Despite only having between 95,000 and 120,000 members nationwide, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has a hot political hand. To most Americans the DSA remains a mystery, but its impact is being felt in elections throughout the country. Conservatives are keeping one eye open but are largely dismissive. Establishment liberals are furious with the group. This episode puts the DSA in historical context and offers insight into how past challenges and current opposition present future opportunities for the social movement of record in the United States.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:44

Max Notes: 00:01:27

Outro: 00:28:47

Resources

Commentary: The Democratic Socialist Congregation

The Washington Post: Don’t fear a ‘Bolshevik revolution.’ It’s a DSA fairy tale.

Americans for Prosperity: On Constitution Day, here are the ways the DSA agenda undermines America’s founding

UNFTR Resources

Video: On The Record 09-29-26 (The Rise Of The DSA: What You Need To Know.)

--

If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility

Intro music by Hold Fast.

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An original episode on how Trump will ultimately represent the final chapter of the American experiment. Empires don’t collapse. They crumble. But they’re reduced to a handful of chapters in history texts that depict them in stages with defined beginnings and ends. Donald Trump has already managed to set the stage for World War Three though it looks far different than prior great wars. He is the culmination of the hubris of empire. Here on my thoughts on how this goes down and what comes after. 

Resources

Washington Post: How Four U.S. Presidents Unleashed Economic Warfare Across the Globe

UNFTR Resources

Video: The Final Chapter: Trump and the End of the American Experiment.

Essay: It’s Just Trump Against the World.

--

If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Max and 99 are back for another round of Omnibus. They hit headlines on Carney’s airport privatization sellout and the Ebola outbreak in the DRC that’s on pace to be the worst the world has ever seen. Then they tackle listener emails on AI recursive self-improvement hype and the TESCREAL cult behind it, Greenland’s surrender of sovereignty to Trump, and why “regulation” is just a sanitized word for protection. Enjoy!

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:31

Headlines: 00:13:20

Emails: 00:28:40

Memberships: 01:03:21

Outro: 01:04:45

Resources

Subscribe to Current Affairs Magazine.

Wired: The World Forgot About Ebola. The Organization Fighting It Has Never Been More Worried

Canadian Dimension: Carney’s airport privatization is a looming disaster: ‘Highway 407 of the skies’

UNFTR Resources

Video: Why We’re Still Living in Milton Friedman’s Neoliberal World.

--

If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility

Intro music by Hold Fast.

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The CLARITY Act (Digital Asset Market Clarity Act) failed to pass cloture and won’t be taken up on the Senate floor. This is very, very good news. Despite attempts until the last minute by New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand—a Democrat who is closely associated with the crypto lobby—not a single one of her colleagues came over to her side. So even she voted “no” to advance the bill. This likely means CLARITY is dead for the foreseeable future. But it doesn’t mean it’s gone. This is a victory for the banking industry and a huge blow to the Trump family who were banking (pun intended) on this bill setting up World Liberty Financial to be one of the wealthiest stablecoin firms in the world.

Resources

Politico: Gillibrand privately urges Dems to advance crypto bill

CNBC: Trump agrees to ethics requirements in crypto Clarity Act as GOP seeks Democratic votes

ABA Banking Journal: ABA, banking groups warn revised Clarity Act fails to protect community banks

Unchained: Banking Groups Push Senate to Tighten CLARITY Act Stablecoin Rules, Warning of Deposit Flight

decrypt: Tether Reports $1.5B Q2 Profit as USDT Supply Grows, Gold Holdings Rise

UNFTR Resources

Video: The CLARITY Act is DEAD: Why Trump’s Crypto Scheme Failed.

Essay: The CLARITY Act is Dead (For Now).

Episode: Trump is Looting the Treasury.

--

If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility

Intro music by Hold Fast.

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we put a proper endcap on the summer’s debt discussions—the $40 trillion number is real, but the conversation around it is almost entirely dishonest, designed to make cuts to grandma’s Medicare seem inevitable while military spending and corporate tax rates never even make the list. Then we looked at the housing market, where sellers are quietly stuffing concessions into nearly half of all deals to keep headline prices from falling, which is either a buyer’s market emerging or the last gasp before demand destruction, depending on which generation you’re in.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:38

Quick Takes: 00:01:41

Max Notes: 00:07:29

Killer Left Take of the Week: 00:21:05

Chart of the Week: 00:21:48

Outro: 00:24:03

Resources

The New York Times: U.S. and China Balance A.I. Risks and Rivalry

The New York Times: Trump Officials Eject 750,000 From Obamacare Markets, Claiming Fraud

Senator Chris Murphy: Why did Russia pay for Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding?

The New York Times: Photos Spur Speculation About Possible Demolition of Kennedy Center

CNN: Trump says proposed triumphal arch will double as military complex with snipers and drones

CNBC: AI Models Are Stealing Your Data & The AI Safety Truth

The Independent: Scott Bessent cannot say where Venezuelan billions are going

Mother Jones: Bo French Sent a Tweet So Racist, His Own Party Finally Took Notice. It’s Just the Tip of the Iceberg.

U.S. Department of the Treasury: Debt to the Penny

U.S. Department of the Treasury: Major Foreign Holders of Treasury Securities

Federal Reserve: Federal Reserve Balance Sheet: Factors Affecting Reserve Balances

U.S. Department of the Treasury: Treasury International Capital Data for July

U.S. Department of the Treasury: Treasury International Capital Data for July 2026

Federal Reserve: Financial Accounts of the United States

Federal Reserve: FEDS Notes

Federal Reserve: Estimating Yield Impacts of Treasury Demand and Supply Changes

Levy Economics Institute: Can Taxes and Bonds Finance Government Spending?

CEPR: Ron Paul’s Surprisingly Lucid Solution to the Debt Ceiling Impasse William Mitchell: Central banks should just write off all their government debt holdings

Yahoo! News: House Speaker Mike Johnson denies backing cuts to benefits amid Social Security shortfall warning

Congressional Budget Office: Distributional Effects of Public Law 119-21

The Elephant Graveyard: How Comedy Drowned in a Radioactive Cesspool of Corruption and Depravity

Redfin News: Nearly Half of Homebuyers Get Concessions From Sellers as Most Markets Tip in Buyers’ Favor

UNFTR Resources

Video: On The Record 9-22-26 (The Truth About the $40 Trillion Debt—And Why They Want You Scared.)

--

If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Producer Price Index (PPI) dropped and it was worse than expected. PPI is the measure of inflation building in the system and economists use it to forecast what consumer inflation will look like three to four months down the road. If these figures are any indication, inflation is about to hit the global economy like a tsunami and no amount of hand wringing and interest rate tweaking at the Federal Reserve is going to slow this train. In this episode, Max explains how this was all predictable based on Trump’s economic plan and the design of Project 2025. He talks about what comes next in best and worst case scenarios before addressing why in the world someone like Russell Vought would engineer such a catastrophic outcome. Because it was so clear from the start that this is where we were headed. Hint: Keep your eye on JD Vance.

Resources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Producer Price Indexes

Marketplace: The Fed’s preferred measure of inflation is changing

Council on Foreign Relations: Hunger Warfare and a Fertilizer Crisis Are Straining Global Food Supplies

The New York Times: Behind the Scenes, Vance Gathered Unvarnished Views of the Iran War

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 2-Year Constant Maturity, Quoted on an Investment Basis

Investopedia: Cost-Push vs. Demand-Pull Inflation: Key Differences Explained

Bloomberg Television: US Producer Price Index Rises Most in Three Months on Energy Costs

ProPublica: “We Want the Bureaucrats to Be Traumatically Affected”

UNFTR Resources

Video: Terrible Inflation Report Warns of Economic Tsunami.

Episode: The End of the American Experiment.

Essay: InDeFLATION.

--

If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Max and 99 are back for another episode of Omnibus. They cover headlines on Israel killing a family of 12 in Lebanon including six children, and a new Elon Musk documentary alongside a fall movie season tackling Big Tech and its leaders. Then they tackle listener emails on childcare costs and the dependent care tax cap, Pete Buttigieg criticism, expanding Medicare versus a VA-style system, and whether Trump’s BLS numbers are even worth analyzing.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:37

Headlines: 00:17:09

Emails: 00:35:13

Memberships: 01:23:44

Outro: 01:24:03

Resources

The Decemberists: Everything Is Awful

Subscribe to Current Affairs Magazine.

