Normally Podcast: Who Killed Spirit Airlines? Plus Democrats’ Coalition Crisis and Fauci Fallout

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show – “Who Killed Spirit Airlines? Plus Democrats’ Coalition Crisis and Fauci Fallout”

Date: May 5, 2026
Hosts: Mary Katherine Ham & Carol Markowitz
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts – Normally Podcast

---

Episode Overview

This episode examines three major stories: the collapse of Spirit Airlines and what it reveals about American airline policy, ongoing struggles within the Democratic coalition as voter attitudes shift, and new developments in federal accountability surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic—and Dr. Fauci’s team. The hosts offer sharp, sometimes humorous commentary, challenge narratives from the left, and discuss where blame truly lies on major current events.

---

Key Topics & Discussion Breakdown

1. The Death of Spirit Airlines and Airline Competition

Segment starts at 04:49

• Collapse and Blame Game:

  • Spirit Airlines has gone out of business, affecting up to 17,000 jobs and many regional routes.
  • Both hosts criticize the 2023 Biden administration decision to block the Spirit–JetBlue merger on antitrust grounds.
  • Mary Katherine Ham: “Why does the government even have a say in whether two free companies can merge? I just have never been on board for that at all.” (06:38)

• Antitrust Ironies & Congressional Pressure:

  • Carol Markowitz points out, “Elizabeth Warren gets to pressure the DOJ to block the JetBlue deal, which, again, who is she? Like, she's got no experience at all running anything, and yet she's in charge of urging regulators to say no to the deal.” (06:59)
  • The hosts argue that blocking the merger ultimately reduced competition more than allowing it would have, and that the logic behind the government’s stance is internally inconsistent.

• Policy Consequences & Accountability:

  • The result, they suggest, is that other “discount” airlines now benefit, not consumers.
  • Clay: “This is part of Democrats… living with the consequences of the policies that they endorse. Her (Warren’s) policy aim explicitly was you will stand alone. … You had a large part in this, ma'am, and you must take responsibility for it. She will not.” (07:38)

• No Love for Bailouts:

  • Neither host supported the idea of a Trump-administration bailout or partial government purchase of Spirit: “If you cannot survive as a company without being bailed out, that is part of the system for sure. That's part of capitalism. I don't want these people to lose their jobs. … would have preferred if these two companies could have worked that out between themselves.” (09:08)

Notable Quote:

• Carol Markowitz: “The left flank of the Democratic Party is in control and they're in control in so many ways… The far left is the Democratic Party now.” (10:39)

---

2. Democratic Coalition Crisis – Shifting Voter Allegiances

Segment starts at 10:39

• Declining Support from Black Voters:

  • The hosts highlight a CNN segment with pollster Harry Enten, showing Republicans and Trump modestly gaining ground among African American voters.
    • Harry Enten (11:39): “Trump's approval among African Americans at this point in term one, he was at 12%... up to 16%... a double digit shift… This could have major ramifications and could help put replacement Republicans over the top in a number of southern places in the midterm elections.”

• Coalition Weaknesses Across Multiple Groups:

  • Mary Katherine Ham notes that Democrats are losing their historic advantages on issues like education and healthcare, especially after COVID:
    • “Democrats had a generations long 20 plus point lead over Republicans. And during COVID it was like back down to… even if not, if not losing that issue.” (13:19)

• Electoral Consequences:

  • Carol Markowitz adds, “If Donald Trump could make a shift in black voters in Georgia, that moves Georgia back into the red column and that would be very, very interesting.” (14:16)
  • Economic messaging (“no taxes on tips,” “people saw more money in their checks this year”) is also discussed as a powerful tool eroding Democratic strength.

• Moms as a Political Force — LA Mayor’s Race:

  • The discussion highlights Spencer Pratt (LA Mayoral candidate)’s campaign focusing on public safety concerns among mothers, reflecting growing discontent in key urban constituencies:
    • Spencer Pratt (15:41): “The thing that has impacted me the most is meeting hundreds and hundreds of moms. …They don't feel safe. …Nothing is more important than the safety of my children and my wife. … If I accomplish nothing else as mayor, it will be to make moms and their kids feel safe in the city of Los Angeles again.”

• Democratic Disconnect:

  • Hosts lament how progressive incumbents seem not just to ignore but to mock these concerns:
    • Mary Katherine Ham: “They not only don't care about mom's complaints… they would make fun of them for having issues with the fact that this is what they see…”

---

3. The Nazi Tattoo Debate: Platner, Pod Save America, and White Supremacy Accusations

Segment starts at 22:35

• The Gist:

  • Mary Katherine Ham recounts sparring online with Pod Save America’s Jon Favreau about Senate candidate Graham Platner, who only lasered off a Nazi “totenkopf” tattoo when running for office. Favreau downplays its significance.

• Debate Highlights:

  • Mary Katherine Ham: “If one is trying to figure out if a candidate is sympathetic to Nazis, one of the most important tests is whether the candidate knowingly got a death's head tattoo signifying an elite, brutal group of SS officers and kept it until the second he wanted to run for Senate...” (22:51)
  • Carol Markowitz: “Yeah. And the left has been pretending that he didn't know…He knew exactly what it was. And he used to refer to it as my Tottenkopf…” (24:11)
  • The hosts roast the logic that former military service or silence on the matter is enough to acquit someone.
  • They note the hypocrisy: “Everything makes you a white supremacist except an actual Nazi tattoo…” (25:31)

• Democratic Party’s Moral Posturing Challenged:

  • Hosts argue that standards for disqualifying associations have been abandoned when politically convenient.
  • “This is their grand platner on when it comes to white supremacy and racism and Nazi accusations. This is the moment when public health told you you could go outside to do the George Floyd protests. … They didn’t believe any of it. … the dog whistle is actually a literal tattoo on their preferred candidate.” (26:07)

---

4. COVID, Fauci, and Accountability Fallout

Segment starts at 33:43

• Indictment of Fauci Adviser:

  • Rand Paul’s statement is referenced: Fauci’s right-hand man indicted for conspiracy and destruction of federal records, including use of codewords to avoid Freedom of Information Act requests.

• Cover-up Culture:

  • Carol Markowitz: Fauci’s blanket pardon “was so suspicious and questionable,” which led investigatory focus to his subordinates (34:24).
  • Hosts argue misuse of private emails and destruction of records is clear evidence of misconduct that should be prosecuted.

• Long-Term Damage:

  • Mary Katherine Ham laments: “In relinquishing this public trust, they did themselves a ton of harm and did American voters a ton of harm because it is hard to sift through who is trustworthy and who is not...” (36:49)
  • Carol Markowitz: “The Covid up is really bad here… The lying about the vaccine side effects was also just so harmful to the image of public health going forward.” (36:20)

• Desire for Accountability:

  • The hosts hope those who enabled or covered up wrongdoing during the pandemic are barred from future public health leadership.

---

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Airline Policy:
  • “There should be extraordinary, compelling interest of some kind if you're going to stop two companies from merging.” – Mary Katherine Ham (07:38)
• On Antitrust Ironies:
  • “How is that not antitrust? …they've eliminated a branch of their competition.” – Carol Markowitz (06:59)
• On Dem Coalition Shift:
  • Enten: “This could have major ramifications and could help put replacement Republicans over the top in a number of southern places in the midterm elections.” (12:33)
• On Democratic Priorities:
  • “The far left is the Democratic Party now. It’s no longer, oh, the Democratic Party has a leftist flank. The leftist flank is the party.” – Carol Markowitz (10:39)
• On Nazi Tattoo Judgment:
  • “There's a body of work, including artwork on his body…” – Mary Katherine Ham (26:07)
• On COVID Accountability:
  • “I would like none of these people who lied about this systematically to have any power ever again.” – Mary Katherine Ham (36:49)

---

Important Timestamps

• [04:49] – Start of Spirit Airlines discussion
• [10:39] – Democratic coalition and Black voter shift (with Harry Enten audio)
• [15:41] – Spencer Pratt on LA moms and public safety
• [22:35] – Nazi tattoo/Platner debate (with Favreau’s response)
• [33:43] – COVID fallout and indictment of Fauci's right hand man

---

Episode Tone & Style

The hosts deliver insight with a blend of humor, skepticism, and pointed cultural critique. Their tone is conversational but sharp, rarely missing a chance to call out what they see as hypocrisy or failed logic—especially on the political left. They balance deep policy skepticism with relatable anecdotes and the occasional witty aside.

