Getting Hammered

It's Snowmicron: A snowstorm keeps kids in some states out of school, and officials are considering another shutdown due to the Omicron surge. But fear not, school closures aren't going to impact grades or test scores—because some districts won't record the data it in the first place. AOC skirts the Snowmicron mess in Miami, and starts a national conversation on the plight of attractive people. And there's another storm brewing—this time, over the filibuster. Times 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show 07:20 - Segment: The News You Need to Know 07:23 - Snowmicron keeps kids home from school 22:39 - Arlington Public Schools proposes eliminating penalties for late homework and homework grades in the name of "equity"—but local teachers push back 25:38 - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gets called out for partying maskless in Miami, and Mary Katharine gives the representative kudos for drawing attention to the plight of hot people 31:19 - Comedian Patton Oswalt apologizes for posting picture with his friend Dave Chappelle 39:41 - A fight over the filibuster brews in Washington

A lot of great movies came out in 1986. Babes in Toyland was not one of them. But Mary Katharine and Vic watched the spectacular Christmas film, starring Drew Barrymore and Keanu Reaves, so you don't have to. Merry Christmas!

Joe Manchin officially kills Build Back Better, CNN checks in with Mary Katharine and Vic's favorite Omicron-tracking doctor, and the Bidens re-home their old dog to make room for a brand-new puppy.  Times 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show 09:40 - Segment: The News You Need to Know 09:45 - Build Back Better is DOA, courtesy of Senator Joe Manchin 20:18 - Omicron cases spike in Mid-Atlantic region 26:17 - Dr. Angelique Coetzee talks Omicron on CNN 33:58 - There's a new puppy in the White House, and to make room, Major gets the boot 41:35 - Can you smell dead ants? TikTok on smelling ants goes viral

From Ben Affleck to the Build Back Better Act, on this episode of Getting Hammered, it's all about the Benjamins. The Atlantic publishes a story on Covid from someone outside of the media bubble, Elon Musk swings at Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Mary Katharine and Vic read letters to Santa from one hundred years ago.Times 00:11 - Segment: Welcome to the Show 13:29 - Segment: The News You Need to Know 13:35 - Ben Affleck drama, and Jennifer Garner being a class act 25:19 - Sen. Joe Manchin to kill BBB 32:52 - Based billionaire Elon Musk takes a crack at Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Twitter 33:39 - Segment: You Love to See It 33:41 - Matthew Walther piece in The Atlantic: Where I Live, No One Cares About Covid 40:11 - Mary Katharine's potato chip Reese's review 44:23 - Santa letters from 1921

Would a can of Vienna Sausages outlast mask mandates? CDC director Rochelle Walensky thinks so. Elon Musk joins the ranks of Mary Katharine's husband as an Ideas Man, a comedian and an MSNBC host butt heads, and California experiences a bacon shortage.Times 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show 11:15 - Segment: The News You Need to Know 11:22 - Covid updates: California reinstates indoor mask mandate, Philadelphia requires vaccines for indoor dining, first Omicron-variant death in the UK 13:12 - CDC director Rochelle Walensky says masks are for now, not forever 16:13 - Dr. Angelique Coetzee, one of the doctors who discovered Omicron, 22:55 - Time magazine names Elon Musk Person of the Year 29:24 - Sarah Silverman butts heads with MSNBC's Joy-Ann Reid 33:01 - Bacon shortage in California 38:35 - Tornadoes rock Kentucky Links for charities helping tornado victimsSamaritan's purseMercy ChefsRelevant Church's Tornado Relief Fund

The New York Times reports a groundbreaking story: Parents are upset about school closures. Color Mary Katharine and Vic surprised (not). The Supreme Court hears a case on voucher programs, Democrats are losing the vaccine mandate debate, and Chris Cuomo officially gets the boot from CNN.Times 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show 09:50 - Segment: The News You Need to Know 10:02 - Breaking news from the New York Times: Parents are frustrating with schools 20:45 - Supreme Court hears case on voucher programs and religious institutions 27:23 - Dems lose vaccine mandate battles in court 36:28 - CNN kicks Chris Cuomo to the curb

More than half of young adults are overweight. Stacey Abrams is back for another gubernatorial race. Mary Katharine's college football woes. And Reese's is now adding potato chips to their peanut butter cups—which Vic isn't so sure about. We're not just gluttons—we're gluttons for punishment. Times 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show 12:50 - Segment: The News You Need to Know 12:55 - New York City mayor Bill DeBlasio announces a new vaccine mandate 23:40 - Childhood obesity in the United States 31:38 - Stacey Abrams throws her hat back into the ring, and claims she never denied the results of her first go at the governor's mansion 35:46 - Former Senator Bob Dole dies at age 98 40:35 - Segment: You Love to See It 40:40 - Democrats fall flat on "Latinx" language, via Politico 44:40 - There's nothing at all to talk about sports this week, especially not the SEC championship 46:33 - Reese's releases a peanut butter cup with potato chips

Dr. Anthony Fauci is the science, according to... himself. But Mary Katharine and Vic aren't so sure he—or the Biden administration, for that matter—knows how to tackle the Omicron variant. The Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the Mississippi abortion case, the Women's Tennis Association takes a stand against China, and we learn the history of the golf course beverage cart. Times 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show 09:45 - Segment: The News You Need to Know 09:56 - The Omicron variant is here 16:00 - Fauci faces his foes 19:27 - Segment: You Love to See It 19:34 - Reporter asks Fauci a tough question 25:20 - Oral arguments at the Supreme Court on the Mississippi abortion case 33:12 - Women's Tennis Association quits China over Peng Shuai's disappearance 37:40 - Kids are increasingly cutting ties with their parents 44:35 - Golf.com tells the history of the golf course beverage cart

Mary Katharine and Vic have recovered from their Thanksgiving feasts and they're back to discuss Disney's decision to censor an episode of the Simpsons, as well as the new covid variant, fact-checkers, and some very unlucky pub dwellers in EnglandTimes 00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show 11:24 - Segment: The News You Need to Know 11:26 - The new coronavirus variant, Omicron 24:52 - Journalists and Harvard academics work to identify misinformation in the news 31:44 - Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey steps down 35:19 - Disney censors Simpsons episode with Tiananmen Square reference in Hong Kong 39:48 - Matthew McConaughey announces he will not run for governor of Texas 43:00 - England revelers stuck in pub for three days after snowstorm

Happy Thanksgiving from Mary Katharine and Vic! The hosts are here to talk about their Thanksgiving traditions and the topic they wish they were talking about all the time: food.