Normally Podcast: Ask Us Anything | Holiday Cheer, Parenting Hacks, & Elon Musk

Summary

---

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show: Normally Podcast – Ask Us Anything | Holiday Cheer, Parenting Hacks, & Elon Musk

December 25, 2025 | iHeartPodcasts
Hosts: Mary Katherine Ham & Carol Markowitz

---

Overview

In this special, holiday-themed "Ask Us Anything" episode of Normally, Mary Katherine Ham and Carol Markowitz answer listener questions that range from the personal to the political, with their trademark blend of humor, optimism, and real-life perspective. As news takes a backseat, the duo dives into holiday cheer, parenting philosophies, and discuss the growing public role of figures like Elon Musk in American politics. The episode is warm, candid, and peppered with both laughter and thoughtful takes.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Holiday Vibes and Traditions

• Festive Attire & Interfaith Cheer:
  • Mary Katherine appears in matching Christmas pajamas, prompting Carol (Jewish) to mention what she covets from Christmas traditions: "Comfy, cute jammies are right up there." (03:27)
  • They both appreciate how people from different backgrounds can enjoy the trappings of the season without all the accompanying stress.

2. Maintaining Optimism and Professional Cool in Politics

• Temperament and Friendship Origins:
  • Both attribute their balanced media presence to temperament and a shared sense of humor.
  • Memorable Quote:
    "What drew me to you early, early on is that you were a happy warrior... we weren't angry... we liked making each other laugh." – Carol Markowitz (05:14)
  • Mary Katherine emphasizes being a "generally optimistic" person, noting the importance of level-headedness even during grim news cycles:

    "Sometimes you can be too level-headed and optimistic, frankly." (07:00)

3. Culinary Corner: The Great Biscuits and Gravy Debate

• Southern Food Nostalgia:
  • An Alabama listener asks about biscuits and gravy.
  • Mary Katherine admits she was once a skeptic, but is now a convert and promises to take Carol to Bojangles someday. (08:08)
  • Carol expresses:

    "In general, I'm not a huge gravy fan... but the biscuits—the key thing for me, I could have biscuits without gravy." (09:07)

  • They both praise various regional versions, even giving a shoutout to a New Jersey version.

4. Parenting Hacks: The Case for "Lazy Parenting"

• Non-Helicopter Parenting:
  • Carol coins the term "lazy parenting," advocating for less adult micromanagement.

    "You cannot be overly involved in your children's lives. I know that is completely opposite to what we're told, but I'm not a helicopter parent." (14:11)

  • Mary Katherine recommends ignoring kids just enough to allow them to learn independent play, especially multiple toddlers at home.

    "You must ignore your toddlers for 20 minutes... they will play with each other." (16:17)

• Real-Life Anecdotes:
  • Mary Katherine lets her three-year-old snow tube independently, with glee:

    "You can hear her having the absolute time of her life. She was so unafraid..." (18:01)

5. Holiday Rest for the Politically Engaged

• Advice: Take a Break from the Internet
  • Carol prescribes an easy—yet tough—remedy: uninstall apps and don’t announce your break.

    "Don't announce it. Just take your break. Nobody needs to know." (19:35)

  • Mary Katherine analogizes news consumption to following a soap opera:

    "People who are politically engaged... are like, really serious Days of Our Lives fans who think something important is happening every single day..." (21:40)

  • Key message: disengage, enjoy family, and know you can catch up on news later.

6. Trump Cabinet Appointments: Analysis & Grades

• Strong Picks and Some Reservations:
  • Mary Katherine lauds Dr. Jay Bhattacharya’s NIH appointment as “poetic justice.” (22:40)
  • Carol says overall she is “extremely, pleasantly surprised” but dislikes the Labor Secretary pick, voicing concern about progressive pro-labor policies.

    "Randi Weingarten is happy, Elizabeth Warren is happy. That's all I need to know to be unhappy." (25:13)

  • Both hosts agree on a solid B to A- grade overall, balancing ideological expectations and Trump’s prerogative.

7. Elon Musk's Role in Government: Oligarch or Reformer?

• Listener Concerns: Will the U.S. become an oligarchy governed by Elon Musk and others?
• Carol’s Take:
  • Sees Musk’s involvement as expected, and largely positive.

