Normally Podcast: Tragedy in Texas

Summary

Summary of "Normally Podcast: Tragedy in Texas"
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show | Release Date: July 8, 2025

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1. Introduction

In this episode of "Normally," hosted by Carol Markowitz and co-hosted by Mary Katherine Ham, listeners are guided through the unfolding tragedy in Texas caused by unprecedented flooding on July 4th. The discussion delves deep into the impacts of the disaster, the response from first responders, and the subsequent political and media reactions.

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2. The Tragedy in Texas: Extreme Flooding and Its Aftermath

Overview of the Disaster

On July 4th, Texas experienced catastrophic flooding due to the Guadalupe River overflowing by 26 feet in under an hour. The disaster resulted in a tragic death toll exceeding 80 individuals, including over 60 adults and 20 children. One of the hardest-hit locations was Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp situated on the riverbanks.

Personal Connection and Musical Tribute

Carol and Mary share their personal connection to the artist Robert O'Keane, a beloved Texas honky who frequently performed locally, including at Camp Mystic. The impending concert, originally a source of joy, now serves as a somber tribute to the victims.

First Responders' Heroism

The hosts highlight the heroic efforts of first responders, particularly Petty Officer Scott Ruskin of the Coast Guard, who was instrumental in rescuing approximately 165 children. In a heartfelt recount, Ruskin describes the harrowing conditions faced during the rescue:

"We decided to leave me on scene at Camp Mystic... I had about 200 kids, mostly all scared, terrified, cold, having probably the worst day of their lives."
— Scott Ruskin [11:31]

Ruskin's dedication and the coordinated efforts of the Texas Air National Guard and the Department of Public Safety were pivotal in the rescue operations.

Political and Media Reactions

The tragedy quickly became politicized, with some media outlets and commentators shifting blame onto governance failures. Carol criticizes figures like Ron Filipowski for making insensitive remarks about the victims:

"They voted for this governance and they get what they deserve. It's like, sir, they're seven and eight-year-old children."
— Carol Markowitz [06:15]

She also addresses the misleading narratives propagated by certain media, contrasting them with accurate reports from local meteorologists and emergency services.

Support and Relief Efforts

Carol emphasizes the importance of community support and donations, urging listeners to contribute to the KERR Flood Relief Fund:

"I plan to throw my money at it as well to the first responders on the ground taking care of this incredibly tragic situation."
— Carol Markowitz [04:41]

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3. The "One Big Beautiful Bill" and Its Implications

Passing the Legislation

The hosts discuss the recent passage of a significant legislative package referred to as the "One Big Beautiful Bill." Despite its massive scale and breadth, the bill successfully extended the tax rates introduced in the 2017 tax overhaul, preventing potential economic turmoil.

Key Highlights and Political Maneuvering

Carol praises the bill for being a "triumph of branding" and acknowledges the tight congressional negotiations that led to its passage:

"Most importantly, there is the extension of the tax rates that came with the 2017 tax bill... the biggest tax hike on virtually every American who pays taxes that we've seen in quite a few."
— Carol Markowitz [21:05]

She further commends Mike Johnson for his pivotal role in ensuring the bill's passage before the deadline, highlighting the intricate horse trading and political strategies involved.

Future Political Landscape

The discussion touches upon the bill's potential impact on the upcoming midterm elections, noting the challenges posed by a polarized media environment and the difficulty of sustaining political momentum amidst constantly evolving news cycles.

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4. Elon Musk's Foray into Politics and the America Party

Formation of a New Political Party

Elon Musk's recent declaration to form a new political entity, the "America Part," is met with skepticism and criticism by Carol. She underscores the improbability of third parties succeeding in the current U.S. political system:

"I have to say, Elon Musk go completely off the rails, essentially becoming a train wreck... he even wants to start a third political party."
— Carol Markowitz [26:13]

Impact and Public Perception

Carol contrasts Musk's venture with previous attempts like Andrew Yang's Forward Party, emphasizing the systemic barriers that prevent third parties from gaining substantial traction. She also highlights the detrimental effect of such disruptions on the political discourse, which is already fraught with chaos.

