WEBVTT - You Got Me With That Uppercut! That Was Good, Man! 0:00:01.880 --> 0:00:05.680 Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio of the 0:00:05.760 --> 0:00:10.360 George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Arm 0:00:10.440 --> 0:00:17.320 Strong and Getty and no Key, I'm Strong and Getty. 0:00:23.960 --> 0:00:27.320 We heard from Zelenski suggesting the meeting of being productive, 0:00:27.360 --> 0:00:30.280 that it would indeed touch upon it had indeed touched 0:00:30.320 --> 0:00:33.320 upon that rare earth minerals deal again, trying to suggest 0:00:33.400 --> 0:00:35.559 I think Ukraine wants to move forward and finding a 0:00:35.600 --> 0:00:38.400 compromise there as well. And indeed they discussed some of 0:00:38.440 --> 0:00:41.720 the elements of piece here, potentially security guarantees, the return 0:00:41.760 --> 0:00:42.800 of prisoners of war. 0:00:43.280 --> 0:00:46.520 You have Special Envoy Keith Kennog meeting with Zelensky amid 0:00:46.600 --> 0:00:50.400 this blistering public feud Ukraine insisting the meeting went well 0:00:50.640 --> 0:00:53.560 and a new deal over mineral resources is on the table. 0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:56.840 Zelenski is saying Ukraine is ready for a just and 0:00:56.960 --> 0:00:57.720 lasting piece. 0:00:58.840 --> 0:01:02.800 A couple of reports from CNN and ABC about the 0:01:02.840 --> 0:01:08.440 ongoing talks and the war in Ukraine references to some 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:12.120 of the to my mind insane things Donald Trump has 0:01:12.160 --> 0:01:17.720 said recently, and we'll be getting to that in a moment. 0:01:17.840 --> 0:01:21.840 It's it's interesting in scanning some of the emails you 0:01:21.880 --> 0:01:24.000 good people have sent to mail bag at armstrong and 0:01:24.040 --> 0:01:28.920 getty dot com and feel free anytime. All sorts of 0:01:28.920 --> 0:01:34.400 people with different theories and or psychoanalyses of Trump and 0:01:34.520 --> 0:01:37.560 Is saying that Ukraine started the war and Zelensky couldn't 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:41.160 could have ended it, and he's a dictator and unpopular 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:45.800 and the rest of it. If you think of it 0:01:45.840 --> 0:01:48.520 from the goal of stopping the war, does it really 0:01:48.560 --> 0:01:50.200 matter how he gets to the goal. He'll play the 0:01:50.280 --> 0:01:53.760 villain or pithesides against against each other, whatever it takes 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:57.320 to get the win. The rest is just noise. He 0:01:57.400 --> 0:02:00.120 reigns in chaos during the pot and unexpected ways. It 0:02:00.160 --> 0:02:03.560 forces everyone out of their comfort zone, breaks down paralysis. 0:02:03.720 --> 0:02:05.800 That's you know, that's a pretty good thought or two 0:02:05.800 --> 0:02:11.040 from Ron. Thanks Ron, uh Paolo, Oh, whoops, it's a 0:02:11.080 --> 0:02:15.600 different topic. This is Steve from Washington State. I fear 0:02:15.600 --> 0:02:17.920 you've both forgotten the number one maximum concerning Trump. Take 0:02:18.000 --> 0:02:21.360 him seriously, not literally. I believe Trump is appalled at 0:02:21.360 --> 0:02:24.440 the human carnage you see. Zelenski is having to leverage 0:02:24.520 --> 0:02:27.720 or utility in the upcoming negotiation with Putin being dismissive 0:02:27.720 --> 0:02:30.200 of a Zelenski is useful in persuading Putin to come 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:35.240 to the table. It's not personal, it's business. Okay, that 0:02:35.280 --> 0:02:38.639 could be. Please tell me this is seven dimensional chess, 0:02:39.160 --> 0:02:42.520 writes Christine. Been listening daily for twenty five years. Thank you, Christine. 