    "Personally, I love what Elon is doing... I think that we have a ton of waste, and Elon is singularly focused on cutting that waste." (30:24)

  • Illustrates waste with the federal prison computer anecdote.
• Mary Katherine’s Take:
  • Praises transparency and “truth in advertising” of Trump’s inner circle.

    "What he's doing, he's doing out loud." (32:11)

  • Argues that creative disruption is needed and notes billionaire influence on politics is nothing new—what’s new is doing it in public.
  • On government waste:

    "Every single one of those dollars and hundred-thousand-dollar rounding errors is stolen from American people and their grandkids." (35:12)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Optimism:

  "Finding the humor in things, in bad situations, is definitely what I'm all about. And I'm also very optimistic."
  – Carol Markowitz (07:33)

• On Parenting:

  "Let your kids be free."
  – Carol Markowitz (18:48)

• On News Engagement:

  "Just become a person who's not a super fan for a couple of weeks. It's good for you."
  – Mary Katherine Ham (22:15)

• On Waste in Government:

  "If you're not using it right, you have taken it from them and you shouldn't have."
  – Mary Katherine Ham (35:17)

---

Important Timestamps & Segments

• Holiday/Intro & Temperament: 03:02–07:33
• Biscuits and Gravy Q&A: 07:47–10:47
• Parenting Hacks: 14:05–18:56
• How to Rest During Holidays: 18:56–22:18
• Trump Cabinet Appointments: 22:18–25:57
• Elon Musk’s Influence: 29:19–35:40

---

Tone & Style

The episode maintains a conversational, witty, and down-to-earth tone characteristic of Mary Katherine and Carol. The duo balance serious insights with a healthy dose of humor and storytelling, making the political personal and the personal profound.

---

Summary for Non-Listeners

If you missed this holiday episode, you missed a heartfelt and practical conversation about balancing engagement with enjoyment, from political headlines to the magic of letting kids be kids (and Southerners to eat their biscuits, gravy optional). The hosts are clear-eyed about both national developments and household hacks, ultimately counseled listeners—whether on holiday break or in national politics—to keep perspective, let go of stress, and trust a bit of real-world independence, whether for children or for government reformers. With transparency and optimism, they advocate for humor, practical parenting, and clear-eyed civic engagement, all wrapped in seasonal cheer.

Transcript

[Mary Katherine Ham]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[LG Gram Advertiser]

Guaranteed Human did you know? Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop Voted PCMag's Reader's Choice top laptop brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere, and Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit lgusa.com iheart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PCMag reader's choice used with permission. All rights reserved.

[IFIT Fitness Show Advertiser]

Go 10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for $250,000.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

This is where mindset comes in.

[IFIT Fitness Show Advertiser]

Someone will be eliminated.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Pressure is coming down.

[Trainer Games/Public Investing Advertiser]

Trailer games on Prime Video January 8th Watch the trailer on trainergames.com Season 2.

[Unrivaled Basketball/Samsung Advertiser]

Of Unrivaled Basketball is here and the talent is unreal. Paige Beckers, Nafiza Collier, Kelsey Plumb, Brianna Stewart and more are back to redefine the game. Unrivaled basketball Season 2, sponsored by Samsung Galaxy, tips off January 5 on TNT, TruTV and HBO.

[Trainer Games/Public Investing Advertiser]

Max support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors LLC SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comDisclosures your ticket.

[Valpak Advertiser]

To Bitcoin Big Savings is that big blue envelope in your mailbox. Valpak. It's brimming with deals from big name brands and your favorite Local spots, dining services, stuff you're already buying. All for less. And you could score $100 or other instant prizes just for opening it. Or save even faster with mobile coupons you can use right [e-mail] Valpak. There's definitely something in it for you.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Hey, guys. Friends, normies, countrymen, back on. Normally, this is the show with normalish takes for when the news gets weird. But this week, heavy on takes, lighter on news as we do an ama. I am here as always with Carol Marco.

[Carol Markowitz]

It's nice to see you guys.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

And I'm Mary Katherine Ham, by the way.

[Carol Markowitz]

I was gonna say, I feel like we missed something there.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

It's okay. The order was off. It's a special week, right?

