Podcast
Hosted by A.R. Hoffman & Rebecca Sugar
A.R. Hoffman (Associate Editor of the Sun) and Rebecca Sugar (Columnist at the Sun) will be joined by buzzy and thoughtful guests to break down the week’s news, share their hot takes and long views on where it's all heading, and keep you sane all the while.
In this interview we talked to constitutional law professor Ilan Wurman about what might happen with birthright citizenship, broke down the issues with Trump's invocation of the Insurrection Act in Minnesota, and got the scoop on the president's power over the Fed.
Episode 44
In this episode we gamed out the scenarios in Iran, discussed the clash between the UK and X, wondered about the left's silence, debated the Greenland endgame, and took a look at the latest rankings of universities — and gasped at where they are.
In this interview we connected with International Crisis Group's senior editor for the Andes Region, Phil Gunson. Phil is based in Caracas, and he shared his on the ground reporting and analysis of what's been going on in Venezuela over the past week that shook the world.
Episode 43
In this episode we explained how to think about Venezuela, broke down the chaos in Minnesota, took stock of what Americans ought to be eating, reported on a revolt at Breads bakery, and took stock of the conspiracy against fans of a Tel Aviv soccer team.
Episode 42
In this episode we took the temperature of the Iranian street, wondered what a wealth tax would do to Big Tech in California, debated the prospects for peace in Ukraine, explained why Somaliland matters, and offered a eulogy of sorts for Brigitte Bardot.
Episode 41
In this special holiday episode we toured the GOP’s increasingly chaotic big tent, wondered what in the world happened with Elise Stefanik, revisited the 2020 election in Georgia, took the measure of Zohran Mamdani’s team, and hunted for a politically endangered species at Yale.
In this episode, Rebecca Sugar spoke with AI expert Afshin Khadangi, at the University of Luxembourg, about his research into the “synthetic trauma” of Large Language Models like ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini and Claude and how “hostile user interactions” are altering the LLM experience.
Episode 40
On this episode we talked about the latest military drama out of the Western Hemisphere, offered a cheat sheet on a landmark Supreme Court case, close read the new national security document out of the West Wing, debriefed on the latest out of Columbia, and vented about Mamadani's new Hasidic friends.
Episode 39
In this episode we dove into the massive fraud scandal emerging from the North Star State, debriefed on highs and lows from a marathon Cabinet meeting, guessed what tune Nashville is singing ahead of the 2026 midterms, and summarized a surreal conversation that had to be heard to be believed.
Episode 38
In this episode we debated how the war in Europe should end, dished on the most egregious disclosures from the X location news, told you everything you need to know about the James Comey and Letitia James cases, said goodbye to juries in England, and disagreed sharply but with Thanksgiving bonhomie about RFK Jr.
Gut Check: Dr. Sabine Hazan In this interview we talked with an iconoclastic gastroenterologist about surprising best practices to stay healthy, her thoughts on the skyrocketing rates of autism, some lessons from the Covid era, and what we underestimate about some of the humblest parts of our bodies.
Episode 37
On this week's episode we debated what the retention of NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch might mean for a Mamdani mayoralty, reported on newsworthy developments on immigration and national security in North Carolina and Texas, debriefed on the latest in the Epstein Files, and were outraged at a mob attacking a Manhattan synagogue.
Episode 36
On this episode we debated the latest news from the Epstein files, analyzed the visit of Syria’s new president to the White House, lamented Germany's capitulation on Christmas, and were flabbergasted by Zohran Mamdani's just-disclosed first reaction to October 7.
In this interview we talked about all things Mamdani with Heather Mac Donald, the Thomas W. Smith Fellow at the Manhattan Institute. We dove into the implications of the new mayor's policies, the nature of the electorate that catapulted Mamdani to power, and what lies ahead for New York.
Episode 35
On this episode we discussed all things mayoral. We analyzed the results, debriefed on the campaign, and predicted what the next four years will look like — and strategized how to fight back. We also talked about tariffs, debated the filibuster, reported on the implosion at Heritage, and drilled down into the numbers on SNAP.
The Right's Moment of Truth With James Lindsay We sat down for a wide-ranging conversation with author and activist James Lindsay about the woke left and right, his recent trip to Israel, what's behind Tucker Carlson's latest transformation, and how to think about religion in public life.
Ray Kelly: How To Keep New York Safe On this live episode of Sanity, we spoke with former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly about crime in the city, what a Mamdani mayoralty could mean, how he thinks the surge of antisemitism can be stopped, and what he would do if Trump sends in the national guard to New York City.
Episode 34
On this episode we went behind the scenes on the Sun's endorsement of Andrew Cuomo, took a trip to the Pacific to discuss Trump's trip to Asia, wondered about the politics of the government shutdown, and worried a bit more about AI.
On this episode, we were joined by the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, Liz Truss. We discussed her time at 10 Downing Street, why she predicts a conservative counter-revolution against Labor, what Britain can learn from President Trump, how to fight antisemitism, and her thoughts on the Royal Family.
Episode 33
On this episode we celebrated the return of the living hostages to Israel and expressed some skepticism about what comes next in Gaza, dove deep into the stakes of America's Venezuela strategy, analyzed the huge voting rights case now before the Supreme Court, and pulled no punches over Zohran Mamdani.