0:02:42.520 --> 0:02:46.920 You must be a patient woman. I'm highly alarmed by 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:50.240 Trump's foreign policy right now. It really appears to be 0:02:50.320 --> 0:02:54.239 pro Putin, anti Europe. He seems to have an unnatural 0:02:54.240 --> 0:02:56.840 admiration for Putin some strange way. 0:02:58.000 --> 0:02:58.440 It's all. 0:02:58.560 --> 0:03:02.400 It's all nutty, working our way toward an absolutely brilliant 0:03:02.400 --> 0:03:05.840 piece by one of my favorite historians and commentators, Douglas Murray, 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:12.560 a couple of things worth knowing. When Russia took over 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:17.840 a chunk of the eastern part of Ukraine, Luhansk, specifically, 0:03:17.880 --> 0:03:20.680 they used Aukraine and dump truck to remove a monument 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:23.640 to the victims of the Haladomor, which you may not 0:03:23.840 --> 0:03:27.320 have ever heard of. Way back in nineteen twenty I'm sorry. 0:03:27.320 --> 0:03:32.359 Thirty two and thirty three, Ukraine was not digging Stalin's 0:03:32.600 --> 0:03:38.360 brutal totalitarian leadership of the Soviet Union, and the good 0:03:38.360 --> 0:03:43.200 people in Ukraine were demanding reform and bristling under Stalin. 0:03:43.920 --> 0:03:47.880 Stalin responded by starving at least three point. 0:03:47.680 --> 0:03:49.440 Nine million Ukrainians to death. 0:03:50.600 --> 0:03:58.320 Almost four million starved to death, horrific suffering. Cannibalism makes 0:03:58.440 --> 0:04:01.680 North Korea look like you're your family barbecue in terms 0:04:01.720 --> 0:04:04.040 of the available food and whatever. 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:09.360 The desperation is. Just it was absolutely genocidal. 0:04:11.800 --> 0:04:15.440 And when Putin claims there's no Ukraine, they've never had 0:04:15.480 --> 0:04:19.360 a distinct identity or any They're just part of Imperial Russia, 0:04:19.400 --> 0:04:22.080 and they need to remember that that's. 0:04:22.040 --> 0:04:24.679 Utterly fictional and full of crap. 0:04:25.480 --> 0:04:29.080 Ukraine has a very very strong identity, although they have 0:04:29.160 --> 0:04:31.920 plenty of you know, cousinhood if you will, with Russia. 0:04:32.000 --> 0:04:34.200 Plenty of Ukrainians live on that side of the border, 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:35.760 ethnic Ukrainians and vice versa. 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:36.440 I mean, there. 0:04:38.000 --> 0:04:42.640 Are ties, absolutely, but one of the main facets of 0:04:42.800 --> 0:04:47.719 Ukrainian identity is we must never be dominated by Russia 0:04:47.839 --> 0:04:50.120 because they don't give a crap about our people. 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:55.479 I want to lay that to rest. Also troubling to me, 0:04:56.040 --> 0:04:57.479 really troubling. 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:03.919 Is this demand that train sign a minerals deal, not 0:05:04.040 --> 0:05:08.960 that some deal isn't you know, reasonable, because part of 0:05:09.000 --> 0:05:12.119 the strategy is we become such close friends with them 0:05:12.320 --> 0:05:13.039 and and do so. 0:05:13.120 --> 0:05:14.240 Much business with them. 0:05:14.320 --> 0:05:16.880 Russia doesn't dare invade because they then they would be 0:05:16.920 --> 0:05:25.080 invading our interests. So anyway, uh, the White House, White House, 0:05:25.640 --> 0:05:31.320 literally it's it's said by a number of observers. Put 0:05:31.360 --> 0:05:34.320 a deal on the table in front of Vladimir Zelensky 0:05:34.360 --> 0:05:39.840 and told them sign it right now to hand mineral 0:05:39.920 --> 0:05:43.320 rights worth hundreds of billions of dollars to the US. 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:48.680 And Zelensky said, look, I'm open to a deal, but 0:05:48.760 --> 0:05:51.000 it needs more work and my people need to look 0:05:51.040 --> 0:05:51.320 at it. 0:05:51.360 --> 0:05:54.119 And and it was like being in a pushy car dealer. 0:05:54.160 --> 0:05:58.039 They said, no, you're going to sign this now, and 0:05:58.200 --> 0:06:02.240 Zelensky said, no, oh, I'm not. And that is one 0:06:02.240 --> 0:06:05.080 of the reasons Trump started going off on his high 0:06:05.160 --> 0:06:08.560 rades about Zelensky and saying things that were ridiculously untrue. 0:06:10.760 --> 0:06:15.000 You can defend that style of negotiating if you're talking 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:17.520 about building a golf course in Scotland or something like that. 0:06:17.560 --> 0:06:20.719 I suppose I think it's unconscionable in this situation. 