[Carol Markowitz]

Well, for those who can't see, Mary Catherine's in her special Christmas jammies, which, you know, I have to tell you, there's definitely some things that Jews covet from. From Christmas. Comfy. Cute jammies are right up there.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah, this is the full matching deal, too. All the cousins. My husband was. Was in the matching set last night. So.

[Carol Markowitz]

So awesome. Yeah, I mean, we also, my kids talk about it. They're like, you know, we could have lights. It's not. There's nothing about lights. It's just lights, hot chocolate. A lot of little things around Christmas are very appealing to us.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes. Well. And also, I believe it was John Potoric who told me. He was like, it's actually kind of a great deal. We get all the beauty and like the sort of adjacent joy and all of this stuff, the trappings, a bit of Christmas without the stress of Christmas. I was like, I see that. I see that.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yes. Well, let's get into it. We have some good questions. We have some bad questions.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

We have.

[Carol Markowitz]

We have some questionable questions. You know, let's start with a nice one because we're nice. People are nice. It's the holidays, so we'll talk about all the different questions we got, but here's a good one. I've always respected how you both maintain your cool and still communicate serious and disheartening info. Would you say in addition to your professionalism, this is also your temperament coming across. I've been a fan girl of both of you independently for many years, cheering you both on in your personal and professional lives. Your podcast together makes complete sense. Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas. Blessings to you and your families. People are so good. Isn't that a nice question?

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah, I love it.

[Carol Markowitz]

Would you say it's our temperaments? I think, yes. I. I do think, yes. I think that what drew me to you early, early on is that you were a happy warrior. We were both in the conservative movement but we weren't angry about enjoyed humor that was very big and we liked making each other laugh. And so right off the bat I think we became friends over that. And it's grown from there. Actually one of the early things that Mary Catherine and I did together, I mean we were already friends at this point, but on one of 911 conspiracy theories had grown really big. Right. Shortly after 9 11. They're way bigger than they are now. They were kind of hitting the mainstream almost. I don't know. Actually they're bigger than they are now. Now is a very conspiratorial moment.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

It is.

[Carol Markowitz]

But we did this thing where we went to the 911 site and we passed out pamphlets that said the truth about 9 11. And inside was like the official story.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Just the truth. Right?

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. So we've done fun stuff like that. And I think, yeah, I think our temperaments really do match up.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

I agree. I do think in our early days of blogging and such, when we first met I was like, I feel like this is a person who also knows a few rap lyrics and has been to a few clubs. And I was like, that's like someone that I need to talk to. And then of course, as we became moms, you're one of the group of moms that I wish lived closer to me so we could mom together because we have similar philosophies. So we've sort of grown over this arc together, I would say. And then I think I'm just a generally optimistic person, even when intellectually I'm looking at a situation and going, this is very bad. And so the combination sort of makes for a level headed take on news, even when it can be very bad. And sometimes you can be too level headed and optimistic, frankly.

[Carol Markowitz]

Sure.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

One of the things I say about American exceptionalism is like we are exceptional, but if we stop acting exceptionally. When does that run out? Like that credit runs out at some point. And so that's. I sort of admonish myself sometimes for, you know, not taking things maybe enough seriously. Sometimes.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

But I do, like, I can't help it.

[Carol Markowitz]

Same. Right. I mean finding the humor in things, in bad situations is definitely what I'm all about. And I'm also very optimistic. So I think our. We come together on the optimism and making fun of everything.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

It's true.

[Carol Markowitz]

Hard hitting culinary question. Mary Catherine, I know you're a fellow Southerner and Bojangles fan feeling on biscuits and gravy. Has Carol ever been blessed by this Southern delicacy? Big fan of the pod and getting hammered from Huntsville, Alabama. Roll Tide to mk.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

I will forgive the Roll Tide in this situation.

[Carol Markowitz]

I thought they were being nice.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

No, it's okay. It's okay. We're all SEC here. I will allow it. I feel like when you get to the Mid Atlantic and you're out of the sec, you do find more. More comradery with former rivals because we're all, you know, displaced, sort of. But. Yeah. So biscuits and gravy. I've had a. I've actually had a journey on this, and I would like to say that I am remiss. And I've never taken Carol to Bojangles. We have done Waffle House, but not Bojangles, so I will correct that. However, when I was young, I did not like biscuits and gravy. I was like, why are we putting white gravy on biscuits? That seems weird. I'm not a fan. And then at some point, I don't know, in my older, wiser years, I tried it again and was like, this is amazing. This is amazing. Why. Why would anyone not eat this? So I. I feel like I might ruin my cred by saying at one point I did not like biscuits and gravy. But it's true. As a child, I was not into it.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, I love biscuits and gravy.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

I'm actually.

