Tonight, Trump relented and signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which includes the coronavirus relief measure and the 2021 appropriations bill (along with other measures). He accompanied it with a statement claiming he would demand changes to the law, but these have no force; Congress will almost certainly ignore him. He also continued to pressure Senate Republicans to increase payments to individuals and families, saying that the House would vote to increase the amount of stimulus payments on Monday and that the Senate should agree. But he seemed to confuse the CAA with the National Defense Authorization Act he vetoed, said that Congress has agreed to do things it hasn’t, and then threw in complaints about voter fraud. The statement was weirdly disconnected from the way the legislative process actually works.
Re: the NYTimes article: HCR, it is time to own your importance in the international discourse on the state of the world and its historical context. But I admit I am not congratulating you on the article, because it is far less than you deserve, especially since the author, Ben Smith, is clearly not well versed in historical writing and cannot be bothered to treat what is happening on these pages of your newsletter and comments as a significant turning point. Snarky remarks about 58-year-old women are designed to undercut the relevance and innovation of this community--because as we all know, "old" women (sigh) are useful only as Golden Girls caricatures. Clearly Benny isn't aware that some of the most incisive minds in public today--Rebecca Solnit, Elizabeth Warren, our own HCR among them--are women over 50 (as is Kamala Harris, although she has not yet hit that "magic" number of 58). The little lad just thinks that it is amusing to undermine what HCR is saying by stating that he lives "today" on Twitter and doesn't understand how important historical context is (or, indeed, that the adjective 19th-century is supposed to be hyphenated, although the Times copyeditors should know this) in understanding the tipping point we are experiencing today. The nineteenth century is the era that has shaped us all, and we continue to interrogate and debate its ethics, its visions of the world, its crimes. Failure to understand that means a failure to understand why we have to acknowledge, apologize, and change.
What HCR deserves is a serious journalist in the Times producing a major Sunday Magazine-cover-quality interview and essay (repeated in all the important outlets), not some mimsy little media columnist with mommy issues (sorry I can't resist) saying "wow, an 'older' woman with a public internet following: who'd a thunk it?". Give me strength.
BTW, Heather got a nice write up today in the New York Times, and it’s terrific to see how deservedly well she is doing. It was shameful, though, at the end, when the reporter admitted he gets her Letters in his inbox, but rarely takes the time to read them—an undercutting comment he or his editor should have omitted.
I am outraged that we are paying for Pence and his entourage to vacation in Vail. He gets the vaccine over frontline workers. In 3 weeks his stint is up. This is not true for the front line workers. We listened to Fauci and CDC and are not traveling across the country to ski at Vail because we are living with a pandemic. We forgo seeing family and friends and our leaders flaunt in our face their life goes unchanged. They get the virus no problem for them as our government takes full care of them. Pence calls himself a Christian. What a joke. Christian to him is controlling a women’s body.
HCR, I was glad to see the NYT article about you this morning, even though the writer stated that he doesn't read your newsletters. I am a new subscriber here after reading the NYT article, wanting to be a tiny part of your income from your outstanding newsletters. I read your newsletter first thing every morning, and find it to be such a clearly stated summary of what happens each day. Months ago I stopped watching nearly all TV "news" as I find it to be mostly speculation and hype. All those commentators on cable channels. I am not a 58 year old woman, having passed that benchmark two decades ago. Both my husband and I think that you are the very best that we have found to give us useful information, enhanced by your historical perspective, during these challenging times. Thank you for your hard work!
Pence skis, Trump golfs and Nero fiddles...while millions of people fret over their rent and food bills and fear for their lives. How can any person of even minimal intelligence support this callous, self-serving, egocentric cabal?
Bizarre, ageist, misogynistic NYT piece, but hey, all press is good press, right? I, a 63-year-old man, was compelled to move from following you on free FB/Twitter to substack subscription, so there. Anyway, thank you for clearing the fog around Trump’s NDAA action, so obvious to me now he is panicked over the potentially devastating impact of CTA provisions on his criminal empire.
HCR, have also read the piece in the NYT, and though underselling you, I was curious enough to check out your site and read some of your work. I was only too glad to subscribe.
For what it's worth, there is a comment section on the piece, and I just sent this. Since it's moderated, I don't know yet if it will be accepted.
@Paul Guinnessy I don't go to Facebook often, and now mostly to watch the twice weekly talks Dr. Richardson does - one general on whatever and one historical, mostly on Reconstruction.
I would never have known she was on Facebook, but a friend (thankfully) sent me a link to her "Letters from an American", and, being a history buff (and woman of 'mature years' - thanks Ben), I was hooked.
