Letters from an American
Heather Cox Richardson narrates her newsletter, exploring the historical context behind contemporary American politics. Each episode connects current events to broader historical patterns, offering listeners a deeper understanding of today's political landscape. The podcast is based on her popular Substack publication.
Episodes
The Media Begins to Turn Against Trump
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 outl
The Supreme Law of the Land
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 g
Trump Isn’t Taking the News Well
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 extens
Letters from an American
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 a
Attempting to Establish an Authoritarian Government
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 p
Asking the U.S. Government to Regulate AI
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 th
The Writing is Already on the Wall
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 even
The Twenty-fifth Anniversary of 9/11
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
A Chokepoint for World Trade
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
Self-inflicted Problems
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 continu
Hell-bent
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 Paxto
Trump’s Frantic Pace
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
In a Nutshell
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 Ir
Labor Day
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
What Will the Midterms Bring?
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 Joh
Nothing You Can Do Can Stop Us
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 voter
A Betrayal of Our Constitution
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
Military Leadership is Concerned
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, Th
Truth Telling
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 no
The Right to Run for Office
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
The Need to Defend the Vote
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
The Stench of Corruption
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
Dolly
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 “fi
Performative Nonsense
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 Defens
Untrustworthy
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
You Are Not Alone
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 C
Do We Value an Educated Community?
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 Rep
Hidden Cuts to Health Care
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 t
Trying to Change the Narrative
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 downplayin
Fighting for the Right to Vote
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
This is What the Commander in Chief is Doing
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
The Yukon Gold Rush
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 ve
In Shambles
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 h
The Social Security Act
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 perman
Moving as Quickly as Possible
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,
Out of Control
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 appe
Trump's Tough Guy Aspirations
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
The Road to Resignation
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, F
Resigning the Presidency
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 Nixo
Trump’s Protestations
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 a
The Voting Rights Act
August 6, 2026On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, In 1865, Americans ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, outlawing enslavement except as punishment for crimes, In subsequent years, with the ratification of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, citizenship was guaranteed to anyone born or naturalized in the US (except certain Indigenous
In Favor of the Income Tax
August 5, 2026On August 5, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln signed a new tax into law, to help fund the US government during the Civil War, The law shifted ownership of the government to the American people, To equalize the burden and tax individuals in proportion to their ability to pay, the Republican Congress invented the nation’s first income tax, By having the federal government, rather than t
Skewing the System
August 4, 2026In a court filing on Friday, Capital One Bank stated that it had closed more than 380 of Trump and the Trump Organization’s bank accounts for anti-money laundering reasons, Trump and the Trump Organization had sued Capital One in federal court in Florida, Trump has rabidly attacked FBI and Justice Department officials who have extensive experience in investigating money laundering an
An Unconscionable Deal
August 3, 2026Todd Blanche rescinded the order establishing a $1.776 billion slush fund, Blanche’s order did not change the terms of the nonprosecution order providing that the DOJ would not prosecute Trump, his sons, or the Trump Organization for crimes related to tax returns, The IRS will not audit tax returns filed before May 19, 2026, Although the promise to kill the slush fund seems hollow,
Manipulating the Judicial Process
August 2, 2026The dismissal of the DOJ case against David Hearn for vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool came after Hearn’s lawyers received transcripts of the grand jury proceeding that led to the indictment, Lawyers told the court that there were irregularities that “call into question whether the grand jury was misled,” The DOJ has been caught misleading other grand juries or commi
Always a Lie
August 1, 2026The Department of Justice moved to dismiss the criminal charges against David Hearn, who was indicted for vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, The filing says the damage was due to faulty installation by the contractor, a firm that was hired on a no-bid basis, The project had issues from the start, from algae blooming the day after the reservoir was filled with water to
Trading Strategy for Ideology
July 31, 2026Trump is reportedly “exasperated” that the Iran War, for which there was no real strategy, is dragging on and his advisors can’t agree on what to do, Trump told reporters he plans on heavy military strikes against Iran, Instead of a strategy, Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth had an ideology, That ideology celebrates individualism, and sees education, expertise, cooperation, and
60 Years of Medicare and Medicaid
July 30, 2026Sixty years ago, Medicare and Medicaid went into effect, Congress had amended the Social Security Act of 1935 to establish the two national health insurance programs, for seniors and for people who qualified on the basis of income, In 1945 Harry Truman had proposed an Economic Bill of Rights tht guaranteed certain rights including the right to adequate medical care, Truman said that “
Nothing to Stand On
July 29, 2026Trump’s approval ratings, on the economy, inflation, gas prices, and his priorities, are sinking to 30% and below. 72% disapprove of his handling of the situation in Iran, There are significant pockets of disapproval even among Trump’s supporters, There is no end in sight for the war in Iran, and Iranian officials appear confident, Iranian negotiators have made their demands clear, Th
Trying to Rewrite History
July 27, 2026The administration is attempting to rewrite the history of the US, It argues that the US was founded as a white nation, an echo of 1930s German ideology, The White House issued a report saing that the National Museum of American History “fails in the basic task of illuminating our heritage,” The report attacks the Museum’s director and its staff, A nakedly political document, the repo
Rejecting the Constitutional Order
July 26, 2026Trump and his allies are acting as if the Constitution doesn’t exist, Their actions align with the strategy of Nazi political theorist Carl Schmitt, Schmitt’s philosophy centered around the idea that power belongs to the man who can exploit emergencies that create exceptions to the constitutional order, Trump has declared emergencies to justify deploying troops to Iran, to impose tari
Whitewashing
July 25, 2026The White House is moving forward on plans to paint the grey granite Eisenhower Executive Office Building, in spite of the damage it might cause and the maintenance it will requre, By claiming that the building is no longer controlled by the General Services Administration, the president is setting a dangerous precdent, allowing projects to avoid review, The administration is pushing
For Their Own Ends
July 24, 2026Federal officials have admitted that cuts from clean energy projects were based on whether states had voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, Rather than combatting waste, the administration is trying to use the power of the American people for its own ends, Trump has levied tariffs again, on goods from more than 80 countries that make up just short of 100% of US tr
A Politically Impossible Situation
uly 23, 2026In a speech in 1953, President Dwight D Eisenhower warned that diverting tax dollars to war came at the expense of the American people, Trump is slashing programs that people depend on for food, health, scientific research, etc. to pay for his foreign adventures, Pete Hegseth was on Capitol Hill asking for $67 billion to fund the Defense Department through the end of September, The adm
Is This Fascism
July 22, 2026Rep Jim McGovern spoke about the state of the Republican Party on the floor of the House, The speech called the party out for falling back on the communist label to divert attention from the economy and from what is happening in the party more broadly, McGovern charged that the Republican Party has become the party of fascism, Fascism rejects the equality that defines democracy, It el
Dramatic Cuts
July 21, 2026The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has made the deepest cuts to SNAP in its history, leaving hundreds of thousands of Americans without benefits, The administration claims it is cleaning out fraud, but there is little fraudulent use of SNAP services, The government is withholding Medicaid funding from California and Minnesota, again claiming fraud, The National Parks are suffering from cu
Shirking Responsibility
July 20, 2026On July 17, an Iranian attack on a US base in Jordan killed two soldiers, and left one missing, 17 military personnel have been killed in the Iran War and the Pentagon says 427 have been wounded, Iran is inflicting more damage. They appear to have weaponry and are using it to make the US regional coalition believe that the costs are greater than the security benefits, The Pentagon is
Massachusetts 54th Regiment
July 18, 2026July 18, 1863, the Massachusetts 54th Volunteer Infantry charged Fort Wagner, in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, Fort Wagner covered the southern entrance to the harbor and was key to the US government taking the city, The 600 soldiers of the 54th made up one of the first Black regiments for the Union, A Boston abolitionist, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, led the regiment, The men of t
A Deeply Unpopular Push
July 17, 2026Trump and his team are throwing the weight of the government behind a far right conspiracy, The preoccupation with communism leads to a claim that all political positions designed to regulate business and provide a basic social safety net reflect a left wing radicalism, cost tax dollars, redistribute wealth, and are a slippery slope to socialism, Reactionaries have demonized Black Ame
Trump’s Lies
July 16, 2026In an exchange between Jay Clayton, Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, and Senator Jon Ossoff, Clayton would not answer the question of who won the 2020 election, All the claims that Trump won the 2020 election have collapsed in court, but Trump loyalists cannot say that out loud without losing Trump’s favor, Todd Blanche, the nominee for Attorney General slipped a
A Different Set of Priorities
July 15, 2026The American Rescue Plan, passed in March 2021 without a single Republican vote, expanded the Child Tax Credit for one year. This temporary expansion lifted 3.7 million children out of poverty before it expired, Five years later, the results of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed without a single Democratic vote, reveals a very different set of priorities, OBBA expanded tax b
Valuing What Nature Can Accomplish
July 14, 2026In 1870, a US exploring expedition headed to the Yellowstone River and reported back about the natural wonders of the area, The House Committee on Public Lands warned about letting the area be spoiled by private interests, In 1982 President Grant signed the bill making Yellowstone a national park, In 1890, the federal government stepped in to protect Yosemite, Presidents of both part
Hostilities
July 13, 2026The US has few options for extricating itself from Trump’s war on Iran with conditions better than when it went into the war, or before Trump tore up the plan of action negotiated by President Obama, Trump is claiming that he will keep the Strait of Hormuz open, The administration continues to deny that Congress has any role in its activities in Iran, despite the clear language of the
Threats Dismissed
July 12, 2026The US is in the grip of an outbreak of the Cyclospora parasite, which is no longer being tracked by the CDC, The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network had monitored 8 pathogens for 30 years, but it now monitors only two, The New World screwworm continues to spread in the US and Central America, with infestations spreading rapidly in numerous animals, The Trump administration
Fury
July 11, 2026The Department of Justice has subpoenaed reporters from the New York Times over a story about the Secret Service’s concerns about the new Air Force One plane that was given to the US by Qatar, Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars appear to have been spent on renovating the plane, The reporting by the New York Times reporters is protected under the First Amendment, Trump’s fury fue
Rigging the 2026 Election
July 10, 2026Trump refuses to sign the bipartisan housing bill because the Senate won’t pass the SAVE America Act, an act that will suppress voting, The housing bill was designed to address the housing crisis, Trump is making clear that his focus is not on governing, but on rigging the 2026 election, Trump’s appointees in the Department of Justice have been trying to intimidate election officials,
What the Fourteenth Amendment Protects
July 9, 2026On July 9, 1868, Americans changed the US Constitution for the 14th time, The Fourteenth Amendment brought the principles of the Declaration to life, requiring the Federal government to protect the equal rights of all American men, The Thirteenth Amendment prohibited slavery on the basis of race, but did not guarantee equality for Black Americans, The Fourteenth Amendment took on the D
Who is in Control?
July 8, 2026After the US resumed bombing Iran, Iranian forces retaliated with strikes on US facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, At the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump lashed out at Iranian leaders, later backing down, Trump’s claim that “we have the Hormuz Strait,” is not correct, and Iran appears to be calling the shots, Trump was often incoherent in Ankara, making mistakes and claiming powers he does
NATO Summit in Türkiye
July 7, 2026At a two day summit of the NATO countries in Ankara, Trump told reporters he was disappointed that NATO had not backed his war on Iran, He then claimed his beef with NATO began over Greenland, NATO is the most effective alliance in human history, The US and eleven other nations signed the original NATO declaration on April 4, 1949, The alliance calls for collective defense, It acts not
A Thumb on the Scale
July 6, 2026In the World Cup match between the US and Bosnia-Herzegovina, the US team’s top scorer received a red card, Last Sunday, FIFA announced Balogun would be allowed to play, Trump had called FIFA’s president to intervene, There has been outrage over this interference but Trump isn’t interested in a level playing field, The episode represents the way Trump thinks about the rule of law in th
Reality Reasserts Itself
July 5, 2026Going into the weekend celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Trump was facing a lot of bad news, Iran was blocking ships trying to get through the Strait of Hormuz, chocking of 2-5 of the world’s oil and one third of the world’s fertilizer transported by sea, Inflation is spiking in the US, The administration's corruption is being revealed, with reports
Government of the People, by the People, for the People
July 3, 2026On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, The Declaration of independence was an astonishing radical document, despite its shortcomings, America was founded on the radical idea that all men are created equal, The Civil War tested whether the nation was dedicated to the idea that all men are created equal, The US endured and Americans bega
Resting on the Rule of Law
July 2, 2026On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress passed a Resolution for Independence, They declared that the Colonies were free and independent states, and that all political connection between them and Great Britain was and ought to be totally dissolved, Known as the Lee Resolution, it was the final break between the king and the 13 colonies, After the French and Indian War, the colo
The White House is Not a Business Opportunity
July 1, 2026Trump takes the first flight on the new Air Force One, gifted by Qatar, White House officials awarded a no-bid contract for the construction of Trump’s ballroom, Trump had claimed the work would be paid for by private donations but more than half the work done so far is coming from taxpayers, The Trumps and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are self-dealing, Trump has taken in a report
Birthright Citizenship
June 30, 2026Trump signed an executive order, on his first day in office, declaring that there was no birthright citizenship, The ACLU and others sued the administration, The Fourteenth Amendment established birthright citizenship, After the Civil War former Confederates denied Black Southerners basic rights, The Republican Congress passed a civil rights bill in 1866 but President Andrew Johnson v
The Unitary Executive
June 29, 2026In the case of Slaughter v Trump, Trump claimed he has the right to fire Rebecca Slaughter, a member of the Federal Trade Commission even though the Court has long said the president does not have the power to fire members of independent agencies except in extreme cases, The argument is an attempt to establish the idea of the unitary executive which asserts the power of the president
A New Political Language
June 28, 2026A wide range of Democratic voices are shaping a new political language, One is James Talarico who delivered his acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination for US Senator from Texas on June 26, Talarico invoked Barbara Jordan, Talarico’s vision resonates beyond Texas, He celebrated the accomplishments of the state of Texaas, He expressed concern about the takeover of the state by
Lies, Threats, and Looting
June 27, 2026The reflecting pool fiasco represents the Trump administration perfectly, The remodeling of the West Colonnade, which Trump said he had paid for, was in fact paid for by the taxpayers, Trump is redirecting taxpayer money from the National Park Service, The looting of our tax dollars is turning the resources of the country to the administration’s own ends, People are paying with their
A Party of Radical Extremists
June 26, 2026On Wednesday, Trump refused to sign a bipartisan housing bill, Republican senators apologized for supporting a war powers resolution that had been passed, After Trump said he would not sign any measures into law until the Senate passed the SAVE Act, Speaker Johnson sent the House members home, This turmoil reflects the changing world of American politics, The Supreme Court allowed the
Battle of the Little Big Horn
June 25, 2026Today is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, when Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong lost his entire command to Lakota warriors, The road to the Little Bighorn started during the Civil War, The US government, strapped by the cost of war, stopped providing food, forcing the Santees to flee to join the Teton Lakotas in what is now Montana, The massacre at Sand Cr
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