Unf*cking The Republic - TopPodcast.com

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Show Notes [October 4, 2025.] Oct 04, 2025

Show notes

Max and 99 are back to discuss headlines (AI, government shutdown, Hegseth speech + more) and recent Unf*cker feedback. Enjoy!

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:20

Emails: 00:46:56

Memberships: 01:40:10

Outro: 01:40:37

Resources

Wired: Palantir Wants to Be a Lifestyle Brand

Ed Zitron's Where's Your Ed At

Track Star: Pete Alonso

"Department of War:" Pete Hegseth FULL REMARKS at the WAR DEPARTMENT ADDRESS

New York Times: Text of the Email That Pete Hegseth’s Mother Sent Him

How I Built This: Bob's Red Mill: Bob Moore

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.

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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.

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Running Out of Time: The Political and Economic Realization of Project 2025. Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

We continue to build on the idea that white Christian nationalism is, was and has always been the foundation of this country. To suggest otherwise is to be both ahistorical and absent in our politics today. The violent response to a concept so utterly innocuous such as “Black lives matter” should tell us everything. Before it was a movement (of sorts) it was a simple statement. But the reality is that they don’t. We need to stop calling it “Trump’s America” and just call it what it is. America.

Resources

The Ezra Klein Show: Ta-Nehisi Coates and Ezra Klein Hash Out Their Charlie Kirk Disagreement

New York Times: Charlie Kirk Was Practicing Politics the Right Way

Democracy Now!: Project 2025 Co-Author Lays Out "Radical Agenda" for Next Trump Term in Undercover Video

Hudson Bay Capital: A User’s Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System

Manhattan Institute: Reform the Federal Reserve’s Governance to Deliver Better Monetary Outcomes

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The End of the American Experiment: Nice, for Some, While It Lasted. Sep 22, 2025

Show notes

It’s evident now that the alt-right figures in charge of this administration are quickly realizing the vision set forth in Project 2025. But it’s also clear that they are moving just as quickly to implement the vision of Project Esther, the Project 2025 companion and follow-up from the Heritage Foundation. The two visions work in tandem to destroy the institutions that barely held Donald Trump in check during his first term and to undermine free speech of anyone opposed to their radical agenda. The combined projects are so well coordinated and overwhelming that we may be living through the end of the American experiment.

Resources

BBC: JD Vance hosts Charlie Kirk’s daily talk radio show

NPR: Trump files $15 billion defamation lawsuit against ‘New York Times’

Zeteo: The New McCarthyism: UC Berkeley Just Handed Over the Names of 160 Students and Faculty to the Trump Admin

Democracy Docket: Left-Leaning Nonprofits Push Back on Trump’s Crackdown Threats

PBS NewsHour: Economic fallout mounts as Trump halts near-finished wind power project

Truth Social: Donald Trump

The Chris Hedges Report: We Are All antifa Now

Just Security: The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers Are Domestic Terrorists, It’s Past Time to Call Them What They Are

PBS News: Elected officials, police officers and members of military on Oath Keepers membership list, report says

World Population Review: KKK Population by State 2025

Defense360: Bad Idea: Domestic Terrorist Organization Designations

The Nation: Barbara Lee’s Stand

Mondoweiss: From COINTELPRO to Project Esther: The evolution of domestic counterinsurgency in the U.S.

IISS: Iran’s nuclear programme after the strikes

Book Love

Branko Milanovic: Visions of Inequality: From the French Revolution to the End of the Cold War

UNFTR Resources

The Carter Series: Reexamining Jimmy’s Time in Office.

The Clinton Years: The Most Neoliberal Presidency in U.S. History.

Video: The End of the American Experiment. 1776 to 2025.

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The Murder of Charlie Kirk: There Are Monsters Under the Bed. Sep 15, 2025

Show notes

This week Max expands on his initial response to the murder of Charlie Kirk and reflects on the diseased state of the online American male. Gen Z gamers who came of age during “Gamergate” are still living more online than “IRL” and appear to be divorced from their consequences. From school shootings to the Kirk murder, the motivations of incels are becoming harder to divine and even more radicalized from their roots. How this evolves is anyone’s guess but don’t look to this administration to dig into the problem or provide clarity; not while the anger and confusion provides the perfect cover for their Project 2025 agenda.

