Unf*cking The Republic

We have a special edition of Show Notes today! In a rare occurrence, Max, Manny and 99 were all in the same place and they took to the mics to mark the occasion. Enjoy!

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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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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are there hidden market patterns that signal massive economic change? A weak dollar and rising yield on the ten year treasuries sent Wall Street into panic mode over fears that Trump was torching the global economy with his tariff wars. Since 1945 the U.S. dollar has been the bedrock of the global economy. Trump’s reckless behavior has allies and enemies alike wondering if this is the end of U.S. hegemony in the world. Last week when the dollar and ten year treasury yield briefly split, the global bond market suddenly came into focus and was on everyone’s radar. This episode boils down the jargon to explain what’s going on and why everyone freaked out. Ultimately, while we may not tear down the global order, there’s no question that we won’t restore faith in the U.S. Dollar and economy until Trump is out of office.

Access the episode Show Notes.

Resources

Compound Real Estate Bonds: Bond Vigilantes: Definition, Role & Impact on Markets

EWA: The Relationship Between US Dollar Index and US 10 Year Treasury Bond

Investopedia: Bonds: Treasury Yields and Interest Rates

CNBC: Investors are growing concerned about a U.S. asset exodus as Treasurys and the dollar decline

Privalgo: The relationship between bond yields and currencies

ScienceDirect: International capital flows and U.S. interest rates

St. Louis Fed: Nominal Broad U.S. Dollar Index (DTWEXBGS)

St. Louis Fed: Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 10-Year Constant Maturity, Quoted on an Investment Basis (DGS10)

Darden Report Online: What the Sell-Off in Treasuries Means for Your Mortgage

The Washington Post: Fact Check: Has Trump declared bankruptcy four or six times?

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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.

We have a cool one for you today, a conversation with New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Currently, Mamdani is a member of the New York State Assembly. He’s a Democratic Socialist running in the Democratic primary against a pretty busy slate of contenders, and he’s polling second to former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who only recently entered the race. Now Mamdani was the first candidate to hit the fundraising threshold for city matching funds—setting it in record time—and doing it primarily through small dollar donations. His campaign is extremely organized, and it’s galvanized New Yorkers in every borough with a stunning clarity of message. Now, in many ways, to us, at least, Zohran has captured the zeitgeist as it feels like his campaign is a proxy for the discontent felt not just in urban areas, but throughout the country. So it’s our great pleasure to welcome to the show Zohran Mamdani.

Resources

Zohran for NYC Website

Zohran on Facebook

Zohran on Instagram

Zohran on TikTok

Zohran on Bluesky

UNFTR Resources

Watch the interview on YouTube.

Access the transcript.

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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.

Probably the scariest, most dreaded term in economics is stagflation. Those who lived through the crisis in the 1970s can attest to this. In short, stagflation is defined as a period of low-to-no economic growth combined with high unemployment and high inflation. It’s a deadly recipe that took extraordinary measures to break the last time we experienced this phenomenon, and the method used back then is still highly contested territory.

If you’ve heard the term more often in recent months, it’s because some economists are beginning to fear a resurgence of stagflation due to the policies of the Trump administration. So today we’re doing a very deep dive into the economy to discuss the differences between now and the crisis of the ‘70s and show how Trump might be singlehandedly pushing us into an entirely new and preventable stagflation crisis.

Access the Show Notes online.

Chapters

Intro: 00:01:00

The Phillips Curve: 00:03:34

Unemployment and Labor: 00:17:18

Trump's Conundrum: 00:20:05

Time to Rewind: 00:24:53

Lessons and Insights: 00:30:19

Post Show Musings: 00:42:28

Outro: 00:54:13

Resources

Investopedia: What Is Stagflation, What Causes It, and Why Is It Bad? 

The New York Times: Strong Dollar vs. Weak Dollar

Office of the Historian: Oil Embargo, 1973–1974

Federal Reserve History: The Great Inflation

NBER: The Nixon Shock after Forty Years: The Import Surcharge Revisited Douglas A. Irwin Working Paper 17749

FRED: Personal Saving Rate

FRED: New Privately-Owned Housing Units Started: Total Units

FRED: Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Food in U.S. City Average

BIG by Matt Stoller

UNFTR Episode Resources

Housing First: Non-Negotiable #1.

The Energy Independence Myth.

Building a Civilian Labor Corps: Bracing for the AI Job Apocalypse. Non-Negotiable #2.

The Global Order of Money: How Exactly Does It Make the World Go ’Round?

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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.

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Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.

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.

