Overtime – Episode #727: Gov. Wes Moore, Chris Cuomo, Sarah Isgur

Summary

Real Time with Bill Maher – Overtime Episode #727

Date: April 28, 2026
Guests: Governor Wes Moore, Chris Cuomo, Sarah Isgur
Theme: Government regulation, corruption, criminal justice, screen time in schools

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Episode Overview

This lively “Overtime” segment from Real Time with Bill Maher features a sharp discussion among Governor Wes Moore (Maryland), journalist Chris Cuomo, and commentator Sarah Isgur. The conversation moves quickly from government regulation of prediction markets to Congressional self-regulation, capital punishment, and limiting student smartphone use in schools. The episode is marked by critical, sometimes humorous exchanges, and grounded perspectives on policy and politics.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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1. Government Regulation & Prediction Markets

[00:51 – 03:44]

• Governor Wes Moore describes his recent executive order banning Maryland state employees from participating in prediction markets, citing the ridiculous potential for insider betting and grifting.
• Moore illustrates how an official could profit by engineering election losses or misusing insider government knowledge.

“What was keeping me or my family from saying, you know what, we have an idea, let’s put a $250,000 bet that I won’t win reelection? And then I just basically tank it in...and I would walk away with about $4 million.”
— Wes Moore (01:34)

• The panel pivots to Congressional hypocrisy on financial corruption, referencing a case where a soldier profited on an operation with inside information, and the widespread, unaddressed issue of Congressional stock trading.

“The corruption is so in your face... People in Congress who are yapping about him when they've said nothing about these other things are the worst.”
— Chris Cuomo (04:20)

• Sarah Isgur calls out Congress’s failure to self-regulate, emphasizing how no law prevents members from financial conflicts of interest.

“Congress could pass a law tomorrow doing what you did. They could pass a law tomorrow preventing themselves from trading stocks. They’re not doing it... That is a statutory question, which means it’s up to Congress.”
— Sarah Isgur (04:35)

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2. Firing Squads and the Death Penalty

[05:32 – 10:08]

• The panel tackles the DOJ’s reintroduction of firing squads, questioning the ethical, legal, and social implications.

“If you’re gonna do it, do it efficiently. A firing squad, they’re dead in a second...What they do now is this chemical thing...half the time, the shit they put in you doesn’t work."
— Bill Maher (06:12)

• Isgur supports non-sanitized executions to force recognition of government-sanctioned death, noting historic legality.
• Cuomo counters, criticizing the administration’s “embracing of brutality” and arguing the symbolic effect of state executions outweighs any deterrence.

“Yeah, we're just going to shoot you in the head is some kind of attempt to be tough. And it's not tough. It's weak...It gives an instruction that death is okay...I think it cheapens something that should be the highest value.”
— Chris Cuomo (07:28)

• Moore and the panel clarify that evidence shows the death penalty does not deter crime and that Maryland’s falling crime rates are due to certainty and speed of enforcement, not severity of punishment.

“We did not increase the severity of the punishment. We increased the probability...We've now seen how the violent crime rate in Maryland is down nearly 50%...We did not have to increase and say like we're adding a death penalty to it."
— Wes Moore (09:14)

“Speed and certainty are the two things that we know work with against violent crime.”
— Sarah Isgur (09:52)

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3. Limiting Screen Time in Schools

[11:56 – 14:10]

• The panel reacts to Los Angeles’s school district mandate for screen time limits, with Moore highlighting similar legislation in Maryland to ban devices “bell to bell” during the school day.

“I do not want our teachers fighting with Mark Zuckerberg for our kids’ attention. And so I want to make sure that we're focused and our kids are locked on task.”
— Wes Moore (13:20)

• Isgur shares an anecdote about a Texas school ceremonially shredding phones as a deterrent.
• Cuomo reflects on his own family and regrets giving smartphones to his kids.

