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Project 2025 to issue blistering response to Harris, other critics via dozens of independent fact checks

Project 2025 to issue blistering response to Harris, other critics via dozens of independent fact checks

EXCLUSIVE: Project 2025, the right-leaning Heritage Foundation’s vision for building a “better country for all Americans” during a conservative presidential administration, will be releasing a response to critics who have characterized the endeavor as far-right and extreme. While former President Trump has repeatedly denied any collaboration with Project 2025, its detractors are primarily on the left, Heritage Foundation officials said Wednesday. The officials exclusively shared with Fox News Digital the dozens of fact checks they plan to roll out to blunt false claims about the framework. The foundation — founded by former congressional aide Ed Feulner, who offered a vision of a publicly-accessible, market-driven think tank for conservatives — has released similar frameworks in election years dating back to the 1980s. AMID HARRIS’ YOUTH POLLING SURGE, LATEST FIGURES SHOW BIDEN DID BETTER WITH BLACK VOTERS While Trump’s campaign has warned “it will not end well” for anyone directly linking him to the framework overall, many left-wing figures have launched specific attacks on the 900-plus pages of proposals.  In regard to the GOP nominee, however, the makers of Project 2025 will attempt to point to multiple media fact checks confirming Trump is not behind it. Also called the “Presidential Transition Project,” the dossier claims to be explicitly independent of the Trump campaign, and Heritage Foundation officials routinely reference “conservative” goals, not “Republican,” “Libertarian” or other distinctly partisan ends. However, numerous figures involved in Project 2025, including recently departed director Paul Dans, have connections to the last Trump administration. Dans was a top staffer in the Office of Personnel Management. The project’s stated goal is to “rescue the country from the grip of the radical left.” In one of the instances of false characterizations Project 2025 will cite, Vice President Kamala Harris claimed in her first campaign rally as presumptive Democratic nominee that the framework calls for cutting Social Security.  LEGAL EXPERTS CALL BIDEN’S COURT OVERHAUL PLANS A ‘PIPE DREAM’ Despite the Trump campaign’s warnings, Harris cited “Donald Trump” when referencing what the framework wants to accomplish. “[He] intends to cut Social Security and Medicare,” Harris said Tuesday in Wisconsin. Project 2025 plans to respond by highlighting CNN’s own fact check, which points out the term “Social Security” appears only a few times in the nearly 1,000 pages and never in reference to cuts. Heritage Foundation spokesperson Mary Vought said Project 2025 proposes “no changes to Social Security.” Vought told the outlet Harris should “follow her own advice and read the book, instead of promoting lies and disinformation.” Officials with the project also plan to respond to claims vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, is a partner in the framework amid his prospective boss’s criticisms. Vance has written a foreword to Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts’ upcoming book, wherein he writes that the nonprofit is not “some random outpost on Capitol Hill,” but the “most influential engine of ideas for Republicans from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump.” TRUMP CAMPAIGN REJOICES AFTER HARRIS LEANS IN ON KEY ISSUE HAUNTING HER VICE PRESIDENCY Meanwhile, Project 2025 intends to blunt another Harris claim that the manual includes restrictions on in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and contraception. Citing PolitiFact, Project 2025 plans to point out the term “IVF” never appears in the document. Responding chiefly to Harris’ claims, Roberts said the presumptive Democratic nominee’s claims are “breathtaking in [their] dishonesty.” “It’s so blatant that even corporate media outlets like CNN are calling out her lies. She has no policy record to run on, except her shambolic tenure as border czar,” he asserted. Roberts said Project 2025 is being barraged by “two sets of lies. First, that Project 2025 is connected with the Trump campaign. It’s not,” he said. “Second, that Project 2025 proposes all manner of wild, extreme policies. It doesn’t. Dozens of independent fact checks prove that [Harris] is lying, along with an army of paid influencers online. But the truth will win out in the end.” For his part, Trump has expressed his disagreement with the faction of the right that opposes IVF after an Alabama court ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law. Project 2025 does, however, provide recommendations on limiting access to abortion. Project 2025 also plans to respond to critics who have pointed to a widely disseminated post later found to be satire that claimed it sought to mandate “period passports” that track women’s menstrual cycles under penalty of law. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP An official with the project pointed Fox News Digital to a Reuters fact check that confirmed the claim was erroneously taken seriously online. Other fact checks Project 2025 officials seek to roll out include responses to claims the framework seeks to end gay marriage and makes references to “valid family” structures, though it does seek to promote “stable and flourishing married families.” Project 2025 also seeks to introduce changes to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, not to abolish it, as some critics have claimed. In another regard, Starbucks’ decision to provide coffee to first responders at the Republican National Convention led to outrage at the Seattle-based brewer. Upset patrons began claiming it is therefore backing Project 2025 and called for boycotts. Project 2025 spokesman Noah Weinrich told fact-checker Verify the claim is “purely misinformation.”

