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Letters from an American: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Heather Cox Richardson
Heather Cox Richardson's narrated newsletter about the history behind today's politics.
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The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- Yesterdaynarrative12 min5-min read
Rebuilding a Government for Everyone
On the eve of the 2026 midterm elections, Heather Cox Richardson frames Trump's closing-argument speech at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as a revealing act of narcissism, while situating the expected Democratic wave in a centuries-long American pattern: the wealthy rigging the system, voters noticing, and democracy being rebuilt from the bottom up.
- 2 days agonarrative11 min7-min read
Intending to Steal
This episode of Letters from an American, dated November 1st, 2026, documents how Donald Trump's administration is attempting to steal the 2026 midterm election to maintain Republican Senate control — through federal intimidation of election officials, a lawsuit in Alaska aimed at overturning the will of voters, and the corruption of government agencies for political gain — even as courts push back and Republicans begin to distance themselves from the president.
- 3 days agonarrative11 min5-min read
The 1866 Midterm Election
This episode of 'Letters from an American' recounts how President Andrew Johnson's attempt to restore the pre-war, white supremacist South after the Civil War backfired spectacularly, uniting voters behind congressional Republicans and the 14th Amendment. It is a story of how extremism and political violence produced a democratic backlash.
- 4 days agonarrative7 min6-min read
Not Moving the Needle, Anywhere
This episode of Letters from an American, read by Michael Moss in place of Heather Cox Richardson, delivers a sharp political and economic critique of the late-October 2026 landscape, highlighting the disconnect between soaring corporate profits and the rising cost of living for ordinary Americans, while examining the strategic failures and audacious messaging of the Trump campaign heading into the midterms.
- 5 days agonarrative15 min5-min read
Free and Fair Elections
On this October 29, 2026 episode of Letters from an American, historian Heather Cox Richardson surveys a day of escalating election-interference concerns, from the White House-engineered exile of Flàvio Bolsonaro after Lula's decisive Brazilian election victory, to federal pressure on California's ballots, to the weaponized controversy over 'ballot stacking' in Alaska's Senate race.
- 6 days agonarrative9 min5-min read
Collapsing at Home
This episode of Letters from an American, dated October 28, 2026, is a daily news recap examining Flàvio Bolsonaro's flight from Brazil to the United States after his election defeat, alongside signs that the MAGA movement is fracturing at home — from declining Fox News viewership to bipartisan campaign ads — and closing with the irony of right-wing voter-fraud activists being charged with actual voter fraud.
- 1 weeks agonarrative10 min5-min read
Manipulating the Media
This episode of Letters from an American, written and read by Heather Cox Richardson, connects three developments — a student-led democratic movement ousting Aleksandar Vučić in Serbia, Flávio Bolsonaro's loss to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brazil, and mounting evidence of Meta's suppression of pro-democracy content in the U.S. — to argue that authoritarian 'political technology' is being deployed across the Western Hemisphere, and that organized citizens can still beat it.
- 1 weeks agonarrative13 min5-min read
Erratic and Corrupt
The episode examines Donald Trump's escalating efforts to undermine democratic processes ahead of the 2026 midterms, fueled by paranoia over declining popularity and fear of investigations, while highlighting Barack Obama’s rallying of Democratic support and new allegations of Trump’s past misconduct. It underscores how Trump is weaponizing government institutions to suppress voters and protect himself, drawing parallels to historical authoritarian tactics.
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