Letters from an American

September 30, 2026After more than two decades, the deaths of countless Iraqi civilians and more than 4,500 US troops, the wounding of more than 30,000 US military personnel, and a cost of more than $2.8 trillion, the US has pulled out the last of its forces from Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq, A small contingent of advisors had remained after the US and Iraq agreed to a withdrawal plan in 2024, At that time, Iran seemed to be on the ropes, but Trump's war on Iran has strengthened the country's hand in the region, The invasion of Iraq in 2003 was based on the belief that Iraq's Saddam Hussein was destabilizing the Middle East, Although Saddam had not been involved in the 9/11 attack, officials from the George W Bush administration pushed the idea that the terrorists were affiliated with Iraq, The administration warned that Saddam Hussein was amassing weapons of mass destruction and when Secretary of State Colin Powell warned in a speech at the UN that Iraq had chemical WMDs and the resources to create nuclear weapons, people were convinced it was true. Later the evidence was discredited, but enough countries backed an invasion that in March 2003 American troops invaded with the intention of overthrowing the government, Saddam's forces crumbled and by May the US had set up a transitional government and Bush had declared “Mission Accomplished,” But it wasn't, Now the United States is entering the eighth month of a war on Iran that Trump apparently began with the same cowboy mentality as Bush carried into the war in Iraq, And Pete Hegseth is celebrating his transformation of the military and its “patriotic cowboys.” To read this letter, click here:Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyYou can also find Heather at:YouTubeBlueskyInstagramFacebookThreadsTikTok Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 29, 2026At a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee Jack Smith was questioned about the case charging Trump with using fraud and deceit to overturn the 2020 election results, The courts have interpreted the language in the Constitution that protects speech in Congress broadly, Republicans have used that protection to make outrageous accusations and to spread disinformation, Smith was appointed special counsel by former attorney general Merrick Garland on November 18, 2022, In June 2023 a grand jury indicted Trump on 37 counts but after Trump was reelected Smith dropped Trump from the case, Today's hearing focused on charges by a federal grand jury in August 2023, Trump challenged the indictment and the Supreme Court largely agreed with him in its Trump v United States decision that gave a president absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions performed as part of his official duties and Smith dismissed the case after Trump was reelected, Today's hearing seems to have been an appeal to either Trump or the MAGA base, Sen Eric Schmitt presented a conspiracy theory which was based on incorrect information, The right wing media ran with his story nonetheless, Smith's opening statement at the hearing focused on his commitment to facts and the rule of law and emphasized that his actions were based on evidence, He expressed his belief that the rule of law faces extraordinary challenges but also his confidence that the rule of law will endure despite the pressures being put upon it.To read this letter, click here:Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyYou can also find Heather at:YouTubeBlueskyInstagramFacebookThreadsTikTok Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 28, 2026Trump posted a video ad on television with the words “Paid for by the U.S. Government,”  The backlash was immediate, Social media users and lawyers alike asked why the US government was paying for a poilitical ad, The government paying for Trump's vanity ads while at the same time announcing it is refusing to spend money on programs intended to help people was yet another headache for Republicans hoping to retain control of Congress after the midterm elections, Trump's job approval numbers are collapsing, falling most sharply among voters who identify themselves as Republicans, Trump's tariffs are eroding his support in the agricultural areas that used to be the backbone of his support, Republicans in battleground states are on the defense as voters turn against ICE agents conducting raids in their states, The skyrocketing price of diesel is pushing Republican candidates to call for an end to the war in Iran, Certain candidates are in the news for all the wrong reasons: Susan Collins in Maine because her campaign accepted an illegal contribution, Bo French in Texas for his inflammatory and racist posts, and Roger Marshall in Kansas for suing his patients for outstanding bills, many of them for as little as $101, Markwayne Mullins and Pete Hegseth are increasingly unpopular, And mentions of Trump's name have dropped nearly 70% since before the 2024 election. To read this letter, click here:Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyYou can also find Heather at:YouTubeBlueskyInstagramFacebookThreadsTikTok Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 26, 2026Last night, the White House would not allow reporters from CNN on Air Force One as part of the press pool, With bad news plaguing the administration, Trump has reasons for wanting to control the press, A key prosecutor in the case of the Broadview Six resigned, in a scathing letter, The cases against the Broadview Six fell apart because of prosecutorial misconduct, The term of Andrew Boutros, the US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois has been problematic, Whistleblowers who worked at the Kennedy Center claim that $1.4 million that had been allocated to make repairs to the building's roof was redirected to painting the building's columns, While 69% of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of the war in Iran, Trump has told aides that he is planning to resume bombing Iran after the midterms, Trump told heads of state at the UN that his administration is seeking a “fundamental change” in the government of Cuba, Marco Rubio told reporters that Trump has invited Vladimir Putin to the meeting of the G20 in December, but 14 senators have urged Trump to rescind the invitation, The US and Russia worked together to weaken a UN plan to regulate AI weapons, The administration is refusing to spend $810 million approved by Congress for research, but the Constitution places the power of the purse in Congress and such “pocket rescissions” are illegal, Director of OMB, Russell Vought, claims otherwise, And while opposition to his moves continues to grow, Trump is considering hosting a Major League Baseball game at a national park.To read this letter, click here:Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyTo read this letter, click here:Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyYou can also find Heather:YouTubeBlueskyInstagramFacebookThreadsTikTok Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 25, 2026September 25 is Dolly Parton Day and also National Lobster Day, National Lobster Day honors the cultural and economic history of the lobster industry, Lobsters have been vital to Maine's coastal communities, but were once scorned as poor man's food, It was fish that were central to the English settlement of North America, Scholars have called the discovery of fish in the Atlantic and the trade it sparked, the “Fish Revolution,” Fishing meant big money and British fishermen fished the Grand Banks and had moved into the Gulf of Maine by 1600, European fishermen brought diseases for which the Indigenous populations had no immunities and tribes were wiped out, The fish trade was so important to New Englanders that access to fishing grounds was written into the third article of the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the Revolutionary War.To read this letter, click here:Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyYou can also find Heather at:YouTubeBlueskyInstagramFacebookThreadsTikTok Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

