Karol Markowicz Show: The Evolution of the White House Press Briefing with Curtis Houck

Summary

Summary of Episode: Karol Markowicz Show: The Evolution of the White House Press Briefing with Curtis Hauck

Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Hosts: Clay Travis and Buck Sexton
Guest: Curtis Hauck, Managing Editor at NewsBusters
Release Date: May 2, 2025

In this episode, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton delve into Curtis Hauck's insights on the transformation of the White House Press Briefing, highlighting the shifting dynamics between traditional and modern media outlets. The conversation provides a comprehensive overview of how the press briefing room has evolved, reflecting broader changes in the media landscape.

1. Introduction to Curtis Hauck and His Journey

Curtis Hauck shares his passion for news, ignited during his childhood experiences surrounding the 2000 presidential election and the 9/11 attacks. These formative events fostered his deep interest in media and journalism.

Quote:
“Watching the news unfold on that day changed everything for me.”
— Curtis Hauck [12:11]

2. Evolution of the White House Press Briefing

Curtis discusses the historical role of the White House Press Briefing and how it has adapted over different administrations. He emphasizes the increased participation of diverse media outlets beyond traditional broadcast networks.

Quote:
"With the advent of the Trump administration and figures like Sean Spicer, the press briefing became a daily focal point for diverse media interactions."
— Curtis Hauck [15:50]

3. The Shift from Legacy to New Media

The conversation highlights the rise of platforms like NewsBusters, The Daily Wire, and The New York Post, which have garnered larger audiences than some traditional networks. Curtis explains how these outlets now play a significant role in shaping the narrative during press briefings.

Quote:
"The New York Post and Daily Wire have readerships that rival, if not exceed, some of the major broadcast networks."
— Curtis Hauck [19:25]

4. Influencing Press Briefing Dynamics

Curtis elaborates on his role in monitoring the press briefing room, noting how reporters from various outlets now engage more directly and assertively with White House officials. This shift has led to a more dynamic and sometimes contentious exchange of information.

Quote:
"Reporters today are consciously choosing the angles they cover, which reflects a more partisan approach to news dissemination."
— Curtis Hauck [16:34]

5. The Impact of Social Media and Tweets

Curtis mentions how his tweets about press briefings have garnered attention from those in the room, highlighting the interplay between social media and live news reporting.

Quote:
"People in the briefing room notice when I tweet their questions, and they want to be noticed."
— Curtis Hauck [16:34]

6. Challenges and Misconceptions

The discussion addresses common misconceptions about new media's role and effectiveness compared to traditional outlets. Curtis argues that newer platforms provide valuable perspectives that are often overlooked by legacy media.

Quote:
"Conservative reporters are asking tough questions that reflect their conscious choice to engage differently with the administration."
— Curtis Hauck [21:46]

7. Personal Reflections and Advice

Curtis opens up about his personal struggles with loneliness and the importance of genuine human connections, underscoring the broader societal issues of isolation amplified by the digital age and events like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quote:
"The epidemic of loneliness in this country is real, and identifying it is the first step to addressing it."
— Curtis Hauck [28:09]

Advice to Listeners:
Curtis advises doing something nice for others and oneself as essential steps toward improving personal well-being and fostering meaningful relationships.

Quote:
"Do one nice thing for yourself and someone else every day—it can be life-saving."
— Curtis Hauck [34:02]

8. Future of Media and Press Briefings

Looking ahead, Curtis anticipates that press briefings will continue to evolve with the integration of various media platforms, enhancing transparency and diversity in political reporting.

Quote:
"As society's vocabulary evolves, so will our understanding of the value that different media bring to our lives."
— Curtis Hauck [05:20]

Conclusion

Curtis Hauck provides a nuanced perspective on the transformation of the White House Press Briefing, emphasizing the critical role of new media in shaping public discourse. His insights reflect broader trends in media consumption and the enduring importance of authentic human connections in an increasingly digital world.

