Normally Podcast: Are We Headed for the Summer of Love 2.0?

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show Episode: Normally Podcast: Are We Headed for the Summer of Love 2.0?
Release Date: May 8, 2025
Hosted By: iHeartPodcasts
Description: Clay Travis and Buck Sexton delve into significant news, politics, and current events with intelligence and humor, covering topics from border crises to cancel culture and far-left missteps.

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Introduction to the Episode

The episode begins with Bethany Mandel and Carol Markowitz returning to the Normally Podcast, setting the stage for a deep dive into pressing societal issues. They open with a light-hearted conversation about transitioning into more mature preferences, such as high-quality socks, which serves as a segue into more serious topics.

---

Supreme Court Ruling on Transgender Military Service

Discussion Highlights:

• Overturning Lower Court Ruling:
  Carol Markowitz [04:53]: "The Supreme Court has overturned a lower court ruling that had said that the Trump administration had to allow transgender people into the military. The Supreme Court said, no, they don't."

• Composition of the Lower Court:
  Carol explains that the lower court was a three-judge panel consisting of Clinton, Obama, and Biden appointees, all opposing the President's final say on military admissions.

• Supreme Court's Stance:
  Bethany Mandel [06:17]: "The military and the commander in chief obviously have the power to set medical standards for entrance to the military."

• Implications of the Ruling:
  Carol critiques CNN's comparison of the ruling to a hypothetical ban on Black individuals, labeling it as "obviously absurd" and emphasizes that various non-qualifying factors already restrict military service.

• Debate on Gender Identity as an Immutable Characteristic:
  Bethany points out an internal contradiction in protecting gender identity:
  Bethany Mandel [08:36]: "If your gender is imminently mutable, meaning you can change it from day to day... then discriminating against that is not an immutable characteristic."

• Supreme Court Dynamics:
  Discussion on the ideological lines within the Supreme Court, noting that typically conservative justices vote together, but occasionally justices like Kagan side differently.
  Carol Markowitz [09:45]: "I think the Supreme Court did the right thing. It was, again, according to ideological lines..."

Key Insights:

• The ruling underscores the President's authority over military standards.
• The debate highlights tensions between evolving understandings of gender identity and traditional views on immutable characteristics.
• The Supreme Court's decision is seen as a victory for conservative perspectives on military eligibility.

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Campus Protests and Legal Consequences

Discussion Highlights:

• Pro-Palestinian Student Protests:
  Bethany Mandel [14:24]: "About 30 pro Palestinian students were arrested Monday night after they occupied a building at the University of Washington in Seattle, setting dumpsters on fire and creating a dangerous environment..."

• Critique of Destructive Protests:
  Bethany criticizes the use of vandalism and violence in protests, arguing that such actions cross the line from free speech to criminal behavior.

• Lack of Proper Prosecution:
  Carol Markowitz [19:48]: "When we're allowing these crimes to go unprosecuted, it also just creates chaos."

• Case Studies of Prosecutorial Bias:
  Discussion of cases where left-leaning prosecutors have dismissed serious charges:
  Bethany Mandel [15:41]: "A college student accused of firebombing a Tesla dealership has been released from federal custody to continue gender-affirming medical care..."

• Allegations Against Prosecutors:
  Bethany mentions accusations against a prosecutor, Mary Moriarty, for racial discrimination in plea bargains, highlighting systemic biases.

Key Insights:

• There is growing frustration over perceived leniency towards left-leaning protesters who engage in destructive behavior.
• The discussion emphasizes the need for consistent legal accountability, regardless of political affiliation.
• Allegations of prosecutorial bias contribute to distrust in the legal system.

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Appointment of Vinay Prasad to the FDA

Discussion Highlights:

• Vinay Prasad's Appointment:
  Carol Markowitz [26:28]: "Vinay Prasad has become the director of the FDA's center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. I think he's a great pick."

• Prasad's Credentials and Stance:
  Bethany Mandel [27:18]: "He is a voice that I trust on sort of nuanced vaccine policy and education... He's very big on evidence-based."

• Impact on COVID-19 Policies:
  Carol reflects on the ongoing relevance of COVID-19 discussions and the importance of accountability:
  Carol Markowitz [28:45]: "We get more of what we reward... We are going to keep talking about it."