[Carol Markowitz]

This is. This is the really controversial take. In general, I'm not a huge gravy fan. White or brown, it's fine. It's good. But people go a little crazy for it. Like, it's. It becomes a whole cult thing. I like it. It's good. But the biscuits, the key thing for me there, I could have biscuits without gravy. You know what I mean? I saw. I hear you. I. But, yeah, it's a great dish. Actually, some of the best biscuits and gravy I've had was in Tallahassee, Florida, which, if you. If you don't know Florida, which I didn't before moving here, the further north you go in Florida, the more south you are.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah. Tallahassee is like. Like, if I were to move to Florida, I would be in the panhandle. That's like South Georgia. It' same for me.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right. So that's. They. They have some really good biscuits and gravy in Tallahassee.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

There's two places that I've had my favorite biscuits and gravy. One is in the middle of Virginia, which is a little further north than you would think, for great biscuits and gravy. But this little tiny restaurant, it's like one of these, you know, hole in the wall, side of the road places has an entire menu section for gravy related items that is just entitled Gravy. So you know, they take it very seriously. So that one's great. And then another one, a friend of mine who lives in New Jersey, no, I'm not kidding, he's an Italian in New Jersey and he makes biscuits and gravy, homemade. And I was like, I'm sure this is fine, right? So I go up there, very snobby, visit my friend, he makes biscuits and gravy and it was fantastic and I had to eat my words.

[Carol Markowitz]

I mean in New Jersey, what can they not make?

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Tastes delicious.

[Carol Markowitz]

They are our culinary betters.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

He did a bang up job. I was not mad at it at all.

[Carol Markowitz]

We'll be right back on normally.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Did.

[LG Gram Advertiser]

You know Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop, voted PCMag's Reader's Choice top laptop brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere and Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit LGUSA.com iHeart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PCMag reader's choice used with permission. All rights reserved.

[IFIT Fitness Show Advertiser]

Ten athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for $250,000.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

This is when mindset comes in.

[IFIT Fitness Show Advertiser]

Someone will be eliminated.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Pressure is coming down.

[Trainer Games/Public Investing Advertiser]

Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th. Watch the trailer on trainergames.com Season 2.

[Unrivaled Basketball/Samsung Advertiser]

Of Unrivaled Basketball is here and the talent is unreal. The best women's players on the planet are running it back with even bigger moments and bigger stakes. Don't miss as Paige Beckers, Nafiza Collier, Kelsey Plumb, Brianna Stewart and more take the court and redefine the game. This isn't your regular season. This is unrivaled, where the pace is faster, the energy is higher and every athlete shines. Unrivaled basketball season two, sponsored by Samsung Galaxy, tips off January 5 on TNT, TruTV and HBO.

[Trainer Games/Public Investing Advertiser]

Max support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public. You can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, Crypto and now Generated Assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index, and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member finra SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosure [e-mail] Disclosures your ticket to.

[Valpak Advertiser]

Big savings is that big blue envelope in your mailbox. Valpak. It's brimming with deals from big name brands and your favorite local spots, dining services, stuff you're already buying all for less. And you could score $100 or other instant prizes just for opening it. Or save even faster with mobile coupons you can use right [e-mail] Valpak there's definitely something in it for you.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

I always like these and I'm gonna throw it to you first. Carol what's your best mom hack?

