else, it’s a revealing window into the tone and grievances shaping right-wing grassroots energy in 2026, all wrapped up in snarky soundbites, meme-able moments, and an ongoing war on “loser thought.”

Listeners new and old will find this episode quintessential Ruthless: fiercely polemical, wildly digressive, and always ruthlessly entertaining.