All Episodes

May 27, 2025 8 mins

TALK TO ME, TEXT IT

Ever had a long weekend feel like it stretched into a week? That post-Memorial Day time warp sets the stage for this reflective episode where personal downtime collides with truly bizarre news stories.

After sharing details about a much-needed Bridget Jones marathon (all four movies, thank you very much) that brought unexpected emotional release, we dive into some truly shocking headlines that might have slipped under your radar. Olympic gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton's recent DUI arrest takes on added complexity when viewed against her life-threatening battle with pneumonia just months ago - a health crisis that revealed her financial struggles and required crowdfunding from supporters.

But that's just the warm-up to the truly disturbing story of a 21-year-old former flight attendant caught smuggling 100 pounds of a deadly new drug called "Kush." This substance, which has a street value of $3.3 million and is killing approximately a dozen people weekly in Sierra Leone, contains a horrifying ingredient: human bones. The demand has become so great that grave robbers are now raiding cemeteries for materials. The young smuggler claims the drugs were planted in her luggage without her knowledge, but faces decades in prison if convicted.

These stories raise fascinating questions about celebrity falls from grace, the increasingly bizarre drug trade, and the strange juxtapositions we all navigate between our mundane personal lives and the often incomprehensible world events unfolding around us. Have your own strange travel story? We'd love to hear it - because sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.

Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!
Start for FREE

Thanks for listening! 

Liberty Line each week on Sunday, look for topics on my X file @americanistblog and submit your 1-3 audio opinions to anamericanistblog@gmail.com and you'll be featured on the podcast. 


Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!
Start for FREE

Support the show

Tip Jar for coffee $ - Thanks

Music by Alehandro Vodnik from Pixabay

Blog - AnAmericanist.com
X - @americanistblog

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, hello, good morning, welcome.
It's Tuesday after a three-dayweekend, memorial Day.
So, yeah, here we are.
The weekend was very long to meit seemed like it seemed like
it was like a week.
It seems like it's been a weeksince I've been to work, but

(00:23):
here I sit in the parking lotready to go into work, all right
.
So Saturday we got up and didspring cleaning.
We told you all about that onthe I say we, the gent, and I
told you all about that on ourBrood Awakening podcast.
About Saturday and Sunday, wereally didn't do much, just kind
of hung around, did some stuff.
You know, blah, blah, blah.

(00:44):
And then yesterday I'm almostashamed to tell you what I did,
but not really I watched fourmovies in a row.
I went on a Bridget Jones diarymarathon.
It has been years since I'veseen the first one and the

(01:05):
second one.
Did know I don't, did I?
Yeah, maybe I did see the thirdone too, but when I watched the
third one I was like I don'tremember hardly any of this.
And of course, I didn't watchthe recent one until yesterday,
because it's 2025.
And I needed it.
I'm just going to say I neededit because I bawled, I felt
cleansed.
You know, I know it's just amovie and, yes, I know it was

(01:26):
four of them in a row, but itwent by like that.
I'm telling you I know, I'mtelling Okay, whatever, whatever
, we're going to move on to somestories here.
I hope you had a good weekend.
All right, I only have twostories here on the on the X
file that I pulled from the NewYork Post.
The first one is we are goingto talk about the US Olympic

(01:46):
legend, mary Lou Retton,arrested for DUI in West
Virginia.
Now it says DUI, but it says,uh, let's well, it says driving
under influence of alcohol,controlled substances or drugs,
according to records postedonline by the west virginia

(02:07):
magistrate.
Uh, so yeah, she's 57 years old, is facing a misdemeanor count
of dui and she posted 1500 bondthe same day of her arrest.
So why is it a?
I guess I didn't know I it's amisdemeanor.
Okay, news of retin's arrestbegan circulating on monday.
The gymnast made headlines,remember she was very sick back

(02:29):
in 2023.
I guess it was when herdaughters announced retin had
been battling a rare form ofpneumonia.
That had the olympic greatfighting for her life in
hospital.
Uh, they're in icu.
They uh set up.
Some donate.
Apparently, this gal, mary LouRetton, is broke.
They had to set up acrowdfunding site.
They raised $200,000 in a dayfor her.