Policy Critiques and Conflicts of Interest

Further criticism is directed at Musk's stance on federal government spending and his perceived conflicts of interest, especially regarding his ventures in space exploration and automotive industries. Carol expresses disappointment in Musk's inability to effectively translate his visionary ideas into practical governance strategies.

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5. Libertarian Success: Javier Milei's Economic Reforms in Argentina

Economic Turnaround Under Milei

Carol and Mary spotlight Javier Milei, a libertarian leader in Argentina, who has recently achieved remarkable economic success. Despite initial skepticism, Milei's policies have led to a significant GDP growth of 7.6% year-over-year in the second quarter and a drastic reduction in inflation from 21% to 1.5%.

Housing Market Reforms

One of Milei's notable achievements is the abolition of rent control, resulting in a 40% real-term decrease in rent prices and a 300% increase in rental property supply in Buenos Aires. This reform is presented as a direct counter to liberal policies aimed at reducing rental costs, demonstrating the efficacy of libertarian economic principles.

"He has brought down inflation from like 21% to like 1.5... housing rent has dropped by 40% in real term."
— Carol Markowitz [32:27]

Implications for American Politics

The success of Milei serves as a beacon of hope for libertarian ideals in American politics. The hosts discuss the potential for similar reforms in the U.S., advocating for a shift towards policies that emphasize economic freedom and deregulation.

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6. Critique of Springer Nature and Government Funding

Exposing Scientific Publishing Issues

Carol presents a critical analysis of Springer Nature, a German-owned publishing group that has received substantial taxpayer funding. She highlights alarming issues within the organization, including the unprecedented number of retractions in 2024:

"According to our friend Carol, the German owned Springer Nature was forced to issue... 2,923 retractions in 2024 alone."
— Carol Markowitz [37:16]

Concerns Over Censorship and Bias

Further criticism is leveled at Springer Nature for allegedly downplaying the COVID-19 lab leak theory and censoring content to appease governmental pressures, particularly from China. Carol argues that government funding should not support entities that compromise scientific integrity.

"The proper role of government is not to be funding German science publishing basically made up stuff... we would see some real economic carnage."
— Carol Markowitz [38:14]

Media's Role in Highlighting Issues

Carol accuses mainstream media outlets like CNN of downplaying these issues, dismissing them as "rookie numbers" and urging the public to recognize the gravity of the situation.

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7. Conclusion and Final Remarks

Carol and Mary wrap up the episode by reiterating the importance of addressing the tragedies and political challenges discussed. They encourage listeners to stay informed, support relief efforts, and engage in constructive political discourse aimed at restoring standards and fostering good faith arguments.

"When things get weird, act normally."
— Carol Markowitz [39:28]

Listeners are thanked for their engagement, and information on how to connect with the hosts and support ongoing efforts is provided.

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Notable Quotes

• Scott Ruskin, Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer:
  "We decided to leave me on scene at Camp Mystic... I had about 200 kids, mostly all scared, terrified, cold, having probably the worst day of their lives."
  — [11:31]

• Carol Markowitz:
  "They voted for this governance and they get what they deserve. It's like, sir, they're seven and eight-year-old children."
  — [06:15]

• Carol Markowitz on the "One Big Beautiful Bill":
  "Most importantly, there is the extension of the tax rates that came with the 2017 tax bill... the biggest tax hike on virtually every American who pays taxes that we've seen in quite a few."
  — [21:05]

• Carol Markowitz on Elon Musk's Political Ambitions:
  "I have to say, Elon Musk go completely off the rails, essentially becoming a train wreck... he even wants to start a third political party."
  — [26:13]

• Carol Markowitz on Javier Milei's Reforms:
  "He has brought down inflation from like 21% to like 1.5... housing rent has dropped by 40% in real term."
  — [32:27]

• Carol Markowitz on Springer Nature:
  "The proper role of government is not to be funding German science publishing basically made up stuff... we would see some real economic carnage."
  — [38:14]

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Final Thoughts

This episode of "Normally" provides a comprehensive analysis of the tragic flooding in Texas, the commendable efforts of first responders, the political ramifications of recent legislation, and the challenges facing new political movements in the United States. Through insightful discussions and firsthand accounts, Carol and Mary deliver an engaging narrative that emphasizes resilience, accountability, and the pursuit of meaningful political reform.

Transcript

[Mary Katherine Ham]

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[J.R. Martinez]

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[Kelly Maher]

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[Carol Markowitz]

Hey guys. We are back on. Normally the show with normalish takes for when the news gets weird. And when I say we, I do not mean Carol Markowitz. Today, the lovely Carol Markowitz is healing her voice, which she has lost a bit of. And so we're gonna let her rest up and I am in Colorado with my friend, Kelly Maher.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Hi, Mary Kathryn, thanks for having.

[Carol Markowitz]

I should probably give you a plug. Kelly Maher of restoring standards.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

In the state of Colorado. She is an operative out here. She's my very good friend. She's also just very entertaining and grows a great garden which I've been visiting on her patio.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

It's true.

[Carol Markowitz]

Welcome, Kelly.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Thank you so much for having me, Mary Catherine.

[Carol Markowitz]

But of course we're. I'm traveling out here to see one of our favorite artists.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

Which is relevant to the news today. Robert o'. Keane.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

He's a Texas honky.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Tonk guy. Oh, he's one of our favorites.

[Carol Markowitz]

We love him.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Cowboy poet. We've seen him now live several times. We've seen him in Virginia.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yes.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

We've seen him here in Colorado and we have on the list before he retires for the second time to go to Texas at some point and see him together.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yes, we will, we will work on that. We also. He was our last concert before the pandemic. It was in December 2019 and he was our only concert during the pandemic because as a good Texan, he was still touring and doing concerts. We Rebels went out in Northern Virginia where the Rebel concert venue was holding an actual concert. And we went there and drank beers with other people and had a singer sing in front of us and it was fantastic.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

It was glad.

[Carol Markowitz]

Robert o' Keene is fantastic and he is relevant to the news right now because he is from Kerrville, Texas.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

So when we see him on the day of this podcast, it will not be quite as celebratory a tone for this concert as it would otherwise be because it is his hometown has been struck by tremendous tragedy over July 4th. At this point, the death toll is more than 80 for extreme flooding from the Guadalupe River.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

Including some 60 plus adults and 20 plus children. And it's all, it's almost too sad to even think about. There was an all girls Christian camp on the banks of the river.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

And Camp mystic. That Robert o', Kane, as he notes in his video, raising money for the town, he sent his daughters there. So it will, it will no doubt be sort of a, a raw performance and tribute to some extent tomorrow. And he's, he's also been raising a ton of money. I want to mention the fund which [e-mail] Kerr FloodRelief K E R R Flood Relief My co host Carol was on this very early on and was generously matching donations. And so I plan to throw my money at it as well to the first responders on the ground taking care of this incredibly tragic situation.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah, it's a, it's a real heartbreaker. Especially when you have kids. Yeah. You know, it's just, and we're both moms as is Carol and it's just, it's a, it gets you, it's, it's, it's.

[Carol Markowitz]

Like I said, it's hard to even think about. There are of course, stories of heroism, tragic stories of heroism. The director of the camp was reportedly in the process of trying to evacuate. Yeah. Some of the girls when he lost his Life. It's a family owned camp, has been in the family for generations. He had, he had run it since the 70s. The river rose 26ft in under an hour, which is, they have suffered floods there before. It's central Texas. Yeah, the ground is dry. It doesn't suck up water when water comes over the edge, which is part of the reason it gets so dangerous. In 1987, some floods struck the same area, struck the camps in that area.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

But from what, from what I've read.

[Carol Markowitz]

About this, some of it was just the cabins had held in the past. They had never seen this type of flooding to this, to quite this degree, to this many fatalities. Certainly there are of course, people turning it political as quickly as they can. I think the worst tweet was like Ron Filipowski, who's an editor over at Midas Touch, which is a partisan lefty news outlet, who was just like, they voted for this governance and they get what they deserve. It's like, sir, they're seven and eight year old children.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah, it's unbelievable.

[Carol Markowitz]

You know, this is, I think baseball crank at National Review made this point. This is, it is unfortunate that it was the Katrina playbook which was successful in really taking George W. Bush down several notches by filling a knowledge vacuum with information that often wasn't true. And it's not that there weren't mistakes. Of course there are mistakes in a, in a disaster. But to turn it into a partisan right news event, I think was new in 2005 and they've just been recycling now it's just a standard now. You will notice they don't recycle it in North Carolina with western North Carolina floods because there was a Democratic governor and Biden was president. So if they don't have the right person to blame.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

They won't do that. But in this case they're doing it somewhat, somewhat enthusiastically. And I just want to note for, for information's sake, you know, CNN's noting national weather Service cuts and NOAA cuts and the National Weather Service itself says actually we had extra office that night. Other mainstream media folks have said, oh, there weren't enough alerts. Whereas the Austin meteorologist who is on the case and local says they did their job and did it well. That's the quote. There were various warnings at various times of the night Starting at like 12:41am but most of this happened when people were sleeping.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

Making it sort of a worst case scenario of a very risky place, a very risky time of night, an incredibly strong flood in a In a vulnerable place.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

In a vulnerable place. And also you know you do that cost benefit analysis. Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

Which is like what.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

What does taking a bunch of little girls out in the middle of the night in their PJs, running them up a hill.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yes.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

We have experienced something like before and these cabins of hell. Right. And I mean here in Colorado we will regularly get tornado warnings and it's like do you take your kids downstairs? You. You know it's. It's not always clear in the moment. It. It becomes a lot clearer in retrospect. Like oh if they would have done this then that. But in the moment it's not always clear what is the safest or best.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yes.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Thing to do. Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

And again I. This is the thing about all these turning everything political. LA residents do not deserve wildfires.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Right. Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

I don't, I don't think that they are being punished for anything.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

What I do think is that local governments and Florida is the greatest example of this and the federal government to the extent it can should have things in place to the greatest degree to help as quickly as possible when something like this happens. To that point the Texas Air National Guard been rescuing folks and has rescued some like 385 people.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Amazing.

[Carol Markowitz]

With their helicopters in very dangerous conditions.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

And again I want to say that that URL is tinyurl.com car flood relief K E R R Flood relief. There's also the Cajun Navy and all these guys who are always helpful in these situations who you can.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

Help out as well. But I want to play the interview that. Oh, I wanted to note one more thing from a local expert who noted one of the takeaways may be that there are too many flash flood warnings in areas like this that dilute the power of a flash flood warning.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

That what I just said about the tornado warnings. They happen all the time around here and it, it's.

[Carol Markowitz]

It is one of those things that.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

It'S hard to know what is the most like. Like what is an imminent threat versus not well.

[Carol Markowitz]

And what is an abundance of caution that is then going to cause you trouble in the future. Emergency planning is like the vegetables of governance.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

And it's not sexy work but man, it makes a difference when you're. If you do it well and you do it right. There is one guy who got it really right with his team and that is Petty Officer Scott Ruskin of the Coast Guard who was the first first responder at Camp mystic and surrounding areas. And he had. The estimates are like 160 to between 160 and 200 kids who were, as he notes, having the worst day of their lives and scared and cold. And it was his job as a new, like, diving rescue diver to help them to the best of his ability. And it seems that he did so with incredible courage and effectiveness.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

And I'm gonna just play him explaining what happened to George Stephanopoulos. Now, this clip is a little long, but I think it's worth letting him narrate this.

[Scott Ruskin]

Yeah. So I'll kind of give you guys a quick synopsis of what was going on. The Coast Guard launched us and decided to send a rescue crew from Air Station Corpus Christi at about 6:37am on Friday, the 4th of July. I just happened to be on the duty crew with Ian Hopper, Blair Woosh for Seth Reeves, some of our crew members in the Coast Guard. And yeah, they sent us out. We kind of encountered some pretty serious weather, some of the worst flying we've ever dealt with personally. It took us, you know, which should have been an hour flight, probably took us about seven or eight just to get into the landing zone. Once made about four different approaches trying to get in, we were able to get out, get our boots on the ground with the Air National Guard, Department of Public Safety for Texas game Wardens. And we decided to leave me on scene at Camp Mystic. That was kind of our main triage site. We were trying to help out with.

[Carol Markowitz]

Just a note. Notice how many times in a three minute clip he names other people to thank. Yep, just from second one, we decided.

[Scott Ruskin]

Hey, if we leave the rescue somewhere on scene, we'll have more space in our dolphin MH65. So based on that, I got on scene boots on the ground at Camp mystic, kind of discovered I was the only person there as far as like first responders go. So, yeah, I had about 200 kids, mostly all scared, terrified cold, having probably the worst day of their life. And I just kind of need to triage them, get them to a higher level of care and get them, get them off the flood zone with a lot of the U.S. 60 army helicopters. Talk about how that works. You got 165, close to 200 kids there. How do you get them out just one by one? Yeah, yeah, sir, it's a great question. Yeah. So the United States Army National Guard was landing their 60s with Task Force 1, some of their rescue swimmers, and they were able to land. We kind of came up with two different landing zones. There's one off an archery field and then one at a soccer field. So yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

Also, I love the details from a first responder. This cadence of telling the story is. Very first responder.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

I was like, let me. Let. Let me tell you exactly what kind of vehicles we were using. And the landing zones were able to.

[Scott Ruskin]

Kind of land those 60s in there. And then I was kind of the main guy as far as like, grabbing people, usually like 15 to 10 kids at a time, maybe one adult with them, and bringing them over to those 60s and getting them to a different LZ that was kind of safe and had more first responders than just myself out there. Had you ever done this before? No, this is my first one. I haven't had any cases before. I've been a rescue swimmer for about a year, fully trained for about six months. So, yeah, this is my first experience. I really just kind of relied on the training. We get Coast Guard rescue swimmers get some of the highest level training in the world, so really just kind of relied on that and that, you know, just knowing that any of the rescue swimmers in the Coast Guard would have done the exact same, if not better than me. So training is one thing.

[Carol Markowitz]

This was the real deal.

[Scott Ruskin]

Yeah, yeah, this is definitely the real deal. But I just remembered that, you know, when I got on scene, there was, you know, 200 kids looking to someone for some sort of comfort and safety. They don't really know what my experience is or my rank or my age. They just know, hey, this guy's a. This guy's a professional, and he's here to help us. And I kind of had to live up to that standard. But, yeah, the real heroes, I think, were too, the kids on the ground. Like, those guys are heroic. And, you know, they were dealing with some of the worst times of their lives, and they were staying strong, and that helped inspire me to kind of get in there and help them out.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Okay.

[Carol Markowitz]

Thank goodness for men like him.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

He is 26. I believe he changed careers from, like, a finance or an accountant guy with, I believe, kpmg.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

To the Coast Guard and became a rescue swimmer, which is some of the most insane training that any American military undergoes.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

And thank goodness he was there that day on his first. I have remission. And I just.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

I.

[Carol Markowitz]

The whole spirit of that, like, the. The way he's recounting it, the way he's noting everyone else who helped.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

The way he's being very calm about it. Just like exactly what you want it.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

He. The fact that he's 26 gives me hope. Yeah, right. Like. Like my. My impression often of 26 year olds and there are shining exceptions all the time. Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

But one of them is just that.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

We need more men like him coming up the ranks. Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

Well, and like again, he probably spared, he spared so many families, in all likelihood worse stories. I think one of the, one of the things about this storm, it does seem that the water receded fairly quickly. So in other places that were further from the river, even though people were in danger, they were able to get out of danger quickly. Quickly enough that you could save a lot of people.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

No doubt that the numbers will go up, which is terrible. But I just, this has been on my mind since July 4th, even though it's very, very hard to think about. And I just wanted to end with this segment of the show with something that was like hopeful. Somebody, somebody rescued 165 kids.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

And you know, as you said, we're heading to this concert from this artist that we both love and have both seen. And this is going to be, you know, usually his concerts are very kind of like happy, upbeat and he has, he's got some, he's such a fabulous storyteller and he has some songs that are heartbreaking and it's going to be, I think, I think it's going to be meaningful was the word that you used. So we're heading into that.

[Carol Markowitz]

We'll be right back on.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Normally.

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[J.R. Martinez]

For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves. Loved ones, neighbors, the communities we call home and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrivent, we help plan your financial picture. Picture with the bigger picture in mind because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more Thrivent where money means more. Connect with [e-mail] ever feel like your.

[Kelly Maher]

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[Mary Katherine Ham]

This medal is for the men who went down that day. It's for the families of those who didn't make it.

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[Carol Markowitz]

Onto less harrowing news. The one big beautiful bill passed. It did. And I'm not going to get into a big breakdown on it. I will do that with Carol when her when she's back with the show. Look, there's a lot of spending in it. There's a lot of stuff in it. Yes, there's some good things in it. There's some positive structural changes in it. Most importantly, there is the extension of the tax rates that came with the 2017 tax bill. Without the extension of those rates.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

We would see some real economic carnage and the biggest tax hike on virtually every American who pays taxes that we've seen in quite a few. Some time. So that part absolutely needed to get done, and it got done. And here's. I will say this. Look, I'm gonna have my pluses and minuses for this bill. However they got something done before the deadline.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah. I'm like, is that. That I.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's sort of worth congratulating them over.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

With a tight Congress. Right. When you're talking about a one or two vote swing, either way, you're not ever going to get anything, everything that you want.

[Carol Markowitz]

In fact, it's probably going to be pretty dicey.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah. And. And so then everybody's doing horse trading and everybody's doing, you know, real cost benefit analysis. But when we're talking about the economic vitality of this country, being able to anticipate consistent tax rates.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

It's like, it's. It's one of the most important underpinnings of our ability to just keep moving things forward. Right. And. And that is like, I would give up a lot for that.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. And like I said, that part had to get done.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

And the deadline, by the way, was not until December 31st.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

The tax rates were not going to expire until then. But Trump said July 4th. And Mike Johnson, whose success is a side plot that I just enjoy so much, he's so underestimated over and over again, he takes the Senate version back to the House over the holiday and is like, nah, y' all are going to do this.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

And everyone's like, that's magical thinking. Mike Johnson can't do that. But Mike Johnson can do that.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah. Is an interesting side plot that I did not anticipate. And, and yet it's going to be super fascinating for how that plays out as we get closer and closer to midterms. Right. Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

Well. And like, there will be, I think aside from the one big beautiful bill name being a triumph of branding, the actual contents of the one big beautiful bill that are good and beneficial. Beneficial to people have not been broadcast nearly as effectively as the things that Democrats have said about the bill.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

So if you would like to fight that battle, you should start now.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

It's true.

[Carol Markowitz]

And they're already up with ads and all sorts of stuff about Medicaid reform being Medicaid cuts, and Scott Besant can't fight this fight on his own. Right. He's out there on the Sunday shows doing the best he can. But. So I think that that will matter for 2026.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

And also, every story just gets swallowed by other stories so quickly that. How much will it matter?

[Mary Katherine Ham]

I mean, this is. This is the question going into any midterm ever. Right. Which is I. I was. I. I'm a. I do political work. Right. So I was on a call. I was on a polling call last week, and it's so hard to anticipate anything gubernatorially or congressionally right now out here in the west and elsewhere, just because there are so many unknown unknowns. The idea that anything that matters right now will be the thing that we're talking about a year from now seems so deeply unlikely.

[Carol Markowitz]

Well, as illustrated by the time that we spent on the first segment. I nearly forgot about the one big beautiful Bill as I was putting this show together because it felt like so long ago when it was July 4th. Well, you and I have discussed before.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

And I'm sure you've discussed with Carol before, the fact that I thought there was going to be more of a punishment of the political class on how they handled Covid. And it mostly didn't happen because we've turned into human Etch A Sketches. Yeah. Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

And to the extent that it happened, as you note about underestimate or not being able to read it, it happened much later in different forms than we anticipated because we thought it would be a quick backlash. And I think the backlash was trumpet. It was a lot faster. It was a lot later.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

Than we anticipated. Speaking of backlash, Elon and Donald are at it again.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

Most of the backlash. Most of the backlash is actually just Elon, I think, who. Look, I like Elon very much. I think I'm. I think I'm fond of Elon in a way that other people are not.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

Just because I. I appreciate his visionary work in other sectors. I wish his visionary work on behalf of cutting the federal government had been as visionary as other stuff he does.

[Scott Ruskin]

Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

It got a little bit. It got. Certainly got bogged down when I wish that. That. That Doge had been like, we are going to methodically go through.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

Every single agency in this government. So Elon.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

Did not like the way the one big beautiful Bill went. He has left his work at doge. They've already had one blow up that seemed to sort of repair a bit, because on the 250th ANN or 250th birthday of the Army.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

Elon seemed like he was hanging around, but now he has formed a new political party titled the America Part. This is Time magazine. The former lead of the Department of Government Efficiency had promised to do just that if President Donald Trump's big beautiful bill passed. Musk has been and continues to be a vocal critic of the policy bill, arguing that it will cause a strategic harm to America on account of the trillions of dollars the bill is projected to add to the desert country. I feel you. I feel you on this. Elon Trump had this to say about it. I am saddened. This is untruth. I'm saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely off the rails, essentially becoming a train wreck. All caps over the past five weeks. He even wants to start a third political party. Despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States, the system seems not designed for them. Kelly probably has thoughts on this though. One thing third parties are good for is the creation of complete and total disruption and chaos. And we have enough of that. The radical left Democrats who have lost their confidence and their minds. Republicans on the other hand, are a smooth running machine that just passed the biggest bill of its kind in the history of our country. It is a great bill, but unfortunately for Elon, it eliminates the ridiculous electric vehicle mandate which would have forced everyone to buy an electric car in a short period of time. I have been strongly opposed to that from the very beginning. People are now allowed to buy whatever they want. Gasoline powered hybrids which are doing very well. Parenthes. Parenthetical. Or his. His writing is fantastic. Or new technologies as they come about. No more EV mandate. It goes on and on. Elon, probably. Let's see. I also thought it inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon who was in the space business run NASA when NASA is such a big part of Elon's corporate life. My number one charge is to protect the American public. So there's a couple things in there about his, you know, great Elon's. There's some. Elon's conflicts of interest and business which.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

By the way existed before all of these, all of these con. These conflicts that he points out existed previously. They just weren't problematic until, until they switched sides. Also of note, the fact that it's easier to send people into lower earth orbit than to cut federal government spending really speaks to the quagmire.

[Carol Markowitz]

There's nothing like cutting the federal government spending to send you back to trying to solve the easy problem of getting to Mars.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Like, right, like the standards are. The standards are easier.

[Carol Markowitz]

I, I Don't think this is going to go well. So.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Okay. We have seen this over and over again. You remember a few years ago, Andrew Yang started the Forward Party.

[Carol Markowitz]

I thought that was interesting.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

I always personally would enjoy being a libertarian if they could ever try to actually get elected to anything.

[Carol Markowitz]

A little note on that as well. Right.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Like I just. But President Trump is correct. The systems are set up to promote the binary and the two party system. And I think the only way to get away from this. And I think about this a lot. Right. With, with restoring standards, rather than thinking about like the left versus right, we try to think about the good faith versus bad faith spectrum. And I'm working hard to try to get crazy people on both the left and the right to step out of the political sphere.

[Carol Markowitz]

So we're rewarding good faith arguments.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

Versus just theater or extremism or. Yeah.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

And I work, I work even with my Democrat friends on this, on this issue. Right. And we have discussed how to get to the end goal, which is trying to restore standards in politics. So this is, this is the thing. I spend a lot of time thinking and writing and trying to game theory out. And third parties are a really, really hard way to go.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Oftentimes, depending on the state, there is a higher standard for ballot access. You also have a donor class and a donor system that is largely just comfortable with and aimed toward the parties. Then you have the entire. Don't even get me started about the entire soft money just behemoth of an industry onto itself.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

That is, you know, you see PACs that are used to giving to Republican and Democrats. Right. And so I tend to think often that one of the better ways, if you're looking to really shake up politics, is to pick a party and then try to operate within it. Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

Try to operate and change the incentive structure within the party.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Within the party.

[Carol Markowitz]

Which actually Elon was trying to do the thing.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes, yes. And then, and then he realized that the head of the Republican Party, you know, they got into a fight about it.

[Carol Markowitz]

But, but at least they did it quietly, you know, so quietly.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

They heard some subtle dudes. Let me tell you, when I think subtlety, I think Donald Trump, Elon Musk.

[Carol Markowitz]

Can I note quickly before we move on to our last topic, because Kelly and I will talk for hours about this. I'm going to note quickly a libertarian who is succeeding.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

Javier Malay. If Elon Musk and Donald Trump had gotten together and Javier Malay. This whole country.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

And federal government, I would have been so happy because as you say, I would be especially economically happy to be a libertarian if we could just pull it together.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

So remember when Javier Milei was elected in Argentina, Everyone was like, this is the end of the world.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

He's going to ruin everything. His austerity and deregulation will cause chaos and like just poverty everywhere. That's what they were still saying about him two weeks ago. Oh yeah. But now it's reported that Argentina's growth in the second quarter GDP growth 7.6% year over year. He has also brought down inflation from like 21% percent to like 1.5.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah.

[Carol Markowitz]

And this is an important sentence for anyone who is living in an American city who would like more. Housing rent has dropped by 40% in real term. And the supply of rental properties in Buenos Aires Iris has increased by over 300% as a result of Milei abolishing all forms of rent control. For those of us who, who heard us talk about the mayor candidate.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

In New York. This is the opposite of him. Yes. And it, it did the thing that the liberals say they want to do, which is bring down the price of the rent.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

I don't know why I'm having their voice, but that's what they're trying to do.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

The rent is too damn high.

[Carol Markowitz]

It's too damn high. Maybe I was reverting to the Miss too damn high guy.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Anyways, he's still my favorite.

[Carol Markowitz]

We're going to take a short break and come right back with. Normally.

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[Carol Markowitz]

All right, now we've got one last story from Carol who wrote in Fox News about.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Just give me a quick Carol, by the way, she's one of my favorite writers and one of my favorite people, but definitely one of my favorite writers. She writes.

[Carol Markowitz]

So there are.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

So speaking of the fact that there's so many news articles just churning and churning and turning and things get lost, but she wrote a really, really great piece for Fox News about one of the Trump cuts is millions in taxpayer funding for a group called Springer Nature, a publisher that is a publishing group that writes primarily about science. Right.

[Carol Markowitz]

So who is it? So I'm like already a little annoyed that my money is going there. I assume I'm going to get more annoyed.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Oh, just you wait, Mary Katherine. Ham. Let me tell you, as Brian Flood reported at Fox News in late June, according to our friend Carol, the German owned Springer Nature was forced to issue. Wait for it, Mary Katherine. 2,923 retractions in 2024 alone.

[Carol Markowitz]

Okay. According to retraction, they're just doing the opposite of their job, Right.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Which is they're just writing things, making it up and then cool.

[Carol Markowitz]

Cool.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Being like, JK, let's retract that also.

[Carol Markowitz]

And we paid 20 million for it.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Oh, yeah, the publishing Giant has also been accused of significantly downplaying the COVID Lab leak theory and censoring content to appease the Chinese government. It also has a peer reviewed process that critics believe is dominated by woke group things.

[Carol Markowitz]

Well, well, well, isn't that, you know, at least we could doge that one, right?

[Mary Katherine Ham]

What is the proper role of government? It is not to be funding German science publishing basically made up stuff. If you're could you imagine we're doing almost 3,000 retractions.

[Carol Markowitz]

The folks over at CNN's CNN are like, damn, we got rookie numbers. You got to pump these up, got to pump these up. Okay, let us end there because Kelly and I will go on forever. Thank you John, our producer, for listening to us. Thank you for, for all of you guys for listening to us and my friend Kelly Maher. Maher of Restoring standards. Where else can they find you?

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Anywhere. Okay, Maher on x Twitter and restoring standards.com and restoring standard pack.

[Carol Markowitz]

Love it. Yep, thanks for being with us. That URL for car again was tinyurl.com kerflood relief k-e r flood relief thanks for joining us on Normally Normally airs Tuesday and Thursdays and you can subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts. Get in touch with us@ normallythepodmail.com thanks for listening. And when things get weird, act normally.

[J.R. Martinez]

For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include a lot more people than ourselves, loved ones, neighbors, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrivent, we help plan your financial picture with the bigger picture in mind. Because even though our business is helping guide your finances, our ambition is to make it mean so much more. Thrivent where money means more.

[Carol Markowitz]

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