Normally Podcast: Rubio Rising? California’s Political Meltdown & America’s Anti-Semitism Crisis

Summary

Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Episode: Normally Podcast: Rubio Rising? California’s Political Meltdown & America’s Anti-Semitism Crisis
Date: May 7, 2026
Hosts: Mary Katharine Ham and Bethany Mandel

Overview

This episode of the "Normally" podcast, hosted by Mary Katharine Ham and Bethany Mandel (filling in for Clay and Buck), blends sharp political commentary with their signature wit, tackling three main topics: Marco Rubio’s ascendancy on the national stage, unfolding chaos in California’s gubernatorial race, and the troubling surge of anti-Semitic incidents in America. The hosts dissect the demands of modern parenting, the role of personality in politics, and the intersection of progressive policies and hard outcomes—all with humor and a critical eye.

---

Main Topics & Key Discussion Points

1. Life, Parenting, and Homeschooling Realities

Time: 03:58–07:20

• The hosts share personal updates, reflecting on the chaos of May for parents with school-aged kids versus the relative calm of homeschoolers.
• Bethany criticizes the "mental load" imposed by school assignments not only on children but parents as well, emphasizing why she prefers homeschooling.
• Humorous takes on "Silly Hat Monday," over-the-top school projects, and group chat parent drama, with both hosts advocating for more practical teacher appreciation gifts ("Venmo me; I’ll buy her a $500 Amazon gift card." – Bethany Mandel, 07:03).

---

2. Marco Rubio’s Political Rise & Public Persona

Time: 07:20–13:32

Rubio’s Performance at the Podium

• Rubio, stepping in during Caroline Levith's maternity leave, impresses the hosts with his deft, charismatic handling of press questions.
• Mary Katharine highlights Rubio’s spontaneous bilingual answers and rap lyric references ("Insane in the Membrane," "Check yourself before you wreck yourself") used in national security context—showcasing both policy substance and personality.

  "He just debuted as a DJ at a family wedding…he’s happy to do this. It’s a bit of a tour de force." – Mary Katharine Ham, 08:43

The Value of Extemporaneous Speaking in the AI Era

• The hosts discuss how, as AI flattens written content, politicians who can think on their feet and speak authentically—like Rubio—will stand out.

Rubio’s Vision for America

• Rubio’s own words underscore his patriotism and optimism:

  "We want [America] to continue to be the place where anyone from anywhere can achieve anything…our history is not one of perfection, but it's still better than anybody else's history." – Marco Rubio (Clip, 09:51–10:44)

2028 GOP Speculation

• The chatter around Rubio as a 2028 favorite is discussed, including Trump’s evident closeness to both Rubio and J.D. Vance.
• Both hosts jokingly lament their history of supporting "losers" in GOP primaries, nervous about jinxing Rubio.

---

3. The Obama Legacy and Democratic Turbulence

Time: 13:32–17:34

• Obama’s new Chicago library ("a death star of progressive activism") and ongoing tour are analyzed.
• Bethany critiques the Obamas for apparently retaining "a chip on their shoulder" post-presidency; Michelle’s book promo missteps are noted.
• The hosts speculate on why the Obamas’ influence seems diminished, constrained by Trump’s continued dominance in the political sphere.
• Mary Katharine suggests Michelle Obama’s occasional off-putting remarks may be designed to discourage Democrats from pushing her to run for office.

---

4. California’s Political Meltdown: The Gubernatorial Jungle Primary

Time: 22:32–29:49

Jungle Primary Mechanics & Fallout

• The unique California system is explained: top two finishers, regardless of party, advance to the general—designed to favor Democrats. Now, two Republicans (Chad Bianco, sheriff; Steve Hilton, ex-Fox host) threaten to crowd out the Dems.

  "The Democrats have made a lot of people mad, and now two Republicans sit close to the top of this race." – Mary Katharine Ham, 22:32

Democratic In-Fighting and Weakness

• The collapse of Eric Swalwell’s candidacy, the remainder of the field (Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, Javier Becerra), and the Democrats’ scrambling for traction are recounted.
• Porter’s progressive stances, including unequivocal support for state-funded healthcare for undocumented immigrants, are dissected.

  "She has to pass this bar of acceptability on the left. But that doesn't make you electable." – Bethany Mandel, 26:01

Memorable Debate Moments

• Katie Porter’s defense of her temperament ("Cowboy up, cupcake" – 27:06) and the panel’s gender double standards discussion.
• Critiques of Javier Becerra’s ineffective HHS tenure, with damaging commentary aired live by former Biden officials.

Progressive Policy Backfires

• The hosts note ironic admissions by progressives about California’s literacy and affordability failures, including a standout moment from NYT’s Nick Kristof:

  "[A] black kid in Mississippi is two and a half times as likely to be proficient in math and reading by fourth grade as a black kid in California." – Nick Kristof, summarized at 31:34

---

5. America’s Anti-Semitism Crisis: Escalation, Data, and Political Failure

Time: 36:51–43:16

Surge in Anti-Semitic Attacks

• Swastikas appear on synagogues and Kristallnacht memorials in Queens; parents and students in other states harassed; "Screw the Jews" graffiti and threatening protests outside Jewish schools.

Escalating Hate Crimes in NYC

• NYPD data shows anti-Semitic incidents in New York City up 182% in January 2026 (31 incidents vs. 11 a year earlier).

  "[T]hey changed the [hate crime] data, so it's now apples to oranges, which makes it very hard to do these comparisons…which means the fact that we have this means that you probably have a lot more than this." – Mary Katharine Ham, 38:53

Political Leaders’ Blame and Moral Clarity

• NYC lawmakers fail to approve protections for Jewish sites and schools.
• Progressives like Hasan Piker campaign with Senate candidates in Michigan post anti-Jewish attacks, illustrating the normalization of alliances with far-left, anti-Israel voices.

Sounding the Alarm: UK Perspective

• The episode concludes with an impassioned (and widely praised) intervention by UK’s Kemi Badenoch, who calls out denialism about European anti-Semitism:

  "This is how the 1930s started. With people pretending not to see what was happening in front of them. I am not lying. I can see…I'm telling people the truth, and they will always know that I stand behind Jewish people and I stand for them." – Kemi Badenoch, 42:23

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Parenting:

  "It's honestly, it's all of this mental load that schools put on you that convinces me I want to homeschool... I want to do very few things, actually." – Bethany Mandel, 05:05

• On Ex-Obama Influence:

  "I think they thought their relevance perhaps would extend for longer and it turns out that Trump takes up all the oxygen." – Mary Katharine Ham, 15:52

• California’s Political Chaos:

  "It's really enjoyable watching them try to function in a primary process because they can't." – Bethany Mandel, 24:03

• On Anti-Semitism:

  "The entire city is just putting its hands over its ears and going, la, la, la, la, la. And that's how they record data." – Bethany Mandel, 39:12

---

Structured Timestamps for Key Segments

• Parenting and Education Rants: 03:58–07:20
• Marco Rubio’s Moment & 2028 Buzz: 07:20–13:32
• Obama, Michelle, and Ex-President Syndrome: 13:32–17:34
• California Gubernatorial Field Meltdown: 22:32–31:34
• Education Failures in CA (Kristof): 31:34–32:08
• Rise in Anti-Semitism, NYC and National: 36:51–43:16
• Kemi Badenoch’s Stand (UK/Anti-Semitism): 42:23–43:16

---

Tone & Style

• Relatable, conversational, with sharp, sometimes sardonic humor—true to Mary Katharine Ham & Bethany Mandel’s style.
• Frequent asides blending personal anecdotes with broader political observations.
• A critical, skeptical perspective—especially toward progressive policies and perceived Democratic missteps, but self-deprecating about their own biases and predictions.

---

Conclusion

This episode expertly blends current events with personal reflections and pointed critiques of political leadership across the spectrum. Audiences get both entertaining banter and incisive analyses—from the inside machinations of GOP 2028 hopefuls to the deeply troubling national rise in anti-Semitic acts and California’s blue-state governance crisis. Listeners come away better informed and with plenty of quotable moments—plus a few laughs at the absurdities of modern politics and parenting.

Transcript

[Mary Katharine Ham]

This is an I Heart Podcast Guaranteed

[Metabolism Ignite Advertiser]

human, a doubly certified OB GYN and endocrinologist doctor, a naturopathic doctor and a certified health coach walk into a room. What do they talk about? GLP1 of course, but more specifically the difference between the synthetic version of your body's own hormone that are prescribed by doctors nationwide versus metabolism ignite product which naturally increases your body's GLP1 by 61%. GLP1 side effects can lead to nausea, fatigue and muscle loss, whereas Metabolism Ignite is powered by plants and there are no side effects. Some long term results of GLP1 links to weight gain after stopping the synthetic drug which has been proven in multiple studies. In comparison to Metabolism Ignite, there is no weight regain and this product supports metabolic health. Join the 50,000 customers by skipping the needles and taking two capsules of metabolism Ignite a day for sustained weight loss with plant based therapy, visit V E R A C I T Y Health co promo code iheart for up to 65% off your order today.

[Kal Penn]

Hey everyone, it's Kalpen. I'm inviting you to join the best sounding book club you've ever heard with my podcast Hearsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. Every episode I nerd out with amazing guests and dive into the best new audiobooks available on Audible. It's the book club for your ears. Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Book Audiobook Club on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

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 ETFs 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 and 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 an investment, recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures this

[Martha Stewart]

is Martha Stewart from the Martha Stewart Podcast. Ever wonder how to make hosting look effortless? Here's a secret. Getting ahead of the mess with new Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep Paper Just lightly wet the counter beforehand so the paper grips and stays in place. Then lay down the Reynolds Kitchen's countertop prep paper so drips and spills stay on the paper, not all over your kitchen counter. You can roll out dough, prep a party spread, or cook alongside family. When you're done, cleanup is as simple as lifting the paper and revealing that clean counter underneath. Effortless. You can use it for cooking and baking prep and even crafting, especially when you need extra working space. Because when the mess is already handled, you can focus on what matters. The food, the people, and the moment. It may look effortless, but now you know. It's Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep paper. Take a tip from me. Wet it, set it, prep it. Done. Make it easy. Make it with Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep paper. Available now in the Reynolds Wrap aisle and Walmart, Target, Amazon, and Costco.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Hey guys, we are back on normal. The show's normal ish takes for when the news gets weird. I am Mary Kathryn Hamm and I am here today with Bethany Mandel. Welcome, Bethany.

[Bethany Mandel]

Welcome the other half of Stolen Youth.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Yes, normally you're with my co author. She is with. She is Carol Markowitz's co author on that very good book, which is still pertinent, unfortunately for the country, but good for the book. Check it out wherever you get good books. How's it going, man? Thank God.

[Bethany Mandel]

Thank God. I can't complain. How are you?

[Mary Katharine Ham]

I'm all right. You know, I made it through camping with the children and now we're making it through a week. You know, you have homeschooling, so it's different, but May for the enrolled kids is wild.

[Bethany Mandel]

So I hear this and it's like, May is my relax month, where I'm like, I don't know if we're really doing school anymore. Let's just stick to the basics and go to the park.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Well, I look forward to going to the park with you and doing other things once we get through May and then in June, I know we're meeting up to have some fun, so. But until then, I'm hanging on by thread.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yeah, it's honestly, it's all of this mental load that schools put on you that convinces me I want to homeschool and I want to continue to homeschool because I don't. I don't want to do all the things. I want to do very few things, actually.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Your lifestyle doesn't tell me that about you, but I understand your point. And when I did homeschool briefly, and people like, how could you possibly do that? I can compare. And in fact, yes, there is a lot put on you from the outside. And teachers often don't grok that they have four kids from one family. Yep. And like. Like that. That giving four times the assignments is going to be difficult. And I don't mean assignments for my kids. They can do those, but assignments for me.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yes. Yes.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

I got. I got stuff to do, guys.

[Bethany Mandel]

Let's. On Monday, let's do four silly hats. Yeah, that's something I want to spend my Monday doing. One of my friends sent me so. And it's not just the teachers who are putting the mental load. It's also other parents. One of my friends sent me a photo from her WhatsApp group for her kids class, and she said, we've decided that our. Our teacher appreciation gift is a bouquet of FL of paper flower. This is my flower. And here are instructions for each of your children to create their own paper flower. And so, in addition to silly hat day, dress up like your favorite character of literature on Tuesday. All of those things that the teacher is putting on them. They are also now creating craft projects for teacher appreciation. And I think parents need to be a little bit more ballsy and chime in on those chats and say, you know what I think that she would like better than a bouquet of paper flowers? A $50 gift card to Starbucks.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

My approach is, let me venmo you the value of a paper flower, even plus. And she will be happier.

[Bethany Mandel]

My love language is putting all of that stuff together for teachers. I'm like, everyone Venmo me. I'm totally gonna get audited because people Venmo me for the randomest things. I'm like, everyone Venmo me. And then I will buy her a $500Amazon gift card. Yeah, done.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

I'm in. I'm in. I don't have the capability to make the paper flower. Okay, shall we talk about someone who does have a lot of capabilities, and that is Secretary of State and many other things. Marco Rubio. Who?

[Bethany Mandel]

My king, he took to the.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Took to the podium in the press room, in the press briefing room this week to do the thing. You know, Caroline Levith is out. She's having a baby. Excited for her and he's taking over on this particular. And he sort of gave like a. I don't know, a masterclass in answering questions. He's just quick on his feet. He's good, he's informed, he's likable. He's answering in native equivalent Spanish at times. It's a. It's a bit of a tour de force.

[Bethany Mandel]

My favorite part of that was when he started quoting song lyrics. He quoted some rap songs. Insane in the Membrane was one. And I think what happened was before he stepped to the podium, he. They said, okay, how many song lyrics, like obscure random song lyrics can you throw in? And we will give you 50 bucks for every single one you pull off. And he did it several times. He was just peppering in. That was 100%. I would bet my own money on it, that that was happening behind the scenes.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

I agree with you. The other one was check yourself before you wreck yourself, which is what he suggested Iran do. And look, he was just. He just debuted as a DJ at a family wedding this weekend. There's a little bit of tape of that. He is a guy again. Now, are these millennial coded rap references? Yes. Yes, they are. And I'm proud of him for that. He doesn't need to be a Gen Z guy. He's happy to do this. And so I enjoyed that very much. He's also just like, someone made the point. I believe it was a woman who used to do PR for Substack. And she has pretty insightful sort of PR takes and modern media takes. And she said, you know, as AI flattens the writing space where everyone can kind of plus up their writing to basically fine. Someone who can speak extemporaneously will have a lot more cachet in the future because, you know, it's coming from that person. I'm gonna play a little bit of him being extemporaneous about what he thinks about. About America in the briefing room. Here he is.

[Marco Rubio]

My hope for America. And how do you deal with that? Yeah, look, I mean, my hope for America is what it's always been. I think it's the hope I hope we all share. We want it to continue to be the place where anyone from anywhere can achieve anything. Where you're not limited by the circumstances of your birth, by the color of your skin, by your ethnicity. But frankly, it's a place where you are able to overcome challenges and achieve your full potential. I think that should be the goal of every country in the world, frankly. But I think in the US we're not perfect Our history is not one of perfection, but it's still better than anybody else's history. And ours is a story of perpetual improvement. Each generation has left the next generation of Americans freer, more prosperous, safer, and that is our goal as well. But it is a unique and exceptional country. And as we come upon this 250 year anniversary, I think we have a lot to learn and be proud of in our history. It is one of the perpetual and continuous improvement where each generation has done its part to bring us closer to fulfilling the vision that the founders of this country had upon its founding.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

So I think he's thought about that a couple times in the past.

[Bethany Mandel]

What the future of America and what makes us unique.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Yes.

[Bethany Mandel]

His speech in Munich, I was like, I don't know, three, four months ago was so incredible that he even got the Europeans to agree with him. They were like, yeah, he has a point. We are on the decline.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

No, it's just, look, I, I never want to get too in awe of a politician, but this is a guy who's doing all his jobs well. And I like when, whenever I see competence demonstrated, a little bit of grace, a little bit of humor, I feel that I should applaud that. Yeah. Because we don't see it that often anymore.

[Bethany Mandel]

And when he's having fun, it's, that's when you know things are going well for America. The day before we went in to Venezuela to take out Maduro, he was at Mar a Lago, dancing at his, at his seat.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

That's right. That's right.

[Bethany Mandel]

And so when I see Marco Rubio behaving like he has the last few days, making jokes at the podium, DJing at a wedding, I'm like, I think things are going well. I think we're kicking some butts somewhere in the world and I'm here for it.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

As, as goes Rubio, so goes the nation. You know, this, of course, has sparked discussion of whether he might be a 2028 favorite. Of course, the, the heir apparent would be J.D. vance. But Trump has a lot of affection for, for Rubio and a lot of voters have affection for Rubio. The Atlantic has a piece that Trump voters like Margo Rubio more and more. This is from some of Sarah Longw focus groups. And yeah, they should, you should like him. He's good.

[Bethany Mandel]

It's interesting watching what I think is the horse race beginning to, to come up. Rick Renell, who was running the Kennedy center, posted pictures of himself at a festival and he was wearing Vance 2028 shirt, which I think was an interesting signal but reading these tea leaves I think is really fun. Dan. I can never pronounce his name.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Scavino.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yes. Thank you. He has been rah rah Rubio very hard.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

I think it's clear that there's license from Trump to like either of them. He picked Vance, but he has found himself very close to Rubio. He keeps Rubio seemingly at his elbow most of the time.

[Bethany Mandel]

Every time he has an odd job, he throws it towards Rubio.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Yeah. So I think there is a permission structure, as they say, to like Rubio a ton. Do I think that primary voters might go that direction? I don't know. I almost daren't wish I know.

[Bethany Mandel]

Bethany so my, the only time I've ever voted for a winner was President Trump in this last election. I've always, always fallen behind a loser. I, I don't, my track record isn't much better than Bill Kristol's and so I don't really want to root for anyone le doom them.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Yeah. I was a Rubio gal in 2016 and you're right, maybe we should abstain from, from secretly rooting or openly rooting thus lest we, lest we jinx the situation. I was a Rubio gal in 2016 and in fact I was at the, the debate where he famously kept repeating himself. I was one of the co moderators for that debate and I, I was so thankful I hadn't asked the question and, and in the room I was like, oh dear, what's, oh dear, what's happening? Oh dear. But he's had many, many trials by fire since that time and clearly knows what he's doing at the podium. I also, it's been interesting to watch. It's sort of a little 2016 flashback to watch him on the stage and then Obama's doing this big tour because he's opening his horrendous looking presidential library in Chicago that is like blotting out the sun and is like sort of a death star, I guess of progressive activism is what's going to be going on there.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yeah, yeah. I, and what I find most confusing about what the Obamas have done, especially post presidency, is how mad they seem. They always seem to have, especially. Michelle really seems to have a chip on her shoulder. She wrote a whole book about her fashion and then went on tour and complained that people kept wanting to talk to her about fashion.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Yeah, it does seem like that's part of the gig, particularly when you're highlighting it in a book that is.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yeah, the promo of the book usually Requires talking about the book. That's like a key component. And I know I'm not one to talk, but you should be ready to go.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Yes, it is part of it, I think. It's been interesting to me too. I think they might. I get the sense that they're a little surprised how overtaken by events their legacy has been. Yeah, yeah.

[Bethany Mandel]

Like they, they really wanted more attention.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Right. It doesn't now. They, to some extent they exited and just like had fun and did their thing. And I applaud that. Like, go, go have all your money and hang out in Martha's Vineyard and do the yachts with whoever you do them with. Whatever. I always said that Obama would be a stellar ex president because he really just wanted to like lecture us and travel around the world and be on yachts. So he's doing that. But I think they thought their relevance perhaps would extend for longer and it turns out that Trump takes up all the oxygen and that's not really a possibility for them.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yeah, I mean, I think also they thought that she was poised to like go in the footsteps of Bill and Hillary and she would take his baton and she, you know, when they left office, she was still super likable and super liked. I don't think that's the case anymore.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

I don't think you can say that. I also buy, have you heard my theory on this? I buy that she never wanted to be running for office and that my theory is that a lot of the off putting stuff she says is just a campaign to sabotage herself so that the Dems stop coming to her asking her to run for things. Oh, that's so funny because she says very off putting things.

[Bethany Mandel]

No, I think that she is actually very off putting, but she had a team around her that prevented her from doing it in the White House and she doesn't have that anymore.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Yeah, I don't think she wants to run for anything. He, on the other hand, is happy to do the spotlight this week and apparently it causes issues between them because she doesn't want him out there fighting Trump quite as much as he is. That building is really something else. Like what? A monument to, I don't know, egotism. And it's perfect intentional ugliness. I know it's modern, but woo. Goodness gracious.

[Bethany Mandel]

No, it's perfect for them. They don't seem perfect for each other, though. They seem very unhappy.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Well, just she's. She. Speaking of complaints, she has a lot about him. She's often talking about that in public.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yes.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Which I don't think is a great look for them and actually undercuts one of the things. I don't like a ton about Obama, but I thought like this, he is a family man. He's there raising his kids. He's married one woman. Like this is a, this is a good thing and she takes shots at it every time she's out and about. So. All right, well I appreciate Rubio Rubio style greater than Obama, Michelle Barack and Michelle style. All righty. We're going to take a break on Normally and we'll be back in just one moment with some California news.

[Metabolism Ignite Informational Segment]

Let's take a minute to unpack the myths behind GLP1 drugs. Myth number one GLP1 is a long term solution for weight loss true GLP1 can potentially be a long term solution for weight loss if you want to be on a drug that changes your body's natural instincts. Myth 2 GLP1 can fix your metabolism.

[Bethany Mandel]

False.

[Metabolism Ignite Informational Segment]

GLP1s fix hunger and this leads to weight loss. But the GLP1s may actually slow down your metabolic rate as your body adjusts to consuming fewer calories. GLP1 leads to a loss of muscle mass True GLP1 can lead to a loss of muscle mass due to losing weight so rapidly that your body is pulling from both fat and muscle to make up for the energy gap from consuming so few calories. If you're looking for a natural GLP1 therapy, you should consider Metabolism Ignite. Metabolism Ignite is powered by plants and can help boost your natural GLP 1. Visit VeracityHealth Co to learn more. That's V E R A C I T Y Health Co and type in promo code IHEART for up to 65% off your purchase.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

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 etc ETFs 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 and 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 an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures [e-mail] disclosure

[Kal Penn]

hey everyone, it's Kal Penn. I'm the host of Irsay The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Ray Porter, the narrator of Andy Weir's audiobook project, Hail Mary Massive sci fi adventure about survival and science and what happens when you wake up alone, very far from Earth.

[Ray Porter]

I really had to make it decision because I caught myself getting that frog in my throat and starting to get teary as I'm narrating some of these sections and it's like okay, yo yo yo, is this indulgent? And I really thought about it. I was like no. At this point it would kind of be betraying the trust the author and the listener have in telling this story if I don't go through it. But there's places in this book that that deeply emotionally affected me and I left it on the mic. That's great because it served the story. People will say like oh my God, I cried at the end. It's like yeah dude, me too.

[Kal Penn]

Listen to Irsay the Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Cindy Crawford]

Now I'd like to introduce you to Meaningful Beauty, the famed skincare brand created by iconic supermodel Cindy Crawford. It's her secret to absolutely gorgeous skin. Meaningful Beauty makes powerful and effective skincare simple and it's loved by millions of women. It's formulated for all ages and all skin tones and types and it's designed to work as a complete skin care system, leaving your skin feeling soft, smooth and nourished. I recommend starting with Cindy's full regimen which contains all five of her best selling products including the Amazing Youth Activating Melon Serum. This next generation serum has the power of melon leaf stem cell technology. It's melon leaf stem cells encapsulated for freshness and released onto the skin to support a visible reduction in the appearance of wrinkles. With thousands of glowing five star reviews, why not give it a try? Subscribe today and you can get the Amazing Meaningful Beauty system for just $49.95. That includes our introductory five piece system, free gifts, free shipping and a 60 day money back guarantee. All of that available@meaningful beauty.com.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

all right, we are back on normally with some news out of California, where over and over again, the libs have to pay the price for their policies. And in this case, they have a jungle primary for governor to replace Gavin Newsom. That means that everyone can run in the same race. And the idea was when they made this rule that it would be two Democrats that end up the top two finishers, and then they go to the general election. But what has happened is that the Democrats have made a lot of people mad, and now two Republicans sit close to the top of this race. And those two Republicans are Chad Bianco, who's a sheriff in California, and Steve Hilton, who's a former Fox host. And so now the Democrats are sort of like, oh, no, it could end up being two Republicans who get out of this jungle primary. And that is why Swalwell had to get knocked off, because he was at the top of the list of Democrats, and he has left the race, leaving behind Katie Porter, famously abusive of her staff and her husband. And her husband, Tom Steyer, famously rich and spends a lot of money on a lot of elections. He loses. And who started? Oh, Javier Becerra, former HHS secretary whose staff has been involved in major scandals in the last couple of years. They had a debate on CNN this week, and my goodness, Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco just stood there grinning at each other while everyone else was like, open season on each other. And I enjoyed it very much.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yeah, it was really wild to watch. It's a very smart strategy to let the Democrats eat their own, because that's what they're. That's what they're good at. And, you know, we saw in the, in the primary or in the presidential election, they could not allow themselves a primary because they just. No one was strong enough to win. And so they sort of anointed Kamala and anointed Biden before that. So it's really enjoyable watching them try to function in a primary process because they can't. They cannot. They can't do this.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

None of them are very good. Now, that might not matter. It's. It's California. There's a lot of Democrats there. They might just vote for somebody who's not very good. But as even some on the left point out, like, the state of life and quality of life in California speaks to a huge problem with progressive governance. It doesn't matter how good Gavin Newsom's hair looks, if everyone can point to the state's homelessness problem or the budget or the taxation, and say, how are you possibly letting this happen to everyone? There was an interesting moment where Katie Porter, of course, signals how far left and how far into disaster she's willing to go on policy just to be far left. Here she is on health care for illegal immigrants.

[Kal Penn]

Congresswoman Porter, your thoughts on the idea

[Public Investing Advertiser]

of funding health care for undocumented immigrants statewide?

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Yes, yes. And that's, by the way, what I

[Martha Stewart]

think Californians deserve as answers to these questions. Alex.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

And for critics who say that we

[Bethany Mandel]

can't afford unattractiveness of Americans working very, very hard, especially in a really expensive state like California, to pay for health for people who are there illegally, what, what polling is she doing? What possibly could motivate her? And it's because she has to, she has to pass this bar of acceptability on the left. But that doesn't make you electable. That doesn't make you enticing to voters. I, I wonder if she's trying to actually get elected, because this is not the actions of someone who would like to, to get to higher office.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Like, you're already broke. Like, just give it, give it at least a little bit of a hedge. Like, well, you know, we want to do right by people. I mean, because Bianca, rightly in the, in that frame is just shaking his head. Like, because it's nonsense talk, right? Among other nonsense talk that she had on the evening was she was asked about her behavior by Kaitlan Collins, and she got like a little, like a little catch in her throat when she was talking about, said she's taken responsibility for it many times. She apologized to the person on the tape, and then she turned it around on the guys on stage and said, but I don't think with all this bickering and interrupting I've seen here on this stage that anyone should have a question about my temperament. At which point the Sheriff Bianco says, you've been interrupting all the rest of us, just like everyone.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yeah.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

And she's like, she's like, she says, here's this, the funny part. She goes, oh, well, cowboy up, buttercup. Or something like cowboy up, cupcake, is what she said. Because if you're being interrupted by Katie Porter, it's obviously a privilege and you should not be a wuss about it.

[Bethany Mandel]

I mean, she seems to think that, like, men and women are held to different standards. And she's correct. If a husband had poured hot potato, hot mashed potatoes on their wife's head, that is a different standard. When I hear a Women did it. I'm like, ooh, that's not, that's not a good look for you. That's not great. If a man did that, I'd be like, oh, that is a sociopath maniac who needs to be nowhere near this. So she is beginning. She's being given a lot of leeway as a woman, and she seems to think that she's, she's not being given any advantages by virtue of the fact that she's a woman. And I have news for her.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

The knives were also out for Becerra on a CNN panel where a former Biden administration official was like, honestly, he wasn't that good at hhs. Here's a little bit of that.

[Kemi Badenoch]

When I saw him in the administration, and I think a lot of people did. And it's, it's, people understand this.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

It's.

[Kemi Badenoch]

He was not effective in governmenting.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

And I think that a lot of

[Kemi Badenoch]

people in the Biden administration are talking

[Mary Katharine Ham]

about this because they realize that he

[Kemi Badenoch]

was not an effective HHS secretary. And if you ask any cabinet secretary, they would tell you the same thing. And so I think that there is a. I think people recognize this, and I think this is why Tom Steyer has gone to the top.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

Do Biden and Harris think that?

[Kemi Badenoch]

I think there have been. I have not spoken with them about. This is not the first time that I've heard that. Right. Yeah. So what Sochi is talking about is a real thing.

[Marco Rubio]

Yeah.

[Kemi Badenoch]

And you kind of got a little bit of a sense of it on the stage tonight, where the attacks against Becerra were not about what he was or wasn't going to do in California. It was about his record in the Biden administration. It was about his, his character. It was about his leadership. And I do think that's going to be a problem. I'm not sure that Joe Biden adjacent brand is a good brand right now anywhere in this country. And I also think that the HHS situation, when you dig deeper into what he did in that role, that could be a problem for him.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Oh, maybe we should, should have dug deeper when it was happening.

[Bethany Mandel]

I wish someone had recommended that at the time. If only someone had had thought to themselves, maybe Biden should be better at governing to create a Runway for future Democrats and make them more appealing. Wow. Who, who would have thought of such a thing in politics in, in 2026?

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Yeah. Once again, much like with Spencer Pratt, I daren't hope that the state or the city of LA could take a turn in a different direction. But I think they would all be better off if they would take a turn in a different direction.

[Bethany Mandel]

Speaking of political instincts, I've never seen anything like Spencer Pratt. The best ads I've ever seen, the best talking points. And he is facing an opponent who seems committed to having him win. Because the things she's hitting him on are like, well, he doesn't even live here. Yeah, because you let his house burn. His house burned down. It's because you let that happen. She's like, paving his new driveway at, at the mayor's mansion. He's like, here's all the things that I should have been told by my consultants to never, ever give him an opening for. And the number one thing is residency. It's his residence because that's the whole reason he's doing this whole crazy thing. I would love him to keep on eating burritos on social media. I thought that was delightful. But now I'm pretty sold on his ability to be, you know, running the entire city of Los Angeles. Because it can't, I don't think it can get worse.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

No, he's tapping into a very real thing. And I also, I have one more clip that I want to tell because it show because it has to do with California's policies and the policies of blue states that they keep running into the results of. This is Nick Kristof of the New York Times at a, you know, one of these global confabs where they all get together and talk about the things that you and I knew like a year and a half ago, in this case, literacy. Let's hear Kristof breaking the news to a room full of elite liberals. We have every bit as much of an affordability crisis, in part because of

[Public Investing Advertiser]

a stranglehold of regulations.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

And, you know, we talk a good game about the importance of education. And yet a black kid in Mississippi is two and a half times as likely to be proficient in math and reading by fourth grade as a black kid in California. And so haven't. I mean, do we need to look a little bit less at what the Trump administration is doing to harm working class families and look a little more in the mirror? That is a good question. It's.

[Bethany Mandel]

If only someone had been yelling about the importance of schools six years ago. Wasn't that Kristoff tell you that it

[Mary Katharine Ham]

was the grandma killers and we were out there? Yep. But they are sort of having to face this occasionally. I don't know if it's enough to make the Katie Porters of the world ever change their minds about what works and what doesn't because I think she's interested in what works to elect her, but she's not a very nice lady, so I don't know if that's gonna work out for her. We shall keep you posted. We will be back on normally after this quick message.

[Metabolism Ignite Advertiser]

A doubly certified OB GYN and endocrinologist doctor, a naturopathic doctor and a certified health coach walk into a room. What do they talk about? GLP1 of course, but more specifically the difference between the synthetic version of your body's own hormone that are prescribed by doctors nationwide versus metabolism ignite product which naturally increases your body's GLP1 by 61% GLP1 side effects can lead to nausea, fatigue and muscle loss, whereas Metabolism Ignite is powered by plants and there are no side effects. Some long term results of GLP1 links to weight gain after stopping the synthetic drug which has been proven in multiple studies. In comparison to Metabolism Ignite there is no weight regain and this product supports metabolic health. Join the 50,000 customers by skipping the needles and taking two capsules of metabolism Ignite a day for sustained weight loss with plant based therapy. Visit V E R A C I T Y Health co promo code iheart for up to 65% off your order today.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

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'll be 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 ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com 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 and 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 an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures [e-mail] Disclosures

[Kal Penn]

hey everyone, it's Kal Penn. I'm the host of Irsay the Audible and iheart Audiobook Club this week on the podcast I am sitting down with Ray Porter, the narrator of Andy Weir's audiobook project Hail Mary Massive Sci Fi Adventure about survival and science and what happens when you wake up alone, very far from Earth.

[Ray Porter]

I really had to make a decision because I caught myself getting that frog in my throat and starting to get teary as I'm narrating some of these sections and it's like, okay, yo yo yo, is this indulgent? And I really thought about it. I was like, no. At this point it would kind of be betraying the trust the author and the listener have in telling this story if I don't go through it. But there's places in this book that deeply, emotionally affected me and I left it on the mic. That's great because it served the story. People will say like oh my God, I cried at the end. It's like yeah dude, me too.

[Kal Penn]

Listen to Irsay the Audible and the I Heart Audio Book Club on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Cindy Crawford]

Now I'd like to introduce you to Meaningful Beauty, the famed skin care brand created by iconic supermodel Cindy Crawford. It's her secret to absolutely gorgeous skin. Meaningful Beauty makes powerful and effective skin care simple and it's loved by millions of women. It's formulated for all ages and all skin tones and types and it's designed to work as a complete skin care system leading leaving your skin feeling soft, smooth and nourished. I recommend starting with Cindy's full regimen which contains all five of her best selling products including the Amazing Youth Activating Melon Serum. This next generation serum has the power of melon leaf stem cell technology. Its melon leaf stem cells encapsulated for freshness and released onto the skin to support a visible reduction in the appearance of wrinkles. With thousands of glowing five star reviews, why not give it a try? Subscribe to today and you can get the amazing Meaningful Beauty system for just $49.95. That includes our introductory five piece system, free gifts, free shipping and a 60 day money back guarantee. All of that available@meaningful beauty.com

[Mary Katharine Ham]

we are back on normally with a little, I don't know, weekly recap of anti Semitism news. We already covered Graham Platner earlier in the week and how Democrats have decided that Nazi tattoos mean nothing about a person. Don't worry about it. And now we're on to some more incidents. There were swastikas painted on I believe synagogues and memorials to Kristallnacht victims in Queens. And then there's a story out of Cornell as well.

[Bethany Mandel]

Yeah.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

So the.

[Bethany Mandel]

The president of the school's car was surrounded. Every single day. There are more and more stories here where I live in Montgomery county, there were messages posted in spray paint on a. On an elementary school. Screw the Jews in Arabic, because it wasn't clear enough who might have been the authors otherwise. No, it's. It's really. It's really wild to see the fact that, you know, no kings, no fascism, yada yada, but the only. The only antisemitism and kings that they are comfortable with are from. From their own side.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Yeah, it's this. I think this Fox News coverage kind of puts a point on it. New York City released hate crimes data and some crime data for the year thus far. And anti Semitic incidents in New York City nearly tripled in January as other crimes hit record lows, according to police data released on Tuesday. Hate crimes against Jewish people soaring 182% with 31 reported incidents versus 11 in January 2025. It's not great, guys.

[Bethany Mandel]

No. And what's wild about those numbers is that they're not even accurate because the mayorally appointed NYPD leadership changed the reporting procedures on what constitutes an anti submitted crime. So we actually don't really have data. The fact that we have this data and it's that bad, we have no. We have no way of knowing what it actually is.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Yes. I believe we discussed this on the. On normally in the past where they changed the data, so it's now apples to oranges, which makes it very hard to do these comparisons, but it made it harder to register these crimes in the current data. Which means the fact that we have this means that you probably have a lot more than this, which is depressing in its own right.

[Bethany Mandel]

The entire city is just putting its hands over its ears and going, la, la, la, la, la. And that's how they record data.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Zoran Mandani, of course, says that he is horrified by the swastikas painted in Queens. But you note that when it comes to actual legislation in the city and putting your money where your mouth is, he did not want to back protection for Jewish sites and Jewish schools. Is that correct?

[Bethany Mandel]

Yeah. He not only didn't want to back it, he actually vetoed it. It was a city council bill, number 175B, that would have given Jewish schools protections. And fast forward to there was a real estate event that was happening at a synagogue at park east, and the, you know, the pro Palestine, pro Hamas people decided that they were going to protest that event, but in order to do that, they. They were assembling in front of the. The building, which is also a school, so they had to evacuate the nursery school students who were there. And had that bill passed, they would have been prevented from protesting Jewish children. And especially after what we saw in Michigan, an attempted mass assassination on. Of a entire building of Jewish little children. One would think that this would be recognized as like a net good for our. Like, let's not let Jewish children be massacred in America for the sake of being Jewish. Well, no, no. That's not what manmade is after here.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

No. And also instead, what happened in, in Michigan was that Abdul Al Said, who is, I think now leading the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan, he had Hasan Piker campaigning with him two weeks after the attempted. The attempted massacre by a Hezbollah aligned person. And Hasan Piker himself has. Has fanboyed for Hezbollah and its flag on many occasions. And it's like, can you imagine if 25 years ago you had told yourself that this is what would happen in Michigan in a Democratic Senate race? I mean, it is wild.

[Bethany Mandel]

And in Maine, too, he had a. He had a. And, and he. By the way, Graham, I'm, I'm all for all of us fixating on the fact that he had a Nazi tattoo, but wait, there's more. I know he also cheered Oct. 7 and supported those. And like, that's a righteous fight. He. He was cheering that on. We, 25 years after 9, 11 have people who think that America had it coming who are already serving in Congress and who are trying to serve in Congress. And there are a plurality of Democratic voters who are like, that's my guy.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Well, not, not only like a plurality. That's not only like, it's okay with me, but that's a feature, not a bug.

[Bethany Mandel]

That's exactly right.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

That's the difference. Okay, because this is like a little bit of a downer. I'm gonna close with a clip of Kimmy Badenoch, who is the head of conservative leadership in the uk, being very morally clear about these incidents and bringing something that everyone should bring to the table. And she's really worth listening to for a minute here. She is.

[Kemi Badenoch]

Let's stop pretending that something else has happened. Thank you. It is. It is. It very much is. It very much is. It very much is about Jewish people. And, and you can say, you can say all that. You can say all that you like, but this is how the 1930s started. With people pretending not to see what was happening in front of them. I am not lying. I can see. No, no, no. I'm telling people. I'm telling people the truth. And they will always know that I stand behind Jewish people and I stand for them. I'm sorry, but I disagree with you. You just have to accept that. Yes, that's too bad. That's too bad. People know where I stand and I'm not going to be intimidated. I'm not.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

No, no, no.

[Kemi Badenoch]

I am the right. I am the right and I'm very proud of being on the right. I'm not pandering to the far right. I. What I am doing is supporting.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

No, no, no.

[Kemi Badenoch]

What I'm doing is supporting Jewish people from the sort of ignorance people like you put out there. And I will never be intimidated by it.

[Bethany Mandel]

Especially in the wake of the millionaire attacks that have happened against the Jewish community in England over the course of the last three weeks, including stabbings and an Oct. 7 memorial wall being lit up in flames. That's a thing that needs to be said.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

Yeah. It's important and I appreciate her doing it. She sounds great. She keeps her cool. She really owns that moment. Alrighty. Thank you so much, Bethany, for being with us. Where can we find you?

[Bethany Mandel]

Ethanyshondark On Twitter and Instagram. And I have a podcast called the mom wars, which you still haven't been.

[Metabolism Ignite Informational Segment]

I know.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

We gotta remedy that. All right. Thanks for being here today. Thanks for joining us on Normally. Normally airs Tuesdays and Thursdays and you can subscribe anywhere you get your podcast. Get in touch with us@ normallythepodmail.com thanks for listening. And when things get weird, act normally.

[Zepbound Advertiser]

Are you looking for support in your weight management journey? Zepbound Tirzepatide may be able to help. Zepbound is a prescription medicine used with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity to help adults with obesity or some adults with overweight who also have weight related medical problems to lose excess body weight and keep the weight off. Zepbound is Approved as a 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5 or 15mg injection. Zepbound contains Tirzepatide and should not be used with other Tirzepatide containing products or any GLP1 receptor agonist medicines. It is not known if Zepbound is safe and effective for use in children. Don't share needles or pens or reuse needles. Don't take if allergic to it or if you or someone in your family had medullary thyroid cancer or if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. Tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. Stop Zepbound and call your doctor if you have severe stomach pain or a serious allergic reaction. Severe side effects may include inflamed pancreas or gallbladder problems. Tell your doctor if you experience vision changes before scheduled procedures with anesthesia. If you're nursing pregnant, plan to be or taking birth control pills. Taking zepbound with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Side effects include nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, which can cause dehydration and worsen kidney problems. Talk to your doctor, call 1-800-545-5979 or visit Zepbound. Lilly

[Metabolism Ignite Informational Segment]

let's take a minute to unpack The Myths Behind GLP1 Drugs Myth 1 GLP1 is a long term solution for weight loss True GLP1 can potentially be a long term solution for weight loss. If you want to be on a drug that changes your body's natural instincts, GLP1 can fix your metabolism.

[Mary Katharine Ham]

False.

[Metabolism Ignite Informational Segment]

GLP1s fix hunger and this leads to weight loss. But the GLP1s may actually slow down your metabolic rate as your body adjusts to consuming fewer calories. Myth 3 GLP1 leads to a loss of muscle mass True GLP1 can lead to a loss of muscle mass due to losing weight so rapidly that your body is pulling from both fat and muscle to make up for the energy gap from consuming so few calories. If you're looking for a natural GLP1 therapy, you should consider metabolism Ignite Metabolism Ignite is powered by plants and can help boost your natural GLP1. Visit VeracityHealth Co to learn more. That's V E R A C I T Y Health Co and type in promo code IHEART for up to 65% off your purchase.

[Kal Penn]

Hey everyone, it's Kel Penn. I'm inviting you to join the best sounding book club you've ever heard with my podcast, Hearsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. Every episode, I nerd out with amazing guests and dive into the best new audiobooks available on Audible. It's the book club for your ears. Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Martha Stewart]

This is Martha Stewart from the Martha Stewart Podcast. Ever wonder how to make hosting look effortless? Here's a secret Getting ahead of the mess with new Reynolds Kitchens Countertop prep paper. Just lightly wet the counter beforehand so the paper grips and stays in place. Then lay down the Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep paper so drips and spills stay on the paper, not all over your kitchen counter. You can roll out dough, prep a party spread or cook alongside family. When you're done, cleanup is as simple as lifting the paper and revealing that clean counter underneath. Effortless. You can use it for cooking and baking, prep and even crafting, especially when you need extra working space. Because when the mess is already handled, you can focus on what matters the food, the people and the moment. It may look effortless, but now you know it's Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep paper. Take a tip from me. Wet it, set it, prep it. Done. Make it easy. Make it with Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep paper available now in the Reynolds Wrap aisle in Walmart, Target, Amazon and Costco.