The Power of the People

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]

Juneteenth

June 19, 2026 The federal holiday honoring Juneteenth celebrates the announcement on June 19, 1865 letting Texans know that enslaved Americans were free, The federal government would see to it that going forward white people and Black people would be equal, While white legislators in the former Confederacy grudgingly ratified the 13th amendment abolishing enslavement, they also passed laws keeping freedpeople subservient to their white neighbors, Black codes restricted the rights of Black Americans, When Congress refused to readmit states with Black Codes in place, the 13th amendment was added to the Constitution, And in 1866 the 14th Amendment to the Constitution was passed, establishing that no state could discriminate against any of its citizens or take away any of their rights, The federal government encouraged Juneteenth celebrations, which began to spread to Black communities across the nation, While these celebrations declined during the Jim Crow years, after WWII, Black Americans brought the celebrations with them across the US, and in 2021 President Biden signed a measure to create a federal Juneteenth holiday, Pressure from those determined to preserve a government that protects the wealthy and white men today threatens the new nation that Juneteenth celebrated—one that would honor the equality of all Americans. 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 Power of the People

June 18. 2026 Ukraine launched its biggest attack on Moscow since Russia's invasion, Russia struck one of Ukraine’s most important landmarks, Kyiv-Oechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage Area, Trump and J.D. Vance are trying hard to sell the MOU with Iran as a victory, but their claims are hollow and brittle, The parade for the New York Knicks, this year’s NBA Champions, was, by contrast, a powerful message that the momentum is with the people, Mayor Zohran Mamdani gave a triumphant speech, which combined the Knicks' victory with the political power of the people of New York, In Chicago a similar message was celebrated at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, The mood was jubilant as former presidents (but not the current one) filled the stage and performers sang, danced, and spoke, In her speech, Michelle Obama recognized the challenges of the moment but urged people to remember the power of choice, and "the steady work of change,”  She championed the power of the people, and urged people to come together, and to reignite optimism, and empathy, and ambition that is part of democracy and has powered the country’s greatest change. She said, "when we truly see each other, when we strive to bring out the best in ourselves and one another, oh, there is no limit to how high we can go." 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]