Early today, US District Judge Timothy Kelly granted the request of media outlets to stop Trump's order banning members of their organizations from the White House, Kelly ordered the credentials of 78 journalists restored immediately but the White House continued to deny White House access to reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, While they were allowed in after the judge ordered the administration to respond, CNN and MS NOW were then blocked from access to the White House state dinner with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Trump's response was to issue claims to try to convince voters he is winning but that is a hard sell, The Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants was stopped by a federal appeals court, whereupon Solicitor General Sauer asked the Supreme Court to step in to permit renditions to third countries, A GAO report found that ICE had not figured out how to spend the $45 billion that Congress gave it last year and it has wasted tens of millions of taxpayer dollars, In California, 650,000 ballots were confiscated by Republican sheriff Chad Bianco, The California Supreme Court ordered him to return the ballots, Trump's claims of voter fraud took a hit as the claim that almost 16,000 noncitizens were on the voter roles in Nevada proved to be completely false, Trump's approval rating continues to drop, Trump is running an ad, which was paid for by the US government, Democratic lawmakers are demanding that it be taken down, and that it is government propaganda more fitting for North Korea than the US.To read this letter, click here:Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyYou can also find Heather at:YouTubeBlueskyInstagramFacebookThreadsTikTok Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 23, 2026When Trump returned to the White House in 2025, he fired the investigators in the anti-corruption group of the FBI who were investigating Sen. Susan Collins for engaging in a pay-to-play scheme, He largely stopped investigating public corruption, The Gilded Age was known for lawmakers rewarding business followers with government contracts and political office, The relationship between MAGA Republicans and the misuse of tax dollars is becoming more obvious, HHS Secretary Kennedy has taken funds from his department's Office of Minority Health to fund security for himself, Kennedy has accepted gifts and his wife has accepted consulting fees from allies, Tax dollars are being used to pay authoritarian governments for imprisoning immigrants from the US, The administration is reversing its previous emphasis on resettling refugees, focusing instead on expelling them, often to places where they will be tortured, and all with little oversight, In Texas, an ICE agent shot a Venezuelan food delivery driver who had a valid work permit, The ICE agent was a recent hire, among those hired when the workforce was doubled after billions of dollars were provided by Congress, The NSF, NOAA, and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality are all running far behind in funding for the fiscal year, Trump's ballroom will cost taxpayers more than $300 million, in spite of his early promises, And the ballroom's design does not meet fire codes, a concern that Trump dismissed.To read this letter, click here.Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyGet full, free access to Letters from an American here.You can also find Heather:YouTubeBlueskyInstagramFacebookThreadsTikTok Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 21, 2026On September 18th, Trump announced he was banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, Trump invoked “national security,” again, as the explanation for the ban, CNN, MS NOW, and Politico have sued Trump, his communications director, the Secret Service director, and the White House chief of staff for violating the Fifth and the First Amendments, US District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, was assigned the case, Kelly previously ruled that revoking journalist Jim Acosta's pass likely violated his due process rights, Trump has already vowed to appeal if he loses, The government has to respond to the lawsuit on Tuesday and a hearing is set for Wednesday, Major news networks are refusing to cover Trump on television, so there is no coverage from the White House, Trump, who has called journalists the enemy of the people, is trying to discredit any critical coverage of him or his administration.Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 20, 2026Thousands gathered outside the JFK Center on Friday evening, in protest of Trump's takeover of the building and his threat to shut it down or even demolish it, Trump is protecting his Triumphal Arch project by announcing that it will be essential for “national security,” Officials from the National Park Service agree that the construction of the arch will adversely affect dozens of historical sites, In a drone strike on a passenger train traveling from Kyiv to Warsaw, Russia appears to be sending a message to the western world, Russia has been pushing NATO countries with “hybrid attacks,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte noted that Russian attempts to interfere with help to Ukraine will only lead NATO to do more for Ukraine, Russia has been helping Iran in its fight against the US, yet Trump doesn't feel that it is a threat to the US, Trump is suggesting that Putin will be more willing to end his war in Ukraine if the US makes business deals with Russia, In a New Yorker article, Dexter Filkins writes that the Trump administration has essentially privatized US foreign policy for their own interests, Trump, Jared Kushner, and other Trump allies may be participants in any of 10 money-making ventures, Rutte outlines what he called NATO 3.0, In this phase, the weight of NATO shifts from the US and toward the UK, Europe, and Canada. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 19, 2026350 years ago, on September 19, 1676, Nathaniel Bacon and his followers burned Jamestown - the capital of the Virginia Colony, Virginia lawmakers would respond by making sure poor men would not again make common cause by passing laws to divide them along racial lines, A year before Bacon's Rebellion, raids by both the Virginia militia and the Susquehannocks inflamed a power struggle in the colony, Since the colony's beginning, there had been a clear line between men with land and power and those who worked for them, Enslaved people and indentured white workers worked and socialized together, and as their community grew, they migrated west, They resented the eastern government that seemed to ignore their interests, Nathaniel Bacon created a powerful coalition that marched on Jamestown, protesting taxes and corruption, They held Jamestown for several  months before they were forced to retreat, When they tried to recapture the town they ended up burning it, The rebellion fell apart after Bacon's death a month later, and the crisis convinced the wealthy elite of Virginia to drive wedges between Black slaves and white servants to avoid anything like it from happening, They gave legal rights and protections to white servants and made it costly for white and Black Virginians to socialize, Black Americans were bound more tightly into slavery while white Virginians were convinced that they were independent. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 18, 2026Diesel has hit its highest recorded average price, An advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader said Iran would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until Trump and Netanyahu are removed from power, The economic pain of this moment appears to be turning the media against Trump, Trump responded by announcing he is banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House after scoops by these outlets, The US appears to have come close to starting a war with China based on a report generated by AI, A shipment of F-35 fighters disappeared, possibly falling into China's hands, At least four more US service members have died in the Middle East than the Department of Defense has announced, A Fox News poll shows people trust the Democrats more than  Republicans on inflation and prices, Trump's tariffs are being hailed by Republicans in public, but in private they are looking for ways to work around them for their districts, Trump's PAC is putting money into campaigns in districts that had elected Trump by huge margins in 2024, Prominent Republicans are speaking out against Trump's actions and the actions of Trump supporters, Republican leaders are endorsing Democrats like James Talarico in Texas, Jon Ossoff in Georgia, and Adam Hamilton in Kansas,  Vice President Vance has asked voters for “another chance."Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 17, 2026In 1776, Benjamin Franklin helped draft the Declaration of Independence and in 1787, he urged his colleagues at the Constitutional Convention to rally behind the new plan of government they had written, The framers of the new constitution hoped it would fix the problems of the first attempt to create a new nation, A "firm league of friendship," the Articles of Confederation had given the federal government few duties, Within a decade the nation seemed on the verge of tearing itself apart, Leaders called for a reworking of the new government centered not on the states but on the people of the nation represented by a national government, The Constitution established a representative democracy, a republic, with three branches of government, the legislative branch - the Congress, the executive branch - the president, and the judicial branch - the courts, The Constitution declares that the laws made under the authority of the United States shall be the supreme law of the land, Franklin urged his colleagues to put their names to the Constitution, even with any perceived faults, and that any of them who still had objections “doubt a little of his infallibility - and to make manifest our unanimity, put his name to this instrument," And on September 17, 1787, they did.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 16, 2026A US District Judge refused to perist the Kennedy Center board to return Trump's name to the building's facade, The board promptly appealed, and voted to close the venue for two years, Rep. Joyce Beatty of Florida, an ex-officio member of the board, confroted Trump, Panic is spreading over oil prices, Revelations about the Iran War continue to be published, from reports of extensive damage to US bases in the Middle East to the cost of the war, Thomas Massie introduced eight counts of impeachement against Defense Secretary Hegseth, Trump expressed anger that his three hand-picked appointees to the Supreme Court did not support his rule to allow the USPS to screen mail-in ballots.       Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson                                             Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 15, 2026Seven years ago, I wrote a Facebook post that was the start of Letters from an American, I wrote about how things at the White House looked to me, I wrote that a dictator was on the rise, using the power of his office to amass power, The patterns I saw seven years ago are slicing to the heard of both the mechanics and the soul of the US, In that first letter, I warned of rising authoritarianism, I encouraged people to make noise, take up oxygen, defend what is great about this nation and its people, And we have made noise, and taken up oxygen, I write these letters because I love America, To those who read these letters, I thank you for bringing me along on this wild, unexpected, exhausting, and exhilarating journey.  Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 14, 2026News broke about a Russian oligarch spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding, The inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security released a report detailing violations of standards at the now-closed detention camp in the Florida Everglades, But it has been suggested that the conditions were even worse than reported and that the report is part of a cover up, A whistleblower has alleged that inspectors under the direction of top Homeland Security leadership may have broken state laws in their zeal to find noncitizens on voter rolls, These actions all add up to an attempt to establish an authoritarian government, Stocks in AI companies and companies that produce chips fell after warnings about AI, Trump posted frantically on social media, Oil executives are warning that the US and the world are in for a fuel crisis, The Supreme Court refused to allow Trump to put his new orders for the USPS to screen mail-in ballots in place.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 13, 2026Dario Amodel, the CEO of Anthropic expressed concern that AI models are advancing faster than engineers can understand them, He warned that a swarm of programs could take over the internet and called for AI companies to establish safety standards and limit their rate of progress, He expressed the opinion that the government and public need to have a stake in the development of the technology and that there should be regulation to limit what private companies can do, An Anthropic researcher who recently resigned has expressed concerns about the dangers of unrestrained AI, Employees as well as CEOs of AI companies have posted their support for slowing down the pace of AI improvements, In 2023, President Biden issued an executive order, calling for responsible behavior in the development of AI, Trump revoked this executive order on the day he was inaugurated, Trump and his family have invested heavily in companies tied to the AI boom, Trump has hailed AI data centers although the majority of Americans are against their construction, The Trump administration insists it can overcome rising deficits, through growth, but productivity is slowing, Trump's administration may be thinking that AI is its solution. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 12, 2026Judge J. Michael Luttig published a warning about how Republicans could refuse to seat elected Democrats after the midterm elections, Speaker Mike Johnson has the power to replace the current House clerk with a MAGA loyalist who will refuse to list Democrats on the roll of those elected to the 120th Congress, In this scenario, Democrats will have to go to the courts, perhaps eventually the Supreme Court, which would take weeks, leaving the country vulnerable, Trump's plan to use the US Postal Service to screen mailed-in votes is being tested in Florida, and shows what will likely happen if the Supreme Court lifts its injunction blocking the USPS from implementing new rules, The DOJ under Trump is threatening, without cause, election workers, using harassment and intimidation to force them to put Trump's election changes into effect, Luttig urged Republicans to decide not to betray their oaths of office and the country, and  wrote that the Republican Party must “loose the chains of its political and moral enslavement to Donald Trump and separate itself from the MAGA political party cult."Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

