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Russell Vought, one of the chief architects of Project 2025 — a conservative blueprint for the next presidency — is no fan of the federal government that President-elect Donald Trump will soon lead. He believes "woke" civil servants and "so-called expert authorities" wield illegitimate power to block conservative White House directives from deep within federal agencies, and wants Trump to "bend or break" that bureaucracy to his will, he wrote in the second chapter of the Project 2025 playbook. Vought is a vocal proponent of a plan known as Schedule F, under which Trump would fire thousands of career civil servants with extensive experience in their fields and replace them with his own political loyalists, and of Christian nationalism, which would see American governance aligned with Christian teachings. Both are core tenets of Project 2025. Throughout his campaign, Trump adamantly disavowed Project 2025, even though its policies overlapped with his and some of its authors worked in his first administration. He castigated anyone who suggested the blueprint, which polls showed was deeply unpopular among voters, represented his aims for the presidency. But last week, the president-elect nominated Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget, which oversees the White House budget and its policy agenda across the federal government. Trump called Vought, who held the same role during his first term, an "aggressive cost cutter and deregulator" who "knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State and end Weaponized Government." The nomination was one of several Trump has made since his election that have called into question his claims on the campaign trail that Project 2025 was not his playbook and held no sway over him or his plans for a second term. He selected Tom Homan, a Project 2025 contributor and former visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, the conservative organization behind the blueprint, as his "border czar." Trump named Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner also linked to Project 2025, as his deputy chief of staff for policy. Both also served in the first Trump administration. He also named Brendan Carr to serve on the Federal Communications Commission. Carr wrote a chapter of Project 2025 on the FCC, which regulates U.S. internet access and TV and radio networks, and has echoed Trump's claims that news broadcasters have engaged in political bias against Trump. Trump named John Ratcliffe as his pick for CIA director and Pete Hoekstra as ambassador to Canada. Both are Project 2025 contributors. It has also been reported that the Trump transition team is filling lower-level government spots using a Project 2025 database of conservative candidates. During the campaign Trump said that he knew "nothing about" Project 2025 and that he found some of its ideas "absolutely ridiculous and abysmal." In response to news in July that Project 2025's director, Paul Dans, was leaving his post, Trump campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles — whom the president-elect has since named his chief of staff — issued a statement saying that "reports of Project 2025's demise would be greatly welcomed." Asked about Trump's selection of several people with Project 2025 connections to serve in his administration, Trump transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt responded with a statement, saying Trump "never had anything to do with Project 2025." "This has always been a lie pushed by the Democrats and the legacy media, but clearly the American people did not buy it because they overwhelmingly voted for President Trump to implement the promises that he made on the campaign trail," Leavitt wrote. "All of President Trump's cabinet nominees and appointments are whole-heartedly committed to President Trump's agenda, not the agenda of outside groups." Leavitt too has ties to Project 2025, having appeared in a training video for it. In addition to calling for much greater power in the hands of the president, Project 2025 calls for less federal intervention in certain areas — including through the elimination of the Department of Education. It calls for much stricter immigration enforcement and mass deportations — a policy priority of Trump's as well — and rails against environmental protections, calling for the demolition of key environmental agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service. It calls for tougher restrictions on abortion and for the federal government