---

Summary for New Listeners

If you missed the episode, you’ll come away understanding the collapse of Spirit Airlines as an example of “antitrust” policy gone wrong, ongoing shifts in the Democratic coalition as voter groups and urban families question progressive results, why the Democrats’ handling of a candidate with a Nazi tattoo is stirring controversy, and how pandemic-era scandals are still surfacing—with little trust left for institutional public health. Expect pointed humor, robust debate, and no sacred cows.

Transcript

[Mary Katherine Ham]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Metabolism Ignite Advertiser]

Guaranteed Human let's take a minute to unpack the myths behind GLP1. Drugs 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. False 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.

[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, Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Public and CarMax 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 information purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures [e-mail] Do you want to find a stress free way to buy your next car? Start at CarMax and shop your way. And if you want to browse with confidence, get pre qualified online with no impact on your credit score and shop cars within your budget. From luxury cars to family rides, CarMax has options for almost every price range including more than 25,000 cars priced under $25,000. So hey, want to get started? Just head to CarMax.com for details and get pre qualified today. Want to drive CarMax?

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Hey guys.

[Spencer Pratt]

We are back on normally the show

[Mary Katherine Ham]

with normalish takes for when the news gets weird. I am Mary Kathleen Hicks.

[Carol Markowitz]

I'm Carol Markowitz. How's it going, Mary?

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Kath it's all right. I went camping this weekend and realized very quickly.

[Carol Markowitz]

Did you really?

[Mary Katherine Ham]

How old I am. I'm old. I'm old. I can't do that. What am I doing?

[Carol Markowitz]

Are you no longer sleeping on the ground years old?

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah, I mean, I wasn't even on the ground. I had a cot and I still was a mess. Ooh, everything hurts. Everything hurts. Beautiful outdoors though. I am camping. Cursed, though, because every time I go, the weather is a mess. So this time I went camping in May and it was 35 degrees overnight.

[Carol Markowitz]

Oh my God. We've done it where it was really cold. I mean, we, we've barely ever been camping, but just the few times. But the last time we did it, it was so cold that my husband, me, and the boys, like, ended up huddling for warmth in the middle of the night. And our daughter woke up in the morning. Like, how did nobody alert me to this? I was freezing all the way over here on my own.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

You abandoned me.

[Carol Markowitz]

We did. But you know my favorite camping trip ever is we got somewhere. We set up a tent. We, like, hung out all day with our friends. Then it started pouring at night and we were like, you know what? Let's go home. We did it. We have been out here all day. This was fantast. What about if we just drive home to our warm beds?

[Mary Katherine Ham]

The daytime is my favorite part of camping. It's like, I'm offline, I'm outdoors. It's very pretty. That part was good. But the gals, the gals got some of their camping nights in for their badges and we did the thing.

[Carol Markowitz]

I Love it.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

All righty. Shall we get to the news?

[Carol Markowitz]

Okay. Yes. Spirit Airlines is no more. And I actually am bummed about it. We talked about it on a previous show, but they flew some routes that only they flew, and, you know, it's going to be difficult without them.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes. And I took Spirit from time to time when they had a leg that worked for me. I was not shy about it. It's. There's a fight on over who's to blame for the loss of Spirit Airlines. And it was. It had declared bankruptcy. It was working to reorganize. It had been in trouble for some time. And the Biden administration several years ago said no to a merger with JetBlue on the basis that, I don't know, there's not enough airlines for us to choose from if those two discount airlines merge. And.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right. Their argument was that it would reduce competition. But you know what has really reduced competition? Spirit Airlines not existing anymore.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

Much less competition, actually. I feel like the airlines like JetBlue and Frontier and whatever are very excited. Like, they're like, we are introducing, introducing all these new routes where Spirit used to fly well.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

And all these people who would never be caught dead on a Spirit Airlines flight are like. Are like, Trump killed Spirit. Spirit Airlines. And look, I concede that high jet fuel prices, which are in part driven by Iran war externalities, might have been a death knell, or part of it. But this company has been limping around and attempted to right itself several years ago and was told no by the government. Like, that's right.

[Carol Markowitz]

They've had repeated bankruptcies before jet fuel was ever an issue.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

And perhaps had they merged with another airline, they would have been able to absorb a shift in jet fuel prices, which was their idea when they were pitching the merger. I just, I also just. Why does the government even have a say in whether two free companies can merge? I just have never been on board for that at all.

[Carol Markowitz]

I don't understand why Elizabeth Warren gets to pressure anybody. She pressured the DOJ to block the JetBlue deal, which, again, who is she? Like, she's got no experience at all running anything, and yet she's in charge of urging regulators to say no to the deal. How does this make any sense? And the antitrust stuff in Congress just seems like, again, the airlines that are benefiting from this, how is that not antitrust? How is that not the benefit here that they're all going to have new routes because they've eliminated a branch of their competition?

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Well, it's just like there should Be extraordinary, compelling interest of some kind if you're going to stop two companies from merging. Because the two companies are just two companies in a free country. And if they want to work together, they should be able to work together. And in this case, I think it would have given Spirit a little more Runway. Sorry, I. That was just on its way out. And here we are. But look, this is, this is part of Democrats sort of living with, particularly liberals like Elizabeth Warren, living with the consequences of the policies that they endorse. Her policy aim explicitly was you will stand alone. You will not be given tools to fix this problem. And then she's like, well, well, well, look what you've done, Mr. Trump, and I reject that. You had a large part in this, ma', am, and you must take responsibility for it. She will not.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right. And look, you and I were not thrilled that Trump was floating the US Government buying a piece of Spirit. Right. Why would we want to an airline that isn't making it? I just, it makes no sense. But JetBlue merging with it would have made sense. It would have elevated both airlines. They would have had larger number of customers. It just all around would have been a better move for the two airlines. And I don't understand how this benefits anybody.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah, it's not. It's not great. And now you've got many pans to Spirit Airlines that. From people who, again, have probably never sat their butt in a Spirit Airlines seat before. Yeah, I, I don't like it when companies go out of business. But if you cannot survive as a company without being bailed out, that is part of the system for sure. That's part of capitalism. I don't want these people to lose their jobs. I also, as you know, do not want to be in charge of bailing them out and would have preferred if these two companies could have worked that out between themselves.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right. I get the argument that some people on the right were making about the Trump potential bailout where the government screwed Spirit Airlines over. It should be up to the government to bail them out. I just. I hear you. I still didn't think that would be a wise decision. So I'm glad we didn't go that route. But, you know, 15 to 17,000 employees are affected by the Spirit Airlines going out of business. People were left stranded. Other airlines stepped in and tried to help, which is noble. You know, you kind of don't expect that kind of behavior from the airlines, but they did a good job. It just, it's sad and it shows that the left flank of The Democratic Party is in control and they're in control in so many ways. We'll talk about Graham Platner in the next segment. But it just, the far left is the Democratic Party now. It's no longer, oh, the Democratic Party has a leftist flank. The leftist flank is the party.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Well, and we can talk about it even before we get to platinum in ways that the Democrats sort of have to contend with the policy results and what that means for voters on the ground. We have one of our favorite segments, of course, is Harry Enton on CNN saying things that people don't want to hear. And look, Republicans are in no small amount of peril in this midterm year. What's saving them is that people still really dislike Democrats. And there are a lot of, no, there's a handful of, of Democrats who are in the centrist Democrat ish area going like this is a big deal, guys. People really don't like us. And they have not regained ground. Therefore, Democrats are not gaining adherence as Trump loses approval, which is going to blunt what they're able to do in November. Here's Harry Entin explaining how that's happening in one of the most formerly devoted blocks of African American voters. Here he is, you were seeing right

[Harry Enten]

now in the numbers is President Trump and the Republican Party are chipping away at the long term advantage that Democrats have had with black voters, with African Americans. You can see it right here. Look, Trump's approval among African Americans at this point in term one, he was at 12%. You know, he's been losing ground with a lot of, he's gaining, he's gaining ground with African Americans. He's up to 16% at this point. And you say this isn't that big of a shift. But I will tell you, Republicans absolutely love this shift that's going on because Democrats have had such a long term advantage. The fact that he's actually gaining ground versus where he was in term number one. This has major implications for elections down the line because Democrats, especially in a lot of these tight races, you talk about places like Georgia, right down in the south, you see this type of movement for Trump actually gaining ground. This could have major ramifications and could help put replacement Republicans over the top in a number of southern places in the midterm elections.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Do you see this as part of a bigger trend?

[Harry Enten]

I see this as absolutely part of a bigger trend. Donald Trump's Republican Party is absolutely gaining ground, not just him gaining in terms of his approval rating, but look at the party ID margin, Kate, because this to me was absolutely stunning. Look at this party ID margin among African Americans at this point. And Trump term number one, Democrats had a 6, 63 point advantage. That is absolutely fallen. Look at where it is now, a double digit shift away. Democrats of course still have the advantage, but it's a 12 point shift to the Republican Party. And I look back through Gallup's records, they sent me their records and this in fact lead that Democrats have is actually smaller than any lead from 2006 to 2021.

[Carol Markowitz]

Hmm. I mean that's something.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Those numbers are low, obviously 12 and 16%, those numbers are low. The numbers of African Americans who do vote Republican are relatively low. But anytime you see a double digit shift. Yeah, that is danger for a coalition. I think some of the areas where you see this on issues based stuff is on education where Democrats had a generations long 20 plus point lead over Republicans. And during COVID it was like back down to. Back down to. Even if not, if not losing that issue. Health care is another one where on occasions you will get blocks of these two. You, excuse me, you will get blocks of voters who have turned very quickly away from Democrats on that issue of perennial strength. And now this is a part of the coalition on which they have had a lock forever. That during Trump too is like actually we're, we're hanging here. And that's, that's been the question all along is can Trump pull people and then keep them there?

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, right. And that remains to be seen. But so far it's a shift that actually matters. And you know, the thing is that when you have these minority shifts where I, we talked about this during the election with Jews, like when you have, even if it's a small number of voters who move from one side to another, you can change the electorate in places that matter, like in Pennsylvania for example. And I think you're gonna, if, if Donald Trump could make a shift in black voters in Georgia, that moves Georgia back into the red column and that would be very, very interesting. I also think stuff like no taxes on tips and just lowering taxes overall, people saw more money in their checks this year. I think that kind of thing matters a lot, especially when the Democrats are the party that always runs on affordability. If Trump is able to take that affordability message from them, that would be very good.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

They should put a lot more emphasis on that. Like a lot of people don't know where that came from.

[Carol Markowitz]

And then, oh man, you and me talking about what the Republican Party should be talking about.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

And then lastly, I want to point out that, speaking of coalitions or coalition members, the Democrats need. Spencer Pratt out in LA is talking explicitly to moms. Here's a little bit of his online content, which has been just very enjoyable. Yeah, here he is talking about LA and mom.

[Spencer Pratt]

As I've been campaigning, the thing that has impacted me the most is meeting hundreds and hundreds of moms. And they're the most activated people in Los Angeles right now. And you know why? Because they don't feel safe. Moms send me messages with stories and videos that are so disturbing, if I were to share them on my accounts, they'd get banned. Crazy drug addicts exposing themselves to their children, hardcore drug use assaults. It's shocking what LA moms have to endure because of the reckless policies of Karen Bass and Nithya Raman, who really just don't care about their concerns. It's really shifted my vision in a very real way. I'm realizing that my true mission as mayor is to protect our moms. They need to feel safe. They're scared to just walk their baby stroller to the park and enjoy the weather. They're scared to grab their mobile order at Starbucks. They're on pins and needles sending their kids off to school. I'm sorry, but how have we accepted the.

[Public and CarMax Advertiser]

This.

[Spencer Pratt]

As a man, as a father. Nothing is more important than the safety of my children and my wife. Women and children first. We have that maxim for a reason. It's true in an emergency and it's true for this election. Women and children first. If I accomplish nothing else as mayor, it will be to make moms and their kids feel safe in the city of Los Angeles again.

[Carol Markowitz]

Man, I'm. I'm going to have my heart broken when he loses.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

I mean, it.

[Carol Markowitz]

When, when the further left candidate than Karen Bass wins, that.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

That may be the worst. But look, it is when he says, how have we allowed this to become our city? Because he's right. Bass and Nithya, the other woman running, they not only don't care about mom's complaints about going to the park or a Starbucks mobile order, they would. They would make fun of them for having issues with the fact that this is what they see on their way. And he's. He's correct. We run into this all the time where the problem that the liberal policies have created is so disgusting. Whether it's the, the rated X content in school or the people you see on your street corner next to the park that you can't communicate it on social media or in a public meeting because it's so racy. That's how bad it is.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. Yeah. I hope LA does the right thing.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

It'd be nice, you know.

[Carol Markowitz]

No, no. Better than to expect it. But it's in such a bad place. Like they're going to try to do something. They're going to try to make a big move, I think. And it's either going to be him or Nithya and yikes.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

I think. I think it'd be nice to have a person who recognizes that parks should be approachable by moms with kids in strollers without being scared.

[Carol Markowitz]

This used to be something Democrats believed.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Well, I mean, they're public parks, by the way. They're public parks. This is one of the few things that I believe is a good government function and when functioning correctly, brings great joy to people, but they refuse to let them function correctly.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, that's unfortunate. All right, we're going to take a short break and come right back with some Graham Platner and his Totten cough.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Oh,

[Graham Platner]

a doubly certified obgyn 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 and CarMax 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 [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 between 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 podcast.

[Sonesta Advertiser]

Guests find home wherever you roam at Sinesta Es and Simply Suites, where longer stays feel comfortable, flexible and easy. Stretch out and enjoy spacious accommodations and homelike amenities designed to help you settle in and stay productive or relaxed for however long you need. And when you're a Sinesta Travel Pass member, staying at Sinesta Es and Simply Suites means earning points towards free nights, upgrades and more with every eligible stay. Go to sonessa.com to book your stay and unlock the best rates with Sonessa Travel Pass here today, Rome tomorrow. Join [e-mail] terms and conditions apply.

[Carol Markowitz]

We are back on Normally where my co host Mary Katherine Ham got into it over the weekend with the left wing podcast hosts at Pod Saves America. Mary Catherine doesn't seem to think that Nazi tattoos are okay for some reason. What's the problem?

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah, much to my surprise, this is something worth contending over for. Jon Favreau of the Pod Bros. Okay, here's his original tweet. He had said in the past, let me know when a far lefty candidate appears with a Nazi sympathizer and we can chat. So everybody's been pointing this out. He says, I didn't delete it because I stand by it. But if MAGA World has decided their best play is to insult Mainer's intelligence by trying to fool them into thinking Platner's old tattoo makes him a Nazi sympathizer, best of luck in November. And I just said what I think is quite common sense. I think if one is trying to figure out if a candidate is sympathetic to Nazis, one of the most important tests is whether the candidate knowingly got a death's head tattoo signifying an elite, brutal group of SS officers and kept it until the second he wanted to run for Senate and someone noticed. It's an insult to everyone's intelligence to suggest otherwise. Sorry. His Medicare thoughts from last week are not permanent body art or absolution. This. Carol, does it seem reasonable to you that Nazi tattoos are a heuristic for dumb and bad?

[Carol Markowitz]

You'd think, right? Like, it used to be just a shorthand, and now it's like, no, no. What does it really mean?

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Let's not assume that he's. That he's incorrect about this.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. And the left has, like, been pretending that he didn't know that he didn't know. And. And there's so many stories about the. That he knew exactly what it was. And he used to refer to it as my Tottenkopf because he did know what it was. And this pretense that this guy had no idea is just that.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Also, his former political director was like, come on, guys, he's a military history buff. You're telling me he didn't know about this? Now, Favreau goes on to Darvo this thing. Reverse victim offender. Because now I'm the problem for noticing the Nazi tattoo. He says, I don't know. You strike me as someone smart enough to know that a good. A good test as to whether someone is sympathetic to Nazis is if they've ever said a single word in their entire life that could be construed as sympathetic to Nazis. I mean, I'm quite sure we could find some stuff. But he says, yeah. He says, I guess the story you'd have us Believe is this a group of American Marines who risked their lives for this country. See, I'm, I'm not paid patriotic enough here.

[Carol Markowitz]

Please.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Decided to get skull and crossbones tattoos together in their twenties that they all knew were Nazi symbols. They then kept their actual Nazi sympathies hidden for the next decade. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. Come on.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Everything makes you a white supremacist except an actual Nazi tattoo.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right? He also has shared content from white supremacist figures. He's been on questionable podcasts. He had old Reddit posts that, you know, had racist connotations. It just. Not even. That's how, before we get into. He said that women should take some responsibility in some sexual assault scenarios. I mean, all of this is things that used to bother Democrats and now there's like, body.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

There's a.

[Carol Markowitz]

We need. Yeah, we need to stop Donald Trump. So it doesn't matter anymore.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

There's a body of work, including artwork on his body. Like, it's just like. It's so insane to me. This is their grand platner on when it comes to white supremacy and racism and Nazi accusations. This is the moment when public health told you you could go outside to do the George Floyd protests. This is the moment. They didn't. They didn't believe any of it. They don't believe any of it. The second that the dog whistle is actually a literal tattoo on their preferred candidate, they're like, how dare you insult this man's service to his country.

[Carol Markowitz]

Exactly. Our friend Philip Klein points out that something that you and I had talked about as well. He writes. Now we'll have to listen for months to arguments that it is our moral duty to support the Nazi tattoo guy over the threat posed by centrist Republican Senator Susan Collins. Because, Trump, if you can't support Susan Collins, I don't want to hear it. She is the centrist of the centrists. And the idea that she's too far gone and you have. You must line up with the Nazi. That's the only way to make, you know, make this make sense. You have to go with the Nazi because she's too far out is what they're going to try. And that's.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

It's the old vote for the criminal. It's important. Vote for the tattoo guy. It's important. That's the argument. And no, I reject that. This guy was clueless. And also, even if you're clueless, this is horrendous judgment. And he had the dang Tattoo for another 15, 20 years before he got rid of this year when he was interested in running for office. Oh, so fascinating. Fascinating.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yep. Our friend Matt Whitlock also points out an incredible look at where the Democrats are today. Janet Mills may have had a ton of weaknesses, but she had Schumer money, was a sitting governor, has things. She can actually tout his accomplishments. And she lost to the Nazi tattoo gu. There's some part of me that thinks she lost because he's the Nazi tattoo guy, that this is just gaining steam and is going to be a pro going forward.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Yeah, I think there is some truth on the left with the far left base that some amount of signaling antisemitism is a feature, not a bug.

[Carol Markowitz]

It's a feature.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

And that's the thing, too, is like, this man has never expressed anything related. Well, he does frequently, actually. Like, yeah, he's applauded Hamas and its tactics in the past. I feel like that's Nazi adjacent. That's certainly sympathetic to a certain strain of thought.

[Carol Markowitz]

Who would the Nazis support in that exchange? So, yeah, it's.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Well, we'll see what happens.

[Carol Markowitz]

I don't know. He might win. He might win. Susan Collins, of course, is largely, you know, she's a tough cookie over there in Maine. We'll see what happens. But, yeah, it could be an election where Democrats have a really good run in a bunch of states, and that could be one of them. And then there'll be a guy in the Senate who had a Nazi tattoo, knew about it, and people voted for him.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Anyway, what I can definitely conclude is that dog whistles are canceled. We don't. There's none. There's if. If that ain't one.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

They're done, right? Yep.

[Carol Markowitz]

Elon Musk waving to a crowd. That's a dog whistle. But the Nazi tattoo isn't.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Well, and the difference is that my heuristic for bad and dumb is having a Nazi tattoo. His is being right of center. Right. So as long as this guy is left of center, everything's fine.

[Carol Markowitz]

All right, we're gonna take a short break and come right back with more on Normally,

[Graham Platner]

a doubly certified OBGYN and endocrinologist doctor, a naturopathic doctor and a certified health coach. 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 GLP CLP1 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 IHEARTRA for up to 65% off your order today.

[Public and CarMax 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 [e-mail] Disclosures hey everyone, it's Kal Penn.

