NEWS ANALYSIS

The Heritage Foundation in Northeast Washington, DC is the architect of Project 2025.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - If Donald Trump becomes president again, African-Americans stand to lose the most. But so do women, other Black people, brown folks and immigrants – documented and undocumented.

This is not a conjecture.

The Center for American Progress says Project 2025’s sweeping tentacles would touch and influence just about every facet of American life with the goal of implementing “an authoritarian playbook that would destroy the system of checks and balances our forefathers designed when they sought freedom and popular sovereignty almost 250 years ago.

Their researchers continue, “In dissolving the American idea, the plan’s extremist policies would give far-right politicians, judges, and corporations more control over Americans’ lives.”

The LDF Thurgood Marshall Center concurs.  

“Project 2025 represents a direct and deliberate threat to Black communities across seven key areas addressed in this report: civil rights, education, political participation, the criminal legal system, housing, reproductive rights, and environmental protections,” Thurgood Marshall officials write. “At its core, it aims to dismantle essential agencies and regulations that protect civil rights while promoting anti-democratic and anti-justice initiatives that will weaponize civil rights enforcement by federal agencies. These proposals are designed to erode the very principles of equality, justice, and fairness that form the foundation of our democracy—and the impact would be devastating.”

Trump’s animosity toward Black people is palpable. He has spoken with contempt and hatred toward African Americans and immigrants and he promises to fight against and reverse civil rights and social and economic gains African Americans enjoy – if he’s elected to a second term.

The former president is promising retribution for his enemies and said he will defend his fellow Republicans who feel aggrieved and resentful of Civil rights, women’s equality, LGBTQ and trans rights and everything that has elevated non-white people since the 1960s. 

The vehicle Trump and throngs of far-right extremist supporters plan to use to drag the United States back is Project 2025, The 922-page document describes in stark detail every element of the plan. 

Project 2025 is a sweeping rightwing blueprint orchestrated by the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing conservative think tank and the Koch Brothers, which finances far-right and libertarian causes. More than 100 far-right organizations, all funded by a vast and secretive dark money network, are the financial and ideological drivers behind this project.

“The actions of liberal politicians in Washington have created a desperate need and unique opportunity for conservatives to start undoing the damage the Left has wrought and build a better country for all Americans in 2025,” the Project 2025 manifesto says. “It is not enough for conservatives to win elections. If we are going to rescue the country from the grip of the radical Left, we need both a governing agenda and the right people in place, ready to carry this agenda out on day one of the next conservative administration.”

Project 2025 plans to privatize government functions, deregulate targeted industries, cut taxes for the most wealthy and American corporations and help the oligarchs churn out money at the expense of American workers, the middle class and everyone else who’re lower on the food chain.

Project 2025 and Trump’s Agenda 47 – another radical Republican scheme that embodies many of the Project 2025 proposals – touches everything from reproductive healthcare, access to abortions and abortion rights, general healthcare, labor, schools, labor unions, education and workers’ overtime. It would redirect more unchecked power into the presidency, use every mechanism and lever available in government to dismantle democratic institutions, while jettisoning America’s middle class, working class and the working poor.

USA Today explains that the plan calls for the overhaul of several federal government agencies, including the FBI. It would allow limited access to abortion pills; repeal aspects of the Affordable Care Act; push the Food and Drug Administration to reverse approval of abortion pills; and further empower Immigration and Customs Enforcement to round up, detain and deport as many as 20 million legal and undocumented immigrants.

Family Compassion, an organization committed to strengthening American families and the institutional and social frameworks that support them, warns of the dangers Project 2025 poses.

“Project 2025 presents a grim outlook for American families and the fundamental values and freedoms that exist today.  The plan will drastically cut budgets to critical support programs, likely leading to widespread financial instability, health crises, educational setbacks, housing insecurity, and food shortages,” agency officials said.

While acting as “a mandate to foster economic growth and enhance national security, Project 2025 poses a significant threat to the stability and well-being of countless families across the nation,” officials warned. “If successful, the project is likely to lead to devastating consequences for existing programs and policies that provide essential support to families.”

The far-right slate of proposals “will undercut the American Dream for another entire generation. And it will have our government turn its back on hundreds of thousands of innocent people in vulnerable situations, which is exactly the opposite of what our faith calls us to do.” 

