Unf*cking The Republic

Economics is too often weaponized by jargon. High concept terms of art to explain basic behaviors or circumstances that should otherwise be accessible. Socioeconomics takes the math off the page and puts it into a human context. It helps us break from specific doctrines and be slightly less dogmatic. So today I thought we would take a break from the doctrine and dogma to bring certain concepts down to a base level. Some are straightforward, others are actually pretty complex. Some are needlessly complicated, which might be deliberate. All of them impact our lives and how we think about the economy. So here we go, ten needlessly complicated economic terms you should know to understand the modern economy. Chapters Intro: 00:00:00 Financial Repression: 00:02:03 Demand Destruction: 00:04:19 Fiscal Dominance: 00:06:50 Yield Curve Control: 00:09:19 Repo Market + Reverse Repo: 00:11:50 Eurodollars + Petrodollars: 00:15:36 Debt Monetization: 00:20:31 Shadow Banking: 00:24:18 The Basis Trade: 00:29:06 Purchasing Power—Real vs. Nominal: 00:33:25 UNFTR Resources 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/membershipsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Max and 99 are back for another episode of Omnibus. They hit headlines on vitamin K refusal, abortion pill access hanging by a thread, Germany asking Israel for jet fuel, and a robotic companion with AI surveillance built in, then tackle listener emails on deflation, data center slowdowns, and book recommendations. They rank their Top 5 brands to support and close with some light bullshit. Enjoy! Chapters Intro: 00:00:08 Headlines: 00:05:49 Emails: 00:30:48 Top 5: 01:09:33 Beyond the Bullshit: 01:22:49 Memberships: 01:25:52 Outro: 01:26:35 Resources ProPublica: Babies Are Bleeding to Death as Parents Reject a Vitamin Shot Given at Birth Mother Jones: Supreme Court Reinstates Access to Abortion Pills—For Now SCOTUSblog OilPrice.com: Germany Seeks Israeli Jet Fuel As Hormuz Disruptions Cripple Airlines The Verge: The creator of Roomba is back with a furry robot companion Book Love Samuel Farber: Before Stalinism: The Rise and Fall of Soviet Democracy Paul Kriwaczek: Yiddish Civilisation: The Rise and Fall of a Forgotten Nation Naomi Klein: No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need Rachel Cockerell: Melting Point: Family, Memory, and the Search for a Promised Land Cory Doctorow: Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It Peter Joseph: The New Human Rights Movement: Reinventing the Economy to End Oppression Clara E. Mattei: Escape from Capitalism: An Intervention Howard Zinn: A People’s History of the United States Daniella Mestyanek + Amy Reed: Young: The Culting of America: What Makes a Cult and Why We Love Them Yuyi Morales: Dreamers Michael Hudson: J Is for Junk Economics: A Guide to Reality in an Age of Deception David Graeber: Debt: The First 5,000 Years Stephanie Kelton: The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People’s Economy David Graeber: Bullshit Jobs: A Theory Astra Taylor + Naomi Klein: End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World Top 5 Mother Jones ProPublica PBS The Marshall Project Dr Bronner’s Bookshop.org Wear The Peace Greyston Bakery UNFTR Resources Video: Milei Promised Miracles, Delivered Chaos—Trump Is Next Video: Canada’s Working Class Under Attack: Carney’s Economic Update Decoded 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/membershipsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Javier Milei is brash and audacious, and he loves Donald Trump. But in many ways Donald Trump is the one who is following Milei. Argentina has an 18 month head start on Russell Vought’s wet dream of implementing a harsh libertarian doctrine. For a while it looked like everything Milei did was succeeding. He tamed inflation, created an export surplus and got back on track with debt service. Economic shock doctrines that rely on austerity for the masses and corporate giveaways always wind up the same, however. It was only a matter of time. The wheels are coming off Milei’s project this year as inflation is back, money is tight and people are pissed. America’s canary came out of the coal mine with black lung. Resources Buenos Aires Times: Economic activity posts biggest slump since 2023 Argus Media: Argentina inflation eases to 32.6pc in March | Latest Market News Argus Media: Argentina economy has sluggish start to 2026 Peterson Institute for International