Fresh off the heels of our fifth and final Non-Negotiables of the Left series, 99 and I spent some time in the studio reviewing feedback from the UNFTR audience. While I stomped my feet like a toddler, 99 was able to finally get me under control and a productive conversation ensued. 

The upshot is that the feedback was fairly muted, with most of you signaling that the Climate Trust is out of step with the other four Non-Negotiables. While I stand by the concept of Social Security for the planet and the funding mechanism behind the idea, I hear you. In the consolidated episode that will serve as the baseline for our curriculum moving forward, I’m making notes and adjustments to improve this perspective. 

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:20

Emails + Comments: 00:16:25

Memberships: 01:23:13

Outro: 01:25:42

Resources

Spring Fund, Friend, and Hell Raiser: Become a UNFTR Member or donate today, and subscribe to us on YouTube

The Ezra Klein Show: Democrats Need to Face Why Trump Won

UNFTR Episode Resources

The Climate Trust: Non-Negotiable #5.

UNFTR Non-Negotiables.

A (Mostly) Vegan World.

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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.

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

Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.

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.

Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "Unf*cking the Republic."

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the final installment of our 5 Non-Negotiables of the Left series where we detail three short-term goals to take back the country and two long-term fights that must be waged for the sake of our democracy and the planet. This fifth entry speaks to the now back-burnered but ever-present threat to life on this planet: Climate change. This is the most difficult case we’ll make to you.

We expect pushback and disappointment at first but if we do our job, we’ll shift you to acknowledgement and resolve. This fifth Non-Negotiable isn’t for us. It’s for someone you might know, but more than likely it’s for someone you’ll never meet. We present the establishment of The Climate Trust: Social Security for the Planet.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:57

Chapter One: Diet, Exercise and Nuclear Power. 00:01:25

Chapter Two: The Social Cost of Carbon. 00:06:21

Chapter Three: Settling into Reality. 00:10:37

Chapter Four: We’ve Known It All Along. 00:17:55

Non-Negotiable #5: The Climate Trust. 00:26:36

Post Show Musings: 00:30:30

Outro: 01:23:22

Resources

IPCC: Summary for Policymakers — Special Report on Climate Change and Land

Institute for Policy Integrity: Gauging Economic Consensus on Climate Change

The Center for Climate & Security: Chronology of Military and Intelligence Concerns About Climate Change

World Economic Forum: This is How Climate Change Could Impact The Global Economy

Swiss Re: World economy set to lose up to 18% GDP from climate change if no action taken, reveals Swiss Re Institute's stress-test analysis

The New York Times: 40 Million People Rely on the Colorado River. It’s Drying Up Fast.

The Black Vault: Global Climate Change Implications for the U.S. Navy

Thomas Malthus: On the Principle of Population

United Nations: Food Systems Summit

United Nations: Secretary-General’s Chair Summary and Statement of Action on the UN Food Systems Summit

US EPA: Global Greenhouse Gas Overview

Penn State: Plant-Based Diet

Rodale Institute: Farming Systems Trial

Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index

The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health

Energy Education: Discovery of the greenhouse effect

APS: August 1856: Eunice Foote Concludes That Carbon Dioxide Could Warm the Atmosphere, Three Years Before John Tyndall Did

DQYDJ: Income Percentile Calculator for the United States

Eunice Foote: Circumstances Affecting the Heat of the Sun’s Rays

CNA: National Security and the Threat of Climate Change

GovInfo: National Security Implications of Global Climate Change to 2030

U.S. Department of Defense: Department of Defense 2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap

Global Monitoring Laboratory: Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

UNIDO: HCFC Phase-Out

PBS NewsHour: Antarctic ozone hole believed to be shrinking

Book Love

James Howard Kunstler: The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Cent

Cass R. Sunstein: Climate Justice: What Rich Nations Owe the World—and the Future

Tad Delay: Future of Denial: The Ideologies of Climate Change

Nicoletta Batini: The Economics of Sustainable Food: Smart Policies for Health and the Planet

Mark Bittman: Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal: A Food Science Nutrition History Book

Michael T. Klare: All Hell Breaking Loose: The Pentagon's Perspective on Climate Change

Lester R. Brown: Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization

John Tyndall: Heat Considered as a Mode of Motion

William Stanley Jevons: The Coal Question

UNFTR Resources

Building the Climate Industrial Complex.

The Montreal Protocol.

Phone A Friend: Tad Delay.

A (Mostly) Vegan World.

UNFTR Non-Negotiables.

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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.

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

Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.

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.

Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "Unf*cking the Republic."

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week is an attempt to organize disparate content pieces from the past few weeks. Thoughts on third parties, Trump’s address to the joint session of Congress (which we mistakenly referred to as the State of the Union, oops!), notes on the final non-negotiables and random thoughts Max is working through. We’ve got a mashup of sorts on our hands so prepare for a bit of rambling.