Harold Meyerson, editor-at-large at The American Prospect, in a commentary titled, “The Far-Right has a Plan to Remake America. They Even Wrote It Down,” said the far-right cabal has compiled an extensive enemies’ list that includes “welfare recipients, lazy and liberal civil servants, anti-business regulators, environmentalists, and union bosses, “scientists, woke bureaucrats, woke educators, woke diplomats, woke generals and admirals, woke G-men, and anyone who doesn’t indulge the next Republican president’s every whim (an adaptation to the likelihood of a Trump nomination).”

Project 2025 organizers are said to have 55,000 Trump loyalists ready to step into civil service positions if Trump regains the White House. The Project 2025 document calls for “Those in charge in the incoming administration are prepared to purge those deemed disloyal after identifying and interviewing “every Treasury Department official who participated in its DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) activities and programs, and make such activity ‘“per se grounds for termination of employment.”’

Trump and conservative Republicans are openly hostile to education and what is taught at traditional colleges and universities, characterizing it as anti-American and politically motivated.

Of particular concern is the planned evisceration of the US Department of Education and the traditional public school system coupled with the elevation of school choice and voucher programs for private schools. Republicans would cut federal funding for public schools, including Title I and Head Start programs wish would affect millions of students, particularly those in low-income communities.

According to The Washington Monthly, “Project 2025, from pages 319 to 361, envisions a transformed higher education system in which the federal government strips resources from traditional liberal arts colleges and universities, politicizes college curricula; privatizes student loan programs; and weakens protections against race discrimination, sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.”

Democrats have for months publicized and put a spotlight on Project 2025. And Trump has been trying to dance away, pretending to be completing unaware of the plan and claiming in a number of social media posts that he doesn’t know the people behind the plan and insists that the group doesn’t speak for him.

Try as he may, the numbers don’t lie. A recent CNN report shows that at least 140 people who were in the Trump administration were involved with Project 2025 to varying degrees.

Critics say this radical policy agenda would position each aspect of government to dismantle democracy and pull the rug out from under America’s middle class.

Some areas that are threatened by Project 2025:

Civil rights: A new Trump administration would destroy all affirmative action policies as a way to fight the scourge of “anti-white racism.” Trump’s DOJ Civil Rights Division would also “prosecute all state and local governments, institutions of higher education, corporations, and any other private employers” with affirmative action or DEI policies. The DOJ would also go after “voter registration fraud and unlawful ballot correction,” and any policies that discriminate against White people.

Education: Including eliminating the Department of Education, the plan would roll back the Biden administration’s student debt relief efforts which have eliminated about $138 billion worth of student loan debt so far. Black borrowers would bear the brunt of any large-scale debt reversal.

Economic Support Programs: Project 2025 would potentially significantly undermine economic support programs that families depend on. The Child Tax Credit, a program crucial to reducing child poverty, faces severe cuts or elimination through the reallocation of resources.

Higher Taxes for Middle Class Families: Project 2025’s playbook includes plans to increase taxes for middle class families and allow employers to stop paying overtime. 

Regulations on Contraception and Life Saving Reproductive Care: Project 2025 would remove some forms of emergency contraception from no-cost coverage. The Affordable Care Act would be rescinded, removing coverage of preventive services, including all FDA-approved birth control methods and counseling, without copayments, coinsurance, or deductible. Almost 48 million women of reproductive age would lose their guaranteed no-cost access to emergency contraception. Project 2025 would remove this much-needed option, severely undermining couples’ ability to expand their families. 

Health care: Project 2025 would dismantle the Affordable Care Act and allow states to impose work requirements on Medicaid, a federal program which helps those in the low-income bracket. Some states are preparing to restructure Medicaid, in anticipation of Trump winning in November.

Black Civil Rights and civil society organizations have sounded the alarm:

“Our democracy stands at a crossroads: a path of infinite promise towards a more inclusive, equitable, and durable democracy on the one hand, and one of immeasurable and, potentially, irretrievable demise on the other,” said Jania Nelson, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s eighth President and Director-Counsel. “The assault on Black communities envisioned by Project 2025 will almost certainly condemn us to demise.”

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - One of the most valuable contributions of the 2024 Annual Legislative Conference hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) is providing an opportunity for several thousand Black folks from the United States of North America, South America, Africa, Europe and Asia, to meet, talk, listen and sometimes debate about issues that affect our lives.

A subject that was frequently talked about was the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election in which a woman of African descent was believed by many to possibly be this country’s first woman president. When my basic position was asked about that subject, I stated that I will be voting against Donald Trump. It’s important to remember that he is not new on the American political scene. White males like Donald Trump, who is supported by overt and covert White supremacists and colored people of African descent, have been running this country since it was officially launched in 1776.

