The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show – "Normally Podcast: Biden, Censorship, and Democratic Party Turmoil"

September 25, 2025 | Hosts: Mary Katharine Ham & Carol Markowitz
(Note: Despite the iHeart description and title, this episode features Ham & Markowitz from "Normally" as hosts, not Clay Travis or Buck Sexton.)

Episode Overview

This lively episode of "Normally" tackles a week packed with political controversy and Democratic infighting. Mary Katharine Ham and Carol Markowitz discuss:

• Revelations about Biden administration pressure on tech companies to censor dissenting voices
• Media and left-wing refusal to acknowledge missteps during the COVID era
• The recent Jimmy Kimmel free speech controversy and its fallout
• The looming government shutdown and political maneuvering over Obamacare subsidies
• Tumult within the Democratic Party, 2028 election fears, and Kamala Harris’s book tour
  The hosts approach each topic with humor, skepticism, and an insistence on confronting partisan hypocrisy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Biden Administration, Google, and Censorship

[01:22–08:23]

• Google Confirms Biden-Era Pressure to Censor:
  • News surfaced that the Biden administration pressured Google to ban specific YouTube accounts (e.g., Dan Bongino, Sebastian Gorka) and content related to COVID-19 “misinformation.”
  • Mary Katharine and Carol stress this is not surprising, but important as confirmation:

    "Why this is not a huge story is because we all knew this... This confirmation is very good because we could point to it and be like, look, we were right once again." – Carol [01:22]

• Media Complicity:
  • They point out the mainstream media's lack of outrage and even approval for such censorship:

    "Much of the media thinks that this was the Right decision. This was good censorship." – Mary Katharine [02:33]

  • Democrats, like Rep. Jim Clyburn, publicly support these moves, with little media critique [02:44].
• Jawboning Defined:
  • "Jawboning" is explained as government pressuring private entities to limit speech [03:21–03:39].
• Free Speech and Legal Fallout:
  • Citing Greg Lukianoff (FIRE): Had Google pushed back, there's a good chance anti-censorship lawsuits could have succeeded [06:40].
  • Instead, key First Amendment cases have fallen short, leaving a vital legal gap.
• Consequences for Creators:
  • Many creators who lost channels never recovered:

    "A lot of people that you've never heard of, lost their channels... Some of them just quietly disappeared and lost the money they were making from their channel." – Carol [05:08]

  • Calls for financial restitution are met with indifference.
• Double Standards and Lack of Accountability:
  • The left does little self-reflection on these actions:

    "They won't admit what happened. They won't talk about the shutdowns of speech. They won't talk about the misinformation that was actually correct. All of that leaves me with bitterness forever." – Carol [05:28]

2. Free Speech Double Standards & The Jimmy Kimmel Saga

[09:12–19:13]

• Kimmel’s Suspension and Free Speech Irony:
  • While controversy erupts over Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, there is less outrage over a politically motivated campus murder [09:12].
  • Comedian Ryan Long's analogy:

    "You supported every guy getting kicked off of everything for 10 years... Then coming back to the party after one day sober and being like, you guys need to get your life together. And you’re like, what?" – Ryan Long [10:04]

• Kimmel’s Response and Half-Apology:
  • Kimmel’s monologue uses lines that minimize the gravity of an assassination attempt, critiques for lacking true accountability.
    • Notable quote:

      "If you like me, you like me. If you don't, you don't... It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man." – Jimmy Kimmel [12:33]

  • The hosts criticize the "I'm sorry you felt that way"-style apology [14:07] and note Kimmel’s refusal to link free speech to incidents worse than his own controversy.

    "He has made himself the only free speech martyr of the week...this is why he will never be a teammate on this." – Mary Katharine [15:32]

• Real Free Speech Issues Ignored:
  • Kimmel never defends others’ right to speak, only his own.
  • Dave Portnoy's sharp take:

    "This isn't a free speech issue. He works for Mickey Mouse on network TV. Nobody said he was going to jail. He was dealing with consequences." – [16:47]

• Left-Wing 'Jawboning' Hypocrisy:
  • Pressure and investigation into Sinclair and Nexstar for not airing Kimmel is pointed out as the same kind of pressure the left denounced when done by Republicans [18:48].

    "It’s okay when they do it." – Carol [18:50]

3. The Looming Government Shutdown & Obamacare Subsidy Fight

[20:50–26:27]

• Shutdown Approaching (again):
  • With a September 30 deadline, the House passes a "clean CR" (continuing resolution) for simple, short-term funding.
• Democrats Insert Obamacare Subsidies:
  • Senate Democrats want to add extra COVID-era Obamacare subsidies previously set to expire, transforming the clean CR according to the hosts:

    "Democrats in the Senate have decided that they want to add to the clean cr, thereby making it dirty, dirty, dirty cr." – Mary Katharine [22:05]

  • These expanded subsidies mostly benefit insurance companies and raise costs, they argue [23:03].
• Republican Messaging Opportunity:
  • Republicans are urged to resist the narrative spin about “healthcare cuts,” to clarify these were never core programs and only benefit select groups [23:54].
  • Broad distrust of massive, crisis-branded Democrat spending bills, characterized as lasting "slush funds" [25:00].
• Uncertainty Over Voter Memory:
  • The hosts wonder if voters still understand the link between rising costs and Obamacare itself.

4. Democratic Party Turmoil: Polls, 2028, Kamala, and Newsom

[27:14–38:13]

• Polls Show Republican Advantage:
  • New Reuters poll: GOP leads on crime (+20), immigration (+18), economy (+10), etc. Democrats only ahead on environment, women's rights, health care, and “respect for democracy.” [27:13–28:07]
  • This focus on health care explains Democrats’ fixation on the CR fight.
• Messaging on Women's Rights Lags:
  • The only reason Dems are ahead, they argue, is as code for abortion; Republicans could make inroads if they improve messaging [28:35].
• Abigail Spanberger’s Evasion:
  • When pressed on “boys in women’s sports,” rising Democratic star Spanberger dodges, highlighting the party’s weakness on mainstream cultural issues [29:02].
• Gavin Newsom’s Apocalyptic Rhetoric:
  • Newsom warns:

    "I fear that we will not have an election in 2028. I really mean that in the core of my soul." – Gavin Newsom (clip) [30:33]

  • Hosts dismiss this as preposterous, and point out the demoralizing effect such rhetoric could have on Democrat voter turnout [31:04–33:37].
• Kamala Harris’s Book Tour & Intraparty Gripes:
  • Harris’s memoir blames others—Biden, her husband—for her struggles, but never herself [33:37–34:49].

    "She has an interesting quality of being simultaneously extremely cringe and uncompelling..." – Mary Katharine [34:03]

  • On not picking Pete Buttigieg for VP:

    "It wasn’t that he couldn't be on the ticket because he is gay. ...But I also realized it would be a real risk." – Kamala Harris (clip) [35:25]

  • Hosts mock the performative “DEI” (diversity, equity, inclusion) stance and note her lack of self-awareness, poor preparation, and general political incompetence.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On censorship confirmation:

  "We all knew it. We were right." – Carol Markowitz [01:22]

• On left’s lack of accountability:

  "They won't admit what happened. They won't talk about the shutdowns of speech. ...All of that leaves me with bitterness forever." – Carol Markowitz [05:28]

• On Kimmel’s apology:

  "I don't appreciate an apology that is like, I'm sorry you felt... If you're mad, then I'm sorry you misheard me." – Mary Katharine Ham [14:07]

• On government shutdowns:

  "I wish they would do their jobs before the deadline. But as a person who's never done a job before a deadline, I must have sympathy..." – Mary Katharine Ham [21:07]

• On Democratic campaign messaging:

  "It does seem like an issue. Also, are you not doing voter suppression by telling them that there will be no voting?" – Mary Katharine Ham [32:24]

• On Kamala’s book tour:

  "She is so very bad at this." – Mary Katharine Ham [37:19]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Censorship revelations & jawboning: [01:22–08:23]
• Jimmy Kimmel controversy & free speech hypocrisy: [09:12–19:13]
• Government shutdown and CR battle: [20:50–26:27]
• Democratic disarray, 2028 rhetoric, Kamala's book: [27:14–38:13]

Overall Tone

Wry, energetic, and combative. The hosts balance mockery of political opponents with a consistent emphasis on double standards—and occasionally, their own side’s need for better messaging. The language is accessible but sharp, aimed squarely at listeners frustrated with mainstream narratives.

Perfect for listeners who want a fast-paced rundown of the week’s political controversies, with a special focus on free speech, Democratic missteps, and the culture war.