[Carol Markowitz]

I think lazy parenting. I coined that phrase somewhere along the way is the best way to go. You cannot be overly involved in your children's lives. I know that that is completely opposite to what we all are told all the time. But I think what makes momming so enjoyable for me, and I love being a parent so much, I really I never imagined I would enjoy having children as much as I do. I think a lot of it is I'm not like a helicopter parent. I'm not hanging over them monitoring their every second. We talk a lot in our family, we give them a lot of basics, a lot of foundations, but we set them free to do their own thing. And especially living in Florida we've gotten to where they just, you know, run free and they ride their bikes and they come home whenever and they're living a very generation X existence in a very whatever gen Alpha world that they're in now. And other than the language with their skibidi toilet Ohio it's very much like my childhood.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

Except less like they're allowed to come into the house. That's really the difference.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah, I heard skibidi so many times on the way to West Virginia in the mountains, which is where I am now. And the older children were teaching the younger children to say skibidi toilets. So that's a nice addition. I have a similar hack, which is basically, you should ignore your children more often, like at the playground when they're in your home. When they're out in the neighborhood, you should send them out in the neighborhood to explore. And we do the same thing, which is I feel grateful that we have a neighborhood where we can do that. Nobody calls CPS on us, but I think our kids have encouraged other families to have their kids come out and play as well, because they do that. And I always tell parents of particularly two young kids when they're adding a new kid. The key to not having to hover over your children is that you must ignore your toddlers for 20 minutes. And when you've ignored your toddlers for 20 minutes, they will play with each other. Toddlers slash young children and then they start to figure out how to do that. But if you're always there, they do not figure out how to do that.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's right. If you're always trying to kind of coordinate their play, they never learn how to do it themselves. And actually on my other show I get people ask me for advice and I feel like a lot of the advice recently has been like, how do I help my college age kid make friends or not even college. One of them was like 16, like they have friends, how do I help them coordinate sort of play dates? And if your kid has reached 16 and doesn't know how to coordinate their own kind of friendships, it's tough. And I, I see this a lot because people really don't let their kids find their own path and they want to make everything easier for them. I get that. I, you know, especially if you've had a difficult life, you want to make things easier for your kids, but the easier you make it for them, the harder you're making it for them.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes. It's all paradoxical because I think you're right. I enjoy parenting because I do less proactive, like less involved and freaked out parenting.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

And so it just becomes more enjoyable for that reason. An extreme version of letting your kids do what they want to do on their own is that I took my 3 year old to the snow tubing hill at Snowshoe this week and my husband and I decided she's like quite game for such things. And I was like, I think she'll be fine. And then we went up there and I was like, I'm sure there's a way that she can ride in the tube with me or I'll tether to her there's some sort of situation. Instead of sending a three year old down the hill by herself. It did not send a three year.

[Carol Markowitz]

Old down the hill.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

I sent a three year old down the hill by herself. Actually, we can play a clip of it because you can hear her having the absolute time of her life. She was so unafraid and I don't know what that means for her future, but she, for an hour and a half in 17 degree weather, 10 degree weather, she did the hill over and over and over again.

[Carol Markowitz]

Oh, awesome. I have faith in your three year old. Your three year old's gonna be fine.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

She's a, she's quite a character. I was just like bracing for watching her like pop out of the tube like a cork at some point and she didn't.

[Carol Markowitz]

So. Yeah, that's great. All right, that is some good parenting and that is a good hack. Let your kids be free.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Here's a good one. Do you have any advice for the politically engaged who are seeking rest during the holiday season?

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, get off the Internet. It's such an easy one and such a hard one because I get it. I'm also. I'm such a Twitter ex addict. I wake up, I open my eyes, I reach my phone and the first thing I do is check X. And I think the main thing for me is when I take these breaks, and I do take like two or three breaks a year, I don't announce it, which is right away. Once you announce it, you're like looking for everybody to be like, oh, no, don't go. Or have a good, have a good break.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah, you've engagement farmed by announcing. And then you're going to get all the responses.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yes. And you're going to keep checking. Don't announce it. Just take your break. Nobody needs to know. And the second thing is take it off of your phone. This is a big one for me because. And you know what's wild is your finger will still go to the spot where, where, where the app used to be and just kind of try to find. And you're like, oh, it's not there. And it really shows how addicted we are because your finger takes a while to get used to. Not just clicking the Blank space.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

It's true. This is sort of adjacent to the. Or connected to the parenting question, because I try to keep my kids fairly screen free, which is why they are able to explore and come up with new games to play. But I do not model good behavior in this area. And so over break, I do attempt to shut it down. And if I'm posting on social media, it's generally something anodyne, like a picture of my dog in the snow, just so we can keep it chill. And I stay basically aware of things, but I don't want to get into the details. I actually tweeted the other day that my professional need to understand the continuing resolution fight was at odds with my normie need to just wrap so many presents. And I was. The presents were winning. The presents were winning that day.

