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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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.

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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.

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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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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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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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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%

Lava Song

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.

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

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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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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.

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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.

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

Sherrod Brown

UNFTR Resources

Trump is Looting the Treasury.

“Russputin” and the Tsar.

Medicare for All.

Zohran Mamdani Has Already Won.

Civilian Labor Corps.

Housing First.

UNFTR 5NN.

Video: The Financial Crisis is NOW & The Path Forward for Democrats.

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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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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

UNFTR Bookshop

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

Progressive Punch

Ballotopedia

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.

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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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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.