[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 iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Sonesta Advertiser]

This is Andrea Gunning from Betrayal from coast to coast, Unlock adventure at Red Lion Hotels by Sinesta. Where restful, sleep, friendly service and trusted local knowledge are part of every stay. Red lion makes it easy to feel welcomed, comfortable and connected. Wherever the road takes you. Whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, you can spend less and make more of every trip. When you sign up for Sonesta TravelPass, you'll get our best rates instantly. Go to sonesta.com to book your stay and unlock the best rates with Sonesta Travel Pass here today, Rome tomorrow. Join [e-mail] Terms and conditions apply.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Okay, we are back on normally with some Covid updates. And we are still mad, bro.

[Carol Markowitz]

And we are still mad, bro.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

And someone may actually pay a price other than American school children. Here's Rand Paul tweeting about it. Fauci's right hand man was just indicted for conspiracy and destruction of federal records. We have learned that he was basically creating code words to get around Freedom of Information act requests, basically covering up what they were covering up because journalists and activists and citizens could then not request that information so that they could prove what these jerks were doing, which we kind of knew they were doing.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, it's like the thing is that but Fauci getting Biden's pardon right at the end there and getting a blanket pardon for a bunch of years, it was so suspicious and questionable. I think that made people look into the figures around Fauci and I have to believe that that played some role because I feel like people would not have thought, oh, let's look into a former advisor of Fauci and whether or not he covered up or concealed information had Biden not pardoned Fauci. I think it's a direct line.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Well, and like, I don't think people should hide federal records from citizens.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, I think they shouldn't.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

I think they should be punished for that. And like, there's a lot of occasions, as we noted last show, where, you know, I think the Comey indictment is not likely to succeed and is dumb. I think several moves that this DOJ have made have been sloppy and not well done. This kind of thing hiding in a emergency situation information from the public that is pertinent to whether they are being totally lied to by public officials should be punishable.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right. And using private emails. I know when Hillary Clinton did it people tried to portray it as no big deal. But like as my husband said at the time he'd be fired for that at his, you know, not anything related to government job if he used private email to talk to clients and conduct business. So the fact that Fauci's guy here is using private email to avoid FOIA laws ostensibly is really an issue. And also that he apparently deleted these emails and tried to make them disappear. The COVID up is really bad here and there.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

His attempts by the way, the things that are at issue here is emails to other scientists attempting to reinstate suspended grants that had to do with gain of function that they didn't like Congress didn't want us funding.

[Carol Markowitz]

Like the thing is that the, you know, the lying about the vaccine side effects was also just so harmful to the image of public health in going forward. And it did not obviously end with just Covid. People have a lot of suspicion around all vaccines. Now we totally call that this would happen. The COVID up really did damage to us all and I don't know when we kind of find a path out of it where we could trust our health officials again.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Well, and what happens is that people do end up going down rabbit holes and finding messengers who are sometimes equally problematic. There are others that are responsible and you're getting good information from. But yes, in relinquishing this public trust, they did themselves a ton of harm and did American voters a ton of harm because it is hard to sift through who is trustworthy and who is not. And most importantly, I would like none of these people who lied about this systematically to have any power ever again.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, that's.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Unfortunately Randy Weingarten's still in charge somewhere, so here we are.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, yeah, but you know, the other liars, maybe they never work in public policy again. That would be nice.

[Mary Katherine Ham]

Would be nice.

[Carol Markowitz]

Well, thanks for joining us on Normally Normally airs Tuesdays 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.

[Metabolism Ignite Advertiser]

Let's take a minute to unpack the myths behind GLP1 drugs. 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. False 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.

[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 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 zepboundlily.com Sonessa Travel Pass is the

[Sonesta Advertiser]

most rewarding way to travel, designed to help you get more out of every stay. Sign [e-mail] to enjoy instant savings, bonus points and valuable perks like early check in, late checkout, room upgrades and free stays. Over time with Sonesta Travel Pass, every stay brings you closer to your next reward. Choose from more than 1100 hotels across 13 distinctive brands and unlock the best available rates when you book direct with Sonesta Travel Pass. Here today, Rome tomorrow. Join [e-mail] terms and conditions apply.

[Public and CarMax Advertiser]

From sauce to dust to nuggets, It's Taco Bell's new Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets. Are they mild? If they were mild, they'd have to change the name to Little Rascal Nuggets or Minor Nuisance Nuggets. Definitely Diablo new Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets, A brand new classic only a Taco bell at participating U.S. taco Bell locations for a limited time and while supplies last.