Resources

Mother Jones: The Key Missing Piece to the Megahit “Adolescence”

New York Times: Vance hosts Kirk’s podcast with a parade of Trump officials.

Britannica: Gamergate

UNFTR Resources

Video: Charlie Kirk Dead at 31.

It’s Like the Elites Want Us Raging Against Each Other.

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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.

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Left Turns: Gerrymandering and Dark Money. Sep 08, 2025

Show notes

The “left” is a wide spectrum with ever deepening divides. This week’s essay highlights two newsworthy items that perfectly illustrate the fracture between leftists and liberals and how we’re willing to accept anything on the Democratic side that shows signs of life; even if those things are undemocratic in nature. Part one addresses the fallout from the Wired Magazine article uncovering the relationship between online creators and a group called Chorus. The second part addresses California’s move to neutralize Texas’ recent redistricting effort designed to pick up Republican House seats in the midterms.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:00

Part One: 00:00:56

Part Two: 00:14:01

Resources

Wired: A Dark Money Group Is Secretly Funding High-Profile Democratic Influencers

Chorus

Tucker Carlson: Ana Kasparian: Epstein Cover-Up, Israel Strikes Gaza Church, & the Great American Political Shift

TYT: Cenk Explains Why He’s REMOVING A Contributor From TYT Network

Sixteen Thirty Fund

270 to Win: 1964 Presidential Election

Yes on 50

New York Times: The Democratic Party Faces a Voter Registration Crisis

UNFTR Resources

Video: Journalist Exposes Dark Money on the Left

Video: Democrats fight back with California redistricting plan

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.

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Show Notes [September 6, 2025] Sep 06, 2025

Show notes

Max and 99 jump in for another edition of Show Notes, covering headlines and some recent Unf*cker feedback. Enjoy!

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:20

Headlines: 00:26:07

Emails: 00:33:02

Memberships: 00:53:09

Outro: 00:53:25

Resources

Sign the Petition To Stop the Senate From Passing These Bills

Max for MTN: Trump makes FATAL MOVE that Instantly RUINS LABOR DAY

The Guardian: Florida to end vaccine mandates for children as state’s surgeon general likens them to ‘slavery’

Politico: Poll: California Democrats like Gavin Newsom over Kamala Harris in 2028

Quinn Slobodian: Hayek's Bastards: Race, Gold, Iq, and the Capitalism of the Far Right

I Am Leg

Chloe Sorvino: Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed, and the Fight for the Future of Meat

Unf*cker Recommendations

Carlota Perez: Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital: The Dynamics of Bubbles and Golden Ages

UNFTR Resources

Video: Journalist Exposes Dark Money on the Left

Video: Democrats fight back with California redistricting plan

Californication: F*cking Around with our Biggest Economy.

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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.

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The Fed, Tariffs & Big Beautiful “Sequel.” The 3 Punch Combination to Knockout the American People. Sep 01, 2025

Show notes

The U.S. is running out of options to service the national debt. Secretary Bessent announced that we will now use revenue from tariffs to pay down budget deficits, rather than reinvest them into the economy. Some are treating this as welcome news. At the same time, the GOP has formed a working group to draft up a “sequel” to the Big Beautiful Bill to deepen cuts to Medicaid and federal student aid. They’ll do anything other than raise taxes on those that can afford them. But tariffs and more cuts to vital programs will only hasten economic decline, so team Trump is running out of options to stop the bleeding. And that means only one thing: Printing more money. But that’s more complicated than it seems and will lead to disastrous results. It does explain, however, why Trump is so desperate to take over the Federal Reserve.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:57

Post Show Musings: 00:32:55

Outro: 00:47:04

Resources

UNFTR.com

Sign the Petition To Stop the Senate From Passing These Bills

Politico: House Republicans want another megabill. One GOP senator says it could be ‘damaging.’

X: Republican Study Committee

Republican Study Committee: One Big Beautiful Sequel: RSC Chairman Launches Working Group for Second Reconciliation Bill

Brookings: What is the repo market, and why does it matter?

St. Louis Fed: What Is Yield Curve Control?

Treasury: Treasury Announces Marketable Borrowing Estimates

UNFTR Quickies

UNFTR 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.