“If there was one fight that I could redo...I would have never given them the smartphone. Never. Not until they were 55 years of age.”
— Chris Cuomo (13:40)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Prediction Markets:
  “What was keeping me or my family from saying, you know what, we have an idea, let’s put a $250,000 bet that I won’t win reelection?...I start stripping naked.”
  — Wes Moore (01:34)

• On Congressional Inaction:
  “They’re not even bound by the employment discrimination laws that they’ve passed for everyone else. And we don’t hold them accountable.”
  — Sarah Isgur (04:47)

• On Death Penalty Ritual:
  “We have sanitized everything so that we don’t actually understand that we are putting people to death by the government...We should do a firing squad so that people know what we're doing.”
  — Sarah Isgur (05:48)

• On Maryland’s Crime Drop:
  “We did not increase the severity of the punishment. We increased the probability.”
  — Wes Moore (09:14)

• On Screen Time Regret:
  “If I could get this one back, I would have never given them the smartphone. Never. Not until they were 55 years of age.”
  — Chris Cuomo (13:40)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Regulating Prediction Markets & Insider Trading: 00:51 – 04:35
• Firing Squads & Death Penalty Philosophy: 05:32 – 10:08
• Screen Time in Schools & Parental Reflections: 11:56 – 14:10

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Episode Tone & Style

The tone is sharp, at times sarcastic, blending earnest policy critique with Maher’s signature irreverence. The discussion is sprinkled with humor, yet consistently returns to grounded calls for responsible governance and ethical standards.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode...

This “Overtime” segment offers a fast-paced window into the intersecting crises of American governance—from corruption and political hypocrisy to criminal justice reform and the battle to protect kids from Big Tech's distractions. The panelists offer not just criticism but tangible policy examples, making for an episode that is both entertaining and instructive.

Transcript

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[Narrator/Announcer]

Welcome to an HBO podcast from the HBO late night series Real Time with Bill Maher.

[Bill Maher]

All right, here we are on overtime with the Democratic Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, and the host of the Chris Cuomo Project and News Nations. Cuomo. Chris Cuomo. Cuomo. And she's the editor of the Dispatchers SCOTUS blog, whose new book is Last Branding, Sarah Isger. Okay, all right, here are the questions from the people out there. All right, Governor Moore, what should the government's approach be to regulating prediction markets and preventing insider trading? Oh, I know why they asked this, because you just made a move on that, right?

[Wes Moore]

I sure did. Yeah. We just signed an executive order banning anyone in Maryland state government from doing any. Any type of predictions market.

[Commercial Voice]

And

[Wes Moore]

it's really for two reasons. One, specifically on the predictions marking prediction markets, it actually is ridiculous. So, for example, if you look at the most recent polls that we have seen, we're at around 57% approval rating, one of the higher numbers for any governor. If you look at the prediction markets, on the probability that I'll win reelection, it's coming in around 97%. Right. So what was keeping me or my family from saying, you know what, we have an idea, let's put a $250,000 bet that I won't win reelection. And then I just basically tank it in. I stop going to work, I go to my debate and I start stripping naked.

[Bill Maher]

And then that might. That's. I might backfire. I don't know.

[Wes Moore]

And then I quit, and then someone else wins, and I would walk away with about $4 million.

[Bill Maher]

So you made this executive move. Was there any pushback in the state from anybody?

[Wes Moore]

I don't care.

[Bill Maher]

I know, but was there? I mean, listen, who can defend? I mean, you defend. No, no, I'm saying, like, someone in the government is like, but I want to do that. But I have an idea. It's crazy.

[Wes Moore]

And it's just like, it's ridiculous. When you think about the type of grifting that goes on and this goes on the heels Of a whole bunch of other stuff.

[Bill Maher]

Yes. Today this was in the news a soldier who was involved in the operation to get Madero out of Venezuela, which was a success, by the way.

[Wes Moore]

Yep.

[Bill Maher]

Okay. Okay. We gotta give success success. Yep. Okay. He bet on it. Yeah. He won $400,000. And they asked Trump about it. And Trump said the whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino.

[Chris Cuomo]

Wait, no irony. No irony when he said it, because

[Bill Maher]

he used to have casino. Ye. But he's not wrong. The whole world has become a casino.

[Sarah Isgur]

His administration.

[Chris Cuomo]

Because he's making it.

[Bill Maher]

He certainly has contributed. Yes, contributed well. Bill, you think polymarket wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Donald Trump? I think it would anyway.

