Sane(ish) with Jo Carducci

While most Americans were sleeping, Republicans rammed through another $70 billion funding increase for ICE, lasting for the remainder of Trump’s second term and increasing the federal deficit in the process. The vote dragged from Wednesday night into the early morning hours on Thursday, with only two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Rand Paul (Kentucky) joining Democrats in voting no. On this episode of The Siren Podcast, Jo sits down with New Jersey Senator Andy Kim to discuss the dangers and destructiveness of this latest funding bill. As Senator Kim told us: “ICE has become basically an equivalent of a military operation, right? It’s funded higher than most countries fund their militaries.” We’ve already seen ICE’s massive budget used to terrorize Americans on the streets of their cities, resulting in the executions of two U.S. citizens and illegal detainment of countless people. Detainees have reported rampant, unsafe health conditions within ICE detention centers, with access to medical treatment often being denied by agents. Children are routinely blocked from visiting with their families, and relatives are completely left in the dark when a loved one is kidnapped by ICE, unable to be located. Upwards of 3,000-4,000 ICE and DHS agents were sent to Minnesota earlier this year, more than double the amount of local law enforcement, who were severely understaffed in providing support and safety to the area due to ICE’s presence. In addition, Senator Kim told us about ICE’s $130-140 million purchase of a warehouse in Roxbury, New Jersey, to store massive new amounts of ICE detainees. The warehouse, according to ICE’s own estimates, will cost taxpayers another $150 million to rehabilitate the facility, and an additional $200-300 million to operate the building. Republicans passed this massive funding increase for ICE in the middle of the night for a reason, because they don’t want Americans to hear about it. Senator Kim is shining a light on their latest disastrous action, and we’re lucky to have him. Like, Share & Subscribe! New content and interviews every day of the week! Make sure to check me out on all the socials! https://linktr.ee/jojofromjerz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Capitol Police Officer and current Congressional candidate Harry Dunn joins Jo to discuss the Trump DOJ's attempt to vacate the convictions for Proud Boys members who committed acts of seditious conspiracy on January 6. None of this sh*t is normal. And you better believe I have something to say about it. We are not going to lose our country to a melted circus peanut fascist. Nope. No f’ng way. Like, Share & Subscribe! New content and interviews every day of the week! Make sure to check me out on all the socials! https://linktr.ee/jojofromjerz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been a month since Donald Trump unilaterally and illegally launched the United States into a war with Iran. And what has the United States gotten out of this war, which was apparently so important that it had to happen without Congressional approval or notification? To put it simply: Nothing. Today’s guest on The Siren Podcast, Amy McGrath, called this war “the worst strategic defeat in my lifetime.” McGrath knows a thing or two about the military and armed conflict. Over her 20 years of service in the military, Amy flew 89 combat missions, led Marines in some of the toughest places on earth, and served at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill, working to shape America’s national security. McGrath was the first woman to fly a combat mission for the Marine Corps and the first woman to pilot the F/A-18 in a combat mission. She’s now running for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat in Kentucky. Through an endless barrage of incomprehensible statements from Trump, Leavitt, Hegseth, and Rubio, which on any given day contain a novel’s worth of different statements explaining the state of the war and our goals, the effects of the war have actually hurt the United States. We have not destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities (after Trump said last June that we had). Iran still has their enriched uranium. We have not achieved regime change. The “unconditional surrender” that Trump wanted has not occurred (in fact, we’ve gotten the opposite). Iran has not stopped funding terrorist groups across the Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz is still closed (as a result of Trump’s war), allowing Iran to hugely profit from this conflict, with Bloomberg estimating Iran to be earning hundreds of millions of dollars in extra income from oil sales. And if that wasn’t bad enough, oil and gas prices domestically are skyrocketing. According to this morning’s Consumer Price Index report, Trump’s Iran war has caused inflation to triple in the last month alone, a record spike, with consumer sentiment falling to an all-time low as a result. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, I caught up with former Transportation Secretary, mayor, and presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg while on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania, on this episode of The Siren Podcast. Secretary Buttigieg spoke openly about Trump’s new war in Iran, and the dangers that American troops in the region now face. Buttigieg himself served in the U.S. military and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014, where he worked in a secure unit in Kabul, conducting over 90 “outside the wire” convoy trips. As Buttigieg told me, “The president hasn’t even tried to explain to the American people, or to the troops, or to the Congress, real reasons why [the Iran war] couldn’t be avoided.” Buttigieg continued: “Six families and counting have gotten that knock on the door. If you can ask families to go through that and service members to put their lives on the line, the very minimum the Congress should be ready to do is to sit in Washington to take a vote and put their names against an up or down vote on whether they’re gonna allow this.” As we have observed, Donald Trump and his allies have released a series of garbled, awkward statements combining just about every justification under the sun as to their reasoning for beginning the war. One of the more concerning things thus far, is Donald Trump’s avoidance to deliver a presidential address to the nation explaining why the country is involved in yet another Middle Eastern conflict, demonstrating a sincere disinterest in governing for the American people. Coming from the “most transparent administration in history,” there is a huge lack of transparency, whether we’re discussing the Iran War or the Epstein files. Thank you all so much for watching today’s episode. It’s because of your support that I’m able to have these incredible conversations. I love you guys!! 💙 Jo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before January 6th, Harry thought his entire adult life would go down a fairly regular route, spent as public servant in the role of a police officer, and one day retiring. But everything changed that fateful day on January 6th, 2021, when Harry came face to face with the worst of the worst white supremacists and insurrectionists, waving MAGA and Confederate flags in the halls of the Capitol building. These rioters hurled racial slurs at Harry as he fought to keep them away from members of Congress. In an interview with the New York Times, Harry said, “A lot of us Black officers fought a different battle than everybody else fought. I said to my buddy, ‘I got called [slur] a couple dozen times today.’ I’m looking at him. He’s got blood on him. I’ve got bloody knuckles. We’re hurting. That’s when I said, ‘Is this America?’ and I started crying. Tears are coming down my face. ‘Is this America?’” As Harry describes, his experience on January 6th showed him a “new path.” He knew he had to join the fight in defending democracy against Trump full-time. According to Harry, this fight has “evolved from just what happened that day to what’s happening now across the whole country.” Harry said it best: “This authoritarian regime is hammering people. And this isn’t politics as usual.” We can’t agree more. Visit Harry’s campaign website to learn how you can support him. This is an episode you definitely don’t want to miss. 💙 Jo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(This episode was recorded before the tragic murder of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by ICE in Minneapolis today). On Tuesday, ICE detained a 5 year old boy in Minneapolis. They grabbed him in the driveway of his home after he came home from pre-school, and used him as bait to capture his father. He has now been kidnapped by ICE, and is being held with his father inside an ICE facility in Texas, likely inside the notorious cages we’ve seen so many pictures of. On this episode of The Siren Podcast, Jo is joined by Miles Taylor, founder of DEFIANCE.org. Miles told us some shocking details about Stephen Miller’s role in ICE’s kidnapping of children, and how their cruelty here is intentional: “You what was Stephen Miller trying to do? And what I was told, and this is again, early days of the Trump administration, what I was told is there were plans at the White House to implement a deliberate policy of child separation at the border to rip a kid away from a parent as a means of deterrence, so that if you were thinking about coming to this country, you would think twice because the US government would rip your child from you. So it was intentional.” Liam Ramos is just one of at least four children, all from the same school district, who have been detained this month by ICE, according to school officials. The knee-jerk reaction of MAGA and the Trump regime was to call this five year old child an “illegal alien.” Yes, a five year old. According to Marc Prokosch, the family’s lawyer, “They came properly. They came legally, and are pursuing a legal pathway.” But honestly, talking about their legal status isn’t important anymore. Because ICE doesn’t care who is and isn’t a U.S. citizen. Last Sunday, ICE broke down the door of an elderly Hmong immigrant and naturalized U.S. citizen with no criminal record. They brought him outside in the freezing cold with no clothes on, and proceeded to drive him around before realizing he was a U.S. citizen. All in front of his now traumatized grandson. We’ve also seen ICE tackling and pepper spraying journalists and pregnant mothers, all of whom are citizens. And of course, ICE shot Renee Nicole Good in broad daylight, and then proceeded to deny her medical care for eight minutes while she died. And now, an ICE whistleblower has leaked a secret memo written by ICE leadership, meant to be hidden from the public, detailing how ICE agents were verbally given the ability to violate the fourth amendment, saying agents can “forcibly enter into certain people’s homes without a judicial warrant.” And get this: Even DHS’s own training materials say this is directly unconstitutional. But it’s not all bad news. On this episode, Miles tells us his bright, inspiring plans for the future, and how we can all collectively resist against this authoritarian regime. You’ll want to stick around to hear about Miles’ new org, and the massive event they have planned during Trump’s State of the Union. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The Siren Podcast, hosted on The Siren Network, I had the honor of being joined by Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy and Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley to discuss the murder of Renee Good in Minneapolis by ICE, why the Trump regime is really starting a conflict with Venezuela, and how Americans should be demanding more of their elected officials during this moment. Trump and his minions in the White House have made it their mission to place violence at the center of everything they do. Their goal is to normalize it. We see this play out in many forms, but especially in the regime’s response to the tragic shooting of Renee Good. When ICE shoots an American citizen three times in the face, Kristi Noem’s very first instinct was to demonize her and call her a domestic terrorist. JD Vance’s initial response branded Good as a “deranged leftist.” The official federal response from the White House did not include calls for investigations, or pledges to ensure this never happens again- but support for the actions of the ICE agent who pulled the trigger. Hours after the shooting, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted an image reading “I STAND WITH ICE.” She then pinned that message to the top of her Twitter profile, seemingly supporting the murder that the entire country saw happen on video. When the U.S. military captured Nicolas Maduro, Pete Hegseth said Maduro had “F’d around and found out.” Donald Trump routinely threatens our allies with violence, and pledges to take control of Greenland. The official Twitter accounts of the U.S. Government publish daily propaganda videos of supposed migrants in chains and handcuffs and call for “remigration”- the once fringe, far-right term for the mass deportation of non-whites (a.k.a., ethnic cleansing). All of this has a purpose. It’s meant to make you feel overwhelmed and hopeless. And honestly? It’s perfectly natural to feel that way. But it’s also important to shine a light on our wins- Simply put, Trump is losing the support of Congressional Republicans. As Senator Murphy says during today’s episode, “The Senate just passed a resolution saying that the president does not have the power to take this action in Venezuela. I think four or five Republicans actually crossed over, voted with Democrats. A war powers resolution that is now passed the United States Senate that is heading to the House of Representatives that says the president cannot use any funds in order to carry out operations in Venezuela without the consent of Congress.” Make sure to watch this information-packed double feature of The Siren Podcast, and stay tuned for some light-hearted sports talk! 💙 Jo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jo welcomes back Meidas Touch’s Ron Filipkowski for a brutally honest year-end reality check on American politics. They unpack the newest Epstein documents, what they reveal about power, money, and the protection of the ultra-rich, and why Trump’s promises to his base keep collapsing under the weight of his actual record.Ron explains why dozens of Republicans are bailing on the House, how student loan wage garnishments and health-care cuts could scramble 2026, and what Democrats need to do to win back seats in 2026. Plus, Jo and Ron look for slivers of hope in a year that has been darker, messier, and more exhausting than the first season of this political shitshow. SANE(ish) Partners: OneSkin - get 15% off OneSkin with the code JOJO at https://www.oneskin.co/jojo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jo sits down with Mehdi Hasan to talk about ICE acting like Trump’s personal secret police, the open, gleeful racism coming out of this White House, and what it does to your brain when the people with the microphones keep pretending this is all normal.We get into why calling fascism “fascism” isn’t hyperbole, it’s homework; how Democrats keep flinching from real accountability; and why the press corps lets Trump bully female reporters on live TV while their colleagues stare at their shoes. SANE(ish) Partners - ⁠AuraFrames⁠: 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: For up to 45% off your order, head to ⁠https://www.VeracitySelfCare.com⁠ and use promo code JOJO. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The president can’t recall which body part got scanned; but Harry Dunn can recite a coup attempt beat‑by‑beat and still show up tomorrow. Today we’re joined by Harry Dunn, who remembers every second of January 6. Together they talk about goldfish, why “everything will be fine” is a lie, parenting through democratic decay, and what showing up looks like when winning isn’t guaranteed. SANE(ish) Partners: - Aura Frames - Save now on the perfect gift - Exclusive $35-off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/JOJO. Promo Code JOJO - Veracity - For up to 45% off your order, head to https://www.VeracitySelfCare.com and use Promo code JOJO. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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