Unf*cking The Republic

UNFTR Media
  • 4.8 (742)
  • Politics
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Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is dedicated to progressive politics, leftist economic theories, and social justice in the United States. Join us for deep dives into socialism, labor rights, climate justice, and the fight against inequality. Whether you're curious about Marxist ideas, modern social movements, or progressive policies, UNFTR delivers thoroughly sourced critiques, analyses, and interviews with the historical context mainstream media won't provide. Subscribe for informative and unabashedly progressive coverage of the leftist political and economic landscape.

  1. 1d ago

    On The Record (6-02-26).

    This week we made the case that AI breaks a fundamental economic law: the bigger it gets, the more expensive it is to run, which is the exact opposite of how transformative technologies are supposed to work. The IPO trio of OpenAI, Anthropic, and SpaceX looks less like the next internet and more like the last big exit for early investors before the whole thing deflates. Then we looked at the manufacturing uptick, which sounds like good news until you realize a lot of it may just be companies stockpiling inventory before prices get even worse. Chapters Intro: 00:00:36 Quick Takes: 00:01:34 Max Notes: 00:09:02 Killer Left Take of the Week: 00:18:03 Chart of the Week: 00:19:27 Headlines: 00:21:11 Outro: 00:23:05 Resources CSPAN’s Book TV: Robert Caro Reveals Details of His Final Lyndon Johnson Biography Forbes Breaking News: Bessent Asked If Data Showing Americans Dipping Into Savings To Pay For Gas, Groceries Concerns Him CBS Mornings: Graham Platner’s sexting controversy rocks his campaign New York Times: Platner’s Texts With Women Concerned Campaign as Senate Race Took Off Yahoo! Finance: OpenAI CEO Altman denies company is looking into government bailout More Perfect Union: We Uncovered a Hidden Wealth Transfer in the SpaceX IPO. You’re Holding the Bag. ISM World: ISM® Manufacturing PMI® Report May 2026 Bloomberg: US Manufacturing Activity Expands by Most in Four Years Bloomberg: US Manufacturing Expands Most in Four Years on Stockpiling Rush CNN: Artists are bailing on a Trump-backed concert series for America’s 250th. Now he’s hosting his own ceremony Time: Sam Altman Says AI ‘Jobs Apocalypse’ He Once Predicted Probably Won’t Happen. Bloomberg: Canada Dips Into Technical Recession for First Time Since 2020 UNFTR Resources Watch: On The Record 6/2/26 (When the AI Bubble Will Burst | Ben Shapiro | Graham Platner). Essay: When the AI Bubble Will Pop. Read: The Donroe Doctrine. -- 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.

    23 min

  2. 4d ago

    Omnibus (5-30-26).

    Max and 99 return to close out the month with another Omnibus. They hit headlines on the Jacobin AI debate, U.S. complicity in the flotilla torture, and USDA plans, then tackle listener emails on financial repression, mortgage rates, and a stablecoin question from the crypto heist episode. They rank their Top 5 fictional characters you'd want on your side in a crisis, and close out with some movie talk. Enjoy, Unf*ckers! Chapters Intro: 00:00:08 Headlines: 00:02:36 Emails: 00:42:29 Top 5: 01:02:01 Beyond the B******t: 01:12:46 Memberships: 01:24:25 Outro: 01:25:00 Resources Common Dreams: Global Sumud Flotilla Urges Probe of US Complicity in Members’ Abduction and Torture by Israel Jacobin: Democratic Governance of AI Is the Real Solution Jacobin: Stop the AI Build-Out, Start the Fight Bad Faith: Breaking Down Jacobin's MIND BOGGLING Pro AI Article (W/ Levine, Ongweso & Regunberg) Mother Jones: USDA Plan to Jack Up Line Speeds at Meatpacking Plants Seems Like a Terrible Idea UNFTR Resources Episode: A (Mostly) Vegan World: Plantf*ckers Can Save Us All -- 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.

    1h 25m

  3. May 26

    On The Record (5-26-26).

    This week we looked at the AI capital black hole—three companies with a combined $3 trillion in prospective market cap preparing to go public while public R&D budgets get gutted and the rest of the economy gets starved of investment. Then we checked in on consumer sentiment, which has basically fallen off a cliff, because when gas hits $5 a gallon and inflation keeps eating your paycheck, reality has a way of setting in. Chapters Intro: 00:00:38 Quick Takes: 00:01:33 Max Notes: 00:04:47 Killer Left Take of the Week: 00:18:17 Chart of the Week: 00:20:03 Headlines: 00:21:38 Outro: 00:22:57 Resources Remarkably Bright Creatures The Vanguard: Jillian Michaels ROASTED by Her OWN AUDIENCE After Sam Seder SMACKDOWN (Plus She Calls US Out???) CNBC International Live: Jeff Currie on potential U.S.-Iran peace deal: Sell the tweet, buy the molecule National Science Foundation: Trends in U.S. R&D Performance and Funding Goldman Sachs: Tracking Trillions: The Assumptions Shaping the Scale of the AI Build-Out CNBC: Tech AI spending may approach $700 billion this year, but the blow to cash raises red flags McKinsey: The cost of compute: A $7 trillion race to scale data centers IG: SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic: upcoming IPOs to watch in 2026 New York Times: OpenAI Prepares to File to Go Public in Coming Weeks Reuters: OpenAI lays groundwork for juggernaut IPO at up to $1 trillion valuation Bankrate: The 10 Largest American IPOs Of All Time WIPO: Global Innovation Index 2025 - Global Innovation Tracker Nature: US science after a year of Trump: what has been lost and what remains Scroll Deep: Why are they people-shaped? ITIF: How Reducing Federal R&D Reduces GDP Growth University of Michigan: Final Results for May 2026 WSWS: The Ebola epidemic, imperialism and the political economy of social murder Truthout: The Justice Department Just Shut Disabled People Out of Essential Online Services for Another Year The Lever: The Pro-Israel Lobby’s Quiet Cash Shuffle UNFTR Resources Video: On The Record 5/26/26 (Will SpaceX and OpenAI Starve the Market?) Essay: The AI Black Hole. -- 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.

    23 min

  4. May 23

    Omnibus (5-23-26).

    Max and 99 are back, again! They hit headlines on Cuba, prediction markets, AI getting booed at graduations, and James Murdoch. Then they tackle listener corrections, emails on data centers and why Americans cling to empire. Plus, they rank their Top 5 things we all pretend are normal but are absolutely ridiculous. Enjoy! Chapters Intro: 00:00:23 Max Is Tweaked: 00:07:54 Headlines: 00:27:57 Emails: 00:54:24 Top 5: 01:26:34 Beyond the B******t: 01:45:56 Memberships: 01:51:21 Outro: 01:51:55 Resources Common Dreams: 11,000 Children Among Tens of Thousands ‘Waiting for Surgery’ in Cuba Due to US Blockade npr: Minnesota becomes first state to ban prediction market Bloomberg: Communist Cuba Is Leaning on Capitalists After Oil Runs Out New York Times: James Murdoch, Intent on ‘Thoughtful Journalism,’ Buys Half of Vox Media HuffPo: Speakers At College Commencement Ceremonies Are Being Met With Boos For Bringing Up AI UNFTR Resources Video: Castro Indictment Proves US Plans to Invade Cuba Video: These Trump Scandals Are Unprecedented Video: Trump’s Crypto Bill Just Cleared Committee—Here’s What It Actually Does -- 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.

    1h 52m

  5. May 22

    The Real Story Behind the Castro Indictment.

    The charges against Raúl Castro are the pretext for another invasion into a neighboring country in Latin America. Our sick paternalistic attitude toward the LAC region is a cancer on the world, and it’s clearly not in our own power to put an end to it. In this episode, Max discusses the charges, speaks to the Castro regime, the history between our nations after the ‘59 revolution and the hypocrisy of the American media. He appends the piece with a three step plan that would outflank the United States and level the playing field. Resources Democracy Now!: Mariela Castro, Daughter of Cuban President, Helps Lead Struggle for LGBTQ Rights in Cuba Common Dreams: 11,000 Children Among Tens of Thousands ‘Waiting for Surgery’ in Cuba Due to US Blockade Mother Jones: Trump Has Been Investing in Companies and Then Pumping Them in His Speeches The Guardian: Trump has created a slush fund of taxpayer money to give to his friends Yahoo! Finance: Eric Trump says family assets invested in ‘broad market indexes’ — Trump’s own disclosure lists 3,642 individual trades Wikipedia: Helms–Burton Act BBC: The deadly plane attack at the centre of Castro’s indictment Bloomberg: Communist Cuba Is Leaning on Capitalists After Oil Runs Out U.S. Department of Justice: U.S. Unseals Superseding Indictment Charging Raul Castro and Five Castro Regime Co-Defendants for 1996 Shoot-Down of Brothers to the Rescue Aircraft Reuters: US plans to indict Cuba’s Raul Castro, US DOJ official says Council on Foreign Relations: Trump’s ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign on Cuba, Explained UNFTR Resources Essay: The Real Story Behind the Castro Indictment. Video: Castro Indictment Proves US Plans to Invade Cuba Episode: Cuba (Not So) Libre. Episode: The Crypto Heist Happening Right Under Our Noses. Episode: Little Marco’s Coup D’Etat. -- 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.

    21 min

  6. May 21

    Full Clarity: The Crypto Heist Happening Right Under Our Noses.

    The Trump family crypto grift moved into high gear by clearing an important legislative hurdle this week. The CLARITY Act officially moved out of committee and now goes to the Agriculture Committee before being paired with the House version and going for a final vote. Despite valiant attempts by Elizabeth Warren to put some guardrails and ethics provisions in place, the GOP shot them all down. Hundreds of millions in lobbying from the crypto industry has been sunk into a bill that has the potential to damage the banking system and enrich the President’s family. This is an update to an ongoing story about the ultimate financial heist happening in real time and right under our noses. Resources CoinDesk: Clarity Act Markup Session Bloomberg: Quiet Token Sales Boosted Trump Crypto Wealth by $660 Million CNBC: Crypto industry scores win as Clarity Act regulation bill clears Senate hurdle Public Citizen: Big Crypto, Big Spending: Crypto Corporations Spend an Unprecedented $119 Million Influencing Elections American Bankers Association: ABA Community Bankers Council Letter Urging Senators to Close the Stablecoin Loophole Circle Stablecoin Reserve Tether Stablecoin Reserve Senate Banking Committee Markup News: Chairman Scott, Senate Banking Committee Advance Clarity Act in Historic Bipartisan Vote UNFTR Resources 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. Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    25 min

  7. May 19

    On The Record (5-19-26).

    This week we dug into the Treasury’s TIC data—the report nobody reads but everybody should—which shows central banks quietly stepping back from U.S. debt while private money fills the gap. That’s a problem when you’re carrying $39 trillion and yields are climbing. Then we looked at what that actually means at the kitchen table: record household debt, credit card rates near 24%, and an inflation measure that doesn’t even count the cost of carrying all that debt. Chapters Intro: 00:00:38 Quick Takes: 00:01:34 Max Notes: 00:06:34 Killer Left Take of the Week: 00:19:12 Chart of the Week: 00:21:25 Headlines: 00:23:00 Pod Love: 00:25:02 Book Love: 00:25:58 Outro: 00:26:15 Resources CNBC Television: Squawk Pod: Scott Bessent from Beijing CNBC Television: President Trump: Had extremely positive and productive meetings today Yahoo! News: CNBC’s Jim Cramer Left Literally Speechless by Trump’s Personal Stock Trades Bloomberg Television: US Faces Challenging Summer Gas Season, BofA’s Blanch Says U.S. Department of the Treasury: Treasury International Capital Data for March Signified B Sides: Kevin Hart is a Symptom... Polygraph: Falling wages, spiraling credit card debt New York Times: Over 100,000 Family Separations in Deportation Push, Report Estimates Truthdig: Cuba Announces That Its Fuel Reserves Have Been Depleted Mother Jones: Memphis Is “Under Full-Blown Occupation” by ICE. Here’s Why You May Not Know That. Pod Love Best of the Left: Capitalist Class Warfare: AI, Billionaire Capture, and the How to Fight Back Book Love Unf*cker Book Recommendations UNFTR Resources Video: On The Record 5/19/26 (Treasury Numbers Don’t Lie | Jim Cramer Melts Down | BofA Shocker) Video: They Hide These Economic Words From You—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.

    26 min

  8. May 16

    Inflation, The Fed and What Comes Next.

    Inflation figures came out this week and they were absolutely brutal. April CPI was startling enough, but the Producer Price Index (PPI), which is an indicator of inflation in the pipeline was shocking. Oil reserves are running down to dangerously low levels and it’s clear now that there’s no immediate resolution to the oil crisis, so we’re about to realize our worst economic fears. We take a look back at our predictions from nine months ago to see how accurate they are and to build on them for what comes next. Against the backdrop of this horrible inflation data, we have a new sheriff in town at the Federal Reserve. The man whose job it is to theoretically tame inflation has no tools in the box to deal with this level of crisis. The real question is whether he ever intended to. Resources Bloomberg Podcasts: Senate Confirms Warsh to Lead Fed as Trump Tests Its Autonomy CNBC Television: Wholesale inflation jumps 6% in April on annual basis, biggest increase since 2022 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Producer Price Index News Release summary - 2026 M04 Results U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Price Index Summary - 2026 M04 Results WSJ: Kevin Warsh’s Full Fed Chair Confirmation Hearing Manhattan Institute: Reform the Federal Reserve’s Governance to Deliver Better Monetary Outcomes Hudson Bay Capital: A User’s Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System EPI: Profits and price inflation are indeed linked Groundwork Collaborative: Inflation Revelation: How Outsized Corporate Profits Drive Rising Costs IEA: Oil Stocks of IEA Countries – Data Tools CNBC: Analysis: Warsh emerges from a difficult hearing with his Fed ‘regime-change’ plan intact’ UNFTR Resources Essay: Inflation, The Fed and What Comes Next. Video: Stephen Miran Is Going To Be Fed Chair. Video: The Warsh Man for the Job. Max for MTN. Episode: 10 Economic Terms To Know in This Economy. Episode: The End of the American Experiment. Episode. Stupid Is As Stupid Does. Episode: Labor Unions: From Pullman to Kellogg’s. Episode: Stephen Miran Is Going To Be Fed Chair. Episode: Project 2025. -- 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.

    19 min
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Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is dedicated to progressive politics, leftist economic theories, and social justice in the United States. Join us for deep dives into socialism, labor rights, climate justice, and the fight against inequality. Whether you're curious about Marxist ideas, modern social movements, or progressive policies, UNFTR delivers thoroughly sourced critiques, analyses, and interviews with the historical context mainstream media won't provide. Subscribe for informative and unabashedly progressive coverage of the leftist political and economic landscape.

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