Final Thoughts:
The episode underscores the importance of adapting to media evolution while maintaining the integrity and depth of journalistic endeavors. Curtis Hauck's experiences and observations offer valuable lessons for both media professionals and the general audience navigating the complexities of modern news landscapes.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• “Watching the news unfold on that day changed everything for me.”
  — Curtis Hauck [12:11]

• "With the advent of the Trump administration and figures like Sean Spicer, the press briefing became a daily focal point for diverse media interactions."
  — Curtis Hauck [15:50]

• "The New York Post and Daily Wire have readerships that rival, if not exceed, some of the major broadcast networks."
  — Curtis Hauck [19:25]

• "Reporters today are consciously choosing the angles they cover, which reflects a more partisan approach to news dissemination."
  — Curtis Hauck [16:34]

• "People in the briefing room notice when I tweet their questions, and they want to be noticed."
  — Curtis Hauck [16:34]

• "The epidemic of loneliness in this country is real, and identifying it is the first step to addressing it."
  — Curtis Hauck [28:09]

• "Do one nice thing for yourself and someone else every day—it can be life-saving."
  — Curtis Hauck [34:02]

• "As society's vocabulary evolves, so will our understanding of the value that different media bring to our lives."
  — Curtis Hauck [05:20]

---

This detailed summary captures the essence of Curtis Hauck's discussion on the evolution of the White House Press Briefing, offering listeners a comprehensive understanding of the key themes and insights shared during the episode.

Transcript

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[Carol Markowitz]

Hi and welcome back to the Carol Markowitz show on iHeartRadio. People who have Listened to this show for a while. Know that one of my things is that I'm actually really worried about people turning to AI to replace actual relationships. Friendship rates are down. People aren't dating, they aren't getting married. All of this is concerning to me and having this AI outlet that people have now, it's worrisome. I think it's a real problem and it could lead us in a really bad direction. There was a clip that circulated on X of Mark Zuckerberg talking about just this issue about how AI could replicate friendships. And he was kind of talking about it in a positive way, about how it can combat loneliness. Let's roll the clip and I'll discuss it.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I think as the personalization loop kicks in and the AI just starts to get to know you better and better, I think that will just be really compelling. You know, one thing just from working on social media for a long time is there's the stat that I always think is crazy. The average American, I think, has, I think it's fewer than three friends. Three people they consider friends. And the average person has demand for meaningfully more. I think it's like 15 friends or something. Right. I guess there's probably some point where you're like, all right, I'm just too busy. I can't deal with more people. But the average person wants more connectivity, connection than they have. So, you know, there's a lot of questions that people ask of stuff like, okay, is this going to replace kind of in person connections or real life connections? And my default is that the answer to that is probably no. I think it, you know, I think that there are all these things that are better about kind of physical connections when you can have them, but the reality is that people just don't have the connection and they feel more alone a lot of the time than they would like. So I think that a lot of these things that today there might be a little bit of a stigma around. I would guess that over time we will find the vocabulary as a society to be able to articulate why that is valuable and why the people who are doing these things are like, why they are rational for doing it and how it is adding value for their lives. But also I think that the field is very early. So, I mean, it's like, I think, you know, there are a handful of companies and stuff are doing virtual therapists and, you know, there's like virtual girlfriend type stuff, but it's, it's very early.

[Carol Markowitz]

So I get what he's saying, that people are hungry for friendship. They're not getting it. Here's an outlet for those people. People want to have 15 friends, he says, but they only have three. Maybe, maybe they have three, maybe they don't. Maybe they have fewer than that. So maybe they could turn to AI for that need that they have. But no, no, you can't. If you have three friends and you add AI, you still only have three friends. The AI is something you spend your time doing, like scrolling. I mean, we don't say Instagram is your friend because you spend two hours on it a night before bed scrolling videos. The AI could feel like a friend sometimes, but it's not. Because a friend can take in your mail when you're away, or remind you of a funny experience you had in high school, or make you laugh by saying something ridiculous, or go on vacation with you. This idea that, oh, AI will soon do all these things too, that still won't make AI your friend. AI will not be sad when you die. AI will not miss you when you're gone. You get no actual feeling, no reciprocation. You get just the simulation of feeling. I know people are lonely and this feels like, well, it's something. But just like online dating is only useful when it translates to real life, dating, AI can never become something real. And every minute you spend talking to, let's be serious here, yourself, alone in your room is a minute you don't spend out there in our big, amazing, beautiful world with real people who exist even when you're not typing anything to let them know what you'd like them to say. It's important to tell your children real is better. Real is the only thing there is. Thanks for listening. Coming up next, an interview with Curtis Hauck. Join us after the break.

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[Carol Markowitz]

Welcome back to the Carol Markowitz show on iheartradio. My guest today is Curtis Hauk. Curtis is managing editor at NewsBusters. Hi Curtis. Thanks for having me.