[Carol Markowitz]

And, you know, a lot of the time, I mean, of course important things happen, but a lot of times you'll miss the story of the week and you'll realize how little it matters. I think one that I missed. I don't remember what Nikki Haley said exactly, but during the primary campaign, she said something about, like, World War II, I don't know. And I never found out. I just. I completely missed the controversy that went on for a while. And I. When I came back online, it was like. It was like, the remnants of it, and so I couldn't pick up what was happening. And I was like, forget it.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

It's fine. Have I ever told you my metaphor for this? What was the soap opera that you watched as a kid or that your mom watched?

[Carol Markowitz]

Well, I. I mean, all of them, honestly, in the summertime when. When there was nobody there to oversee me, it was Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives, Bold and the Beautiful, All My Children. I mean, all of them, I would say.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

So I was a. Days of Days of Our Lives, that was my favorite. I think that people who are politically engaged and who are news junkies are, like, really serious Days of Our Lives fans who are like, something very important is happening every single day. And people who don't watch soap operas are like, I'm not sure that something important is happening every single day. And what they do is they tune in every four years, and they find out that, like, Hope and Bo are still on again, off again, and, like, you know, Stefano's still evil, and we're all gonna figure it out. And so that is the life you're living. And just, you know, just become a person who's not a super fan for a couple of weeks. It's Good for you.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, that's exactly right. And you could tune back in anytime. That's the beauty of soap operas and our political system. Anytime. It's right there waiting for you to come back and figure out what's going on in the plot. Should we do a serious one or a more serious one? Let's see. Grade Trump's Cabinet appointments, perhaps.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Okay, let's see. Now my head has to re. Engage with things that I've forgotten in the past five days. I mean, I would say my, my top One is probably Dr. J. Bhattacharya from Stanford just because of the poetic justice of that appointment to NIH to, you know, in. In the stead of the. The guy who tried to smear him during the COVID days for being a Covid. Covid contrarian or Covid realist really is what he was. So that's like an A plus plus for me just to watch Jay's so great happen. And he's just a very, very, very good person and a very smart person and a thoughtful person, and I have no doubts about his performance in that position. So that would be like, number one for me.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, I. Overall, I would say I am extremely, pleasantly surprised because we talked about this, like, we weren't ne necessarily the target audience, and we feel very good about his picks. I think he catered to a lot of different demographics, of course, saying that I don't like Durmer, the Labor secretary pick. I want to see Republicans grow a spine and vote her down. You know, I. She's just far left and her policies are not in line with the Republican Party. So why would they vote yes for her? Well, I, I was gonna say, I get a lot of the arguments, like, let Trump do what he wants to do. He was elected in this landslide. He won every single swing state. I fully understand. But when there's conversation about Republicans will vote down some of his nominees and the conversation turns to like Pete Hegseth, I'm like, no, no, let's focus on the far left labor secretary, and that's the one you vote down.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Well, and I think they'll make the argument that, oh, she's a move to, to endear more labor voters to Republicans, but she's a pick for labor leadership. She's not a pick for labor rank and file. We can do plenty with labor rank and file, which is the group of the labor leaning vote that is already coming to our side. So I don't think she's necessary for that. And I just think the judgment to back the Pro act, which is this just awful California legislation that they want to nationalize that has been disastrous already in California, is just such terrible judgment and bad economics and. Ugh, no, thank you.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right. Exactly. I mean, again, Randy Weingarten is happy, Elizabeth Warren is happy. That's all I need to know to be unhappy.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah, I would say I'm in like a B range for overall feelings about Trump picks, but I think, as you said, I come into it with a realistic expectation that I am an ideological conservative and not all of these picks are designed to be for me. Absolutely. And that the president does have significant leeway and should have significant leeway in picking people and you ask tough questions and then you take the vote. So I'm comfortable with that process for a lot of these folks, and I haven't been appalled as often as I thought I might be.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, right. I'm in the same place. I would say more like a minus because I only really don't like the Labor Secretary and the Surgeon General. Surgeon General, yeah, there are some peripheral people that I'm questionable on but not anti. So in general I really am A to A minus and I feel pretty good about it. We're going to take a short break and come right back with Normale.

