Why the Liberal Media is Collapsing

Summary

Ruthless Podcast Episode Summary: "Why the Liberal Media is Collapsing"

Release Date: August 7, 2025

Hosts:

• Josh Holmes
• Comfortably Smug
• Michael Duncan
• John Ashbrook

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Introduction

In this episode of the Ruthless Podcast, Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook delve into the tumultuous state of the liberal media landscape. With a blend of sharp analysis and unabashed commentary, the hosts explore pivotal moments and figures contributing to what they perceive as the decline of liberal media influence.

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Main Discussion: The Collapse of Liberal Media

Howard Stern's Transformation

The hosts begin by lamenting the perceived downfall of Howard Stern, once a beacon of countercultural radio. Initially celebrated for his edgy and provocative style, Stern has, according to the hosts, devolved into a figure resembling traditional liberal pundits.

• Josh Holmes [03:00]: "Howard Stern went from the most edgy dude... to becoming an old lady."
• Michael Duncan [09:03]: "He just became terrible."

They argue that Stern's shift mirrors a broader trend within liberal media, where entertainment quality has plummeted in favor of political activism and sensationalism.

Jim Acosta's Controversial AI Interview

A significant portion of the episode centers on CNN's Jim Acosta conducting an interview with an AI-generated clone of Joaquin Oliver, a victim of the Parkland school shooting. The hosts express outrage over what they consider a mockery of genuine tragedy for political gain.

• Josh Holmes [16:57]: "Jim Acosta interviews an AI clone of a victim... I think it's one of the most immoral things you could possibly do."
• Michael Duncan [20:59]: "Those parents are disgusting. Jim Acosta is going to hell."

They criticize the ethical implications and the disrespect shown to the victim's memory, highlighting it as emblematic of the larger issues plaguing liberal media.

ABC News and Perceived Bias

The discussion shifts to ABC News and former reporter Terry Moran, who has accused the network of systemic bias against President Trump. The hosts argue that such biases are intentional, pointing out a lack of viewpoint diversity as a fundamental flaw.

• John Ashbrook [16:23]: "The problem with every single one of these news outlets is that it is 97% Dem."
• Josh Holmes [35:28]: "You had a problem... and you have some responsibility in a public medium to say truth."

They contend that ABC News, like other major networks, prioritizes a Democratic agenda over balanced reporting, leading to the marginalization of Republican perspectives.

Exodus from Traditional Media

Highlighting a mass exodus of journalists from outlets like the Washington Post, the hosts assert that traditional media institutions are failing to maintain their journalistic integrity. They mock the notion of obituary writers for media figures becoming the norm, symbolizing the death of reputable journalism.

• Josh Holmes [36:53]: "The vocational death cannot be reported on the real deaths anymore because it just doesn't work."
• John Ashbrook [31:14]: "Each account is a different headstone and it has dates and it has a little saying about what that person meant to society."

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Segment: Hot Seat - Predicting the Next Fired Liberal Media Personality

Introducing a new segment called "Hot Seat," the hosts invite listeners to predict which liberal media personalities are next in line to be dismissed due to their neglect of a broader American audience. Utilizing listener comments, they engage in humorous and critical banter.

• Michael Duncan [42:07]: "Seth Meyers gave an interview and said he reveals concern about his show being canceled."
• John Ashbrook [50:18]: "A lot of people are turning off the networks because they're spreading propaganda."

This interactive segment underscores their belief that liberal media figures are increasingly out of touch and susceptible to being ousted.

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Side Stories

Violence in Washington D.C.

The hosts address rising crime rates in Washington D.C., criticizing local politicians for their perceived inaction. They narrate incidents of violence, including carjackings and assaults, attributing them to the ineffective governance and lack of law enforcement.

• Comfortably Smug [55:00]: "DC is like a no man's land of crime and shooting and carjackings."
• Josh Holmes [58:30]: "If they're not cleaning up their act now, they're never going to do it."

They advocate for the federalization of D.C. to restore order and emphasize its importance as the capital of the United States.

Wild Critique of the Washington Post's Obituary Writers

Mocking the trend of obituary writers at the Washington Post, the hosts ridiculed the notion of these journalists writing their own obituaries or their colleagues'. This serves as a metaphor for the perceived decay of journalistic standards.

• Michael Duncan [37:45]: "I could do this tonight. This could be done by AI."
• Josh Holmes [38:30]: "The obit rider... He's never gonna do anything useful."

USDA's Animal Control Methods

In a lighter yet critical take, the hosts discuss the USDA's unconventional methods to scare off wolves, using clips from the movie Marriage Story to illustrate their point on misplaced priorities in wildlife management.

• Josh Holmes [75:16]: "She was screaming... Wolves are saying, 'no, this doesn't seem worse.'"

They mock the USDA's approach, suggesting it's ineffective and overly dramatic.

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Conclusion

Wrapping up the episode, the hosts reiterate their frustrations with the current state of liberal media and governance. They encourage listeners to engage with the podcast by submitting their predictions and thoughts on who might be the next casualty of biased reporting. The episode concludes with a blend of humor and critical commentary, maintaining the Ruthless Podcast's signature tone.

• Josh Holmes [89:38]: "Who’s the next lib. Who’s the next media lib that is going to be fired?"
• Comfortably Smug [89:55]: "Until next time, minions, keep the faith, hold the line, and own the libs. Stay ruthless."

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Josh Holmes [03:00]: "Howard Stern went from the most edgy dude... to becoming an old lady."
• Michael Duncan [16:57]: "Jim Acosta is going to hell. That is disgusting."
• John Ashbrook [31:14]: "Each account is a different headstone and it has dates and it has a little saying about what that person meant to society."
• Comfortably Smug [55:00]: "DC is like a no man's land of crime and shooting and carjackings."
• Josh Holmes [58:30]: "If they're not cleaning up their act now, they're never going to do it."

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This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the episode, highlighting the hosts' critical perspectives on the liberal media's decline, ethical missteps in journalism, and broader societal issues. The inclusion of direct quotes with timestamps provides authenticity and allows readers to reference specific moments from the discussion.

Transcript

[Josh Holmes]

When you, as a quote unquote journalist, agree to create this spectacle.

[Michael Duncan]

Subscribe to my substack.

[Josh Holmes]

Subscribe to my substack. I'm going to interview a dead kid.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

If you want to know what the end of American civilization looks like, it's Jim Acosta.

[Comfortably Smug]

As a cable channel, Fox now has higher ratings than abc, cbs.

[Michael Duncan]

Meanwhile, you got liberal media absolutely collapsing.

[Josh Holmes]

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[John Ashbrook]

Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please.

[Comfortably Smug]

Keep the faith, hold the line and own the lids.

[John Ashbrook]

It's time for our main event.

[Josh Holmes]

Good Thursday to you. Welcome back to the ruthless variety program. You're gonna get the uncut free based fellas here. I'm a good thirsty to you. I am Josh Holmes along with comfortably smug Michael Duncan and John Ashbrook. Left to right across your radio dial. As always, fellas, we've got a hell of a show. A lot of things to stack up here and analyze. You know, some things in the political world, some things in the media world. It feels like we're winning.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean it absolutely feels like we're winning.

[Josh Holmes]

It feels like we're winning and not.

[Comfortably Smug]

Just we're winning from, from our lineup of topics today, it's very clear the other side is losing.

[Josh Holmes]

It's not good for them.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, winning is fantastic. I do like winning very much. But what I like more than winning is the crying of the opposition.

[Josh Holmes]

The humiliation is really what he's kind of a humiliation fetish in some ways for the old man. Yeah, that's. It's a hate to broadcast that.

[Comfortably Smug]

It was what is good in life, Conan. Yeah, it's like have the enemy crushed, driven before you and hear the lamentations of their women. That's the kind of guy Duncan is.

[Josh Holmes]

Exactly right. That's what he's got. What do you think, Smash? I mean, we're getting into. Obviously we've got a show tomorrow, but it's been a week where typically speaking the August recess, as they say in Washington D.C. gets a little less news, you get a little bit more. It's a good time for content because you get a little more salacious stuff. You get to weigh in on all kinds of controversy More gossipy in many ways. But it starts off pretty hot for us.

[John Ashbrook]

It certainly does. And it is a perfect time for the life giving, life enhancing brotherhood you get right here on the ruthless variety program, the hottest, most influential podcast in Washington dc.

[Josh Holmes]

There you go. There you go.

[Comfortably Smug]

I just gotta say, you know, there's. There's what? There's two groups of people who get recess, Congress and children. But I repeat myself.

[Josh Holmes]

I will say, all of you have done a very nice job in the Fox News Channel over the last couple of weeks. Yeah, I've seen a lot of clips. I mean, these are very special performances out there.

[John Ashbrook]

People are loving it.

[Comfortably Smug]

And you too, man. Like the stuff about how thank God, it looks like Hillary and the Clintons are gonna start being held accountable. And you're like, well, let's see if Democrats want to keep this up.

[John Ashbrook]

And Duncan came off the top rope on Andrew Cuomo, calling him Andrew slo mo, just like lucha libre and the Mexican luchadors.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, you watch some of these clips and everybody's shocked that Mamdani's got all of the support and energy. And then you see a clip of Cuomo and he looks like a cadaver. Yeah, you know, I mean, they got to step it up. They got to figure that out if they're going to stop this guy.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, totally.

[John Ashbrook]

They don't want to stop him. That's the truth.

[Michael Duncan]

That's the truth.

[John Ashbrook]

Democrats are actually communists.

[Josh Holmes]

Yep. And hats off to Fox for like allowing us out of the tent to do some of this stuff. Because we come at this in a very different way. Right. It's not just like, they said this, they said this. And like, here's a conservative take. It's like we had a little flavor to it. Not for everybody.

[Michael Duncan]

It's a little panache.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, there's a little panache so much.

[Comfortably Smug]

Because like when we first signed the deal with Fox is, you know, we got the comments from folks being like, it doesn't mean you're going to change all of a sudden. Now the crazy's on Fox too. Like, we're everywhere.

[Josh Holmes]

They allowed us to do it on air. Well, we'll see how long it lasts, fellas. We'll see how long. But listen, while Fox is like doubling and tripping, tripling the broadcast ratings, like things that we never thought possible. CNN is like sinking below the earth. MSNBC is doing like what you expect them to do in nothing. Fox is rising beyond. They're adding all kinds of like creator economy types.

[Comfortably Smug]

Their ratings are higher than like abc, NBC, cbs like broadcast television.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

As a cable channel, FOX now has higher ratings than abc, cbs.

[Michael Duncan]

Meanwhile, you got liberal media absolutely collapsing.