Yesterday, Trump's midterm convention had its second night, The audience was sparse, but Trump got the loyalty he demanded from the crowd that showed up, He promised, again, to pay all adult US citizens $5,000 if the Republicans hold control of the House and the Senate, Meanwhile, along with the Strait of Hormuz being under the control of Iranian forces, Iran backed Houthi militants expanded their control of the area around the Bab el-Mandeb strait which has become an alternative route for Saudi Arabian oil to be shipped to the west, Although the Houthis do not control both sides of the strait, they threaten shipping through the passage, Iran appears to be retaliating for Trump's threats to strangle the Iranian economy by further slowing the transport, Today is the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Trump did not attend the commemoration at Ground Zero, but delivered a speech at the Pentagon, tying the war on Iran to the attacks of 9/11, All four former presidents and first ladies attended the ceremony, As a famous issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, published in November, 2001, explained, the heroes of 9/11 were ordinary people, who were made extraordinary “by acts of compassion, and courage, and terrible sacrifice."Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 10, 2026Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militants have taken control of an area near the Bab el-Mandeb strait, With the Strait of Hormuz largely closed, the Bab el-Mandeb has become very important for global shipping, The Iran-backed Houthis have been in a struggle against the Saudi Arabia-backed Yemeni government, The attacks on Saudi targets started fires at oil facilities and wounded more than 70, Reports indicated that Iran had planned an economic “nuclear option” closing the Bab e-Mandeb, The price of oil jumped to $109 a barrel, The average price of diesel hit $6.00 for the first time ever, The new record will be painful, especially if diesel prices continue to climb, Trump spent the day at the Dallas rally that is intended to fire up his base before the midterms. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 9, 2026At a White House event marking the anniversary of 9/11, Trump told a story about being at the site of the World Trade Center that day, but fact checkers and Trump's nephew dispute his account, Canada's retaliatory tariffs on US-made goods went into effect on September 8, The US and Iran are striking each other again, Trump's advisors have warned him that the Iran war could continue to the end of his term, straining markets and the military, The economic and military problems are all self-inflicted, from the Iran War to the feud with Canada, to the effect of tariffs around the globe, Corruption continues to expand across the administration, As Trump attempts to rally his base in Dallas, Democrats are taking notice of the president's dereliction of duty. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 8, 2026Germany's far right AfD party won 43.8% of the vote in the small state of Saxony0Anhalt, formerly part of the Soviet dominated East Germany, Right wing leaders across Europe celebrated the outcome, Elon Musk, a supporter of AfD, was the largest donor to any political committee in the 2024 presidential eletion, Musk has plowed money into the Texas Senate election, pitting Ken Paxton against James Talrico, Musk is attempting to buy elections for the Republicans, Musk used DOGE to strip agencies like USAID, but appears not to have made signficant savings, Musk's antics have confirmed the sense that billionaires are a threat to democracy, There is pushback, but it is unclear whther populr pressure can withstnd the extrqaordinary amount of money thta Musk and other billionaires are pouring into the midterms, DOGE's access to detailed information on US citizens is poised to corrupt the midterm elections. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 7, 2026Trump has been posting on social media at a frantic pace, He is posting AI images of himself as a superhero, as various historic figures, as a mapmaker, and a stock trader.  He apparently believes that trolling the country is a good way to keep attention focused on himself rather than on inflation, corruption, or the war in Iran, Trump's approval rating on the economy is 41 points under water,   Energy Secretary Chris Wright said we may never see a nuclear agreement with Iran, Trump claimed that oil prices are going to plummet, Trump appears to have abandoned the idea of governing and is operating as if he can do whatever he wishes, Trump's Labor Day message was vastly different from Joe Biden's message for the country which recognized the role of every worker in making the country run. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 5, 2026The Trump administration had a busy Friday, US District Judge Talwani blocked Trump's illegal and unconstitutional plan to use the US Postal Service to screen mail-in voters, A day after Interior Secretary Burgum announced that work was starting on Trump's arch, US District Court Judge Chutkan ordered the administration to give the court notice before proceeding, Trump said the Iran War is not a war, and denied that military personnel are seeing record long deployments, and that the US controls the Strait of Hormuz, Trump also denies reports of a shortage of munitions, and Pete Hegseth is forcing members of the military's Joint Staff to take lie detector tests to prove they were not source of leaks, The Defense Department and NIH are moving funds for medical research to the Pentagon, where the Navy has run out of money, Trump appears to misunderstand how trade and trade deficits work, And the US was the only country to vote against a UN resolution to change the world map to more accurately reflect the size of continents, more than 450 years after the commonly used Mercator projection was created.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 4, 2026On September 5, 1882, workers in New York City celebrated the first Labor Day holiday, Their goal was to emphasize the importance of workers in the industrializing economy, Twenty years after the Civil War, government had swung toward men of capital, and working men worried they would lose their rights, Inequality was growing in the country, Workers helped elect reformer Democrat Grover Cleveland to the White House in 1884, In 1888 Cleveland won the popular vote but lost in the electoral college to Benjamin Harrison, In 1892 Cleveland was re-elected in a landslide, Investors rushed to take their money out of the stock market and the economy collapsed.  