to collect data on women who seek an abortion, and backs a slew of measures that would strip rights from LGBTQ+ people. For Trump's critics, his selections make it clear that his disavowal of the conservative playbook was nothing more than a campaign ploy to pacify voters who viewed the plan as too far to the right. It's an argument many were making before the election as well. "There are many of us who tried to sound the alarm bell before the election," when voters still had the power to keep such a plan from coming to fruition, said Ben Olinsky, senior vice president of structural reform and governance at the liberal Center for American Progress. Now, he said, he expects many of the more "draconian pieces" of Project 2025 to start being implemented given the nominees Trump has put forward. That includes Vought's plan to eviscerate the career civil service, the core of American government, by doing away with merit-based staffing in favor of loyalty-based appointments, Olinsky said. "We know what happened before there was a merit-based civil service. There was cronyism in American government, and we can look back through history and see that kind of graft and cronyism," Olinsky said. Filling the government with Trump loyalists will clear the way for more policies of Project 2025 to be implemented without resistance, Olinsky said. Olinsky said the Supreme Court and the Republican-controlled House have already proved they are not willing to stand up to Trump. There are "still some institutionalists" in the Senate — soon to be controlled by Republicans, as well — who could leverage their power to push back, he said, but it is not clear that they will. Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has signaled that he may be willing to do so: According to reports from his home state, he said at a local Chamber of Commerce event Tuesday that all presidents try to push policy through executive action, and that Congress "sometimes will have to put the brakes on." In the end, Olinsky said, real resistance might come only once Americans start realizing that Trump's new government, stripped of all of its experts, is failing them in serious ways. "They do care about their Social Security checks being delivered. They do care about the nation being defended properly. They care that, when they turn on the faucet, they will drink water that won't sicken them and their kids," Olinsky said. "And that's what requires expertise." ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Biden must Trump-proof US democracy, activists say: ‘There is a sense of urgency’BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Nyla Harris had 14 points and Jayda Curry scored 10 of her 14 points in the fourth quarter to help No. 24 Louisville get past Colorado 79-71 on Saturday. The Cardinals led 56-55 after three quarters before pulling away in the fourth by scoring 16 unanswered points, capped by a fast-break layup by Curry, before Colorado made its first field goal of the frame with 2:48 left. Colorado scored the next six points to get within single digits at 72-63, but freshman Tajianna Roberts banked in a jumper in the lane at the other end. Izela Arenas sealed it on two free throws with 24.9 seconds left for a nine-point lead. Roberts finished with 13 and Arenas had 11 for Louisville (5-2). Frida Formann scored 25 points for Colorado (6-2). Jade Masogayo added 12 points, Nyamer Diew scored 10 and Kindyll Wetta matched her career-high with 10 assists. Formann went on a personal 8-0 run to give Colorado a 43-37 lead with 7:38 left in the third. She reached 20 points during the run, while no other player had scored in double figures. Louisville plays No. 8 Oklahoma on Wednesday in the SEC/ACC Challenge. Colorado continues a five-game homestand against Tennesse Tech on Tuesday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketballAP Top 25: Alabama, Mississippi out of top 10 and Miami, SMU are in; Oregon remains unanimous No. 1 Alabama and Mississippi tumbled out of the top 10 of The Associated Press college football poll and Miami and SMU moved in following a chaotic weekend in the SEC. Oregon is No. 1 for the sixth straight week and Ohio State, Texas and Penn State held their places behind the Ducks. The shuffling begins at No. 5, where Notre Dame returned for the first time since Week 2 after beating Army for its ninth straight win. No. 6 Georgia and No. 7 Tennessee each moved up two spots. Miami, SMU and Indiana round out the top 10. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, obituaries, sports, and more.
