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PODCAST

Letters from an American

Heather Cox Richardson

Heather Cox Richardson"s narrated newsletter about the history behind today"s politics. heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

news politics

All Episodes

10:09

The Changing Political Game

Letters from an American ·

2026/04/15

April 14, 2026Viktor Orbán’s loss of control of the Hungarian government has changed the political game in the US, Trump’s emotional state “seems to be fraying,” Trump’s post, depicting him as Jesus, has generated an outcry from his followers, Rep Jamie Raskin introduces a bill to create a commission to evaluate the president’s mental state, The 25th Amendment establishes a process for evaluating a president’s fitness for office, The disastrous situation in Iran continues as Republicans refuse to

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11:38

Attack on Fort Sumter

Letters from an American ·

2026/04/12

April 11, 2026On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces fired on South Carolina’s Fort Sumter, South Carolina had left the Union the previous December, When Abraham Lincoln took office in March, 1861, seven Southern states had left the Union, forming their own provisional government, The Confederate government rested on the belief that Black men are not equal to white men, Northerners rejected the white southerners’ attempt to destroy the principles of the Declaration of Independence, After the attack

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10:44

Falling Apart

Letters from an American ·

2026/04/10

April 9, 2026Trump’s ceasefire immediately begins to fall apart, Israel does not accept an end to its bombardment of southern Lebanon, Iran closes Strait of Hormuz in response to Israel’s continued bombing, Actual terms of the ceasefire remain murky and Trump backs away from his celebratory statements, Democrats return early to Washington DC to try to force a vote to end the war on Iran but Republicans shut them down, Melania Trump makes statement to the press about Jeffrey Epstein, Trump rages on

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3:47

Meeting at Appomattox

Letters from an American ·

2026/04/09

April 8, 2026General Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate General Robert E. Lee agreed to meet at the home of Wilmer McLean in Appomattox on the afternoon of April 9 to work out the terms of the surrender of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, Upon signing the papers, the grandly dressed Lee told the somewhat disheveled Grant that his men were starving, Grant did not hesitate to agree to provide the soldiers with provisions, The Civil War was not won, as the South had imagined, by wealthy aristocrats, but

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9:36

Trump’s Mad and Desperate Threats

Letters from an American ·

2026/04/08

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10:07

Lies and Non Sequiturs

Letters from an American ·

2026/04/07

April 6, 2026According to Aaron Rupar, “It is difficult to cover him in a way that conveys how unhinged he is,” The story is the president, himself, At the White House Easter Egg Roll Trump makes outrageous claims, Trump tells lies to reporters and to children attending the Easter Egg Roll, At a White House press conference Trump continues with lies and non sequiturs and alarming statements about destroying Iran’s infrastructure, Both chambers of Congress are away, and Republicans show no sign of

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8:54

The President’s Ultimatums

Letters from an American ·

2026/04/06

April 5, 2026In a rant on social media, Trump threatens Iran again, Trump’s post threatens to commit war crimes, Post pushes back the deadline for extreme measures, possibly in an effort to affect the stock market, Trump claims talks are underway but Iran is not dealing with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Kushner and Witkoff have deep financial ties to the Middle East, Saudi investments in the US are under review, Senators, journalists, former intelligence officers,, and predictions markets are

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6:46

Exerting Their Will

Letters from an American ·

2026/04/06

April 4, 2026Pete Hegseth fires US Army chief of staff, Iran shoots down a US fighter jet and hits a Warthog aircraft and a helicopter, One airman was missing but later rescued, Strikes come two days after Trump's claim that Iran has been beaten, No one in the administration has commented to the public about the strikes, A post on Trump’s social media suggests that he may be about to attack civilian targets. Watch today's recording here:

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13:49

The Legacy of Birthright Citizenship

Letters from an American ·

2026/04/03

April 1, 2026Trump attended the Supreme Court hearing of the case under which he hopes to end birthright citizenship, which is guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment, The Fourteenth Amendment overturned the Dred Scott decision and established that Black men were citizens, While discriminatory laws persisted until after WWI, the Supreme Court always upheld the citizenship of children born in the US, In the 1898 Wong Kim Ark decision, the court upheld birthright citizenship, Trump appeared at the

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14:16

The Whims of a Single Man

Letters from an American ·

2026/04/01

March 30, 2026Trump shares images of new White House ballroom, Trump again suggests discussions to end war in Iran are underway but Iran insists it is not engaged in talks with the US, Trump threatens to commit war crimes in Iran, Price of oil rises to $116/barrel, Current crisis shows what a government imagined by Movement Conservatives and beholden to the whims of one man looks like, Congress is out of session until April 13 and Trump is moving to escalate the Iran war, Republicans are considering

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14:17

Republican Governance in This Era

Letters from an American ·

2026/03/29

March 27, 2026The battle over funding TSA continues, Trump and MAGA Republican extremism is so unpopular that Republicans cannot govern, Americans have turned against Trump’s handling of immigration, Senate Democrats refuse to give a blank check to ICE and Border Patrol, Republicans vote down Democrats’ attempts to fund the rest of DHS including TSA, Trump demands SAVE America Act be attached to funding DHS, Trump calls for getting rid of the filibuster, Mike Johnson refuses to bring Senate’s

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12:08

Deception, Distortion, and Destruction

Letters from an American ·

2026/03/25

March 24, 2026People close to Trump may be committing treason by trading on national secrets - putting personal gain over the safety of Americans, Trump’s plans for Washington DC are smashing the design of the national capital, Administration is declaring war on renewable energy, Airport lines grow as shutdown continues, Trump sends ICE agents to airports signaling how he may involve them in the 2026 midterm election, Republicans block Democratic attempts to fund everything in DHS other than ICE

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9:34

What News Do We Trust?

Letters from an American ·

2026/03/24

March 23, 2026Trump tries to calm market fears about the continuing war in Iran, Trump threatens Middle East oil infrastructure, Trump then rescinds threat citing progress in negotiations with Iran, Iran denies Trump’s claims and social media suggests Trump's actions are meant to manipulate the market, Trump continues to claim that talks are underway with Iran though there is no apparent incentive for Iran to join such talks, Asked about the Strait of Hormuz, Trump claims it will be opened soon, but

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16:42

President Under Pressure

Letters from an American ·

2026/03/23

March 22, 2026Trump defends failure to inform allies and partners about US attack on Iran, Closure of Strait of Hormuz puts enormous pressure on the president, Administration lifts sanctions on Iranian oil giving Iran huge relief without any concessions, Pressure builds over DHS corruption involving Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski, Trump threatens to use ICE to hurt Democrats, Trump maligns Robert Mueller on the announcement of his death, Reporting on the Epstein scandal reveals that a vast amount

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8:26

The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments

Letters from an American ·

2026/03/22

March 21, 2026On March 21, 1861 Senator Alexander Stephens delivered his Cornerstone Speech, In the Cornerstone Speech he described a Confederate government based on racial enslavement, Stephens expected the new doctrine of the Confederacy to spread around the world, Abraham Lincoln rejected the Confederacy’s doctrine, and as president, declared enslaved Americans to be free, It would take the passing of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to enshrine the principles of the

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12:49

Global Disruption and the War in Iran

Letters from an American ·

2026/03/21

March 20, 2026Israeli forces hit South Pars gas field, Trump criticizes NATO for not joining the Iran war, International Energy Agency says conflict in Middle East has created the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market, Trump claims troops aren’t being sent to Iran but Pentagon is moving Marines to the Middle East, Administration is considering an assault on Kharg Island, Key inflation measures show higher prices, War is costing over $1 billion a day, Iran war is

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12:11

Cover-ups and Dodges

Letters from an American ·

2026/03/20

March 19, 2026Evidence that DOJ is covering up relationship between Trump administration and Jeffrey Epstein, Pam Bondi declines to confirm that she will comply with subpoena to appear under oath before House Oversight Committee, Administration officials refuse to say whether they told Trump that Iran might block Strait of Hormuz, Gabbard pressed to say whether Russia is sharing intelligence with Iran, Gabbard evades question about intelligence community’s assessment of the risks of war with Iran,

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10:37

“Stunning Interference”

Letters from an American ·

2026/03/19

March 18, 2026Beginning in 2010, DEA was running an investigation into drug trafficking, prostitution, and money laundering by Jeffrey Epstein and 14 others, The “Chain Reaction" investigation disappeared before indictments were made, Senator Ron Wyden asked DEA administrator Terrance Cole to produce documents about the investigation by March 13th, Documents are marked unclassified, DOJ stepped in to prevent DEA from complying, In a March 18th post, Wyden suggests a coverup to protect key names in

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15:32

An Unprepared and Untethered Administration

Letters from an American ·

2026/03/18

March 17, 2026Trump’s demand for help in reopening Strait of Hormuz goes unanswered, Russia expands support of Iran in war against US, Trump administration lacks expertise because of cuts at State Department and decision to decommission minesweepers, Splits in MAGA support for Iran war, Trump appears to be attempting to remove leadership of Cuba, Trump goes after the media and the Supreme Court, demanding actions that will suppress the vote, Senate votes to take up SAVE Act.Watch today's recording

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14:59

Evacuation of Boston, 1776

Letters from an American ·

2026/03/17

March 16, 2026 In early 1775, Boston was bitterly divided, The British occupied the town as Patriots built fortifications, Militiamen led by Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen seized cannons and other weapons from Fort Ticonderoga, 300 miles away, The Second Continental Congress created the Continental Army, appointing George Washington as commander in chief, Henry Knox, a friend of Washington, developed a plan to retrieve the Fort Ticonderoga cannons and bring them to Boston, After several grueling

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