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The story follows fictional Private Troy Marquis, who attends a tense early morning briefing at a military reserve base in Philadelphia. Troy is told that a radical group, Antifa, has invaded the city, prompting a second-term President Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act. US law currently prohibits the military from operating on US soil. However, the Insurrection Act of 1807 gives the president broad and sweeping authority to use the military to quell domestic violence or conspiracy that the president thinks is a domestic rebellion or insurrection. Donald Trump tried use the Insurrection Act against Black Lives Matter protests in his first administration and has threatened use the U.S. Military to shut down protests against him if he is re-elected. As the soldiers in Troy Marquis company advance towards City Hall, tensions rise with the conflict between what the soldiers were told and what they see with their own eyes. In the midst of a peaceful protest against police violence, the situation escalates when one soldier purposely makes up a perceived threat, leading to gunfire. The chaos results in the deaths of dozens and many injuries, including their own soldiers. Overcome with horror and guilt, Troy grapples with the aftermath of their actions and the brutal reality of their mission. In a view from the other side, the fictional Julie Brown joins that protest in Philadelphia calling for justice after the police killing of two Black students. Despite her parents' concerns about the increasing hostility towards protesters, she feels compelled to stand up for her beliefs. The protest initially unfolds peacefully, filled with songs and chants, until military forces arrive with orders to disperse the demonstrators. As the military's authoritative tone becomes increasingly menacing, panic ensues when gunfire breaks out, resulting in casualties among the protesters. Julie is injured in the chaos and wakes up in the hospital, facing a representative of military intelligence who informs her that the protest group is being investigated for allegedly attacking the military. Once again in a trump administration up is down and down is up. We'd like to thank all the artists who volunteered their time to make this episode: Mark Hamill and Andrea Guidry who read the chapters and others who contributed character voices. Sound design by Jonathan Moser and Marilys Ernst. This episode of Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal was jointly written by Daniel Miller—lawyer, writer and democracy advocate—and David Pepper and produced by Pepper, Melissa Jo Peltier and Jay Feldman and is a production of Ovington Avenue Productions and The Bill Press Pod.

It was a strategist-palooza tonight with Rick, Stuart, Joe, and very special guest Matthew Dowd. We're two weeks out from election day and the bogus red-wave polls are back and attempting to drown us in bad data - but these guys weren't having it! Catch up on what the early voting is telling us, Matthew's electoral and Texas predictions, and why Kentucky might tell us everything we need to know on election night.

How do we fact check in an ocean of lies? In this episode Rick is joined by Bill Adair, the founder of PolitiFact and a professor at Duke University, to discuss the growing epidemic of political lying, especially within the Republican Party. They explore the history of political dishonesty, the role of conservative media in amplifying misinformation, and the challenges of fact-checking in an era dominated by figures like Donald Trump. The conversation highlights the danger that widespread deception poses to democracy and addresses the role of new technologies, like deepfakes, in further distorting truth in political discourse. Bill's book, Beyond the Big Lie: The Epidemic of Political Lying, Why Republicans Do It More, and How It Could Burn Down Our Democracy, available now.

Old friend Reed Galen joins Joe and Alex with a report from on the ground... pretty much everywhere! Reed's traveling the battlegrounds with The Union - what's he seeing in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Michigan? What are voters actually talking about? Plus, Joe and Reed talk about how organizing can make the difference in a close race. What is Reed seeing that may surprise you? And with just 19 days left, it's time to leave it all on the field. Check out Reed's podcast "The Home Front" wherever you get your podcasts. There's still time to volunteer - go to jointheunion.us and find out how you can help!

In this episode of Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal, we see the real-life effects of this assault on unions and workers. In our fictional story, two legendary high school football players, Turk Foster and DeAndre McCollum, still relish their past glory. But they are struggling to navigate the rule changes proposed by Project 2025 that undercut the power of unions and tilt the playing field in favor of the employers to the detriment of employees. Turk struggles with his job as a union electrician as wages and job security diminish. He feels the weight of expectation on his son, who may soon forgo football to support the family by taking a job, previously off limits to teenagers in a plant in town. DeAndre’s wife, a nurse, has had her hours cut and has to cope with last minute schedule changes that disrupt their family life. In the second half of the episode, Bruce Lipton, the fictional private equity executive, plays golf with his HR consultant Dudley Brennan. Their conversation reveals the ruthless cost-cutting measures undertaken by their firm, Bald Eagle Capital, and the broader privatized economy shaped by the election of Donald Trump and the deregulation as proposed in Project 2025. Dudley lists strategies like eliminating union protections, utilizing young workers—including hiring teenagers for hazardous jobs—and reducing overtime expenses. Despite his discomfort with these practices, Bruce feels pressured to comply with the aggressive corporate tactics that prioritize profit over worker safety and rights, reflecting an uncomfortable tension between his upbringing in a union household and the cutthroat world of private equity. The chapter concludes with Bruce's disillusionment leading him to leave the golf course, symbolizing his internal conflict over the ethical implications of his work. We'd like to thank all the artists who volunteered their time to make this episode: Wendell Pierce and Fisher Stevens who read the chapters and others who contributed character voices. Sound design by Marilys Ernst and Jon Moser

Project 2025 proposes to eliminate the Department of Education and divert federal education funding into universal school voucher programs, allowing public money to be used for private and for-profit schools. This would result in cuts to critical services and programs at public schools, including mental health counseling, school resource officers, after-school programs, reading/writing specialists, and services for students with disabilities. Classroom sizes at public schools would increase substantially due to the funding cuts, hampering the ability to provide a quality education. The plan also calls for the censorship of curriculum and book banning related to topics like racial equity, LGBTQ issues, and reproductive health. Private for-profit schools receiving voucher funds have been found to use substandard or misleading curriculum, including teaching that dinosaurs and humans co-existed and that slavery was not as bad as portrayed. Overall, the goal of Project 2025 is to end public education in the United States in favor of a privatized, deregulated school system, with devastating consequences for students, especially those from lower-income families and communities. Based on the actual proposals and likely consequences above, the fictional based stories begin as Martha Sheakley, the principal of Southeast Middle School, faces the challenges of new controversial book-banning laws that require the removal of numerous classics from the library. As she meets with librarian Paige Parker, they express their frustration over the vague standards forcing them to censor popular titles, including works by Toni Morrison and Anne Frank. Martha is frustrated with the political landscape affecting education and the consequences of enforcing these new laws. Martha then attends a distressing meeting about school funding. Due to the government's shift to vouchers for private schools, public schools face severe funding cuts. She learns they must eliminate wrap-around services and support staff, including mental health counselors, after-care programs, and special education resources. These cuts threaten the well-being of students and the overall educational environment. The meeting exposes the deepening crisis in public education as more responsibilities are pushed onto families with lower income and fewer resources. After a day filled with painful decisions and meetings, Martha encounters law enforcement taking away censored books from the library, further highlighting the absurdity and tragedy of censorship in education. As the day ends, Martha reflects on the privilege of parents benefitting from the new policies while her own students and staff suffer the consequences. In parallel, Marcus and other parents share their concerns about Blue Ribbon Academy, a new school that seemed promising but delivered a disappointing reality. They discover misleading curriculum materials that trivialize serious historical issues and provide an inadequate education. As they navigate their experiences trying to advocate for better education options for their children, they are met with resistance from the Blue Ribbon administration, which has no accountability to the public. Despite their efforts, the parents ultimately face the grim reality that shifts in educational policy have sidelined their children, particularly those with special needs like Marcus's son, Jamal, who is deemed "not a good fit" for Blue Ribbon due to his ADHD. This reflects a larger trend of public schools becoming underfunded and unable to meet the needs of diverse learners as more families are funneled into less supportive educational environments. We'd like to thank all the artists who volunteered their time to make this episode: Ever Carradine and Don Cheadle who read the chapters and others who contributed character voices. Sound design by Johnathan Moser. Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal is written by David Pepper

Dr. Jennifer Mercieca writes: "Trump's rallies and scripted television appearances are a fascist catechism of calls and responses where indoctrination occurs through scary fear appeals, promises of protection, and commitments of loyalty."

Last week on Fox the term misinformation became a code word for a crackdown on free speech while Vice President Kamala Harris was vilified for not doing enough and for doing too much to help hurricane victims. Kayleigh McEnany’s friend might have met a Black person, Melania Trump was pushing her merch on ‘The Five,’ while Jessica Tarlov revealed Trump’s ‘God Bless the USA Bibles’ were printed in China.

Rick Wilson interviews Congressman Colin Allred in a no-holds-barred conversation about his campaign to unseat Ted Cruz in Texas. They dive into Allred’s journey from NFL linebacker to the political arena, dissecting Cruz’s vulnerabilities and what it will take to flip the state blue. Along the way, Wilson and Allred trade jabs at Cruz’s controversial record, making this episode a must-listen for anyone tracking the 2024 election. Follow ColinAllred on X at @RepColinAllred and support his Senate campaign at colinallred.com. Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. Join the fight with Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow us on X at @ProjectLincoln. And please subscribe, rate and review this podcast, thank you!

With 20 days until election day, whodda thought talking about Fox News could be so fun and funny?! Catch up now with host Maya May and Decoding Fox News' Juliet Jeske. Punches were landed!

Today we keep it simple. Trump is actually a fascist, Rick explains why he is an enemy to us all.

We have great conversations on this show, but this one really knocked it out of the park. Catch up now to see what our chat was going crazy about last night!

Stuart Stevens writes, "After I replied to Mr. Ackman’s post, he invited me to refute each of his 33 justifications for supporting Donald Trump. So, I did."

Rick Wilson sits down with Congressman Jared Moskowitz to unpack the performative politics dominating the Republican caucus, highlighting how spectacle often overshadows substance in today’s GOP, and how good it feels to make James Comer eat his words. They explore the impact of these theatrics on effective governance, especially during crises, and how misinformation fuels political grandstanding. Follow Jared Moskowitz on X at @JaredEMoskowitz or connect with him at moskowitz.house.gov. Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. Join the fight with Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow us on X at @ProjectLincoln.

Trump and the much of the far right have perverted traditional Christian values. In this episode Rick is joined by Jim Wallis, theologian and author of The False White Gospel, to discuss the rise of Christian nationalism in the U.S. Wallis explores how this movement has distorted Christianity for political power, particularly under Donald Trump, and the dangers it poses to American democracy. They discuss the history of white Christian nationalism, its contrast with the inclusive teachings of Jesus, and the importance of reclaiming faith from political agendas to refound democracy on true spiritual values. Jim's book, The False White Gospel, available now.

With all the disinformation out there - what can we do? What's going on under the hood that has us optimistic about Pennsylvania? And Joe and Alex explain the swing voters that may cost Trump this fall. And Joe shares his latest on the Senate - including one race that might take many by surprise. And what's going on with the House? Plus, we get to your questions with less than 4 weeks to go.

US Citizen and member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Sarah Ashton-Cirillo exposes the brutal and inhumane ongoing practice of using vulnerable, mentally disabled children to build weapons for Putin's senseless slaughter of Ukrainians in his illegal war of aggression.

Mark Ruffalo and Andrea Guidry narrate this important and frightened chapter of David Pepper's prescient podcast. This chapter captures the struggles of 12-year-old Alvaro and his mother desperate to escape a fictional detention center in West Texas and soldier Jake Caldwell as he witnesses the overwhelming influx of women and children, and the systemic failures of the camp. The environment strips away humanity, leading children to escape in search of freedom.