As for her subscribers there, I have found them to be a group of well-rounded and diverse folks, some of whom are political junkies, and some who have, indeed, fallen away and haven't paid much attention to politics. She speaks succinctly and
straightforwardly to both groups, always informatively, never talking down to her audience. Which can't be said of cable 'news' stations of either political stripe.
If Mr. Smith is not reading her, he's missing a wonderful resource and it is his loss. Twitter just doesn't cut it for me. I want more substance and less flash-bang, thank you.
Well! I awoke to read about you in The NY Times, and I am so proud! My gang of brilliant friends here in Sherman CT were all ecstatic about this, and your success! I suppose we all feel a bit like the kids in Liverpool when the Beatles hit the ‘big time’! So we’ve been texting each other, sending the article to everyone we know, reminding them about you and making sure that they have signed up!
But I don’t know what I will do after your 100 days of Biden’s presidency comes to an end!?! No!!!! Please, you have imprinted us and we can’t be deserted! Please!
I’ve been in media (as my husband is) my entire career. I will personally volunteer to do whatever it takes to get you to do a podcast! We understand that you can’t keep up this pace. But this might be a way to keep us informed and you can do even a weekly summary!
But whatever you do we will follow you and support you every inch of the way! You have saved my mind this year... and clearly you have saved hundreds of thousands!
The two sentences below from today’s “Letter” jumped out at me. I think “national arson” is the perfect description of what we have been experiencing for the past 4 years. It also gives the unfortunate visual of how much work is ahead. And, having suspected the use of shell companies on a local level (being lambasted for-unsuccessfully- trying to connect the dots meant I probably was on the right track), I was unaware of the magnitude of its use.
We have allowed ourselves to slip precipitously from the intent of democracy and the increasingly unregulated capitalist economy has allowed those with unsavory intentions to operate with impunity.
One last gripe (maybe) for this morning is that Pence and his wife symbolically cut the vaccine line and are now vacationing in Vail while D.C. “burns” and the rest of us are told not to travel. Time and time again, the republicans just stick it to the masses. No different than how the oligarchs operate in Russia.
- - - - - - - - -
From Senator Chris Murphy “‘....But his goal is actually national arson—chaos for the fun of it. So he sits on the budget—does nothing—in order to guarantee a government shutdown....’”
“America is currently the easiest place in the world for criminals to form an anonymous shell company which enables them to launder money, evade taxes, and engage in illegal payoff schemes.”
Question: Why was the Corporate Transparency Act included in the NDAA now, and how did it garner bipartisan support?
To the extent that the CTA can and will be enforced, it seems passing this is way overdue. However, the cynic in me says it also appears counterintuitive. Putting aside for a moment shell companies created for non-political reasons, I'm guessing politicians of all stripes have received money through such vehicles (well, maybe more Rs than Ds). I'm also wondering what portion of campaign money enabled by the Citizens United decision has flowed through these entities. So again, why now?
Additionally, if the CTA covers existing entities, will FinCEN, or whomever is tasked with enforcement, pursue investigations into deals like Kushner's that allowed individual political contributions to be funneled into Trump's personal enterprises, as it seems to have done? How will enforcement be funded and staffed? Will it take more work by the likes of the Investigative Journalists to highlight the laxity of US laws, or will future Administrations and Congresses see this as an essential element of national and political security?
I'd like to see additional analysis of this issue if you have it.
Me too!!! I’m new. After seeing the article in NYT this morning I followed the link and read the post about shell companies...I had no idea that was in there...great info!! Thanks!
Glad to see you are getting more recognition with the NYT article, Heather. As a NYT subscriber I looked for a place to comment but could find none. It is ridiculous that this person states he never reads your newsletter even though he gets it daily. His loss. It is also unfortunate that he focuses on the financials so much. If that’s his only metric then that is truly sad. IMHO, you deserve every penny and I hope his mention of the subject doesn’t bring any backlash. I don’t see the point in emailing him as he obviously doesn’t bother much with email but it might be worth getting back on twitter to let him know what I think. He should have taken his cue from Bill Moyers, who he quotes, and done better. Very revealing, though, that the comment he quotes from Moyers is not especially flattering to him. My guess is that he didn’t realize it and just stuck it in as a ‘sound byte’ to close with. Please keep doing what you’re doing, Heather. At least for a while. You have helped so many of us survive these past 4 years that it’s hard to imagine going on without you.
Congratulations to you, Heather! I don’t know if you remember our conversation so many months ago, Heather, but I was delighted to see this in the NYT this morning: Heather Cox Richardson Offers a Break From the Media Maelstrom. It’s Working.
