Latest news with #Project2025
NDTV
2 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
ICEBlock Creator Compares Tracking US Immigration Agents To Fighting Hitler's Rise
Joshua Aaron, the creator of ICEBlock, the app that allows users to track the real time location of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers across the US, has compared the actions of the agency with "Hitler's rise to power" in Nazi Germany. Aaron told Newsweek that he "knew something had to be done to help the people" after reading about Project 2025 and when he saw images of ICE agents detaining people. The app became the most downloaded on the App Store in the social networking category this week. The creator has maintained that the app has not been designed to interfere with law enforcement, and the goal is to help people avoid ICE encounters. The Department of Homeland Security differs from his opinion, and has stated that the app "paints a target on federal law enforcement officers' backs." Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security Secretary, has said that the app is an "obstruction of justice", however Aaron says the app is only for information. He said, "When we see ICE agents outside of elementary schools, disappearing college students for their political beliefs or ripping babies from their mother's arms as they scream for their children, we all know their rhetoric of 'getting rid of the worst of the worst' is a lie." He then went on to compare the current political situation with Nazi Germany and added, "As I often say, if you ever wondered what you would've done if you lived in Germany during Hitler's rise to power, wonder no more because you're doing it right now. Developing ICEBlock was my way of joining the fight and giving people a chance to help protect themselves and their communities." The app also does not log any user information or location data, which means estimates for the app's usage are likely even higher. "As of June 29, we had 31.3k users," Aaron said. "Now that ICEBlock is the No. 1 app in social networking-and with all the media attention, I have a feeling that number will be significantly larger." "As far as the areas in which the user base is the largest, I would have no idea," he added. "We do not track our users at any time, and that includes analytics. There is literally no data about any user captured or stored, ever." Todd M. Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Newsweek, "My officers and agents are already facing a 500 percent increase in assaults, and going on live television to announce an app that lets anyone zero in on their locations is like inviting violence against them with a national megaphone", regarding CNN's segment about ICEBlock on Tuesday. "CNN is willfully endangering the lives of officers who put their lives on the line every day and enabling dangerous criminal aliens to evade U.S. law. Is this simply reckless 'journalism' or overt activism?" Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on X, "This sure looks like obstruction of justice. Our brave ICE law enforcement face a 500 percent increase in assaults against them. If you obstruct or assault our law enforcement, we will hunt you down and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Fox News
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Dems at a crossroads as establishment plans 'Project 2029' while socialist candidate wins NYC mayoral primary
Socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani's New York City primary win indicated a generational departure from the establishment Democratic Party that coalesced behind former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's unsuccessful bid. However, the rank-and-file Democrats who catapulted the party into disarray, losing the White House and Congress in 2024, are already laying post-Trump policy groundwork. Neera Tanden, who served in the White House during the Clinton, Obama and Biden administrations and testified to Congress last week about her use of the autopen during former President Joe Biden's presidency, along with Biden's former national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, are on the advisory board for "Project 2029." Andrei Cherny, a former Democratic speechwriter, state party leader and co-founder of a liberal policy journal, is organizing Democratic leaders to create a ready-to-implement agenda for the next Democratic presidential nominee, inspired by the conservative "Project 2025," which was created by the Heritage Foundation ahead of President Donald Trump's 2024 presidential win. The Democrats' marquee legislative framework for their future nominee will be rolled out over the next two years in quarterly installments through Cherny's publication, "Democracy: A Journal of Ideas." The Democrats plan to turn it into a book, just like Project 2025. The details of "Project 2029" were first reported by The New York Times and have since been confirmed by Fox News Digital. As The Times revealed the Democratic Party's political stage-setting for years to come, an intraparty reckoning is unfolding in real time following Mamdani's primary win last Tuesday. The institutional policy agenda has emerged during critical conjecture between the past and the future of the Democratic Party. Mamdani's primary win ignited a progressive buzz reminiscent of "Squad" leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 2018 Democratic primary upset, an excitement that has been on full display during 83-year-old Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' "Fighting Oligarchy" tour this year. Both progressive leaders and self-described Democratic socialists endorsed Mamdani ahead of last Tuesday's primary in New York City. Leading up to Election Day, Ocasio-Cortez's fellow "Squad" members, including Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, also came out in support of the Mamdani movement. His win shattered expectations and forced Cuomo, who resigned from his governorship in 2021 amid multiple scandals, to concede soon after the polls closed. While Cuomo remains in the race as an independent alongside incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, whose tenure has been plagued by his own scandals, Mamdani's win signaled a departure from the Democratic Party establishment. Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has faced its own reckoning this year after 25-year-old progressive David Hogg announced his multimillion-dollar plan to primary older incumbent Democrats he claimed were "asleep at the wheel." Hogg, who campaigned for Mamdani in New York City, ultimately left his vice chair position at the DNC this year as questions remain about the trajectory of a party struggling to find its footing with Trump dominating American politics. Central to the Democrats' division between its past and future is support for Israel. Moderate New York Democrats have not outright endorsed Mamdani following his primary win last Tuesday. Party leaders, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, confirmed they spoke with Mamdani but have continued to hold their endorsements. Aside from his socialist promises and anti-capitalist comments, much of establishment Democrats' discontent with Mamdani is rooted in accusations that he is antisemitic. Rep. Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., said last week that Mamdani is "too extreme to lead New York City." She said he has demonstrated a "deeply disturbing pattern of unacceptable antisemitic comments, which stoke hate at a time when antisemitism is rising." Another New York Democrat, Rep. Tom Suozzi said last week he still has "serious concerns" about Mamdani. The crux of accusations that Mamdani is antisemitic stems from his refusal to condemn the rallying cry, "globalize the intifada." Mamdani has refused to condemn the term, which has been adopted by pro-Palestinian protesters resisting the war in Gaza and, according to the American Jewish Committee, "calls for people from around the globe to participate in rising up against Israel." Mamdani, who would become New York City's first Muslim mayor if elected in November, has said he doesn't support policing language. In multiple interviews since he initially sparked controversy on the campaign trail, he has refused to condemn the language. He has also drawn criticism from Jewish New Yorkers, pro-Israel groups and Democrats for defending the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which calls for consumers, companies and governments to cut ties with Israel in an effort to influence the country's policies toward Palestinians. Mamdani refused to acknowledge, when asked repeatedly on the debate stage, that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state. Instead, he said that Israel has the right to exist as "a state with equal rights." On Oct. 13, 2023, six days after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks, Mamdani asked his supporters to join him at a rally outside Schumer's house "to speak out against the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians as we sit on the brink of a genocide." However, despite the criticism, Mamdani has repeatedly condemned antisemitism. "Antisemitism is such a real issue in this city, and it has been hard to see it weaponized by candidates who do not seem to have any real interest in tackling it, but rather in using it as a pretext to make political points," he said on the campaign trail ahead of Election Day. Mamdani did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Forbes
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Forbes
Project 2025 At Supreme Court: How Groups Influenced Court This Term
Groups involved with controversial right-wing agenda Project 2025 were broadly successful at the Supreme Court this term, a Forbes analysis shows, as justices sided with arguments pushed by organizations linked to the agenda in a majority of major cases but ruled against three groups who were directly representing parties at the court. People gather to protest Project 2025 in front of the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on March ... More 16. AFP via Getty Images While spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation, more than 100 conservative organizations were listed as being on the 'advisory board' for Project 2025, a multi-pronged agenda drafted before the 2024 election that proposed a broad overhaul of the executive branch by the next conservative president. Approximately 30 of those organizations filed briefs with the Supreme Court in major cases this term, according to an analysis of 12 significant cases the court decided between October 2024 and June. There were four major cases in which parties were directly represented by groups linked to Project 2025: Alliance Defending Freedom represented challengers in Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond and Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic—concerning religious charter schools and Planned Parenthood funding, respectively—while America First Legal represented parties in Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, on the Affordable Care Act, and Texas Public Policy Foundation represented challengers to the Federal Communications Commission's universal-service obligation in FCC v. Consumers Research. Those organizations and dozens of others also signed on to amicus briefs—filings by outside parties that urge the court to rule a particular way—nearly 60 times in major Supreme Court cases this term. Justices rejected the cases Project 2025-linked groups brought over religious charter schools, the Affordable Care Act and the FCC, as well as a case challenging federal