---
title: 🤐 Last Newsletter Before Apocalypse or Purgatory
---

Check out this week's roundup in the latest edition of the UNFTR Newsletter!

| View in browser UNFTR Weekly Roundup 🚨 Max & Friends Monthly Stream🚨   The November stream will take place on Wednesday, 11/6/24 at 8:00 PM EST. Friend of the show Nathan J. Robinson will be joining Max & 99 to discuss his new book (co-authored with Noam Chomsky) and a little thing called the 2024 election.   As a special treat, this stream will be open to all! We hope to catch you there. Use this link to join. This week in our Members Only Newsletter you missed: Max Notes on Joe Rogan’s interview with Trump. The Tuesday Top Five news articles everyone should be reading. An original essay from News Beat’s Rashed Mian CNN, X & Obama. And “Not for Nothing” on Jay Johnston, Aaron Rodgers and Tony Hinchcliffe. So I guess the question is…what are you waiting for? Sign up today to become a member and level up to unlock a slew of additional perks! Max Notes I do NOT feel good about this. Forget the polls. It’s pretty clear that this is going to be a tight race, which means Republicans are going to claim victory one way or another. No matter the outcome on Tuesday, we have a lot of work to do starting on Wednesday.   Separate conversations with two very close friends this week illustrate how disconnected we all are. My white conservative friend was shaken by a recent discussion he had with a scientist friend who has a deep understanding of climate change. It was the first time anyone my friend trusts was able to explain in plain language and great detail what we’re doing to the planet and what the consequences look like. He said to me, “I know it will still be okay in my lifetime, but things might get really bad in my childrens’ lifetimes.”   He’s voting for Trump because, as he says, “my wallet.”   My Black liberal friend told me about a conversation with his son just this past week. For a brief period of time when Obama was elected, he felt a sense of optimism that America was on its way to healing its racist past. That hope has all but faded and he told his son, “I’m 56 years old and resigned to the fact that I won’t see it happen in my lifetime and I’m not even sure it will happen in yours.”   He’s voting for Harris because, as he says, “what choice do I have?”   Knowing my state of mind of late my wife asked me if there was another place in the world I would prefer to live someday. The answer is no. I love it here. This is my home and I still believe it’s worth fighting for. I want nothing more than to unf*ck the republic. But we’re in the Empire Strikes Back phase of this enduring campaign and I think it’s about to get a whole lot worse before (or if) it ever gets better, as my liberal friend said. But as my conservative friend has come to realize, we may not have that kind of time.   Other things I’m obsessing over… Unlike Rick Perry, RFK can name the agencies he wants to run (i.e., destroy). That 5th inning (yikes). Bernthal back as Punisher in Daredevil cameos next year. I’m here for it. -Max Chart of the Week Source: 538   Welp. Here’s our final look at the national polling averages. It’s estimated the half of the votes will be sent in prior to Election Day, though I’m sure the counting process will still be torture. The final consensus data has Harris ahead by less than the normal margin of error, but ahead nonetheless. Of course, it’s the swing states that matter most and it will be interesting to see whether there are upsets in places like Texas or North Carolina. Headlines A fate worse than…? The military agency in charge of determining who gets taken from Gaza for medical treatment has been reducing the number of discharges steadily since the war began. More recently it has been rejecting applications of companions—mothers, fathers, relatives—bringing evacuations to a relative standstill. Since the IDF has decimated Gaza’s health services infrastructure, the 14,000 wounded Gazans are simply left to suffer and die.   From the article: “The UN estimates that some 14,000 patients, including 2,500 children, are currently in urgent need of medical evacuation. But over the past six months—since the Israeli military invaded Rafah and seized control of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing on May 7—only 237 patients have been medically evacuated out of Gaza, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization told Drop Site News, 127 of them children.”   Drop Site: Israel has all but ended medical evacuations from Gaza   It’s actually not that easy to be a real Czar. Thankfully. RFK Jr. is on record saying that Trump promised to put him in charge of “several” agencies under the health and human services umbrella. So he’ll run the FDA, USDA, and something like 670 other agencies to make the nation healthier and our food supply safer. According to this Wired article, it’s not as easy as one thinks to dismantle the entire regulatory system in this country. But with some time, he can do a lot of damage.   From the article: “If chosen to be FDA commissioner, Kennedy would control the agency’s budget and priorities and could have a sizable impact by installing lower-level appointees who are sympathetic to his worldview. While the FDA commissioner does not single-handedly approve or authorize new drugs, Kantner says outside political pressure can certainly influence that process. Kennedy could also appoint members to FDA advisory committees, panels of outside experts that make recommendations to the agency on drug approvals and other regulatory matters.”   Wired: RFK Jr. Wants to Reshape US Health Policy. Good Luck With That   Six justices to rest of country: We run shit around here. The Supreme Court intervened in a Virginia voter purge case that signals some bad news from the nation’s top court. Again. In a 6 to 3 decision, (guess who) the SCOTUS allowed Virginia to uphold a purge of 1,600 voters under the claim that they were potentially non-citizens. Of course, among the purged roll were U.S. citizens. Beyond this nonsense, it’s chilling to think the Supreme Court is intervening in election issues prior to the election. Here I thought it was their job to throw the election to Republicans after the fact. Go figure.   From the article: “Virginia is among several Republican-led states that have announced controversial new initiatives in recent months that purported to remove potential noncitizens but that critics say were overly broad and have also affected eligible citizens.”   NPR: U.S. citizens are among the voters removed in Virginia’s controversial purge This Week on the Pod Max & 99 Unfiltered. Final Thoughts Before the 2024 Election. Max and 99 have a Manny-less conversation (Manny on assignment, don’t worry) about the election. It’s a sobering discussion about what’s at stake, talk Democratic missteps along the way and ask whose idea it was to let Steve Bannon out of prison before the election.  Access Episode Resources Resources Pod Love “Nothing’s spookier than the news, but Danny and Derek find their courage. This week: in Israel-Palestine, a new report of the Biden administration ignoring Israeli war crimes, the Knesset votes to ban UNRWA, and yet more ceasefire talks; in Lebanon, Hezbollah names a new leader and a push for a ceasefire there; regarding Iran, the aftermath of the Israeli strikes and reports of an imminent retaliation...”   American Prestige: Knesset Bans UNRWA, Sudan Massacre, Georgia Election   Book Love “In this compelling memoir, Douglas Terreson, one of Wall Street’s most influential energy analysts, takes readers on a journey through the high-stakes world of global oil markets and financial powerhouses. From his humble beginnings on offshore oil rigs to making billion-dollar calls that reshaped the energy industry, Terreson’s story is one of perseverance, insight, and the courage to challenge the status quo. He reveals the inside story behind his legendary market predictions, including the ‘Era of the Super-Major,’ the ‘Golden Age of Refining,’ and ‘The Pledge,’ which sent shockwaves through the industry and made fortunes for those who listened. Terreson’s career also spans some of the world’s most complex energy privatizations, from Norway to China and even Venezuela. But it’s not all smooth sailing-Terreson’s contrarian stance during the 2008 financial crisis nearly cost him his career, only to be vindicated in spectacular fashion.”   Can’t Deny It by Doug Terreson   Unf*cker Comment of the Week From Ziggy L.: Thank you for bringing attention to the crisis in Western North Carolina in your Election Denials episode. As a resident of Asheville I can tell you that the heartbreak from the devastation of Hurricane Helene is still as sharp as it was on day one. A month on and there’s been so much work to do that a lot of folks around here haven’t even had time to process the things we’ve seen. World Central Kitchen These guys have been a godsend. Millions of hot meals delivered around the region to date, and they’re still here. Can’t say enough good things about WCK. BeLoved Asheville BeLoved has been the conscience of Asheville for years. Their mission has historically been to give direct aid to unhoused communities, but they’ve stepped up in a big way to help everybody in need...which is everybody. Community Foundation of Western North Carolina This is a good fund that offers monies directly to the myriad organizations around WNC that are providing aid. Like I mentioned there are a ton of small rural communities around Asheville that need help too. This a good centralized fund to get them support as well. Progressive Corner Progressive Spotlight: Greg Casar. The former college organizer and youngest-ever Austin City Council Member, continues to lean on his roots in grassroots activism to shape a bold policy agenda.   In case you run into any trouble next week… Progressive Organization of the Week: Fair Elections Legal Network. “Fair Elections Center is a national, nonpartisan voting rights and election reform 501(c)(3) organization based in Washington, D.C. Our mission is to use litigation and advocacy to remove barriers to registration and voting, particularly those disenfranchising underrepresented and marginalized communities, and to improve election administration.”   Check Out the New UNFTR Directory of Progressive Resources for More Support The Show UNFTR is supported and funded by Unf*ckers like you. If you'd like to help the team, please consider doing one of the following: Leave us a review. It really helps people find the podcast!  Subscribe to the YouTube channel and share the videos when they’re released.  Consider becoming a UNFTR member. If you drink coffee, drink our coffee!  Purchase books from our bookshop.org store. We Support Best of the Left Podcast Point of Pride Civic* Possible We Are Somebody Connect With Us On Social UNFTR.com, UNFTR Media, New York, NY Unsubscribe Manage preferences |
| --- |