‘Escalating threat’: Rise of Venezuelan street gang sparks alarm throughout US

‘Escalating threat’: Rise of Venezuelan street gang sparks alarm throughout US

The rise of a Venezuelan street gang throughout the United States is raising alarm at both the state and federal level, as the gang appears to be taking advantage of the ongoing crisis at the southern border — and becoming increasingly bold in its actions. Fox News Digital confirmed an alert on Tuesday that a police department in New Mexico has received information from federal partners that members have been encouraged to attack police officers in Denver. “The Albuquerque New Mexico Police Department (APD) has released this officer safety bulletin to notify law enforcement of information regarding the Tren De Aragua criminal organization and reports that TDA members in Denver have been given a ‘green light’ to fire on or attack law enforcement,” a bulletin by the Colorado Information Analysis Center said. VENEZUELAN GANG TREN DE ARAGUA GIVES ‘GREEN LIGHT’ TO MEMBERS TO ATTACK COPS: OFFICIALS Other outlets reported similar messages to Chicago federal officials and Border Patrol agents. The Denver Police Department told Fox News Digital that it was aware of the warning. “As with any information about possible criminal activity that may impact other jurisdictions, details are shared across agencies. DPD is monitoring and making officers aware of the safety concerns shared by our law enforcement partners,” the statement said. But it’s one of a number of warnings coming from state and federal agencies, as well as some lawmakers, about the gang. The gang is believed to have originated in a Venezuelan prison and has made its way north over the years since, including into the U.S. Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced new actions to stop the spread of the group. The Treasury Department designated it a “significant transnational criminal organization,” while the State Department and Department of Justice offered a $12 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of three of the gang’s leaders. “Today’s designation of Tren de Aragua as a significant Transnational Criminal Organization underscores the escalating threat it poses to American communities,” Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement. “As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to target Transnational Criminal Organizations, we will deploy all tools and authorities against organizations like Tren de Aragua that prey on vulnerable populations to generate revenue, engage in a range of criminal activities across borders, and abuse the U.S. financial system.” BORDER STATE LAWMAKER SOUNDS ALARM ON BLOODTHIRSTY VENEZUELAN GANG ENTERING US: ‘THEY HAVE NO RULES’ The National Security Council said that departments and agencies across government are taking actions to “identify and disrupt” the group, while law enforcement was working with state and local partners “to investigate and prosecute Tren de Aragua members and affiliates engaged in criminal activities. As early as last year, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was warning agents of the possibility of Tren de Aragua members coming in via the southern border. “Keep your eye on this gang,” Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens warned in May. “Their criminal activities represent a serious threat to our communities!” He attached pictures that showed tattoos from gang members, including one which said “Salute me or shoot me.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS The gang, known as TdA, made headlines earlier this year when it emerged that the brother of the suspect in the killing of Georgia student Laken Riley had affiliations with the gang.  Lawmakers have also sounded the alarm. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital that the gang is going to be the “dominant transnational criminal organization throughout the United States. There’s no doubt in my mind.” Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, recently urged the administration to slap a moratorium on all Venezuelans entering the U.S. until the socialist country starts accepting returns of its illegal immigrants. “We write to you with grave concern regarding violent criminals from Venezuela being released from prisons, embedding themselves into migrant caravans, and traversing into the United States,” Nehls and other GOP lawmakers wrote.