Key Insights:

• Prasad’s appointment is viewed positively, with expectations that he will bring critical and evidence-based perspectives to the FDA.
• The ongoing discourse around COVID-19 policies remains crucial, as their effects are still felt years later.
• Emphasis on the importance of maintaining critical thinking and accountability in public health policies.

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COVID-19's Long-Term Effects on Society

Discussion Highlights:

• Enduring Impact of COVID-19:
  Bethany Mandel [30:33]: "We are still living the effects with vaccine policy and vaccine hesitancy... learning loss and in mental health of teens and young adults."

• Educational Reforms:
  They discuss the shift back to evidence-based phonics instruction, citing improvements in reading levels in several states.
  Bethany Mandel [32:15]: "Now in Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama, you have huge gains for every level of socioeconomic status in reading..."

• Call for Continued Accountability:
  Carol emphasizes the need to remember and learn from COVID-19 responses to prevent future missteps.

Key Insights:

• COVID-19 has had lasting effects on various aspects of society, including public trust, education, and mental health.
• Educational reforms inspired by pandemic-era challenges are showing positive results.
• Ongoing accountability and critical examination of past policies are necessary to address and mitigate long-term societal impacts.

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Conclusion and Final Remarks

The hosts conclude by reinforcing the importance of critical thinking and evidence-based approaches in addressing societal issues. They encourage listeners to continue supporting and promoting informed discourse to foster positive change.

Closing Quote:

Bethany Mandel [32:44]: "Critical thinkers, let's just keep promoting them, please."

---

Notable Quotes

1. On Supreme Court Ruling:
   Carol Markowitz [04:53]: "The Supreme Court has overturned a lower court ruling that had said that the Trump administration had to allow transgender people into the military."

2. On Discriminating Gender Identity:
   Bethany Mandel [08:36]: "If your gender is imminently mutable, meaning you can change it from day to day... then discriminating against that is not an immutable characteristic."

3. On Campus Protests:
   Bethany Mandel [14:24]: "Protest government contracting by lighting dumpsters on fire... that’s not speech, guys."

4. On Prosecutorial Bias:
   Bethany Mandel [20:19]: "Mary Moriarty... using race as part of the decision-making process for plea bargains."

5. On Critical Thinking:
   Bethany Mandel [32:44]: "Critical thinkers, let's just keep promoting them, please."

---

Final Thoughts

This episode of the Normally Podcast tackles significant and contentious issues, including Supreme Court decisions on transgender military service, the handling of destructive campus protests, and the enduring impact of COVID-19 on society. Through informed discussion and critical analysis, Bethany Mandel and Carol Markowitz provide listeners with insights and perspectives aimed at fostering understanding and advocating for accountability and evidence-based policies.

For listeners who wish to engage further with these topics, the episode encourages continued dialogue and emphasizes the role of critical thinkers in shaping a more informed and equitable society.

Transcript

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[Bethany Mandel]

Hey guys. We are back on the normally the show with normalish takes for when the news gets weird. I am Mary Kathryn Ham.

[Carol Markowitz]

And I'm Carol Markowitz. How's it going, Mary Kathryn?

[Bethany Mandel]

It's all right. I have like truly transitioned to old lady Mother's Day. I was like, what do I want? I want socks. I want really nice, really nice socks. And so I made my husband order me really nice socks.

[Carol Markowitz]

I love it. I didn't even know they make really nice socks.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yeah, you gotta up your game at some point to the good stuff. So I'm going full bombas and features. So none of this. Oh yeah, none of these department store Target socks for me anymore.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right, right. You're fancy now.

[Bethany Mandel]

I'm fancy now. I deserve it.

[Carol Markowitz]

Mine is like a 10 pack from Amazon and my husband and I wear the same socks.

[Bethany Mandel]

I do. See, this is why, this is why I upgraded because I found myself going to his collection because his were nicer than mine.

[Carol Markowitz]

Oh really? No, ours is.

[Bethany Mandel]

And I was like, you got to upgrade me to whatever you're using over here. So here we are.