[LG Gram Advertiser]

Did you know Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10 upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop, voted PCMag's Reader's Choice top laptop brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere and Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit LGUSA.com iHeart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PCMag reader's choice used with permission. All rights reserved.

[IFIT Fitness Show Advertiser]

Ten athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract worth $250,000.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

This is where mindset comes in.

[IFIT Fitness Show Advertiser]

Someone will be eliminated.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Pressure is coming down.

[Trainer Games/Public Investing Advertiser]

Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th. Watch the trailer on trainergames.com Season 2.

[Unrivaled Basketball/Samsung Advertiser]

Of Unrivaled Basketball is here and the talent is unreal. Paige Beckers, Nafiza Collier, Kelsey Plumb, Brianna Stewart and more are back to redefine the game. Unrivaled basketball season two, sponsored by Samsung Galaxy, tips off January 5 on TNT, TruTV and HBO.

[Trainer Games/Public Investing Advertiser]

Max support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously On Public. You can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures [e-mail] disclosures it's the most.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Wonderful time of the year, and Valpak is here to make it even better this month as you sip through holiday.

[Unrivaled Basketball/Samsung Advertiser]

Mail, don't miss the blue Valpak envelope. From dining to holiday shopping, there's a.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Slate full of savings in your mailbox.

[Unrivaled Basketball/Samsung Advertiser]

Plus a chance to instantly win $100.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

That's right, you can find $100 Christmas cash inside. Want to save even more money on what you love? Go to valpak.com for local coupons and offers.

[Unrivaled Basketball/Samsung Advertiser]

It pays to open Valpak.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

No purchase necessary for instant win voip.

[Unrivaled Basketball/Samsung Advertiser]

Prohibited prices are randomly inserted.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

See specially marked Valpak envelopes for details.

[Carol Markowitz]

So a question we got several times and because it's anonymous, we really don't know if it's like the same person asking, you know, seven questions about this. But we got a lot of questions about Are you worried that the US will become an oligarchy controlled by Elon Musk and others like him and then someone else? Actually, maybe it's not the same person because someone else said, why is Elon Musk so involved in decisions now? I like him and a lot of what he stands for, but he is not president. Gotta say that I think Elon Musk was part of the package. And if you watched the Trump campaign unfold Elon Musk on stage with him constantly, Elon Musk saying that he's going to, you know, have this Doge thing where they're going to reduce the amount that Government spends. I don't think that anyone should be surprised that Elon Musk is super involved in this government. Going back to what we were just talking about, where this is not all for us, there were people in the Trump orbit who were on stage with him all the time, who I understood would be part of his world. I've talked about before. I'm not a huge Vivek fan. I'm suspicious of rfk, but there was no part of me that thought, oh, when Trump gets elected, these guys are not part of the scene. Obviously they will be. So. So Elon was part of the package. Personally, I love what Elon is doing. Every time he talks and people get mad when he talks about cutting all kinds of things in government, I'm for it. I think that we have a ton of waste, and Elon is singularly focused on cutting that waste. A lot of people are going to be mad. A lot of projects and kind of friendly pairings are going to be torn here, and that's good. I tweeted recently, I have a tipster who wrote to me about how just one federal prison operates and they basically get computers every X number of years, but they get them so often that the last batch of computers, the new batch arrived and the last batch got thrown out in their boxes because they're also not allowed to give them away or sell them or anything like that. So they had to throw them away.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

That's just.

[Carol Markowitz]

I know it's a blip, it's a nothing. It's a tiny little, little nothing of the amount of money that our government spends. But imagine that across tons of agencies. Imagine that just across tons of prisons. We're in a bad spot. I like Elon being there to fix it.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah. So I think you're right. This was a truth in advertising thing where we knew he was going to be involved. Unlike, as our friend Scott Jennings pointed out on cnn, much to everyone's dismay, the last four years were unelected. People have been running the country and we were not told about any of that. So I think this was very clear that he was part of the deal. And the thing that even when I have very serious issues with Trump, what he's doing, he's doing out loud.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

And so you have an idea of, A, what you're getting into and B, just what he's up to because he's saying whatever he's thinking out loud in the moment. I also said, for better or worse.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right? I mean, better or worse.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

