Unf*cking The Republic

Max and 99 are here for another round of Omnibus. They hit headlines on Jared Kushner’s foreign entanglements, the screwworm outbreak threatening the beef supply, a tribute to revolutionary historian Gordon Wood, and a 77-year-old who lost his life savings to a gold coin scam. Then they tackle listener emails on stopping Musk’s grift and Bernie’s proposed AI wealth fund. They rank their Top 5 people who owe them a personal apology. Enjoy!
Chapters
Intro 00:00:20
Headlines: 00:29:13
Emails: 01:11:55
Top 5: 01:32:14
Memberships: 01:42:45
Outro: 01:43:09
Resources
The Hill: Trump officials play Biden blame game as screwworm spreads
Politico: A flesh-eating pest threatens Trump’s beef price hopes
Mother Jones: They Went to Jared
Business Insider: A 77-year-old lost $390,000 of his retirement savings after picking up a scam call. Now he wants to help others.
WSWS: A Tribute to Gordon S. Wood, Historian of the American Revolution
New York Times: Scott Pelley on the Bari Weiss Era and His Last Days at ‘60 Minutes’
Business Insider: Bari Weiss was supposed to ‘restore trust’ in CBS News. It’s eroding, says CNN’s Brian Stelter.
New York Times: Bernie Sanders: A.I. Is a Public Resource. You Should Own Half of It.
Book Love
Stephen Kinzer: The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War

UNFTR Resources
Episode: F*ck Milton Friedman.
Video: SpaceX IPO: What They’re Not Telling Retail Investors.
Episode: Dear Rebekkkah Mercer.
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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.
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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.
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.

Donald Trump has already destroyed much of the global economy, but the worst has yet to hit the United States. This “resilience paradox” is the result of early stage demand destruction, something economists fear and policy makers have no defense against. There are multiple factors holding the U.S. economy together in a way that other countries cannot manage. And most of the damage is baked in and irreversible. Thus far, one of the more powerful dynamics has been the market’s hesitation to bet long or short on price movement, because of the fluid and unpredictable nature of Trump’s on-again/off-again announcements regarding the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. We dissect it all and lay out the scenarios ahead and what it means for the American consumer.
Resources
The Hill: Trump's sharp Iran reversal: Teases deal & cancels strikes after Kharg Island threats
RSMUS: American demand destruction: Seven channels that compound to threaten U.S. growth
CarEdge: The Auto Loan Crisis Just Hit a 32-Year Record: What It Means for Car Prices
McKinsey: An update on US consumer sentiment: Gloomier outlook ahead of sunnier days
Bloomberg: Why Oil’s Not at $200 After the Biggest Supply Shock in History
Autoweek: U.S. Auto Sales On Track for 2.6 Percent Drop in 2026 as War and Tariffs Cloud Outlook
BLS: CPI Data
MacroMicro: US - Housing Price Index vs. Rent Inflation
BLS: Real Earnings Summary - 2026 M05 Results
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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.
Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode of UNFTR is an exclusive deep dive into the SpaceX IPO prospectus. It reveals what might be the biggest fraud and money grab in the public markets ever. The baseless $1.77 trillion dollar valuation at a list price of $135 at auction stands to add hundreds of billions of dollars to Elon Musk’s net worth, and that’s not the most outrageous part about this. The company currently loses billions of dollars every year, admits freely that most of the anticipated revenue streams are either currently illegal, highly unethical or perhaps non-existent. But hey, it’s Elon. What’s the worst that can happen? Believe it or not, there’s a lot more at risk here than just one company tanking after an outrageously overhyped IPO. And the average American investor with a 401(k) or IRA is very much an unwitting participant in the scam.
Resources
Bloomberg: SpaceX IPO Is Well Oversubscribed With Orders Closing Wednesday
New York Times: How Banks Are Using SpaceX to Woo the Superrich
SEC: SpaceX Form S-1
CNBC: SpaceX’s market-moving potential: Here’s what to know
More Perfect Union: We Uncovered a Hidden Wealth Transfer in the SpaceX IPO. You’re Holding the Bag.
UNFTR Resources
Video: SpaceX IPO: What They're Not Telling Retail Investors
Essay: The SpaceX IPO Fraud.
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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.
Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Max and 99 are back after a week of colds, poison ivy, and Knicks supremacy. They hit headlines on the left’s idea problem, Google’s water pledges and data center backlash, Meta embedding face recognition into its smart glasses app, and Phoebe Bridgers playing MSG. Then they tackle listener emails on Democratic double standards, Israel and the hypocrisy talking point, and keeping Gaza woven into every story. Plus, they rank their Top 5 unhinged things they’d do with billionaire money. Enjoy!
Chapters
Intro: 00:00:05
Headlines: 00:14:28
Emails: 00:36:22
Top 5: 00:53:33
Memberships: 01:03:21
Outro: 01:05:57
Resources
The Verge: AI has a water problem. Google thinks it has a fix
Dissent Magazine: The Left Needs Ideas
TechCrunch: Erin Brockovich takes aim at data center secrecy
The Verge: Republicans want the FBI to probe whether foreign adversaries are stoking US data center backlash.
Wired: Meta Silently Added Face-Recognition Code for Its Smart Glasses to Millions of Phones
Pitchfork: Phoebe Bridgers to Play Surprise Madison Square Garden Show
UNFTR Resources
Read: The Donroe Doctrine.
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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.
Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.
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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.
Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.