[Carol Markowitz]

The Supreme Court has overturned a lower court ruling that had said that the Trump administration had to allow transgender people into the military. The Supreme Court said, no, they don't. The lower court was a three judge panel and it was a Clinton appointee, an Obama appointee and a Biden appointee. So they all were against the commander in chief having the final say as to who gets into the military. And the Supreme Court said no, actually, no, the president does have final say on that. People are predictably losing their minds. CNN compared it to Trump possibly banning black people from the military. But that's obviously absurd. There's a lot of people who don't qualify for military service, Individuals with felony convictions, certain medical conditions, history of drug use, all of that. You could have dental problems and not be allowed into the military. So I think that the goal of the Pete Hegseth Defense Department and the president are to have a cohesive military and to have a strong military. And they didn't feel that having transgender people serve in the military was a good idea. Again, they have the final say on that. And here we are.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yeah, I mean, the military and the commander in chief obviously have the power to set medical standards for entrance to the military. I just. This one is. This one is like, it's an easy one. Boys and women's sports. It's like, guys, this is just a practical way of doing things. Because the. The original ban says. The department explained that the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals who have a current diagnosis or history of or exhibit symptoms with gender dysphoria are incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service. There's that.

[Carol Markowitz]

Exactly.

[Bethany Mandel]

There's the outlay for medical care for those who have this kind of diagnosis that is ongoing because this is specifically. They've specifically mentioned, like, people who've had medical intervention that care must continue.

[Carol Markowitz]

Exactly.

[Bethany Mandel]

And at that point, it is on the taxpayer and it is on those units to deal with the people who are in them. And yes, this does present different issues than a person who comes in like, like you said, there's like, dental problems and flat feet that will disqualify you from the military. This is certain. This is of another level.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's right. And so it also presents issues for deployment, for example, if they don't get the care that they need. And the thing is that a lot of this is. Comes down to you're not allowed to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, you know, sexual orientation, et cetera. Gender identity is kind of a new one. It's not actually one of the ones that we traditionally know. So I don't know that this is going to be able to continue in other facets either. In other parts of society either. I think the military is the obvious one. But discriminating by gender Identity is something that just makes no sense. You can change your gender identity at any second according to rules.

[Bethany Mandel]

There's an internal contradiction here, which is that generally we protect against discrimination for immutable characteristics.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's right.

[Bethany Mandel]

If your gender is imminently mutable, meaning you can change it from day to day and wear your ring or your bracelet to signal whichever pronouns you're using that day, then discriminating against that is not an immutable characteristic. So there is an inherent contradiction in here, as there, as there often is with trans and gender ideology, and it doesn't work.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's right. So I think the Supreme Court did the right thing. It was, again, according to ideological lines, which I don't love to see in the Supreme Court. And it's funny because it's always the three liberal justices voting together, and yet it's.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yeah, the conservatives will jump back and forth.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right, Right.

[Bethany Mandel]

Occasionally Kagan. Occasionally Kagan will end up on the other side.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right. But it's interesting that that's the way it goes down all the time. And yet it's seen as, oh, the conservatives are in lockstep. Not at all. So it's unfortunate that it came down to a 6:3 vote, but it's the right move, I think.

[Bethany Mandel]

Well, and I think this is what's frustrating about the courts. And to some extent, lawfare from the left during a Trump administration is like he shouldn't, he shouldn't have to ask permission to set standards for the military entrance and no other president would have to, particularly Democratic presidents would not have to absolutely ask permission of the highest court in the land to do this thing. That's part of their job.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right. It's right there in his title as commander in Chief. He could do pretty much anything with the military. And the hysteria around this is just, it's something that would absolutely never happen with a Democratic president. And it also shows very few lessons have been learned. I think that the trans thing had gotten pushed so far that Americans really drew a line. And I think that this military ban is very similar to that. The military has a role. It's not about people's feelings. It has. It's. It's to be the best force possible.

[Bethany Mandel]

And a lot of normies think that way.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yes, exactly. We are hopefully speaking to the normies here. We'll be right back on normally.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

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[Bethany Mandel]

Up next, we have maybe a preview of the summer in Washington at the University of Washington. About 30 pro Palestinian students were arrested Monday night after they occupied a building at the University of Washington in Seattle, setting dumpsters on fire and creating a dangerous environment, university officials said. The group called super uw, said on its Facebook page that it launched an occupation of the new Boeing funded engineering building, was staging a protest over the aviation company's defense contracts and arms sales to Israel. So of course, you know, it makes sense to protest. Protest government contracting by lighting dumpsters on fire. Obviously, some reports suggest there was a million dollars of damage on the campus due to these, due to these protests, which then is not speech, guys. And this is the thing that the universities have been missing throughout. Once you are doing this, occupying buildings, setting things on fire, doing a lot of vandalism, threatening people, hurting people, you have crossed over into crimes, Right? And in this case, these people should be arrested, prosecuted, expelled first because you've done the crimes on the campus, you've broken the rules, then all those other things. And if you have a visa or you're a foreign student, you should be deported.

[Carol Markowitz]

Absolutely. This can't go on. It's just, I can't believe that we even need to say this, but the fact is that this is taken such a step over the line. I, I try to imagine what I would think if they weren't setting buildings on fire or stopping Jewish kids from going to classes, or if they were just protesting and saying nasty things. Yeah, yeah, but no encampments because that's also overstepping the rules. But if they were protesting according to what we imagine protesting to be, which is speech. Right. I would be sticking up for them. And it is the fact that they keep crossing this line that makes me say we need a really serious crackdown. This can't continue. We can't continue to have these kinds of riots go on on our college campuses. I have a 15 year old. I'm thinking about the future. I don't know what school I'm going to feel comfortable sending her to in a few years because so many Schools have failed, completely failed to meet this moment.

[Bethany Mandel]

Well, and the problem is that if these students are not properly disciplined and up to expulsion and actual prosecution of their crimes, because what happens is they get picked up, they get arrested, they get let go and then the local prosecutor decides, oh, not those sweet innocent children, right? I won't be prosecuting them. I don't care if on the Columbia campus they held a bunch of African American janitors staff hostage. We won't be going after that. Then that sends the signal that anyone who is an ideological traveler with the left will be able to do whatever they want to do to protest, whatever they want to protest without consequence. And this has happened several times recently just to do a little collection of them. A college student accused of firebombing a Tesla dealership has been released from federal custody to continue gender affirming medical care, according to a report. This is Owen McIntyre, 19, facing federal charges for allegedly tossing two Molotov cocktails into a Missouri Tesla dealership last month, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to two cybertrucks and two charging stations. According to the feds, is University of Massachusetts physics student and apparently in court also I think blamed some neurodiversity, ADHD and depression for these issues, for the acts, the illegal acts and requires medication and treatment. So you know, special treatment, much like they want for the military, special treatment and release from custody for these conditions for this person. And if you send that signal, every single person who firebombs a Tesla dealership will be like, but I'm one of the goodies, right? Also I have adhd. Like don't we all kid?

[Carol Markowitz]

Exactly what we allow we will get more of. And when we're allowing these crimes to go unprosecuted, it also just creates chaos. Like do they really not think that the right will end up doing the same thing with their people? It's the most obvious pendulum swing. Obviously right leaning prosecutors won't prosecute right leaning criminals.

[Bethany Mandel]

But what they always say is like, watch out, this will set a precedent. And they ignore that this is already been happening, right? They're like, how would you feel? And it's like, well I already feel it because it's currently, currently happening. There's a, there's a woman, the DA for Hennepin county in Minnesota who's another like very liberal prosecutor Mary Moriarty and she dropped charges for a Minnesota man. He'll be no longer criminally charged for allegedly vandalizing six Teslas. He was of course the 33 year old state Employee caught on camera by the Teslas doing $20,000 in damage to the vehicles. You know, I just have a feeling that if I were caught doing $20,000 of damage to anything.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Bethany Mandel]

I would get in trouble. Nonetheless, she lets this guy go. There are reports that a similar crime by someone who was not a left of center protester, mysteriously, that one was prosecuted.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Bethany Mandel]

So strange. So strange. This same woman, by the way, the DOJ is currently going after because she openly copped to the fact that she's using race as part of the decision making process for plea bargains.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah.

[Bethany Mandel]

Oops.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, you can't do that.

[Bethany Mandel]

So. So she might, she might not be being a prosecutor for much longer. The left really should look up the things that are actually against the law.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Bethany Mandel]

Not only for prosecuting, but also for the things they're doing because it turns out racial discrimination for plea bargains is not allowed.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. And this is like, you could see the direct line to Donald Trump from this. You could see how people will hear this story and be like, president Trump, squash these people. Like, make them pay. And when he does, when he likely will, there's going to be an outcry about how he's, you know, involving himself in, in the judicial process or whatever. But it's patently unfair, it is wrong, and it leads to distrust in our system. It leads to destruction of our system. This can't be allowed to go on.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yeah. And if you broke the law, as I, as they're fond of saying, no one's above the law. And it does seem like Moriarty has.