So. Yeah, exactly. And that's the difference between, like when he does these press conferences, look, a lot of the things he says in press conferences could be liabilities. Right. But he's just telling you so I appreciate that part of it. And I think Elon is part of that. I also, with a beast like the federal government, I like to have a creative thinker who has changed the way that things have been done in very frankly, amazing ways in industries that needed to be modernized. And to bring that to this table, I think is good. He also brings that to the table while having a huge platform to talk about it. Right. And freedom of speech, as we've seen with George Soros and his son, actually extends to billionaires. They're allowed to do things with their money and with their speech to influence politics. This is nothing new. And again, it's right out loud. It's in your face. He's saying exactly what he wants, very obviously, not working in some smoke filled room. And I think he's bringing attention to things like you're pointing out, Carol, that people don't even know happen in government.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's right.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

There's so many things that happen in government that are so on their face ridiculous and normal people, if they knew they were happening, would be appalled. For instance, like the CR battle where they say, why don't we split this up and vote on each thing so that a cancer, pediatric cancer research funding just gets approved and normal people go, you guys weren't splitting those up before, right?

[Carol Markowitz]

Why weren't you doing that already?

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah. And all of Washington is like, we couldn't possibly split them up, right?

[Carol Markowitz]

No, there's no way to do that. How else are we going to get our special projects in that nobody wants to fund and that nobody would understand why we're doing this? How else did that happen?

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Mary Katherine, you have to use the pediatric cancer research funding to do that.

[Carol Markowitz]

Exactly. Yeah. You know, again, I think Elon, I'm a fan, I'm glad he's there and I would love to see results. I am cautiously optimistic because, you know, when I posted this story about this one prison, a lot of the comments I got were like, oh, whatever, it's just like hundred thousand dollars, you know, who cares? I care. I care. I care. I get it. It's only a hundred thousand dollars in a billion billions and billions of dollar budget. But we have to start somewhere and we have to start making these changes because, you know, a hundred ousand dollars here, $100,000 there soon you're talking about real money.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah. And the way I like to think about it is how many families in this country have never seen $100,000. Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yes.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

How many have never come close to $100,000 in one pot? Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yep.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

And, and we tell them, oh, this is nothing. This is a rounding error. And they're like, I'm sorry, what? Every single one of those dollars and hundred thousand dollar rounding errors is stolen from American people and their grandkids. If you're not using it right, you have taken it from them and you shouldn't have.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's absolutely right. Yeah. Well, on that bright note, we're going to.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

We're optimistic, right?

[Carol Markowitz]

We are optimistic. We're just, you know, cautiously optimistic. Thank you for joining us on this very special episode of Normally. We hope your family has a very merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, whatever you celebrate. We'll be back with another episode on Thursday. Another Ask Us Anything episode. Thank you for listening. We are Carol Markowitz and Mary Kathryn Ham. Check us out every Tuesday and Thursday on Normally.

[LG Gram Advertiser]

Did you know? Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10 upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop. Voted PCMag's Reader's Choice top laptop brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere. And Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit LGUSA.com iheart for granted. Great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PCMag reader's choice used with permission. All rights reserved.

[IFIT Fitness Show Advertiser]

10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for 250,000.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

This is where mindset comes in.

[IFIT Fitness Show Advertiser]

Someone will be eliminated.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Pressure is coming down.

[Trainer Games/Public Investing Advertiser]

Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th. Watch the trailer on trainergames.com Season 2.

[Unrivaled Basketball/Samsung Advertiser]

Of Unrivaled Basketball is here and the talent is unreal. Paige Beckers, Nafiza Collier, Kelsey Plumb, Brianna Stewart and more are back to redefine the game. Unrivaled basketball season two, sponsored by Samsung Galaxy, tips off January 5 on TNT, TruTV and HBO.

[Trainer Games/Public Investing Advertiser]

Max support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comDisclosures your ticket.

[Valpak Advertiser]

To big savings is that big blue envelope in your mailbox. Valpak. It's brimming with deals from big name brands and your favorite local spots. Dining services, stuff you're already buying all for less. And you could score $100 or other instant prizes just for opening it. Or save even faster with mobile coupons you can use right now at valpack.com Valpack there's definitely something in it for you.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.