[Josh Holmes]

That's the thing is like each and every week for the last three weeks leading into an August recess where we can talk about all of these things in great detail. You have another example of this legacy media, like old school, previously sacrosanct area that has just fallen by the wayside. The Colbert thing. Well, I mean, this week it's Howard Stern. Howard Stern. So if you're like me and I don't know what your guys relationship with this. I was a big local radio guy. We had a great local radio host. That was very funny that wqrs, I think. Anyway, it was very funny. But I did tune into Howard cause he like basically changed a medium. He was very funny, very engaging. He was like revolutionized an era of talk radio in a lot of ways. And then in recent years, yeah, holy smokes, he just became terrible. Can we play clip one just to give you a sense of where he's at.

[Michael Duncan]

This whole idea, if you, if you like me, you're good and if you don't, you're bad. I mean, I've been the victim of this. I don't hate the guy. I hate the people who vote for him.

[John Ashbrook]

I think you're stupid.

[Michael Duncan]

I. I do. I'll be honest with you. I have no respect for you. Okay, all right, cool.

[Josh Holmes]

So, you know, this is a national media figure who made a living out of revolutionizing what once was an establishment run organization where you couldn't, you couldn't even say the word hate. Right. But he was like doing really racy stuff in the 90s. Pushed people to the edge of the envelope. Donald Trump was like his best friend in that era. And now his politics have gotten to a point where he doesn't just not hate like Donald Trump. Yes, he's not gonna vote for Donald Trump, but he hates you for voting for Donald Trump.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's just insane as a person to be like, you know what, Based on who you vote for, I have decided you're an irredeemable human. And you only get that from half this. Less than half this country. Clearly less than half this country.

[Michael Duncan]

And what an incredible business model from somebody who's in the entertainment business.

[Comfortably Smug]

Right?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

I want my audience to be half.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. First let me separate it. Yeah. First let me separate 50% of you out, and then I'll compete for whatever is left. But that's basically what he did. So not surprisingly, as Colbert did over the Last few years, so did what was thought to be impossible. Howard Stern, the king of all media. At one point, SiriusXM canceled them. It's over.

[John Ashbrook]

It is very disappointing in a lot of ways. And, you know, he was so countercultural for so long. You know, you mentioned that he pressed the envelope with his corporate overlords, you know, even down to, like, not pronouncing WNBC correctly, simply because he was so furious. He was countercultural. And now Donald Trump is countercultural. And now all of a sudden, Howard Stern is the corporate stooge who is, like, against the countercultural movement. And, like, he really sort of, like, went against his brand in a way that I never expected from the guy.

[Comfortably Smug]

And we're saying this before we started recording, but it's like, the day Trump got elected, Howard Stern just turned into, like, Hillary Clinton. He was, like, whiny lib woman.

[Josh Holmes]

He became an old lady. That's exactly right. This guy went from the most edgy dude you've ever met in your entire life. He became an old lady.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's insane.

[Josh Holmes]

He was, like, scolding.

[Comfortably Smug]

You know, I think. I think part of it is the money is because, like, you heard that. I guess his studio and everything got moved out, either in the Hamptons or Montauk, where he got this, like, massive palace. I mean, it says here in this.

[Josh Holmes]

Article right here, 120 million since 2020.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

And 2.1 billion since he signed the contract in 2004. And I will give him great credit. When Sirius made the deal with him, he was at the top of his game. It was a couple years, several years removed from Private Parts, which is kind of the apex. Remember that movie?

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

Oh, yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

But it was kind of the apex of his career. But him moving off of terrestrial radio onto satellite radio was a massive thing, and they needed a massive thing and satellite radio in order to transform an audience. He did that for.

[Comfortably Smug]

Because he had that rabbit of a fan base of people who are like, looks like I'm signing up for satellite radio now. And in 2004, that was a huge jump, because it's not like it is now, where, like, every car now comes equipped with satellite radio built into it. You know, like, back then, I was like, okay, you're gonna have to, like, buy the thing to plug into your car. You're gonna.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, it was complicated.

[Comfortably Smug]

He had the fan base willing to do it and to make $2 billion.

[Josh Holmes]

But $2 billion, I mean, the problem is, is, like, you're right. The money does change you. Everything else does change You. I'm sure that there is a, I don't know, a complicated effect on his life for all marriages and everything else.

[Comfortably Smug]

And also, like the people he hangs around with, like, you know, he's, he became this like, big media figure. You know, he's going to these like Hollywood parties and they're all just like brain rotted people too.

[Josh Holmes]

Yep, yep. But in the end, he thought it was about him.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

And like, we've talked about it on the show and the thing that was ingrained upon us, the thing that we loved about our relationship with Fox, was that it's about the audience.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yep. Always.

[Josh Holmes]

And like, that's the thing that you get when you're listening to us, that we, we. I mean, I don't care if we do this tomorrow, but I really do like the relationship with the audience. I like the give and take. I like having to have this conversation. The things that you're thinking about and you can give us feedback on. We can provide some perspective based on like 20 years of doing things in politics or culture or whatever where we can have this give and take. And at some point he just thought it was about him.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, dude, that's right.

[Josh Holmes]

And that's the end of it. It was the same with Colbert.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

You know, I mean, I just gotta.

[Comfortably Smug]

Tell you, I mean, the comparison between the two of them is so apt because at one time they were countercultural. It was like Colbert's like, oh, well, he's like skewering conservatives during the Bush era. And Howard Stern, I mean, you don't need to explain how countercultural that guy was. He was on the cutting edge of offending people for so long. And it's like, then they started thinking they get the money. It's like, you know, the 100 million budget Colbert had, he's losing 40 billion a year. Hanging out with. It's all just like Hollywood people now. And it's like, oh, well, the cool thing to do is to be like, I'm resisting Trump. I'm gonna make the show about that and not the content and the audience who got me here.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, and then that audience went to places like here.

[John Ashbrook]

Bingo.

[Josh Holmes]

Ruthless Friday program.

[Michael Duncan]

Joe Rogan has a lot of interesting interviews with people that are off the wall that Howard Stern made his whole career on.

[Comfortably Smug]

I would love, I mean, I'd love to see that in the comments. Like, how many people who listen to us used to listen to Howard Stern?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, I would love to see that. I would love to see that when we come back. He's not alone. By the way, there is a long list of former media celebrities that have gone six feet under here in the last six months.

[Comfortably Smug]

One of my favorite topics to discuss.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, no. Some of them are distinguishing themselves in ways that, like, are almost unspeakable. The fellas are gonna have some hot takes right after this.

[Comfortably Smug]

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[Josh Holmes]

All right, so we were talking about the previous media figures that were sort of the established brands that everybody listened to. We mentioned Howard Stern, one of those, who is a White House correspondent, the front row, the man who asked all the tough questions for cnn, the leader in news, Jim Acosta. Now, I think that President Trump thoroughly humiliated this man in the first four years of his presidency. I mean, I can't think of a single interaction that Jim Acosta got not the better of, but didn't get completely humiliated. You know what I mean?

[Comfortably Smug]

It was like he'd just get posterized on a daily basis.

[Josh Holmes]

No, really, it was like the point guard who's getting like two hand dunked by Shaq every single day. But he just kept coming back. And then he would go on and do his, like, primetime thing with CNN.

[Michael Duncan]

Where he dunked him in, just recount his trauma.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. And then like, CNN had the audacity in that era to try to claim that, like, it's truth to power.

[Michael Duncan]

We are real news, Mr. President. We are real news.

[Josh Holmes]

We're real. Yeah, that's right. He even said, we are real news. And it's like, in order to be real news, you actually need to go, like, seeking news. It's not opinion. You just need to, like, find fact. Like who, what, when, where and why. None of which Acosta had ever done at any point in his career. He was trying to be a media celebrity. He was trying to use Trump to do that. In some ways, I think he did probably sold books and whatnot. It didn't work out over the long run. Right. CNN saw him as Somewhat of a liability. Even CNN Psalm, somewhat of a liability. They still have the potato, so, I mean, that bar pretty high. Anyway, they get rid of him at some point, and he's like, oh, I'm gonna sub stack, right? Subscribe to my sub stack if you want to fight the man. But then he just becomes, like, basically an activist which tells on themselves. And this is. We see this time and time again from journos who are trying to pretend as though that they are just seeking answers. The who, what, when, and where and why.

[John Ashbrook]

Fiction.

[Josh Holmes]

And at Ashbrook, they at some point just become the activists left when they've lost their corporate job because they're ineffective at it.

[John Ashbrook]

And they were the activists left the entire time they were working their corporate job. I mean, let's be honest, these news organizations have gone so far off the left because they are completely stacked with only Democrats. They won't hire Republicans. The only Republican they'll hire is the Republican who agrees with them and attacks Trump. It's not a real Republican. So you do not get any complexity. You don't get any texture. You don't get anything that reflects what normal people out there want to hear. Some of it is what Democrats want to hear.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay?

[John Ashbrook]

But more than half of the country is what Republicans want to hear. You have to talk to both sides, not just one.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, well, they don't care about that. And so Jim Acosta did what I think is probably the most offensive thing that I've ever seen anyone. Whether you claim to be a journalist.

[Comfortably Smug]

Or not, it takes a lot to disturb. This actually disturbed me.

[Josh Holmes]

I know, dude. It got to a point we were talking about.

[Comfortably Smug]

I thought I had, like, no feelings left that was kind of a human. And I saw this, and I was like, good God, no.

[Josh Holmes]

I couldn't even get myself to click on it. It wasn't until Wolf, like, forced it in that I was like, I'm ready to talk about it.

[Comfortably Smug]

Even when I tweeted about it, I was like, I don't even know what to say.

[Josh Holmes]

So Jim Acosta interviews an AI clone of a victim of the Parkland school shooting. Joaquin Oliver, who was killed several years ago in Parkland, in this tragic situation. But somehow they have created an AI version of what he might look like today. And then he pretends as a journalist to interview someone who is a victim of a school shooting. I have a lot of takes on this, but I think you got to see what we've got for you. Do we have a. Do we have a clip? Are we going to play I would like to know what your solution would.

[Michael Duncan]

Be for gun violence.

[Josh Holmes]

Great question. I believe in a mix of stronger gun control laws, mental health support, and community engagement. We need to create safe spaces for conversations and connections making. Making sure everyone feels seen and heard. It's about building a culture of kindness and understanding. What do you think about that?

[Michael Duncan]

I think that's a great idea.

[Josh Holmes]

Joaquin. This is for real. For real. Like, first of all, the kayfabe, like, the whole idea that he's actually having this conversation when obviously it's all programmed one way or another.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, he. It's sickening.

[Josh Holmes]

Is just. I can't believe the family, by the way, isn't just absolutely outraged.

