WEBVTT - This Is A S-Hole 0:00:01.880 --> 0:00:05.739 Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the 0:00:05.780 --> 0:00:07.790 George Washington Broadcast Center. 0:00:07.830 --> 0:00:11.530 Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. 0:00:11.710 --> 0:00:18.630 And now, here's Armstrong and Getty. 0:00:23.390 --> 0:00:26.430 I think that the California high-speed rail nightmare is probably 0:00:26.450 --> 0:00:28.910 the quintessential example of government waste and mismanagement. 0:00:29.350 --> 0:00:30.830 You say this needs to stop. It needs to stop. 0:00:31.550 --> 0:00:34.970 Congressman Vince Fong, a Republican from Bakersfield, sits on the 0:00:35.030 --> 0:00:39.140 House Transportation Committee. He says that when California voters first 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:42.580 approved high-speed rail, the promise and price tag were more 0:00:42.680 --> 0:00:48.339 marketing campaign than realistic projection. We're now in 2026. 0:00:48.340 --> 0:00:50.830 There are no trains. There's no track laid. It's a 0:00:50.840 --> 0:00:54.090 complete bait and switch. I don't even know what you 0:00:54.150 --> 0:00:55.410 say about this at this point. 0:00:56.370 --> 0:00:59.830 I call it the greatest government theft of taxpayer money 0:01:00.050 --> 0:01:02.990 in American history. And you know, that's, it's certainly in 0:01:03.030 --> 0:01:06.670 your top few. I think it's worth reviewing the numbers 0:01:06.870 --> 0:01:12.920 very briefly. It is almost hilarious. So about 18 years ago, 0:01:13.360 --> 0:01:16.900 Californians narrowly passed. Well, it was about four and a 0:01:16.920 --> 0:01:17.780 half point when. 0:01:17.819 --> 0:01:23.110 Being misled by a creatively written ballot. Oh yeah. 2008 0:01:23.110 --> 0:01:23.770 ballot measure. 0:01:24.590 --> 0:01:28.759 Um, to have a bullet train that would travel between 0:01:28.819 --> 0:01:30.260 San Francisco and L.A. 0:01:30.440 --> 0:01:35.200 In under three hours, okay? We'll just file that away. 0:01:35.930 --> 0:01:39.190 A legislative bill said it should be completed by six 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:40.619 years ago, as we. 0:01:40.540 --> 0:01:43.760 Speak these words in 2020. Completed by six years ago? Completed. 0:01:44.280 --> 0:01:48.360 A bullet train from San Francisco to L.A. Completed, yes. 0:01:48.860 --> 0:01:51.780 And the California High Speed Rail Authority's initial business plan 0:01:52.160 --> 0:01:55.750 estimated a cost of $ 33 billion. Oh, I forgot the 0:01:55.810 --> 0:01:58.210 lead of this Wall Street Journal article. Some 18 years 0:01:58.290 --> 0:02:00.630 after California voted to launch a bullet train that would 0:02:00.650 --> 0:02:02.490 travel between San Francisco and L.A. 0:02:02.530 --> 0:02:03.130 In under three hours. 0:02:03.490 --> 0:02:09.190 The project now costs billions more than planned. Hundreds of 0:02:09.370 --> 0:02:14.090 billions more than planned. Wall Street Journal, to it, the numbers. 0:02:14.880 --> 0:02:15.920 By the way, we're. 0:02:15.600 --> 0:02:17.660 Throwing in for people if you don't live in California, 0:02:17.680 --> 0:02:19.359 because a lot of you are listening around the country. 0:02:19.419 --> 0:02:22.660 We all know this in California. It's a 50-minute flight 0:02:22.980 --> 0:02:27.280 between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and it ain't real expensive, 0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:29.660 and they have them every hour, all day long. 0:02:30.260 --> 0:02:32.080 Cost you less than a nice dinner with a bottle 0:02:32.100 --> 0:02:35.290 of wine, please. A decent dinner with a bad bottle 0:02:35.310 --> 0:02:38.640 of wine, as a matter of fact. Anyway, yeah, how 0:02:38.680 --> 0:02:41.100 many flights are there just between San Francisco and L.A. 0:02:41.139 --> 0:02:44.000 Every day on Southwest Airlines? Like 50? I think, yeah, 0:02:44.040 --> 0:02:45.700 I think it's hourly, certainly. 