Cleveland and the Democratic Congress had to abandon many of their pro-worker policies, But on June 28, 1894, Cleveland signed Congress's bill making Labor Day a legal holiday. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 3, 2026Election analyst Charlie Cook is warning Republicans to brace themselves for the midterms, The Trump administration is trying to implement a new gatekeeper role for the US Postal Service, violating the Constitution which gives control of elections to the states, The court that blocked the USPS plan until September 10 held a hearing about extending that block, Solicitor General John Sauer went directly to the Supreme Court to appeal, The Speaker of the House canceled votes for the last two weeks of September, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced that work on Trump's arch will begin, even though approvals have not been secured, The approaching midterms are affecting decisions about Iran and the Epstein Files.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 2, 2026Some pundits interpreted Trump's 2024 win as a permanent political realignment, Others disagreed, seeing the swing toward Trump as due to anti-incumbent feelings, Republicans set out to redistrict states to guarantee control of Congress after the 2026 midterm election, The redistricting may have backfired, Anti-incumbent feeling has turned against the Republicans, In January voters flipped a seat in the Texas Senate from Republican to Democratic in a historically Republican dominated district in Tarrant County, Now Republicans are panicking, Trump is talking about nationalizing voting, rigging the election, sending armed officers to the polls, but every effort has been blocked by the courts or failed in Congress, Courts blocked Trump's attempt to use the USPS as a gatekeeper to stop ballots from being delivered to voters, but the plan has continued in spite of the court order, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is not ruling out sending ICE agents to the polls although federal law prohibits it, In Tarrant County Texas the Republicans are cutting the number of polling places, in spite of voter outrage. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

September 1, 2026The US Supreme Court allowed Trump to continue to build his ballroom, Chief Justice Roberts wrote that the project is likely unlawful, but the project will likely be completed before that question is resolved, Trump's behavior is a logical outcome of the theory of the “unitary executive,” In 2024, the Supreme Court overturned the commitment to the idea that no one is above the law, Trump is convinced that he can do whatever he wishes, including rigging elections so that he cannot lose, The US Postal Service is putting in place a new system for handling federal election ballot mail, in a hasty, chaotic, and flawed process, A whistleblower says that the administration has hidden the likelihood that there will be major disruptions in getting ballots delivered to voters, Work on this system has continued despite an injunction from a federal court ordering it to stop, The USPS has never played a gatekeeping function and Sen Richard Blumenthal called on the Postmaster General to abandon the plan and ensure that all Americans can vote without interference by the USPS, He told reporters that it appears the system is designed to disenfranchise millions of Americans, And Trump seems largely unaware of what is going on in his administration.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 31, 2026Military leaders are warning Defense Secretary Hegseth that continuing large scale operations in Iran is unsustainable and dangerous, Trump's insistence on having the option to launch major attacks has forced more than 50,000 troops to be kept on alert for months,  The chief of Naval Operations has warned that the Navy cannot sustain its current level of support for the Iran war, The Pentagon has pushed back, and Hegseth has fired several admirals and generals who he deems insufficiently loyal,, After a reported exchange of fire in Iran, Trump claimed on social media that Iran is failing, though the image he posted doesn't reflect reality, Hegseth is attempting to silence journalists. The staffers he fired at Stars and Stripes are suing Hegseth, and the Defense Department, calling the firings a violation of the First Amendment, Hegseth is also hiring right-wing social media influencers using taxpayer money, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation on Monday, after struggling with Hegseth for months over the firing of senior Army officers and the direction of the military.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 30, 2026In America's founding myth about George Washington and the cherry tree, the message was that truth telling is important in a leader, Trump's administration was supposed to notify US District Court Judge Reyes before taking down trees on the grounds of the East Potomac Golf Links, a historic publicly owned course, But more than 60 trees have been removed and the administration has not abided by her ruling, They claim the trees had to be removed for maintenance purposes, Trump is hailing an oil deal with Venezuela, although there is little information about it, It appears to involve the family of Alejandro Betancourt López, who has been accused of corruption and investigated for money laundering, The deal is built on a legal environment that does not exist, The deal is also built on US aggression, the kidnapping of President Maduro, the installation of Maduro's vice president instead of the opposition candidate, As journalist David Rothkopf pointedly explained, we do not know where the money is going, and whether it will end up being a “mafia-style shakedown scheme” benefitting anti democratic forces in Venezuela and the US, and the president's friends, and possibly the president's family, and himself.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 29, 2026Republican lawmakers are attempting to restrict the ability of naturalized and dual citizens to run for office, At least five Republican members of Congress want to prohibit them from holding federal judgeships, Cabinet posts, and ambassadorships as well, Americans have struggled over questions of equality and immigration for more than a century, Anti-immigrant sentiment on the East Coast over Irish immigrants and on the West Coast over Chinese immigrants led to limits to their rights and created a caste system, Abraham Lincoln understood that giving up the principle of equality is an excuse for enslaving people and that we cannot make exceptions to the Declaration of Independence, Americans added the 14th Amendment to the Constitution to ensure that these exceptions could not be made, The Constitution's requirements for officeholders are the only allowable qualifications, neither states nor the federal government can add additional qualifications, The idea of discriminating against naturalized citizens is, in the words of law professor Pamela Karlan, "ugly, stupid, and unconstitutional."Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 28, 2026On August 28, 1963, Reverend Dr Martin Luther King spoke at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, His speech was about race, but also about economics, John Lewis also spoke, calling for peaceful demonstrations and the vote, In 1964, voters gave Democrats a strong majority in Congress and, with President Lyndon B. Johnson, were able to pass 84 new laws putting Johnson's Great Society in Place, The laws cemented civil rights, created jobs, provided aid for job training and education, created Medicare and Medicaid, protected consumers and the environment, and provided support for the arts and the humanities, With the election of Richard Nixon the race to tear apart this commitment by appealing to racism was on, And in 2026 the Trump administration is abandoning Temporary Protected Status for Haitians who came to the US because it was too dangerous for them at home, Meanwhile vast sums are being contributed to keeping Republicans in office as they funnel money upward and dismantle the government, Republican candidates are calling for ICE and retired police to be deployed to intimidate voters in the midterms.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 27, 2026RFK appears to have lied about the purpose of his Samoa trip, Information on his testimony and conduct could lead to hearings, and could prove embarrassing to the Trump administration, The war on Iran has created a financial crisis that is affecting the Navy, There is speculation that the shortages are a deliberate and political decision, The administration's latest move, to cancel an offshore wind project, is funneling a fortune to a donor to Trump's inaugural committee, The deal and others like it are corrupt and illegal, The Trump family's crypto ventures are funded by foreign governments and others seeking favor, Trump's crypto schemes are leaving investors under water, Trump's approval ratings continue to fall, Trump is trying to make the midterm elections all about him, Perhaps to bully Canada, Trump is directing Interior Secretary Burgum to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in official documents. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 26, 2026On August 25, buildings across the country were lit up in pink at 9:25, Dolly Parton was a musical prodigy encouraged by her mother, She began singing on local radio and tv shows before she was 10, and at the Grand Ole Opry when she was 13, Musicians recognized her talent as a songwriter, and she wrote songs made famous by a long list of singers, She used her flamboyant style to “fill her space” in an industry dominated by men, She embraced and celebrated her upbringing, which valued love over possessions, She launched her film career in 9 to 5, with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, She was a lifelong member of the labor union that represents musicians and singers, She would bring awareness and empathy to the AIDS crisis, Dollywood brought jobs to the place where she grew up, The Dollywood Foundation supports local education, The Imagination Library puts books into the hands of children across the country, She celebrates reading, books, education, urging kids to dream big and learn what they can and to care for those who care for them.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson  Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 25, 2026Trump is floating the idea of renaming Lake Ontario.  Canadian officials will impose tariffs of up to 50% on US products on September 8, Scott Bessent's threat to strangle Iran's economy isn't faring well, China is taking advantage of the desperation those threats suggest, The Iran war has reconfigured the Middle East with Iran emerging as the area's dominant power, Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth want to bring a “warrior” ethos to the Pentagon and they thought senior officers would agree with him, but they have disagreed with policies to scale back the effort to protect civilians, Trump's trade war is likely to hit the Midwest right before the midterms, Republican candidates are backing away from Trump, Trump still thinks his power is unchallenged and he is now threatening to demolish the Kennedy Center if he can't renovate it. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 24, 2026Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney instructed negotiators to walk away from talks with the Trump administration, When he won reelection in 2024, Trump emphasized that he intended to use tariffs to pressure Canada to join the US as a 51st state and he has sought to use the extraordinary economic power of the US to force Canada and other countries into subordinate relationships, This new attack on Canada doesn't make economic or political sense for the US but does make sense for this president who is flailing, Republicans appear unwilling to cross Trump but our allies do have power and agency of their own, Carney is urging so-called "middle countries" to create coalitions, Carney and Canada will retaliate against US tariffs and will begin intense discussions with the EU, Trump is clearly seen as untrustworthy, on beef prices, on oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz, and on data centers, A report about a meeting between Hakim Jeffries and Jared Kushner created fury, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced an initiative to demand other world leaders join with the US in strangling Iran's economy. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 22, 2026On August 18, Sen Darline Graham of South Carolina explained that she is not that informed on national security - although senators are supposed to manage national security, Graham is a perfect representation of today's Republican Party, With little political experience, she is echoing Republican culture war talking points that worked for Trump in 2016, Trump told a rally in South Carolina that the election is really about him, Two former teachers endorsed by Democrats flipped the Sarasota Florida school board, The Republican Party tied itself to Trump and remains tied to him as he devotes his time to celebrating himself, Meanwhile the country is embroiled in a war in Iran, the economy is slowing, prices of food and gas are rising, and Americans are horrified by ICE and by Trump's corruption, Trump imposed a tariff on goods from Canada and Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs, The field is open for Democrats to redefine the nation's policies, Pete Buttigieg recorded a video assuring Americans who oppose the Trump administration that they are in the large majority.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 21, 2026On August 21, 1831, Nat Turner led 70 enslaved and free Black Americans in a violent rebellion intended to awaken his white neighbors to the brutality of slaveholding, Responding to fears that educating slaves was dangerous, states across the South made it a crime to teach enslaved Americans to read and write, Denial of access to education read them out of society, The fledgling Republican Party passed the Land Grant College act that funded public universities, Andrew Johnson vetoed the bill, In 1954 the Supreme Court ruled that separate schools were inherently unequal and unconstitutional, When Ronald Reagan was elected he vowed to work for abolishing the Department of Education and to push tax dollars from public schools to private academies, Donald Trump's education secretary pushed to expand voucher programs, The claim was that vouchers would save money, but Arizona's biggest voucher program in the nation blew a hole in the state budget, In Texas a voucher program was passed into law, which will leave public schools across the state underfunded and closing, In Arizona the state supreme court ruled that opponents to a voucher program won't get a ballot measure in front of voters this fall, In 2026 it seems the intent is to exclude certain Americans from participation in the Enlightenment principles on which the nation was founded.  Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 20, 2026Republicans are trying to hide the cuts they have made to health care in the US, Republicans are working to undo the progress made with the Affordable Care Act, The work requirement they have imposed on the ACA is really a paperwork requirement, Up to 15 million people are at risk of losing Medicaid coverage, In 1883 sociologist Wiliiam Graham Sumner published an influential book that concluded that citizens owe nothing to each other, Those succeeding in the industrializing economy agreed, The Trump administration appears to embrace the belief that the nation depends upon the survival of the fittest, Robert F Kennedy's beliefs about vaccines seem to align with that idea, The US is experiencing a wave of foodborne illnesses, The administration cut back mandatory tracking of eight pathogens that had been covered by FoodNet before the administration cut six of them, The leadership positions at the CDC and FDA are vacant and need to be filled, Keeping government out of society undermined public health and safety in the past, Middle class Americans demanded regulation of the food and drug industry, ushering in reforms. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 19, 2026Republicans are melting down over stories about Trump aide Natalie Harp, The White House attacked a CNN reporter for asking about a comment by Jon Ossoff, The right wing media piled on Ossoff although their outrage was manufactured, The Harp business did distract from news about Trump's apparent stock manipulation and Trump's ballroom - which is vastly unpopular, Trump is downplaying the poor conditions aboard USS Abraham Lincoln, and his administration's flailing in Iran, ABC and the Walt Disney Company have launched a federal lawsuit against the FCC for violation of free speech rights, The national debt passed $40 million, a record, much sooner than expected, The Harp story has brought attention to Trump's need for a buffer between himself and the outside world, and Republicans don't seem able to change the narrative and use it to attack Ossoff.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 18, 2026On August 18, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, It gave the right to vote to women, The push for rights for women had taken root during the Civil War, But the Fourteenth Amendment tied the right to vote to male citizens only, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B Anthony formed the National Women Suffrage Association, followed by Lucy Stone and Julia Ward Howe's founding of the American Women Suffrage Association, Suffragists decided to test their right to vote under the Fourteenth Amendment in the 1872 election, When Suffragist Virginia Minor was kept from voting, she sued, and the case went to the Supreme Court which decided that women were citizens, but that citizenship did not necessarily convey the right to vote, For the next two decades, women's suffrage drew its power from women's organizations across the country, While laws changed to allow women to vote in some states, federal action was needed, Woodrow Wilson, under pressure in the midterm election of 1918 backed a constitutional amendment, The amendment  became the law of the land after it was ratified by Tennessee, and 26 million American women had the right to vote in the 1920 presidential election, But most Black women and women of color would remain unable to vote for another 45 years, Black women activists were among the leading voices behind the 1965 Voting Rights Act that made Black voting a reality, In 2026, Christian nationalists want to repeal women's right to vote.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 17, 2026Trump is flooding social media with his fantasies about his prowess, Trump claimed credit for falling pharmaceutical prices that are largely the result of the Inflation Reduction Act voted in under the Biden administration, He claims victory in Iran, He believes he is leading the country toward a second American Revolution, Today is the day that the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran expires. without a permanent agreement that opens the Strait of Hormuz and stops Iran's nuclear ambitions, He is cozying up to North Korea and reducing traditional military exercises with US ally South Korea, He is caught in a scandal over the condition of the US military, Trump is redesigning a new aircraft carrier, replacing modern launch system with an older version, Trump's Comptroller of the Currency has approved a preliminary chargter for Trump's World Liberty Financial to become a bank in an unprecedented show of self-dealing.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 16, 2026130 years ago, on August 16, 1896, gold was found in the remote Yukon Territory of Canada, The creek where it was found would come to be known as Bonanza Creek, Tens of thousands of men rushed to the Yukon to seek their fortunes, Many were unprepared and died, Five years earlier, when Democrat Grover Cleveland was elected president, Republicans panicked, Industrialists had become very rich and they insisted that Democrats were socialists and anarchists who wanted to destroy America, Investors pulled out of the market and out of US bonds and Cleveland took office with a financial panic in full swing, In the 1894 midterms, voters turned Congress back over to Republicans, Then Democrats nominated William Jennings Bryan for the presidency while Republicans stood behind pro-business lawmaker William McKinley, Republicans insisted on a gold standard worried that coining silver would decrease the value of their holdings, After McKinley won the election, poorer Americans saw little hope, and news of a gold strike on Bonanza Creek was especially attractive, While few of the miners made fortunes, and many died, the gold from the Yukon did give the economy a boost, opening another path to reform during the Progressive Era.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 15, 2026Todd Blanche took the oath of office as attorney general on August 10, He immediately issued a  memo dramatically expanding executive privilege, This expansion will hinder efforts to investigate Trump's corruption, Independent journalist Katie Phang has filed a suit to force the Department of Justice to produce unredacted documents from the Epstein Files, The Department of Justice has not turned over those documents, The judge has warned the Department of Justice that he has held prosecutors in contempt of court in the past, The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network ended the registry that makes shell companies identify their owners, The Treasury Department will not collect information required by the Corporate Transparency Act that is intended to undercut shell companies that enable money laundering, In doing so, the Trump administration may be openly refusing to implement a law. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 14, 2026The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow it to build his White House Ballroom, The National Trust of Historic Preservation has sued to stop construction, Asking to spend taxpayer money on a vanity project is a stark contract to the actions of the government 91 years ago, On August 14, 1935,  FDR signed the Social Security Act into law, The Social Security Act permanently changed the nature of the American government, It enabled a federal system of benefits, providing a basic social safety net, The force behind the law was Frances Perkins, FDR's secretary of labor, A witness to the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, she knew voluntary organizations would not be sufficient to improve worker's lives, The Social Security Act was hugely popular, The Act wrote into the law a longstanding political impulse that stood in contrast to the 1920s philosophy of rugged individualism, recognizing that pooling resources to take care of everyone was deeply seated, She asserted that Social Security was so firmly embedded in America's psychology that no one could destroy it. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 13, 2026Trump's handpicked Kennedy Center board voted to put his name back on the Kennedy Center building, The administration has ramped up attacks on immigrants, A third immigrant detained at New Jersey's Delaney Hall has died, ICE plans to spend up to $20 million on shock gloves to subdue individuals, DHS is ordering Haitian immigrants in Springfield, OH to be fitted with ankle monitors, The administration is bulldozing its way through Big Bend National Park, Because of staffing shortages, funding cuts, and reassignment of agents to immigration enforcement, DOJ investigations into sex trafficking have stalled, Democratic senators are asking for information on the purchase of 12 new luxury planes purchased with taxpayer dollars, Robert F Kennedy is grabbing ideological ground, reworking the nation's vaccine schedule, Trump issued an executive order forcing states to revise their recommendations on childhood vaccines. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 12, 2026Two Trump-endorsed candidates have lost their primary races as Trump's approval ratings continue to slide, Former Vice President Dick Cheney's cardiologist has written that the White House needs to address concerns over Trump's apparently compromised health, Trump's power, internationally, has been weakened by his inability to end his war on Iran, As his popularity slips, Trump appears to be collapsing his circle to a few people who are close to him personally, He left Marco Rubio on the decoy plane when he left Türkiye, Conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln have deteriorated to the point that sailors have taken to self harm, Spending on White House renovations and vanity projects has skyrocketed, taking funds away from needed maintenance to the National Parks, Mining conglomerate Energy Fuels, with close ties to the Trump administration, is being accused of insider trading, Mike Lindell is refusing to concede his loss in the primary election in Minnesota.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 10, 2026The Iranians believe they are in a position to dictate the terms of resolving the war in Iran, Iran and Oman are negotiating terms for travel through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian officials laid out a series of demands that the US must meet before the Strait is reopened, The US and other countries are being forced to accept an outcome that would have been unacceptable before the war, Netanyahu openly broke with Trump over his plan for Gaza, The Trump administration has been working to reshape Latin American countries into right wing protectorates of the US, The administration is apparently looking for a cooperative leader for Cuba, Trump's assumption of control over Venezuela appears to be the model for efforts in other countries, But the incident in which Trump left Türkiye after the NATO summer by faking the plane he was traveling because of a threat against his life, revealed the cowardice behind his tough guy aspirations, Trump protected himself by traveling in a smaller plan from Türkiye to England, leaving the press corps and staff to play decoy by traveling on Air Force One.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 9, 2026In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg leaks Pentagon study on decisions made, and lies told to the public, about events in Vietnam, Richard Nixon, worried that enemies would leak information about his own decision making, organized a unit out of the White House to stop leaks, These “plumbers” spied, lied, and set out to wiretap the Washington DC headquarters of the DNC at the Watergate complex, Five men were arrested for ransacking the DNC's files, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post broke the story of the White House scheme, The Senate Watergate Committe began nationally televised hearings to investigate, Assistant to the president, Alexander Butterfield, revealed to the commmittee that conversations and phone calls in the Oval Office had been taped since 1971, but Nixon attempted to keep copies from being released to the committee, After Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor, was fired, the new special prosecutor, Leon Jaworski, successfully subpoenaed the tapes, which were damning, In late July 1974, the House Committee on the Judiciary passed three articles of impeachment, An explosive tape was released, showing that Nixon had clearly been central to the cover-up, and a delegation of Republican lawmakers went to the White House to tell Nixon that he must resign or be impeached, He gave a resignation speech that refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing, and his supporters advanced the idea of a “liberal conspiracy” to bring down any Republican president. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 8, 2026Just before leaving for a five-week recess, Senate Republicans confirmed Todd Blanche to the post of Attorney General of the US, Some Republicans were enthusiastic, others were more skeptical but said that if they didn't confirm Blanche, Trump would choose someone worse, Fifty two years ago, Republican senators played a very different role when they delivered the news to Richard Nixon that he must resign or be impeached over the Watergate break-in, On August 8, 1974, Nixon spoke to the American people to tell them he was resigning the presidency of the United States.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

August 7, 2026Reports indicate a serious shortage of US long range missiles, Trump denies this story but reportedly is frustrated with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth who in turn blames Depute Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg, Replenishing the munitions stockpiles will take yeras and cost billions of dollars, Numbers released by the Department of Labor show that the economy shed jobs in July and the jobs numbers from May and June have been revised down, Republicans are focusing on Dr Anthony Fauci, and voted to hold him in contempt of Congress, Trump continues to insist that vandals, not a poor installation, caused the damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, A three judge panel of the US Court of Appeals ruled that Trump cannot build his ballroom without congressional approval, Trump has protested and plans to appeal to the Supreme Court, Voters are even more concerned about inflation and prices than they were six months ago.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe