Getting Hammered

From guns to free speech to Elon Musk’s “hostile” Twitter takeover, Mary Katharine and Vic have quite the lineup for their 50th episode! Times 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show  11:26 - Segment: The News You Need to Know  11:40 - Transportation Security Administration extends mask mandate for travel—and Dr. Fauci changes his tune (again)  14:53 - President Joe Biden’s approval rating falls to 33 percent, according to latest Quinnipiac poll 18:21 - Biden administration shifts its focus to “ghost guns” 21:10 - Black nationalist New York City subway shooter injures thirty 28:17 - The View’s Joy Behar shares her… interesting… take on the gun control  39:57 - "Pants wetting" ensues as Elon Musk plots his hostile Twitter takeover LinksThe Cheesecake Factory menu, for your viewing pleasureQuinnipiac poll on Biden's approval numbersStephen Gutowski’s The Reload Mary Katharine’s latest in the Daily Beast

White House press secretary Jen Psaki tries to make the "Putin Price Hike" happen. But Mary Katharine and Vic say, it's not going to happen! Dozens of D.C. elites catch the coronavirus after the Gridiron dinner, Elon Musk plots his Twitter takeover, and reporters jump on students who ask about the Hunter Biden laptop story coverup—and other media missteps—at a University of Chicago conference on disinformation.Times 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show 13:04 - Segment: The News You Need to Know 13:05 - Dozens of D.C. elites—including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi—test positive for Covid following the Gridiron dinner 20:58 - Segment: You Love to Hear It (we think?) 21:00 - Anthony Fauci says… finally… that Covid will not be eliminated... and that people will have to start (start?) using their own judgement... when making health decisions 23:58 - Philadelphia reinstates their indoor mask mandate  26:55 - White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki tries to blame Putin for spiked gas prices.  33:53 - University of Chicago hosts conference on disinformation; administrators and panelists poke fun at students for asking about misinformation in the media—including the Hunter Biden laptop story coverup 41:50 - An update on Elon Musk’s Twitter Takedown 

Taylor Lorenz, a former content cop who went after creators and now writes on the lives of internet-famous teens for a living, claims she’s really the victim of online attacks. And Senate Democrats are convinced that newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson faced worse treatment on the Senate floor than Justice Brett Kavanaugh. But Mary Katharine and Vic question who the real victim is here. Times 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show  11:13 - Segment: The News You Need to Know  11:18 - President Barack Obama visits the White House to tout improvements to the Affordable Care Act 22:36 - University of Chicago student peppers The Atlantic columnist Anne Applebaum with questions on the mainstream media’s Hunter Biden laptop story coverup  39:34 - Taylor Lorenz says she’s bullied for her reporting on internet teens 46:57 - Senate Democrats allege newly-confirmed Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson faced worse treatment than Justice Brett Kavanaugh  49:00 - Bojangles to give out gas gift cards to customers  LinksThe Washington Post opinion on Hunter Biden’s laptop 

From the CDC’s admission that lockdowns caused a mental health crisis among teens to Jennifer Rubin’s worst column ever (yeah, it’s really that bad), we’ve got quite an uplifting lineup for a very important day: Mary Katharine’s birthday!Times 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show  12:23 - Segment: The News You Need to Know  12:31 - Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson goes to final floor vote  15:59 - Elon Musk buys more than 73 million shares of Twitter stock, now a member of the platform’s board of directors 21:40 - The CDC releases information on the impact Covid lockdowns had on teen mental health 31:49 - President Joe Biden shares a story—about what, we don’t know…  42:01 - Jennifer Rubin’s worst column yet: A defense of Biden’s economy  LinksSuzy Weiss piece for Bari Weiss’s Common Sense Substack on teen girls’ experience with Covid lockdowns

…To know that one of the nation’s largest teachers’ unions was directly responsible for keeping schools closed for months? To not be invited to the sex parties that Rep. Madison Cawthorn claims are rampant in the nation’s capital? Or to know that the New York Times and the Washington Post are just now talking about the Hunter Biden laptop story? As Mary Katharine often says, it’s not good! It’s not good, Vic!** Content Warning: Includes conversations on sex that may not be appropriate for young ears **Times 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show  12:57 - Segment: The News You Need to Know 13:02 - New emails show the American Federation of Teachers imposed line-by-line edits to the Center for Disease Control’s school reopening guidance 23:28 - Rep. Madison Cawthorn claims elder statesmen snort cocaine and host sex parties, gets slap on the hand from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy 29:22 - More than a year and a half after it was first reported in the New York Post, the New York Times and the Washington Post dig into the Hunter Biden laptop story  30:59 - The Slap Part 2: Revenge of the Takes—a brief unpacking of the takes on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars 40:20 - Disney comes out against parental rights bill in Florida  LinkGuy Benson’s podcast

None of us would've known the Oscars had even happening if it weren't for Will Smith smacking the [bleep] out of Chris Rock on stage. Mary Katharine and Vic have thoughts on that, as well as President Joe Biden's gaffes on the Russian-Ukraine War. Finally, Mary Katharine fears for the safety of her state, as Duke and UNC face off in the Final Four. Times 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show  13:27 - Segment: The News You Need to Know 13:44 - Actor Will Smith slaps the sh*t out of comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars on Sunday  31:59 - President Joe Biden’s team forced to do clean-up after he demands for a regime change in Russia during speech in Poland 43:28 - Duke to face University of North Carolina in the Final Four 

The Washington Post says the line of questioning facing Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson is worse than the inquiries Justice Brett Kavanaugh endured during his nomination. Mary Katharine and Vic aren't so sure. Russia's invasion of Ukraine stalls, gains are now racist, and our ever-so-grateful hosts read some rave reviews from the Hammerheads!Times 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show 10:25 - Segment: The News You Need to Know 10:44 - Russia's Ukraine invasion stalls 16:51 - Updates on Senate hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson 19:00 - The Washington Post says senators have treated Brown Jackson far worse that Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused without evidence of committing gang rape 30:34 - Justice Clarence Thomas hospitalized with infection 31:28 - An update on masking guidance 40:33 - Gains are racist? An MSNBC opinion writer asks...

And do they have a show for you! The New York Times, after a year and a half, finally gives credibility to the Hunter Biden laptop story; confirmation hearings begin for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson; and some states temporarily eliminate gas taxes to help drivers face skyrocketing prices at the pump. Times 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show 06:58 - Segment: The News You Need to Know 08:38 - The New York Times confirms the legitimacy of Hunter Biden's laptop and emails 21:00 - Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson faces Senate hearing 35:44 - Drivers in some states could see some relief, as legislatures move to temporarily remove gas taxes 39:43 - Democrats change their tunes on masks and other coronavirus mitigation strategies 43:58 - Harris notes the significance of the "passage of time" at a reading event in Louisiana

Happy St. Paddy's Day! Mary Katharine and Vic fact-check some common misperceptions about the holiday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urges Congress for support for his country via Zoom, and former CNN host Chris Cuomo sues the network on allegations that they smeared his integrity (spoiler: we think he did that one on his own). Times 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show 12:02 - Segment: The News You Need to Know 12:07 - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to Congress 19:45 - One step forward, two steps back for masking during flight 22:03 - Senator Mitt Romney sides with Democrats on measure that would have ended mask mandates in federal childcare facilities  25:25 - Former CNN host Chris Cuomo sues the network for $125, they smeared his journalistic integrity 35:53 - Happy St. Paddy’s Day! Mary Katharine and Vic debunk myths about the holiday LinksMary Katharine's column on the Cuomo brothers

No. Just no. With allergies, with Russia, with gas prices, with poorly designed logos... You get the point.Times 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show 09:55 - Segment: The News You Need to Know 10:04 - An update on Russia's invasion of Ukraine 17:47 - White House invites TikTokers to talk gas prices 22:45 - The View's Ana Navarro. Keith Olbermann says feds should investigate journalists and citizens acting as "Russian assets" 27:26 - Crime spikes in Washington, D.C., Seattle, other big cities 32:51 - Australian government reveals new phallic-shaped logo for women's organization 35:22 - NBA star Kyrie Irving's vaccine controversy takes a turn as restrictions lift 42:11 - Longtime NFL quarterback Tom Brady "unretires," says he'll return to Tampa Bay next season