Letters from an American

Questionable Claims

April 28, 2026 Administration 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 prices are at their highest level in four years, Reports suggest that the US military post in Kuwait where six service members died was unprotected, House measures are bottled up, reports suggest Mike Johnson is losing control, Trump is ramping up attacks, going after Jimmy Kimmel and James Comey.  Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ- [https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-] Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe] You can also find me: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/ [https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson [https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson] Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Ballroom Distraction

April 26, 2026 The 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 fountain repairs, By May 1st, a deadline determined by the War Powers Act, Congress must either authorize the Iran War or let Trump continue the war without congressional approval, Trump has claimed the War Powers Act is unconstitutional, The idea that the president can act without authority from Congress demolishes a fundamental principle of our democracy. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ- [https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-] Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe] You can also find me: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/ [https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson [https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson] Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

White House Correspondents' Dinner

April 25, 2026 Trump 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 in the early days of the republic, by the 1880s the country began to push back and the number of independent newspapers took off, Reporters looking for stories began to station themselves at the White House, White House reporters organized the WHCA in 1914, The WHCA ensured that journalists who covered the White House would have access to press passes, After Trump’s re-election, the administration would no longer recognize the role of the WHCA in managing the White House press pool.  Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ- [https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-] Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe] You can also find me: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/ [https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson [https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson] Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Establishing the United Nations

April 24, 2026 On 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 the Dumbarton Oaks Proposal for the UN in 1944, As WWII came to an end, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met in Yalta and agreed to convene a conference of the nations of the UN, The UN Charter was adopted unanimously, The Charter declared the signers’ commitment to live in peace with each other and to work for the advancement of all peoples. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ- [https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-] Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe] You can also find me: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/ [https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson [https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson] Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Purges at the Pentagon

April 23, 2026 Pete 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 of the President, Republicans turn to budget reconciliation so they don’t have to negotiate with Democrats over funding, More than 100 former NASA astronauts launch a non partisan organization to protect American democracy.  Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ- [https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-] Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe] You can also find me: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/ [https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson [https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson] Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]