One of the most well attended forums was one of which a Black historian delivered a serious speech about the real history of this country, a history that is not taught in most American junior high schools, high schools, colleges and universities. For example, one of the most important facts of American history was the heroic role that Black soldiers played in the winning of the Civil War. Yet, this story is rarely told.

It is extremely important that we know this history because our opponents seemingly believe that they can mess with us and not worry about a serious response. That’s why it is so important for CBCF and other Black organizations that they host conferences that include forums on culture, education, economics, politics, technology, psychology, communications and Pan Africanism. On the last day of the conference each attendee should be given a listing of concrete suggestions on what we must do as a people to promote and protect our interests.

To more effectively promote and protect our interests in the above listed arenas, the attendees should also be encouraged to read, study and act on guidance from master teachers such as Brothers and Sisters Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Lerone Bennett, Jr., Marcus Garvey, Mary McCloud Bethune, Fannie Lou Hamer, C. Delores Tucker and others who have left us with vital information about what we must do if we are going to provide better lives for our children, grandchildren and future generations.

Sept. 10. 2024

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - When Kamala Harris was sworn in as vice president in 2021, she swore her oath of office on two Bibles.

One belonged to our nation’s first Black Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Marshall, the civil rights giant who founded the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, inspired a generation that included Harris to embrace the law as a means to advancing equality and justice. Harris chose to attend Howard University, Marshall’s alma mater.

The other Bible on which Harris was sworn in was the family Bible of Regina Shelton. Shelton was a neighbor, trusted caretaker, and mentor to Vice President Harris and her little sister Maya as children after school when her mom was working. Harris refers to Shelton as her “second mother.” It was Harris’s actual mother Shyamala Gopalan who guided and encouraged that relationship. 

A civil rights activist herself, Gopalan was keenly aware that the world would see and treat her biracial daughters as Black women and of what that meant in America. She knew it was important for the girls to bond with other Black girls and women. Regina Shelton was from Louisiana, part of the migration of African Americans from Jim Crow South. Shelton shared her perspective on Black culture and identity, took the Harris girls to church, taught them to cook soul food, and inspired them with stories of important Black female leaders. She was one of the people who exemplified and passed on to both Harris girls “a responsibility to give and serve,” according to the vice president. 

That responsibility to give and serve was also influenced by Vice President Harris’s sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. Founded at Howard,AKA has been on the front lines of fights for social justice for more than a century. AKA members organized to stop lynchings, advocate for women’s rights, staff health clinics in rural Black communities, offer job training programs, and more. AKA charted the path for other Black sororities and fraternities to become more active in the civil rights movement when it became a permanent member of the NAACP in 1939. As AKA international president and CEO Danette Anthony Reed puts it: “Whether it’s social activism, advocacy for civil rights, building economic wealth, impacting our communities, we make a positive change.”

Vice President Harris’s dedication to service was not only inspired by her personal relationships and affiliations. Her chosen path as a lawyer was shaped by important icons who embodied a commitment to freedom, justice, and equity. Justice Marshall was one of them. Another one was Judge Thelton E. Henderson. 

Before becoming a legendary judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern California District, Henderson was the first African American lawyer to serve in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. He was a field investigator, working alongside Dr. King and other movement leaders. He was famously fired for loaning Dr. King his government rental car in Alabama because Dr. King’s car had a problem with a tire and Henderson feared for King’s safety if he got stranded. From the bench, Judge Henderson understood the importance of protecting human dignity for all people, and that the Constitution guaranteed fundamental rights even to those who much of our society shunned and did not accept. His judicial philosophy was shaped by wisdom, experience and an understanding of the law’s role in protecting people that naturally allowed room for empathy. 

Judge Henderson defended the of prisoners who were being abused and denied adequate health care. He made the Oakland Police Department more accountable to federal monitoring over police brutality. He was the first judge in the country to recognize the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection and due process rights for gay people – decades before the Supreme Court recognized same-sex couples’ right to marry. Judge Henderson is widely celebrated by conservationists for saving dolphins from drowning in tuna nets. And he wrote a decision that in effect made the San Francisco Bay Area meet federal air quality requirements. 

A fierce defender of civil rights, a champion of the law’s role in protecting the vulnerable and marginalized, who understands the importance of laws and regulations that protect our environment and health. That description applies to both Thelton Henderson and Vice President Harris – and that is no coincidence.