0:06:20.400 --> 0:06:23.800 I really do. It's awful, and it's not just morally awful. 0:06:25.279 --> 0:06:28.159 It damages the US is standing in a way that's 0:06:28.200 --> 0:06:32.680 completely unnecessary because The truth is, you need friends, and 0:06:32.720 --> 0:06:36.800 you especially need friends across the long term. And I 0:06:36.839 --> 0:06:40.200 don't think this is productive at all. But having said that, 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:45.159 let's move on to the great Douglas Murray, along with 0:06:45.240 --> 0:06:50.560 Neil Ferguson, one of our favorite conservative historian slash writers 0:06:50.600 --> 0:06:55.680 thinkers around here, and Douglas Wrights. It's been a dizzy, 0:06:55.720 --> 0:07:00.720 disorienting week in an international diplomacy mentions the situation. Trump 0:07:00.800 --> 0:07:03.159 is absolutely right in wanting to end the bloodshed in Ukraine. 0:07:03.200 --> 0:07:06.200 The suffering has been appalling in the stalemate, brutal, But 0:07:06.320 --> 0:07:08.680 in the furious mix of wild opinions this week from 0:07:08.720 --> 0:07:10.640 the White House down, there are at least ten truths 0:07:10.640 --> 0:07:14.320 that every American voter must hang on to and Trump's 0:07:14.360 --> 0:07:17.280 rush down the bloodshed. These are also the truths against 0:07:17.280 --> 0:07:19.480 which any deal will be judged and which will define 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:20.880 him when the history books are written. 0:07:21.080 --> 0:07:22.880 To ignore them or not treat them with the. 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:26.920 Gravity they deserve will also have enormous consequences for decades 0:07:26.960 --> 0:07:29.800 to come. And if you do not know Douglas Murray, 0:07:30.400 --> 0:07:36.800 you should know that he is brilliant and incredibly knowledgeable, 0:07:37.040 --> 0:07:41.120 an absolutely not a never Trump type. 0:07:42.360 --> 0:07:45.920 That's the last thing he is truth number one. 0:07:46.000 --> 0:07:49.160 Vladimir Putin started this war, despite what Trump said days ago, 0:07:50.720 --> 0:07:53.920 and he goes through the history of it. There is 0:07:54.040 --> 0:07:58.440 no rational narrative outside of Russian propaganda that blames aggressive 0:07:58.520 --> 0:08:03.040 actions by Ukrainian President Vladimir's Zelenski or NATO that can 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:06.920 justify such a military action, the massive invasion of Ukraine, 0:08:07.280 --> 0:08:10.800 and this came after Putin had already seized Crimea in 0:08:10.840 --> 0:08:14.960 twenty fourteen, folks, that's eleven years ago, going on and 0:08:15.040 --> 0:08:18.200 launched a war in the dnbas in eastern Ukraine. That 0:08:18.240 --> 0:08:20.840 doesn't include the other wars he started, like against the 0:08:20.880 --> 0:08:25.040 tiny nation of Georgia in two thousand and eight. Trump 0:08:25.080 --> 0:08:27.520 is absolutely right that the war never had to start. 0:08:28.040 --> 0:08:30.040 Murray writes, I believe it is true that it wouldn't 0:08:30.040 --> 0:08:31.840 have started if he had been in the Oval office. 0:08:31.880 --> 0:08:34.319 I would agree, But it was Putin, not Zelenski, who 0:08:34.360 --> 0:08:38.000 started the war. You know, I would add on if 0:08:38.000 --> 0:08:41.440 there were there some missteps or could NATO have handled this, 0:08:41.520 --> 0:08:43.280 that or the other better through the years, Yes, but 0:08:43.320 --> 0:08:47.520 that doesn't justify a full scale invasion of Ukraine. And 0:08:47.559 --> 0:08:53.199 there's just absolutely no question that truth number two is true. 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:57.680 Russia is fighting for conquest. The Russian Federation invaded Ukraine 0:08:57.720 --> 0:08:59.480 in twenty twenty two. Whatever you think of the country 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:03.120 or it's leader, Ukraine is an internationally recognized sovereign nation. 0:09:03.400 --> 0:09:06.559 Putin invaded in the hopes of devouring the country wholesale. 0:09:06.720 --> 0:09:10.800 By contrast, Ukraine has absolutely no territorial ambitions in Russia. 0:09:11.200 --> 0:09:14.240 And remember the brutality of Russia's actions. Among the multitude 0:09:14.280 --> 0:09:17.439 of depravities and war crimes committed by Putin's army has 0:09:17.440 --> 0:09:20.680 been the abduction of some twenty thousand Ukrainian children. Who 0:09:20.679 --> 0:09:22.480 wants to live in a world where the strong can 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:25.800 simply devour the weak and kidnap little children by the thousands, 0:09:26.080 --> 0:09:28.600 Why hasn't the US put their release at the top 0:09:28.640 --> 0:09:34.800 of the list of negotiating demands. Truth number three, Ukraine 0:09:34.840 --> 0:09:38.040 is fighting for its independence. Most Ukrainians do not want 0:09:38.080 --> 0:09:39.840 to be part of Russia. They do not want to 0:09:39.840 --> 0:09:42.760 be gardened from Moscow. The vast majority want to live 0:09:42.760 --> 0:09:45.840 in an independent, sovereign country in control of its own future. 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:50.840 Truth number four, Ukrainians are not Russians. Ukrainians and Russians 0:09:50.840 --> 0:09:53.880 are not one people, a single whole. As Putin wrote 0:09:53.920 --> 0:09:56.480 in a twenty twenty one essay. He is also simply 0:09:56.559 --> 0:10:00.960 lying in his assertion that modern Ukra is entirely the 0:10:00.960 --> 0:10:04.760 product of the Soviet era. Ukrainians and Russians are two 0:10:04.880 --> 0:10:08.440 separate ethnic groups. They speak different languages and have distinct histories. 0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:12.240 Truth number five. Putin is a dictator. He has ruled 0:10:12.280 --> 0:10:15.200 Russia with an iron KGB fist since coming to power 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:18.840 in nineteen ninety nine. He has ruthlessly quashed independent media, 0:10:18.960 --> 0:10:22.480 ended free in fair elections, crushed civil society, and killed 0:10:22.480 --> 0:10:25.480 his political opponents. And not just inside Russia but around 0:10:25.480 --> 0:10:27.959 the world. People who live inside Russia and express any 0:10:27.960 --> 0:10:32.480 opposition of the war are imprisoned. Truth number six Zelensky 0:10:32.600 --> 0:10:36.080 is not a dictator, a political outsider. Zelensky won the 0:10:36.080 --> 0:10:39.600 twenty nineteen presidential election, which was relatively free and fair. 0:10:39.720 --> 0:10:42.640 As I've said many times, the transition from Soviet republic 0:10:42.679 --> 0:10:46.480 to Western style democracy is a bumpy one. In every 0:10:46.559 --> 0:10:50.400 single case, it's unavoidable. It takes a while to root 0:10:50.440 --> 0:10:55.079 out the Soviet style garbage and corruption. Anyway, Douglas Murray, 0:10:55.120 --> 0:10:57.480 the Great Douglas Murray rites. He has a fifty seven 0:10:57.480 --> 0:11:00.560 percent approval rating, not the four percent Trump claim. Unlike 0:11:00.600 --> 0:11:06.000 in Russia, Ukraine has vibrant, independent media. Mostly there are 0:11:06.000 --> 0:11:10.320 some flaws there, but it is wartime too anyway. Despite 0:11:10.320 --> 0:11:13.679 claims to the contrary by Internet swamp creatures and Russian bots, 0:11:14.080 --> 0:11:17.800 many Ukrainians freely criticize the government's conduct of the war 0:11:18.400 --> 0:11:20.880 in spite of the imperfections of Ukrainian media. This is 0:11:20.920 --> 0:11:25.280 me talking about Douglas Murray. Yeah, you're absolutely allowed to 0:11:25.280 --> 0:11:28.480 criticize the conduct of the war. You get put in 0:11:28.520 --> 0:11:31.320 jail in Russia for doing the same thing. When Britain 0:11:31.360 --> 0:11:33.920 was fighting for its survival against the Nazis in the forties, 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:37.319 it too did not hold elections. The Russian ambassador to 0:11:37.320 --> 0:11:40.040 the UK spent yesterday crowing that he's not sure Zelenski 0:11:40.080 --> 0:11:42.440 would be reelected if there are elections today. But we 0:11:42.480 --> 0:11:44.760 all know one thing for sure, whether or not Zelensky 0:11:44.800 --> 0:11:47.320 would be re elected in Ukraine. Putin will always be 0:11:47.400 --> 0:11:50.720 re elected in Russia because his elections are conjobs. Pageant 0:11:50.800 --> 0:11:53.240 shows Putin has not won a free and fair election 0:11:53.360 --> 0:12:00.200 in his