Listening to your confident, informed voice, I had an "ah ha" moment. The more you know about the enemy, the less you fear that enemy. I will continue to learn from you and become stronger, with not only today's fearsome actions spelled out, but also background knowledge.
Thank you so much! I'm so happy to have found you!
Chilling. Here in my cozy little home office I can write that. Each day however, I remind people that Trump only received 31% of the vote from eligible voters in the last election. I explain that because of the Electoral college, distorted representation in the Senate & gerrymandering in the US House we are most sincerely dealing with minority rule. And that means WE have the benefit of greater numbers. For 30 years I've been a consultant to non-profits & NGOs. Back in the 1990's and even the early '00s - I never thought of them as "liberal" but now that word has been weaponized to label organizations as "enemy." When did compassion become "liberal"?? But my work makes me aware of the LARGE number of smart, dedicated people who are now literally "manning the ramparts" to beat back Trump, the Project2025 architects and the oligarchy of billionaires who are threatening our democracy. WE too have agency! I read of this woman who made it her mission to change the station every time she came into a public space & Fox News was on the TV. And there's another woman - she needs to give us a YouTube Tutorial, she comes into public places coyly asks for the remote "to adjust the sound ;-) and then blocks access (via parental controls) to Fox News on that TV. We must not give into the lies. We must call out the LIES.
Unfortunately, that's not how a parliamentary representative democracy works. Those greater numbers are only relevant if they are all rooting for the same things, but they're not. I agree with you about the outdated Electoral College, but the fact remains that what one might call the progressive majority was split during the last election. In the meantime, there's a lot one can do with 31% of the vote.
I'm amazed I was able to sit calmly through your podcast and Rachel Maddow's episode earlier tonight. The amount of inner turmoil that goes through me requires an even greater amount of restraint to maintain calm.
The trigger to this is that Orange Felon managed to slip through numerous loopholes to avoid imprisonment. I've always been one for fairness and the Golden Rule, but this cretin is like a cancerous mass that cannot be excised from this country. He's like a bad wart that just keeps coming back. We tried impeachment...TWICE! Both times through lack of necessity failed by the SCJ and the attorney general on follow through.
I really hope Congress will step up to the plate, as well as the American people, by calling their representatives and Senators to do whatever is necessary to remove this waste of a human being. Use the legal channels, this time with much more haste than previously attempted a few years ago. It's imperative that this be done before we get to the proverbial event horizon of a Black Hole from which there's no coming back.
I thoroughly enjoyed your "Live" broadcast on FB the other day. We HAVE to do whatever is necessary to be heard, such as you mentioned. Peace out!
Our system's inability to control this fiend really bothers me, too. I place most of the blame (and a white hot fury) on McConnell and the spineless Republicans who failed to impeach him. That would have prevented him from running again, and we wouldn't be where we are today. Between the erosion of the independent Supreme Court and the corrupting influence of Citizens United, it's been just one disaster after another and this is the result.
I just love being horrified on an almost daily basis by the brilliant historian, Heather Cox Richardson. Thank you for writing these letters, connecting the dots and serving up historical context, too! It's the last thing I listen to before I go to sleep. Cheers!
The NYT reports that the OMB itself had identified 2,600 programmes under review. They included, for example, grants for law-enforcement and homeland-security activities; community health centers; firefighting; clinical trials across the country; special-education programs; and Meals on Wheels for the elderly. The purpose, they said, was to ensure they do not “advance Marxist equity, transgenderism and Green New Deal social engineering policies.” Later, government spokepersons tried to clarify that it was not the intention that the freeze should apply to every activity supported by grants and loans, just the stuff covered by Trump's (equally vague) DEI executive order. Now, having sowed confusion and created panic, they have had to rescind the freeze. Will we see the same thing happening with the suspension of overseas aid? Once again, administration officials say that the suspension is not permanent. You know, just until Marco Rubio is able to assess whether the aid is 'aligned' with Trump's 'America First' policy (whatever that means). However, Michael Schiffer, a former USAID administrative assistant, has posted this: "To be clear, there is no such thing as a temporary pause. When an NGO, a small business, or an American company that receives U.S. government funding to implement U.S. foreign assistance is told to stop work, even for 90 days, that means people are fired, expertise is lost, and programs are shut down with no guarantee they’ll start back up, even if they survive the review." You can see his full remarks at https://www.justsecurity.org/106876/us-foreign-aid-stop-work-order/. This is what happens when you replace responsible administrators with unqualified cronies - absolute chaos. I believe that this will be a continuing feature of this administration.
