‘Freedom From Fear': F.D.R.'s Granddaughter Contrasts Two Presidents
Image Credit... Nathan Howard/Reuters
To the Editor:
Re 'The New Deal Is a Stinging Rebuke to Trump and Trumpism,' by Jamelle Bouie (column, nytimes.com, April 30):
In his first 100 days in office, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, my grandfather, encouraged us to believe in ourselves, to trust and help our neighbors, and to put the country's stability and well-being as a whole at the forefront.
By contrast, the current administration has caused economic chaos at home and abroad, while exhibiting carelessness and cruelty to nearly everyone except billionaires. The early success of a presidential agenda should be defined by what it creates and not by what it destroys — the confidence in the American promise that it inspires, not the fear it sows.
All my life I have lived in the shadow — no, the glow — of the legacy of my grandparents' leadership, ideals and public accomplishments. I am 77 years old, and I hope I live to see that legacy give rise to a reborn America that treasures the freedoms they enshrined: the freedom of speech and expression, the freedom the live one's own faith, the freedom from desperation and want, and most especially, the freedom from fear.
Thank you, Mr. Bouie, for your clear declaration of what we must do and why.
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt
Embden, Maine Credit... Pete Marovich for The New York Times
To the Editor:
Re 'There have never been 100 days like this' (front page, April 30):
The most dispiriting and shocking thing about Donald Trump's so rapidly and thoroughly transforming the presidency into a weapon of revenge is not what he has done, but how he has been able to do it.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
8 minutes ago
- CNN
Defining symbol of protests, volatile work schedules, healing power of travel: Catch up on the day's stories
👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Almost two-thirds of US workers struggle with volatile and inflexible work schedules, according to a new Gallup survey. It's especially common among part-time employees and those without a college degree. Here's what else you might have missed during your busy day: 1️⃣ Defining symbol: Mexico's green, white and red flag has been a common sight at the protests in Los Angeles as demonstrators express solidarity with immigrants and denounce the ICE raids. The brandishing of Latin American flags in the US has a long and complex history. 2️⃣ Dicey outlook: Global economic growth is on track for its weakest decade since the 1960s, according to a new analysis. The World Bank cited US President Donald Trump's trade war as a major factor weighing on economies worldwide. 3️⃣ $1,000 per baby: The so-called 'Trump accounts' would provide parents of newborns with money to invest on behalf of their child's future as part of a five-year pilot program. Here's how it would work and who would benefit the most. 4️⃣ World traveler: Cameron Mofid has struggled with obsessive compulsive disorder since childhood. The California man recently became one of the few people who has visited all 195 UN-recognized countries and territories. He called it 'a form of healing.' 5️⃣ Skygazing: Keep an eye out tonight for June's full strawberry moon as well as the Milky Way and multiple planets. This will be the lowest full moon visible from the Northern Hemisphere in decades due to a phenomenon called a major lunar standstill. GET '5 THINGS' IN YOUR INBOX CNN's 5 Things newsletter is your one-stop shop for the latest headlines and fascinating stories to start and end your busy day. Sign up here. 🌊 Undersea wreckage: Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts captured close-up images of a World War I-era submarine that was lost at sea 108 years ago. Take a closer look. • Military mobilization around LA protests will cost roughly $134 million• Gunman opens fire in Austrian school, killing 10 and throwing country into shock• Several dead after wave of explosions hit southwest Colombia, authorities say ✈️ That's how many fewer international travelers are expected to visit New York City this year than in 2024. 🌍 Call for help: Children removing plastic waste from a lake. Tree-covered mountains behind a massive pile of trash. A billboard on parched earth where the seashore used to be. Striking images like these, showing environmental destruction, aim to 'inspire action.' 🛒 Empty shelves: Whole Foods says it's working hard to restock stores with groceries after a cyberattack knocked one of its major suppliers offline. 🚢 Which activist was detained while aboard an aid ship headed for Gaza?A. Ai WeiweiB. Jane FondaC. Greta ThunbergD. Alicia Garza⬇️ Scroll down for the answer. 👨🎨 The real deal: A family displayed a marble sculpture on top of their piano alongside photos. They thought it was 'fake' — a copy of a work of art by renowned sculptor Auguste Rodin. It just sold at auction for nearly $1 million. 👋 We'll see you tomorrow.🧠 Quiz answer: C. Swedish climate and human rights activist Greta Thunberg departed Israel on a flight to France after being detained by Israeli forces aboard an aid ship bound for Gaza.📧 Check out all of CNN's newsletters. 5 Things PM is produced by CNN's Chris Good, Meghan Pryce, Kimberly Richardson and Morgan Severson.
UPI
8 minutes ago
- UPI
Senators propose $15-per-hour federal minimum wage
A proposed federal act would raise the federal minimum wage law to $15 an hour on January 1, two U.S. senators announced on Tuesday. The Service Employee International Union was fighting for that wage in 2021 (pictured). File Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License Photo June 10 (UPI) -- The federal minimum wage would rise to $15 per hour, with annual cost-of-living increases based on inflation, in a proposed bipartisan measure. Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., co-sponsored the bill that they have named the "Higher Wages for American Workers Act" and would increase the federal minimum wage from its current $7.25 per hour for non-exempt workers. "For decades, working Americans have seen their wages flatline," Hawley said on Tuesday in a joint press release with Welch. "One major culprit of this is the failure of the federal minimum wage to keep up with the economic reality facing hardworking Americans every day," Hawley added. Welch said inflation and rising costs are making it too hard for families to afford basic necessities. "We're in the midst of a severe affordability crisis, with families in red and blue states alike struggling to afford necessities like housing and groceries," Welch said. "A stagnant federal minimum wage only adds fuel to the fire," he continued. "Every hardworking American deserves a living wage that helps put a roof over their head and food on the table -- $7.25 an hour doesn't even come close." "Times have changed, and working families deserve a wage that reflects today's financial reality," Welch added. Hawley said the current federal minimum wage is less than what a worker earned in 1940 when adjusted for inflation. If the proposed federal minimum wage increase is passed into law, it would take effect on Jan. 1 and allow cost-of-living increases that match inflation in subsequent years. Many states have respective minimum wage laws that exceed the current and proposed federal minimum wage, but a dozen still were at the federal minimum wage in 2024. Many large employers also have higher minimum wages, including Walmart, which has paid its workers at least $14 an hour and often more since 2023. President Joe Biden in 2021 ordered the federal government to pay contract workers at least $15 an hour. California lawmakers in 2022 raised the state's minimum wage for many fast-food workers to up to $22 an hour.
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
U.S. Conference of Mayors Statement on the Situation in Los Angeles
WASHINGTON, June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, U.S. Conference of Mayors President Columbus (OH) Mayor Andrew Ginther released the following statement on the situation in Los Angeles, California. "The streets of American cities are no place for the U.S. military. Law enforcement is a local responsibility, and America's mayors support Mayor Bass as she works with state authorities to promote order in her city. Protest, carried out peacefully, is a bedrock of our democracy. However, violence, theft, and destruction of property can never be tolerated. We have every confidence that Mayor Bass and state officials can manage the situation. The authorities there have the experience, training and resources to maintain peace and protect the rights of legitimate protestors. "With crime plummeting across the country, mayors have demonstrated their ability to promote public safety. Troops should never be deployed to cities without the request of state and local authorities. The U.S. Conference of Mayors stands firmly behind the rights of mayors to determine the best public safety strategies for their individual cities. We urge the president to work constructively with local and state authorities as we all strive to make our cities and the nation stronger." About the United States Conference of Mayors – The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are more than 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Follow our work on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, and Medium. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE U.S. Conference of Mayors