life because he doesn't hold them. Or we'll 0:12:00.240 --> 0:12:02.199 squeeze in one more here and then finish up on 0:12:02.240 --> 0:12:04.600 the other side of the break truth Number seven, Russia 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:07.240 is not a friend of the US. It is a hostile, 0:12:07.320 --> 0:12:10.040 nuclear armed state that resents American power in the world 0:12:10.040 --> 0:12:12.600 that the US has built. It has ever closer relations 0:12:12.600 --> 0:12:14.959 with China, Iran, and North Korea. In fact, all of 0:12:15.000 --> 0:12:17.120 its main friends are countries that are the biggest foes 0:12:17.160 --> 0:12:21.360 of America. Now, you could argue that if we altered 0:12:21.440 --> 0:12:25.640 our policy toward the war or toward Moscow, we might 0:12:26.880 --> 0:12:30.360 pull them back somehow or to some extent from their 0:12:30.360 --> 0:12:32.920 friendship with the access of a holes. It's a thought 0:12:32.960 --> 0:12:37.319 worth exploring. But for now, there's just no question Russia 0:12:37.440 --> 0:12:39.240 is not our friend or anything close to it. 0:12:39.640 --> 0:12:42.040 Three more of these truths you must never forget. 0:12:42.120 --> 0:12:43.920 On the other side of the break, stay with us 0:12:43.960 --> 0:12:46.400 if you can't grab the podcast later Armstrong and Getty 0:12:46.480 --> 0:12:53.920 on demand coming up next segment, something completely different. We're 0:12:53.920 --> 0:12:57.080 going to talk to long time a friend of the 0:12:57.240 --> 0:13:01.120 Armstrong and Getty Show and tax advisor Steve Moskowitz about 0:13:01.160 --> 0:13:05.280 what's going on tax wise last year and this year 0:13:05.320 --> 0:13:07.199 and what people ought to know. And it's just some 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:10.440 great tax tips. So of stay tuned. That's next segment. 0:13:10.600 --> 0:13:12.480 If you can't hang around, just grab the podcast later. 0:13:12.520 --> 0:13:14.520 I'm strong and getting on demand. Right now, though, we're 0:13:14.559 --> 0:13:17.200 working our way through the list of ten truths from 0:13:17.280 --> 0:13:21.360 Douglas Murray's excellent column about the situation in Ukraine, and 0:13:21.440 --> 0:13:24.560 he gives Trump credit for wanting to end the conflict, 0:13:24.559 --> 0:13:27.440 which has been so horrifically bloody and is stalemated right now, 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:30.600 but is highly troubled by some of the untruths that 0:13:30.640 --> 0:13:34.760 have been uttered by Trump and others, because going forward, 0:13:35.360 --> 0:13:38.360 even if some of the wild rhetoric were to lead 0:13:38.400 --> 0:13:44.160 somehow toward quote unquote solution, it's dangerous to run around 0:13:44.559 --> 0:13:47.959 internalizing false pretenses, if you know what I mean, Because 0:13:48.240 --> 0:13:50.800 the world's going to keep spinning and the challenges will 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:53.320 continue in that part of the world, guaranteed, and you 0:13:53.480 --> 0:13:56.680 really ought to know what's what anyway. So truth number 0:13:56.679 --> 0:13:59.280 eight from Murray, Ukraine is a friend of the US. 0:13:59.559 --> 0:14:02.040 Ukraine wants to be part of the American led order. 0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:05.120 Its people in government are deeply pro American. Since the 0:14:05.120 --> 0:14:07.360 start of the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian men and women 0:14:07.400 --> 0:14:09.480 I have seen fighting at the front lines are fighting 0:14:09.559 --> 0:14:12.480 the Russian military to protect their loved ones in their country. 0:14:12.640 --> 0:14:14.640 They also do it in the knowledge that if they fail, 0:14:14.720 --> 0:14:18.320 other countries will be next. Truth number nine, Putin cannot 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:21.120 be trusted. This isn't just a statement of fact, it 0:14:21.160 --> 0:14:23.880 is also something that eighty one percent of American voters 0:14:23.920 --> 0:14:27.120 agree on. Keep that in mind next time you know, 0:14:27.680 --> 0:14:30.960 Russian bots and Internet trolls on the Internet. Trolls on 0:14:31.000 --> 0:14:34.400 the Internet. Great sentence, Joe, convince you that, well, lots 0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:36.320 of people think Putin is really a good guy. 0:14:36.440 --> 0:14:37.600 No, they don't, No, they don't. 0:14:38.160 --> 0:14:41.960 Putin has invaded multiple countries in violation of every international treaty. 