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Italy is reportedly in talks with India to expand cooperation on port infrastructure, including ship and yacht manufacturing sectors. The discussion encompasses broader areas of blue economy and space exploration, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday, citing Italian Industry Minister Adolfo Urso. India and Italy share cultural and trade ties dating back centuries, the report cited Mr Urso, who is also Minister of Made in Italy, as saying. This means the two nations are well placed to build a "Cotton Route" as an alternative to China's "Silk Route," investing in ports, logistics, data and information technologies such as undersea cables, he said while speaking to Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Tour Vespucci in Mumbai on Saturday. On the issue of the potential impacts of the Middle East war on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), the Italian leader said that "war is all around us in Europe." He, however, said that an alternative is needed, as the Russia-Ukraine war has disrupted continental routes. It will also help alleviate pressure on the Suez Canal, the Minister said. Replying to a question about prospects of IMEC finding support under the upcoming US President Donald Trump's administration, Mr Urso said the corridor meets the strategic needs of both the US and Europe. IMEC is an initiative to establish a new trade and logistics corridor linking the Mediterranean with the Indo-Pacific via the Middle East. Meanwhile, Union Shipping, Ports and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday told reporters that India and Italy held "informal" talks on Saturday. When asked about developments on the upcoming IMEC, the Minister said Italy has made some wishes and added that India will take the necessary steps on this aspect. "Both India and Italy are strong maritime nations having advanced space programmes," Sonowal said, stressing that ecology and economic aspirations have to go hand in hand. "From the enormousness of the ocean to the infinite vastness of space, the potential and benefit of the India-Italy partnership is immense," he said. The Minister also invited Italian museums to collaborate with India for the upcoming National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) in Gujarat's Lothal. The Union Cabinet had recently given the nod for the NMHC, which is estimated to cost over Rs 3,500 crore, as per some reports. Italy and India share common interests and joint challenges in the Indo-Mediterranean Sea, a region vital for global trade. Recently, both India and Italy have intensified their bilateral relationship, advancing cooperation across political, economic, and defence sectors. This partnership has the potential to position both India and Italy as major players in the Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean region, where stability and collaboration are essential for global trade and security. In 2023, India with Italy, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, France, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and the European Union agreed to establish the India–Middle East Economic Corridor (IMEC) to enhance global trade and counter China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The IMEC aims to connect a combined GDP of US $47 trillion with a comprehensive infrastructure network and focuses on high-efficiency trade routes, renewable energy, digital infrastructure and improved international communication networks, according to a report by East Asia Forum. To remove this article -
Australia Ditches Plans to Fine Tech Giants for MisinformationNone
When Gemma Bentley walked down the aisle to marry the man of her dreams with her two daughters as bridesmaids, it was a bittersweet moment. While Gemma beamed at finding happiness with future husband Ben, there was one person missing from the celebrations. Advertisement 10 Gemma's wedding day was "bittersweet" Credit: Supplied 10 Honey took her own life during lockdown after being bullied online Credit: Supplied 10 Gemma's wedding day tribute to her daughter Credit: Supplied Her first-born daughter Honey Cook, 15, took her own life during lockdown in February 2021 after a vicious campaign of online bullying on Instagram - by girls she had never met. She is one of countless teens throughout the UK who have quite literally been bullied to death on social media. Now parents are backing growing calls for social media to be banned for under 16s after Australia moved to protect its kids from harmful content. The UK government this month warned tech giants to get their act together or they face a blanket ban among British kids. Advertisement Read more bullying BIG BULLY I'm at my wits end with the constant bullying from my aggressive partner KNOT ON Married At First Sight UK hit with hundreds of Ofcom complaints for 'bullying' Gemma, 38, whose daughter Honey already suffered mental health problems when bullies told her to kill herself, said: “We absolutely need more control over social media when it comes to our children. “Kids say thing to each other online they might not say in person and online grooming is a massive issue. It makes sense to ban kids from platforms altogether.” Gemma says Honey, a talented artist who enjoyed cosplay, was sent more than 100 vile messages after being befriended by a group of girls on Instagram, where she often posted her pictures. “These girls were relentless,” says Gemma, of Barnsley, South Yorks . Advertisement Most read in The Sun ROAD TRAGEDY Woman dies after two-vehicle crash in town as emergency crews race to scene Latest STAR GONE My Chemical Romance star Bob Bryar dead aged 44 & 'lay undiscovered for weeks' RIPPED APART 'Ten kids have lost their dad' say Skye victim's family as they blast 'coward' 'GREATEST BLESSING' Celtic star and glam Wag share exciting baby news with stunning video “They told Honey to kill herself, that everyone hated her, that she was ugly and never wanted by her family. They went into really graphic detail about how to take her own life. “Honey would still be here if it hadn’t been for these kids, in my opinion. She had very poor mental health already and was struggling with an eating disorder so was very fragile, but had been coping a lot better before these messages. Is Kate the most bullied person in the WORLD? Nasty Z-lister who trolled her looks should be ashamed “I don’t understand how these messages were able to get through the Instagram app because of their damaging content and that’s something else that needs to be looked at.” Gemma wed new husband Ben,32, a family friend, in October this year, with daughters Indie, 17, and 10-year-old Teddy as bridesmaids. Advertisement She said: “It was such a bittersweet moment because I was marrying the man I love but Honey wasn’t there to see it. “I attached her favourite picture to my bouquet so she was there in some sense and we spoke about her a lot at times during the day. 10 Honey was a talented artist who doted on her little sisters Credit: Supplied “Her sisters still struggle without her. Teddy was six when she lost her big sister and Honey doted on her. Advertisement “Indie was 13 and has grieved very differently, which shows how it impacts everyone differently and how hard it is to navigate your child's grief while dealing with your own too." Gemma, who has set up a charity in her daughter’s name which provides self-help journals to help other struggling children, added: “I don’t think kids will take any of the online bullying seriously until one of them is prosecuted.” South Yorkshire Police investigated Honey’s death, which a coroner ruled suicide, but it’s understood they were unable to make any criminal charges against those involved. Police probe A spokeswoman said: "Both girls were dealt with via restorative justice, in which they wrote a letter each to the coroner explaining their involvement in creating malicious communications and expressing their remorse." Advertisement Last year, additions to the Online Safety Bill mean trolls can be jailed up to five years for encouraging victims to harm themselves, but they were not in force when Honey died. This month Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said a ban on social-media for the under 16's is “on the table” if tech giants don’t take action to protect kids. He said: “I don’t want to ban things outright unless I absolutely need to. I will always put the safety of people first.” The minister made the warning as he prepares to tell Ofcom to be more assertive with firms - including a crackdown on age-restricted content for under 13s. Advertisement He is in talks with counterparts in Australia where new laws are expected to be ushered in to block under-16s from accessing platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, X and Instagram. 10 Megan was told to "kill yourself" by trolls Credit: WNS 10 Megan's mum set up a foundation in her daughter's name Credit: WNS This week an inquest heard how Welsh schoolgirl Megan Evans, 14, was found dead in her bedroom after a cyber-bullying campaign . Advertisement Megan, of Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, took her own life in February 2017 after being told to “kill yourself” by vile trolls. After her death, mum Nicola Harteveld found a Facebook group entitled ‘I hate Megan Evans’. Mum-of-eight Nicola has worked to raise awareness of mental health and the dangers of social media following her daughter’s death. Yet a coroner last week ruled bullying had not played a part in Megan's death - saying phrases like 'go kill yourself' can be "interpreted in different ways" by pupils. Advertisement Nicola said: "It's heartbreaking and beyond disgusting to see a conclusion that tries to blur the line between bullying and banter. "Phrases like those can never be dismissed as a joke." Bully demands She launched the Megan’s Starr Foundation, which provides free counselling and support to young people. Nicola continued: "As a society we've become far too comfortable with dismissing harmful words as 'banter' or 'harmless fun'. Advertisement "Phrases like 'Go kill yourself' are deeply damaging and never acceptable, yet they are being trivialised. "This normalisation teaches young people that cruelty is acceptable and victims should just toughen up. "Social media amplifies this harm, making it inescapable, yet accountability remains inconsistent both online and off line. "We need to stop normalising cruelty and start protecting our young children." Advertisement How to keep your kids safe online Tech is an everyday part of children’s lives now. Here’s some ways you can protect their online safety. Talking to your kids about the dangers is an important part of safeguarding them. For the under 11s try simple NSPCC resources like Talk PANTS and Techosaurus . Older kids might find it embarrassing to talk about difficult topics but it’s worth checking in with them regularly to see if there’s anything they want to chat about. It’s worth buying a book on the topic and reading it together, before talking about it. Or ask if they’ve discussed the issue in class. You could pretend a friend of yours needs advice to find out how much they know about online safety. The