[Comfortably Smug]

They're the ones who. Who. Who got this built.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

And made.

[Josh Holmes]

But. So they want this.

[Michael Duncan]

Yes.

[Comfortably Smug]

So that's. That's. That's the other. So there's two things. First off, what. What that I just said was like a. What's the name of that gun group that Gabby Gifford said?

[Josh Holmes]

Every town.

[Michael Duncan]

Every town, usa.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's just like a he. It's literally a statement that that group would put out is what he just said. They're making that child. The AI interpretation of that child. Just read out a statement and the family doing this. So we discussed this too. There was that one case of where that young man got murdered. He got stabbed in the chest by that. By the other kid who. Who went to another school. I know business in Texas. And then like, the murdered kid's dad, like, apologizes and is like, oh, this is like some George Floyd shit of, like, I want to apologize. I didn't. You know, this is a. A minority group who.

[Josh Holmes]

He apologized for his kid getting stabbed.

[Comfortably Smug]

What is wrong with these people? Do not use your child as some kind of, like a. Your dead child as some kind of a political tool to make people like you and think that you're progressive and woke. It's disgusting.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, I just. Here's the thing. Like this. So, dude, this offends me at my core for so many reasons. And believe me, I'm not like, I don't come at this stuff as a dogmatic, like, you know, oh, this is the way things work, and you shut the fuck up and everything else. Like, I have a lot of sympathy for this situation. I imagine there's a ton of emotion involved in losing a child so tragically, I can't even. I can't even fathom what you would be dealing with if you had this. But this is a child who lost their lives under incredibly unfortunate circumstances. To take that and then extrapolate out a political agenda and create an AI is like, I guess that's the family's decision.

[Michael Duncan]

It's immoral. I think it's immoral. I think it's unnatural. I guess the first feeling I have in watching that is that sort of like this macabre theater of the absurd that like, I mean, how could you more dishonor the life of somebody to do this? I don't care if his family thinks he thought it was a good idea. Do you think he'd ever agree to be on Jim Acosta's fake substack interview? Yeah, I mean, like that is. That is such a dishonor to the memory of somebody. I think it's disgusting. Those parents are disgusting. I think Jim Acosta is going to hell, so he's never going to see that from heaven. I think doing this is one of the most immoral things you could possibly do.

[Josh Holmes]

So this was my, this was my point. I'm trying not to judge a family that has been irreparably changed by this. And they obviously have political points of view that I disagree with. Okay, I'm trying not to do that. I think what you said, look, I agree with, but I'm trying not to. When you as a quote unquote journalist agreement to create this spectacle.

[Michael Duncan]

Subscribe to my substack.

[Josh Holmes]

Subscribe to my substack. I'm going to interview a dead kid and I'm going to do it because I know it spits out left wing talking points that I agree with. And I'm going to try to broadcast that to the world. And I know it's going to be controversial, which is great for my substack. That is the worst amongst us. This is the fucking dregs. If you want to know what the end of American civilization looks like, it's Jim Acosta. That is disgusting.

[John Ashbrook]

You're exactly right. And these journos think they are morally superior to everybody else in this country. They view themselves as the high priests of American morality. They're the ones who pass out the indulgences. If you want to. If you want to get to morality right side, you have to go through them. And that attitude is why everybody is turning off the lighting.

[Michael Duncan]

I think the quote I would use is we will witness man made horrors beyond our imagination. And that's what that is.

[Josh Holmes]

That's what that is.

[Comfortably Smug]

On a much less serious note, the company responsible for that is irresponsible and stupid and clearly a fly by night operation of grifters. Because like, yeah, it wasn't even good. That sets back AI and tech. So much of like right now people are wondering like, oh, you know, I hear all these great. Of how it can be harnessed to help me out. And now there's like, oh, also AI can do this. Make the most horrific thing you could compromise.

[Josh Holmes]

But due, dude, to your point, to your point, my initial beyond, after I got like through with the anger, I started laughing because I was like, here we are as people who are sort of in the intersection of all these worlds and trying to explain, like we did last week with the AI director at the White House, the power of AI, the understanding of how this. It's not an option, it's a mandate that you have to lead the world in all of this. But there's this like very boomer take about what AI is. And that's it, that's the problem, right? It's like, oh, well, so they're going to create people and then the people are going to talk and they're going to say things and then the people will take over people. And like that's what, that's the most boomer amongst us. Like anti intellectual take of what AI is. And they're like, yes, air it live.

[Michael Duncan]

So I, I have another take on this. Like you remember back when like South Park, south park is now in the news a lot because they're, you know, coming back in, they're roasting Trump and all of this stuff. I don't think it's their best stuff. It's like, it's too on the nose and too much politics. I feel like south park was better when it was grounded and then got to the political thing in the end. And they did this great episode. I remember years and years and years ago on Terri Schiavo. You remember Terry Schiavo?

[Josh Holmes]

I do, yeah, absolutely.

[Michael Duncan]

National controversy. You know, you keep her alive, do you let her die? You know, she was on, you know.

[Josh Holmes]

She was a brain dead.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Individual in Florida.

[Michael Duncan]

And this became a huge political.

[Josh Holmes]

Was on a feeding point. And it was concluded by doctors that she would never recover any form of life other than being a vegetable, but they were keeping her alive. And it became a natural controversy about whether doctors had the right to pull the tube.

[Michael Duncan]

Right. And so like in the south park episode, you had these Republicans saying, we need to keep her alive. And you had these Democrats and activists being like, no, let her pass, yada, yada, yada. The end of the episode ends with what I think is apropos in this segment Is like this scene of this lawyer reading her last will and testament, which is, if I am ever incapacitated, please, oh, please, next page. Don't ever put me in on national television in that condition.

[Josh Holmes]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Michael Duncan]

And it's like, I guess I. I tell that story to say, like, it's such an abuse of somebody's right and to the consent to something to do this to somebody after.

[Josh Holmes]

Totally right. Totally right. It's anti intellectual. It's dumb at its finest. It's. It's the lowest form of a person who once had some star power, who was just trying to hold on to some relevance on a fucking sub stack where they're like, oh, no, please subscribe. Like, I guarantee you right now, as we're airing this, this cat Acosta is like, wow, what a great week.

[Comfortably Smug]

I know. He's so sick. It's so.

[Josh Holmes]

You know what I mean?

[John Ashbrook]

He's checking his subs.

[Josh Holmes]

He's like, what a great way. Do you guys see how much traction we got on that? People loved it. People were all about it. And it's like, no, no, you just did the worst thing. Yeah, like, that's why they're tuning in, because you're the worst person on earth. Congratulations.

[Comfortably Smug]

You are, Jim.

[Josh Holmes]

Congratulations. Like, you just verified every. All of our preconceived notions about who you are.

[Michael Duncan]

But you know what? He. All right, final thing I'll say on this, because I can't let it go. Maybe he's right.

[Josh Holmes]

Maybe that's who we are.

[Michael Duncan]

Maybe that's who those people are who subscribe to his substack. The people that, you know, canceled their subscriptions to the Washington Post and the New York Times if they write a straight news article about Donald Trump. When. When Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post, how many thousands of people can cancel their subscriptions? Yeah, because he put out a statement saying, we want to cover the economy.

[John Ashbrook]

We're cover the news.

[Michael Duncan]

We're going to cover the news. And they're like, how fucking dare you? I don't give you money to tell me the truth. I want you to lie to me and talk about how bad the orange man is.

[Comfortably Smug]

Say, the walls are closing in.

[Michael Duncan]

So I think Jim Acosta might kind of get it. Is that the left side of the map? Those people are fucking crazy and they're bad people and they'll give you money to tell them bad things.

[Josh Holmes]

Dude, you might not be wrong. Because the online left, it does seem to me, just by virtue of being in this ecosystem over the last couple of weeks, it's amazing how people for the better part of 20 years couldn't give a shit about Jeffrey Epstein as long as Bill Grant was on their flight lines. But as soon as they thought that they had something on Donald Trump, it's like they just inundate the comment section of every single thing that's ever been written, posted streamed or whatever. Bro.

[Michael Duncan]

Their hero is Luigi.

[Josh Holmes]

Absolutely. Yeah, exactly. You know, like they really are the lowest scum of.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean that's again it's like Mamdani. These people have gone pure lizard brain.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, let me get. I want a guy who died 10 years ago to speak from the grave in something that you create. His ideology you create.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's how macabre they are. You create sick people.

[Josh Holmes]

Like don't they have no way of knowing?

[Comfortably Smug]

Nope.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh God. It's just disgusting. But you know, here's the thing. There's others. There's others. So Terry Moran, remember last week at ABC or not last week, it was probably a couple months ago, he was dismissed from his long time.

[Comfortably Smug]

Isn't it French? I think it's Terry Moran.

[Michael Duncan]

Nice.

[Josh Holmes]

French.

[John Ashbrook]

Another serious newsman.

[Josh Holmes]

So listen, this guy was at ABC for a lot of years. I actually worked with him kotch like 20 years ago on a couple of different things and I didn't think he was that bad of a guy. Like I thought he.

[Comfortably Smug]

I trolled him a couple times and got him mad online. It was fun.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, but. But he like everybody else and became what the media became. You know they didn't start that way but you know they always were left leaning. But it just became during the Trump era, just unstoppable left wing activism. And he got fired cuz he was attacking.

[Comfortably Smug]

I love when the story ends that way.

[Josh Holmes]

He got fired basically cuz he was like personally attacking Stephen Miller as a bad human essentially.

[Comfortably Smug]

These people are really weird, you know.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. And it just like it got so far afield from his, what his job was. They were like okay, we can't defend this any longer. It's one thing when you're making up questions for a debate, you know, it's quite another when you're like going personally after a staff member of the President. Anyway, he got fired. He resurfaced this week in the New York Post. Do we have any clips of this or is that why he's just gonna read. It's just text. It's just text. Okay. All right. So this is according to the New York Post, disgraced former ABC News reporter Terry Moran. Mehran Maran Moran Admitted that his previous employer and other major news networks are biased against President Trump, accusing them of deafness in the newsroom.

[John Ashbrook]

Not wrong there.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, it's very interesting, right?

[Michael Duncan]

I mean, it's pot accuses kettle of being black.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, you could be very cynical about it and be like, yeah, I got fired. I gotta go get right.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, that's me.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Anyway, Mehran, it's a soft.

[Michael Duncan]

Again, soft day.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Mehran revealed that there were hardly any pro Trump journalists at ABC News in a recent post on where Substack.

[Michael Duncan]

Substack.

[Josh Holmes]

Unemployed officer. It's actually, dude, I will say to the American taxpayer, they're doing you a great benefit at Substack.

[Comfortably Smug]

They really are.

[Josh Holmes]

Because what they're doing is actually backfilling what would ordinarily be in the unemployment line.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

You know, like, typically you get. You collect unemployment once you get fired for a number of weeks. Something the Democrats have championed for years. When you can't do your job. And what they've done at Substack is just supplement that with an income.

[John Ashbrook]

They have created a cemetery for left wing journal careers. Each account is a different headstone and it has dates and it has a little saying about what that person meant to society.

[Michael Duncan]

Ashbrook is 100% right. My one bone to pick on it, though, is like when they start the sub stack for their thing, you can't dunk on it. I preferred when these journals lost their jobs, they would do a whole confessional on Twitter.

[Josh Holmes]

No, we need to get.

[Michael Duncan]

And then you got to, quote, tweet it and you know, they need to go through it.

[John Ashbrook]

But that's why they like it.

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, yeah. They like their safe space.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Because they're insulated and they can only pick on. On. You know, it basically recreates the echo chamber that they had their newsroom super quickly.

[Comfortably Smug]

Along those lines, when Jonathan Capehart got fired for being a loser.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, dude, that guy got Haste to, my friend.

[Comfortably Smug]

I quote, retweeted him. So hard of being like, you lost your job. Finally some good news, man. I was harvesting so many tears. All these literally, like, how dare you speak to Jonathan Capehart like that?

[Michael Duncan]

You know what I love about Smug is he can go through the Rolodex of fire journalists like Rain man counting toothpaste.

[Josh Holmes]

That's exactly right. That's exactly right.

[Michael Duncan]

Like, he knows the exact moment that all these people were fired.

[Josh Holmes]

So some of the comments that he made, though, are, I think, sort of instructive. And maybe it takes getting to the bottom of the barrel to Open the kimono. I mean, we could be cynical about it. But what he's saying is what Smash in particular has said for years. I worked at ABC news for almost 28 years. Think about that.

[John Ashbrook]

Right?

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, that's. That's a long time.

[John Ashbrook]

That's a long.

[Josh Holmes]

In any job, he did that on camera for many years.

[John Ashbrook]

You start with Peter Jennings and Sam Donaldson.

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh, man.

[Josh Holmes]

Exactly. Think about that. And I'm proud to say that a lot of good people do a lot of really good work there, and they try hard to get the story right. There were many days over the years, I'd watch a colleague at work on camera behind the scenes, and I'd think, that's how you do this. Moran wrote in a substack post this week. But were we biased? Yes, almost. Almost. That's the key word that he uses here, almost inadvertently.

[Michael Duncan]

Bullshit. Bullshit. Fuck you.

[Josh Holmes]

Yep.

[Michael Duncan]

I mean, like, this is like a guy being like, you know, I was in the ss, but I was just following orders, you know, what can I do? You know, like. Like, here's the thing. It requires zero courage to get fucking fired. And then talk about how bad the place you worked at was. And not for nothing, but when I did that sports press conference, it was this woman from ABC News who was asking the Jeffrey Epstein question, of course, except the question, not the question about the NCAA or nil or pertinent to the actual, you know, conversation. They haven't changed a goddamn anything like that.

[Josh Holmes]

They haven't changed anything since he got fired. They just fired him because he became too heavy.

[Michael Duncan]

Right, Right.

[John Ashbrook]

And I can't. I won't argue with what you just said, Michael, but I think that the rest of his comment validates something that we have harped on here at the ruthless Ferretti program for a very long time. He says ABC News has the same problem so many leading cultural institutions do in America. A lack of viewpoint diversity. The problem with every single one of these news outlets is that it is 97% Dem. If they had 50% Democrat, 50% Republican, the stories would reflect that. The stories would be more like what the rest of America thinks and wants to. Wants to read on a daily basis.

[Michael Duncan]

But I guess that's kind of. My point is, like, this lack of viewpoint diversity that he points out is incongruent with his previous statement of how this is almost inadvertent.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yep.

[Michael Duncan]

It's not inadvertent. To get a newsroom like, they're a victim is a purposeful thing you did.

[Josh Holmes]

They're the victim of the choices that they made. But also, even worse than that.

[Michael Duncan]

It's not inadvertent.

[Josh Holmes]

Even worse than that is it wasn't a problem until he got fired.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

He wasn't gonna say a fucking word.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

He wasn't gonna say anything.

[Michael Duncan]

Just following orders.

[Josh Holmes]

He had no problem with that, abc. In fact, he defended to the hilt that ABC News debate that we broke down on this show, which, by the way, if you ever wanna see excellence in journalism, go back and check that one out. It's one of our best. But, like, they defended all that to the hilt. It wasn't until he got his pink slip.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

That he was like, we had a problem. Yeah, you had a problem. Yeah, you had a problem. And the problem became your problem. That was the first time you were willing to talk about it. And you have some responsibility in a public medium to say truth.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, exactly, dude. And then even behind the scenes, you know that these news organizations are full of senior people who have been there for years, and then anytime a junior person pipes up and says, ah, you know what? Donald Trump is really catching fire in some of these states. You know, he's getting. Getting a lot of minority votes. They're like, bullshit. Why do you even believe those Republican talking points? Like, the kid isn't even allowed to talk.

[Michael Duncan]

Yep.

[John Ashbrook]

There is no voice for the 77 million people who voted for Donald Trump and who ostensibly without their consent, license, these broadcast networks. So they're able to use the public airwaves on a daily basis. Yeah, that's exactly how broadcast news works. They have licensing agreements with the public to be able to use the airwaves that belong to you to send you propaganda from the left. People have a reason to be furious. And these networks have a reason to be scared.

[Josh Holmes]

No, look, it's all very well said. This thing encapsulates itself, our media, in one of the, like, the best ironies of all ironies, which is the Washington Post. I mean, it's gotten so bad that, like, even Politico is dunking on this outfit.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's tough.

[Josh Holmes]

You know, like, oh, 100 journals have left. None of gone to Politico, by the way. I mean, that tells you something about that situation too, but like, real, real.

[Michael Duncan]

Race to the bottom.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, right. But like, they're like, oh, 100 journals have left the Washington Post. It's a mass exodus. And they're doing like the. They have like a journal count. It's like this hilarious insidery thing that if you were in media in Washington, D.C. that you would Watch and see happening. But the best was Politico print it. That even the obit writers are jumping ship in the Washington Post. Like, the people. Like, the vocational death cannot be reported on the real deaths anymore because it just doesn't work.

[Michael Duncan]

So if you did write obits for the Washington Post and it was your last day, would you write an obit for your own career and, like, sneak it into the newspaper? It would be a funny goof.

[Josh Holmes]

It would be a funny goof, but, you know, it's too much humor for them. Oh, you know. Because if you see and I don't listen, none of you who are listening to this follow this stuff on AX or whatever, because you probably don't follow these people. But there's been a hilarious cacophony of almost daily entries into acts about. Well, today's my last day, so proud of all the work we've done.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's my favorite genre of Post.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

Honestly, it's the best.

[Josh Holmes]

It's.

[Comfortably Smug]

If there's no other reason, sign up to X to see these because it's the sweetest thing.

[Michael Duncan]

I hate Bezos, but I'm also taking his buyout.

[Josh Holmes]

But this is the best. It looks like it's time to submit a death notice for the Washington Post's obituary session.

[John Ashbrook]

Oh, man.

[Josh Holmes]

I'll give Politico credit for that.

[John Ashbrook]

It's good writing.

[Josh Holmes]

That's good writing.

[Michael Duncan]

It's good.

[Josh Holmes]

This is good. The paper's longtime obit chief, Adam Bernstein, announced Tuesday that he was joining the New York Times. I love that there is a genre for this, right? Like, it's. It's like, we talk about. What's so hilarious about DC is that every, like, niche organization, like Big Christmas Tree, has representation, like, in the media. Oh, he's the premier obit guy.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Like, what makes that. You're like, I don't know, you got your name. The guy died, and there he was. And so there's the services at the bottom.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, there's like, how fucking complicated.

[Josh Holmes]

How could this guy be the New York Times or the Washington Post? Like, what makes this guy a special obit guy? I feel like I could do this tonight. This could be done by AI. No question.

[Comfortably Smug]

You never want your family to be contacted by a journal, but you never want your family contacted by one of these guys.

[Josh Holmes]

The obit guy.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah. Can you tell me about him? He croaked.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

No, no.

[Josh Holmes]

The second to worst thing being called by Brody Mullins is the Washington Post obit guy.

[Comfortably Smug]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

Because then, you know, it's Actually, I.

[Comfortably Smug]

Haven'T gotten word yet.

[Michael Duncan]

What?

[Josh Holmes]

You're like, what?

[John Ashbrook]

But who else is gonna attack Republicans after they die and then write austere religious scholars? Oh, yeah, who else is gonna do that?

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, you know what? You're right.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah. Never forget, these people are animals.

[Michael Duncan]

The only person who likes getting a call from the obit rider is isis.

[Comfortably Smug]

Exactly right.

[Michael Duncan]

Because they know they're gonna get a fair shake.

[Josh Holmes]

We're gonna get a fair shake on this. Well, what does Hamas have to say about it in testimonials? Osama bin Laden.

[Michael Duncan]

Hero, martyred today.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, honestly, they probably had, like, job cuts in ISIS where they're like, we don't need a press release guy. Apparently, someone at the Washington Post will do it for us.

[Josh Holmes]

Dude, it's very funny, but apparently even the obit page is, like, gonzo at some level. Like, they've lost the sports person. They did lose. Damn balls. I will say, like, look, I know not everybody is a longtime consumer of political press, but when I got started, it wasn't this bad. It just wasn't. You disagree with these people. They were always a little bit of the left, but they would sit down and they would let you make an argument, and occasionally you won the argument, and occasionally they would give you your benefit of the doubt. And Dan Balz was one of those guys. He's out, of course. He's graduated on because he's retiring. You know, there are a handful of others, I guess, that are left. But when you're getting to the point where you can't even feel the. What's gonna become of this thing? I feel like we can walk over to Bezos and flip a nickel in his bucket and be like, hey, we'll take it.

[Comfortably Smug]

The best thing to do with these people. It doesn't matter whether they're obit riders over at WaPo or what is have them delivering packages. Like, that's the only use they can provide. Jeff Bezos, delivering packages, you know, like, send them to the warehouse. Provide some utility to society, you know?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, but they only have the reach in their database equivalent to, like, the first hour of our podcast release.

[Comfortably Smug]

Well, I mean, here's the thing. They'd also be terrible at the job. Like, these journos at WaPo have never worked an honest day in their life. Imagine them trying to work in a warehouse. You know, they can't do anything. Fire all of them and jail them. Honestly, that's the best use for them.

[Michael Duncan]

I think we've danced on their graves long enough, and I think we need to get in the prediction business here.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, this is something that you've conjured up that we've toyed around with for a number of weeks.

[Michael Duncan]

Yes. A new segment.

[Josh Holmes]

And it is a new segment, and I love it. What do we have, Michael?

[Michael Duncan]

Well, we're calling it the Hot Seat.

[Josh Holmes]

The Hot Seat. Yeah, the Hot seat. So now we've got all of the problems that you're. You've seen play out.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. Who is next? Who, who is going to get fired next in liberal media? Who is on the hot seat?

[John Ashbrook]

Ooh, let's put up some graphics. Oh.

[Michael Duncan]

Seth Meyers.

[Josh Holmes]

Whoa. Seth Meyers. Now this is a. I didn't know about this before you put it up, but I do think that this is an excellent prediction. Who came up with this?

[Michael Duncan]

Well, I think John Ashbrook did. You know, he's friends with all these journos.

[John Ashbrook]

There are a lot of rumors going around. You know, there's a lot of chatter that happens behind the scenes before anything makes it to print. And the Seth Meyers prediction actually has made it to print. I know Michael has been following the story very closely.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. So in USA Today, Seth Meyers gave an interview and said he reveals concern about his show being canceled. Quote, I would worry about myself. You know, he talks about how there might not be a place for this sort of medium anymore, this late night comedy show, that he might fall victim the same way Colbert did.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, he could. Do you think it's like taking a third rate Democratic spokesperson on late night television that might lead an audience to conclude that perhaps this is an activist show?

[Michael Duncan]

He hears the footsteps. He hears the footsteps.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, that's interesting. Yeah, it's interesting. I can't even imagine how guys like this get talked into it and like Colbert. Look, he made his own bet. He made a ton of money. He did whatever he chose. And I think that's to a certain extent Seth Meyers too. But he was a part of Saturday Night Live cast. He obviously understood comedy and mediums and like work with Jimmy Fallon, who I think is not doing it that way by any, by any stretch of the imagination, but this is somebody who chose. And I found it Amazing in the 2020 election, the 22, in the 2024 election, how they would have. Not just like substandard guests, but like, if you would have told me when I started in politics that I could get like a just a rank and file Republican candidate and broadcast late night television, never would, I would have been like, fuck you. I mean, we worked for the fucking majority Leader of the Senate. There was no chance that you could get him on primetime broadcast no matter what you did.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

But these guys made a decision at some point to forego comedy.

[Michael Duncan]

I think it's the same thing that happened to Howard Stern. Like, I would bet you that a guy like this gets into this role and he's like, this is perfect for me. This is easy street. I get to do entertainment. I get to do, there's a fun band. We're gonna have interesting guests, live audience. It's gonna be just like my whole career. I get to sit back and just ask. And then it creeps in the politics, right?

[Josh Holmes]

And it's something that has to have that. It can't just be the host this used to be.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's quite literally the easiest job in all of showbiz, especially coming from, like, snl. Folks, many of our listeners are too young to remember. Before 2016, before Donald Trump won, the entertainment industry was focused on entertainment, entertaining the audience. SNL used to be funny. I promise you. It really did. These late night shows used to be, I want to get a laugh and then I want to go to sleep and I wake up and I go to work. So Seth Meyers came from snl. It used to be, okay, you have a team of writers back there who are going to write a bunch of jokes and one liners that you open your show with. Then you've got some Hollywood star who's got a movie coming in theaters this weekend, and you're going to ask them some like, you know, fluff, nonsense questions, and then everyone goes to sleep. That's it. That's all.

[Michael Duncan]

In the era of Donald Trump, the HR departments everywhere took over. And now suddenly every celebrity, every host of a late night show, well, now you've got a responsibility. You've got a responsibility of your platform.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yep.

[Michael Duncan]

Who are you choosing to platform Bingo. Right? Like, that's what it becomes. And these people start to get the big head. And it's like what Carson said is like being late night was about entertaining people before they go to sleep.

[John Ashbrook]

Not. Not a sermon. And. And Stephen Colbert gets canceled, does his going out of business sale of a show, and he's like, who am I gonna platform? Alyssa Slotkin, a freshman Democrat from Michigan who nobody's ever hear, she needs to be on the show tonight.

[Comfortably Smug]

The funniest is then the following day she sends out a tweet being like, I want to apologize for missing a dozen votes in the Senate last night. I was unable to be there.

[Josh Holmes]

Here's how I would stand with Hamas. That was the best part.

[Comfortably Smug]

All her replies were like, you idiot, we know you were on a late night show instead of doing your job in the Senate.

[Josh Holmes]

That was the best, one of the best statements I've ever seen. She was like, oh, I'm so sorry I missed all the votes. No contact. She was on Colbert, which a freshman senator has been there for a cup of coffee on the show that, you know, basically it was a Letterman construct with cbs. Like this, like, valued commodity, this person who has done literally nothing in her congressional career is the guess. But she doesn't explain that. She says, I've thought a lot about the issues that I was voting on yesterday and I've struggled with it greatly. But ultimately I'm gonna come down on the side of Hamas decision.

[Comfortably Smug]

She's putting up a jersey. Hamas.

[Josh Holmes]

That's gonna go, dude, it was so good. But it is, it's a per. So thank you for the hot seat.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, I think we should keep that going.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's a good one, I think.

[Josh Holmes]

Dude, I'll be shocked if he's not the next. I think that's a very, very good call. Our question of the day is to you. When you like and subscribe to the ruthless variety program and you put your comments in there and put them in there. Let's get creative on this stuff. I've noticed a lot of people you're talking about a lot of different things. We read everything, so we get involved with all the different things. But the question of the day is kind of important because you show up in the show when you do that, and if you make it creative, we're going to make a big deal out of it. So respond to that. Who's the next to get fired? Who's the next liberal media personality that is gonna get fired as a result of their just complete neglect for half of this country?

[Michael Duncan]

I mean, you could just look through the ratings of MSNBC and you could pick one.

[Josh Holmes]

You could pick one. But make a case. Do it. Make it funny. Don't suck. I'm serious. Don't suck. I mean this for real. I've looked through some of the comments. Some of them suck. Like, don't suck. Like, be funny. They put some thought into it because I read every single one of the. All of you. All of us. Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

You know, bring a game.

[Josh Holmes]

Like, I don't want to know what you have for breakfast this morning. Like, tell us what the answer is to the who gets fired? And let's get a creative story. Go put some thought into It. Let's make it happen. All right, so anyway, our last question of the day was, where should Dems hold their next fundraiser and what should their pitch be? You recall on Tuesday we talked a lot about what's this cat? New Mexico.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. Martin Heinrich.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, we broke the news on this.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, Martin Heinrich, a senator from New Mexico who's a Democrat, is holding a fundraiser in Mexico in the resort town of Playa del Carmen, where he will celebrate with his biggest donors his reelection from last November.

[Comfortably Smug]

Incredible.

[Michael Duncan]

It's like Smug said in that episode. I loved it when he was like, don't hate the Playa, hate the game.

[Josh Holmes]

It was so good. So we were like, how do you go about. And the billionaire on the lib side is just so gullible. They'll go for anything. So we open it up to you. I'm happy to report many of you answered the bell. To do that, we start with the voice.

[John Ashbrook]

First comment comes from Benny Armstrong. And Benny writes Swalwell and Cuck. Cuck Kinzinger will host a group of men at a dude ranch in Montana or Wyoming to discover their manliness.

[Josh Holmes]

Great comment.

[Michael Duncan]

I didn't know Brokeback Mountain was in Wyoming.

[Josh Holmes]

So good. I love it. What else we got? Dunks.

[Michael Duncan]

This is from Biggest. Biggest writes they should hold it after December in the third world country of New York City, catered by the government run grocery stores. Discuss how the community how to communicate the positives of no police winning strategy for midterms. How could they not donate? By the way, Kim Jong Un didn't like the fitness test either and he turned out okay.

[Josh Holmes]

What a great comment. Vegas bringing the heat. All right, Smug, what else do we have?

[Comfortably Smug]

Comment 3 is from buyer Outdoor and Buyer writes, this can't be just a one pitch meeting destination. It has to be like a bar hop tour or a vineyard hop, as the elites might say. There'll be a stop in Ohio for a train safety pitch. Oh, man. California for a fire safety pitch. Man. Then go international to Gaza for a humanitarian aid pitch. And finishing in China for a freedom of speech pitch.

[Michael Duncan]

That is.

[Josh Holmes]

And around the world.

[Comfortably Smug]

Perfect.

[Josh Holmes]

An around the world buyer.

[John Ashbrook]

I love it.

[Josh Holmes]

That's really good stuff. So keep it coming. Make it funny, make it good, make it thoughtful. Either way, we're gonna read them all. And I just wanna be entertained, to be honest with you. This is a selfish pitch, but it's a pitch that, I mean. Anyway, so something happened here this week in the District of Columbia that is something that people in D.C. have been dealing with quite some Time. There's a lot of violence here. The irony of this is not lost on me in that Big Balls, remember all the shit this guy got?

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, this is the Doge guy.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. So Big Balls was the sort of, I guess, nickname for a guy who worked at Doge who was doing some of the analytics work. Incredibly valuable human being, for a variety of reasons now, more than we thought before, was attacked, and he was attacked because he was trying to save a young woman from. I don't know exactly what was going on. It was a carjacking. I think it was a carjack. I mean, it's. Look, all the details are a little bit fuzzy, but there was a group of young individuals who are trying to accost in one way or another, a young woman. This guy, Big Balls, intervened.

[Michael Duncan]

Living up to his name.

[Josh Holmes]

Yes, Big Balls. He was savagely attacked.

[Michael Duncan]

Geez.

[Josh Holmes]

And it made a lot of news. Two teens were ultimately arrested following the attempt. It was a carjack.

[John Ashbrook]

You're right.

[Josh Holmes]

Smug. It was a carjacking attempt. I don't know if he knew that or not, but he was trying to save this young woman from being accosted by people. This is ultimately the picture of what he looks like if you're on the youtubes. He got beaten down pretty bad.

[Comfortably Smug]

Concussion, eight people who attacked him. So, like from the story, the police report said that him, this lady, were walking to the car when they got attacked by eight of these teenagers. And he throws her in the car, closes the door, has her lock it, while he tries to fend off eight of these people.

[Josh Holmes]

And he gets beaten down like crazy. He's hurt, severely concussed and everything. You saw Elon weigh in on this. Obviously, he was part of the operation that hired him at 3am apparently, this is all happening in Logan Circle in D.C. but it conjures up the same old, same old problem that you have in the nation's capital city that Donald Trump has been pretty vocal about, which is this is the capital of the United States of America. It's not enough to run it like a third world country, even New York City. I would argue maybe if I live there, that it shouldn't. Like this is. You're degenerating the value of what the outside world sees when you elect somebody like Mamdani or whatever, but in D.C. you have a real impetus behind making sure that the outside world, when they visit here understands that it's the capital of the free world. And there's been this large debate years in the making. The constitution talked about D.C. as a federally controlled and operated by the Congress territory. There was only a federal territory. It wasn't operated by a mayor and city council as it is now. And so Musk offers up federal control right away. I've advocated for this literally for as long as I've lived here.

[Comfortably Smug]

So D.C. is a horrible and disgusting place that Democrats who run the show and try to stop law and order have turned into this disgusting place. Rapes and sexual assaults are common on the subway system here. Shootings are common, carjackings are common, and it can happen anywhere. I've told you guys the story. A friend told me that their buddy is coming home with his wife after she's just delivered the baby, right? They have. They're going home from the hospital, they get carjacked. And his friend says, please, let me just grab my kid from the back so you're not hit with a kidnapping. So they don't take the kid, they take the car. They get a call from police, oh, the car was found a day later because it was used in a drive by. It's covered in bullets. This DC is like a no man's land of crime and shooting and carjackings. And the local politicians are fine with it. They're indifferent when you visit this place. Decriminalized crime here, there's drugs, there's homeless people everywhere. It makes America look like a mess, like a fallen country.

[Michael Duncan]

And it's especially a mess during the summer when you've got these, like, bands of teenagers who don't have anything better to do and they're not in school and they're out in these gangs doing mischief.

[Comfortably Smug]

Do you guys remember rolling like 50, 60, 100 deep. Just like mobs that march around, just like robbing and beating people and running up into like a drugstore or convenience store, stealing everything, going out because they know, huh, we have no consequences, right?

[Michael Duncan]

No one's gonna arrest me. And I remember the 4th of July. There were these kids on motorbikes.

[Josh Holmes]

This is it with ATVs.

[Michael Duncan]

ATVs. And they've got Roman candles. And they're shooting them. Not in the air. They're shooting them on the patios, into bars, at people down the streets of D.C. right then driving off. And they're not surprised because here's the.

[Comfortably Smug]

Thing is if you. If a police officer stops them or something, they all get camera phones. Like, this is racism in action. And then all the local politicians try to get the cop fired. There's no law in D.C. and then.

[Michael Duncan]

Those same politicians will tell you, well, actually, crime's down in this year. And the reality is they just don't enforce the law. They don't put anyone in jail, and so none of their statistics actually matter. And it goes back to, like. Remember when Giuliani was tough on crime in New York City? What did he say? He was like, like, broken window theory is like, once you tell everybody that the broken window is okay, it's a permission structure, that this is a lawless place, and I can get away with anything, and that's what D.C. has become.

[John Ashbrook]

And I will tell you, like, given everything that you said, what a hero this kid is, that he sized up the situation. Do you think we're gonna get a.

[Josh Holmes]

Segment on MSNBC about how he's a hero after two months of denigrating him for a nickname that somebody came up with?

[Michael Duncan]

No chance.

[John Ashbrook]

No chance.

[Josh Holmes]

Do you think that's going to happen?

[John Ashbrook]

No chance. Because they hate people who protect the weak. This guy protected that girl from having suffering the same fate that he was. He knew. He sees eight guys rolling out, and he's like, I better get her in the car to keep her safe. And I. And like, let's roll.

[Comfortably Smug]

I'm surprised they're calling him a white supremacist. They're like, oh, my God, this white supremacist racist. These brave children, these minorities are victims.

[Josh Holmes]

No, it'll come. That will eventually come to the D.C. city Council. What you just discussed, what you just said, that will actually be. It just won't be national headlines.

[John Ashbrook]

Right?

[Josh Holmes]

Like that. What you just said is like, oh, he's a white supremacist, and those kids.

[Comfortably Smug]

Are gonna sue the city, and the city's gonna cut him a cheat.

[John Ashbrook]

He knows what the media is gonna write about him because he's been fighting. He's been fighting to protect tax dollars, and he has gotten those same headlines over and over and over. He knows what the media is gonna write about. I mean, he knows what eight guys up against one is going to do, and yet he put that girl in the car and protected her anyway. This guy is a hero. And this is exactly what young dudes. This is bravery.

[Comfortably Smug]

This is what young dudes do.

[Josh Holmes]

This is courage.

[John Ashbrook]

This is what young dudes. Yeah, this is exactly. This is something to aspire to.

[Josh Holmes]

It totally is. But I want to make it very clear. I know there's a lot of controversy about this. I know it breaks a lot of China. Federalized D.C. yep, please. Yeah, federalized D.C. send in the troops. It is a human suck off of every single taxpayer in D.C. the fact that there is a city council and a mayor that make decisions where the resources go and that they don't have a safe city to be in. I came here when it was bad. It got so much better. And there was a brief period of time before COVID where you could see a light at the end of the tunnel.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Where it was actually a vibrant city the likes of which you want a capital city of the United States to be. And then we couldn't go to our office because there was burning fucking cars out front. And then there was more attention paid to how many times you painted Black Lives Matter Avenue than there was to street roving street gangs of ATVs. And now we've gotten to a point where they took the Black Lives Matter Avenue off because they didn't want to piss off Trump. But I'm telling you, Trump is just threatening right now. He's saying if they don't clean up their act, I'm saying they're not going to clean up their act.

[Comfortably Smug]

They're not doing it immediately.

[Josh Holmes]

And if they're not, they're not cleaning up their act now, they're never going to do it. They're just biding their time to the next progressive administration where this thing goes back to a third world country. And if you care at all about showing your kids the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Declaration of Independence, showing American history and teaching, because God knows your public schools are struggling with that right now. Now, if you're thinking about that, you should advocate for the same thing, too, on the other side. Just pure crass, political. Every time you give them a little bit of a window in not federalizing D.C. you see what you had in 2021 where the House of Representatives tried to make D.C. a state. And the only thing that they care about, it's an ungoverned. It's basically the same governance that you would have in Uganda. Yeah, it's completely ungovernable from the standpoint of the city council.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's like that city council guy just got elected, the one who got his job back after he got charged and convicted of corruption.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's third world country, fake government.

[John Ashbrook]

Here's the thing, by the way, if you're sitting there thinking, oh, man, it's a big ask for Trump to federalize the city. You have to remember that the tax dollars that you pay, they're going there, go out to D.C. in the form of an appropriations bill that takes your money every single April 15th and gives it to the government of Washington, D.C. a bunch of people. You're paying for this city. It should belong to you.

[Josh Holmes]

Exactly. That's exactly.

[Comfortably Smug]

You're already paying for a military. They should send in the troops. We should have troops everywhere. We should have tanks in the streets.

[Josh Holmes]

President Trump, if you're listening, President Trump.

[Comfortably Smug]

If you're listening, send in the troops.

[Josh Holmes]

Oops. Let's do it. Let's get this thing done. All right. On the other side of things, Democrats, well, they're not so much interested in the safety of anybody. They're trying to skirt around rules.

[John Ashbrook]

Yep.

[Josh Holmes]

We talked about this a little bit last cycle with Tammy Baldwin. These progressive relationships.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, this was Ashbrook's hobby horse, I remember.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. The progressive relationship where you don't, you don't need to get married so much that you do just sort of like hang out with the same person for 15 years. And if you do that, then, well, there's multiple benefits to it. For one, you can never be committed, which is something that a progressive is intimately familiar with. And second of all, you can also get around congressional ethics rules. And this is something that Tammy Baldwin, who was just reelected, ungodly, I can't believe Wisconsin did that, has done with her. Is it even a domestic partner? What do we call this lady?

[John Ashbrook]

I'm not, I'm not exactly sure what their current status is, but the relationship is structured such that Tammy Baldwin's significant other is not required to disclose all of her financial holdings, even those that stand to benefit from her position as a highly ranking member of certain committees.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay, so basically her lesbian lover runs a bunch of hedge funds or something like that.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think she's wealth advisor Goldman or.

[Josh Holmes]

Something like that, or a wealth advisor or something like that. But she sits on top of investment decisions one way or another that have to do with like health care and things that her other significant other, her.

[Comfortably Smug]

She's like, I offer investment advice on the committees, my lesbian lovers and so on in the same.

[Josh Holmes]

And like the laws of the United States passed in the wake of 08 and all the scandal that we saw with people like insider trading and everything else were basically to make sure that you couldn't do that. But by virtue of these new progressive sort of things that we do in America, we can never make it official and we can get around all of that.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

So Tammy Baldwin skates by, gets reelected to the United States Senate from the great state of Wisconsin because her significant lover and all of the income and all of the largesse that comes in to pay for her decision making in the Senate is fine. Well, it turns out, like, AOC is kind of doing something right.

[John Ashbrook]

Democrats are making a mockery of transparency. They're making a mockery of what you expect your government to do. They joke about it behind the scenes. They call it the poop hole loophole among Democrats.

[Michael Duncan]

What?

[John Ashbrook]

That's what they call it.

[Comfortably Smug]

What?

[John Ashbrook]

That's what they call it.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's insane. What?

[Josh Holmes]

Wait, wait.

[John Ashbrook]

This is what Democrats call it.

[Josh Holmes]

Hold on. I don't.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's the wildest shit I've ever heard. Literally.

[John Ashbrook]

That's what they say behind the scenes.

[Josh Holmes]

Who says this?

[John Ashbrook]

Every Democrat.

[Comfortably Smug]

I just. That just happened.

[Josh Holmes]

I don't know how to respond. That is.

[John Ashbrook]

That's what they call it. And they get away with it.

[Josh Holmes]

I can. I can say with 100% assurance that's the first time that I've heard that.

[John Ashbrook]

Because they keep it secret.

[Josh Holmes]

Jesus Christ. I'm sorry. This.

[Michael Duncan]

Ashbrook. How about a heads up before you derail the whole episode?

[John Ashbrook]

I'm sorry. I'm. Breaking news. This is what they call it.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay?

[John Ashbrook]

They're taking advantage of you.

[Michael Duncan]

I've literally never heard this.

[Comfortably Smug]

Well, I'm never gonna forget it now.

[Josh Holmes]

I'm not sure I can go on.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, can we get to the rest.

[Comfortably Smug]

Of the story after I.

[Josh Holmes]

Sure, I can wait. Hold on. Okay, so let me just try. Let me attempt.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, let's go through the details and just think about what they call this.

[Josh Holmes]

This.