0:02:46.000 --> 0:02:48.620 If you include, like, Burbank, and not to get overly, 0:02:48.740 --> 0:02:52.220 you know, local about it, but San Jose, yeah, it's insane. 0:02:52.660 --> 0:02:55.260 Anyway, let's see. So, done by 2020, done. 0:02:56.960 --> 0:03:01.150 At a cost of $ 33 billion. After years of legal battles, 0:03:01.210 --> 0:03:04.190 cost overruns, leadership changes, and political fights, none of that 0:03:04.230 --> 0:03:06.710 has anything to do with this. The price tag is 0:03:06.750 --> 0:03:08.350 up to $ 126 billion, bare minimum, with a high estimate 0:03:08.370 --> 0:03:17.960 of $ 231 billion. And isn't expected to be fully operational 0:03:18.139 --> 0:03:19.260 until 2040. 0:03:19.260 --> 0:03:23.060 And isn't going to get anywhere close to L.A. or 0:03:23.180 --> 0:03:24.220 San Francisco. 0:03:24.240 --> 0:03:25.889 You're going to have to take like a three and 0:03:25.910 --> 0:03:27.889 a half hour cab ride. 0:03:29.590 --> 0:03:31.630 Depending on traffic, the train station to the heart of 0:03:31.650 --> 0:03:37.550 the city. It's amazing how few journalists read the... Train 0:03:37.570 --> 0:03:41.530 Authority's own website. They put on there what their current 0:03:41.570 --> 0:03:44.120 plans are, and their plans are not currently to have 0:03:44.160 --> 0:03:48.700 a train from San Francisco to L.A. It's from, what 0:03:48.740 --> 0:03:53.100 is it, Gilroy to Palmdale or something? Yeah, something like that. 0:03:54.140 --> 0:03:58.820 Which are towns not very close to downtown San Francisco 0:03:58.840 --> 0:03:59.550 or downtown L.A. 0:04:00.950 --> 0:04:05.030 Said Democratic State Senator Catherine Blakespear at a Transportation Committee 0:04:05.070 --> 0:04:05.770 meeting in April. 0:04:05.880 --> 0:04:07.480 Quote, this is a disaster. 0:04:07.500 --> 0:04:10.580 I'm such an enthusiast for rail, and I really wanted 0:04:10.600 --> 0:04:12.740 this to be successful. And just hearing these things make 0:04:12.780 --> 0:04:14.820 it seem like we're proceeding on a wing and a prayer. 0:04:15.020 --> 0:04:15.280 I know. 0:04:15.340 --> 0:04:18.520 When I was going around England, I thought, this is 0:04:18.660 --> 0:04:20.930 really cool. I never rented a car when I was 0:04:20.940 --> 0:04:22.810 in England. I went everywhere by train, and they were 0:04:22.850 --> 0:04:24.710 running all the time from town to town, and they 0:04:24.730 --> 0:04:28.490 were cheap and easy. But for a variety of reasons, 0:04:28.570 --> 0:04:31.690 we can't and haven't done that. Here in the United States. 0:04:34.180 --> 0:04:36.080 But that wasn't high-speed rail. That was just regular rail. 0:04:37.180 --> 0:04:39.660 It was a good way to get around. Oh, and 0:04:39.680 --> 0:04:41.800 then the high-speed rail turned into regular rail. That's the 0:04:41.820 --> 0:04:44.770 other thing that's on the website, if you read it. 0:04:45.050 --> 0:04:48.510 It's not bullet train like you see on some video 0:04:48.550 --> 0:04:49.950 about what they got in Japan anyway. 0:04:51.290 --> 0:04:52.010 Yeah, yeah. 0:04:52.910 --> 0:04:55.460 So, I don't know. There's plenty you could say about it. 0:04:56.029 --> 0:04:59.100 Also, part of the original plan said that private money 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:03.260 would do most of the heavy lifting. But the initial 0:05:03.300 --> 0:05:06.250 plan included, and I remember we were talking about this 0:05:06.310 --> 0:05:08.310 at the time, and a lot of this most people 0:05:08.330 --> 0:05:10.290 didn't hear about because most voters don't know what they're 0:05:10.310 --> 0:05:13.979 voting about. But the estimates for the ridership and the 0:05:14.060 --> 0:05:18.900 ticket prices and every single number in the formula, every 0:05:19.180 --> 0:05:22.260 single one was utterly ridiculous. 