FAKE: Talarico Facade Starts to Crumble

**Comfortably Smug** (0:00)
It's a fake candidate, folks. It's your fake oysterman, Graham Plattner. It's your fake Texan, James Talarico.

**Michael Duncan** (0:06)
Chuck Schumer and the establishment in DC and the media are dedicating a lot of time to polishing this turd in Texas.

**Comfortably Smug** (0:14)
No one thinks this is a serious guy.
He's not your man's man. He's not out there driving cattle. They're like, put him in a truck. They have to rent a truck for James Talarico because they think, listen, we can trick voters into thinking he's a real Texan if we have him driving a truck.

**Michael Duncan** (0:34)
Earlier this month, the House Ways and Means Committee took an important step in addressing the abuse of the 340B program, which was designed to help low-income patients access affordable health care by allowing certain hospitals to purchase prescription drugs at heavily discounted prices.
But recent scrutiny by lawmakers has revealed widespread abuse of the program. For example, hospitals, clinics, and their for-profit partners pocketed over $100 billion in profits from 340B medicine markups in 2024 alone, with no rules requiring that money be used to help patients afford medicine. Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith said, tax-exempt hospital empires look less like hospitals and more like hedge funds, making stock investments, purchasing stadium naming rights, and even participating in political activism. That's why the Ways and Means Committee passed Congressman Greg Murphy's Tax-Exempt Hospital Transparency Act, which will increase transparency into hospitals and help rein in waste, fraud, and abuse. Visit americansforopengovernment.com to learn more.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:48)
Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please.

**SPEAKER_4** (1:53)
This program has become one of the most influential podcasts in America.

**SPEAKER_6** (1:57)
I love the personality.

**SPEAKER_4** (1:58)
You guys are killing it.

**SPEAKER_6** (1:59)
I just saw your number one.

**Josh Holmes** (2:01)
It's an honor and a pleasure to welcome the great Sean Hannity.

**Michael Duncan** (2:06)
Guys, I love you.

**SPEAKER_8** (2:08)
Congratulations on all your success.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:10)
This is why you listen to the Ruthless Podcast, nobody else would ask that question.

**John Ashbrook** (2:14)
The only political podcast worth listening to is the Ruthless Podcast.

**SPEAKER_3** (2:17)
It's time for our main event.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:21)
The Ruthless Podcast.

**John Ashbrook** (2:25)
Fun Time Friday.

**Josh Holmes** (2:29)
Welcome back to the Ruthless Friday program. I'm Josh Holmes along with comfortably Smug, our workout partner, Michael Duncan and John Ashbrook, left to right across your radio dial. People have been asking questions, Michael.
You slimmed.

**Michael Duncan** (2:44)
Thank you to Peloton.

**Josh Holmes** (2:47)
You do look terrific.

**Michael Duncan** (2:49)
Thank you.

**Josh Holmes** (2:49)
People have been talking about it though. They wonder if you were sick or something.

**Michael Duncan** (2:54)
I have seen that. I've seen that in the comments and on the replies on Twitter. No, I'm fine.

**Josh Holmes** (3:00)
It's very healthy, in fact.

**Michael Duncan** (3:02)
In fact, it's quite the opposite. It's quite the opposite. I'm in pretty good health.
He's in great health. I wish I had some secret to give to everyone, but it's really just-

**John Ashbrook** (3:12)
Starvation and exercise?

**Michael Duncan** (3:14)
Yeah, it's math. Calories in, calories out.

**Josh Holmes** (3:18)
Well, you look like a million dollars.

**Michael Duncan** (3:19)
Thanks.

**SPEAKER_10** (3:21)
Listen, it's been a hell of a week.

**Josh Holmes** (3:24)
Typically in the month of July, particularly late July as you get into what is the August break for Washington, DC, there's a real low.
Not the case here. I don't think we've ever been so lucky, as we are this week and last week, to just be inundated with content, left, right, and center.

**John Ashbrook** (3:46)
We are very lucky.

**Josh Holmes** (3:47)
We are so lucky, as Johnny would say. We are so very lucky.

**Michael Duncan** (3:51)
Typically you think in the summer months, the political news slows down, but it's just been the opposite.

**Josh Holmes** (3:58)
It hasn't. Of course, this week, the big event, the Graham funeral where you get Zelensky, you get Netanyahu, you get people from all over the town.
Tons of news associated with all of that stuff. And so we've done some serious stuff. I'd like to think yesterday, at least, we had a little reprieve, at least in the back half of the show, where we were talking about nursing and whether or not men should be involved in that profession.

**Comfortably Smug** (4:25)
Great episode, by the way.

**John Ashbrook** (4:26)
Yeah, which I think was your hot takes.

**Michael Duncan** (4:30)
Wild that Ashbrook was defending the guy. He was very irresponsible. It was.

**John Ashbrook** (4:34)
What, the guy with the ski pull through is?