Interrupted by Matt Jones

Episode 21: “It’s the News”
Date: October 7, 2025

Overview

On this lively “news of the week” episode, Kentucky Sports Radio host Matt Jones is joined by regulars Drew Franklin and Billy (“the newsman”) to catch up after a break while Matt was traveling in South Africa. The crew discusses the top national headlines and quirky trending topics Billy has compiled, ranging from dramatic politics and government shutdowns to bizarre celebrity news, pop culture, and even ancient Egyptian thefts. The conversation is freewheeling, humorous, and at times pointed, with the trio offering both genuine and irreverent takes on current events.

Main Discussion Points and Insights

1. Catching Up: Travel Chat & Returning to the News (00:01–03:24)

• Matt recounts his recent trip to South Africa and muses about global travel aspirations with Drew.
  • Matt: “There were people there who were like, now that you’ve been to South Africa, you need to see the gorillas in Rwanda. And I was like, that’s a big step.” (02:17)
  • Drew jokes about adopting the British “zebra” pronunciation.
• The team introduces their loosely structured news rundown, with Billy selecting the top 10 news items.

2. Politics & Governance

National Guard Deployments, ICE Raids & The Insurrection Act (03:32–13:01)

• Billy: Tension as President Trump deploys the National Guard to multiple “blue cities,” threats to use the Insurrection Act, and ICE protest clashes.
• Matt: Pushes back on the “war zone” framing, laments militarization:
  • “We are not supposed to be a country like that that turns the military on its own citizens... No one should think, absent a civil war, that we should have the military out there against its own citizens.” (06:37)
• Drew: Agrees most National Guard and law enforcement do not relish these duties.
• All: Media often exaggerates and frames isolated events as mass chaos.

Notable Quotes

• Drew: “Our cities aren’t perfect, but we don’t need boots on every corner like we’re in some kind of Armageddon.” (07:01)
• Matt: “A bunch of different things can be true. It can be true that... the Biden admin post Covid did not do a good job of protecting the border… But what good does it do to take people who’ve been here 10–15 years, established roots, maybe even have children here, and send them home?” (10:38)

Government Shutdown & Political Polarization (13:01–18:49)

• Two million federal workers’ pay suspended; air traffic controllers calling out sick.
• Matt & Drew debate whether they’d work without pay:
  • Matt: “Would you work if you weren’t getting paid? ...Would you?” (13:56)
  • Drew: “If I have a desk job where I’m not really impacting a lot of people, no. You gotta pay me. But I’d feel a responsibility if I had something like TSA.” (14:24)
• Discussion of deadlock over healthcare, rural Trump voters hurt most.
• Concerns about the country’s deepening polarization and the “team sport” mentality in politics.

Notable Quotes

• Drew: “We’ve taken the sports mental into politics, which is my team always. The ref is always screwing us.” (15:59)
• Matt: “I think the team thing is the big thing. People just are like, you’re my team. You’re my team.” (17:59)

3. Current Events & Odd News

Mount Everest Blizzard Rescue (22:43–32:07)

• Hundreds trapped by an unexpected blizzard; ongoing rescue effort with some being dug out, others helicoptered.
• Matt is bewildered at the drive to climb Everest:
  • “I don’t know why people climb Mount Everest, do you?... What’s the thought process?” (23:49)
• Group riffs on who should be rescued first and how decisions should be made.
• Brief update: 580 hikers reportedly rescued, one casualty. (33:16)

Mark Sanchez’s Bizarre Legal Troubles (32:07–40:43)

• Ex-NFL QB Mark Sanchez arrested after a late-night, inebriated altercation with a truck driver—over a parking spot and wind sprints—culminating in both being pepper sprayed and stabbed.
• Panel debates the implausibility and recklessness of the situation.
  • “How could you get so mad at a stranger over wind sprints at midnight, to get to the point where they’re both a bloody mess?” — Matt (35:04)
• Sanchez claims to remember only reaching for a window; faces possible jail time and a civil suit.

P. Diddy Sentenced (41:11–46:54)

• P. Diddy is sentenced to four years in federal prison (eligible for release in under three years) for transporting for prostitution, acquitted on sex trafficking and racketeering.
• Reflections on “separating the art from the artist,” R. Kelly, and childhood memories tied to songs.
  • “Can you separate the art from the artist? And you’re saying Billy can’t?” — Matt (45:13)

Taylor Swift Drops New Album “The Life of a Showgirl” (47:28–52:32)

• Billy highlights Swift’s raunchier lyrics and fandom’s frenzy.
• Notable lyric read aloud (“Redwood tree, it ain’t hard to see. His love was the key that opened my thighs.” — Taylor Swift, 49:51)
• Debates on whether misery leads to best pop music; comparison to Howard Stern’s career arc.
• Drew: “She does her best work crying in the corner of her bedroom after breakup.” (49:09)
• Riffs on Travis Kelce, public relationship tabloid fervor.

