Real Time with Bill Maher – Episode #719 (Feb 14, 2026)

Guests: Jonathan Haidt, Stephanie Ruhle, H.R. McMaster
Main Theme: The impact of technology on youth mental health, current US political and international issues, and an exploration of cultural and societal trends.

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the urgent debate over the effects of social media and smartphones on young people, with Jonathan Haidt sharing recent global developments and legal actions. The roundtable with Stephanie Ruhle and H.R. McMaster covers the Trump administration’s regulatory rollback, China’s economic ascendancy, international trade tensions, crypto’s dark side, security issues at the US-Mexico border, and the dilemmas of American responses to Iran. Bill Maher caps off the show with a comedic but poignant commentary on changing male-female dynamics and the “sex recession.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jonathan Haidt & The “Anxious Generation”

(08:04–18:57)

• Global Response to Social Media Harm:
  • Australia’s ban on social media accounts for kids is inspiring similar measures worldwide. Haidt forecasts "a tipping point," describing the past month as a moment of "extraordinary global change" on this issue (09:25–11:01).
  • Quote: "Once everybody saw that everybody was praising Australia, then everybody knew that everybody wanted to do this. And suddenly all the politicians realized, wait, the people are way out ahead of me. I want to get back out ahead." – Jonathan Haidt (10:15)
• Social Media Trials in L.A.:
  • For the first time, social media giants are facing lawsuits over the mental health crisis among children. Companies like Snapchat and TikTok have mostly settled, but Meta and Google are still facing trial (11:49–13:01).
  • Haidt draws an analogy to the tobacco trials: "You have to be responsible for something that's addictive." (13:03)
• Impacts on Youth:
  • Addiction, depression, suicide, and exposure to sexual predators and drugs (notably fentanyl via Snapchat) are key harms.
  • Notable: Haidt shares a chilling story: “One mother ... her daughter was cyberbullied into suicide ... the kids broke into the funeral to continue the bullying after the grave.” (16:15)
• Necessity for Collective Action, Not Parental Exemptions:
  • Parental exemptions create a “collective action trap.”
  • Quote: "My attitude is, what the hell, why bother doing it? That just puts us all back in the trap. So we need a clean, like a global norm. Like really, it should be 18. ... If we all agree to do 16, we can get it fast." – Haidt (17:21)
• New Book for Kids:
  • “The Amazing Generation,” a graphic novel for 8–13-year-olds, features older Gen Zers explaining the downsides of tech immersion to younger peers (18:30).

2. Panel: Climate Policy, US Elections, and Global Energy

(19:16–26:19)

• Trump Administration’s Rollback of EPA Powers:
  • Trump’s EPA ends federal authority to regulate emission of fossil fuel pollutants (19:29–20:45).
  • Stephanie Ruhle notes, "A huge win for oil, gas and big coal promises. Capt." (20:51).
• McMaster’s Take:
  • "I’m a believer that global warming is a real thing, right? Manmade carbon emissions are a problem. But what we were doing wasn’t working anyway ... what we do in the United States actually doesn't matter if China is building 40 coal fired power plants a year." (21:09)
• Market-based vs. Regulatory Solutions:
  • Emphasis on the need for global, market-driven advances like cheap natural gas and nuclear to beat coal, rather than top-down regulation (21:09–22:23).
  • Maher: “Dick Cheney once said about terrorism, if there's even a 1% chance, we gotta act like it's 100%. Wouldn't this be just as much?” (24:22)
• Divergent Climate Politics:
  • McMaster: "The people who steal all the oxygen from these debates are the people, you know, maybe climate catastrophists on the one hand and climate deniers on the other. I think the vast majority of Americans are somewhere in between." (25:08)

3. China, Industrial Competition & Tariffs

(26:27–29:50)

• US Auto Industry vs. China:
  • Maher: The Ford CEO was "humbled" by Chinese EV quality and warned America could fall behind (26:46–27:49).
  • McMaster details the typical cycle: US firms lured for cheap labor, robbed of IP, subsidies pick and favor Chinese state actors, who then "dump" products globally (27:49–28:33).
• Trade Alliances:
  • Ruhle critiques Trump’s exit from the Trans Pacific Partnership: "Here we are, he's launching a trade war that is not bringing an ounce of manufacturing back..." (28:33)
• Tariffs’ Impact:
  • Maher: New tariffs will cost each American family about $1,000/year (29:06–29:18).
• US Losing Global Favor:
  • Maher cites a Democracy Perception Index survey: "Three quarters of [countries surveyed] prefer Beijing to Mar-a-Lago." (29:21)

4. Canada Bridge Controversy & US-Canada Relations

(30:35–34:10)

• Trump’s Opposition to Canada’s Bridge Project:
  • Maher highlights Trump’s bizarre claims about Canada’s bridge plans and suspected self-dealing in favor of a donor (30:48–32:36).
• Bipartisan Pushback:
  • “There are some Republicans who joined Democrats who said, we are not going along with your tariffs on Canada because they want to make a deal with China who’s going to get rid of hockey.” – Maher (33:06)
• McMaster on Canada:
  • Emphasizes respect for Canadian armed forces, calls Trump's "gratuitous insults" unnecessary and counterproductive to alliances (33:26).