[Curtis Hauck]

Happy to be with you.

[Carol Markowitz]

I'm so glad to talk to you. I love NewsBusters. How did you get into this world?

[Curtis Hauck]

Yeah, so I think my first kind of peak was Actually when I was nine years old, I was in third grade and it was, that was the peak. Yeah. 2000 presidential election. And you know, just as a little kid, the notion that my parents explained that there'd be an election and then there would be a president when you wake up the next morning and then there wasn't as a kid you're like, you know, kind of, what's the deal with that? So my teacher, Mrs. Luckenbaugh, you know, we all have those teachers who really changed our lives. And she did, is my third grade teacher. She set me on a special assignment. The American presidency exhibit at the Smithsonian had just opened and she sent me on a project to cover pick four or five presidents. And so I picked these really obscure presidents like most of the time.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Do you remember who?

[Curtis Hauck]

Yes, I did Gerald Ford, John Tyler, I think I did Chester Arthur or Garfield. But then I did take FDR as like the more well known president.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Curtis Hauck]

And so that was kind of got piqued my interest. But what really set me on the course, Carol, was the next year was 9 11. My birthday is 911 actually.

[Carol Markowitz]

Oh wow.

[Curtis Hauck]

So I turned 10 years old on that day. And I think like a lot of people, even adults who probably didn't pay attention to the news very much until then. I know my wife has said that was when my father in law got cable.

[Carol Markowitz]

I didn't have a tv.

[Curtis Hauck]

Yeah. And that's how people were. I mean some people were news junkies and they were really invested in cable even then in its semi infancy. But that really changed things. And my dad, I'm from Lancaster, Pennsylvania and so a couple hours outside of New York, but far enough down. My dad who did search and rescue on the side looking for lost children, Alzheimer's patients that kind of in the wilderness, he actually was sent up to Staten island to go through debris that was hauled over and he and his friends were there for a few days looking for remains and personal artifacts. So between those two events, that really got me interested in the news, wanting to watch the news, how it's made. I started actually reading Newsbusters in probably middle school at this point. So I'm a big fan of the work that I now do. Well before that. So that was probably 2004, 2005.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. It's funny because that 2000 election is also what radicalized me. I did a little back of the envelope math as we were talking though I was not 10 at the time. I was in my early 20s and I sought out other Republicans after that happened because to me, it seemed very obvious that Al Gore was trying to steal the election. I was a conservative, but I didn't care about parties or whatever. But I felt like I needed to go find people to talk to about this because I thought I was losing my mind. I was like, this is the most obvious thing ever. George W. Bush won and they're trying to steal it. So, yeah, that was the moment for me, too. And then obviously, 9 11, almost a year later, was also a big, huge event in my life. I was in New York at the time, and I didn't have a tv, and I watched it all happen on the early blogs. I watched it on Instapundent, for example, early Internet. So, yeah, it's interesting. Do you go back to Pennsylvania a lot?

[Curtis Hauck]

Yeah, my wife and I. My wife is from there, too, actually. We met down here in the D.C. area, but she's from Lidditz, Pennsylvania. So we're. We both go up a fair amount probably once a month, once every six weeks. Most of our family is still there, cousins, aunts, uncles. Her sister's in New Jersey, but my brother's there. Yeah, we're a lot of our family is still there. We hope to one day move back there. But right now, working here in D.C. and my wife works at a museum in D.C. as well, so that deal, too, kind of limits you a little bit to big cities in terms of your options. So, yeah, it's a great place.

[Carol Markowitz]

Do you have a beat at news busters or do you cover all kinds of stuff?

[Curtis Hauck]

So in my almost 11 years, I've covered all kinds of things. Primarily, it started out as the evening newscasts, abc, cbs, NBC, because that's the basis for a lot of our studies that listeners may see. And I also covered everything into cable. I then watched Chris Matthews every night once I became managing editor.

[Carol Markowitz]

Thank you for your service.

[Curtis Hauck]

That was something. Yeah. And so towards the end of the last Obama year with Josh Earnest, I started taking interest in the White House press briefing because there would be moments when reporters would ask about certain things that were in the news that weren't then being covered on the broadcast network. Brett Baer was covering them on Fox, but.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Curtis Hauck]

Nobody else was. And so that got me interested. I'm like, well, I should watch these on a daily basis. So with the advent then of the Trump, first Trump administration and Sean Spicer, I started watching every day. I started watching and consuming that every day before even Jim Acosta really made himself known to the country. Yeah, so I've been on that beat ever Since. And that's my main project, you know, knowing who the reporters are in the room. It's fun. I've been told by different people over the years that people in the room definitely care about what I tweet.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah.