Economics: Argentina’s fragile monetary framework risks renewed volatility BBVA Research: Argentina Economic Outlook. March 2026 Americas Quarterly: Argentina’s Polarization Threatens Milei’s Pro-Market Agenda Americas Quarterly: REACTION: Milei’s Decisive Midterm Election Victory Paul Krugman: Why Is Trump Bailing Out Argentina? - Paul Krugman New York Times: Milei Vowed to Fix Argentina’s Economy. Then Came a New Crisis. Newsweek: Trump’s Argentina bailout sparks fury among farmers, Republicans Al Jazeera: Argentina Senate approves contentious Milei-backed labour reforms Buenos Aires Times: Pure polarisation in Congress – Milei delivers partisan speech full of insults Buenos Aires Times: Sharp drop in Argentina’s poverty rate delivers boost for Milei LatinNews: In brief: Argentina renews China currency swap line UNFTR Resources Video: Milei Promised Miracles, Delivered Chaos—Trump Is Next Essay: Don’t Cry for me Milei, Argentina. -- 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/membershipsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we took a hard look at Canada’s Mark Carney. Competent, well-spoken, yet quietly running a neoliberal playbook. Then we checked Trump’s approval numbers, where even Republicans are starting to feel the gas prices, though 84% are still on board, which is somehow both unsurprising and completely bonkers. Chapters Intro: 00:00:00 Quick Takes: 00:01:17 Max Notes: 00:04:51 Killer Left Take of the Week: 00:18:20 Chart of the Week: 00:20:05 Headlines: 00:23:01 Pod Love: 00:24:49 Outro: 00:25:32 Resources Yahoo! Finance: GameStop’s Ryan Cohen sidesteps questions on how company will pay for eBay deal: ‘The details are on our website’ CNBC: Amazon opens up its logistics network to other businesses in new growth push The New York Times: Despite Trade Turmoil, Canada’s Economy Is Expected to Grow and Deficit to Fall Government of Canada: Economic and fiscal overview Global News: Canada in ‘early stages’ of talks on whether to privatize airports: minister Global News: Health Matters: Liberal government faces criticism over pharmacare program Spring: Carney government ditches social priorities in favour of conservative agenda Leeja Miller: The Death Of The Voting Rights Act EXPLAINED Civiqs: Donald Trump: Job Approval, Second Term New York Times: If Democrats Have Appropriate Fear of Trump, They Will Elect Platner Common Dreams: Trump Admin Shutters DHS Watchdog Amid Rampant and Growing Detainee Abuse Dissent: How Mamdani Can Build Mass Engagement Pod Love Economic Update: Marx’s Relevance for Today UNFTR Resources Video: (On The Record 5-5-26 Canada's Working Class Under Attack: Carney's Economic Update Decoded) -- 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/membershipsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Max and 99 are back for another round of Omnibus. They hit headlines on Google selling AI to the Pentagon, Sergey Brin’s rightward shift, military impact on marine life in the Strait of Hormuz + more. Then they tackle listener emails on socialism, the Trump shooting, and oil price manipulation before the midterms. They rank their Top 5 brands to boycott and close with book recommendations and member shoutouts. Enjoy! Chapters Intro: 00:00:18 Headlines: 00:06:16 Emails: 00:41:04 Top 5: 01:08:33 Beyond the Bullshit: 01:31:43 Memberships: 01:32:57 Outro: 01:34:02 Resources TechCrunch: Google expands Pentagon’s access to its AI after Anthropic’s refusal New York Times: Sergey Brin Moves to the Right, With a ‘MAGA Girlfriend’ by His Side Mother Jones: Why Trump’s Crypto Empire is in Chaos Wired: Marine Animals in the Strait of Hormuz Don’t Get a Ceasefire Readers Digest: 10 Things That Were Affordable 10 Years Ago—And Now Feel Like a Luxury Me Mother Earth: The Ethical and Sustainability Concerns of Temu and Shein Diet Prada on Instagram: Hegseth Wife Loves Shein Wikipeda: Chick-fil-A and LGBTQ people Business Insider: 16 of the biggest controversies in Hobby Lobby’s 50-year history — from denying contraceptives for employees to illegally smuggling ancient tablets BDS: Guide to BDS Boycott & Pressure Corporate Priority Targeting UNFTR Resources Episode: Amazon (Part One). Video: The Shock Heard ‘Round the World. Max for MTN. Book Love Becca Rea-Tucker: The Abortion Companion: An Affirming Handbook for Your Choice and Your Journey -- 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/membershipsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.