Podcast · heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
Letters from an American
Heather Cox Richardson
Heather Cox Richardson's narrated newsletter about the history behind today's politics. heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
18 claims · Clear filters
True90% confidence4 sourcesSep 15, 2026The Environmental Protection Agency intends to prevent future administrations from enacting regulations on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.Said by AMultiple tier1 and tier2 sources (AP, Reuters, NBC, Politico, LA Times) report that on September 14, 2026 the EPA repealed greenhouse gas limits on coal and gas power plants and proposed a separate step to prevent future administrations from regulating power plant climate pollution, which matches the claim's core assertion as of the 2026-09-15 post date. The claim's wording is a faithful paraphrase of the passage, and the 'today' in the post resolves to the September 14 announcement.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True85% confidence9 sourcesSep 15, 2026Members of the Trump family are heavily invested in AI-related industries.Said by AMultiple independent reports (Washington Post analysis, Reuters, and outlets repeating it) document Trump family members, including sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, holding stakes in AI-related companies, data centers, and chip/infrastructure firms as of September 2026, so the claim was true on 2026-09-15. The claim's wording matches the post's own phrasing, and the post's title and referents resolve to the Trump family; the sources describe the investments but do not state the post's exact 'heavily' emphasis in a numerical way, which is a minor qualifier.True90% confidence7 sourcesSep 15, 2026The Environmental Protection Agency is removing rules that limit greenhouse gas emissions from coal and natural gas power plants.Said by AMultiple tier1 and primary sources (AP, Reuters, EPA fact sheet, Federal Register, Harvard EELP) confirm that on September 14, 2026, the EPA finalized repeal of most 2024 greenhouse gas standards for coal- and gas-fired power plants, which is before the claim's 2026-09-15 date, so the claim held as of that date. The claim's wording matches the passage's own statement that the EPA is getting rid of these rules; the Federal Register publication and effective date (Nov. 16, 2026) are later developments that do not change the claim's status on the posting date.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True92% confidence7 sourcesSep 15, 2026The Supreme Court refused to allow Donald Trump to implement new orders for the United States Postal Service to screen mail-in ballots.Said by AThe sources consistently report that on September 14, 2026, the Supreme Court declined to let the U.S. Postal Service enforce its rule on mail-in ballots, leaving in place a lower-court injunction, which matches the claim. The rule is described as a screening mechanism (voter lists and barcoded envelopes checked against voter lists), and the ruling was an emergency order, not a final decision on legality, which the sources note.True85% confidence8 sourcesSep 15, 2026A Russian oligarch spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding.ProPublica's reporting, confirmed in part by the AP, Reuters, PBS, NBC and USA Today, says Umar Kremlev paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for Trump Jr.'s May 2026 Bahamas wedding celebrations, including a private island and fireworks. The couple clarified the spending covered the post-wedding festivities rather than the ceremony itself, a nuance the summary notes but which does not overturn the core claim.True85% confidence5 sourcesSep 15, 2026A whistleblower alleged that inspectors under the direction of top Homeland Security leadership broke state laws to find noncitizens on voter rolls.A federal whistleblower's account, relayed by Senators Padilla and Schumer and documented in a Senate letter to DHS's inspector general, does allege that DHS personnel may have broken state laws while hunting for noncitizens on voter rolls. The claim drops the post's hedge "may have," so it states the allegation more firmly than the sources, but it is graded as an allegation that was made, which the sources support.