NSPCC has created an online safety toolkit which you can access here . It can be helpful to remind kids they shouldn't share their location or personal information on their posts, on public forums and chats, on videos or with people they don't know. Exploring the safety and privacy settings on apps will help you decide which are right for your child to use. Apps have different ways to set up an account but most have options to set an account to private, ban new friend requests and hide the user's location. Each app has slightly different ways to set up an account, but most have the option. Each has a different age rating. For more information log on to the NSPCC or for more advice the Internet Watch Foundation A third family also told The Sun how they want to see tougher regulations - or a total ban. The family of 16-year-old Kibi Wade were left devastated after she took her own life in July this year after classroom bullies continued to stalk her when she left school. Vile messages shown to The Sun reveal how Kibi was sent messages by a group of girls who warned her she would be continually bullied unless she met their demands - which included sitting at the front of the school bus, a bar on talking to certain kids and not going to the toilets if they were using them. She was also blackmailed into buying vapes or her tormentors threatened to spread false rumours about her. Advertisement 10 Kibi Wade's family say she was badly bullied - even after leaving school 10 Kibi's mum Michelle misses her daughter everyday Credit: ©Stephen Daniels 10 Kibi's mum said "she couldn't take any more." Kibi’s mum Michelle Barrett, 47, of Caistor, Lincs, said: “Kibi was very distressed by it and we thought it would all come to an end when she left school in the summer, but the messages just kept coming until she couldn’t take anymore. Advertisement “If she left a group chat they would just add her to another and start abusing her again. I think she felt there was no escape from them.” Michelle and partner Michelle Gardner, 50, have now launched a campaign to raise awareness about cyberbullying - but are also backing calls for the blanket ban. Michelle said: "If it was up to us we wouldn’t let kids on social media until they were at least 18. Kids don’t seem to have any awareness of the impact their words can have on others.” The NSPCC says any under-16 ban would “penalise children for the failure of tech companies” Advertisement CEO Sir Peter Wanless said: “Social media is now an integral part of young people’s lives. It provides them with opportunities to communicate with friends and family, to learn and be creative. “We understand concerns about children having access to social media that is fundamentally unsafe for them. However, children deserve to have age appropriate experiences online rather than being cut off from it all together.” Campaigner Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly took her own life after being exposed to suicide and self-harm online, said a ban would push "bad actors en masse" onto gaming platforms. 10 One of the messages found on Kibi's phone Credit: Supplied Advertisement Fourteen-year-old Molly, of Harrow, north-west London, died in November 2017 after viewing "dark, graphic, harmful" content. Her death sparked campaigning to clean up the internet, leading to the Online Safety Act that will force firms to take down damaging posts from their platforms. Signs your child is a victim of bullying According to the experts at Family Lives, there are some specific signs to look out for. These can be split into three different sections - emotional, physical and changes at school. Emotional - the child is isolating themselves and not talking to family, they are becoming more withdrawn, there are changes in eating habits, and behaviour, such as becoming more angry, they avoid social media, they don't see their friends outside school, they show new anxiety and nervousness. Physical - the child may have unexplained bruises, cuts or marks on their body, issues with sleep, complain of headaches or tummy aches and wet the bed. Changes at school - the child suddenly starts doing badly in lesson, becomes anxious about school, claims to feel unwell more than usual, loses items or money that can't be explained, have damaged possessions and refuse to take part in after school clubs. You can call The National Bullying Helpline for a free consultation on 0300 323 0169. Ensure your offspring has the number for Childline on 0800 1111. Ian told the i paper that a ban would wrongly deny youngsters the benefits of the digital world - and called for the Government to strengthen existing laws . Tech giant Meta said it has recently introduced an initiative called Teen Accounts which can limit what kids are exposed to. Advertisement All young people who sign up to Instagram in Britain, America and Canada will be put under the restrictions with a global rollout planned for later this year. Read more on the Scottish Sun HERE WE SNOW AGAIN Full list of Scots cities to be hit by blizzards as storm moves in MISSED CHANCE I'm Sir Alex's biggest signing mistake, I tell him whenever I see him It means teens will need to accept new followers and people who don’t follow them can’t see their content or interact with them. Parents can also put on controls which mean they can see who their child is messaging and a sleep mode will mute nighttime notifications. A spokesperson said Instagram also has a ‘hidden words’ feature, which allows users to filter emojis, words, phrases or comments they don’t want to see.
Daughter of murdered Jeffrey Hannan, 19, in plea for justice