rules regarding ghost guns. The organizations that have both been listed as members of Project 2025's 'advisory board' and filed briefs with the Supreme Court last term are the American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNs, Alliance Defending Freedom, America First Legal, American Principles Project, Americans United for Life, the Association of Mature American Citizens, The Claremont Institute, Concerned Women for America, Defense of Freedom Institute, Eagle Forum, Ethics and Public Policy Center, Family Policy Alliance, Family Research Council, Foundation for Government Accountability, Gun Owners Foundation, Institute for the American Worker, Leadership Institute, Makinac Center for Public Policy, Moms for Liberty, Mountain States Policy Center, National Center for Public Policy Research, National Religious Broadcasters, National Rifle Association, Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, Project 21, Protect Our Kids, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (through its research arm, the Charlotte Lozier Institute), Texas Public Policy Foundation and Young America's Foundation. That list is based on an archived version of Project 2025's website from July 2024, before some organizations removed themselves from the Project 2025 website as the policy agenda gained controversy. Which Project 2025-Linked Group Had The Biggest Supreme Court Presence? The group with the biggest presence at the Supreme Court was right-wing legal group Alliance Defending Freedom. In addition to the two cases in which it was a party, ADF also filed three amicus briefs in its own name in various cases, and its lawyers drafted multiple briefs on behalf of other organizations that hold similar views. The Heritage Foundation was the main organization behind Project 2025. It did not have any involvement in major Supreme Court cases this term, and noted to Forbes that Project 2025 has no connection to anything involving the judiciary branch. The organization directed Forbes to a number of statements the organization put out praising many of the court's rulings this term, however, including on transgender healthcare, Trump's birthright citizenship case, Texas' age verification law, LGBTQ books in schools and Planned Parenthood funding. Contra Project 2025 noted on its website that its opinions 'do not necessarily represent the opinions of every one of its advisory board partners,' and multiple organizations listed as members of the group's advisory board told Forbes they do not consider themselves to be affiliated with Project 2025. Americans United for Life removed its name from Project 2025's website in summer 2024, telling Forbes it is a nonpartisan organization that no longer wished to be affiliated with Project 2025's right-wing aims, and the National Center for Public Policy Research told Forbes it was unexpectedly listed as a member of the advisory board after a staff member attended one meeting in 2023. Mike Farris, general counsel at National Religious Broadcasters, told Forbes he has not read Project 2025 and any affiliation between the group and Project 2025 'came from the action of prior staff members on the legislative team—none of whom are still at NRB.' 'I can say with complete confidence that our amicus briefs had absolutely nothing to do with Project 2025 and any parallel is because members of the conservative movement often have similar views,' Farris told Forbes in an email. Trump administration adviser Stephen Miller, who founded America First Legal, also told ABC News last year he had 'zero involvement with Project 2025,' after America First Legal removed its name from Project 2025's website. Groups who did acknowledge an affiliation with Project 2025 also distanced the project from the Supreme Court's rulings, with Family Policy Alliance CEO Craig DeRoche telling Forbes the court's decisions 'are unequivocal wins for children and parents,' but 'these cases and their corresponding decisions had nothing to do with Project 2025, which was focused on what President Trump would do in his second term.' Do The Supreme Court's Rulings Follow Project 2025's Agenda? Project 2025 is focused solely on actions through the executive branch, and does not discuss any policies that could be enacted through the judicial branch or involve the courts in its plans. But its conservative policy blueprint has a number of places where its policy aims overlap with the Supreme Court's most recent rulings. Project 2025 decries 'woke transgender activism' and describes gender-affirming medical procedures as 'dangerous' and unsupported by medical evidence, a view that conflicts with many medical professionals, but is in line with the bans on gender-affirming care for minors that the Supreme Court upheld. The agenda also places a strong emphasis on parental rights in education, as the court did with its ruling allowing parents to opt children out of objectionable content—with Project 2025's agenda claiming, 'Schools serve parents, not the other way around.' The Supreme Court further supported Project 2025's policy aims by upholding the federal ban on TikTok and greenlighting state bans on Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, which Project 2025 proposes banning at the federal level. Justices' decision to uphold Texas' age verification law for porn sites, which makes it harder for minors to access obscene content, is also in line with Project 2025, which calls for a ban on pornography and argues it 'has no claim to First Amendment protection'—a stance that goes further than the Supreme Court's opinion. One area where the Supreme Court diverged more with Project 2025 was charter schools, as the court voted not to allow a religious charter school in Oklahoma, while Project 2025 pushes to increase charter schools in the U.S. education system and roll back