Heather Cox Richardson - Letters from an American
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-5-2022

As FDR put it: “It is common sense to take a method and try it: If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something. The millions who are in want will not stand by silently forever while the things to satisfy their needs are within easy reach.”

"In the end, that’s what the economists Leonhardt interviewed last year think is behind Democrats’ ability to manage the economy better than Republicans. Republicans tend to cling to abstract theories about how the economy works—theories about high tariffs or tax cuts, for example, which tend to concentrate wealth upward—while Democrats are more pragmatic, willing to pay attention to facts on the ground and to historical lessons about what works and what doesn’t."

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/04/politics/pence-january-6-trump/index.html

Pence says 'Trump is wrong' to say then-vice president had the right to overturn 2020 election

Former Vice President Mike Pence called out his former boss by name on Friday, saying that "President (Donald) Trump is wrong" in claiming that Pence had the right to overturn the 2020 election on January 6, 2021.

Pence warned against conservatives who continue to insist the vice president can alter an election, and said it could be a problematic position for Republicans in the next presidential contest.

"Under the Constitution, I had no right to change the outcome of our election..."

"Flynn envisioned the U.S. military playing a prominent role in the coup, and according to New York Times reporter Robert Draper.."

"Flynn, in fact, wanted Trump to declare martial law during the post-election lame duck period of late 2020/early 2021 — a terrifying thought in light of how bloody the military coup in Myanmar has been."

https://www.alternet.org/2022/02/michael-flynn-envisioned-a-a-myanmar-style-military-coup-for-the-u-s-and-he-hasnt-given-up-report/

Heather Cox Richardson from Letters from an American - February 3, 2022

"...the New York Times today revealed two legal memos from a lawyer affiliated with the Trump campaign providing legal
rationales for the fake electors."

"One memo, dated November 18, 2020, by Kenneth Chesebro, justified the casting of fake ballots; another, dated December 9, 2020, focused on overturning the certified ballots for Biden. It urged the fake electors to meet in secret, sign fake documents, and submit them as if they were real."

“In conclusion,” he wrote, “it appears that voting by an alternate slate of electors is unproblematic in Arizona and Wisconsin; slightly problematic in Michigan (requiring access to the senate chamber); somewhat dicey in Georgia and Pennsylvania…; and very problematic in Nevada.”

"Chesebro’s cool analysis of how to overturn our democracy is chilling. "

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-3-2022

This series is streaming on Nexflix, Roku, PBS America.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/1/23/22889471/postmaster-louis-dejoy-manages-to-hang-on-to-job-biden-ouster-editorial

Amazingly, he might not be shown the door. That’s bad for the postal service and for Americans who depend on affordable, reliable mail delivery.

Biden wisely removed two DeJoy supporters from the board last year. But the president’s replacements, Derek Kan and Dan Tangherlini, are stalled in a Senate committee waiting approval.

That DeJoy would remain postmaster general for any time longer than what it takes to clean out his desk should be troubling news for anyone who cares about the postal service — which should be all of us.

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-2-2022

Today, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman sued Donald Trump, Jr., Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and others, as well as Fox News Channel personalities, including Laura Ingraham, for obstructing an official proceeding “by intimidating and retaliating against a key witness.”

Today, committee member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said that the committee expects to hear from Ivanka Trump, the former president’s daughter and White House advisor, whom the committee expects to call this week.

Raskin also said public hearings will likely be held in April. This will make them uncomfortably close to the midterm elections, but they have had to be pushed back because of obstruction by Trump’s people.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/feb/02/four-alternatives-to-spotify-swapping-is-easier-than-you-think


The ongoing controversy over Spotify’s flagship podcaster Joe Rogan, whose vaccine misinformation has led to musicians pulling their music from the platform, has also caused a lot of listeners to look for alternatives. Spotify reportedly accounts for 31% of the total music streaming market, more than double its nearest competitor – Apple Music – at 15%.

Here's more:

https://www.tomsguide.com/round-up/best-podcast-apps

Instead, the best podcast apps look beyond playback, with features that manage your downloads, create playlists and even help you discover new shows to follow. The best of the best even include a variety of audio tools and features to optimize your listening experience, so that you can listen on a commute without missing a word.

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-31-2022

Trump: CNN reported tonight that former president Trump had not one but two executive orders prepared to enable his loyalists to seize voting machines after the 2020 election...Shortly after this report, the New York Times reported a story with much more detail, claiming that Trump was directly involved in the plans to seize the machines.

Putin: U.S. ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, warned of an “urgent and dangerous” situation in Europe as Russian president Vladimir Putin has massed more than 100,000 Russian troops along the border with Ukraine....

The U.S. and the U.K. have said they have prepared a list of “oligarchs close to the Kremlin” who will be hit with sanctions...This is a huge deal. Oligarchs consolidated power in the former Soviet satellite states in the 1990s and moved enormous amounts of illicit money into the U.S. and the U.K....Recent studies suggest that the influx of that illicit money had undermined democracy, and cleaning it up would almost certainly help to stabilize the systems in the U.S. and the U.K.