The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Normally Podcast: Ask Us Anything | College Decisions, Conspiracy Theories, Politics, Immigration & Career Advice
Date: December 30, 2025
Hosts: Mary Katharine Ham (A), Carol Markowitz (B)

Episode Overview

In this special “Ask Us Anything” edition, Mary Katharine Ham (MK) and Carol Markowitz take listener questions covering a wide range of topics—from college choices and conspiracy theories to politics, immigration, and career goals. The discussion blends personal anecdotes, political commentary, and candid career advice, delivered in the duo’s trademark direct, relatable style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Choosing a College: Secular vs. Christian Schools

[03:48 - 08:52]

• Purpose of College:
  • Carol views college as primarily a social and networking experience, not strictly about education.
    • "It's for being around your kind of people. It's for finding your potential spouse. It's for making lifelong friends and potential work connections. And you should choose the school that is best for that." – Carol [04:18]
  • Both agree academic content can largely be self-taught. MK emphasizes avoiding substantial student debt:
    • "When I got out of college with zero debt, I did not realize that compared to many of my peers, I was basically a millionaire." – MK [05:50]
• Personal Fit:
  • Choose based on priorities—faith, academic rigor, social networks.
  • MK recounts finding her "people" by joining the lacrosse team, underscoring the value of extracurricular communities at large schools.

2. Conspiracy Theories & Reliable Narrators: The Case of Charlie Kirk

[09:41 - 15:01]

• Rejecting Far-Out Theories:
  • Carol criticizes conspiracy thinking around Charlie Kirk’s death:
    • "Turning Point people wanted to kill Charlie Kirk, the guy who was, like, running the whole organization and making them all money. Why?" – Carol [09:57]
• Media Trust Issues:
  • MK highlights the consequences of general mistrust in institutions fueling such theories:
    • "A very well-earned trust deficit in the mainstream media... when people get a story, they go, 'Okay, is that true? Let's weigh it.' But... you must use your discernment." – MK [10:44]
  • Both warn that bad actors exploit this climate for personal gain (explicit references to Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson):
    • "Figures like Candace end up making a ton and being incentivized to capitalize on this horrible tragedy." – MK [12:11]
    • "I just feel like Candace is gonna use this for content and that's gonna be the whole story there." – Carol [12:44]
• Empathy for Those Affected:
  • MK voices empathy for Kirk’s widow:
    • "People's lives are actually happening here." – MK [12:55]
    • Discussion notes the double bind for public figures caught in the crossfire.

3. Hypothetical Matchups: Candace Owens vs. Josh Shapiro

[19:01 - 20:51]

• Neither host would back either candidate in this matchup.
  • "I could not vote for either one of them... I don't think that Candace is a conservative at all. I don't know what ties her to the Republican Party whatsoever anymore. I don't share any ideals with her. I think she's a repugnant person." – Carol [19:14]
  • "I would likely not vote for either of them. I would probably listen to Shapiro with a more open mind." – MK [20:12]

4. Working for ICE: Pride or Shame?

[21:39 - 23:49]

• Both would be proud if their children joined ICE or law enforcement.
  • "Hell, yeah, I'd be proud... I don't even understand the question." – Carol [21:39]
  • Mary Katharine stresses the importance of educated, civil-rights literate individuals in these positions:
    • "Would you like people who are well educated in civil rights and the guarantees of the Constitution to end up in law enforcement? Because that's the kind of kids I'm raising." – MK [22:44]
  • Carol asserts that opposition to ICE should be expressed through changing laws, not scorning law enforcement.

5. Immigration Policy & Party Politics

[23:49 - 25:15]

• Carol (an immigrant) underscores the need for order:
  • "As an immigrant, I can say that I oppose illegal immigration, and I think we should need to have a secure border. That's what you need to have a country." – Carol [25:15]
• MK notes how open-borders rhetoric has pushed her toward a more hawkish stance.
  • "Tactically speaking, you turned me from an immigration squish into an immigration hawk." – MK [24:41]

6. Agreeing to Disagree & Political Evolution

[25:31 - 28:25]

• Both hosts have grown less libertarian over time, especially as policy realities disappoint.
  • "I have become less libertarian as I've gotten older. And I think we both started from a more libertarian place." – Carol [25:47]
  • "I used to be much more libertarian, but often the consequences of those policies end up being bad in real life." – MK [26:35]
• The importance of fighting for ideological neutrality in public education is stressed, even as school-choice momentum grows.
  • "I actually don't think we should abandon public schools. I think we do need to fight for that neutrality." – Carol [27:46]

7. Career Goals and Work-Life Balance

[28:54 - 31:48]

• Both express contentment with their current careers, valuing balance over ambition:
  • "I don't have dreams. I do not dream of labor." – Carol [29:16]
  • "The work is for standing up for things I believe in, modeling that for my kids, enjoying the work that I do and the balance that it gives me in my life." – MK [31:28]
• Carol candidly shares that book-writing is not rewarding enough for the effort for now, but is open to changing life circumstances reigniting her motivation.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "You have to have enough respect for your own values to say, 'No, we don't want to get pushed around by Target or by Starbucks or whoever it is all the time.'" – MK [27:26]
• "If you don't like the law, go change the law. Go try to run on it. That's like, what continues to be my problem with Democrats and illegal immigration. They will never run on, I want an open border. But that's ultimately what they're saying...Americans don't want that." – Carol [23:49]
• "Maybe we get some better options. I saw an Axios today. Kamala Harris is, like, moving toward another run, and it's like, ma'am, I believe we can do better." – MK [20:42]

Timeline of Major Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:34 | Start of "Ask Us Anything" and introductions | | 03:48 | College choice: secular vs. Christian; avoiding debt; value of social network | | 09:41 | Conspiracy theories: Charlie Kirk's death, Candace Owens, media trust | | 19:01 | Candace Owens vs. Josh Shapiro: hypothetical presidential vote | | 21:39 | Would you be proud if your kid joined ICE? Immigration and law enforcement | | 25:31 | “Agree to disagree” topics, libertarianism, public education | | 28:54 | Career ambitions, work-life balance, value of labor |

Overall Tone & Takeaways

Throughout the episode, Mary Katharine and Carol maintain a conversational, unfiltered style rooted in personal experience, skepticism of groupthink (on both left and right), and a desire for practical solutions. Their responses are characterized by honesty, humor, and a willingness to challenge both their audience and themselves.

For listeners who missed this episode:
Expect a wide-ranging, candid Q&A that combines real-world advice, sharp cultural observation, and a refreshing refusal to fall into partisan or conspiratorial traps. The duo pulls no punches—whether discussing where to send your kid to college, why media trust is broken, or the value of simply "standing up for things I believe in."