(02:51):
This is back when she was inthe hospital.
She was eventually releasedfrom the hospital and in an
interview on Today in January2024, she opened up about the
health scare.
I'm so grateful to be here.
I'm blessed to be here becausethere was a time when they were
about to put me on life support.
Goodness gracious, it goes on.
This article goes on to talkabout her career in gymnastics,

(03:15):
but it doesn't say anything moreabout the arrest.
So let's keep an eye on MaryLou Retton.
Good heavens, you know.
I watched that interview backwhen she was on the today or
whatever it was.
It was quite shocking to seeher in that um, uh, in that I
forget the word escapes me inthat state.

(03:37):
I guess I was, I don't know.
It just kind of shocked me tosee her like that um.
If you want to go look it up,I'm sure you can find it on
YouTube and you'll see what I'mtalking about.
The next story is ex-flightattendant caught smuggling 100
pounds.
That's a lot of deadly new drugmade of human bones.

(04:01):
Faces decades in prison thisgal.
I don't know what is happening,but the story cracks me up
because it just kind of skimsover the drug being made of
human bones kind of.
I mean it gets into it a littlebit, but my goodness, is that
not shocking?
It should be shocking to everysingle human being.

(04:22):
Ex-flight attendant.
Not that she got caught, butthat this drug is being made of
human bones.
Ex-flight attendant caughtsmuggling 100 pounds of deadly
new drug made of human bones.
Faces decades in prison.
A former flight attendantcaught smoke.
I already said all that.
Goodness gracious charlotte maylee.
She's only 21 years old.

(04:43):
Y'all from the united kingdomwas seized at bander somebody.
But what?
Bandera bandara nakey airportin the Sri Lanka capital of
Colombo earlier this month,after allegedly carrying
suitcases full of Kush K-U-S-H.

(05:04):
Is this drug?
This new drug is originating inthe West Africa, which kills an
estimated dozen people a week.
Damn In Sierra Leone alone.
Lee from South, damn in insierra leona alone.
Lee from south london claimedthe drug stash, which, uh, has a

(05:25):
reported street value of 3.3million damned dollars, was
planted in her suitcases withouther knowledge, her lawyer,
sempeth pierre, told.
She also says she knows who putit in there, but won't name
anybody what she uh is beingheld in harsh conditions in a
jail.
Okay, blah, blah, blah.

(05:45):
The hall made on may 12th isthe biggest seizure in of the
relatively new drug.
Custom officers pose proudlywith the stash which could land
Lee a 25-year prison sentence ifshe is found guilty of
smuggling, which she probablywill if it was in her suitcases.

(06:10):
She also implied she knew whoplanted the drugs in her
suitcase, but would not name thenames.
They must have planted it.
Then she said I know who did it.
Well then you better name thenames, chica, because you're in
trouble.
Do you think she really do?
You think she really do?
You think that really happenedor do you think she smuggled

(06:31):
them?
So they have pictures of her andshe's a very, quite attractive
young lady, uh, but apparently,uh, let's see.
Uh, one of the drugs manyingredients is reportedly human
bones, and the insatiable desirefor the substance has even led
to ghoulish grave robbersraiding cemeteries in sierra

(06:54):
leone.
Uh, kush, which is most popularwith young men, can cause
individuals to fall asleep whilewalking, collapse unexpectedly
and even wander into movingtraffic.
And one of the many, okay, so,yeah, that's crazy.
That's a hundred pounds, that'sa lot.

(07:14):
What did she?
Maybe it was planted there.
What did she?
Because surely she didn't thinkshe could just waltz right on
through?
Well, maybe she could becauseshe's a.
Maybe she thought she couldbecause she's a flight attendant
, I don't know.
She is accused of illegallypurchasing and storing a
particular large amount ofnarcotics, illegally purchasing
and storing the narcotic drug,marijuana, and illegally

(07:37):
importing it into Georgia, thecountries.
Maybe this must be talkingabout somebody else.
Yeah, okay, so anyway, that issome crazy stuff right there.
All right, we're going to moveon to the question of the day.
Okay, in your travel days, haveyou had anything weird and
bizarre happen to you?
If so, share them.

(07:57):
Okay, I really can't think ofanything bizarro that happened
to me while I was traveling.
So sorry to disappoint, I'mjust a boring person.
What can I say?
Nothing extraordinary has everhappened to me.
I take that back.
I've had two children.
That's pretty damnedextraordinary.
So, yeah, okay, I gotta go.
Thanks for listening.
Love you Bye.
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club

The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!

The Joe Rogan Experience

The Joe Rogan Experience

The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.