I’m a new subscriber, Heather, on recommendation from my go-to source for real USA news, The New York Times. I love your work! EB in Newhaven, VIC Australia
Re: the NYTimes article: HCR, it is time to own your importance in the international discourse on the state of the world and its historical context. But I admit I am not congratulating you on the article, because it is far less than you deserve, especially since the author, Ben Smith, is clearly not well versed in historical writing and cannot be bothered to treat what is happening on these pages of your newsletter and comments as a significant turning point. Snarky remarks about 58-year-old women are designed to undercut the relevance and innovation of this community--because as we all know, "old" women (sigh) are useful only as Golden Girls caricatures. Clearly Benny isn't aware that some of the most incisive minds in public today--Rebecca Solnit, Elizabeth Warren, our own HCR among them--are women over 50 (as is Kamala Harris, although she has not yet hit that "magic" number of 58). The little lad just thinks that it is amusing to undermine what HCR is saying by stating that he lives "today" on Twitter and doesn't understand how important historical context is (or, indeed, that the adjective 19th-century is supposed to be hyphenated, although the Times copyeditors should know this) in understanding the tipping point we are experiencing today. The nineteenth century is the era that has shaped us all, and we continue to interrogate and debate its ethics, its visions of the world, its crimes. Failure to understand that means a failure to understand why we have to acknowledge, apologize, and change.
What HCR deserves is a serious journalist in the Times producing a major Sunday Magazine-cover-quality interview and essay (repeated in all the important outlets), not some mimsy little media columnist with mommy issues (sorry I can't resist) saying "wow, an 'older' woman with a public internet following: who'd a thunk it?". Give me strength.
BTW, Heather got a nice write up today in the New York Times, and it’s terrific to see how deservedly well she is doing. It was shameful, though, at the end, when the reporter admitted he gets her Letters in his inbox, but rarely takes the time to read them—an undercutting comment he or his editor should have omitted.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/27/business/media/heather-cox-richardson-substack-boston-college.html
I am outraged that we are paying for Pence and his entourage to vacation in Vail. He gets the vaccine over frontline workers. In 3 weeks his stint is up. This is not true for the front line workers. We listened to Fauci and CDC and are not traveling across the country to ski at Vail because we are living with a pandemic. We forgo seeing family and friends and our leaders flaunt in our face their life goes unchanged. They get the virus no problem for them as our government takes full care of them. Pence calls himself a Christian. What a joke. Christian to him is controlling a women’s body.
HCR, I was glad to see the NYT article about you this morning, even though the writer stated that he doesn't read your newsletters. I am a new subscriber here after reading the NYT article, wanting to be a tiny part of your income from your outstanding newsletters. I read your newsletter first thing every morning, and find it to be such a clearly stated summary of what happens each day. Months ago I stopped watching nearly all TV "news" as I find it to be mostly speculation and hype. All those commentators on cable channels. I am not a 58 year old woman, having passed that benchmark two decades ago. Both my husband and I think that you are the very best that we have found to give us useful information, enhanced by your historical perspective, during these challenging times. Thank you for your hard work!
Pence skis, Trump golfs and Nero fiddles...while millions of people fret over their rent and food bills and fear for their lives. How can any person of even minimal intelligence support this callous, self-serving, egocentric cabal?
Bizarre, ageist, misogynistic NYT piece, but hey, all press is good press, right? I, a 63-year-old man, was compelled to move from following you on free FB/Twitter to substack subscription, so there. Anyway, thank you for clearing the fog around Trump’s NDAA action, so obvious to me now he is panicked over the potentially devastating impact of CTA provisions on his criminal empire.
HCR, have also read the piece in the NYT, and though underselling you, I was curious enough to check out your site and read some of your work. I was only too glad to subscribe.
For what it's worth, there is a comment section on the piece, and I just sent this. Since it's moderated, I don't know yet if it will be accepted.
@Paul Guinnessy I don't go to Facebook often, and now mostly to watch the twice weekly talks Dr. Richardson does - one general on whatever and one historical, mostly on Reconstruction.
I would never have known she was on Facebook, but a friend (thankfully) sent me a link to her "Letters from an American", and, being a history buff (and woman of 'mature years' - thanks Ben), I was hooked.
As for her subscribers there, I have found them to be a group of well-rounded and diverse folks, some of whom are political junkies, and some who have, indeed, fallen away and haven't paid much attention to politics. She speaks succinctly and
straightforwardly to both groups, always informatively, never talking down to her audience. Which can't be said of cable 'news' stations of either political stripe.
If Mr. Smith is not reading her, he's missing a wonderful resource and it is his loss. Twitter just doesn't cut it for me. I want more substance and less flash-bang, thank you.
Well! I awoke to read about you in The NY Times, and I am so proud! My gang of brilliant friends here in Sherman CT were all ecstatic about this, and your success! I suppose we all feel a bit like the kids in Liverpool when the Beatles hit the ‘big time’! So we’ve been texting each other, sending the article to everyone we know, reminding them about you and making sure that they have signed up!
But I don’t know what I will do after your 100 days of Biden’s presidency comes to an end!?! No!!!! Please, you have imprinted us and we can’t be deserted! Please!
I’ve been in media (as my husband is) my entire career. I will personally volunteer to do whatever it takes to get you to do a podcast! We understand that you can’t keep up this pace. But this might be a way to keep us informed and you can do even a weekly summary!
But whatever you do we will follow you and support you every inch of the way! You have saved my mind this year... and clearly you have saved hundreds of thousands!
This is only the beginning!
The two sentences below from today’s “Letter” jumped out at me. I think “national arson” is the perfect description of what we have been experiencing for the past 4 years. It also gives the unfortunate visual of how much work is ahead. And, having suspected the use of shell companies on a local level (being lambasted for-unsuccessfully- trying to connect the dots meant I probably was on the right track), I was unaware of the magnitude of its use.
We have allowed ourselves to slip precipitously from the intent of democracy and the increasingly unregulated capitalist economy has allowed those with unsavory intentions to operate with impunity.
One last gripe (maybe) for this morning is that Pence and his wife symbolically cut the vaccine line and are now vacationing in Vail while D.C. “burns” and the rest of us are told not to travel. Time and time again, the republicans just stick it to the masses. No different than how the oligarchs operate in Russia.
- - - - - - - - -
From Senator Chris Murphy “‘....But his goal is actually national arson—chaos for the fun of it. So he sits on the budget—does nothing—in order to guarantee a government shutdown....’”
“America is currently the easiest place in the world for criminals to form an anonymous shell company which enables them to launder money, evade taxes, and engage in illegal payoff schemes.”
Question: Why was the Corporate Transparency Act included in the NDAA now, and how did it garner bipartisan support?
To the extent that the CTA can and will be enforced, it seems passing this is way overdue. However, the cynic in me says it also appears counterintuitive. Putting aside for a moment shell companies created for non-political reasons, I'm guessing politicians of all stripes have received money through such vehicles (well, maybe more Rs than Ds). I'm also wondering what portion of campaign money enabled by the Citizens United decision has flowed through these entities. So again, why now?
Additionally, if the CTA covers existing entities, will FinCEN, or whomever is tasked with enforcement, pursue investigations into deals like Kushner's that allowed individual political contributions to be funneled into Trump's personal enterprises, as it seems to have done? How will enforcement be funded and staffed? Will it take more work by the likes of the Investigative Journalists to highlight the laxity of US laws, or will future Administrations and Congresses see this as an essential element of national and political security?
I'd like to see additional analysis of this issue if you have it.
Me too!!! I’m new. After seeing the article in NYT this morning I followed the link and read the post about shell companies...I had no idea that was in there...great info!! Thanks!
Glad to see you are getting more recognition with the NYT article, Heather. As a NYT subscriber I looked for a place to comment but could find none. It is ridiculous that this person states he never reads your newsletter even though he gets it daily. His loss. It is also unfortunate that he focuses on the financials so much. If that’s his only metric then that is truly sad. IMHO, you deserve every penny and I hope his mention of the subject doesn’t bring any backlash. I don’t see the point in emailing him as he obviously doesn’t bother much with email but it might be worth getting back on twitter to let him know what I think. He should have taken his cue from Bill Moyers, who he quotes, and done better. Very revealing, though, that the comment he quotes from Moyers is not especially flattering to him. My guess is that he didn’t realize it and just stuck it in as a ‘sound byte’ to close with. Please keep doing what you’re doing, Heather. At least for a while. You have helped so many of us survive these past 4 years that it’s hard to imagine going on without you.
Congratulations to you, Heather! I don’t know if you remember our conversation so many months ago, Heather, but I was delighted to see this in the NYT this morning: Heather Cox Richardson Offers a Break From the Media Maelstrom. It’s Working.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/27/business/media/heather-cox-richardson-substack-boston-college.html?referringSource=articleShare
I am so very happy for you! ❤️ Nancy
I’m a new subscriber, Heather, on recommendation from my go-to source for real USA news, The New York Times. I love your work! EB in Newhaven, VIC Australia
There's still more to come. President Worthless Piece of Shit will continue to demonstrate his worthless shittiness until the final minute.