Resources

UNFTR Non-Negotiables

Associated Press: Elissa Slotkin delivers Democratic response to Trump’s speech

Britannica: United States presidential election of 1912

Time: How Ross Perot Changed Political Campaigns

LWV: The League's History Sponsoring Presidential Debates

The Commission on Presidential Debates

Tampa Bay Times: Nader, Buchanan kept out of debate

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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.

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

Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.

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.

Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "Unf*cking the Republic."

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The movement to get money out of politics will take a very long time. I know people don’t want to hear that. My guess is, in the best case scenario, we’re looking at 20 years. Best case. If it makes you feel any better, the movement to get money into politics took 181 years so by that measure, two decades to unravel what took 181 to build isn’t all that bad. Either we’re committed to playing the long game or not. The assholes that got us here were.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:33

Chapter One: Non-Negotiable #4. 00:01:11

Chapter Two: The Long and Winding Road to Citizens United. 00:07:05

Chapter Three: Media Complicity. The Revolution Was Already Televised. 00:16:46

Chapter Four: Defying Its Creator. The Tale of Mitch McGolem. 00:20:43

Bring it Home, Max: 00:28:47

Post Show Musings: 00:37:13

Outro: 01:11:09

Resources

OpenSecrets: Money-in-Politics Timeline

Brennan Center for Justice: Since Citizens United, a Decade of Super PACs

Cambridge University: Dark Parties: Unveiling Nonparty Communities in American Political Campaigns

De Gruyter: Television Advertising in the 2022 Midterms

De Gruyter: Digital Advertising in the 2022 Midterms

Bowdoin College: Government Scholar Michael Franz on Impact of Ads during the 2024 Election Cycle

Brennan Center for Justice: Life Tenure for U.S. Supreme Court Justices Is a Global Oddity with Clear Costs

Ballotpedia News: Looking ahead at 2025 ranked-choice voting legislation

Justia: Citizens United v. FEC | 558 U.S. 310 (2010)

Senate: Saving American Democracy Amendment 

Constitution Center: Interpretation: The Twenty-Seventh Amendment

American Promise

CampaignFinanceReform.org

Book Love

Adam Jentleson: Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy

Kermit L. Hall: The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States

UNFTR Episode Resources

Housing First.

Building a Civilian Labor Corps: Bracing for the AI Job Apocalypse.

Medicare for All.

Project 2025.

What’s the Deal with Peter Thiel?

“Russputin” and the Tsar.

Convention of States.

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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.

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

Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.

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.

Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "Unf*cking the Republic."

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Max and 99 are back for Show Notes! They catch up with some movie talk and dive deep into the Non-Negotiables and hives. Enjoy!

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:20

Housekeeping: 00:19:47

Emails: 00:32:20

Memberships: 01:23:32

Outro: 01:24:59

Resources

Join us on Bluesky and Discord

Ken Lefkowitz: Medicare For All: An Economic Rationale

Abdul El-Sayed and Micah Johnson: Medicare For All: A Citizen’s Guide

Unf*cker Recommendations

Michael Bazzell: Extreme Privacy: What It Takes to Disappear

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Kevin Mitnick: The Art of Invisibility + The Art of Deception

The Guardian: US immigration is gaming Google to create a mirage of mass deportations

UNFTR Episode Resources

Housing First.

A Civilian Labor Corps.

Medicare For All.

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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.

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

Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.

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.

Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "Unf*cking the Republic."

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Regardless of what happens next in the United States, the American experiment ends with Donald Trump. But Trump is a Trojan Horse. The real dismantling of our systems and norms is embodied by the man he ceded power to, the wealthiest person in the world. Elon Musk is the living avatar of the new corporate colonial era and there’s no going back to the way it was. This administration serves as the capstone to the neoliberal era, which itself was the professional culmination of previous social and political movements such as the John Birch Society and the Know Nothing Party. The only way to stave off economic, social and political collapse is for the left to mount a coordinated counteroffensive to the tech oligarchs who seek to consolidate all of the wealth and power in the world.

Resources

The Globe and Mail: Opinion: Trump’s election is a crisis like no other, not only for the U.S. but the world

Washington Times: Elon Musk: Judge Paul Engelmayer should be impeached for thwarting his DOGE squad - Washington Times 

Propublica: Elon Musk’s Boring Company Is Tunneling Beneath Las Vegas With Little Oversight

Planalto: Brazil announces Indonesia as full member of BRICS

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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.

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

Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.

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.

Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "Unf*cking the Republic."

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.