On The Record (09-01-26).

This week we tore apart The Heritage Foundation’s spin on the Venezuela oil deal—the “world’s gas station” line slogan, the math on what Venezuela gets back is embarrassing, and what’s really happening is a century-old colonial playbook dressed up in PR language. Then we looked at a Pew chart: global favorability of the U.S. just dropped below China’s for the first time. That’s where dollar dominance eventually ends—not in the bond market, but in reputation. And we’re burning through ours fast. Chapters Intro: 00:00:38 Quick Takes: 00:01:43 Max Notes: 00:06:13 Killer Left Take of the Week: 00:20:47 Chart of the Week: 00:22:17 Outro: 00:24:20 Resources NBC News: Far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos detained by ICE at New Orleans airport The New York Times: Milo Yiannopoulos, Right-Wing Agitator, Deported Home to U.K. U.S. Democratic Socialists: Angie Nixon DESTROYS Laura Loomer After Disgusting Comments! The Omission: 78 Days NBC News: Kalshi permanently bans George Santos after he secretly bet on himself WGRZ-TV: Seneca nation President reacts to Lake Ontario name change The Progressive: The Long Con of John Roberts CNN: Google Maps changes Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ in US searches Bloomberg Podcasts: Venezuela Oil Deal Raises Questions Over US Role PBS News: What we know about Trump’s deal giving U.S. access to vast oil reserves in Venezuela The Heritage Foundation: Why American Energy Dominance Is a Strategic Imperative Reuters: Venezuela PDVSA’s 2011 net profit rises 42 pct El País: Venezuela’s economic crisis fueled by looting of its state-owned oil company The Heritage Foundation: Fighting a Just War in Iraq ConocoPhillips: International Arbitration Tribunal Orders Venezuela to Pay ConocoPhillips $8.7 Billion for Unlawful Expropriation of Company’s Oil Investments Al Jazeera: ‘Profoundly pro-American’: Machado outlines a vision for Venezuela’s future CNBC: Venezuela’s interim president says U.S. energy deal will last 25 years Marketplace: Earnings show why big oil isn’t eager to go all-in on Venezuela Council on Foreign Relations: The U.S. Took Over Venezuela’s Oil Industry. Where Has All the Money Gone? Vox: How success in Venezuela set Trump up for disaster in Iran Brittany Page: The Exact Moment Darline Graham Fumbled Her Campaign Pew Research Center: Views of China have turned more positive – and views of the U.S. more negative – across 20 countries UNFTR Resources Video: On The Record 09-01-26 (The Real Story Behind the ‘Great’ Venezuela Oil Deal.) Essay: Iraqezuela. Video: Did Reagan Destroy the American Dream? -- 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