Letters from an American

May 19, 2026Department of Justice announces $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund," Administration continues to blame others for actions that they themselves are doing, The fund is not part of a legal settlement of Trump’s case against the IRS, which Trump has withdrawn, But Trump has reached an agreement with the DOJ, giving him full control of the fund, Trump loyalists are looking to compensat...

May 17, 2026Trump administration organizes a taxpayer funded evangelical worship event in Washington DC, Administration seeks to use the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence to promote its ideology, Trump loyalists have taken over planning for the nation’s birthday celebration from Congress, Trump’s Freedom 250 project showcases Trump more than the nation’s history, In a false read...

May 16, 2026May 17th is the anniversary of the Brown v Board of Education decision declaring racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional, Three years later, President Eisenhower proposed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson wrestled the Act through Congress, But efforts to expand voter registration for Black Americans were stymied, even after the pass...

Xi Jinping appears to have gotten what he wanted from the meeting with Trump, Trump’s actions make it appear China and the US are peers. Xi signals he sees US as a declining power, Trump appears to miss the context of their meeting, Trump misses the point that America’s strength was always about its alliances, Trump posts about the WH ballroom, Hegseth reverses plan to send troops to Poland, Chair...

Vance visits Maine and claims the Trump administration is combating endemic fraud in our public services. States that don't comply with federal rules will have funds cut. Admin will withhold $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments from California. Admin and Republicans blaming political opponents for their own fraud and corruption. Admin seems nervous after seeing Orban dumped. Trump’s administration la...

Two weeks ago, SCOTUS gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965. These first two weeks have resulted in one-party rule in the South, depriving millions of Black voters from fair representation, as Republicans gerrymander without restraint. We've seen a One-party state South before. After the Civil War, reactionary white southerners use state laws, intimidation, harassment, and violence to prevent Black...

Trump’s behavior on social media gets even more unhinged; he continues to target his political opponents with late night posts which fabricate quotes and use AI. Trump calls news coverage of Iranian military victories "virtual TREASON." Trump leaves for China. No progress on opening Strait of Hormuz. Trump continues to use Iran's nuclear capacity as justification for the war, but his own intellige...

In 2025, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump launched "Trump Mobile," a smartphone designed and built entirely in America. Costumers could pre-order the phone by putting down a $100 deposit for the $499 phone. Since, the product dropped its "American made" promise, the phone did not ship on schedule, and the terms have redefined the $100 deposits as a "conditional opportunity if Trump Mobile later elects, i...

Russia celebrates Victory Day, the anniversary of its victory over the Nazis. Putin co-opts the holiday to showboat the country's military and boost morale and support for the Ukraine War. Putin has not achieved any of his initial goals in the Ukraine War. Putin fearmongers against NATO. A big celebration in Hungary but for another reason. Péter Magyar takes the oath of office as prime minister af...

The original Mothers’ Day originated with Julia Ward Howe reacting in the 1870’s to the horror of modern war. Women needed to seize political power from the men who allowed this scale of carnage. Throughout the Civil War, women had played a significant role in the war effort, and they expected their agency and participatory enfranchisement to continue in the post-war years. 14th Amendment did not...

Trump & UFO stories. Meanwhile: Transportation Secretary misses months recording TV show, no bid contract for reflecting pool, real cost of war huge, FEMA only pays Republican states and ignores Democrat states, Trump ends air pollution restrictions, VA court overrides will of voters. Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe Yo...

Tennessee divides its majority-Black 9th Congressional District into three districts that extend into white suburbs, turning all its districts into Republican seats. The NAACP has sued Tennessee to block the redistricting. Other Republican dominated states are rushing to redraw their own districts after the Supreme Court's Louisiana v. Callais decision. The CIA releases a report that contends the...

Government restricts satellite imagery from the press, to hide the extent of damage Iran did to our bases in war. More insider trading surrounds latest Trump announcement re war. Patel drinking and giving Ka$h Patel labeled bourbon bottles as swag. Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe You can also find me: Bluesky: https://bsky...

After Trump promised his White House Ballroom would be funded entirely by himself and "friends," Republicans are appropriating $1 billion in taxpayer money for the White House addition. This tactic reveals President Reagan's own bait and switch when his tax cuts did not provide the economic prosperity that he promised would have sustained social programs. 1/5 of people covered by ACA are dropping...

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May 3, 2026"86 47" graffiti in the Reflecting Pool sends Trump into a late night posting frenzy, many of them AI generated images. Trump pushes expensive "beautification" projects in D.C. to control his legacy. These projects include painting the reflecting pool blue and building The National Garden of American Heroes. Trump announces the launch of "Project Freedom, an effort to escort stranded me...

May 2, 2026Running of the Kentucky Derby, American Horses: Traveller, Comanche, Beautiful Jim Key, Man o’ War, Trigger, Sergeant Reckless, Mr. Ed, Black Jack, Khartoum, Secretariat. 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/subscribe You can also find m...

May 1, 2026Today is the deadline for Trump to ask Congress for approval of the Iran War, Trump claims that the hostilities terminated on April 7, but the blockade, which is an act of war, continues, The Administration is trying to get around the War Powers Act, The Framers of the Constitution placed the power to declare war in the hands of Congress, not the president, Today is Law Day, established...

April 30, 2026Trump’s approval rating hits a new low for overall job performance and for handling the economy, Gas prices continue to rise, Iran seems unlikely to open the Strait of Hormuz, Pete Hegseth testifies in front of House and Senate Armed Services Committees, On May 1, under the War Powers Act, Trump must either end the Iran war or get congressional approval, Corruption widens as does inc...

April 29, 2026Trump and King Charles give very different speeches in Washington DC, Trump’s speech portrays the US as no longer a nation based on Enlightenment principles, Trump suggests that the Atlantic Charter was an affirmation of a shared gene pool between the US and the UK, In his speech to a joint session of Congress,  King Charles describes the US as having been founded on the revolutionar...

April 28, 2026Administration tries to blame Democrats for incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump continues to claim the incident proves need for his proposed White House ballroom, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche files motion to dissolve the court's preliminary injunction stopping the ballroom construction, Trump desperately needs a win, Stalemate in Iran continues, Gas pric...

April 26, 2026The Department of Justice demands that the National Trust for Historic Preservation drop its lawsuit against Trump’s White House ballroom, Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate claims that the shooting at the WHCA dinner proves the  need for the ballroom, The administration has awarded a $17.4 million no bid contract for the repair of two fountains, Public money will pay for the f...

April 25, 2026Trump decides to attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner for the first time, Trump has tried to silence the press during his second term, Trump and the First Lady were rushed out of the event after word that an armed man was outside the event, No one at the event was harmed, The right to freedom of the press is enshrined in the Constitution, While the press was openly partisan...

April 24, 2026On April 25, 1945, delegates from 50 nations met to establish the United Nations, In the 1941 Atlantic Charter, Roosevelt and Churchill had laid out principles for an international system to prevent future world wars, The Declaration by United Nations formalized the alliance that would stand against fascist Axis powers, Representatives from the US, UK, Soviet Union, and China drafted...

April 23, 2026Pete Hegseth asks Secretary of the Navy John Phelan to resign, Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg moves to take over responsibility for shipbuilding and Navy acquisitions, Trump sides with Hegseth who has purged the military of its most senior ranks, The Pentagon cracks down on the independence of the newspaper Stars and Stripes, Republicans are trying to stengthen the power o...