Top Slang Words of 2025 (52:35–58:55)

• Billy quizzes the group on trending Gen Z slang based on Google Trends.
  • “6,7” — means nothing, is a meme;
  • “Bop” — someone with many romantic partners;
  • “Huzz” — attractive girl;
  • “Chopped” — unattractive;
  • “Big back” — someone large/eats a lot;
  • “Zesty” — lively;
  • “Glazing” — over-complimenting;
  • “Mogging” — outdoing someone;
  • “Phantom tax” — playfully stealing someone’s food.
• Discussion of Twitch streamers' popularity and monetization.

Market Trends: Build-a-Bear Boom (58:55–61:52)

• The Build-a-Bear Workshop stock is up 2000% in five years, with new “kid-dulting” strategies—expanding to cruise ships and amusement parks.
• Matt: “That makes a lot of sense to me... places where people are trapped.” (60:11)
• Nostalgia driving increased sales among millennials.

Ancient Egyptian Bracelet Stolen and Melted (61:53–68:00)

• Outrage after a 3,000-year-old Pharaonic bracelet is stolen from the Cairo Museum, melted for $4,000 in gold.
  • “So you stole something that’s 3,000 years old for $4,000. That seems like you could get a better reward on your risk there.” — Drew (64:21)
• Panel wonders about the black market for stolen artifacts and art.

Local Outrage Over Stolen Memorabilia (68:00–68:58)

• Matt vents about fans stealing memorabilia (helmets) from his restaurant, comparing it to the Egyptian outrage.
  • “You can’t just be like, I’m going to steal these wings. I’m sure they’d want me to have them.” — Matt (68:54)

Choose-Your-Own: Jimmy Kimmel Suspension (69:34–74:25)

• Jimmy Kimmel was temporarily suspended over comments on conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death; reinstated after industry pushback.
• ABC and network responses, FCC threats debated.
  • Matt on companies firing hosts: “Companies should be able to do what they want and then people should be able to be upset about it if they want. What I don’t like is the government getting involved because the moment the government’s involved, that’s a different thing.” (75:12)
• Discussion of the demise of late-night TV and the shifting careers of Kimmel (now a liberal figure) and Adam Carolla.

4. Pop Culture & Comedy

• Who’s the funniest person in America right now?
  • Matt: Shane Gillis
  • Drew: Nate Bargatze
  • Billy: Drewski
• Billy also plugs the “Club 520” podcast as one of the funniest ongoing.
• Discussion of “least funny” comics (George Lopez, Carlos Mencia, Joe Rogan standup, Matt Rife).
• More on separating art and artists—Louis C.K., Anthony Jeselnik, and personal favorite podcasts.

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• “We are not supposed to be a country like that that turns the military on its own citizens… No one should think, absent a civil war, that we should have the military out there against its own citizens.” — Matt (06:37)
• “We’ve taken the sports mental into politics, which is my team always. The ref is always screwing us.” — Drew (15:59)
• “You are my team. You are my team.” — Matt (17:59)
• “How could you get so mad at a stranger over wind sprints at midnight, to get to the point where they’re both a bloody mess?” — Matt (35:04)
• On “separating art from the artist”: “Can you separate the art from the artist? And you’re saying Billy can’t?” — Matt (45:13)
• Taylor Swift lyric: “Redwood tree, it ain’t hard to see. His love was the key that opened my thighs.” — Billy quoting lyrics (49:51)
• On Build-a-Bear’s stock: “That makes a lot of sense to me… places where people are trapped.” — Matt (60:11)
• On ancient art theft: “So you stole something that’s 3,000 years old for $4,000. That seems like you could get a better reward on your risk there.” — Drew (64:21)
• “Companies should be able to do what they want and then people should be able to be upset about it if they want. What I don’t like is the government getting involved because the moment the government’s involved, that’s a different thing.” — Matt (75:12)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:01–03:24: Intro, travel, format explanation
• 03:32–13:01: Trump, National Guard, ICE, protest, Insurrection Act
• 13:01–18:49: Government shutdown, polarization, work without pay
• 22:43–32:07: Mount Everest blizzard rescue
• 32:07–40:43: Mark Sanchez stabbing incident
• 41:11–46:54: P. Diddy sentencing & “art/artist” debate
• 47:28–52:32: Taylor Swift album, raunchy lyrics, pop stardom
• 52:35–58:55: 2025’s slang words, Twitch streamers
• 58:55–61:52: Build-a-Bear stock, millennial nostalgia
• 61:53–68:00: Theft of ancient Egyptian bracelet
• 68:00–68:58: Local memorabilia stealing
• 69:34–74:25: Jimmy Kimmel, free speech, late-night TV
• 74:25–end: Funniest/least funny comedians, podcasts, pop culture wrap-up

Tone

Conversational, irreverent, and sarcastically humorous. The group riffs, debates, and frequently pokes fun at both the news and themselves, maintaining a balance between real analysis and light-hearted banter.

Conclusion

This episode exemplifies the show’s format: off-the-cuff, wide-ranging, and unfiltered discussions with equal doses of wit, news, and the Kentucky-centric perspective Matt Jones and company are known for. Even if you haven’t kept up with the headlines, “It’s the News” delivers both the facts and the fun.