Apparently, after the freeze on federal grants and loans had been rescinded, Trump's dippy press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, tweeted that the freeze had not been rescinded but only the OMB memo. The confusion this caused led to another judge granting a restraining order against the freeze. Lawyers representing the government were totally unaware of the tweet. The chaos continues!
I love your podcast. I learn so much. I’m thankful I live in Massachusetts especially being a gay woman. I’m also a veteran and disgusted with who has been elected especially recently as secretary of defense. What can I do to show protest against this? And other things? I want to fight and let them know. I’ve contacted my senators etc but I feel like I need to do more. Thank you for your knowledge!
Red states, who receive more federal aid money than blue states, are getting what Elon Musk paid for... We'll see how this shakes out, but when disaster relief money is cut from North Carolina victims, maybe some MAGAs will realize they've been had...
Sadly, I think that will only open the eyes of N. Carolinians. It will take more direct and personal hardships to open the eyes of those in other red states.
I read How the South Won the Civil War recently and was impressed by the clear writing illuminating facets of American History that I was aware of but had not really organized in my mind. I appreciate your commentary.
For example, the 1965 Executive Order by President Johnson was plainly intended to implement civil rights legislation. Does the revocation of that Executive Order by a new Executive Order by the rogue Trumpanzee out-of-control (oops . . . the lowest form of humor again) not change that legislation or leave it as an empty text?
Trump has done enough to be impeached and removed from office, starting with his lie to the American people about Project 2025 and running through his unconstitutional actions. But he won't be because the GOP is also corrupt to the core and supports him because all they want is to destroy government's ability to regulate their wealthy donors by making government small enough to drown in a bathtub.
Listening to your confident, informed voice, I had an "ah ha" moment. The more you know about the enemy, the less you fear that enemy. I will continue to learn from you and become stronger, with not only today's fearsome actions spelled out, but also background knowledge.
Thank you so much! I'm so happy to have found you!
Chilling. Here in my cozy little home office I can write that. Each day however, I remind people that Trump only received 31% of the vote from eligible voters in the last election. I explain that because of the Electoral college, distorted representation in the Senate & gerrymandering in the US House we are most sincerely dealing with minority rule. And that means WE have the benefit of greater numbers. For 30 years I've been a consultant to non-profits & NGOs. Back in the 1990's and even the early '00s - I never thought of them as "liberal" but now that word has been weaponized to label organizations as "enemy." When did compassion become "liberal"?? But my work makes me aware of the LARGE number of smart, dedicated people who are now literally "manning the ramparts" to beat back Trump, the Project2025 architects and the oligarchy of billionaires who are threatening our democracy. WE too have agency! I read of this woman who made it her mission to change the station every time she came into a public space & Fox News was on the TV. And there's another woman - she needs to give us a YouTube Tutorial, she comes into public places coyly asks for the remote "to adjust the sound ;-) and then blocks access (via parental controls) to Fox News on that TV. We must not give into the lies. We must call out the LIES.
Unfortunately, that's not how a parliamentary representative democracy works. Those greater numbers are only relevant if they are all rooting for the same things, but they're not. I agree with you about the outdated Electoral College, but the fact remains that what one might call the progressive majority was split during the last election. In the meantime, there's a lot one can do with 31% of the vote.
Absolutely important podcast. Thank you Heather Cox Richardson.
I'm amazed I was able to sit calmly through your podcast and Rachel Maddow's episode earlier tonight. The amount of inner turmoil that goes through me requires an even greater amount of restraint to maintain calm.
The trigger to this is that Orange Felon managed to slip through numerous loopholes to avoid imprisonment. I've always been one for fairness and the Golden Rule, but this cretin is like a cancerous mass that cannot be excised from this country. He's like a bad wart that just keeps coming back. We tried impeachment...TWICE! Both times through lack of necessity failed by the SCJ and the attorney general on follow through.
I really hope Congress will step up to the plate, as well as the American people, by calling their representatives and Senators to do whatever is necessary to remove this waste of a human being. Use the legal channels, this time with much more haste than previously attempted a few years ago. It's imperative that this be done before we get to the proverbial event horizon of a Black Hole from which there's no coming back.
I thoroughly enjoyed your "Live" broadcast on FB the other day. We HAVE to do whatever is necessary to be heard, such as you mentioned. Peace out!
Our system's inability to control this fiend really bothers me, too. I place most of the blame (and a white hot fury) on McConnell and the spineless Republicans who failed to impeach him. That would have prevented him from running again, and we wouldn't be where we are today. Between the erosion of the independent Supreme Court and the corrupting influence of Citizens United, it's been just one disaster after another and this is the result.
I just love being horrified on an almost daily basis by the brilliant historian, Heather Cox Richardson. Thank you for writing these letters, connecting the dots and serving up historical context, too! It's the last thing I listen to before I go to sleep. Cheers!
The amount of factual knowledge you have, Heather, is astounding! Thank you again and again for sharing 🌺🌻🌺
The NYT reports that the OMB itself had identified 2,600 programmes under review. They included, for example, grants for law-enforcement and homeland-security activities; community health centers; firefighting; clinical trials across the country; special-education programs; and Meals on Wheels for the elderly. The purpose, they said, was to ensure they do not “advance Marxist equity, transgenderism and Green New Deal social engineering policies.” Later, government spokepersons tried to clarify that it was not the intention that the freeze should apply to every activity supported by grants and loans, just the stuff covered by Trump's (equally vague) DEI executive order. Now, having sowed confusion and created panic, they have had to rescind the freeze. Will we see the same thing happening with the suspension of overseas aid? Once again, administration officials say that the suspension is not permanent. You know, just until Marco Rubio is able to assess whether the aid is 'aligned' with Trump's 'America First' policy (whatever that means). However, Michael Schiffer, a former USAID administrative assistant, has posted this: "To be clear, there is no such thing as a temporary pause. When an NGO, a small business, or an American company that receives U.S. government funding to implement U.S. foreign assistance is told to stop work, even for 90 days, that means people are fired, expertise is lost, and programs are shut down with no guarantee they’ll start back up, even if they survive the review." You can see his full remarks at https://www.justsecurity.org/106876/us-foreign-aid-stop-work-order/. This is what happens when you replace responsible administrators with unqualified cronies - absolute chaos. I believe that this will be a continuing feature of this administration.
Apparently, after the freeze on federal grants and loans had been rescinded, Trump's dippy press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, tweeted that the freeze had not been rescinded but only the OMB memo. The confusion this caused led to another judge granting a restraining order against the freeze. Lawyers representing the government were totally unaware of the tweet. The chaos continues!
I love your podcast. I learn so much. I’m thankful I live in Massachusetts especially being a gay woman. I’m also a veteran and disgusted with who has been elected especially recently as secretary of defense. What can I do to show protest against this? And other things? I want to fight and let them know. I’ve contacted my senators etc but I feel like I need to do more. Thank you for your knowledge!
Red states, who receive more federal aid money than blue states, are getting what Elon Musk paid for... We'll see how this shakes out, but when disaster relief money is cut from North Carolina victims, maybe some MAGAs will realize they've been had...
Sadly, I think that will only open the eyes of N. Carolinians. It will take more direct and personal hardships to open the eyes of those in other red states.
I read How the South Won the Civil War recently and was impressed by the clear writing illuminating facets of American History that I was aware of but had not really organized in my mind. I appreciate your commentary.
He is the enemy within.
Thank you Heather For both your brain and heart Michelle
Would it be possible to address the question of these Executive Orders possible appropriating legislative powers?
For example, the 1965 Executive Order by President Johnson was plainly intended to implement civil rights legislation. Does the revocation of that Executive Order by a new Executive Order by the rogue Trumpanzee out-of-control (oops . . . the lowest form of humor again) not change that legislation or leave it as an empty text?
Trump has done enough to be impeached and removed from office, starting with his lie to the American people about Project 2025 and running through his unconstitutional actions. But he won't be because the GOP is also corrupt to the core and supports him because all they want is to destroy government's ability to regulate their wealthy donors by making government small enough to drown in a bathtub.
Why do I get two emails from you daily, one informing me that I am a subscriber?