0:05:22.480 --> 0:05:24.320 Shouldn't that be a crime of some sort? Shouldn't you 0:05:24.339 --> 0:05:28.049 be charged with fraud or something? It's not fraud if 0:05:28.060 --> 0:05:32.210 the government does it. And there have been all sorts 0:05:32.270 --> 0:05:34.850 of trials and cases and petitions to end the thing, 0:05:34.870 --> 0:05:37.010 just to end it. And I've been calling it a 0:05:37.029 --> 0:05:39.950 vampire now for like 15 years. It can't be killed. 0:05:40.390 --> 0:05:42.510 Here's a little more from the 60 Minutes piece on 0:05:42.550 --> 0:05:44.150 trying to complete this dang thing. 0:05:44.630 --> 0:05:48.110 Back in California, the rail authority insists state funds can 0:05:48.190 --> 0:05:50.910 cover the cost of the Central Valley leg. As for 0:05:50.930 --> 0:05:54.270 the rest, just to be clear, as we speak right now, 0:05:54.430 --> 0:05:57.910 are the funds there to complete LA to San Francisco? 0:05:58.110 --> 0:06:01.190 The entire amount of money we need, not there today. 0:06:01.740 --> 0:06:05.040 But do we believe we can get those funds to 0:06:05.080 --> 0:06:07.900 get the project done? Absolutely. We believe we can milk 0:06:08.000 --> 0:06:13.020 more taxpayers. for millions of more dollars, basically stealing from them, 0:06:13.080 --> 0:06:15.500 basically the same as knocking them down on the sidewalk 0:06:15.520 --> 0:06:18.070 and reaching into their pocket. Theft, because you know it's 0:06:18.110 --> 0:06:21.230 freaking theft. I don't know. Do I just have... Do 0:06:21.730 --> 0:06:25.790 you have abnormal moral compasses or. 0:06:28.260 --> 0:06:32.869 How do so many people rip people off and sleep 0:06:32.930 --> 0:06:37.350 at night? How many people must be involved in this? 0:06:37.790 --> 0:06:40.970 Thousands of people over the decades that know they're just 0:06:41.250 --> 0:06:44.770 flat-out stealing. How do you do that with your life 0:06:44.830 --> 0:06:46.029 and be okay with it? 0:06:46.050 --> 0:06:49.700 You just see the scam all around them, and the 0:06:49.720 --> 0:06:51.580 scam is how you work it. It's like being in 0:06:51.600 --> 0:06:54.660 the Soviet Union or something like that. Scamming the government 0:06:54.680 --> 0:06:57.589 is the only way to get ahead. And the politicians, 0:06:57.630 --> 0:07:01.000 they understand that the people, the unions, the towns, whatever, 0:07:01.080 --> 0:07:03.450 that are depending on this flow of money will always, always, 0:07:03.510 --> 0:07:06.460 always vote Democrat. because the Democrats will keep the money flowing. 0:07:06.500 --> 0:07:08.890 It's graft of the most obvious sort. 0:07:09.130 --> 0:07:11.830 So they convince themselves somehow that either this is actually 0:07:11.850 --> 0:07:13.710 going to happen and it's good for the environment because 0:07:13.770 --> 0:07:17.750 climate change is so important, or this will help us 0:07:17.790 --> 0:07:20.890 get votes and our party is the only thing standing 0:07:20.930 --> 0:07:24.530 between us and fascism. There must be some stretch that 0:07:24.570 --> 0:07:27.470 they use to convince themselves that they're doing the right thing. 0:07:30.310 --> 0:07:32.800 I think what's at the heart of the answer to 0:07:32.810 --> 0:07:37.490 your question is that Most people, and I've learned this 0:07:37.530 --> 0:07:43.350 slowly but surely, most people are way better at rationalizing 0:07:43.410 --> 0:07:49.690 away reality than you think they are. These people think 0:07:49.930 --> 0:07:52.710 it's a great project. It's going to be built. There's 0:07:52.870 --> 0:07:55.440 just been a hiccup or two because the money's flowing 0:07:55.500 --> 0:07:58.960 into their pockets. A lot of otherwise decent people convince 0:07:59.000 --> 0:08:02.180 themselves that what they're doing is not wrong because then 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:05.710 they can sleep at night. Certain ones of us, we 0:08:05.790 --> 0:08:09.060 bump up against our conscience and our grasp of reality 0:08:09.070 --> 0:08:11.060 and we can't do that. But these people can do 0:08:11.100 --> 0:08:13.640 that and they're good at it. One more couple of numbers. 0:08:14.740 --> 0:08:20.350 The initial section now between Bakersfield, California and Merced, California. 0:08:20.940 --> 0:08:23.240 And for what it's worth, if you're not familiar with 0:08:23.300 --> 0:08:29.820 the topography, I mean, Bakersfield is a mountain range and 0:08:30.860 --> 0:08:34.940 a long drive away from Los Angeles. And Merced is 0:08:35.420 --> 0:08:38.319 so far away from San Francisco, it's not even like 0:08:38.380 --> 0:08:39.280 an excerpt. 0:08:39.420 --> 0:08:47.910 It's like a different region. So the Merced to Bakersfield... route. 0:08:48.070 --> 0:08:53.930 Will be done in 2023, they say, and will cost 0:08:54.010 --> 0:08:56.030 something like $ 36 billion. 0:08:56.080 --> 0:08:58.400 Did you mean 33 or did you have a time machine? 0:08:58.400 --> 0:09:00.900 2023 is three years ago. I'm sorry. 0:09:00.900 --> 0:09:00.980 2033. 0:09:00.980 --> 0:09:02.000 Oh, okay. 0:09:02.000 --> 0:09:05.160 2033 and cost $ 36 billion. Okay. 0:09:06.370 --> 0:09:08.530 So here's the answer. How much will it cost to 0:09:08.590 --> 0:09:10.770 finish the part that gets it LA to San Francisco? 0:09:10.809 --> 0:09:11.770 This is from 60 Minutes. 0:09:12.780 --> 0:09:15.140 How much do you estimate it's gonna cost to connect 0:09:15.340 --> 0:09:16.900 high speed rail San Francisco to LA? 0:09:17.380 --> 0:09:21.960 Today, we estimate with the right optimization, just over $ 125 billion. 0:09:22.210 --> 0:09:25.050 I think $ 126 billion is the current estimate for that. 0:09:25.250 --> 0:09:28.309 That's more funding than Amtrak has received in its history 0:09:28.630 --> 0:09:31.689 and still leaves a shortfall of roughly $ 90 billion. 0:09:32.570 --> 0:09:34.410 That's a big gap to fill. 0:09:34.910 --> 0:09:37.020 It is a big gap to fill, but again, we 0:09:37.059 --> 0:09:39.520 have an understanding of how to get there and to 0:09:39.559 --> 0:09:40.140 fill that gap. 0:09:40.920 --> 0:09:43.340 A gap the authority hopes to fill with a new 0:09:43.380 --> 0:09:46.970 plan to cut costs, lure private investment, and connect to 0:09:47.030 --> 0:09:48.330 bigger cities much sooner. 0:09:48.510 --> 0:09:52.750 That's more than nationwide Amtrak that's been around my whole 0:09:52.809 --> 0:09:56.550 life has received in its history? Wow, that's a stat. 0:09:57.030 --> 0:09:59.890 And don't let that last quote go by you too quickly. 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:04.110 It's a gap that the rail authority plans to, you know, 0:10:04.190 --> 0:10:06.310 bridge through lowering costs. 0:10:06.920 --> 0:10:08.640 Oh, good. I'll do the same. 0:10:09.000 --> 0:10:11.900 I'm going to lower the costs of my mortgage and 0:10:11.980 --> 0:10:14.500 my car. I'm going to lower the cost of the 0:10:14.580 --> 0:10:16.600 food I buy at the grocery store. 0:10:16.880 --> 0:10:18.929 How are you going to do that exactly? Anyway, we'll 0:10:18.950 --> 0:10:19.470 put that aside. 0:10:19.830 --> 0:10:22.089 Maybe they can buy in bulk and get a discount 0:10:23.050 --> 0:10:25.229 and attract private investment. 0:10:26.290 --> 0:10:28.050 To what? An asshole? 0:10:28.070 --> 0:10:32.229 A money pit that will never be filled? What sort 0:10:32.270 --> 0:10:36.050 of moron would invest in your project? Nobody has and 0:10:36.130 --> 0:10:39.740 nobody will. Unless they're on the take from Gavin Newsom. 0:10:40.000 --> 0:10:43.080 What a good plan you have for bridging the gap. 0:10:43.420 --> 0:10:46.020 Good Lord. Well, we're arguing like these are good faith 0:10:46.059 --> 0:10:46.900 arguments and they aren't. 0:10:47.660 --> 0:10:47.880 Right. 