Politics Chat

Heather Cox Richardson
  • 4.9 (151)
  • Politics
  • Updated Daily

In which I try to answer your questions about modern politics.... heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

  1. 1d ago

    Politics Chat, September 1, 2026

    In today’s Politics Chat: A federal whistleblower says the U.S. Postal Service rushed a new mail-in ballot verification system that could reject entire batches if even a single barcode fails to scan. Senator Richard Blumenthal wrote to Postmaster General David Steiner demanding answers by Friday. The Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that Trump can continue building his White House ballroom, deciding the challengers lacked standing rather than ruling on legality, with Chief Justice John Roberts dissenting and calling the project likely unlawful. Trump announced a deal to develop 17 Venezuelan oil fields holding 65 billion barrels while backing Delcy Rodriguez over Venezuela's elected opposition. Military leaders, including the heads of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, warned an extended readiness alert for more than 50,000 troops is unsustainable. The secretary of the Army resigned after reportedly telling Trump he was alarmed by the loss of senior personnel. Naval Support Activity Bahrain and roughly 15 other U.S. bases sustained heavy damage from Iranian strikes. Representative Thomas Massie read Epstein files into the House record but revealed no new names. Politics Chat is recorded live on YouTube and Facebook every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 pm Maine time (3 PM PT / 6 PM ET). Watch today's recording:https://youtube.com/live/_3DRTVc3fAE?feature=share Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe You 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 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hcrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

    Politics Chat, September 1, 2026

  2. 6d ago

    Politics Chat, August 27, 2026

    In today’s Politics Chat: Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America," a symbolic move with no binding effect abroad. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney walked away from trade talks and imposed retaliatory tariffs effective September 8 targeting Republican districts, pivoting Canada's trade relationship toward the European Union instead. A new Strength in Numbers poll found Trump underwater on every issue including deportations, with 49 percent of Americans strongly disapproving versus 17 percent strongly approving. The national debt has passed 40 trillion dollars. Federal courts, including Trump-appointed judges, have ruled against the administration 23 times in a row over its attempts to obtain state voter rolls, producing a 17 percent false-positive purge rate. Trump's handpicked Kennedy Center board is threatening to demolish the building unless his name is restored to it. The Department of Justice has released only about half the court-ordered Epstein files, with Attorney General Todd Blanche accused of blocking the rest. New reporting found nearly 4.7 billion dollars missing from Trump-linked cryptocurrency schemes. Politics Chat is recorded live on YouTube and Facebook every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 pm Maine time (3 PM PT / 6 PM ET). Watch today's recording: https://youtube.com/live/os5f5VUCroU?feature=share Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe You 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 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hcrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

    Politics Chat, August 27, 2026

  3. Aug 26

    Politics Chat, August 25, 2026

    In today’s Politics Chat: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, sparking Democratic backlash. Trump's tariff war with Canada, launched under emergency powers after courts struck down earlier tariffs, is reworking the post-World War II international order built on free trade and alliances. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has refused further negotiation and is instead building coalitions with the European Union and other middle powers. Canada's retaliatory tariffs are targeting Republican-held states including Maine, Iowa, and Michigan. Six months into the Iran war, Iran has held off the U.S. and Israel and now controls the Strait of Hormuz. The loss of the U.S. base in Bahrain means the U.S. is unlikely to rebuild its regional military presence. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed an executive order blocking new copper-sulfide mining permits near the Boundary Waters. Country music icon Dolly Parton died today in Nashville, at 80. Politics Chat is recorded live on YouTube and Facebook every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 pm Maine time (3 PM PT / 6 PM ET). Watch today's recording: https://www.youtube.com/live/5TdLezlrhX8?si=AjS_K0Wz8XIlekrp Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe You 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 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hcrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

    Politics Chat, August 25, 2026

  4. Aug 21

    Politics Chat, August 20, 2026

    Topics covered in today’s Politics Chat: USS Abraham Lincoln resupply crisis, fabricated polling scandal, Natalie Harp and Trump's inner circle, spheres-of-influence foreign policy, alienating traditional allies, South Korea military exercise cancellation, North Korea and Russia alignment, Iran war, Strait of Hormuz control and transit tolls, rising diesel and food prices, renewable energy imperative, tactical nuclear weapons speculation, declining approval across demographics, Hoover administration parallel, federal workforce versus contractors, food safety failures, state voter roll lawsuits, voter intimidation, redistricting and independent commissions, fact-based media history, presidential self-enrichment Politics Chat is recorded live on YouTube and Facebook every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 pm Maine time (3 PM PT / 6 PM ET). Watch today's recording:https://youtube.com/live/_xi_O1EXPOc?feature=share Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe You 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  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hcrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

    Politics Chat, August 20, 2026

  5. Aug 19

    Politics Chat, August 18, 2026

    Topics covered in today’s Politics Chat: USS Abraham Lincoln resupply crisis, fabricated polling scandal, Natalie Harp and Trump's inner circle, spheres-of-influence foreign policy, alienating traditional allies, South Korea military exercise cancellation, North Korea and Russia alignment, Iran war, Strait of Hormuz control and transit tolls, rising diesel and food prices, renewable energy imperative, tactical nuclear weapons speculation, declining approval across demographics, Hoover administration parallel, federal workforce versus contractors, food safety failures, state voter roll lawsuits, voter intimidation, redistricting and independent commissions, fact-based media history, presidential self-enrichment. Politics Chat is recorded live on YouTube and Facebook every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 pm Maine time (3 PM PT / 6 PM ET). Watch today's recording: https://youtube.com/live/Vo18MtjJ4LU?feature=share Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe You 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  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hcrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

    Politics Chat, August 18, 2026

  6. Aug 14

    Politics Chat, August 13, 2026

    Topics covered in today’s Politics Chat: Kennedy Center takeover, monument and memorial legality, ICE-TSA data sharing and mass arrests, expedited immigration court proceedings, unaccompanied minor legal representation, detention deaths and reporting policy, ICE shock gloves, Haitian temporary protected status revocation, ankle monitoring, Big Bend border wall damage, DHS luxury aircraft purchases, RFK Jr. vaccine schedule changes, MMR vaccine executive order, executive privilege expansion, Corporate Transparency Act repeal and shell company data destruction, Epstein files contempt threat, state-level electoral strategy and redistricting, Watergate-era reform parallel. Politics Chat is recorded live on YouTube and Facebook every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 pm Maine time (3 PM PT / 6 PM ET). Watch today's recording: https://www.youtube.com/live/FRzxaXIXI8g?si=Elg6hOLnWG2heqwP Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe You 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

    Politics Chat, August 13, 2026

  7. Aug 13

    Politics Chat, August 12, 2026

    Topics covered in today’s Politics Chat: Executive order powers, Greenland oil ambitions, attorney general confirmation and executive privilege, presidential approval decline and health scrutiny, Iran war setbacks and Strait of Hormuz, White House departures, Air Force One decoy incident, border wall damage and military strain, White House renovation spending and park funding diversion, national monument reductions, MAGA realignment unraveling. Politics Chat is recorded live on YouTube and Facebook every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 pm Maine time (3 PM PT / 6 PM ET). Watch today's recording:https://youtube.com/live/Ek3Xru1uUmI?feature=share Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe You 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

    Politics Chat, August 12, 2026

  8. Aug 7

    Politics Chat, August 6, 2026

    U.S. missile and munitions shortages, Iran war of choice, Strait of Hormuz control and transit fees, freedom of the seas, rising gas and food prices, inflation, Venezuela oil seizure, Trump family government contracts, taxpayer-funded vanity projects, Fauci contempt of Congress vote, pardon limits and self-incrimination, Salem witch trials, weaponized prosecutions, withheld funds to Democratic states, mail-in ballot Supreme Court challenge, Medicaid and SNAP cuts, Watergate-era reforms. Politics Chat is recorded live on YouTube and Facebook every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 pm Maine time (3 PM PT / 6 PM ET). Watch today's recording:https://youtube.com/live/Faf9hUi3bsk?feature=share Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe You 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

    Politics Chat, August 6, 2026
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4.9
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About

In which I try to answer your questions about modern politics.... heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Heather Cox Richardson
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    63
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Heather Cox Richardson
  • Show Website
    Politics Chat

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