[John Ashbrook]

As you hear the details that Josh is about to read.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay, so aoc, she. So you remember this whole controversy about her going to the Met gala for free?

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, yeah, yeah. She wore that white dress that said tax the rich on it.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, she wore the dress.

[Michael Duncan]

But doesn't it cost, like, thousands of dollars?

[Comfortably Smug]

The dress, the tickets, $35,000.

[Michael Duncan]

Geez.

[Josh Holmes]

Right, so. And like, she claims to be this, like, poor person who, you know, can't do all these things. And like, we all know that that's. None of that is true. But she PJs and everything.

[Comfortably Smug]

And also, like, her lover, the weird redhead, he got a ticket too, for 35,000. They're like, no, no, no, That's. That's legal. That's acceptable. That's part of the problem right here.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, so what's happened is because the gift was to him. Because the tickets were a gift to him. Well, and they're not in bonded because.

[Michael Duncan]

They are not married in a traditional marriage.

[Comfortably Smug]

The poo poo loophole.

[John Ashbrook]

Now you see why they call it that.

[Josh Holmes]

I don't understand.

[Michael Duncan]

It's a heterosexual couple.

[Josh Holmes]

You don't know.

[Michael Duncan]

This doesn't.

[Comfortably Smug]

He's a lib, dude.

[Josh Holmes]

You don't know.

[John Ashbrook]

He's covering for them.

[Josh Holmes]

You don't have any idea.

[John Ashbrook]

Found the lib.

[Josh Holmes]

How dare you?

[Michael Duncan]

How dare me? This is off the rails.

[Josh Holmes]

You don't have any idea. Nobody has suggested pronouns.

[Comfortably Smug]

Classic pl.

[John Ashbrook]

They get away with it.

[Josh Holmes]

There are drawbacks, and this is the. I can't. I'm not sure I can figure that. Finish the segment. There are drawbacks to being a congressional spouse, such as having to disclose one's sources of income and financial holdings, but her significant other is not because of this new sort of arrangement, shall we say?

[John Ashbrook]

That's exactly right.

[Josh Holmes]

And that's what we call the poop hole loophole.

[John Ashbrook]

This is what Democrats do to you.

[Comfortably Smug]

They get away with it.

[Josh Holmes]

I think it's time to play a game, because I can't do another news story. I literally can't. I can't read anything else. I don't know what to do. I'm just. I. I'm just gonna try to turn my brain off.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think that's right.

[Michael Duncan]

It's Thursday, and that means only one thing. King of the hill.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

I am the bailiff today. Ashbrook is the judge. Our champion, comfortably smug, has Jennifer. Brain worms. Ruben and Holmes, who are you bringing to the table?

[Josh Holmes]

I'm gonna go George Conway today.

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, I'm actually surprised by that.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay.

[Michael Duncan]

Because I saw some hot fire from Joe Walsh recently. And, you know, now that we do this show as frequently as we do when I'm like, late at night and I'm scrolling and I see something like that, I chuckle to myself and I'm like, I hope Holmes sees this.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, I know, I know, I know. And we can't share them with one of. I will say that I did see that, but I also. What I like about this game is also bringing in, like, there was a. Like, a year period of time where we played the same people over and over.

[Michael Duncan]

Being unpredictable is good.

[Josh Holmes]

I like.

[Michael Duncan]

I bring in Philopowski, you know, spreading the wealth a little bit sometimes. Sometimes people can't forget about George.

[John Ashbrook]

Nope.

[Josh Holmes]

Fighting George.

[Michael Duncan]

Fighting George. Well, let's go ringside.

[John Ashbrook]

Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please. It's time for King of the Hill. In the red corner, fighting from the op Ed pages of the New York Times Times, skinny George Conway. And now, in the blue corner, fighting from her own blue sky account, and current champion of the world, our queen, Jennifer Rain Worms Reuben.

[Josh Holmes]

Well done. Well done. Championship. You have the obligation.

[Comfortably Smug]

I'm going to go with exhibit One, please. Jennifer Rubin writes, decent person thinks Trump is a fascist bully willing to kill the planet. Decent person decides, well, I can strike a blow for democracy by not taking a vacation in US not going to US For World cup and not going to Olympics. Instead, I will go to Nice Canada. Her take is only if you're decent, you agree to boycott America.

[Josh Holmes]

Feel like she's piggybacking on last week's victory. On that one. She knew what won. She knew what won.

[John Ashbrook]

It's possible.

[Michael Duncan]

I like strike a blow for democracy.

[Josh Holmes]

You strike a blow.

[Michael Duncan]

It's a war for democracy in her. In her mind. In her mind palace. Just as diseased as ever.

[Josh Holmes]

Not to be confused for the poop hole loophole.

[Comfortably Smug]

There you go.

[Josh Holmes]

Strike it a blow. Okay, George Conway, so He, in Exhibit 12, please, has retweeted something that is very predictable for a George Conway type figure in something from the bulwark that, you know, this is a mind trap that they all live in. And it's summarizing what it is that is in the Bulwark. It's talking about how the Democratic Party is at an all time low ebb in terms of its approval rating. A lot of people hate Republicans because a lot of those very same people hate Democrats because Democrats have been so ineffective at fighting evil.

[Michael Duncan]

I think point of order there, Council. I think you, you misread the first full sentence. Can you read that first sentence?

[Josh Holmes]

A lot of people hate the Republicans because they are evil. A lot of those very same people hate Democrats because the Democrats have been so ineffective in fighting evil. So like, look, we.

[Michael Duncan]

Bro, he's a Republican and he's just called all Republicans evil.

[Josh Holmes]

But not only that, but like the full, like, packaging, the full Amazon packaging of the Democratic Party as if it's not doing anything wrong other than not attacking more Republicans is completely hilarious to me from a Republican perspective.

[John Ashbrook]

It is. And I will tell you, I think Skinny George is out of line with his attack on Republicans. And it's especially awkward from a guy who used to be a Republican or claims to be a Republican. However, it does not rise to the level of Jen Rubin's attack on all of America and the Olympics and the World cup and saying, she's going to move to Canada. She's not going to move to Canada. So round one, Jen Rubin.

[Michael Duncan]

Smart play.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay?

[Michael Duncan]

Smart play. Smug. Knows his judge.

[Josh Holmes]

He does.

[Michael Duncan]

He's a soft spot for the Olympics.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, he certainly does. I thought maybe it wore thin, but we're back again. Anyway, Exhibit 7 is a picture, of course, that he's tweeting out from C span of the President United States on the roof of the White House. George Conway's take is, Mr. President, many of your detractors say you can't fly. What is your response to.

[John Ashbrook]

Oh, my God?

[Michael Duncan]

Okay, honestly, as a fan of dark humor, that's kind of funny.

[Josh Holmes]

That's kind of funny. Yeah, I think. I mean, it does.

[Michael Duncan]

It does a weird thing for a former Republican to say, but. But it is kind of funny.

[Comfortably Smug]

I'm gonna go for a two round knockout. Can I get exhibit three, please? Jen Rubin tweeting out a photo of Mamdani says Dem politicians who won't back him for fear of offending Jewish voters are confused and wrong. The polls need to catch up. Oh, this was the conservative writer for the Washington Post. Guys, you gotta back Memdani. That's the conservative case from Umdani.

[Michael Duncan]

Jennifer Rubin is a Jewish American, correct?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. And for many years. At the risk of undermining my case, she was a pro Israel.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. Pro Israel.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

Here's the thing. I thought for sure this round was about to go to George Conway for encouraging the President of the United States to commit suicide. However, a former Republican now supporting the Ugandan Communist running for mayor of New. Not even every Democrat supports this.

[Josh Holmes]

That's the thing. I mean.

[John Ashbrook]

And now. Now she's all in on Mom Donnie. I mean, why?

[Michael Duncan]

She's the queen.

[John Ashbrook]

It's a two round knockout. It's. I mean.

[Comfortably Smug]

Good.

[John Ashbrook]

Good try, Conway. I'm sure he's going to bring more.

[Michael Duncan]

Fairly decided.

[Josh Holmes]

I get it. I get it. Was fairly decided. I concede. She is the queen for a reason. She is the queen for the reason. All right, so you want some animal news?

[Comfortably Smug]

Yes, always.

[Josh Holmes]

So there's a very interesting thing happening at USDA. They have decided, according to variety.com, that Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver fighting in marriage story, it's a movie. Is being used by the USDA to scare off wolves and save cattle. They need to know humans are bad. Is the quote Right. So ridiculous. I don't know if we have. We probably don't have any clips, but is there audio of this thing? We probably don't have any audio anyway. There's audio of Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver. I think you've probably seen it.

[Michael Duncan]

You've seen this clip of them fighting?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, it's like it just. And he's punching the wall and just a toxic relationship. Great acting, I might add, in that. They're screaming back and forth just like a couple of animals. Animals and What? The USDA has decided that by putting this in audio on drones over top of, like, forest areas, wolves themselves are like, oh, fuck, I get out of here.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, you know, so this is.

[John Ashbrook]

I don't want to hear this anymore.

[Michael Duncan]

I think this is really important because you see sometimes in suburbs or like, near city areas, the animals becoming too comfortable around human beings. You'll see this on golf courses with deer.

[Josh Holmes]

They don't think they're going to hurt. You're going to hurt them.

[Michael Duncan]

You see it in national parks with these bears who get fed by people.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

And the animal kingdom needs to know we are to be feared.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Well, that's what they've done here. And they found a screeching woman. That's the thing is, like, in an unhinged man.

[Comfortably Smug]

Scientists have discovered nothing is more repellent than a shrill woman nagging like, oh, my God. Nothing in the animal kingdom can withstand the power of, like, get me out of here.

[Josh Holmes]

The most. The most apex predator is like, you know what? I'm going to need a minute.

[Comfortably Smug]

Wolves can adjust to any environment except for getting nagged.

[Josh Holmes]

So. But apparently, I'm not kidding you, dude, they call it wolf hazing.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

And it. It. And it works. They also play, like, thunderstruck. See?

[Comfortably Smug]

But they discover the wolves like to just chill things that make wolves say, hell, yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

They get revved up on that.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. So. But now they've done this thing where they've got a woman yelling at a dude.

[Comfortably Smug]

They're like, nope, I'm out.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. They're like. The wolves are like, that doesn't seem worse.

[Comfortably Smug]

Kill the vibe.

[Josh Holmes]

That dog killed the vibe. I was down for some killing tonight, but not now. That seems like a lot of work.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Great story. You've become accustomed to the lightning round of variety that we've done here on the Ruthless Variety program, but today it's hard news. For that, we turn to John Ashbrook.