0:10:48.140 --> 0:10:50.949 Although, the people. 0:10:51.870 --> 0:10:56.730 The taxpayers have to realize this stuff, internalize it, and 0:10:56.970 --> 0:10:57.590 act on it. 0:10:58.110 --> 0:11:02.090 Liberals, this is what I always say about this stuff. Liberals, again, 0:11:02.110 --> 0:11:06.090 I don't care about the downtrodden. I really don't. You do. 0:11:06.809 --> 0:11:09.609 You're the one who cares. You're the one who should 0:11:09.630 --> 0:11:12.510 be upset about this. This is taxpayer money, which there's 0:11:12.550 --> 0:11:15.329 a limited amount of. You should want this money going 0:11:15.350 --> 0:11:19.770 to all the, you know, one-legged trans BIPOC kids who 0:11:19.790 --> 0:11:20.320 need your help. 0:11:20.970 --> 0:11:24.989 Yes, look at them struggling with their one leg. Two 0:11:25.090 --> 0:11:28.510 final quotes from me, then I'll shut up. State Senator 0:11:28.670 --> 0:11:32.660 Tony Strickland, a Republican, said at the Transportation Committee meeting, 0:11:33.260 --> 0:11:35.500 I don't think this will ever be built, has proposed 0:11:35.520 --> 0:11:37.740 to the people in California. I know I wouldn't put 0:11:37.800 --> 0:11:40.200 my money and invest in this, but I wish you luck. 0:11:40.900 --> 0:11:46.510 Second quote, Joe Pearson, a Bakersfieldian, quote, Nobody here in 0:11:46.590 --> 0:11:47.570 Bakersfield says. 0:11:47.630 --> 0:11:51.059 Hey, I want to go to Merced. Which is a 0:11:51.120 --> 0:11:55.580 good joke and true. But I was watching the 60 0:11:55.580 --> 0:11:57.719 Minutes piece and they had the map up there and 0:11:57.740 --> 0:12:01.140 everything like that. And I thought, when would I ever, 0:12:02.059 --> 0:12:04.150 even if they got this thing built and it's running 0:12:04.170 --> 0:12:07.510 all the time and it's efficient and reliable, when would 0:12:07.570 --> 0:12:09.190 I ever decide, you know, I'm going to take the 0:12:09.230 --> 0:12:13.270 train this time instead of fly southwest? When would I 0:12:13.429 --> 0:12:14.050 ever do that? 0:12:16.540 --> 0:12:18.850 You had a day to kill and wanted to look 0:12:18.880 --> 0:12:21.670 at the stunning scenery of the Central Valley of California. 0:12:24.730 --> 0:12:26.890 Which is fine, but I'm joking. It's not that stunning. 0:12:30.390 --> 0:12:37.080 No, no, it is an absolutely transparent, ginormous theft of 0:12:37.140 --> 0:12:37.880 taxpayer money. 0:12:40.020 --> 0:12:45.240 You laugh. I laugh. Yeah, I have a laugh. Some 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:49.079 more interesting Dolly facts for you as the world pours 0:12:49.140 --> 0:12:51.380 out their heart in memory of Dolly Parton. 0:12:51.520 --> 0:12:56.580 And I mean everyone. The wide variety is just absolutely incredible. 0:12:57.760 --> 0:13:02.570 The most famous Dolly of all time, probably. Dolly the 0:13:02.610 --> 0:13:04.410 cloned sheep, a contender. 0:13:04.970 --> 0:13:09.170 Dolly Madison. Dolly Madison, a hugely popular Dolly. Hailing in comparison. 0:13:10.530 --> 0:13:12.160 Historical significance, uh. 0:13:14.480 --> 0:13:17.420 We'll see. Probably Dolly Parton. We'll have to see. Check 0:13:17.440 --> 0:13:20.520 back in 100 years. And remembering, we got a text earlier. 0:13:20.600 --> 0:13:27.840 She had big boobs. Thank you for that text. Well observed. Okay, 0:13:27.860 --> 0:13:35.179 more on the way. Stay here. Armstrong and Getty. This 0:13:35.300 --> 0:13:38.939 is the band at Buckingham Palace. The guys in the 0:13:39.000 --> 0:13:42.140 red coats and the big tall fur hats standing out 0:13:42.160 --> 0:13:44.679 on the lawn at Buckingham Palace playing 9 to 5 0:13:44.679 --> 0:13:48.780 the Dolly Parton song. Huh, that's lovely. Once again showing 0:13:48.880 --> 0:13:54.830 the reach of Dolly Parton, which should be studied and understood. 