Fox News Politics: Let Israel Count the Ways

Fox News Politics: Let Israel Count the Ways

Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail.  What’s happening… -Tlaib ally mourns assassination of top Hamas leader… -Harris and VP pick to tour battleground states… -Texas Gov. Abbott scores border victory over Biden… The Israel Defense Forces revealed Wednesday four reasons why it killed Fuad Shukr, the Hezbollah commander responsible for a drone strike that left 12 children and teens dead over the weekend in northern Israel.  Shukr served as a senior adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah at the time of his death in an IDF strike on Tuesday in southern Beirut. The IDF says its fighter jets “eliminated the Hezbollah terrorist organization’s most senior military commander [Shukr]” in Lebanon’s capital city.  Here’s why Israel’s military says it took out Shukr …Read more FIRST ON FOX: Key Biden agency slapped with subpoena over secretive plan to register voters in crucial swing state …Read more ‘DANGEROUSLY LIBERAL’: Harris once proposed health care plan with heavy middle class burden …Read more ‘WON’T SILENCE US’: Tlaib ally ignites backlash after mourning assassination of top Hamas leader …Read more ‘OUTRAGEOUS’: Cuban-American lawmakers compare Biden to these autocrats over SCOTUS plan …Read more BACKING THE BLUE: Gillibrand, Hawley seek mental health hotline for first responders in bipartisan effort …Read more HIDDEN TREND: Amid Harris surge, veep loses ground with Black voters …Read more VP PICK CLUE: New report on Harris campaign could be very telling, in light of Wall Street rule …Read more COURTING VOTES: Harris and her VP pick to tour battleground states next week …Read more RED ON BLUE: Republican wins primary for Ruben Gallego’s open seat, sets up long-shot battle …Read more SHAKE IT OFF: Vance dismisses Dem attacks, discusses what issues he wants to tackle as VP …Read more ‘TRANSPARENTLY FAKE’: Harris mocked for ‘fake’ southern accent during Georgia rally …Read more ‘AMERICANS KNOW THE TRUTH’: Trump campaign rejoices after Harris leans in on key issue haunting her vice presidency …Read more FLIPPING DELAWARE: Republican looks to become first GOP gov of Biden’s home state in more than 30 years …Read more ‘LACK OF LEADERSHIP’: Possible Harris VP pick slammed for response during 2020 riots …Read more ‘HATE MAP’: Watchdog group launching map to track political violence …Read more ‘CLEAR COMMUNICATIONS FAILURE’: Former Secret Service agent says team should have been at Trump rally ‘for one reason’ …Read more ACCESS DENIED: Investigators struggle with would-be Trump assassin’s encryption amid Iran threat …Read more ‘NOT THEIR ASSIGNMENT’: Butler DA says local snipers were not responsible for monitoring rooftop …Read more ‘REPREHENSIBLE’: Corey Comperatore’s family speaks out after scammers impersonated them on Facebook …Read more CRIME SCENE RELEASED: Site of Trump assassination attempt prepares for farm show …Read more BUOYED BY RULING: Texas Gov. Abbott celebrates court’s decision to keep floating Rio Grande barrier in place for now …Read more LINE OF SIGHT: Video from Trump shooting victim shows figure moving on roof before gunfire …Read more Subscribe now to get the Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Biden/Harris administration ‘super-charged’ migration from Latin America: report