Over our 20-year friendship, I have witnessed firsthand how the powerful lessons from these mentors continue to guide Vice President Harris in her commitment to justice and service. And I am grateful to all the influences who helped shape and instill that commitment.  

Ben Jealous is the Executive Director of the Sierra Club and a Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.

August 11, 2024

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - It is no surprise that police officers who protected the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 attacks are now hitting the campaign trail for Vice President Kamala Harris: former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, and current Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel “Danny” Hodges testified before the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack and are now joining the Democratic campaign with stops in Michigan, North Carolina, and Georgia. According to the Harris-Walz campaign, the officers are meeting with elected officials and community leaders to highlight the urgent and immediate threat that former President Donald Trump poses to democracy.

Dunn said that on prior trips, it was clear that even some local reporters he spoke with didn’t fully understand what happened on Jan. 6. “Honestly, everybody doesn’t know. We assume that people know, living here, but in middle America, the average American, the regular voter, [it’s about] getting them to understand that Donald Trump is a biggest threat to our democracy,” Dunn said. “People really don’t understand what happened on that day, and to be able to tell them as a firsthand witness, it’s kind of refreshing and it’s encouraging that people are willing to be receptive.”

For their actions on that historic day, Dunn and each member of the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department are American heroes because Jan. 6 could have been much worse. They were public servants who made personal and professional sacrifices to ensure no lawmakers were harmed. Unfortunately, Dunn’s comments show that despite credible news reporting and the public congressional oversight hearings and available facts, too many people remain misinformed regarding supporters of then-President Donald Trump, who attacked the U.S. Capitol. Despite the contrast of having a prosecutor versus a felon, millions of people have decided to support the felon as the next U.S. president. This begs the question: How can the Republican Party, with any credibility, claim to be the party of “law and order” while a convicted felon awaits sentencing as its party’s nominee? Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claims that members of the Republican Party have told her they want to see Donald Trump and J.D. Vance defeated in the 2024 presidential election. “The Republican Party has been hijacked, and it’s now a cult, and they should take it back because the republic needs a strong Republican Party,” Pelosi said in a recent interview with MSNBC.

According to Pelosi, some Republicans have approached her, saying, “You have to beat them in the general because we can’t beat them in the primary. And then we will come back to our debate on the issues.” There are Republicans who privately are separate from the MAGA extremism and genuinely want to clean house and start over with a new Republican Party. To do that, they need to become Harris Republicans when they vote in November.

One cannot say Republicans didn’t have their chance to rid themselves of Trump during his second presidential impeachment. Only seven Republican senators publicly joined the Democrats in voting to convict Trump, falling 10 votes shy of the two-thirds majority required by the Constitution. If Trump loses, will there be a peaceful transfer of power? Republicans cannot have it both ways. On the one hand, they want him to lose, but on the other hand, this is not the time to be partisan by remaining silent when warning signs show the potential of a fair election not being properly certified. A new rule in Georgia could allow some local election boards to refuse to certify results, raising concerns about the November election in a critical swing state. This should be a red flag for Republicans who are looking to the results of the general election to solve their “Trump” problem. Joining the Harris bandwagon is fine for the sake of saving the future of democracy, but will Republicans for Harris go as far as to join Democrats in speaking out in real-time when democracy is threatened before our eyes?   

 In a word, the Harris-Walz campaign is inspiring. She has not only excited her Democratic base but also encouraged and uplifted those Republicans who felt democracy was slipping away in the same manner as their Republican Party. Timing is everything. The 2020 version of Joe Biden was able to beat Donald Trump, but the same could not be said about the 2020 version of Kamala Harris. Polls in 2024 show the reverse is true. With the enthusiasm and excitement surrounding the Democratic ticket, people are sensing this as the perfect opportunity not only to defeat Trump in the presidential election but also to start the dismantling of any long-lasting effects from the MAGA movement. Trump, who may have underestimated a Harris candidacy, could likely see the same thing. He gives himself away when he tells a crowd of Christian supporters that if they vote for him this November, “in four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote.”

Many Republicans may truly be persuaded to vote for Harris in 2024, but they were uninformed and seemingly did not understand what happened on Jan.6. Do they fully understand what just happened in Georgia? If Republicans want Harris to win, they cannot remain blind to the tricks Trump plays.

David W. Marshall founded the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and is the author of the book God Bless Our Divided America.