[John Ashbrook]

Around the globe tonight from Slovakia, a man wearing nothing but a baklava and plastic clogs and carrying a sex toy on his stick has been startling tourists while wandering around the historic castle. He reportedly apologized to two of the female hikers who spotted him, and then the female hikers asked him for a picture. This is the third encounter that visitors have had with a naked man in the same stretch of wood since 2020. It isn't known if the same individual was involved in all three incidents, but it comes as cops in the UK are investigating a separate incident in involving a naked masked man there. Josh.

[Josh Holmes]

Indianapolis, Indiana, the dildo crisis continues. Green dildos have been thrown on not one, not two, but three consecutive nights in the d. Wnba. It's a primary color, but not one that is adorned typically on sexual connotation. Certainly not one that accompanies in WNBA game. Authorities say arrests have been made while fans have taken social media to storm, suggesting that they are hiding green dildos everywhere they can speak of. Fellas.

[Michael Duncan]

Unbelievable. I love how both of the stories contain dildos. A real. A real dildo duel on the variety program.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, I feel it's a dildo D day, you know, I mean, I think we probably did 500 episodes where the word dildo was never mentioned. And, like, now we have two stories that. So, I mean, why not enjoy it?

[Michael Duncan]

What my first thought when I saw the picture of the masked man and random hikers, you know, coming up to him is, can we get that photo back? Can we put that photo back up of the. My God, it's like a naked zodiac killer.

[Josh Holmes]

Can I get a little bit more about, like. So I appreciate the read in the news brief because it did give me the who, what, when, where, and why, unlike most news. But what it's not telling me is what's up with the. Like, is there a motive?

[John Ashbrook]

Well, the story which comes from the venerable New York Post. They're so good at news, they do not have a quote from this guy on anything other than to say that. Let me just grab this. This is the women talking about what they heard from the guy. And they said that he was apologetic. They said, oh, he thought he was going to be alone.

[Josh Holmes]

He was misunderstood.

[John Ashbrook]

That's the impression you get.

[Michael Duncan]

This guy up, dude. Now this is some fucking pervert. Oh, I thought I'd be alone. And you're wearing a baklava or. Or baklava. No, baklava is the. The delicious treat. Isn't this just a terrorist mask?

[Comfortably Smug]

It's for winter. But like, hold on.

[Josh Holmes]

Put this up.

[John Ashbrook]

Listen, put this up.

[Josh Holmes]

That's not for skiing.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's right.

[Josh Holmes]

That's. No, that is for terrorist activity.

[Michael Duncan]

This guy looks like he's about to rob a jewelry store, join isis.

[John Ashbrook]

According to the eyewitnesses. Also, they say they took a picture with him.

[Josh Holmes]

Keep it up. Keep it up. Keep it up. Keep it up. It up. Because I've got to let him do his heading.

[Comfortably Smug]

And that's what he was saying to himself walking through the house.

[John Ashbrook]

They say that the guy didn't want to scare us, okay? So he asked for directions because he thought that since it was Monday, he wouldn't meet anyone. This is what the women said.

[Josh Holmes]

As everybody knows, parks are often poorly attended, as I recall. Keep it up. Hold on. Keep it up. Did you guys notice how low the blur goes?

[Michael Duncan]

Although past the knees.

[Josh Holmes]

Now, maybe there is a conservative blur here. Or maybe this man is to be feared.

[Michael Duncan]

You're saying he's hiking nude because he's very proud of what he's endowed with.

[Josh Holmes]

I'm just telling you that guy could fly out of there if he started doing the helicopter. If the blur is to be believed.

[Comfortably Smug]

And this is why you watch it on YouTube.

[Josh Holmes]

No, I'm serious. I'm not being hyperbolic. Look where it is. It's mid knee. It's mid knee, guys. Am I making that up? Look at it.

[John Ashbrook]

No, you're not. And you know, there was no. The witnesses, according to the article, provided no description of the sort.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, they were horrified, undoubtedly.

[Michael Duncan]

They've had three encounters with this naked man in the same stretch of woods in the 20s since 2020. Look, I mean, this man is a menace.

[John Ashbrook]

No, authorities say they're not clear if it's the same guy.

[Michael Duncan]

They got multiple guys naked with ski masks on.

[Josh Holmes]

I can solve two problems with one story. We just did the Scarlett Johansson thing. Get that guy out doing the helicopter with the wolves. They're not gonna come anywhere close to those sheep. They're not. This guy's gonna dominate the woods.

[John Ashbrook]

They physically couldn't.

[Josh Holmes]

This guy dominates the woods. Woods. Does he not smug.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, get that image back up. That's past the knees, bro.

[Josh Holmes]

No, for real. I mean, his stick. Look at the size of that stick. It's taking up three quarters of the stick. Yeah, that thing is five feet long. I mean, I don't know.

[Michael Duncan]

I'm sure he's a nice guy, right? Ted Bundy was a nice guy who just needed help with his sofa in the back of his van.

[Josh Holmes]

I make no defense for the man in the boat. Baklava.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, everyone's going to be shocked.

[Comfortably Smug]

The man with the baklava.

[Michael Duncan]

Everyone's going to be shocked when they find a dead hiker in six months. Oh, I wonder who did it. Maybe helicopter man.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, well, they won't be able to catch him. He's got like a superhero like ability to jump off a cliff. And.

[Michael Duncan]

There were no footprints found.

[Josh Holmes]

He declaring a landing in Morocco. Air traffic control on the other thing, the dildo thing. So, like, to pick up. So this became a thing we talked about on Tuesday, that people were chucking dildos. And then Clay Travis was Like, there's a betting app where you can bet.

[Michael Duncan]

We covered it. It was funny.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. And it was very funny. Another green. And we noted also that green wasn't an option because people are like, no, no, no. Green's seems to be a trend. And one of the WNBA players, I forget her name.

[Michael Duncan]

Sophia Sophie Cunningham.

[Josh Holmes]

Sophia Sophie Sophie Cunningham. Yeah. She was like, please don't do that. And she was the one that got hit by the green dildo.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

So it seems like now this is. This is not going to stop anytime soon. That betting app is going to get hot now. I think it was.

[John Ashbrook]

What if this is a marketing scheme? You remember the guy, you know, to talk about Howard Stern and some of the radio guys we started the show with? Remember the guy who would scream baba boy before people, you know, big national events.

[Josh Holmes]

Yes.

[John Ashbrook]

That was a part of a big promotion. A lot of people were in on it.

[Comfortably Smug]

That was. My guess is. So here's the thing is, word on the street is that, like, their ticket sales are in the trash this year. Like, they can't fill these stadiums. They never could. But, like, it's even worse than usual now, I guess because Caitlin Cloud Clark woke. Caitlyn is, like, injured because she keeps getting her ass kicked by all her fellow players. She's the worst. She's a horrible person. I can't believe she deserves all the horrible things that happened to her.

[Josh Holmes]

But anyways, I just disagree.

[Comfortably Smug]

So, like, I bet that they're making this a thing so that, like, they can sell tickets of people who want to go in there and they want to throw the dildo on the court and. And they want to cash in a back.

[Michael Duncan]

So I have a couple of thoughts on this. I think, number one, a team needs to, like, lean into this and do, like, free dildo night. And, like, you pay for a ticket.

[Josh Holmes]

They all end up on the.

[Comfortably Smug]

They were all. Which is awesome.

[Michael Duncan]

And imagine that viral moment.

[John Ashbrook]

Oh, it's like throwing the rats out onto the hockey rink.

[Comfortably Smug]

It was the Philly fans who throw batteries at Santa, right?

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, they do a hat trick, you throw your hat. A three pointer, you throw your dildo.

[Comfortably Smug]

How about a slam dunk? That way, you know, it'll never hit the court.

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, that's so mean.

[Josh Holmes]

Smuggler. How about a contested turnaround? Can't get that either. Anyway, Sophie Cunningham did talk about I stopped doing this or whatever. And the best response that I read was red one, bangerang.

[Comfortably Smug]

Okay.

[Josh Holmes]

And I don't know this person from it. I'm not attesting to How. But this is a funny post. The response was, she said, stop throwing dildos in the court. You're gonna hurt one of us. Us. His response was, stop playing basketball on the dildo range. Oh, my God.

[Michael Duncan]

It just. I mean, on a real note, it seems kind of mean now.

[Comfortably Smug]

No, it doesn't.

[Michael Duncan]

I don't want them to do it anymore.

[Josh Holmes]

Wait, you're anti dildo?

[Michael Duncan]

Well, it's like, it was a funny thing. I think the third time, it's not quite as funny and funnier. You know, they're like. They're not making any money doing this. Like, it's already demeaning. Enough.

[Josh Holmes]

Enough. Do we have the. No, no, no, no.

[Comfortably Smug]

As long as they want to be like, oh, passport world, this is what you're owed.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh.

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, wow, that's me.

[Comfortably Smug]

You want to be a subsidized league. You want everyone to pay for you to play around and then be like, yeah. Just because people don't buy tickets or our jerseys or anything, we deserve to be paid more. You're getting what you paid for.

[Josh Holmes]

You notice how the sports networks are, like, they don't know how to deal with this? No, it's all online, it's all social.

[Michael Duncan]

But if there was a sea of dildos, it would be a viral moment.

[Josh Holmes]

Moment.

[Michael Duncan]

That's all I'm saying. One. One team should lean into it. I bet they would sell out.

[Josh Holmes]

I didn't even know, by the way, that, like, dildos were a thing, you know? I mean, like, surely we've innovated beyond just the.

[Michael Duncan]

Don't. Don't ask Ashbrook. He's gonna couple with another banger.

[Josh Holmes]

Jesus. No, I don't want to do that. We're gonna get back into. Yeah, well, I don't even. What was it?

[John Ashbrook]

This is an elaborate scheme the Democrats have concocted to protect themselves from public disclosure of their financial gain. They call it the poo poo loophole.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, that's what we have here on the Ruthless Variety Program. I appreciate you joining in. For all of you who feared we might lose our edge, congratulations. We have not like and subscribe to the Ruthless Friday program. When you ask. Answer our question. Our question this week, I think, is going to give you a lot of opportunities. Who's the next lib. Who's the next media lib that is going to be fired? There's a lot of opportunity out there. You heard our suggestion on Duncan's hot seat. But there's a lot of others out there. Be funny. Give us your take. Like, let's go with the motive of the show. Like, bring your heat. Bring your heat. And when you do all that, we'll read them all and we'll get them back to you on Friday for the next episode. So I think we did it.

[Comfortably Smug]

Absolute banger of an episode. Gentlemen, thank you again to all our listeners. Remember, if you have not yet subscribe to the YouTube, it's more fun in video. So until next time, minions, keep the faith, hold the wine, and own the libs. We'll see you on Friday. Stay ruthless.