existing federal regulations over them. Key Background Project 2025 was a multi-faceted project by the Heritage Foundation and other conservative groups to prepare for the next GOP administration, providing a LinkedIn-style database of potential White House workers, White House employee training materials and a reported playbook for Trump's first few months in office. The group's 900-page policy agenda gained the most attention, proposing a policy blueprint for all major federal agencies that pushed controversial right-wing policies and sought to give the president more power by replacing career civil servants with presidential appointees. While the Heritage Foundation said it has provided similar documents to past Republican presidents dating back to Ronald Reagan, the 2025 plan became embroiled in national controversy ahead of the 2024 election, as Democrats highlighted its proposals as a key reason to oppose Trump. Trump publicly disavowed Project 2025 ahead of the election and denied having any connection to it, despite it being created by many people who worked with him at the White House in his first term. Since taking office, however, Trump has appointed many people involved with Project 2025 to key roles in his second administration, and many of the president's policies overlap with policy suggestions made in Project 2025. In a March interview with Politico, former Project 2025 head Paul Dans described Trump's agenda in office as being 'actually way beyond my wildest dreams.' 'What we had hoped would happen has happened,' Dans said about Trump's policies reflecting Project 2025's agenda. Forbes Here's How Trump's Executive Orders Align With Project 2025—As Author Hails President's Agenda As 'Beyond My Wildest Dreams' By Alison Durkee Forbes Project 2025 Author Russell Vought Confirmed By Senate: Here Are All The Trump Officials With Ties To Policy Agenda By Alison Durkee Forbes Project 2025 Explained: What To Know About The Right-Wing Policy Map Ahead Of Tonight's VP Debate By Alison Durkee
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas lawmakers Escobar, Gonzales split over military construction funding bill
Two Texas lawmakers are at odds over a recent military construction funding bill. The U.S. House of Representatives on June 25 passed the Republicans' Fiscal Year 2026 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding bill by a vote of 218-206, which provides funding for military construction and provides appropriations for the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Two Democrats — U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington — joined Republicans to pass the measure. For U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, who voted against the bill, the Republicans' proposal stands to negatively impact servicemembers and military readiness. 'Our troops and veterans are not a political football," Escobar said in a news release after the vote. "I'm fighting alongside House Democrats to protect servicemembers, veterans, and their families so I cannot in good faith support this bill.' Across the aisle, Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, who represents a portion of El Paso and served 20 years in the U.S. Navy, the bill is a step in the right direction toward providing a higher quality of life for active servicemembers and veterans alike. "I've made it a top priority to build legislation to strengthen Texas' military installations, enhance quality of life initiatives, retention, and readiness across all branches of our armed forces, and fully fund and expand veterans' health care services and benefits," Gonzales said in a news release. "With the House passage of this bill, we're one step closer to getting a package signed into law that delivers real results for our military community and our veterans.' The measure is only one in a long line of bills that collectively will make up the Department of Defense budget. More: Third woman to command Fort Bliss Army hospital ready for facility, budget challenges Escobar asserts that the legislation fails to meet key needs of the military, its servicemembers and veterans, and is part of Project 2025, a plan from the conservative Heritage Foundation aimed at drastically changing the federal government. Escobar said the bill "worsens the quality of life for servicemembers and their families at Fort Bliss, raises costs for Americans while benefitting big corporations by privatizing medical care for veterans — a component of Project 2025 — and hurts military readiness." 'For 12 hours, my Democratic colleagues and I submitted amendment after amendment to try and mitigate the damage of this bill — almost all were rejected by Republicans," she said. "We are left with a piece of legislation that enables VA workforce reductions, further limits access to abortion care for the women veterans in my state and recklessly allows firearms to be accessed by those who pose a risk to themselves or others during their most vulnerable moments." Following is a breakdown of Democrats' key complaints with the legislation: Underfunds military construction by $904 million, shortchanging the Department of Defense's infrastructure needs that are vital to military readiness, recruitment, and retention Leaves military installations, servicemembers, and their families vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and worsening natural disasters by failing to include dedicated funding to strengthen military installations against these threats or help them recover from past natural disasters Underfunds America's commitments to NATO infrastructure by $188 million below what is needed. Gonzales sees the bill as an opportunity to make key investments in military installations and veterans' communities in South and West Texas. "I proudly served for 20 years in the U.S. Navy, and I