Heritage flips script on fired director of Project 2025 after ‘disconcerting’ revelations surface
The former director of Project 2025 did not step down in July, as was initially reported, but was fired due to “dismissive and unprofessional” workplace behavior, the conservative think tank revealed Friday. The man at the center of the controversy says he’s being made a “scapegoat.” Project 2025 is only the latest iteration of a longstanding Heritage Foundation initiative to establish a conservative governing blueprint. But incessant attacks by Democrats focusing on Project 2025 have led to intense scrutiny and frequent misrepresentations of the plan’s details. Still, Paul Dans’ departure from the institution had little to do with that firestorm, according to Heritage. “Paul Dans was terminated from the Heritage Foundation due to a number of related issues, including his dismissive and unprofessional approach to interacting with a number of his colleagues,” Kelly Adams, director of people operations at Heritage, told Fox News Digital. TRUMP HITS BACK AT HARRIS WITH ‘KAMALA’S PROJECT 2025′ “After some specific disconcerting interactions were brought to the attention of senior management, an internal review was conducted, and a decision was made to separate Mr. Dans’ employment as amicably as possible.” At the time, Dans was said to be stepping down as the Project 2025 head. But Heritage soon reportedly received multiple communications from Dans that accused the think tank of terminating him on false grounds. “I was made a scapegoat by The Heritage Foundation to cover up for their own mishandling of the public relations fiasco over Project 2025,” Dans told Real Clear Politics. “It appears that the Heritage Foundation continues to trash my good name and professional reputation for their benefit.” The Heritage Foundation defended its decision and said it was Dans’ workplace behavior that led to his firing. HERITAGE FOUNDATION PRESIDENT CONFIRMS TRUMP HAD NO INVOLVEMENT IN PROJECT 2025 “The Heritage Foundation deeply values all of our staff and is committed in both practice and principle to maintaining a positive work environment where abusive or demeaning behavior is not welcome,” Adams said. “We are deeply disappointed that Mr. Dans is using the liberal media to attack Heritage’s decision to terminate him, thereby making the rationale behind his dismissal public. We will not allow him to falsely attack Heritage and its people, without defending the difficult decision to terminate Paul’s employment based on facts. We will continue to defend our staff and our institution from false narratives and disgruntled former employees.” New reports have surfaced detailing Dans’ behavior leading up to the termination, specifically allegations about his conduct at the Republican National Convention in July, when he reportedly cursed at colleagues while critiquing their performance and was issued a warning by Heritage President Kevin Roberts. “He was being so demeaning,” a source told Real Clear Politics. “It was constant, and he refused to listen.” After he was fired, Dans, through his legal counsel, reportedly sought $3.1 million from Heritage and wanted the funds delivered in two days, according to documents reviewed by RCP. Heritage rejected the request. Soon after he was fired, Dans became a vocal critic of the Trump campaign, telling The New York Times in September the former president should replace two of his senior advisers, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita. Dans claimed their mismanagement had prevented Trump from surging ahead of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump has repeatedly denied any involvement in Project 2025’s formation, saying, “I disagree with some of the things they’re saying, and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal.”
Zelenskyy downplays comment that Trump doesn’t know how to end Russia’s war with Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is downplaying past disagreements with former President Donald Trump following a meeting in New York City. Zelenskyy visited Trump Tower on Friday to meet with the Republican presidential nominee, then sat down with Fox News’ Griff Jenkins to discuss what seems to have been a good-spirited conversation. “We understand that even in any kind of future negotiations, Ukraine has to be strong. That’s what it’s about,” Zelenskyy told Jenkins when asked why he met with Trump. “We spoke with Biden, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump and the Congress of the United States.” TRUMP MEETS UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY AT TRUMP TOWER, SAYS RUSSIA’S WAR MUST END WITH ‘FAIR DEAL’ Jenkins pressed Zelenskyy about his comments that appeared in a New Yorker article earlier this week — in which he was quoted saying that he believes Trump “doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how” — and whether Trump had said anything to change Zelenskyy’s mind. “No, I said that I think that we understand much more better than everybody, really, including Donald Trump, what’s going on in Ukraine and how to stop him. It’s difficult to understand,” Zelenskyy responded. The Ukrainian president said his country is now a completely different nation from the one that was first invaded in 2022. ZELESNKYY SAYS ‘TRUMP DOESN’T KNOW PUTIN,’ RUSSIAN DICTATOR WILL ‘NEVER STOP’ “Ukraine, during the war in Ukraine before the full-scale invasion — two different countries. So without this experience, you can’t really understand how to stop [Russian President Vladimir Putin],” Zelenskyy continued. “And that’s what I wanted to share to president . . . and the price of this tragedy of bloody invasion of Putin.” At one point during their meeting, Trump told the press that he had a “good relationship” with both Zelenskyy and Putin. Zelenskyy then interjected to say he hopes the U.S. has a better relationship with Ukraine than Russia. Jenkins asked the Ukrainian president whether Trump’s comment about maintaining a good relationship with Putin concerned him. Zelenskyy said he was not necessarily concerned, acknowledging that “Trump has relations and had relations when he was the president, during his term” and maintains “relations with a lot of countries and a lot of UN leaders.” During the exclusive interview, Zelenskyy lamented the lack of response Putin received from the rest of the world when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in 2014 with the taking of Crimea. “Nobody kicked him, and that meant he understood that he can occupy it and go further. He can occupy new territories of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. “He began to prepare to do this — his plan — and he did it.”
DNA TV Show: Mob halts installation of Rani Laxmibai’s statue in Delhi, raising questions on…
The installation was originally set to take place in the DDA park near Sadder Bazaar, where preparations had begun with excavation work and the presence of bulldozers.
Texas maternal mortality committee asks to review abortion-related deaths
Abortion-related deaths have been excluded from state data for more than a decade. A state committee wants to review those cases, among other sweeping changes.
Investigator reveals China tried to smuggle drones to Libya disguised as COVID aid
China attempted to send $1 billion worth of drones disguised as COVID-19 aid to a Libyan warlord through the assistance of corrupt U.N. officials, according to a Canadian government investigator. New court documents accuse Chinese state officials of conspiring to hide the $1 billion deal to offer 42 drones to Libyan General Khalifa Haftar through U.N. officials, who would mark the arms shipments as COVID-19 aid. Through FBI intercepts, Canada’s Royal Mounted Police found alleged plots to sell Libyan oil to China and to buy drones from 2018 to 2021. “The Chinese government seems to have approved a strategy to aid Libya in the procurement and delivery of military equipment through designated and approved companies to obscure the direct involvement of government agencies,” the investigator stated. Two Libyan nationals working in Canada at the International Civil Aviation Organization, a U.N. agency, were charged with conspiracy for the scheme in April. A preliminary hearing is expected in the spring. REPUBLICANS PROPOSE BILL THAT WOULD DOUBLE TARIFFS ON CHINESE IMPORTS The accusations, first reported by Defense News, are part of documents submitted in court in Montreal to obtain warrants to access the phones of the men involved. “This scheme appears to be a deliberate attempt to circumvent U.N. sanctions that were in effect at the time,” the report said. Haftar, who received the drones, is a Russia-backed strongman who controls eastern Libya. He unsuccessfully tried to seize control of western Libya in 2020. The aim of the drones’ shipment was “‘using war to end war quickly’ without attracting the attention of the international community,” said the investigator, adding “the fight against the Coronavirus” was used as cover. 95 LIBYAN NATIONALS ARRESTED AT SUSPECTED SOUTH AFRICAN MILITARY TRAINING CAMP One of the Libyan nationals involved in the scheme – Fathi Ben Ahmed Mhaouek – was arrested while the other, Mahmud Mohamed Elsuwaye Sayeh, is still at large. The court documents also accuse a U.S. citizen, who has not been charged, of involvement. “My client will plead not guilty – he denies all wrongdoing,” said Mhaouek’s lawyer in Canada, Andrew Barbacki. Investigators uncovered a May 2020 message from Sayeh to an official at the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs requesting a meeting in Egypt between the Chinese ambassador and a Libyan military official close to Haftar, Major General Aoun Al-Ferjani. In the messages, the drones are “clearly described with weaponry, attack and lethal strike capabilities.” Investigators are unsure if the deal went through or if talks failed. Italian authorities in July said they seized Chinese military drones that were headed for Benghazi, Libya, in violation of a U.N. embargo.
Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants with sexual assault, murder convictions roaming US streets: ICE data
Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants with sex offenses and homicide convictions are loose on the streets, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data provided to lawmakers this week. The agency provided data to Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, about national data for illegal immigrants with criminal charges or convictions. The data, as of July 2024, is broken down by those in detention, and those who are not in detention — known as the non-detained docket. The non-detained docket includes illegal immigrants who have final orders of removal or are going through removal proceedings but are not detained in ICE custody. There are currently more than 7 million people on that docket. The data says that, among those not in detention, there are 425,431 convicted criminals and 222,141 with pending criminal charges. ICE NON-DETAINED DOCKET EXPLODES TO 7.4M CASES Those include 62,231 convicted of assault, 14,301 convicted of burglary, 56,533 with drug convictions and 13,099 convicted of homicide. An additional 2,521 have kidnapping convictions and 15,811 have sexual assault convictions. There are an additional 1,845 with pending homicide charges, 42,915 with assault charges, 3,266 with burglary charges and 4,250 with assault charges. “As of July 21, 2024, there were 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories on ICE’s national docket—13,099 criminally convicted MURDERS!” Gonzales said in a statement. “Americans deserve to be SAFE in our own communities.” In a statement accompanying the latter, ICE took aim at so-called “sanctuary” cities, which refuse to cooperate with federal law enforcement in deporting illegal immigrant criminals. “ICE recognizes that some jurisdictions are concerned that cooperating with federal immigration officials will erode trust with immigrant communities and make it harder for local law enforcement to serve those populations. However, ‘sanctuary’ policies can end up shielding dangerous criminals, who often victimize those same communities,” it said. It also stressed DHS’ efforts to remove illegal immigrants: “From mid-May 2023 through the end of July 2024, DHS removed or returned more than 893,600 individuals, including more than 138,300 individuals in family units. The majority of all individuals encountered at the Southwest Border over the past three years have been removed, returned, or expelled.” ‘POLITICAL STUNT’: CRITICS DISMISS HARRIS’ EXPECTED ARIZONA BORDER VISIT AS IMMIGRATION REMAINS TOP ISSUE However, the Biden administration came under fire for releasing many migrants who came to the U.S. border into the interior, which coincided with a sharp drop in deportations as it focused on prioritizing public safety and national security threats. There were 142,580 removals in FY 23, up considerably from 72,177 in FY 22 and 59,011 in FY 21, but still down from the highs of 267,258 under the Trump administration in FY 19. The number of illegal immigrants on the non-detained docket, meanwhile, has soared from 3.7 million in FY 2021 to nearly 4.8 million in FY 2022 to over 7 million in FY 2023. Republicans have blamed the border crisis on the policies of the administration, including rolling back Trump policies that limited “catch and release.” “It may be shocking to hear that the Biden-Harris administration is actively releasing tens of thousands of criminal illegal aliens into our communities, but their own numbers conclusively prove this to be the case. This defies all common sense,” House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green told Fox News Digital. “Under President Biden and his ‘border czar,’ Vice President Harris, DHS law enforcement has been directed to mass-release illegal aliens whom they know have criminal convictions or are facing charges for serious crimes—and these dangerous, destructive individuals are making their way into every city and state in this country. How many more Americans need to die or be victimized before this administration is forced to abide by the laws they swore to uphold? This is madness. It is something no civilized, well-functioning society should tolerate.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS The administration has said it needs more funding and reforms from Congress, including via a bipartisan Senate bill introduced this year – which has been rejected by Republicans. “Despite the challenges of operating within a broken immigration system, and in the face of an enormous workload and consistently limited funding, DHS continues to enforce the law to secure our borders,” DHS said in its letter. That bill would increase the number of ICE detention beds, but critics of the administration have pointed to numbers showing not all beds are being filled currently. The data’s release comes as Vice President Kamala Harris visits the southern border in Arizona as she seeks to blunt criticism from former President Trump on the matter, and renew her call for the bipartisan border bill. Conservatives were not swayed by the visit. “Border Czar Kamala Harris has had nearly four years to protect America and failed,” RJ Hauman, president of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement (NICE), told Fox News Digital in response to the data. “She is allowing tens of thousands of murderers and rapists to roam free. She puts criminals first and the safety and security of you and your family last.” Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
BIG relief for Delhi-NCR commuters as light rail transit system to connect…
The first tender for 12 stations along the expressway was issued in July of last year, with an estimated project cost of Rs 641.5 crore.
Paxton sues Austin over abortion travel fund
The city has appropriated $400,000 to help residents travel out of state for abortions. This is the second lawsuit targeting the fund.
Harris visits crucial border state as immigration record sparks scrutiny: A timeline
Vice President Kamala Harris heads to the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona on Friday, the first time she has been to the border since a visit to El Paso in 2021 and coming on the heels of her campaign being dogged by her past on the subject of illegal immigration. Harris has faced frequent attacks from her Republican opponent, former President Trump, and the Border Patrol Union who argue that she is weak on border security, an issue that many Republicans see as the vice president’s political Achilles’ heel. “After years of not just ignoring the problem, but helping create it, Vice President Kamala is finally headed down to the border,” the National Border Patrol Council said in a statement. “This is nothing more than for her to check the box, but what it is in reality, is a slap in the face towards the men and women that put their lives on the line every day, and also a slap in the face to the American public. Where has she been?” HARRIS HEADS TO SOUTHERN BORDER LOOKING TO FLIP SCRIPT ON IMMIGRATION CRITICISMS Harris’ campaign has pointed to her past as a prosecutor, taking on transnational criminal gangs, and says she is the candidate to secure the border as she backs a bipartisan funding bill. But Harris has a lengthy history on immigration at the national level. Harris, as a California senator, was on the far-left of the Democratic Party on immigration, and in 2018 she pushed her colleagues in the Senate to reject a request by the Trump administration for more funding for immigration detention beds and Border Patrol agents. In a letter to senators on the Senate Appropriations Committee in 2018, Harris and other senators called for them to “reject President Trump’s FY 19 funding request for a costly and ineffective border wall, new Border Patrol agents, and a large increase in U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel and detention beds.” “We urge you to reduce funding for the administration’s reckless immigration enforcement operations that are tearing families apart and harming our economy.” HARRIS LEANS IN ON BORDER SECURITY AND TRUMP RELISHES THE FIGHT She also grilled Ronald Vitiello, who was former President Trump’s nominee to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), whether he was “aware of the perception” of parallels between ICE and the KKK. “Are you aware that there is a perception that ICE is administering its power in a way that is causing fear and intimidation, particularly among immigrants and specifically among immigrants coming from Mexico and Central America?” she asked again. In recently revealed footage, Harris is seen at a rally chanting “Up, up with education, down, down with deportation” at a rally which also featured now-disgraced actor Jussie Smollett. Harris launched a bid for the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 2019. Her campaign included a promise to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) by executive order, which gives protection to illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as minors. She said that she would eliminate age requirements on applications and use parole authority to create a “parole in place” program to put those illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship. Also she promised to shield illegal immigrant parents of American citizens and green card holders from deportation by executive order. Overall, her plan was predicted to protect over six million illegal immigrants from deportation. Harris became vice president in 2021 and the administration immediately rolled back a number of Trump-era initiatives and attempted to place a moratorium on deportations. Migrant numbers skyrocketed, and Biden told reporters in March that Harris would be put in charge of tackling root causes, issues like climate change, poverty and violence that the administration believes was driving migrants north. It quickly led to Harris being dubbed by media outlets and Republicans as the “border czar.” The White House rejected that title, but it has stuck with her ever since and made her a figurehead along with DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for the crisis. After the assignment by Biden, and with numbers skyrocketing through subsequent months to record highs, Harris immediately came under pressure to visit the border as the White House said her role was more diplomatic than related to the border directly. She instead went to Mexico and Guatemala and had a stern message for migrants that upset immigrant activists. “Do not come. Do not come. The United States will continue to enforce our laws and secure our borders,” she said. “If you come to our border, you will be turned back.” The pressure kept rising for her to go to the U.S. border. “You haven’t been to the border,” NBC’s Lester Holt told her, after she claimed she had been to the border. “And I haven’t been to Europe,” Harris quipped. Later that month, she went to the border in El Paso, Texas, where she received a briefing and toured a processing center while meeting with advocates and providers. Harris would largely be unseen through the rest of 2021 and 2022 on the root causes strategy, although a private sector initiative to draw investment to tackle those root causes would continue. In June 2022, she traveled to the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles and met with other leaders to discuss ways to handle the crisis. During that summit, she announced that $3.2 billion in commitments from private sector companies had been secured. She also came under fire for declaring the border was secure despite the ongoing crisis and mass releases into the interior. “The border is secure, but we also have a broken immigration system, in particular over the last four years before we came in, and it needs to be fixed,” Harris said on NBC. Harris made few appearances in 2023 relating to the border crisis, although her private investment strategy continued to bring in additional commitments from companies. But the crisis did not stay out of the news, and 2023 broke new records for enormous amounts of migrant encounters and a number
Netanyahu attacks UN as “anti-Israel Flat Earth Society”
NewsFeed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked the United Nations as an “antisemitic swamp” and an “anti-Israel Flat Earth Society” during his address to the UN General Assembly, defending his government’s bombardment of both Gaza and Lebanon. Published On 27 Sep 202427 Sep 2024 Adblock test (Why?)