Sane(ish) with Jo Carducci

What does it actually takes to force accountability in Washington—especially when it comes to the long-shielded Epstein files? Jo sits down with Congressman Ro Khanna in the aftermath of Congress’s seismic vote to crack open the Epstein files—a moment that didn’t just force transparency but shattered the protective wall hiding MAGA’s ugliest secrets. This episode gets into the high-stakes fight that put Trump’s allies on blast, exposed institutional rot, and dared the GOP to choose: protect the cult or face the truth alongside the rest of us. Khanna reveals how survivor pressure, public outrage, and a no-bullshit demand for receipts finally cornered the power structure built on denial, distraction, and impunity. SANE(ish) Partners -   Aura Frames: Exclusive $35-off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/JOJO. Use Promo Code  JOJO -  REMI: Go to https://www.shopremi.com/JOJO and use code JOJO  at checkout for 55% off a new night guard plus a FREE foam gift that whitens your teeth and cleans your nightguard. -  Veracity: Head to https://www.VeracitySelfCare.com and use promo code JOJO during their Black Friday Sale for up to 45% off your order Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess Piper joins to torch the week’s biggest outrages: the fresh dump of Epstein files implicating Trump and power brokers; Megyn Kelly’s jaw-dropping defense of “degrees” of child abuse; performative Democrats and predatory Republicans both hiding behind “protect the kids” slogans; and the everyday struggles faced by rural families lost in the national noise. SANE(ish) Partners: ⁠Mint Mobile⁠ - Don’t get them socks this year. Get them premium wireless for $15/mo. Shop Mint Unlimited Plans at ⁠https://www.MINTMOBILE.com/JOJO⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jo is joined by George Conway for a post-shutdown, post-midterm emotional autopsy: Democrats had the voter energy, the polling, and the moral high ground BUT then folded like a bad hand in Vegas, caving to the GOP less than a week after a stinging Trump/MAGA rejection at the ballot box. Together, Jo and George roast the “Gang of Eight,” eviscerate Chuck Schumer’s white-flag routine, and break down how the party managed to hand victory back to Trumpees and call it progress.  SANE(ish) Partners: Mint Mobile - Don’t get them socks this year. Get them premium wireless for $15/mo. Shop Mint Unlimited Plans at https://www.MINTMOBILE.com/JOJO. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresh off the blue wave and before the MAGA tears had even dried, Tom Malinowski joins Jo and makes it official—he’s running for Congress in New Jersey.  Jo’s got Tom in the studio (and the fire’s on full blast) for a brutally honest debrief on election chaos, why the right’s grift machine is collapsing, and what it’s going to take to defend democracy in 2026 and beyond. They rip into everything: GOP meltdown, organizing lessons, and how regular people can keep the wins coming while the right wails into their gold-plated pillows. Sane(ish) Partners: - ⁠Fast Growing Trees⁠: Sane(ish) listeners also get 15% OFF their first purchase by visiting⁠ ⁠https://www.FastGrowingTrees.com/SANEISH⁠ ⁠– and using the code SANEISH at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jo sits down with Jack Hopkins—a former Republican, Navy vet, and host of The Jack Hopkins Show podcast—to rip off the polite tape and get right to what’s freaking everyone out: Trump playing toy soldier with the National Guard and threatening to turn the military against regular Americans, all for the sake of television optics and a bigger slice of power. We’re not here for the spin or the “let’s hear both sides” nonsense. We’re cutting straight to the ugly truth: what happens when public safety becomes just another prop for politics, and negotiating isn’t about meeting in the middle.Jack talks about surviving relentless chaos, dealing with trauma and fear, and why the only way out of this mess is by refusing to let go of your humanity…even when those in charge want nothing more than to wear everyone down. Sane(ish) Partners: - ⁠Fast Growing Trees⁠: Sane(ish) listeners also get 15% OFF their first purchase by visiting⁠ ⁠https://www.FastGrowingTrees.com/SANEISH⁠ ⁠– and using the code SANEISH at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jo connects with Siren host & Call to Activism founder Joe Gallina for a wide-ranging, no-bull conversation about the government shutdown, Trump’s billion-dollar White House ballroom project, and the human cost of GOP cuts to SNAP, healthcare, and rural hospitals. They discuss the consequences of Trump’s games —starving children, shuttering local clinics, and crushing communities while the powerful throw parties and chase headlines. SANE(ish) Partners: Veracity - For up to 45% off your order head to https://www.VeracitySelfCare.com and use code JOJO. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Cohen joins Jo to discuss Trump’s destruction of democratic guardrails, from bulldozing the White House to pardoning criminals and turning hunger into a partisan weapon. Together, they break down Trump’s latest medical misinformation and call out the shamefully performative weaponization of faith and law. Subscribe, rate, and share—we need all hands on deck. SANE(ish) Partners: Veracity Self Care - For up to 45% off your order, head to VeracitySelfCare.com and use code JOJO.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When millions of Americans take to the streets and do it with joy, laughter, and inflatable unicorns you know something historic is happening. This episode, Jo sits down with Ezra Levin, co‑founder of Indivisible and co‑organizer of the “No Kings” protests, to unpack how the largest peaceful demonstrations in U.S. history came together and why joy is now a weapon against authoritarianism. They break down how a movement built on inclusion and “tactical frivolity” is reshaping resistance, what comes next for the No Kings Alliance, and how ordinary people (yes, even in the reddest small towns) are reclaiming democracy one community at a time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jo and Andy Ostroy dissect the project in plain sight: a movement that isn’t just eroding norms — it is tearing apart the White House and refashioning it into a pagan palace of gold and power. They examine how Trump weaponizes distraction to keep the country overwhelmed, how the Epstein scandal could still explode into the center of politics, and what happens when accountability collapses and impunity becomes the operating system. With MAGA fractures starting to show, they ask whether unity among democracy-defenders can stop a takeover designed to melt down American institutions from the inside out — and what the consequences are if it fails. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The moment you start standing up to cowards, you realize how cowardly they really are.” - Don Lemon In one of the most powerful episodes yet, Don Lemon joins Jo for a call to action.  They confront the Republican Party’s moral collapse, the erosion of democratic norms, and the rising tide of fascism masquerading as patriotism. Lemon opens up about what he witnessed on the ground in Chicago—ICE raids on innocent citizens, racial profiling, and law enforcement overreach and explains why Americans cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. Jo and Don also discuss the upcoming “No Kings” protest, the importance of civil resistance, and what real patriotism looks like when democracy is under siege. Sane(ish) Partners: - ⁠Mint Mobile⁠ where $15 a month gets unlimited talk & text on the nation's largest 5G network. Make the switch today, at ⁠https://www.MintMobile.com/JOJO⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kim Wehle is a tenured law professor, constitutional law expert, author, and legal analyst who specializes in presidential power, civil procedure, and the separation of powers. Today, Jo and Kim dive into the “fear bubble” so many Americans are stuck in: insulated lives, rising authoritarian threats, and the chilling new reality of criminalizing dissent. Kim breaks down Trump’s latest moves, and how quickly people are giving up or tuning out, thinking these threats are someone else’s problem.From real talk about what keeps Kim up at night (“Are you worried? Are you afraid?”) to Jo’s frustration shopping at Aldi while the world burns, they give clarity about what’s at stake if this slide accelerates. Sane(ish) Partners: - Mint Mobile where $15 a month gets unlimited talk & text on the nation's largest 5G network. Make the switch today, at https://www.MintMobile.com/JOJO. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jo welcomes Amy McGrath just days after announcing her run for the Kentucky Senate. With Mitch McConnell out, the seat is at a tipping point for the entire nation, and Amy explains why it’s more than just red vs. blue, it’s about restoring servant leadership and decency, protecting healthcare, and standing up for working families when the stakes couldn’t be higher. With the government shutdown putting families in crisis, McGrath pulls no punches about rising prices, rural hospital closures, and the devastating impact of Republican tariffs on Kentucky’s bourbon, farming, and manufacturing industries. Amy denounces political fearmongering, the weaponization of Congress, and the dangerous politicization of America’s armed forces under President Trump. Sane(ish) Partners: - Fast Growing Trees: Sane(ish) listeners also get 15% OFF their first purchase by visiting⁠ https://www.FastGrowingTrees.com/SANEISH ⁠– and using the code SANEISH at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jo is joined by Senator Richard Blumenthal for an urgent conversation about the Trump Shutdown. They discuss the political gamesmanship behind the Congressional standoff, the truth about rising healthcare costs, and they examine how Republican policies are hurting everyday Americans – especially those in Trump’s favorite red states. The GOP is pushing a narrative that is packed with lies; Senator Blumenthal shares FACTS about the looming loss of health insurance subsidies and the impact on military and federal workers.  Sane(ish) Partners: - Fast Growing Trees: Sane(ish) listeners also get 15% OFF their first purchase by visiting⁠ https://www.FastGrowingTrees.com/SANEISH ⁠– and using the code SANEISH at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Activist, organizer, and “Chop Wood, Carry Water” founder Jess Craven joins Sane(ish) for a conversation about reclaiming hope and power in the face of political chaos. Jess shares real stories of living through—and organizing against—the latest Republican shutdown, exposing how government dysfunction, healthcare sabotage, and billionaire tax cuts threaten the well-being of millions. Sane(ish) Partners: - Fast Growing Trees: Sane(ish) listeners also get 15% OFF their first purchase by visiting⁠ https://www.FastGrowingTrees.com/SANEISH ⁠– and using the code SANEISH at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the 2025 government shutdown approaches, Sane(ish) gets real about who’s hurting, who’s winning, and why the chaos was baked in from the start. This week, Jo Carducci and political commentator Pete Dominick break down what makes this shutdown uniquely Republican: deliberate mass layoffs, Medicaid cuts that will literally endanger families, and a MAGA playbook that prizes power over people. Expect sharp debate on gaslighting, manufactured crises, and an epidemic of political dishonesty; from the refusal to accept election results to systematic censorship and the whitewashing of American history. Pete and Jo tackle what it’s like trying to stay sane(ish) when lawmakers openly admit people will die, the courts and Congress cede all control to the executive, and communities are left building support systems from scratch. Sane(ish) Partners: - ⁠Fast Growing Trees: ⁠ Sane(ish) listeners also get 15% OFF their first purchase by visiting⁠ https://www.FastGrowingTrees.com/SANEISH ⁠– and using the code SANEISH at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices