From Politics Chat, October 28, 2025 Join us live on Tuesday and Thursday at 6 pm Maine time. Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe You can also find me: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/ Resources: https://redwine.blue/ https://www.commoncause.org/take-action/ https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member 00:00 – We’re in a “funny” place right now 00:44 – November 1st SNAP benefits will not go out 09:43 – At an unprecedented moment with this shutdown 13:21 – Trump is not okay 15:38 – Who’s calling the shots while Trump is away? 19:19 – Defense Department, strikes without evidence 23:08 – Pattern of Republicans messing with the upcoming vote next week 26:14 – How did we get from the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era? 29:10 – Where we are and what we can do 31:26 – Keep up national pressure on the Epstein files 34:29 – Register to vote, push back against misinformation, keep the joy