[Chris Cuomo]

I'll tell you why it would absolutely exist. And I want to know if there's any chance that you're not going to run, by the way, because I will put in a bet right now because that's the way the corruption works these days. It's right in your face. I don't want to see this soldier be the face of this problem. Of course what he did is wrong. That's easy. You're making billion dollar oil bets minutes before the President makes an announcement. And no one on the right says anything except Anna, Paulina Luna and two or three others who should all be heroized for this, in my opinion. The corruption is so in your face. Yes, what this cat did was wrong, okay? And he's gonna suffer, but he should not be the face of the problem. And people in Congress who are yapping about him when they've said nothing about these other things are the worst.

[Wes Moore]

And when they're trading stops and they

[Bill Maher]

won't even have a vote on the bill. They are the worst. They are the worst.

[Sarah Isgur]

We need to pass a law tomorrow. Congress could pass a law tomorrow doing what you did. They could pass a law tomorrow preventing themselves from trading stocks. They're not doing it. They're not even bound by the employment discrimination laws that they've passed for everyone else. And we don't hold them accountable. We're just like, oh, I guess Congress just puts out press releases and holds hearings and we fight over gerrymandering. Like, put the pressure where it belongs, not on the courts, of whether they're gonna uphold or strike this down. That is a statutory question, which means it's up to Congress.

[Bill Maher]

How many people, if you did a survey, would even know who the congressperson is. One guy applauding I don't even know what. I don't know if it was. I Do. Or it was like, yeah, you're right, Bill. I don't know.

[Sarah Isgur]

Well, their new approval rating is at 10%. And I would love to meet someone in the 10% who's like, yeah, they're crushing it out there.

[Chris Cuomo]

It's them. It's them.

[Wes Moore]

They pay the 10%.

[Bill Maher]

It's them in the donuts. You know what I mean?

[Chris Cuomo]

That's who it is.

[Bill Maher]

All right, panel, what does the panel think of the DOJ bringing back firing squads for executions? That's why we love overtime. It's just questions I would never ask if I didn't know that. But this is what people want to know. People want to know we're bringing back firing squads.

[Sarah Isgur]

I think there is a great argument, first of all, it doesn't violate the 8th amendment because we had versions of this at the founding. It's better. It's better. I actually think that what we have done and we've done this in all parts of our society. We have sanitized our language, we have sanitized everything so that we don't actually understand that we are putting people to death by the government. Right. I actually think that's okay, but we shouldn't sanitize it. We should do a firing squad so that people know what we're doing.

[Bill Maher]

Well, okay. If you're gonna do it, do it efficiently. A firing squad, they're dead in a second.

[Sarah Isgur]

That's right.

[Bill Maher]

What they do now is this chemical thing where they first. They kind of just put you out, you know, you're just. It's the Norah Jones music is playing. It's like a squad. Wait, really? And then half the time, the shit they put in you doesn't work.

[Sarah Isgur]

It takes a really long time to put someone to death. We have people watching it.

[Bill Maher]

It's not.

[Chris Cuomo]

Yeah, yeah. Well, can I offer a different perspective?

[Bill Maher]

Yes, please.

[Chris Cuomo]

While we're all lining up to shoot people.

[Bill Maher]

No, no, I'm just saying, if you're gonn. That's the way.

[Chris Cuomo]

I think that there's an aspect of the death penalty that should matter, which is what is the social instruction? And I think that the reason they're doing this is that this administration is very embracing of brutality. He has a very misplaced sense of macho, this president. And, yeah, we're just going to shoot you in the head is some kind of attempt to be tough. And it's not tough. It's weak. And I think these kinds of instructions, you know, look, this is the same story for all of our families. My family came to this country because they thought it was a place that was gonna be better, that it was beautiful for opportunity where they would have a chance, where they didn't have to worry about the oppression they had at home. That's not what we are with these kinds of things. If you want the death penalty, fine. It doesn't work. Okay. It doesn't deter crime.

[Bill Maher]

Well, it deters that criminal.

[Chris Cuomo]

It is, yeah. Yeah, it does. But it gives an instruction that death is okay, that murder is okay, killing is okay. It's not murder. Technically, killing is okay. I think the social instruction matters. I think when you're saying, yeah, we'll just shoot you in the head, I think it cheapens something that should be the highest value.

[Bill Maher]

Where are you on the death penalty? Where is it in Maryland? And where are you personally?