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The Toxic Nature of Hustle Culture: The Mythology of the American Worker. Aug 25, 2025

Show notes

Hustle Culture relies on the toxic myth of rugged individualism. Four out of every ten Americans rely on “side-hustles” in the gig economy to make ends meet. For many these side hustles are the only source of income. For decades our political leaders have sold the myth of self-reliance rather than bolstering worker protections. The result is a population that lives in economic precarity and without the benefits and peace of mind associated with steady labor guarantees. There’s nothing inherently wrong with entrepreneurism but our political economy takes advantage of this mindset to strip away safety nets and blame those who cannot fend for themselves.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:39

Chapter One: The Bipartisan Consensus on Self-Reliance. 00:04:01

Chapter Two: The Psychology of Rugged Individualism. 00:10:27

Chapter Three: The AI Acceleration: Nothing New Here. 00:16:52

Chapter Four: Reimagining Work. 00:24:37

Resources

Economic Policy Institute: National survey of gig workers paints a picture of poor working conditions, low pay

Upwork: Freelance Forward 2023

MBO Partners: Authentic and Intentional: State of Independence in America 2024

ADP Research: Illuminating the Shadow Workforce: Insights into the Gig Workforce in Businesses

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Union Membership (Annual) News Release

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Union Members Summary

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Civilian labor force participation rate

Axios: Behind the Curtain: A white-collar bloodbath

St. Louis Federal Reserve (FRED): Labor Force Participation Rate

Economic Policy Institute: 16 million workers were unionized in 2024

Book Love

Giovanni Arrighi: The Long Twentieth Century: Money, Power and the Origins of Our Times

UNFTR Resources

Un-Cooperative: Why Worker Co-Ops Don’t Work in America.

Strike! Reality checking the labor movement.

Understanding Socialism: A History of Socialist Thought from Beccaria to Trotsky.

Video: What They Don’t Tell You About Hustle Culture

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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.

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Show Notes [August 2025] Aug 23, 2025

Show notes

Max and 99 are back at it for another edition of Show Notes! They cover a few trending headlines plus Trump Stablecoin ep. feedback, and have an unnecessarily long conversation about soap. Enjoy!

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:20

Headlines: 00:12:14

Episode Feedback: 00:51:32

Memberships: 01:25:42

Outro: 01:30:12

Headlines

New York Times: Cracker Barrel’s New Modern Logo and Aesthetic Become a Political Rorschach Test

The Guardian: Target CEO steps down as company faces weak sales and customer boycott

CNBC: Former Walmart U.S. CEO Bill Simon questions stock drop: ‘It was about as good of a quarter as any retailer could have in any environment’

The Guardian: CEO-to-worker pay gap surges to 632 to 1 at US’s lowest-paying large firms, study shows

USA Today: Eric Adams adviser accused of bribery after giving reporter cash inside potato chip bag

New York Times: Goodbye, $165,000 Tech Jobs. Student Coders Seek Work at Chipotle

Resources

UNFTR Resources Environment

The Bulwark: Is Tim Miller closer to endorsing Zohran Mamdani than Hakeem Jeffries is?

Petition: Stop Trump's USD1 Stablecoin

Video, Max for MTN: Trump’s SHADOW CRYPTO Network is WORSE Than You Think

Video: Trump's Crypto Scheme MUST Be Stopped

Episode: Trump is Looting the Treasury.

Congress: S.394 - GENIUS Act of 2025

Congress: H.R.3633 - Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025

Congress: H.R.1919 - Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act

Molly White Citation Needed

Molly White on Bluesky

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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.