0:13:56.330 --> 0:14:01.030 She's one of the most universally liked things up there 0:14:01.050 --> 0:14:03.830 with hamburgers and sex in the history of the world. 0:14:04.510 --> 0:14:05.270 It's really quite amazing. 0:14:06.210 --> 0:14:06.510 Yeah. 0:14:06.690 --> 0:14:09.210 And, you know, we were talking earlier about why that is, 0:14:09.250 --> 0:14:13.250 so we'll probably talk about that more later. I had 0:14:13.350 --> 0:14:15.070 one more point I was going to make before I 0:14:15.130 --> 0:14:19.670 got to this breaking news. Breaking news! Breaking news, Donkey Michael! 0:14:19.750 --> 0:14:22.830 Breaking news, Donkey! 0:14:23.410 --> 0:14:25.150 The news breaks a donkey braze. 0:14:25.170 --> 0:14:27.730 It was happening right in our backyard in federal court 0:14:27.770 --> 0:14:31.830 in Oakland. Metta has settled out of court. I took 0:14:32.050 --> 0:14:36.310 one law class in college. One. and he hammered this 0:14:36.370 --> 0:14:38.670 every single day, so it stuck in my head. I 0:14:38.710 --> 0:14:41.190 guess he wanted us to remember this. You can settle 0:14:41.310 --> 0:14:44.860 at any time. At any time. That's a good point. Before, 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:47.540 the very beginning, right before the end, in the middle, 0:14:47.800 --> 0:14:51.320 any time, you can settle. And that's what happened here. 0:14:51.880 --> 0:14:56.370 Meta to pay up to $ 17. 1 billion in landmark settlement 0:14:56.430 --> 0:14:59.750 over social media addiction claims. There are 47 states involved. 0:15:02.110 --> 0:15:06.520 the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, trying to claim 0:15:06.560 --> 0:15:12.640 that Meta was purposefully ruining our children or something. Certainly recklessly. 0:15:14.720 --> 0:15:17.470 And at some point, Meta decided that cutting a check 0:15:17.490 --> 0:15:20.610 for $ 17 billion is better than letting this continue. That's 0:15:20.630 --> 0:15:24.840 a big check. That is a big dang check. Jonathan Turley, 0:15:24.960 --> 0:15:28.080 the lawyer from George Washington Law School, the professor who's 0:15:28.140 --> 0:15:30.660 on Fox all the time, has some commentary on this. 0:15:30.750 --> 0:15:34.590 Let's hear a little of that. Click 90, Michael. Well, 0:15:34.630 --> 0:15:35.590 this is seismic. 0:15:36.050 --> 0:15:38.430 It's going to be something of a dinner gong for 0:15:38.950 --> 0:15:41.910 both states and plaintiff attorneys, and I think that Meta 0:15:41.950 --> 0:15:46.220 knows that. But in many ways, for the company, this 0:15:46.290 --> 0:15:48.500 is still chump change. I mean, this is a company 0:15:48.520 --> 0:15:52.460 that makes a huge amount of money, and When you 0:15:52.500 --> 0:15:55.580 reach a settlement like this, we've seen, for example, in 0:15:55.600 --> 0:15:59.420 the tobacco settlement, that these companies actually don't end up 0:15:59.500 --> 0:16:03.110 losing money because of the benefits in the market in 0:16:03.150 --> 0:16:07.250 resolving litigation. Their stock tends to go up and they're 0:16:07.290 --> 0:16:08.850 able to cover these losses. 0:16:11.310 --> 0:16:13.110 That's kind of interesting. I guess I didn't know that 0:16:13.170 --> 0:16:16.110 last part. Could you just roll into the next one? 0:16:16.120 --> 0:16:19.020 I'm kind of interested in the details of the arguments. 0:16:19.440 --> 0:16:22.620 I think in fairness to the 29 states that brought 0:16:22.680 --> 0:16:27.350 this lawsuit, there is a commitment here to change the app, 0:16:27.390 --> 0:16:33.110 to change this software, to create greater protections. The issue 0:16:33.250 --> 0:16:36.590 here for Meta was that legally they had some very 0:16:36.630 --> 0:16:40.470 good arguments to make here. The line between what's an 0:16:40.550 --> 0:16:45.240 addictive and what's a popular product is often hard to Yeah, 0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:45.940 I'd say. 0:16:46.800 --> 0:16:47.420 It's interesting. 0:16:47.460 --> 0:16:51.040 The settlement was actually with 47 states, the District of 0:16:51.120 --> 0:16:54.250 Columbia and U.S. territories, some of which were not part 0:16:54.270 --> 0:16:56.979 of this specific suit, I have a feeling. But, yeah, 0:16:57.000 --> 0:16:59.750 that's a heck of a gesture, thinking, no, let's not 0:16:59.870 --> 0:17:01.030 take this all the way to the jury. 0:17:01.070 --> 0:17:03.910 Let's just end it. Well, and as Turley said there, 0:17:03.930 --> 0:17:06.390 and if we've talked about, Meta has some really good arguments. 0:17:06.510 --> 0:17:08.530 You know, so did Roundup, and they ended up paying 0:17:08.609 --> 0:17:11.359 out ridiculous amounts of money, even though there's no scientific 0:17:11.410 --> 0:17:13.960 proof they caused cancer. So that's a tough one. 0:17:14.200 --> 0:17:15.280 Armstrong and Getty. 0:17:16.670 --> 0:17:18.510 What we're not gonna do is talk about Dolly Parton 0:17:18.550 --> 0:17:21.950 like we lost an 80-year-old woman because Dolly Parton was 0:17:21.950 --> 0:17:25.270 25 years old for approximately 55 consecutive years. 0:17:25.369 --> 0:17:27.399 I don't know how she did it. 0:17:27.470 --> 0:17:31.790 Dolly Parton looked at aging and said, well, there's a 0:17:31.810 --> 0:17:32.750 precious little idea. 0:17:32.810 --> 0:17:33.450 No, thank you. 0:17:33.530 --> 0:17:36.050 That woman had the same blood, had the same smile, 0:17:36.090 --> 0:17:38.750 the same energy, the same heels, the same amount of 0:17:38.869 --> 0:17:41.710 woman from the time your grandma was young until five 0:17:41.750 --> 0:17:45.109 minutes ago. Dolly Parton didn't get older. The rest of 0:17:45.230 --> 0:17:47.360 us just kept catching up to her. 0:17:47.540 --> 0:17:50.359 How great is that, Katie? That's a comedian I don't know. 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:53.680 Who does that? A comedian named Josh Frey that I 0:17:53.720 --> 0:17:53.980 don't know. 0:17:54.460 --> 0:17:57.960 She's been 25 for 50 consecutive years. 0:17:58.080 --> 0:18:00.120 Right. She looked at age and said, I'm not going 0:18:00.140 --> 0:18:05.180 to do that. Oh, no, thank you. Fantastic. Good stuff. 0:18:05.500 --> 0:18:10.869 Good stuff. So I wanted to play this whole appearance 0:18:11.050 --> 0:18:13.490 of Dolly Parton on Johnny Carson way back in the day. 0:18:13.550 --> 0:18:16.430 The whole thing is good, including her singing the song 0:18:16.470 --> 0:18:18.449 to Johnny that she wrote for him. But this is 0:18:18.550 --> 0:18:22.200 a classic moment. It's been pretty well-blessed. People are always 0:18:22.619 --> 0:18:23.740 asking if they're real. 0:18:23.800 --> 0:18:24.359 Oh, I would never. 0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:27.179 I would never, you see. No, you don't have to ask. 0:18:27.720 --> 0:18:33.910 I would not. I'll tell you what. I have certain guidelines. 0:18:34.170 --> 0:18:36.130 But I would give about a year's pay to peek 0:18:36.190 --> 0:18:42.909 under there. That is just lurid, I don't tell. I 0:18:43.109 --> 0:18:47.170 can't believe it. We've got some more interesting Dolly Parton stuff. 0:18:47.210 --> 0:18:50.990 I keep scrolling through and coming across... Some of the 0:18:51.050 --> 0:18:54.149 musical performances. When she got together with Emmylou Harris and 0:18:54.210 --> 0:18:56.370 Linda Ronstadt for a couple albums, there was some really 0:18:56.390 --> 0:18:58.869 good music on there. But this performance of Neil Young's 0:18:59.070 --> 0:19:01.870 After the Gold Rush from Letterman in the 90s, whoa, 0:19:01.910 --> 0:19:05.550 that's good. Really, really good. Have to dig into that. 0:19:05.830 --> 0:19:10.230 I loved, Jack was texting, tweeting, I guess texting Twitter 0:19:10.270 --> 0:19:13.030 links to the internal group here of the show. Of 0:19:13.130 --> 0:19:16.160 all the tributes that were pouring out, and they were 0:19:16.220 --> 0:19:20.850 all really beautiful and touching, including Eminem, a.k.a. Marshall Mathers. 0:19:21.670 --> 0:19:24.500 who shared a note Dolly wrote to him when he won, 0:19:24.760 --> 0:19:25.340 I can't remember. 0:19:25.359 --> 0:19:27.959 Yeah, I got that in front of me. So Eminem 0:19:28.180 --> 0:19:30.220 tweeted out, I'm sorry we never got a chance to meet, 0:19:30.260 --> 0:19:32.419 but getting this note from Dolly really had an impact 0:19:32.480 --> 0:19:34.200 on me. She definitely didn't have to take the time 0:19:34.240 --> 0:19:36.000 to do it. Even for a kid who mostly listened 0:19:36.020 --> 0:19:38.480 to rap music, she was an icon, a superstar in 0:19:38.530 --> 0:19:40.550 every sense. Rest easy, Dolly, and thank you for the 0:19:40.570 --> 0:19:43.110 kind words. This is the letter that Dolly Parton wrote 0:19:43.150 --> 0:19:48.090 to Eminem out of nowhere. Marshall, Eminem, congratulations on your 0:19:48.130 --> 0:19:49.730 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Your 0:19:49.750 --> 0:19:52.639 performance was amazing and everybody said so. Even though I 0:19:52.680 --> 0:19:54.359 don't know a lot about rap music, I've come to 0:19:54.400 --> 0:19:56.399 know that you were the very best at it. Aside 0:19:56.440 --> 0:19:57.900 from that, I hope what I have to say will 0:19:57.920 --> 0:20:00.510 not seem weird or strange to you, but I've always 0:20:00.590 --> 0:20:03.390 felt some unexplained connection to you, like I know you somehow. 0:20:03.869 --> 0:20:05.210 I'd hope to meet you at the show, but you 0:20:05.250 --> 0:20:07.369 know how nuts those things are. Personally, I hate them 0:20:07.430 --> 0:20:09.670 and I missed my chance, but maybe someday we'll meet. 0:20:10.070 --> 0:20:12.070 In the meantime, keep doing what you're doing because you 0:20:12.090 --> 0:20:14.170 do it so well. No matter how complex your world 0:20:14.210 --> 0:20:16.630 may be, just know you're very special and touch people 0:20:16.650 --> 0:20:18.570 in ways you don't even know. With love and respect, 0:20:18.609 --> 0:20:19.150 Dolly Parton. 0:20:19.380 --> 0:20:20.120 Wow. 0:20:21.520 --> 0:20:22.119 Wow. 0:20:22.500 --> 0:20:25.840 That's a beautiful soul. And, you know, it's funny. I 0:20:25.840 --> 0:20:31.900 was thinking about this. As a girl from an Appalachian family, 0:20:31.900 --> 0:20:35.240 12 people, 12 kids, mom and dad living in a 0:20:35.420 --> 0:20:37.680 one-room cabin. 0:20:39.340 --> 0:20:42.300 Whereas Marshall Mathers grew up on the outskirts of. 0:20:42.420 --> 0:20:44.880 Crappy, depressed Detroit. 0:20:45.070 --> 0:20:48.770 She knew they had something in common. You're right. I 0:20:48.810 --> 0:20:50.710 never thought about it from that angle, but that's clearly true. 0:20:51.150 --> 0:20:53.310 Dolly Parton and Eminem had more in common than my 0:20:53.369 --> 0:20:55.490 son and Eminem. And my son sees himself as like 0:20:55.520 --> 0:20:58.100 a rapper or those kind of people. But, you know, 0:20:58.720 --> 0:21:02.419 growing up in poor, difficult times. Yeah, that's interesting. Eminem 0:21:02.480 --> 0:21:05.730 is part of the soundtrack for all millennials. Just to 0:21:05.750 --> 0:21:08.250 let you know. He was, like, huge for us. But 0:21:09.170 --> 0:21:12.429 that particular Eminem thing there, there are so many of 0:21:12.490 --> 0:21:18.830 those crossing every spectrum of the world and generations. And 0:21:19.010 --> 0:21:21.990 it's just, it's amazing. Yeah, yeah. 0:21:22.369 --> 0:21:26.230 People are making a fortune on TikTok imitating him. They 0:21:26.270 --> 0:21:28.710 sound exactly like him. Like, if I close my eyes, 0:21:29.190 --> 0:21:32.100 you couldn't tell the difference. They're just making a fortune 0:21:32.140 --> 0:21:32.820 off of his voice. 0:21:33.760 --> 0:21:37.880