0:14:42.000 --> 0:14:45.400 He has interfered in multiple elections in his nearest neighbors. 0:14:45.480 --> 0:14:49.040 He has violated international agreements, including the IF Treaty with 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:51.880 the US. He has lied to American presidents and European 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:54.640 leaders his whole career. He has lied to Trump even 0:14:54.680 --> 0:14:57.440 since Trump has been back in office. Most recently, Putin 0:14:57.480 --> 0:15:01.880 promised that he wouldn't target Ukrainian energy official and facilities 0:15:01.880 --> 0:15:04.880 and hadn't yet. Just this week he carried out a 0:15:04.920 --> 0:15:08.960 massive Missilan drone strike against multiple energy facilities in Ukraine. 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:11.120 It is almost as though Putin's word doesn't count for 0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:13.280 very much and he doesn't care if you know it. 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:19.440 That's true truth number ten American to Ukraine. American aid 0:15:19.680 --> 0:15:22.720 to Ukraine, I should say, is not being wasted. No 0:15:22.800 --> 0:15:25.360 one would argue that Ukraine is a country without corruption, 0:15:25.680 --> 0:15:28.200 but that does not mean its people and sovereignty should 0:15:28.200 --> 0:15:31.000 not be protected. We should also remember which country in 0:15:31.040 --> 0:15:35.040 this war is truly corrupt. Russia is one vast kleptocratic 0:15:35.080 --> 0:15:37.840 state led by Putin In, a small cartel of oligarchs 0:15:37.840 --> 0:15:40.080 who have made themselves among the richest people on earth, 0:15:40.400 --> 0:15:43.040 all while keeping most of the Russian population in a 0:15:43.040 --> 0:15:46.240 state of poverty that would not be believed by most 0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:48.640 of us in the West. Putting us this is me now, 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:54.880 putting aside that humiliating video Tucker Carlson made the lovely 0:15:54.960 --> 0:15:56.280 grocery stores in Moscow. 0:15:56.360 --> 0:15:58.760 That's where all the super rich people are. 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:03.120 You go out into Rrussia, it's unbelievable poverty and oppression. 0:16:03.920 --> 0:16:04.640 Back to Murray. 0:16:04.800 --> 0:16:07.320 Putin and his cronies have been accumulating power and wealth 0:16:07.360 --> 0:16:09.520 all their careers, and they will torture and kill anyone 0:16:09.560 --> 0:16:13.600 who exposes this corruption. Remember his political opponent Alexi Navalni 0:16:13.600 --> 0:16:16.560 and the lawyer serge A Magnitsky. It's easy to expose 0:16:16.560 --> 0:16:20.200 corruption in Ukraine, but in Russia it is deadly. Besides, 0:16:20.240 --> 0:16:23.040 according to the Department of Defense, some sixty billion dollars 0:16:23.080 --> 0:16:24.880 out of one hundred and eighty three billion Ukraine has 0:16:24.880 --> 0:16:27.720 been spent in America. It's money that has benefited American 0:16:27.760 --> 0:16:29.200 workers and facilities. 0:16:30.080 --> 0:16:32.160 The war has also degraded the military one of the. 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:35.280 Most despotic regimes in the world, and it's sent a 0:16:35.320 --> 0:16:38.320 strong deterrent message to China, Iran and North Korea not 0:16:38.480 --> 0:16:42.200 to do the same. You can criticize Zelensky, complain, but 0:16:42.280 --> 0:16:45.040 we should be under no illusions about who started this 0:16:45.120 --> 0:16:47.760 fire and who the true dictator or villain of this 0:16:47.880 --> 0:16:57.680 tragic tale is, well, said Douglas Murray. Next, as I said, 0:16:57.680 --> 0:17:00.360 we're going to talk about taxes, tax tips, waste, save 0:17:00.440 --> 0:17:05.239 you money, ways to reduce your headaches and stress with 0:17:05.280 --> 0:17:08.920 our longtime friend Stephen Moskowitz, among other things, also a 0:17:09.080 --> 0:17:12.560 very funny hockey story. After the big tournament wrapped up, 0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:21.080 stay with us Armstrong and Getty. Let's talk taxes, enough 0:17:21.119 --> 0:17:26.119 global conflict something we can all use. A conversation with 0:17:26.240 --> 0:17:29.000 longtime friend of the Armstrong and Getty show, Stephen Moskowitz, 0:17:29.040 --> 0:17:33.159 who has advised us on tax Stuff Forever, founder and 0:17:33.280 --> 0:17:35.240 tax attorney for Moskowitz l LP. 0:17:35.520 --> 0:17:37.199 Steven joins us. Now, Steve, how are you. 0:17:38.119 --> 0:17:40.760 I'm fantastic, and you know I'm happy because I get 0:17:40.840 --> 0:17:43.280 to talk about that, and you know I mean that. 0:17:43.840 --> 0:17:44.840 You know it's funny. 0:17:44.880 --> 0:17:47.480 I was just gonna say, I'm gonna embarrass Steve and 0:17:48.240 --> 0:17:52.840 tell the folks this. I have known professional musicians, athletes, 0:17:53.080 --> 0:17:56.400 all walks of tech, guys, all walks off and I've 0:17:56.560 --> 0:18:01.960 never known anybody who's more their jobs than you are. 0:18:02.000 --> 0:18:06.639 Steven. You love helping people deal with taxes, sincerely, I 0:18:06.840 --> 0:18:07.280 love it. 0:18:07.400 --> 0:18:10.040 And there's so much in the taskl There's so many 0:18:10.119 --> 0:18:14.040 hidden gems. I have everything from all walks of life. 0:18:14.200 --> 0:18:16.239 Whether we can tell you how you can deduct your 0:18:16.320 --> 0:18:20.480 multimillion dollar yacht to your struggling and how the government 0:18:20.520 --> 0:18:21.920 will give you money to help you take care of 0:18:22.000 --> 0:18:25.080 your kids, and everything in between. For example, I have 0:18:25.119 --> 0:18:29.600 a question for you, because I told you that you 0:18:29.600 --> 0:18:32.480 could go on a two week vacation anywhere in the 0:18:32.480 --> 0:18:38.720 world you choose, some stranger would pay for it, and 0:18:38.840 --> 0:18:41.439 the money the stranger gives you is tax free. How 0:18:41.440 --> 0:18:42.040 would you like that? 0:18:43.040 --> 0:18:43.880 When can I leave? 0:18:45.480 --> 0:18:48.520 He said? Oh my god, what is Steve talking about? 0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:52.639 And I'm talking about Internal Revenue Code Section to eighty 0:18:52.800 --> 0:18:56.119 a g like Armstrong and Geddy, also known as the 0:18:56.160 --> 0:18:59.920 Augusta rule. And what happens with that. You can rent 0:19:00.119 --> 0:19:05.000 year home for up to fourteen days a year and 0:19:05.080 --> 0:19:09.399 there's no tax on it. So the bottom line is 0:19:09.440 --> 0:19:12.720 in that home can be the mansion you live in, 0:19:12.760 --> 0:19:15.760 the studio apartment you rent, or a boat. And I'll 0:19:15.760 --> 0:19:19.400 explain that separately, but the bottom line is supposed. For example, 0:19:19.760 --> 0:19:22.320 he said, okay, I'm going to rent my place out 0:19:22.359 --> 0:19:26.119 for one thousand dollars a day, and now everything is 0:19:26.160 --> 0:19:29.400 so many people like renting a home instead of a hotel. 0:19:29.920 --> 0:19:32.600 So the bottom line is you go ahead, and let's 0:19:32.600 --> 0:19:34.880 assume that you rented your house four one thousand dollars 0:19:34.920 --> 0:19:38.360 a day, so it's fourteen thousand dollars. You go off 0:19:38.400 --> 0:19:40.720 to Hawaii, you spend ten thousand on your trip. That 0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:46.920 fourteen grand that you got is tax free. It doesn't 0:19:46.960 --> 0:19:49.680 even go on your tax return. It's excluded from income. 0:19:50.080 --> 0:19:54.960 That's just an example of one of the many, many, 0:19:55.040 --> 0:19:59.120 many hidden gems in our tax law. And glad people say, well, 0:19:59.119 --> 0:20:03.080 why should there be such things because our legislators and 0:20:03.119 --> 0:20:06.280 their infinite wisdom thinks this is good for the economy 0:20:06.400 --> 0:20:09.240 or the business, or there's some special interest that pushed them. 0:20:09.400 --> 0:20:12.560 But the bottom line is this law is for everybody. 0:20:12.640 --> 0:20:15.000 All the laws are for everybody. We're all equal under 0:20:15.040 --> 0:20:19.000 the law. And the bottom line is you just have 0:20:19.119 --> 0:20:22.120 to know where these gems are hidden. Because there's two 0:20:22.119 --> 0:20:24.800 reasons for the tax code wants to get money from us. 0:20:25.080 --> 0:20:26.920 But the other one if you give us all kinds 0:20:26.960 --> 0:20:29.920 of incentives like this, mister Will, what a deal, I mean, 0:20:30.000 --> 0:20:33.120 think about it. You're off on vacation anyway. The Airbnb's 0:20:33.200 --> 0:20:38.160 is so popular and you get fourteen days tax free. 0:20:38.359 --> 0:20:40.080 So you can see why I get so excited over 0:20:40.080 --> 0:20:40.600 these things. 0:20:40.880 --> 0:20:43.399 Love it so hey, we are happy to have so 0:20:43.440 --> 0:20:47.320 many small business people, entrepreneurs, go getters listening to the show. 0:20:47.440 --> 0:20:51.000 Also slackers like myself. But what do you. 0:20:51.080 --> 0:20:55.040 See small business people either failing to take advantage over 0:20:55.080 --> 0:20:56.959 getting wrong? What advice would you give them? Just right 0:20:57.000 --> 0:20:57.440 off the bat. 0:20:57.880 --> 0:21:00.920 Oh, the first one is a retirement plan. There's over 0:21:01.000 --> 0:21:04.600 twenty different types of plans. You can have multiple plans 0:21:04.720 --> 0:21:06.840 in the same year, and you can put away so 0:21:06.960 --> 0:21:09.960 much by there's for benefits to that. One. You pay 0:21:10.080 --> 0:21:12.800 less taxes. Usually when I'm talking to a client, people 0:21:12.800 --> 0:21:14.960 say sign me up, Steve, You've got me say taxes. 0:21:15.080 --> 0:21:19.080 Besides that, the money sits in your plan and the 0:21:19.280 --> 0:21:22.280 income doesn't fit tax wells in the plan, so no brainer. 0:21:22.800 --> 0:21:28.200 Everything grows faster and bigger if there's no taxes on it. Also, 0:21:28.440 --> 0:21:32.679 it's exempt from lawsuits, so take a level. But I 0:21:32.720 --> 0:21:35.600 hate to mention his name. Suppose you take a look 0:21:35.600 --> 0:21:38.520 at OJ Simpson who had a multimillion dollar judgment against 0:21:38.560 --> 0:21:42.600 him for many, many years, and he never lost a 0:21:42.760 --> 0:21:46.000 penny off his pension. So that's good when you're in business, 0:21:46.000 --> 0:21:47.360 so you don't have to worries to take it away 0:21:47.400 --> 0:21:52.200 from you. And most tax planning you have to write 0:21:52.240 --> 0:21:56.120 to check by December thirty first twenty four to deduct 0:21:56.119 --> 0:21:58.760 it in twenty four. But with most of the pensions, 0:21:58.800 --> 0:22:00.439 not all of them, but most of them, you have 0:22:00.560 --> 0:22:03.960 up to the time of filing your returns, including extension, 0:22:04.000 --> 0:22:07.280 which in English means depending on your business entity, you 0:22:07.280 --> 0:22:10.720 could have as late as October fifteenth, twenty five to 0:22:10.800 --> 0:22:14.120 set up the plan, fund it and still deduct it 0:22:14.160 --> 0:22:17.040 from the previous year. Twenty four and that there's all 0:22:17.160 --> 0:22:20.560 kinds of things in here. So for example, if you're 0:22:20.600 --> 0:22:23.320 in a pension, there's no okay, everybody knows about four 0:22:23.480 --> 0:22:26.880 one ks and Irish and all that, but there's all 0:22:27.000 --> 0:22:31.119 kinds of additional plans. Is what I call the fancy plans, 0:22:31.160 --> 0:22:33.320 which you can put in much much more money, and 0:22:33.320 --> 0:22:36.560 they're based on your age, your earnings. There's an actuarial 0:22:36.600 --> 0:22:40.400 evaluation ticket. But people can put away a tremendous way 0:22:40.440 --> 0:22:43.399 more than this. But when we talk about putting things away, 0:22:44.040 --> 0:22:47.400 everybody should have a pension plan. Everybody should put that away. 0:22:47.200 --> 0:22:50.320 So well, I was just going to say, and that 0:22:50.359 --> 0:22:53.960 includes I, like, I'm my only employee, I'm a sold proprietor, 0:22:54.000 --> 0:22:56.080 I can have a pension plan for myself. 0:22:55.800 --> 0:23:00.359 Right, absolutely absolutely, And again with retirement plan, there's so 0:23:00.440 --> 0:23:03.399 much in there. For example, suppose you say, well, you 0:23:03.440 --> 0:23:06.440 know what, I'm listening to the show today, but I'm 0:23:06.480 --> 0:23:11.160