4 Monkeys & a Goat: Trump vs The Fed, Bitcoin, and STL Chaos

4 Monkeys & a Goat!

The Fed Is “Independent,” CNN Is Math-Challenged, and St. Louis Is Living in a Simulation

If you’re looking for a calm, measured explanation of the Federal Reserve, inflation, monkey ownership laws, or why a goat briefly became a supporting character in St. Louis news, you’ve come to the wrong place.

Welcome to NFNPPOD S2E3: 4 Monkeys & a Goat!

This week, the Posse did what the mainstream media refuses to do:
We talked about the Fed like adults, laughed at the hypocrisy, and then immediately pivoted to escaped primates running loose in North St. Louis because honestly… that tracks for 2026.

Trump vs The Fed: “Independent” or Just Untouchable?

Let’s start with the big one.

Donald Trump is publicly hammering Fed Chair Jerome Powell to cut interest rates after the latest inflation data came in at 2.7% year-over-year. That’s not vibes. That’s facts.

Now here’s where it gets fun.

When inflation was 6% under Biden, CNN’s tone was:

“Inflation is still high, but it’s falling.”

When inflation is 2.7% under Trump, CNN’s tone magically becomes:

“Persistent cost of living challenges.”

Same number. Different president.
Apparently, math is bipartisan but adjectives are not.

Trump wants cheaper money. Powell wants “credibility.”
The rest of us want someone to explain why a $2.5 billion Fed building renovation going $700 million over budget is a “nothingburger,” but your Home Depot receipt needs congressional oversight.

How the Fed Actually Works (And Why People Don’t Trust It)

The Federal Reserve loves to remind everyone that it’s independent.

And to be fair, it is… technically.

The Fed:

• Is self-funded

• Makes money from interest on securities, bank loans, and transaction fees

• Sends excess profits back to the U.S. Treasury

Except when it doesn’t.

When the Fed loses money (which it has, to the tune of over $240 billion), it doesn’t ask Congress for help.
It simply writes itself a note called a “deferred asset.”

Translation:

“We’re not broke. We’re just future rich.”

If you lose money, you’re irresponsible.
If the Fed loses money, it’s accounting art.

Totally normal system. No notes.

Rates, Jobs, and Why Everything Still Feels Expensive

Here’s where the numbers actually land right now:

• Inflation: 2.7%

• Core inflation: 2.6%

• Unemployment: 4.4%

• Wage growth: ~3.8%

• Fed funds rate: 3.50%–3.75%

• 30-year mortgage: ~6.06%

So no, we’re not in economic apocalypse mode.

We’re in:

“Why does Taco Bell cost $19?” mode.

And yes, the jobs numbers are now a political cage match too. Depending on who you listen to, native-born employment is surging, foreign-born employment is falling, or everyone is working except the people protesting at 2:30 PM on a Thursday in Minneapolis.

Which brings us to…

Minnesota: Professional Agitators, ICE Chaos, and Zero Chill

Another week, another Minnesota meltdown.

More ICE confrontations.
More shootings.
More officials blaming literally everyone except themselves.

Somehow, hundreds of people with unlimited free time keep showing up mid-workday to protest federal agents, and we’re supposed to believe this is all organic, spontaneous civic engagement.

Sure. And those monkeys just booked Southwest.

Trump is now openly floating the Insurrection Act, which has only been used about 30 times in U.S. history. The mayor wants local police to resist federal agents. The sheriff looks like he wants no part of this energy.

It’s a mess. Again.

Bitcoin: The “I Don’t Trust Any of You” Asset

Naturally, the conversation drifted to Bitcoin.

Because when you’re watching:

• Central banks lose money

• Governments redefine words

• Media outlets rewrite narratives

A fixed-supply, trustless ledger starts to make sense.

Bitcoin is hovering around $96,000, still reacting to rate-cut rumors like a financial mood ring.

Is Bitcoin perfect? No.
Is it immune to politics? Also no.
But at least it doesn’t pretend losing money is called a “deferred asset.”

Local in the Lou: 4 Monkeys, a Goat, and AI Ruins Everything

And just when things got too serious, St. Louis saved us.

Yes, four monkeys were reported loose in North St. Louis.
Yes, they were identified as vervet monkeys.
Yes, owning them is illegal.
No, nobody claimed them.

Animal control searched.
Then stopped searching.
Then offered amnesty.

Which is how you know it was real.

To make it even better, AI-generated monkey photos flooded the internet, making it almost impossible for authorities to tell which monkeys were real and which ones were wearing fake Cardinals jerseys.

Oh. And then a goat showed up.

The goat was caught quickly, which raises serious questions about law enforcement priorities and hooves.

Late-night TV talked about it.
The internet memed it to death.
And St. Louis once again proved we are living inside a glitchy beta test.

Final Thought

This episode had everything:

• Trump vs the Fed

• CNN math gymnastics

• Bitcoin therapy

• Minnesota chaos

• And four monkeys with better PR than most politicians

If you ever wondered why people don’t trust institutions anymore, the answer might be:

“Because the monkeys made more sense.”

🎙️ Listen to “4 Monkeys & a Goat!” now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
Full episode and links at NFNPPOD.com

And yes… we’ll be back next week.
Because somehow, it’s going to get weirder.