[Carol Markowitz]

Been, has admitted one or two people above the law.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yeah, well, including herself, who's like, I'm going to racially discriminate in my capacity as a prosecutor. So anyway, there will be more stories to come of people being let go, and until they are prosecuted properly and punished, we will continue to see this kind of chaos on campuses. So I hope campuses get wise. I just saw recently the University of Michigan ended up not punishing a bunch of the students who. They were one of the better schools because they actually did admit that these people were involved in bad stuff. And, and then they didn't end up expelling them. They're actually going to go forth and graduate.

[Carol Markowitz]

So it really emboldens these people. And, you know, we talked about this story on the last show, but Mohammed Khan, who is involved in the barstool bar in Philly where they ordered a F the Jews sign, is now going on like white nationalist podcasts and saying basically the Jews deserve this or the Jews caused this. Temple University has suspended him and they're pending review and whatever. I'm not saying kick people out of school, but there have to be rules that apply to everyone. If you said this about any other group and you'd get kicked out of school? I don't know. I kind of think the Jews should be included in that.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yeah, equal protection. Throw us away under the rules of the school. Yeah. Anyway, that's where we are.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, we're going to take a short break and come right back with Normale.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide and every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now it pays to Discover. Learn [e-mail] credit card based on the February 2024 Nielsen report.

[Carol Markowitz]

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[Bethany Mandel]

Like lavender.

[Carol Markowitz]

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[Unknown]

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[Unknown]

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[Bob Pittman]

People choose Morton Buildings to build a variety of buildings for their property any time of year because they know Morton buildings are built stronger, last longer, and look better. If you need a garage, a stall barn or a storage building for an rv, boat or other vehicles, a shop for your farm hobbies or car restoration projects or anything in between. Morton can create a building for you that's attractive, easy to maintain, and dependable enough to stand the test of time. Just visit MortonBuildings.com today to find out more. They use quality materials and expert craftsmen with an industry leading warranty to ensure your space is enjoyed by generations to come. Morton buildings is 100% employee owned with thousands of satisfied customers. That means they're the industry leader you can trust. To get started on your next building project, visit MortonBuildings.com don't delay. Construction schedules are filling up fast, so now's the time to start planning your building project with Morton. That's MortonBuildings.com Wasn't that delicious?

[Carol Markowitz]

So good.

[Bethany Mandel]

Your bill, ladies. I got it. No, I got it. Seriously, I insist. I insisted first. Don't be silly.

[Bob Pittman]

You don't be silly. People with the Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card prefer to pay because they earn unlimited 2% cash back on purchases.

[Bethany Mandel]

Okay. Rock, paper, scissors for it.

[Bob Pittman]

Rock, paper, scissors.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Shoot.

[Bob Pittman]

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[Carol Markowitz]

Vinay Prasad has become the director of the FDA's center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. I think he's a great pick. He's one of the people that was right on Covid. And you know, we do enjoy the right on Covid people on this show here.

[Bethany Mandel]

We get more of what we reward.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right? Exactly.

[Bethany Mandel]

So critical thinking for the win.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's right. He'll be working with FDA Commissioner Marty Macary, who we've talked about on here before.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

And.

[Carol Markowitz]

I really like this. I like that the sane and the good are being rewarded with positions in the administration.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yeah. I also enjoy the press coverage of this is like Trump announces that agency critic will go to agency.

[Carol Markowitz]

I'm like, yeah, that's how it's going to work.

[Bethany Mandel]

You guys should actually like that. Because what an agency critic does is what the press should do and never does, which is look critically at the actions of an agency. And so Prasad will go there and look critically at the actions of said agency, as he has been doing for quite some time. He is a voice that I trust on sort of nuanced vaccine policy and education where he says, okay, here's the ways that we can improve the way that people feel about this process. Here are some questions we can ask about why is Europe different than us?

[Carol Markowitz]

That's a good one.

[Bethany Mandel]

We should eliminate COVID vaccine from the childhood schedule because it's making people hesitant about other vaccines because the data is just obviously not there and never was. So he's a person who takes a smart, nuanced tack on this stuff, is good at talking about it. He's got a great podcast himself and is a smart guy for listening to. He's also an oncologist. He's very big on evidence based. He's very big on going through studies and demanding they be replicable, which is a thing that the scientific community has gotten real, real sloppy about. So I enjoy this very much and I will enjoy listening to him same.

