Director of Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 is stepping down
(WASHINGTON) — Paul Dans, the director of the Heritage Foundation’s controversial Project 2025, is stepping down amid intense scrutiny of the conservative blueprint.
Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, confirmed that Dans announced he is leaving his position.
“When we began Project 2025 in April 2022, we set a timeline for the project to conclude its policy drafting after the two party conventions this year, and we are sticking to that timeline,” Roberts posted on X.
“Paul, who built the project from scratch and bravely led this endeavor over the past two years, will be departing the team and moving up to the front where the fight remains,” he wrote.
However, it doesn’t look like Project 2025 is nearing its end as Roberts also claimed that they will “continue our efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels.”
Project 2025, organized by the Heritage Foundation but backed by more than 100 groups and authored by several allies of Donald Trump, is a 922-page document outlining conservative policy priorities.
It includes expanding presidential power, eliminating the Department of Education, taking the abortion pill mifepristone off the market, cutting federal funding for clean energy research, restricting welfare programs and more.
The initiative has been a point of controversy in the 2024 campaign, as Democrats heavily campaign against what they’ve called its “dangerous” proposals.
Trump has sought to distance himself from Project 2025, saying he knew “nothing” about it and “no idea” who was behind it. But several of the former president’s current and former advisers and appointees have authored or supported the project, including Christopher Miller and Ben Carson.
The Trump campaign celebrated the news of Dans’ departure from the presidential transition initiative.
“Reports of Project 2025’s demise would be greatly welcomed and should serve as notice to anyone or any group trying to misrepresent their influence with President Trump and his campaign — it will not end well for you,” campaign officials Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita wrote in a statement.
The Harris campaign on Tuesday quickly tried to pour cold water on the idea there’s daylight between potential second term Trump policies and Project 2025’s platform, highlighting the close ties he has to members affiliated with the group.
“Project 2025 is on the ballot because Donald Trump is on the ballot. This is his agenda, written by his allies, for Donald Trump to inflict on our country,” Harris for President campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement.
(WASHINGTON) — Vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance went on the “Megyn Kelly Show” podcast Friday to defend his past remarks where he questioned Democratic leaders, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for not having biological children, referring to them as “childless cat ladies.”
Vance made the comments in 2021, but they have recently resurfaced after former first lady Hillary Clinton shared a clip of the comments on X earlier this week — a little more than a week after Trump picked Vance as his running mate. Harris — who was among those Vance attacked — has secured commitments from enough delegates to become the presumptive Democratic nominee if they all honor their commitment when voting, according to ABC News reporting.
“We are effectively run in this country via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs, by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too,” Vance said in the 2021 Fox News interview.
The main argument Vance made during his Friday interview with Kelly is that the Democratic Party is “anti-family” and that his criticism was not directed at those who don’t have kids.
“The simple point that I made is that having children, becoming a father, becoming a mother, I really do think it changes your perspective in a pretty profound way,” Vance told Kelly.
“I explicitly said in my remarks, despite the fact that the media has lied about this, that this is not about criticizing people who, for various reasons, didn’t have kids. This is about criticizing the Democratic Party for becoming anti-family and anti-child,” he added.
Vance’s original comments form 2021 mentioned the “choices” those Democrats had made that led them to be “miserable” and “childless cat ladies.”
While Vance claims Democrats are “anti-family and anti-child,” President Joe Biden and Harris have advocated for the child tax credit. The expanded child tax credit put in place during COVID expired in 2021 after pressure from Republicans and independent Joe Manchin. Democrats continue to fight to bring it back — with Biden calling for it to be put back in place in his FY2025 budget.
Vance said in the interview that he hopes parents realize he’s fighting for them.
“I’m proud to stand up for parents, and I hope the parents out there recognize that I’m a guy who wants to fight for you. I want to fight for your interests. I want to fight for your stake in the country. And that is what this is fundamentally about,” Vance said.
But Vance’s past comments have received massive backlash.
Kerstin Emhoff, mother to Cole and Ella Emhoff and the ex-wife of second gentleman Doug Emhoff, called Vance’s “cat lady” comments “baseless attacks.”
“For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I. She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it,” Kerstin Emhoff said.
Ella Emhoff, the daughter of second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Harris’ stepdaughter, posted on her story on Instagram, “I love my three parents” while highlighting her mom’s statement. She asked “How can you be ‘childless’ when you have cutie pie kids like Cole and I.”
Buttigieg also reacted to Vance’s comments on CNN Tuesday night, telling anchor Kaitlin Collins that Vance shouldn’t comment on other people’s children.
“The really sad thing is he said that after Chasten and I had been through a fairly heartbreaking setback in our adoption journey,” Buttigieg said. “He couldn’t have known that, but maybe that’s why you shouldn’t be talking about other people’s children.”
ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh and MaryAlice Parks contributed to this report
(CHICAGO) — Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago has wrapped.
Here’s a look at some of the key moments in a night that saw highly-anticipated prime-time speeches from Barack and Michelle Obama and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, along with a few surprise guests:
Barack Obama passes the torch
Former President Barack Obama delivered the keynote speech a day after the DNC saw an emotional tribute to his vice president, President Joe Biden.
“Now the torch has been passed,” Obama said, turning to Harris’ candidacy and her campaign against former President Donald Trump.
“Now it is up to all of us to fight for the America we believe in,” he added. “And make no mistake, it will be a fight.”
Obama went on to slam Trump as a “78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rose down his golden escalator.”
“As we gather here tonight, the people who will decide this election are asking a very simple question: Who will fight for me? Who’s thinking about my future, about my children’s future, about our future together?” he asked. “One thing is for certain, Donald Trump is not losing sleep over that question.”
After more than 30 minutes on stage, Obama had a simple message for convention-goers.
“As much as any policy or program, I believe that’s what we yearn for, a return to an America where we work together and look out for each other,” Obama said.
“That is what this election is about,” he added.
Michelle Obama: ‘We cannot get a Goldilocks complex’
Former first lady Michelle Obama was greeted with an enthusiastic standing ovation as she took the stage as the penultimate speaker.
She said until recently she had mourned the “dimming” of hope felt in the country following the recent developments in the country and the loss of her mother.
However, she said she recently felt it spreading again.
“America, hope is making a comeback,” she said.
She took subtle but biting jabs at Trump, contrasting his past scandals with Harris’ years of accomplishment.
“She understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward we will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth,” she said.
“If we bankrupt a business or choke in a crisis, we don’t get a second, third, or fourth chance,” she added.
In her closing remarks, she warned that a handful of votes in select states would decide the election and pushed Americans to come out to the polls.
“So, we need to vote in numbers that erase any doubt we need to overwhelm any effort to suppress us. Our fate is in our hands,” she said.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff gets personal
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff reintroduced himself to America in a personal, down-to-earth speech as Harris makes a historic bid for the White House that, if elected, would make him the first-ever first gentleman.
He talked about having a “typical suburban childhood” and his fantasy football league that’s named after the band Nirvana. He touched on major life moments: going to law school, becoming a father to son Cole and daughter Ella, getting divorced and then getting set up on a blind date with Harris.
On his wife, he said she “finds joy in pursuing justice.”
“She stands up to bullies — just like my parents taught me to. She likes to see people do well — and hates when they’re treated unfairly. She believes this work requires a basic curiosity in how people are doing. Her empathy is her strength,” he said.
He talked about Harris coming to synagogue with him and making a “mean brisket for Passover.” He said Harris encouraged him as second gentleman to fight against antisemitism.
“Kamala is a joyful warrior,” he said. “It’s doing for her country what she has always done for the people she loves. Her passion will benefit all of us when she’s our president.”
Angela Alsobrooks puts spotlight on key Senate race
Democrats picked Angela Alsobrooks to give a lengthier speech than others as she runs for Senate in Maryland, a race once considered sleepy. But with popular former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan as the GOP nominee, the race is more competitive, and Democrats are desperate to keep the seat of outgoing Sen. Ben Cardin in their column.
Alsobrooks spoke about her friendship with Harris and how she looked up to her as a mentor.
Alsobrooks said when she ran for state’s attorney in 2009, she discovered Harris’ work as district attorney piloting a program to help low-level offenders get job training, GED help and more.
“After reading about this super-bad district attorney, I talked non-stop about her on the campaign trail,” she said. “Two days after I won the election, my phone rings. It’s Kamala Harris, calling to congratulate me and ask how she could help. She helped me bring Back on Track to Maryland. Crime went down, and economic growth went up. Back on Track is now a national model.”
Alsobrooks went on to tout Harris’ prosecutorial record against big banks, gangs and more.
“Kamala Harris knows how to keep criminals off the streets,” she said. “And come November, with our help, she’ll keep one out of the Oval Office.”
Illinois Gov. Pritzker on ‘weird’ GOP
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker repeated comments made by Democrats calling Trump and other Republicans “weird” over their rhetoric and actions.
He took the sentiment further, citing instances when Black or brown-skinned Americans are “derided as a DEI hire for the sin of being successful while not white.”
“Let’s be clear, it’s not ‘woke’ that limits economic growth, it’s ‘weird,'” the governor said.
“These guys aren’t just weird, they’re dangerous,” Pritzker added.
The “weird” labeling of Republicans was first adopted by Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and used widely as a tactic to label the party’s platforms and attacks.
Former Trump official touts Harris
The DNC is highlighting several former supporters of former President Donald Trump this week, including everyday Americans who previously voted for him who are now backing Harris.
But Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary, was the first of several former Trump officials slated to speak at the convention. She described herself not only as a former supporter of Trump but as a “true believer” who has since changed her tune.
“He has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth,” she said of Trump.
“When I was press secretary, I got skewered for never holding a White House briefing,” Grisham added. “It’s because, unlike my boss, I never wanted to stand at that podium and lie. Now, here I am behind a podium advocating for a Democrat. And that’s because I love my country more than my party.”
Festive ceremonial roll call
A lively ceremonial roll call before the prime-time slot got the crowd energized as delegates cast their votes for Harris while songs from artists from each state blared through the arena.
The roll call featured some surprise cameos alongside more expected political leaders from their respective states, including rapper Lil Jon (Georgia) actor Sean Astin (Indiana), director Spike Lee (New York) and actress Eva Longoria (Texas).
The roll call ended with Harris addressing the crowd from a rally in Milwaukee and thanking the delegates for nominating her as the Democratic presidential nominee.
“This is a people-powered campaign, and together we will chart a new way forward,” she said.
(CHICAGO) — Barack and Michelle Obama used their star power to lift up Vice President Kamala Harris — and eviscerate her opponent.
Representing Democrats’ modern version of political royalty, the former president and former first lady brought a raucous Chicago crowd to its feet with their distinctively soaring rhetoric. But compared to past speeches, these were different.
“When they go low, we go high,” Michelle Obama famously said during her 2016 Democratic National Convention speech.
On Tuesday, they did both.
Both praised Harris Tuesday as someone uniquely capable of connecting with the American people and deserving of a groundswell of support, issuing calls to action for Democrats to get out to the polls this November.
“Kamala Harris won’t be focused on her problems, she’ll be focused on yours. As president, she won’t just cater to her own supporters, punish those who refuse to kiss the ring or bend the knee. She’ll work on behalf of every American. That’s who Kamala is,” Barack Obama said.
“We cannot afford for anyone to sit on their hands and wait to be called upon. Don’t complain if no one from the campaign has specifically reached out to ask for your support. There is simply no time for that kind of foolishness. You know what we need to do. So, consider this to be your official ask: Michelle Obama is asking you, no I’m telling y’all, to do something,” Michelle Obama said to cheers in her speech introducing her husband.
Beyond promoting Harris, they also touted a vision of a country united, where citizens give each other the benefit of the doubt and can even learn from each other.
“Democracy isn’t just a bunch of abstract principles and dusty laws in some books somewhere. It’s the values we live by. It’s the way we treat each other, including those who don’t look like us or pray like us or see the world exactly like we do,” Barack Obama said. “To make progress on the things we care about, the things that really affect people’s lives, we need to remember that we’ve all got our blind spots and contradictions and prejudices.”
They also held nothing back in going after former President Donald Trump.
Both criticized Trump in sweeping terms, with Michelle Obama calling his style of politics “small,” and questioning ” Why would we accept this from anyone seeking our highest office?” and Barack Obama saying that Americans “do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos.”
But they also went after Trump in specific ways that were both cutting and, at times, below the belt.
“Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs?'” Michelle Obama said in likely the most memorable line of the night, referencing Trump’s claims that immigrants are taking jobs away from Black citizens.
And Obama knocked Trump for his “weird obsession with crowd sizes,” measuring out his hands in a way that some on social media interpreted as a reference to genitalia size.
Each time, the crowd roared.
Democrats hailed the speech, arguing it’s just what the doctor ordered.
The speeches were “great bookends,” said Pete Giangreco, a Democratic strategist who worked on Obama’s campaigns. “Instead of making Trump big and ominous, they made him small and petty and his gripes old and tired.”
“This was just a grand slam,” added veteran Democratic strategist David Brand. “I just think that they prosecuted the case against the convicted felon so marvelously and showed that America needs to get back to normalcy and away from the chaos that is Trumpism.”
The tone of the speeches, both optimistic and critical, inspiring and combative, underscored precisely where the Democratic Party finds itself this year.
The party is jubilant over Harris’ rise to the top of its ticket, particularly after President Joe Biden’s disastrous June debate left Democrats feeling hopeless about their electoral chances in November. The United Center this week, like the party base, has been electrified.
“I am feeling fired up. I am feeling ready to go,” Barack Obama said, echoing an old campaign slogan. “I am feeling hope because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible. Because we have a chance to elect someone who has spent her entire life trying to give people the same chances America gave her.”
But lingering fears of a Trump comeback loom over the euphoria, with attendees repeatedly bringing up the 2016 election cycle, when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, another historic female candidate who Democrats were confident would win.
“People saw what happens when voters are complacent. Complacency handed us Donald Trump,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, D, told ABC News Tuesday.
With that fear, Democrats are leaving nothing to chance, unwilling to dull their rhetorical knives’ edges in the face of what they describe as nothing short of a risk to democracy in the form of Trump’s comeback bid.
“We’re talking about people who beat police officers with sticks and the American flag on Jan. 6 trying to steal a free and fair election. I’m sorry, I totally reject that,” Brand said when asked about if the Obamas’ rhetoric violated the rule of going high and not low.. “I don’t have patience for that argument about their feelings.”