Bill Maher struggles to understand the meaningless in “real time.”

How do you deal with a world where blame, bureaucracy, mafia actions and lack of initiative hinder progress? That was the common thread of Friday Real time on HBO, when the brooding Bill Maher entered a world that clearly irritated him to no end.

The show opened with an appearance by former New York Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo and his former chief of staff Melissa DeRosa, author of What remains unspoken: my life in the midst of power, politics and crisis.

Cuomo was forced to do so resigned from his post due to allegations of sexual harassment. But there appears to be more to the story than just the allegations, and DeRosa and Cuomo blamed Cuomo’s downfall on the New York Times and the media’s lemming-like approach to sloppily reporting the story.

Maher — who said he didn’t want to bring the two water — discussed some of the more absurd allegations that have brought down the former governor, but chided Cuomo for his pathetic habits, accusing him of not having the ” children don’t want water” “memo has been touched.”

Cuomo acknowledged that he had received the memo, “but it could be pushed to an absurd length” and blamed politics for the escalation. “This is cancel culture on steroids at the highest level,” he said.

Maher agreed that some of the claims were exaggerated. “I don’t want to live in the Soviet Union,” he explained.

Scott Galloway, professor of marketing at NYU Stern School of Business and host of The Prof G Pod with Scott Gallowayand Fox News co-host Jessica Tarlov The five and research leader Rushinghad some hand wringing during the panel portion of the show.

They talked about the new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. “He’s David Duke Lite,” Galloway claimed, until Maher pointed out that Johnson has an adopted black son.

Tarlov also disapproved of Johnson, but said it would be easier for Democrats to oppose what Johnson represents than smooth-talking Kevin McCarthy, the ousted leader.

Maher shifted gears and pointed out that universities do not shy away from anti-Israel protests.

Tarlov appealed to Rep. Rashida Tlaib did to create a moment “to educate about the difference between terrorists and the Palestinian people.”

Maher then brought up a previous statement from Galloway claiming that weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy could have a greater impact than AI.

Galloway made a meandering statement that Maher noted didn’t answer the question. Finally, Galloway said that the way “we’ve normalized the food industrial complex” will change because the drugs inhibit different behaviors. “It will have a bigger impact on the real economy than AI.”

In his editorial on “New Rules,” Maher addressed the reality of the “deep state”—the bureaucrats, administrators, regulators, project managers, and others who stifle progress and justify their existence by creating new rules. “This is my job,” Maher said.

These bureaucrats have jobs that seem to make sure nothing ever happens and then charge them for it, he said.

About 15% of American workers are government employees, Maher noted. He raised a wind farm in Arizona that took 18 years to get approved. “Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriend wasn’t even born yet,” he said of the long delay.

“It’s not that America can’t do it,” he said. “It’s that it’s not allowed.” America becomes Gulliver, he said, “tied with a thousand braces.”

Finally, Maher shared that the initial cost of building a public restroom in San Francisco was $1.7 million per toilet. He imagined that the same bureaucracy that created this situation would be tasked with building Mount Rushmore today.

“After fifty years, we would finally have half a nostril – and it would not be Lincoln, but Che Guevara.”