will always stand up for our servicemembers, veterans, and military families in South and West Texas and across the country," he said. While Escobar insists that the bill will cause workforce reductions at the VA, Gonzales said the bill "fully funds VA benefits and programs." Where Escobar asserts the bill will compromise veterans' health care, Gonzales said the bill "fully funds" health care programs. Additionally, the bill includes the following wins for Texas and beyond: Support for the timely construction of new VA medical facilities in El Paso at Fort Bliss Funding for the planning and design of an Army Reserve Center to enhance training and mission support at Camp Bullis in San Antonio Investments in programs that support housing accommodations for homeless veterans Investments in programs that support specialized care for women veterans and childcare services Maintains funding levels for research, mental health programs, and other programs relied upon by veterans. Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@ This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Military bill draws fire from Rep. Escobar, support from Rep. Gonzales
Newsweek
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
ICEBlock App Designer Compares Agency to Hitler: 'Something Had to Be Done'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The designer of an app that allows users to track the location of immigration officers compared the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement with "Hitler's rise to power" in Nazi Germany. Joshua Aaron, the creator of ICEBlock, told Newsweek that he "knew something had to be done to help the people" after researching Project 2025 and seeing images of ICE agents detaining people. Newsweek has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment via email. Why It Matters The ICEBlock app, which allows users to access and update a real-time map of ICE activity across the U.S., became the top download on the App Store in the social networking category this week. Aaron created it with the goal of helping people avoid encounters with ICE, and he has said repeatedly that it is not designed to interfere with law enforcement. However, the Department of Homeland Security has said the app "paints a target on federal law enforcement officers' backs." Police arresting a man during the anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement "No Kings" protest in Los Angeles on June 14. Police arresting a man during the anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement "No Kings" protest in Los Angeles on June 14. Getty Images What To Know While Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has called ICEBlock an "obstruction of justice," Aaron maintains that the app is solely for information. "I have continually made it clear, both via wording in the app and through media, that this is an early warning system. In no way are we encouraging ICEBlock users to interfere with law enforcement," he told Newsweek. Aaron continued: "When I read Project 2025, listened to Trump on the campaign trail and then saw his administration putting policies into place to achieve those goals, I knew something had to be done to help the people. "When we see ICE agents outside of elementary schools, disappearing college students for their political beliefs or ripping babies from their mother's arms as they scream for their children, we all know their rhetoric of 'getting rid of the worst of the worst' is a lie. "As I often say, if you ever wondered what you would've done if you lived in Germany during Hitler's rise to power, wonder no more because you're doing it right now. Developing ICEBlock was my way of joining the fight and giving people a chance to help protect themselves and their communities." Anonymity is key to the app's success. ICEBlock does not log any user information or location data. This means that estimates for the app's usage, which already put it as one of the most popular services this week, are likely even higher. "As of June 29, we had 31.3k users," Aaron said. "Now that ICEBlock is the No. 1 app in social networking—and with all the media attention, I have a feeling that number will be significantly larger." "As far as the areas in which the user base in the largest, I would have no idea," he added. "We do not track our users at any time, and that includes analytics. There is literally no data about any user captured or stored, ever." What People Are Saying Todd M. Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in a statement given to Newsweek following a CNN segment about ICEBlock on Tuesday: "Advertising an app that basically paints a target on federal law enforcement officers' backs is sickening. "My officers and agents are already facing a 500 percent increase in assaults, and going on live television to announce an app that lets anyone zero in on their locations is like inviting violence against them with a national megaphone. "CNN is willfully endangering the lives of officers who put their lives on the line every day and enabling dangerous criminal aliens to evade U.S. law. Is this simply reckless 'journalism' or overt activism?" A statement on the ICEBlock app tells users: "Please note that the use of this app is for information and notification purposes only. It is not to be used for the purposes of inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement." Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on X, formerly Twitter: "This sure looks like obstruction of justice. Our brave ICE law enforcement face a 500 percent increase in assaults against them. If you obstruct or assault our law enforcement, we will hunt you down and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." What Happens Next ICE continues to carry out the Trump administration's immigration orders across the U.S.
