Podcast
Letters from an American
Hosted by HCR · EN
Heather Cox Richardson's narrated newsletter about the history behind today's politics.
62episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
A Declaration of Conscience
Yesterday00:08:39Tap to summarizeMay 31, 2026Margaret Chase Smith was elected represent Maine as a Republican in the House after her husband, who held that seat, died in 1940, Smith served three terms in the House and then was elected to the Senate in 1948, Anti-New Deal Republicans were insisting that the US government was sliding toward communism, Senator from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy, claimed he had a list of communists working for the State Department, McCarthy’s charges were unproven, but fellow Republicans did not protest, except for Senator Smith, On June 1, 1950, Smith made an eloquent speech in the Senate that bluntly challenged McCarthy, and condemned the leaders in her party who were supporting him and were making wild accusations, She wanted to see President Harry Truman replaced in the next election, but not with a Republican regime without integrity, Her speech presented a Declaration of Conscience to her party, She was largely ignored at the time, but four years later the Senate condemned McCarthy, Smith would be remembered for her courage, while McCarthy has gone down in history as a disgrace to the Senate and to the country. 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
Transcribe →The Johnstown Flood
2d ago00:09:53Tap to summarizeMay 30, 2026The members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club were wealthy and influential, The Club took control of a Pennsylvania reservoir created by damming a river, and enjoyed it for sport, but it had no drainage system, Perched high above Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a factory town, members of the club gave little thought to the people living there, On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam failed in a torrential storm, 2,208 people died in the Johnstown Flood, the largest loss of civilian lives in the US to that time, The survivors who hoped to hold the members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club accountable were disappointed, The four lawsuits that were launched against the club failed. 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
Transcribe →As Trump Takes Hits, He Lashes Out
3d ago00:12:40Tap to summarizeMay 29, 2026The war in Iran and the rising cost of living are costing Trump support, While there is talk of an agreement with Iran, there are no signs that it is real, Public opinion is causing support to dwindle for Trump’s wish to be on the face of a new $250 bill, Trump lost in court on changing the name of the Kennedy Center and on closing the center for two years, Trump’s plans for a Freedom 250 celebration are fizzling, too, The Department of Justice has been temporarily stopped from creating or operating Trump’s $1.776 billion slush fund, Thirty-five federal judges have asked US District Judge Williams to reopen the legal case that the Trumps brought against the IRS, Trump and his loyalists are taking other actions, some of which have the potential to have wide repercussions. 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
Transcribe →Weaponizing the Department of Justice
4d ago00:10:38Tap to summarizeMay 28, 2026Trump is treating the nation’s capital as his property, Trump is lashing out, filing suits against E. Jean Carroll and the Wall Street Journal, Grand juries as well as judges are losing faith in the Department of Justice, Trump appears to be focused on corrupt dealings that benefit him and his family, Thirty-five former federal judges have challenged the slush fund set up by Trump and his MAGA loyalists and the notion that they had reached a “settlement agreement” with the Department of Justice, The judges wrote: “… the parties’ settlement was not, and never will be, legally justified.”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
Transcribe →Trump's Politics as Dominance Sport
5d ago00:13:49Tap to summarizeMay 27, 2026Backed by Trump, scandal-ridden Ken Paxton wins Texas primary against John Cornyn, UFC arena is being built on the White House lawn as Trump dominates the People’s House just as he is dominating the Republican Party, In the 1850s, enslavers similarly dominated the Democratic Party and forced through the Kansas Nebraska Act, Those opposed to the spread of slavery created a new alignment, Trump and his supporters are using culture war issues to try to cement their power, James Talarico may have an advantage in his campaign for Senate, given the corruption of the Trump administration, Administration is trying to keep its actions secret, In 1854, voters put anti-Nebraska candidates in office and would create a new political party. By 1859 the Republican party found a champion in Abraham Lincoln. 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
Transcribe →Accountability and Consequences
6d ago00:13:32Tap to summarizeMay 26, 2026Demonstrators at the Delaney Hall detention center in New Jersey, including Senatory Andy Kim, were pepper sprayed by federal agents, Detainees have called for help, describing conditions as overcrowded and unsafe, Detainees have not been afforded legal hearings and are being pressured to self deport, The detainees began a hunger strike and members of congress, as well as New Jersey’s governor, have visited the facility and confirmed the accounts of cruel and inhuman conditions, US Citizenship and Immigration Services have changed policies for obtaining permanent residency in the US, making it much more difficult to obtain a green card, The criminal charges against Kilmar Ábrego Garcia were dismissed, Alligator Alcatraz, the detention center in Florida that cost taxpayers $1 billion, appears to be shutting down, although neither Trump nor Gov Ron DeSantis will admit 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
Transcribe →Trump Under Pressure
1w ago00:12:32Tap to summarizeMay 26, 2026Tulsi Gabbard steps down, possibly having been forced out of her position as Director of National Intelligence, Trump is under pressure to find a way out of Iran, The timeline for Congressional approval of the war has run out, Members of Congress were poised to pass a war powers resolution, but Mike Johnson sent representatives home to avoid that vote, Trump claims that an agreement with Iran is imminent, but details are scarce, Republicans have condemned the deal described by Al-Jazeera, Thomas Massie, who lost the primary for re-election to his House seat, is demanding that the DOJ release 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
Transcribe →250 to 250
1w ago00:04:10Tap to summarizeMay 24, 2026The people who care about the preservation of democracy and who have worked to expand its values truly represent America, On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration, we are launching 250 to 250, a series that honors them, It is a series of one-minute videos that emphasize the agency of everyday people to change the country, The videos celebrate community, democracy, innovation, mobility, civil rights, education, conservation, and creativity, Topics range from the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the building of the Erie Canal to the story of the AIDS quilt and the legacy of actress Rita Moreno, Narrators include former Senator Jon Tester, journalist Sylvia Salazar, and former secretary of transportation Pete Buttigieg; Now, as for the past 250 years, “We Are America.”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
Transcribe →Memorial Day
1w ago00:09:59Tap to summarizeMay 23, 2026Trump’s proposed arch threatens to obscure the view of the Lincoln Memorial from Arlington National Cemetery, The arch will not frame the nation’s honored dead, but the home built by enslaved Americans and once owned by Confederate General Robert E. Lee, The US government bought Lee’s property in 1864, and by August began to bury the bodies of Civil War soldiers there, By the end of the Civil War more than 16,000 Civil War Soldiers were buried at Arlington National Cemetery, The first official Memorial Day ceremony took place at Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1968, Then-congressman James Garfield, who had served in the War, spoke, Garfield spoke of the men buried at Arlington, They fought to save their Government “or miserably perish."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
Transcribe →The Power to Shape the Civilization That We Want
1w ago00:08:33Tap to summarizeMay 22, 2026In a graduation speech at the University of Michigan in 1964, President Lyndon Johnson laid out his vision for “the Great Society,” It was a forward looking vision of a country that used its post-World War II prosperity to look toward greater things, and to advance civil rights and end poverty, Congress would pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, and the Food Stamp Act, Democrats were able to pass 84 new laws to put the Great Society into place, Congress took on voting rights, access to education, health insurance, and the rights of consumers, It enacted laws protecting the environment and supporting the arts, In his speech at the University of Michigan, Johnson charged the graduates to lead America toward a new age, reminding them that Americans have the power to shape the civilization that we want.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
Transcribe →