Vanity Fair: X Marks the Spot: To Musk Filmmaker Alex Gibney, Elon Musk and Elizabeth Holmes Are Two Sides of the Same Coin

The Hollywood Reporter: Hollywood Puts Four Tech Moguls on Trial in October Movie Pileup

Drop Site: Israeli Strike in Lebanon Kills 12 People From a Single Family, Including 6 Children

UNFTR Resources

Video: On The Record 9-8-26 (JD Vance Latest Stunt is DISGUSTING | Nathan Robinson Interview.)

Episode: Merchants of Death.

Episode: Labor Daze.

Episode: Scott Bessent Can’t Stop Failing.

Video: Terrible Inflation Report Warns of Economic Tsunami.

--

If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Bessent can’t do anything right. He just announced a paltry bond buyback that fell flat with the market responding by pushing rates higher. Bessent also proclaimed that he is “the house” and that people shouldn’t bet against him because he has inside information about what the Bank of Japan is going to do. Interesting. The guy doesn’t know what our central bank is going to do but he has the inside track on the BOJ? The market there is also telling him to get lost. And after he said he would cripple the Iranian regime in a matter of weeks or months with sanctions, the Iranians have been striking back and have now declared that they’re going to cripple our economy. Bessent is going to go down in history as the worst Treasury Secretary we’ve ever had.

Resources

Bloomberg Television: Bessent Tells Yen Traders ‘I Am the House Now’

CNBC International Live: ‘I am the house’: Scott Bessent’s challenge to traders

Bloomberg Television: Commodities Bull Market Is Underpriced: 3-Minutes MLIV

ABC News: Oil Prices Climb Over $100 per Barrel as War in Iran Continues

Bloomberg Television: US Treasury to Buy Up to $6 Billion in Long-Dated Debt

Fox Business Clips: ‘SLINGSHOT’: Treasury’s rate move gets BRUTAL reality check

IMF: Did the Plaza Accord Cause Japan’s Lost Decades?

U.S. Department of the Treasury: Treasury Launches Unprecedented Campaign Against Iranian Regime on Economic D-Day

The Hill: Iran reignites Strait of Hormuz fight as US tightens squeeze

NBC News: Diesel hits all-time high of $6 per gallon, and just about everything will cost more

Brookings: What is yield curve control?

npr: Trump’s controversial nominee drops bid to head vital data-gathering agency

U.S. Department of the Treasury: Henry Morgenthau, Jr. (1934 - 1945)

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Henry Morgenthau Jr.

npr: The IRS slashed its staff. One result? More taxes going uncollected

UNFTR Resources

Video: The Treasury Secretary Who Can’t Get It Right

Essay: Scott Bessent Can’t Stop Failing.

--

If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we dissected JD Vance’s child care rule change: A Heritage Foundation tradwife policy dressed up as family values, funded by gutting support for the single working parents who actually need it. Then Nathan Robinson joined us to talk about why the socialist moment is real and the DSA keeps winning where it’s not supposed to. And in honor of Labor Day, we put the wage-price spiral myth to rest: real wages flat for 50 years, corporate earnings through the roof, and the Fed looking the other way the whole time.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:38

Quick Takes: 00:01:33

Max Notes: 00:05:43

Phone A Friend: 00:14:04

Killer Left Take of the Week: 00:37:19

Chart of the Week: 00:39:19

Outro: 00:42:26

Resources

The Ghoul Pool

wgaltv: Democrats criticize Fetterman after WSJ report claims he avoids meeting with constituents

Steven A. Smith: Abdul El-Sayed on Israel, Hasan Piker, ICE and JD Vance

A24: You Can See Everything

Al Jazeera English: Far-right AFD wins vote in Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt state: Exit polls

Mother Jones: Ashley Hinson Fought to Save Private Equity’s Favorite Loophole

The New York Times: Trump Officials Draft Plan to Pay At-Home Parents, Using Funds for Working Ones

The Heritage Foundation: Saving America by Saving the Family: A Foundation for the Next 250 Years

Politico: Heritage Foundation calls on US to prioritize marriage and family in new report

Congress: The Child Care and Development Block Grant: In Brief

National Women’s Law Center: Re-Envisioning CCDF

Emerald Book: How the 68% Black Single Motherhood Myth Harms Black Women and Families

Center for American Progress: The Economic Status of Single Mothers

Financial Planning Association: Leveraging Divorce to Maximize College Financial Aid

Nathan J. Robinson: Why You Should Be a Socialist

Nathan J. Robinson: Hillbilly Hypocrisy: ND Vance and the Dark Future of MAGA Politics

Subscribe to Current Affairs Magazine.

Jacobin: Capitalism makes “everyone feels a little insane”

Investopedia: Wage-Price Spiral: What It Is and How It’s Controlled

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: Average Hourly Earnings of Production and Nonsupervisory Employees, Total Private

Union Stats: Union Membership, Coverage, Density and Employment by Sector and Demographic Group: 1973-2025

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: Corporate Profits After Tax (without IVA and CCAdj)

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average

Federal Reserve Bank of New York: Center for Microeconomic Data

UNFTR Resources

Video: On The Record 9-08-26 (JD Vance’s Disgusting Stunt | Trump is Melting | Nathan Robinson.)

Essay: Hillbilly Hypocrite.

Episode: Did Ronald Reagan Destroy the American Dream?

Episode: Merchants of Death.

Episode: Labor Daze.

Episode: Economics of Racism.

--

If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump administration official Kevin Hassett declared the latest jobs report as a “present to the American people” for Labor Day. Really, Kevin? Let’s dig into this claim by looking closely at the labor data. What you’ll find is that more Americans than ever are dislocated from the full-time employment picture in this country, and that this administration has zero idea how to fix it. And they’re not even trying. But, sure. Happy Labor Day, America. Enjoy the weekend worrying about how to pay your bills.

Resources

Bloomberg Television: NEC’s Hassett Says Inflation Is Under Control

Vox: The Trump administration’s “cubic model” of coronavirus deaths, explained

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: Labor Force Participation Rate

NBC News: Trump’s new Fed chair walks fine line on inflation in key speech

Bureau of Labor Statistics: The Employment Situation — August 2026

ADP Research: National Employment Report

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: All Employees, Manufacturing

Peterson-KFF Health Systems Tracker: What are the recent trends in employer-based health coverage?

KFF: Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance 101

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Frequently asked questions about data on contingent and alternative employment arrangements (May 2017)

Bloomberg: Fewer Americans are Working or Looking for a Job. Experts Can’t Agree on Why

PBS News: What the July jobs report reveals about the strength of the economy

United States Census Bureau: Monthly Construction Spending, July 2026

UNFTR Resources

Video: The Jobs Report Is A Scam: Here’s Why

Episode: Merchants of Death.

Essay: Labor Daze.

--

If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Max and 99 are back for another round of Omnibus. They hit headlines on the White House’s Venezuelan oil deal and the money launderer at its center, the Pentagon rolling out its own versions of ChatGPT and Grok, and a Gloria Steinem mantra. Then they tackle listener emails on what drives career politicians to serve billionaires, taxpayer exposure on the Venezuela oil deal, and Reagan’s popularity as a byproduct of mass media monoculture. Enjoy, Unf*ckers.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:22

Headlines: 00:04:38

Emails: 00:18:54

Fake Outro: 00:38:12

Memberships: 00:43:14

Outro: 00:44:01

Resources

Subscribe to the UNFTR Newsletter

TechCrunch: The Pentagon now has its own version of ChatGPT and Grok

ICIJ: White House pick to run Venezuela oil deal under investigation in two countries

The New Yorker: Road Warrior

Hold Fast

UNFTR Resources

Episode: F*ck Milton Friedman.

Episode: Merchants of Death.

Episode: Did Ronald Regan Destroy the American Dream?

Video: The Jobs Report Is A Scam: Here’s Why

--

If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.