5. Crypto, Crime, and Regulation

(39:45–43:11)

• Crypto & Criminality:
  • Maher: "Crypto, the criminal’s best friend. I never liked this shit. I always thought it was a big scam. ... Crypto is money laundering." (39:45–41:34)
• Trump Family Involvement In Crypto:
  • Ruhle: “The reason the Trump family got involved in crypto was following January 6th ... when they realized what a super grift ... they went all in” (41:34).
• Need For Smart Regulation:
  • McMaster concedes crypto's "democratizing" potential but notes the need for identity controls and regulation to limit abuse, while preserving utility for activists under oppressive regimes (41:47–42:35).
  • Ruhle: "There's almost no prosecution of any white-collar criminals in the crypto space." (42:35)

6. Foreign Policy: Iran, START Treaty, and Strategic Dilemmas

(43:11–49:15)

• US Approach to Iranian Repression:
  • McMaster: “I think ... there are some capabilities that are relevant to dissuading them from ... mass massacre and brutality ... It's really unprecedented since World War II. I mean, 30,000 people ... killed in a 48 hour period.” (45:27)
  • McMaster suggests more collective diplomatic and financial action globally—not just military action (46:15–46:18).
• Political Timing of Military Actions:
  • Ruhle speculates upcoming bombing of Iran may be intended to distract from embarrassing administration news cycles (46:23).
• START Treaty Expiry:
  • McMaster isn’t worried about the US-Russia arms treaty expiring, sees it as opportunity to include China: “China is increasing its nuclear forces by 400% ... The real key is to bring China in ... and ... reduce the stockpiles...” (48:02–49:15)

7. Bill Maher’s “New Rules”: The 'Sex Recession' & Modern Masculinity

(51:20–59:44)

• Cultural Anxiety Around Masculinity and Relationships:
  • Riffs on “Hubsons” (men living with their mothers), plummeting male relationship and sex stats, and women's newfound preference for mythic monsters or fantasy romance (“Romantasy” books) over real men.
  • Quote: “45% of men aged 18 to 25 have never approached a woman in person. The only women Gen Z men talk to these days are Siri and Alexa.” (59:44)
• Tech, Dating, and 'Pendulum Swings':
  • Maher links technology to lost face-to-face skills, and suggests the “pendulum” has swung too far—men now fear being “cancelled” for even approaching women (58:11–59:44).
• Taylor Swift as Metaphor:
  • “Taylor Swift epitomizes the journey that a lot of women have been going through ... The second she got some old school wood from the heartland, it was game over.” (56:54)

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “Private knowledge becomes public knowledge … once everybody saw that everybody was praising Australia, then everybody knew that everybody wanted to do this.” – Jonathan Haidt (10:15)
• “You have to be responsible for something that's addictive.” – Bill Maher (13:03)
• “This is an adult activity. But I'm saying let's just. If we all agree to do 16, we can get it fast.” – Haidt (17:21)
• “I think comparing it to the tobacco industry is actually unfair to the tobacco industry … because the tobacco executives never saw children suffer.” – Haidt (15:37)
• “A huge win for oil, gas and big coal promises. Capt.” – Stephanie Ruhle, on EPA rule change (20:51)
• “If we shoot all of our allies to get to China, China wins.” – H.R. McMaster (30:12)
• “Crypto is money laundering. ... That's why criminals use it for sex trafficking and drug trafficking and kidnapping ...” – Bill Maher (40:13)
• “45% of men aged 18 to 25 have never approached a woman in person. The only women Gen Z men talk to these days are Siri and Alexa.” – Bill Maher (59:44)

Memorable Moments & Levity

• MAGA baby shower gifts: Maher parodies current right-wing culture with outlandish baby shower gifts (34:59–36:24).
• Comic riff on “dancing on a car” in pop culture (49:29–51:16).
• Closing monologue on men/women in the dating world, ‘sex recession’, and ‘romantasy’ book trends.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 08:04 – Jonathan Haidt interview begins
• 11:46 – Haidt on social media lawsuits
• 17:21 – Haidt: why we need no parental exemptions
• 19:16 – Panel discussion starts (climate, EPA rollback)
• 21:09 – McMaster on market-based climate solutions
• 26:27 – China/auto industry segment
• 29:21 – Global survey: US vs. China favorability
• 33:06 – Canada bridge controversy
• 39:45 – Crime, crypto, and Trump family
• 43:11 – Iran and US responses
• 48:02 – START treaty expires & nuclear policy
• 51:20 & 56:54 – Monologue on men, dating, Taylor Swift, and ‘sex recession’

Tone & Style

As always, Bill Maher blends satirical humor, skepticism, and biting commentary with earnest debate among his guests. The conversations combine sharp critique, deeply informed perspectives, and comedic relief reflective of contemporary anxieties and absurdities in American society.

For listeners who missed the episode, this summary captures both the depth and color of the discussions, the specific insights from each panelist, and the show’s characteristic wit and irreverence.