Intro

Quick Takes

Max Notes

Phone A Friend

Killer Left Take of the Week

Chart of the Week

Outro

This week we dissected JD Vance’s child care rule change: A Heritage Foundation tradwife policy dressed up as family values, funded by gutting support for the single working parents who actually need it. Then Nathan Robinson joined us to talk about why the socialist moment is real and the DSA keeps winning where it’s not supposed to. And in honor of Labor Day, we put the wage-price spiral myth to rest: real wages flat for 50 years, corporate earnings through the roof, and the Fed looking the other way the whole time.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:38

Quick Takes: 00:01:33

Max Notes: 00:05:43

Phone A Friend: 00:14:04

Killer Left Take of the Week: 00:37:19

Chart of the Week: 00:39:19

Outro: 00:42:26

Resources

The Ghoul Pool

wgaltv: Democrats criticize Fetterman after WSJ report claims he avoids meeting with constituents

Steven A. Smith: Abdul El-Sayed on Israel, Hasan Piker, ICE and JD Vance

A24: You Can See Everything

Al Jazeera English: Far-right AFD wins vote in Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt state: Exit polls

Mother Jones: Ashley Hinson Fought to Save Private Equity’s Favorite Loophole

The New York Times: Trump Officials Draft Plan to Pay At-Home Parents, Using Funds for Working Ones

The Heritage Foundation: Saving America by Saving the Family: A Foundation for the Next 250 Years

Politico: Heritage Foundation calls on US to prioritize marriage and family in new report

Congress: The Child Care and Development Block Grant: In Brief

National Women’s Law Center: Re-Envisioning CCDF

Emerald Book: How the 68% Black Single Motherhood Myth Harms Black Women and Families

Center for American Progress: The Economic Status of Single Mothers

Financial Planning Association: Leveraging Divorce to Maximize College Financial Aid

Nathan J. Robinson: Why You Should Be a Socialist

Nathan J. Robinson: Hillbilly Hypocrisy: ND Vance and the Dark Future of MAGA Politics

Subscribe to Current Affairs Magazine.

Jacobin: Capitalism makes “everyone feels a little insane”

Investopedia: Wage-Price Spiral: What It Is and How It’s Controlled

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: Average Hourly Earnings of Production and Nonsupervisory Employees, Total Private

Union Stats: Union Membership, Coverage, Density and Employment by Sector and Demographic Group: 1973-2025 

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: Corporate Profits After Tax (without IVA and CCAdj)

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average

Federal Reserve Bank of New York: Center for Microeconomic Data

UNFTR Resources

Video: On The Record 9-08-26 (JD Vance’s Disgusting Stunt | Trump is Melting | Nathan Robinson.)

Essay: Hillbilly Hypocrite.

Episode: Did Ronald Reagan Destroy the American Dream?

Episode: Merchants of Death.

Episode: Labor Daze.

Episode: Economics of Racism.

--

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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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