[Curtis Hauck]

They notice when I tweet their question and when I write about them. And they want to be noticed.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Curtis Hauck]

They want to be noticed. And I think I probably, unfortunately, maybe to their detriment with their bosses, it helps probably humanize conservative media a little bit that I'm a guy who's called balls and strikes before.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Curtis Hauck]

That there are certain moments, There are certain single, singular days, at least in the Biden administration where, you know, I would watch a press briefing and the press would do their jobs for that 45 minutes to an hour, that the questions from Fox News to the New York Post were exactly the same and just as tough as those from abc, cbs, NBC. And so I think it's helped the Newsbusters readership see, too, the way the biased media work as well, that it's not that for some of them, it is entirely partisan and they see the world completely differently than us. But I think it's shown that, at least for some of them, it is a conscious choice. It is a conscious choice to engage in what they cover and don't cover on a daily basis. So I found that particularly rewarding and to, in my tweeting, just tweet, know who the reporter's name is. And I think people appreciate that versus just reporter says.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right. Yeah. Again, everybody wants the recognition. What does the average American Normie, you know, who doesn't follow this? The way that we do not know or misunderstand about the White House briefing room.

[Curtis Hauck]

Yeah, that's. That's pretty. That's a good question. I would say that there's definitely a process to it. I think Americans have learned a lot more with the AP situation in the. In the role that the AP plays kind of as the gatekeeper for when briefings end. Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

And you were talking about the AP situation just so I could fill in my listeners. It's. It's when they refuse to say Gulf of America, and they correct and remove them from the press, from the press bowl. Right.

[Curtis Hauck]

But they still participate in the White House press briefing. But, you know, because tradition said so, they always start the questioning. So they set the agenda, and then it usually goes to the front row. But what Caroline has done is go around the room. And I think that's something that I probably don't think a lot of people may have considered or thought about.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Curtis Hauck]

There was kind of this unofficial way of doing things for a long time, but now it's completely changed. Where Caroline and Kaylee did this too, and Sarah did as well. The first Trump administration. Yes. Obviously you're going to get to the big TV networks, but there's a lot of people in there. There's dozens of people that cover the White House day in and day out, too. And they've got plenty of valid questions, too, about all kinds of things.

[Carol Markowitz]

And they sometimes have more listeners, followers, viewers than the major networks at this point. Right?

[Curtis Hauck]

Yeah, yeah. The New York Post, Daily Wire, for sure.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah.

[Curtis Hauck]

A few others that definitely have more readers. The Daily Caller. So, yeah, Reagan Reese, the Caller, Mary Margaret, the Daily Wire, Steven Nelson at the New York Post. They do incredible jobs representing their viewers and readers, which number, you know, at minimum equal to number, if not greater than some of these broadcast networks on a daily basis.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. So why should it be only the broadcast networks that get the questions? And I think Americans understand that there is a new kind of media that has emerged. It's not even that new anymore. Right. It's like podcasts and, and I wouldn't say blogs and that, that type of thing. It's. It's been at this point, you know, a decade plus. It's not like it just came out last month. So it's interesting that they're getting a chance to actually ask the questions and get to a different conversation than the news media might want to have.

[Curtis Hauck]

Yeah, they can still coordinate their questions and stack their questions. My boss, Tim Graham, was the White House correspondent for World magazine the first few years of the Bush administration under Ari Fleischer. And he saw that up close too, that reporters could clearly were lining up their questions and considering what each other was saying, that to the point it almost seemed like it was scripted ahead of time. Yeah. So, you know, what we see now is reporters can still ask their questions. Caroline still calls on them. It's not completely being shut out. It's just that she's mixing in different viewpoints. And I think too, the misnomer that people might have too is the conservative reporters thus far are asking tough questions. Sager and Jetty, who used to be at the Daily Caller, now he's on his own independent breaking points with Crystal Ball, former MSNBC host. He asked about Thomas Massie when President Trump called for Thomas Massie to be primaried a few weeks ago. And you know, he pointed out all of these things Thomas Massie is in support of in Locks up with the president, but not on a spending bill. So why call for him to be primaried? You know, that's probably not a question Caroline Levitt wanted to be asked, but he asked it anyway.

