<p>Unf*cking The Republic (UNFTR) is a series of audio essays on the grand American experiment lovingly curated and presented by a quasi-anonymous political writer. </p> <p>Each essay reflects on a singular topic that is generally misunderstood or purposely obfuscated by the so-called “powers that be.” As we know, history is written by the victors and can be perilously manufactured to favor destructive world views. These views become intractably ingrained in the public consciousness and pervert public policy, oftentimes with horrific results. </p> <p>As of this podcast’s founding, we find ourselves living in a true kakistocracy. The disconnect between what we believe and what is actually happening below the surface or in plain sight is where this podcast lives. </p> <p>Together we’ll upend conventional wisdom, blow up narratives on the left, right and center and use magical devices like facts, logic and reason to explain how exactly we arrived in bizarro America, the funhouse mirror version of what was originally intended. #UNFTR</p>
Max and 99 are back this week to debut an experimental new format for the podcast—that is yet to be named—which mixes Show Notes vibes with a little more structure. The two dive into a mix of on-topic and off-topic headlines before heading into listener feedback and emails. They wrap up the episode with their Top 5 lists focused on formative protest songs, and of course some member shout outs. Enjoy!
Chapters
Intro: 00:00:34
Headlines: 00:13:35
Emails: 00:42:47
"Carve Outs": 01:16:31
Top 5: 01:24:32
Memberships: 01:44:15
Outro: 01:46:00
Resources
The Verge: Discord says ‘vast majority’ of users won’t see its new age verification setup
BIG by Matt Stoller: The Beginning of the End for Big Corporate Medicine
Politico: MAHA and Mike Tyson want you to ‘eat real food’ during the Super Bowl
Super Bowl Ad: Processed Food Kills, Eat Real Food
The Ringer: How Hannibal Lecter Made His Film Debut in ‘Manhunter’
Yahoo News: JD Vance says U.S. Olympic athletes are 'not there to pop off about politics.' Here's what they've said.
Democratic Socialists of America
Top 5s (And Beyond)
Nina Simone: Mississippi Goddam
John Lennon: Working Class Hero
Sting: Russians
XTC: Dear God
Simple Minds: Belfast Child
Green Day: American Idiot
Joni Mitchell: Big Yellow Taxi
Marvin Gaye: What's Going On
Sly & The Family Stone: Everyday People
Childish Gambino: This Is America
Creedence Clearwater Revival: Fortunate Son
Johnny Paycheck: Take This Job And Shove It
Buffalo Springfield: For What It's Worth
4 Non Blondes: What's Up
Brandi Carlile: The Joke
The Chicks: Travelin' Soldier
The Chicks: Not Ready To Make Nice
Bob Dylan: Masters of War
T-Pain: War Pigs
Gil Scott-Heron: Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Kendrick Lamar: Alright
NWA: Fuck Tha Police
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five: The Message
Public Enemy: Fight The Power
Sam Cooke: A Change Is Gonna Come
UNFTR Resources
Pharmacy Benefit Managers: The American Drug Cartel.
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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.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.
Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why does the stock market keep going up when the economy feels so bad? It’s the question we probably get the most and, quite frankly, it’s not a bad one. The primary reason equities seem invincible is because of the dramatic increase in the money supply over the past four decades. That explains the supply side of the equation at least. But a lot had to happen behind the scenes to allow for the money supply to be absorbed into the financial system and ultimately benefit a fraction of the population.
Resources
MacroMicro: US - M1 & M2 Money Supply
Wikipedia: Buffett indicator
CFI: Shiller P/E
Civiqs: Donald Trump: Job Approval, Second Term
Wall Street Journal: More Americans Than Ever Own Stocks
Brookings: Rising inequality: A major issue of our time
The Review of Economic Studies: Stock Market Participation, Inequality, and Monetary Policy
Roosevelt Institute: Our New Report: Defining Financialization
Levy Economics Institute: Have We Been Here Before? Phases of Financialization within the 20th Century in the United States
The Fed: 3. Leverage in the Financial Sector
UNFTR Resources
Stock Buybacks Surge: Another Red Flag for the U.S. Economy.
Video: Why is the stock market so good when the economy is so bad?
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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.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Hold Fast (holdfastband.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.
Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Is Donald Trump unstoppable? He has defied laws and norms, thumbed his nose at Congress and foreign allies alike. He has displayed open hostility toward immigrants and American citizens, threatened extreme force against protestors, recently going so far as to mention the Insurrection Act. His ICE thugs roam the streets and are committing atrocities with impunity. We kidnapped the leader of a sovereign nation and are positioning troops for a potential invasion of an allied nation and NATO member. Donald Trump has been one step ahead of the law at every turn and with the courts and Congress in his pocket, many are beginning to wonder if he truly intends to suspend upcoming elections and destroy our democracy once and for all. So let’s talk about it.
UNFTR Resources
Little Marco’s Coup D’Etat: Kidnapping Maduro.
“Project 2025.” Republicans With Time.
The BRICS Unit: The Beginning of the End for Dollar Dominance?
Video: This is What a Trump Dictatorship Looks Like
Book Love
James Rickards: Currency Wars: The Making of the Next Global Crisis
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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.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.
Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The United States carried out a special-operations strike in Caracas, Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores who are reportedly being taken to Manhattan to face criminal charges for drug trafficking. In this video, Max breaks down what’s really behind this stunning intervention, perhaps the most brazen and illegal action undertaken by the U.S. since Kissinger’s secret bombing of Cambodia. He talks about all the angles portrayed in the media from narcoterrorism to oil, reveals what’s more likely behind our actions and how Marco Rubio is intimately involved.
UNFTR Resources
Video: BRICS Takes Over: India’s Plan to Dethrone the Dollar.
Video: The Truth Behind Maduro’s Capture | It’s Not What They're Telling You.
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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.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.
Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In December of 2025, Brazil passed the BRICS leadership torch to India, which wasted no time revealing its priorities for the economic alliance—to build an international payment system that rivals the SWIFT system and chip away at U.S. economy hegemony by attacking the exorbitant privilege of the U.S. Dollar. Defending the dollar should be the easiest policy ever. Instead the Trump administration has accelerated the world’s collective desire to put the U.S. in its place and end our reign of economic despotism.
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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, TikTok 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.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.
Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Max and 99 are back for another round of Show Notes. They tackle the good, the bad and the ugly of the news. Thanks for tuning in!
Chapters
Intro: 00:06:13
Emails: 01:16:39
Memberships: 01:32:02
Reviews: 01:35:28
Outro: 01:36:04
Resources
Mother Jones: RFK Jr. Just Flipped the Food Pyramid to Create a Funnel of Performative Masculinity
UNFTR Resources
Video: The Truth Behind Maduro's Capture | It's Not What They're Telling You
Video: BRICS Takes Over: India's Plan to Dethrone the Dollar
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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, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join our Discord at unftr.com/discord.
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.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.
Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Donald Trump stole the headlines once again by speaking ill of Rob Reiner after the tragic death of Reiner and his wife Michele. It was yet another vulgar display of Trump’s unbridled narcissism that takes away from the legitimate conversation we should be having about Reiner’s legacy, what his films meant to a generation that came of age before 9/11. In many ways, Reiner became the avatar of white establishment liberalism, reflecting an America that never really existed. Throughout his remarkable career he was firmly planted on the right side of history but his art had a way of papering over the brutal reality of the American system. In other ways, he represented the best of us and he left us some of the greatest pop culture moments that endure the test of time. This is the discussion I think he deserved.
Resources
Current Affairs: How Liberals Fell In Love With The West Wing
Politico: Words must match deeds
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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, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join our Discord at unftr.com/discord.
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.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.
Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Max and 99 are back for another round of Show Notes! They talk Mets news (RIP), The Fed, healthcare, and get to some Unf*cker feedback.
Chapters
Intro: 00:00:20
Headlines: 00:13:54
Email: 00:55:43
Memberships: 01:47:13
Outro: 01:50:41
Resources
Yahoo Finance: Live coverage: Federal Reserve cuts interest rates by 0.25%
NPR: Head Start centers told to avoid 'disability,' 'women' and more in funding requests
UNFTR Resources
Video: On The Record (12/8/25)
Video: Trump Official Gaslights on Labor Data
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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, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join our Discord at unftr.com/discord.
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.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.
Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Donald Trump is tearing the nation apart. To place his revenge-filled presidency in historical context we have to reach deep into the annals of history and revisit the tenure of famed Roman Emperor Commodus who historians perceive as the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire. With this second term Trump has entered rarified air that few U.S. presidents have breathed. He has fundamentally altered the culture, the country and its people. Moving past this moment will be our greatest challenge.
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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, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join our Discord at unftr.com/discord.
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.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.
Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The U.S. economy has already crashed. The stock market is just the last one to figure it out. In this essay, Max talks about what happens when hegemonic economies collapse and how the U.S. has been able to keep things afloat while the bottom falls out. He draws parallels to the crash of 1929 and the subsequent Depression and speaks to the differences. There is a path forward for Progressives but it won’t be a presidential run. The DNC will make sure of that. But we can borrow from Russell Vought’s playbook to build a coalition of support on the ground.
Resources
DSA: Chapters
Working Families Party: Get Involved
UNFTR Resources
Trump is Looting the Treasury.
Zohran Mamdani Has Already Won.
Video: The Financial Crisis is NOW & The Path Forward for Democrats.
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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, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join our Discord at unftr.com/discord.
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.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.
Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Max and 99 are back for another round of Show Notes. They (surprise) talk about the economy, the housing crisis, Venezuela and much more. Enjoy!
Chapters
Intro: 00:00:20
Emails: 00:26:21
Memberships: 00:41:24
Reviews: 01:37:16
Outro: 01:38:50
Resources
Video (UNFTR for MeidasTouch): Trump's Kitchen Sink Recession Response
Wall Street Journal: U.S. Likely Lost 50,000 Jobs in October, Goldman Sachs Says
The Budget Lab: Evaluating the Impact of AI on the Labor Market: Current State of Affairs
UNFTR: 5NN: Housing First
UNFTR: How We Built the Housing Crisis (And Why We Can Dismantle It)
ABC: Boyer Lecture 2025: Justin Wolfers
UnHeard: Javier Milei is no libertarian: He is beholden to Argentina’s oligarchs
Video (UNFTR for MeidasTouch): Manufacturing Consent for War in Venezuela
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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, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join our Discord at unftr.com/discord.
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.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.
Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.