[Carol Markowitz]

You know, we talk about COVID a lot on the show and we always wonder, are we just in our own little bubble here, caring about something five years later that a lot of people don't care about? But I have to say, we hear from listeners all the time that they want us to keep pushing on this, that they do still care about what went wrong and what never got corrected and how nobody took any responsibility. And pics like this do go a little bit towards fixing what went wrong. And we hear you guys. We're going to keep talking about it. We get that it's not super current or super popular to keep mentioning something that happened five years ago, but it's important that we don't forget what they did and that it's corrected, at least in the record, if not in the moment.

[Bethany Mandel]

Well, again, we're just taking a page from our friends in the mainstream media who just, they decide that they care about something and it doesn't matter to them if it's current or a big deal to, like, anyone. They will just hammer it right now. This one does affect a bunch of people. And the thing about COVID is that we are still living the effects very much. We are living the effects with vaccine policy and vaccine hesitancy. We are living the effects with loss of trust in the public apparatus. We are living the effects in learning loss and in mental health of teens and young adults. And as long as we are living those results, I do not want to play this shell game of accountability where no one goes down and no one takes any responsibility for what happened. I love that David Zweig has written this compendium.

[Carol Markowitz]

Buy Abundance of caution. Yeah.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yes. Buy it. That says, look, y' all were wrong the whole time. The excuse making does not cut it. The stuff you did to kids in schools was all harm and no upside, period. Don't do this thing where you just sort of like waffle a little bit and get to the place that we all were in 2020, in 2025, and say you had it right the whole time. No, because those people, if they're in charge, will continue to do the same things.

[Carol Markowitz]

And it led to so many other issues in our society. I think that cancel culture spiraled because of it. I think race relations went poorly because of it. I think a lot of things stemmed from the COVID lockdowns, actually. Not to plug my own book with Bethany Mandel, but when. When we wrote Stolen Chapter is about COVID And even then it was like, well, you know, by the time this gets published, will it still be relevant? But we had to have the record of that because all the other stuff that we were writing about we felt like was exact exacerbated by the COVID lockdowns. Like the. All the indoctrination of children at every level of society could not have happened in the way that it did without the lockdowns. So.

[Bethany Mandel]

And the. The thing that we got out of it was knowing who a good and courageous critical thinker was.

[Carol Markowitz]

Exactly.

[Bethany Mandel]

So the more we pay attention to those people, the better. One of the one good story. Not so that we don't end on a bummer. No bummers. You know, the podcast, the investigative podcast, sold a story which is about this pedagogical trend in teaching reading that just doesn't work and how we should actually just go back to evidence based phonics instruction. That podcast was born of parents seeing reading instruction over zoom and going, what are you teaching my kid?

[Carol Markowitz]

Wait, we're just memorizing words here.

[Bethany Mandel]

You're teaching my kid to guess words based on pictures. And so that came out of that. It made school officials reevaluate in many cases. And now in Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama, you have huge gains for every level of socioeconomic status in reading, which is the key to the rest of their lives. So critical thinkers, let's just keep promoting them, please.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yes, that's exactly right. Thanks for joining us on Normally. Normally airs Tuesdays and Thursdays, and you can subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts. Get in touch with us@ normallythepodmail.com thanks for listening. And when things get weird, act normally. Clorox scentiva smells like lavender, cleans like Clorox, and feels like, hmm.

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[Jenny Garth]

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[Bob Pittman]

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[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. On this week's episode of Math and Magic, I'm sitting down with the one and only Bobby Bones. We're exploring the power of audio.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, I don't fit into one specific hole. I think that is what endeared me to listeners. That's why I'm here now, because I.

[Bob Pittman]

Talk to people that grew up like.

[Bethany Mandel]

Me, have sensibilities like me, and have loyalties like me.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Listen to Math and Magic stories from the frontiers of Marketing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. It became known as the Iran Contra Affair.

[Carol Markowitz]

The things that happened were so bizarre.

[Bethany Mandel]

And insane, I can't begin to tell you please do.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

To hear the whole story?

[Carol Markowitz]

Story.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Listen to Fiasco Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bob Pittman]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast.