A Vast Grab for Power

Clearly Panicked

June 24, 2026 A comprehensive review of the war on Iran suggests the US has little, if any, leverage, The botched renovagtion of the Reflecting Pool has come to represent the botched war on Iran, Trump appears to be panicked, posting about gas prices, and suddenly announcing that he would not sign the bipartisan housing bill passed by both the Senate and the House, Trump is holding the bill hostage to the signing of the SAVE Act that would stop many legal voters from casting ballots, Trump continues to claim emergency powers under which he can ignore laws, The administration has sued 30 states and the District of Columbia to get their voter roles, but the courts have struck down these attempts, There is concern that Acting DNI William Pulte would claim threats against the country and place troops at the polls, Postmaster General Steiner told senators about a new rule under which the Postal Service will not deliver election mail to states that haven’t turned over their voting lists, Trump is thoroughly panicked about losing in November. 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]

Continuing to Fall Apart

June 23, 2026 Trump continues to blame the Reflecting Pool’s problems on vandals without evidence, Trump announces that Iran has agreed to nuclear inspections, but Iran disagrees, Only 23% of Americans think the Iran war was a good idea, Trump may be flailing but a “lean and hungry” group of men in positions of power and authority who are committed to making his dreams of unlimited power a reality, Trump continues to go after “antifa” calling them domestic terrorists, but he doesn’t have authority to designate domestic terror organizations, After a protest against ICE in Texas, protesters were arrested and a US District Judge sentenced eight of them to decades in prison, In contrast Trump pardoned Proud Boys and Oath Keepers leaders for their roles in the atack on the US Capitol.  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]

Mired in Its Own Mistakes

June 22, 2026 The Trump administration cannot spin the MOU that Trump signed as a win, A range of commentators are calling the MOU a disaster, J.D. Vance’s trip to Switzerland produced little in spite of his claims of a win, Trump is doubling down on blaming problems with the Reflecting Pool on vandals, and blames the cost overruns on Obama, Trump is raging at the media for stories that expose his failures, Trump has put William Pulte, nicknamed “Little Trump” in place as acting director of National Intelligence, Pulte has started firing people from the National Counterterrorism Center, Tulsi Gabbard appears to be tied to a religious leader who gave orders to her regarding her official acts, The administration is interfering with voting rights groups, and is pushing the myth of voter fraud, A network of super PACs that claim to be progressive are actually funded by a Republican dark money group, Outrage over the Iran deal has risen to a fever pitch, People are making algae jokes about the Reflecting Pool at Trump's expense. 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]

Father's Day

June 21, 2026 Remembering Ken Nyboe, Father’s Day. 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]

Reality Defies Trump’s Narrative

June 20, 2026 The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has become a metaphor for the Trump presidency, Trump claimed he would fix the reflecting pool for $1.8 million, When renovations were declared complete Trump claimed it was a triumph, But the cost was vastly over the budget, a no-bid contract had been awarded for the work, and the work immediately failed, 12 days after it was done, the epoxy from the bottom of the pool was peeling off, but the Interior Department claimed the White House didn’t know that the work had been contracted to a company that Trump originally said he had chosen, A former Olympic athlete, who stopped by the pool and put his hand in the water to feel the detached material, was arrested for destruction of government property, Trump had found someone to blame for his blunders, The reflecting pool is defying his narrative, as are Iran and Israel, Israel does not consider itself bound by the MOU signed by Trump, US Intelligence expects Netanyahu to continue striking Hezbollah, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again, J.C. Vance left for Switzerland for negotiations, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is refusing to go along with Trump’s narrative about her, showing how Trump’s power is crumbling, The National Guard is patrolling the area around the reflecting pool as Trump claims vandalism by additional people - although security cameras offer no proof of either vandalism or arrests.  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]