This week we dissected JD Vance&rsquo;s child care rule change: A Heritage Foundation tradwife policy dressed up as family values, funded by gutting support for the single working parents who actually need it. Then Nathan Robinson joined us to talk about why the socialist moment is real and the DSA keeps winning where it&rsquo;s not supposed to. And in honor of Labor Day, we put the wage-price spiral myth to rest: real wages flat for 50 years, corporate earnings through the roof, and the Fed looking the other way the whole time.
Chapters
Intro: 00:00:38
Quick Takes: 00:01:33
Max Notes: 00:05:43
Phone A Friend: 00:14:04
Killer Left Take of the Week: 00:37:19
Chart of the Week: 00:39:19
Outro: 00:42:26
Resources
<a href="https://www.theghoulpool.com/">The Ghoul Pool</a>
wgaltv: <a href="https://youtu.be/_-AmXNQ3Y0E?t=40">Democrats criticize Fetterman after WSJ report claims he avoids meeting with constituents</a>
Steven A. Smith: <a href="https://youtu.be/bKSuv0kGExU?t=792">Abdul El-Sayed on Israel, Hasan Piker, ICE and JD Vance</a>
A24: <a href="https://youtu.be/GGJSRFWALTI">You Can See Everything</a>
Al Jazeera English: <a href="https://youtu.be/bYygPGyWfxo?t=8">Far-right AFD wins vote in Germany&rsquo;s Saxony-Anhalt state: Exit polls</a>
Mother Jones: <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/09/ashley-hinson-carried-interest-wall-street-ken-griffin/">Ashley Hinson Fought to Save Private Equity&rsquo;s Favorite Loophole</a>
The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/05/us/politics/stay-at-home-parents-subsidies.html">Trump Officials Draft Plan to Pay At-Home Parents, Using Funds for Working Ones</a>
The Heritage Foundation: <a href="https://www.heritage.org/marriage-and-family/report/saving-america-saving-the-family-foundation-the-next-250-years">Saving America by Saving the Family: A Foundation for the Next 250 Years</a>
Politico: <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/10/heritage-foundation-calls-on-us-to-prioritize-marriage-and-family-in-new-report-00721153">Heritage Foundation calls on US to prioritize marriage and family in new report</a>
Congress: <a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R47312">The Child Care and Development Block Grant: In Brief</a>
National Women&rsquo;s Law Center: <a href="https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GCPI-NWLC-CCDF-Brief-FINAL-April-2024.pdf">Re-Envisioning CCDF</a>
Emerald Book: <a href="https://emeraldbook.org/news/aug-2226/">How the 68% Black Single Motherhood Myth Harms Black Women and Families</a>
Center for American Progress: <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-economic-status-of-single-mothers/">The Economic Status of Single Mothers</a>
Financial Planning Association: <a href="https://www.financialplanningassociation.org/article/journal/FEB19-leveraging-divorce-maximize-college-financial-aid">Leveraging Divorce to Maximize College Financial Aid</a>
Nathan J. Robinson: <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/23377/9781250200877">Why You Should Be a Socialist</a>
Nathan J. Robinson: <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/23377/9781250438546">Hillbilly Hypocrisy: ND Vance and the Dark Future of MAGA Politics</a>
<a href="http://www.currentaffairs.org/unftr">Subscribe to Current Affairs Magazine</a>.
Jacobin: <a href="https://youtu.be/udVgMMGXLSM?t=15">Capitalism makes &ldquo;everyone feels a little insane&rdquo;</a>
Investopedia: Wage-Price Spiral: <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/w/wage-price-spiral.asp">What It Is and How It&rsquo;s Controlled</a>
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/AHETPI">Average Hourly Earnings of Production and Nonsupervisory Employees, Total Private</a>
Union Stats: <a href="https://www.unionstats.com/members/members_index.html">Union Membership, Coverage, Density and Employment by Sector and Demographic Group: 1973-2025 </a>
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CP">Corporate Profits After Tax (without IVA and CCAdj)</a>
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CPIAUCSL">Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average</a>
Federal Reserve Bank of New York: <a href="https://www.newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/hhdc">Center for Microeconomic Data</a>
UNFTR Resources
Video: <a href="https://youtu.be/BaPZlC6dvHc">On The Record 9-08-26 (JD Vance&rsquo;s Disgusting Stunt | Trump is Melting | Nathan Robinson.)</a>
Essay: <a href="https://www.unftr.com/blog/hillbilly-hypocrite">Hillbilly Hypocrite</a>.
Episode: <a href="https://www.unftr.com/episodes/unftr201">Did Ronald Reagan Destroy the American Dream?</a>
Episode: <a href="https://www.unftr.com/episodes/unftr202">Merchants of Death</a>.
Episode: <a href="https://www.unftr.com/episodes/unftr203">Labor Daze</a>.
Episode: <a href="https://www.unftr.com/episodes/unftr29">Economics of Racism</a>.
--
If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: <a href="https://unftr.com/rate">unftr.com/rate</a> and follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Unfucking-The-Republic-102319714930389">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/unftr.com">Bluesky</a>,&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/unftrpod/">Instagram</a> at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/">unftr.com</a>.
Become a member at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/memberships">unftr.com/memberships</a>.
Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at <a href="https://shop.unftr.com/">shop.unftr.com</a>.
Visit our bookshop.org page at <a href="https://bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod">bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod</a> to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at <a href="https://bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations">bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations</a>.
Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/accessibility">unftr.com/accessibility</a>

Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is dedicated to progressive politics, leftist economic theories, and social justice in the United States. Join us for deep dives into socialism, labor rights, climate justice, and the fight against inequality. Whether you're curious about Marxist ideas, modern social movements, or progressive policies, UNFTR delivers thoroughly sourced critiques, analyses, and interviews with the historical context mainstream media won't provide. Subscribe for informative and unabashedly progressive coverage of the leftist political and economic landscape.

Unf*cking The Republic&reg; (UNFTR) is dedicated to progressive politics, leftist economic theories, and social justice in the United States. Join us for deep dives into socialism, labor rights, climate justice, and the fight against inequality. Whether you're curious about Marxist ideas, modern social movements, or progressive policies, UNFTR delivers thoroughly sourced critiques, analyses, and interviews with the historical context mainstream media won't provide. Subscribe for informative and unabashedly progressive coverage of the leftist political and economic landscape.