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Trump is Looting the Treasury: Time Is Running Out To Prevent Trump From Becoming the World’s Shadow Central Bank. Aug 18, 2025

Show notes

Donald Trump has laid the groundwork to become one of the wealthiest people on the planet by personally making money from every dollar printed in the United States. And the worse the economy gets, the more money he stands to make. The House has already passed three crypto bills that would make this potential a reality by allowing the Trump family to control the global stablecoin market. Now it’s up to the Senate. It’s a wild story that the media won’t report on because they don’t get it. But some very powerful people have figured it out and now the race is on to stop Trump from becoming the shadow central banker to the world.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:35

Chapter One: Bitcoin and Burgers. 00:01:17

Chapter Two: The Stablecoin Genius. 00:07:15

Chapter Three: FIAT. 00:12:40

Chapter Four: Crypto Fasist. 00:17:34

Chapter Five: Looting the Treasury. 00:28:53

Chapter Six: 00:38:59

Resources

Sign the Petition To Stop the Senate From Passing These Bills

Stablecoin Resources

The Coin Republic: Tether Leads Crypto Revenue Chart With $87M Weekly Fees

Corporate Finance Institute: Tether

Cointelegraph: Tether made $5.2B in 2024: Here’s how stablecoins make money

Onchain: How Businesses Generate Revenue With Stablecoins

Webisoft: How Do Stablecoins Make Money? [The Crypto Finance]

Binance: How Do Stable Coin Issuers Make Money?

Gemini: What Is USDC? How Does It Work?

White Paper: SoK: Stablecoin Designs, Risks, and the Stablecoin LEGO

White Paper: Stablecoins: Fundamentals, Emerging Issues, and Open Challenges

White Paper: Hybrid Monetary Ecosystems: Integrating Stablecoins and Fiat in the Future of Currency Systems

Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City: Stablecoins Could Increase Treasury Demand, but Only by Reducing Demand for Other Assets

Bitbo: Stablecoin Issuers Now Hold $182B in US Treasuries

Bitstamp: What is Circle?

Regulation and Legislation Resources

Federal Reserve: Federal Reserve Board announces the withdrawal of guidance for banks related to their crypto-asset and dollar token activities and related changes to its expectations for these activities

Yahoo Finance: Trump signs stablecoin bill into law, capping string of ‘Crypto Week’ victories

Associated Press: Senate passes crypto regulations, sends to House without addressing Trump’s investments

Congress: S.394 - GENIUS Act of 2025

Congress: H.R.3633 - Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025

Congress: H.R.1919 - Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act

Politico: Crypto industry amasses colossal war chest for elections

Public Citizen: Big Crypto, Big Spending: Crypto Corporations Spend an Unprecedented $119 Million Influencing Elections

AInvest: Senator Gillibrand’s $217,000 Crypto Donations Fuel GENIUS Act Debate

ETF Trends: Corporate Crypto Adoption Trends Remain Encouraging

Trump & Crypto Resources

Bloomberg: Binance Aided Trump Crypto Firm Before Founder CZ Sought Pardon

Binance Academy: What Is World Liberty Financial USD (USD1)?

American Bazaar: World Liberty Financial, tied to Trump, grows ETH holdings to $275 million

BingX: What Is USD1 Stablecoin Launched by the World Liberty Financial (WLFI)?

MEXC: What is USD1? Complete Guide to World Liberty Financial’s Revolutionary Stablecoin

Common Dreams: How GOP’s Crypto Bills Would Benefit Trump and His Family

New York Times: What to Know About the Three Crypto Regulation Bills in Congress

NPR: A ‘Crypto Week’ win: Congress passes 1st major crypto legislation in the U.S.

TOKEN2049: A Fireside Chat with Eric Trump and World Liberty Financial

Wall Street Journal: The Recipe Behind the Trump Family’s Crypto Riches: PancakeSwap

BusinessWire: ALT5 Sigma Corporation Announces $1.5 Billion Registered Direct Offering and Concurrent Private Placement to Initiate World Liberty Financial $WLFI Treasury Strategy

Reuters: Trump's stablecoin chosen for $2 billion Abu Dhabi investment in Binance, co-founder says

Definitional Resources

Brookings: What are stablecoins, and how are they regulated?

The Block: What are the advantages and disadvantages of stablecoins?

Binance: Stablecoins vs. Fiat Money: Why are they a good option?

Polkadot: CBDCs vs. Stablecoin: Competing visions for digital currency

Fireblocks: State of Stablecoins 2025

International Resources

Atlantic Council: Central bank digital currencies versus stablecoins: Divergent EU and US perspectives

Reuters: Crypto firm Tether and its founders finalizing move to El Salvador

BIS: The next-generation monetary and financial system

UNFTR Resources

The Global Order of Money.

Video: Trump's Crypto Scheme MUST Be Stopped

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.