[Carol Markowitz]

It's not softballs.

[Curtis Hauck]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Or Mary Margaret. Last week the Daily Wire asked about, hey, so the Supreme Court draft opinion Dobbs opinion leak. Is the Justice Department interested in this? Because there's still no answer these many years later.

[Carol Markowitz]

It's interesting. Yeah.

[Curtis Hauck]

And so, you know, liberal media, legacy media may think this is very niche issue or it's not. No, but it's not. It matters to a huge group of.

[Carol Markowitz]

People, a lot of people who don't have their voices heard generally in that room. Yeah, Mary Margaret's been on the show. She. She's fantastic. And yeah, I love that she asked that. What would you be doing if it wasn't this? If there was. What would be the plan be for Curtis?

[Curtis Hauck]

Yeah, actually weather was. Is something that I did. That was my two. That was my other track that I was interested in. Meteorology. There's a picture of me job like at Fox.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, yeah.

[Curtis Hauck]

My mom has a picture of me in my playpen watching the weather channel. The weather on the eights, the 90s graphics. People can probably hear this in there and see it in their heads like that. Just, just completely, you know, it sucked me in. And so I always just again, it's part of, I guess, curiosity about the world around me and extreme weather, how nature can do this or do that on a dime is just. Just fascinated me. Math has been a little hard for me growing up was still is, but so that would be a little difficult. Cause I very quickly learned involves chemistry and physics and you got to know geometry and all these things.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, it's too much.

[Curtis Hauck]

So I kind of put that to the wayside a little bit once I got deeper into high school and college.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, media it is.

[Curtis Hauck]

Yeah, it's a lot.

[Carol Markowitz]

We're going to take a quick break and be right back on the Carol Markowitz Show.

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[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Curtis Hauck]

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[Curtis Hauck]

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[Carol Markowitz]

What do you worry about, Elf?

[Curtis Hauck]

I think always my greatest fear is being alone. You know, this Carol and it's something that I talk about still. My pin thread on Twitter, talking about my battles with depression and suicide. And it's coming up on 10 years since that really first came up. I think that that's one of my greatest fears. I think, I think we all want to be accepted and I don't necessarily always care what people think about me, but just knowing that I have friends, I've always been one of those people that just has a lot of like, acquaintances. I just know a lot of people. But in terms of like close friends, our whole world. Yeah, but in terms of like close, close friends, you know, ride or die. That's always been a struggle for me over the years. So that's something that I think in the back of my mind it's always something that I really, really worry about. Credit therapy, you know, the Lord and all. A lot of different circumstances, God, moments in my life over the years. But that is probably something that, you know, when I'm like having a really bad day or really struggling, that's something that hits me.

[Carol Markowitz]

That thread was so powerful. I think you gave voice to what a lot of people feel. And that comment about, you know, having close friends, I. It is an issue that I feel like comes up on this show a lot. I have people write into me a lot about how to make friends or how to get closer to people. It's tough. It's really tough. And it's, it's getting tougher with the phones and the fact that we're, you know, kind of apart. But it's so good that you are aware of it and see it as a problem. Whereas I feel like I hear from a lot of people who are like, I don't have close friends. That's fine with me. It's good that you're like, you know.

[Curtis Hauck]

Invested in it, Name it, in putting a finger on it. Yeah. And that's one of the things about COVID that just continually aggravates me. The social isolation that, that created it exacerbated it. It was already there, but it just made that even worse. And it's just the epidemic of loneliness in this country.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's right. And I just think we have to like, identify it and do something about it. Otherwise it will obviously spiral. What advice would you give a 16 year old Curtis Hauck?

[Curtis Hauck]

That it's going to borrow a Dana Perino book. It's going to be okay.

[Carol Markowitz]

Book title.

[Curtis Hauck]

It's going to be okay. I. In high school, I struggled a lot with acceptance. I was kind of a drama queen, drama llama of sorts. And I think I worried, too, about friendship. That kind of. That point that I was just talking about, that really continued to grow and that it wasn't just that. I realized it wasn't just me years later. So I would tell myself, it's not just you that you're struggling or just because you're struggling to make friends at this high school. You know, you go to the next high school north of you, and you'll make lifelong friends. Yeah, you know, heck, I didn't know almost like, how I met your mother situation. My wife was living her life. You know, we briefly. I ran track for a few years. She was a D1 athlete, but we were at the same meets and we didn't even know it. Football games, our teams played each other. She was there. I didn't even know it. So I think I would tell myself that, yeah, that everything's going to be okay and that, like, you're. The insecurities and struggles that you see in yourself and others are valid and that your hard work will pay off.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's so good.

[Curtis Hauck]

As your band director tells you, and it is true. Someone is always watching you in the best way possible.

[Carol Markowitz]

Love that. How did you and your wife meet?

[Curtis Hauck]

We met online. We met online through the old Internet, through Hinge during COVID in August 2020.

[Carol Markowitz]

People have successful stories in places like Hinge because a lot of what I hear is not success.

[Curtis Hauck]

Yeah. Yeah, she's. Yeah, that's. Her friend made it for her a few months earlier. I'd been on doing that for years and years and years, all sorts of struggles. And you learn a lot about people in. By doing that for a while, like I did. But that's. That's how we met, and we have a lot of the same friends. We learned her parents know even more people, which is crazy. So they're about 20 minutes apart from each other. So funny. So, yeah, it's.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, you definitely have a how I met your mother situation. Would love to, like, see how you guys actually, you know, just walked by each other at the meets or, you know, saw each other at the football games, but didn't really realize it at the time. Do you have mutual friends or anything back in Pennsylvania or.

[Curtis Hauck]

Yeah, we do.

[Carol Markowitz]

You do?

[Curtis Hauck]

Yeah. It was crazy. I knew some of her friends at Penn. I met a friend of hers at Penn State. One of her Teammates from track went to Penn State. And yeah, it's. It's crazy that I knew a person from this thing. And that's just what makes, you know, just life so beautiful.

[Carol Markowitz]

It is.

[Curtis Hauck]

And particularly our area, I just think is really special. Lancaster is such a very special place. It's a really good place to raise a family. Unfortunately, a lot of people from out of state have moved in, so we kind of have that problem. Yeah, but like, they want to get rid of Maryland, New Jersey, New York. We're fleeing higher taxes, but bringing our policies with that issue. By and large, it's still amazing place, outstanding schools. That's why all my family's still there and my brother's there.

[Carol Markowitz]

I love it. I'll have to visit. I don't think I've ever been to Lancaster. Is that Amish country?

[Curtis Hauck]

Yes, that is Amish country. But the misconception, Carolyn, people have is that it's not all farmland. There is a Lancaster city with, you know, an art scene, a lot of restaurants.

[Carol Markowitz]

Nice.

[Curtis Hauck]

And then Lidditz, Pennsylvania is famous. Always comes up in one of those best small town America blogs that people bring up, too.

[Carol Markowitz]

All right. I had Selena Zito on the show, so I also have a Pittsburgh trip in my future, but I don't think those two are anywhere near each other.

[Curtis Hauck]

Right. No, I was gonna say, you're, like.

[Carol Markowitz]

About as far away.

[Curtis Hauck]

The one thing Selena and I would have in common is talking about the grind of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. You know, just time on the Pennsylvania.

[Carol Markowitz]

She takes the back roads, so.

[Curtis Hauck]

Exactly. That's. It's the best reason to avoid it because the company is just so much better. But, yeah, it's.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. Well, I've loved this conversation. I've loved getting to know you a little bit. End us here with your best tip for my listeners on how they can improve their lives.

[Curtis Hauck]

Yeah, I think do something nice for someone or reach out to someone you haven't reached out to in a while. I think that is just so important. I try to do that. It's always something like I wish other people did for me. Like, to just hear from someone that you haven't heard from in a while I think is just really powerful. And do one nice thing for yourself every day, whether it's, you know, go to Barnes and Noble once a month or something.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. Just touch all the books.

[Curtis Hauck]

Yeah, yeah. Or go to Starbucks and get that seven dollar drink once in a while. I think I've learned through my mental health journey that coping mechanisms are just so invaluable. They are literally life saving just so just do one nice thing for yourself and first for yourself and for someone else.

[Carol Markowitz]

Love it. He is Curtis Hauck. Check him out at NewsBusters. He has such an amazing feed. He really covers so many different things. Thank you so much for coming on Curtis.

[Curtis Hauck]

Thanks Carol.

[Carol Markowitz]

Thanks so much for joining us on the Carol Markowitz Show. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts since.

[Curtis Hauck]

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[Curtis Hauck]

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