Biden/Harris administration ‘super-charged’ migration from Latin America: report

The Biden/Harris administration has “super-charged” a “Lawful Pathways” program that has helped admit tens of thousands of people from Latin America. The Safe Mobility Office Initiative, launched in May 2023 and given expanded capacity this spring, has worked to fly tens of thousands of people to the U.S. through the refugee resettlement process, despite those people being of nationalities that have rarely qualified for refugee status, according to a Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) analysis. According to the report, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) personnel and United Nations have set up offices in Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica and Guatemala that have granted refugee status to 21,000 people from seven different Latin American countries in the first year of the program, with half of those having already arrived in the country as of May. BIDEN BORDER PLAN OFFERS NEITHER ‘INVESTMENT’ NOR ‘SOLUTIONS’: IMMIGRATION WATCHDOG The refugees are being flown to the U.S. from Haiti, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, Guatemala, Ecuador and Colombia, the report notes, though even greater numbers may have been flown in through June and July after the administration expanded the program to allow for migrants from Honduras and El Salvador. The expansion of the program comes despite the U.S. traditionally only granting refugee status to individuals who can credibly claim that they cannot return to their home country out of a “well-founded fear” of persecution on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group, but the CIS analysis argued that many of those coming to the U.S. would more normally be classified as economic migrants. The report cites a 2024 Mixed Migration Centre survey of program participants that found 90% indicated they wanted to travel to the U.S. for economic opportunities and higher living standards, not to flee potential persecution. The administration has also raised the allotted slots to admit refugees from Latin America, from less than 5,000 when President Biden took office to 50,000 in 2024. GOV. GREG ABBOTT SAYS BIDEN EXECUTIVE ORDER MAKING ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSINGS ‘WORSE’: ‘GASLIGHTING’ AMERICANS “In the refugee pathway, we aim to resettle between 35,000 and 50,000 individuals in Fiscal Year 2024, an historic and ambitious goal that would amount to an increase in refugee resettlement from the Western Hemisphere of over 450 percent from last year,”  Marta Youth, the principal deputy assistant secretary for the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugee and Migration, said in testimony before a congressional committee in March. The administration has justified the expansion of the program by arguing that many of the migrants would have used dangerous migration corridors before illegally appearing at the U.S. southern border, a justification some say abuses the U.S. refugee program. “We have a visa process so they can safely go to an embassy and safely apply for a visa and safely fly to the U.S.,” Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, told Fox News Digital. “This is to completely abuse and twist the refugee process. It’s abusive and not lawful.” Ries also argued that the program does not help the source countries of the migration and could be a danger to American citizens, noting that the speed of processing applications raises questions about how well the migrants are vetted. “If you just set high numbers and then quickly adjudicate, grant, process, and resettle, then they’re not getting fully vetted,” Ries said. “It used to take about a year or a year and a half to get through the entire refugee process.” But the CIS analysis indicates that the process for some migrants can be completed in a matter of days, something Ries called “ridiculous.” “That means no vetting is happening,” Ries said. “So they have no idea who they’re letting in.” The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.

Tlaib ally mourns assassination of top Hamas leader: ‘His martyrdom is not in vain’

Tlaib ally mourns assassination of top Hamas leader: ‘His martyrdom is not in vain’

A vocal anti-Israel activist, who has made several donations to Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s, D-Mich., House campaigns, mourned the assassination of a top Hamas leader on Wednesday, saying his “martyrdom is not in vain.” Zahra Billoo, a disgraced former Women’s March leader and the executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in San Francisco, took to social media after it was reported that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, Iran, prompting Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to vow “revenge” for the attack.  “Never say that those martyred in the cause of Allah are dead—in fact, they are alive! But you do not perceive it,” Billoo said in the first part of her post, appearing to quote the Quran.  “Tonight, we mourn Ismail himself but know his martyrdom is not in vain,” she continued, using a controversial phrase pushed by anti-Israel activists to mean the elimination of Israel. “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” IRANIAN LEADER KHAMENEI SAYS IT’S A ‘DUTY TO TAKE REVENGE’ AFTER HANIYEH ASSASSINATION “I mourn yesterday’s martyrs because I can see the horrific path killing peace negotiators leads to,” Billoo added in a follow-up X thread, accusing Israel of a “genocide.” Billoo’s initial post immediately drew backlash from social media users, with some people mocking the Quran quote and saying the Hamas leader is definitely “not alive.”  “Probably important to remember this, too, whenever you see the name CAIR,” journalist Bari Weiss said. Billoo, who has donated almost $1,000 to multiple Tlaib campaigns, has been a lightning rod of controversy in recent years over her anti-Israel rhetoric, which led to the left-wing Women’s March board severing ties with her in 2019 after only serving two days. She posted a 25-post Twitter thread at the time blaming her ouster on an “Islamophobic smear campaign” and “right-wingers.” RASHIDA TLAIB RIPPED FOR HOLDING ‘WAR CRIMINAL’ SIGN DURING NETANYAHU’S SPEECH: ‘ABSOLUTE DISGRACE’ Despite the backlash, Tlaib came to Billoo’s defense the day after the ouster, posting, “#FreePalestine always sis! They won’t silence us for speaking out against human rights violations.” “They will lie, smear our names and call us anti this and that, but we always be pro-humanity & we have the truth on our side. Stay strong,” she continued. Several of Billoo’s controversial posts were circulating on social media shortly after she was announced as a Women’s March board member. “If you support Israel, you are no doubt supporting baby killers,” Billoo wrote in one unearthed 2014 post that was circulating ahead of the ouster. In other posts she described Zionism as “racism” and said she was a “proud anti-Zionist.” “In looking at the tweets in question, I acknowledge that I wrote passionately. While I may have phrased some of my content differently today, I stand by my words,” Billoo said in 2019 about several of her controversial posts. Prior to the Women’s March controversy, Billoo took a “selfie” with Tlaib outside her Washington, D.C., congressional office in early 2019 and said, “Not all sheros wear capes, some like Rep. [Tlaib] wear Congressional pins!” “So good to see you sis! I will always speak truth to power because I got you to protect,” Tlaib responded. Billoo was also in attendance at a Tlaib fundraising event in California in 2021, according to a Facebook post. This is not the first time a CAIR leader has ignited backlash on social media. Last December, Nihad Awad, the executive director and co-founder of CAIR, said he was “happy to see” the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion of Israel and that the Jewish state did not have a right to self-defense because it is an “occupying power.” “And yes, the people of Gaza have the right to self-defense — have the right to defend themselves. And yes, Israel as an occupying power does not have that right to self-defense,” he said. In addition to Billoo’s anti-Israel rhetoric, she has also repeatedly attacked Memorial Day and smeared the U.S. military, questioning why fallen soldiers should be remembered. “You think we should honor people who commit war crimes?” she asked in one post. “Did not and does not celebrate #MemorialDay,” Billoo posted in a long 2019 thread. “There cannot be any honor earned through participation in dishonorable wars.” Tlaib’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News’ Aubrie Spady and Landon Mion contributed to this report.

This Wall Street rule reveals a key clue about Harris running-mate pick: report

This Wall Street rule reveals a key clue about Harris running-mate pick: report

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is reportedly urging Wall Street donors to make their donations immediately due to a rule that limits donations to certain presidential tickets. Harris’ campaign has reportedly been citing an SEC rule that bans some employees of financial institutions from contributing to a presidential ticket that includes a sitting governor, leading many on Wall Street to conclude her pick will be a governor, Axios reported Wednesday. Harris’ campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. The five candidates considered most likely to secure a spot on Harris’ ticket are currently Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Mark Kelley, D-Ariz., Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. If the indications are correct, however, the three governors could be the ones to watch. HOW LONG WILL THE KAMALA HARRIS HONEYMOON IN THE POLLS AGAINST DONALD TRUMP LAST? “Any reporting on developments or updates in Vice President Harris’ running mate search are premature and speculative,” a campaign spokesman told Axios. KAMALA HARRIS SUPPORTERS UNSURE WHEN ASKED ABOUT VP’S POLICY ACCOMPLISHMENTS Harris could select her running mate as soon as this week. Democrats surged to support her presidential campaign after President Biden bent to party pressure to drop out of the race. Her campaign has announced that she will have a running mate by the time she appears at a rally in Philadelphia next week. THE STATE OF THE RACE WITH 100 DAYS TO GO UNTIL THE NOVEMBER ELECTION It remains to be seen whether Democrats’ enthusiasm for Harris’ campaign can continue through Election Day. Harris has already improved over Biden in polls against former President Trump, but she is still trailing in most. Harris is expected to officially win the Democratic nomination sometime before Aug. 7. The Democratic National Convention will begin on Aug. 19, which comes after the required certification date for some states.