[Wes Moore]

We are in Maryland. It's banned inside of Maryland. But I do think it is an important point because when people are talking about the death penalty as an idea of a deterrence, the reality is it's not right. There's no data that shows that this is a deterrence for how people are going to behave or how people are going to. Or how people are going to act. But it does create a bigger thing about how are we thinking about this value? How are we thinking about what it is that we hope for and what it is that we're aspiring to? And I think about it in context of this. Right When I first became the governor, we had an absolute violence crisis within our state. I mean, Baltimore City was averaging almost a homicide a day. When I first became the governor, and I said I was very clear that we were going to have a different type of approach, that we made historic investments in local law enforcement. We made historic investments, and we made Maryland one of the only states that actually helps to fund the U.S. attorney out of balance sheet. So if a person commits a violent crime, particularly with a firearm, I'm going to have them handcuffs in 24 hours. And we're going to make sure that crime, especially if it has is a firearm crime. We're going to help to make sure that goes federal. And if you look at the results, we've now seen how the violent crime rate in Maryland is down nearly 50%. It's the fastest drop in the entire country. The last time, the last time the homicide rate was this low in Baltimore City, I wasn't born yet. The reason I bring that up is this. We did not increase the severity of the punishment. We increased the probability. We made sure that you knew you wanted to get there and be violent in our communities. You want to make communities and families like mine less safe or we're going to get you and you're not going to get out. We did not have to increase and say like we're adding a death penalty to it, but we said you will be held to account. And it has worked better and faster than anywhere else in the entire planet.

[Sarah Isgur]

Well, speed and certainty are the two things that we know work with against violent crime.

[Wes Moore]

That's right.

[Bill Maher]

And that's what I mean about being a Democrat who's able to talk about a subject like that in a more centrist way. You know what I'm talking about. Okay.

[Chris Cuomo]

And it also matters that he's a guy who signed up okay at 17 to have to make that kind of life or death decision because he wasn't a war correspondent. You know what I mean? Like, this is a real warrior that you got sitting next to you and I think that that matters and I think it gives you a different perspective on how precious life is.

[Bill Maher]

Okay?

[Chris Cuomo]

We lose that.

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[Bill Maher]

This week, Governor Los Angeles became the first major school district to require screen Time limits. We are the first. Okay. They did another. Australia did it, but I guess they're not here. What's your approach in Maryland? Yeah. Where were you on screen time?

[Wes Moore]

Well, I know we actually have legislation that just works its way through Maryland that I will be signing that's actually going to do a band to ban bell to bell ban on devices for our kids.

[Sarah Isgur]

There's a school in Houston, by the way, that got a metal grinder and if your kid is caught with any screen their phone out during the school day at all, they put it ceremonially into the metal grinder and it just goes in. And that's the end of your phone.

[Wes Moore]

That's in your phone.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah.

[Sarah Isgur]

Well, that's a deterrence.

[Wes Moore]

It is deterrence. But I don't. I. Our families and our teachers are going through enough right now. Right? We. We've had, we've had especially post Covid. We now have a teacher shortage that is vast. And we've been really focusing on getting more educators in classroom, getting more men and more men of color inside of the classroom. We have cut the teacher vacancy rate in half in the state of Maryland. And a lot of them actually been. A lot of those federal workers have been fired. We started something called our feds to eds which is actually saying if you're a federal worker who's been fired, if you're working for the NIH and you have a degree in physics and you want to be a physics teacher, we're going to get you certified, we're going to get you qualified, we're going to get you in a classroom as quickly as possible. We've cut the teacher vacancy rate in half inside of the state of Maryland. I do not want our teachers fighting with Mark Zuckerberg for our kids attention. And so I want to make sure that we're focused and our kids are locked on task.

[Bill Maher]

Is there any parent? Any parent?

[Chris Cuomo]

Okay. So I had kids in a great public school out where we live. Nothing has made a bigger difference than them pulling the phone. And if there was one fight that I could redo that I totally blew, I mean the list is long, but this one, if I could get this one back, I would have never given them the phone. I would have never given them the smartphone. Never. Not until they were 55 years of age.

[Bill Maher]

We'll leave it there. Thank you everybody.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Catch all new episodes of Real Time with Bill Maher every Friday night at 10 or watch him anytime on HBO On Demand. For more information, log on to HBO.com.