A Project 2025 coauthor is now in Trump’s Cabinet

Summary

Apple News Today: Episode Summary Title: A Project 2025 Coauthor Is Now in Trump’s Cabinet
Host: Shemitah Basu
Release Date: February 10, 2025

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1. President Trump's Attack on Government Agencies and USAID Cuts

[00:05 – 02:59]

Shemitah Basu opens the episode by discussing President Donald Trump's recent interview with Fox News' Bret Baier. Trump criticized government agencies, particularly targeting USAID, claiming rampant fraud and waste. He stated:

Donald Trump (00:43): "I'm going to go to the military. We're going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse. And you know, the people elected me on that."

Trump, alongside Elon Musk—now chair of the Department of Government Efficiency—has initiated significant cuts to USAID, freezing most foreign aid for 90 days and slashing USAID’s workforce from over 10,000 to approximately 600 employees. Despite a temporary halt by a district judge, the administration proceeded to remove USAID's name from its headquarters.

Russell Berman of The Atlantic comments on the unprecedented speed and extent of the cuts:

Russell Berman (01:45): "The speed with which Donald Trump and Elon Musk are dismantling USAID has been shocking to, you know, supporters and critics pretty much everyone."

Caroline Levitt, White House Press Secretary, defended the cuts, highlighting alleged misallocations:

Caroline Levitt (02:32): "These are some of the insane priorities that that organization has been spending money on... I don't know about you, but as an American taxpayer, I don't want my dollars going towards this crap."

However, fact-checks by The Washington Post and PolitiFact revealed inaccuracies in Levitt’s claims. For instance, the $70,000 grant for a DEI musical in Ireland was actually from the State Department, not USAID, and aimed to promote shared values rather than fund a musical.

Additionally, Basu notes that foreign aid constitutes less than 1% of the U.S. budget, contrary to Trump’s claim that Americans believe it consumes about 25%:

Shemitah Basu (05:02): "The truth is foreign aid is less than 1% of our budget."

2. Appointment of Russ Vogt and the Influence of Project 2025

[05:10 – 08:06]

The episode highlights the appointment of Russ Vogt as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Vogt, a key architect of Project 2025—a conservative blueprint crafted by the Heritage Foundation for Trump's second term—brings substantial influence to the Trump administration.

Shemitah Basu underscores Vogt’s significance:

Shemitah Basu (06:59): "Vogt has described OMB as, quote, a president's air traffic control system and the nerve center of the federal government."

Megan Messerly, White House reporter for Politico, elaborates on Vogt’s role in Project 2025:

Megan Messerly (07:16): "He authored Chapter two on the Executive Office of the President, where he really lays out clearly his theory of executive branch power and his vision for sort of testing the limits of that power."

Despite Trump’s denial of involvement with Project 2025:

Donald Trump (07:59): "I haven't read it. I don't want to read it purposely."

Messerly points out the alignment of current administrative actions with Project 2025’s objectives, which include:

• Restructuring federal departments (e.g., disbanding Commerce and Education departments)
• Reversing climate protections
• Redefining marriage and family based on biblical principles

These initiatives faced significant opposition during the 2024 campaign, with only 4% of voters favoring the plan according to an NBC News poll. Nevertheless, Vogt’s confirmation saw unanimous Republican support and unanimous Democratic opposition in the Senate.

3. Bird Flu and Its Impact on Egg Prices vs. Chicken Wings

[08:26 – 11:30]

Transitioning to agricultural news, Basu explains the discrepancy between soaring egg prices and the affordability of Super Bowl chicken wings amidst a bird flu outbreak.

Key Points:

• Egg Farmers Struggle: Egg-laying chickens are experiencing higher infection rates compared to meat-producing chickens. An unnamed egg farmer stated:

  Unnamed Egg Farmer (10:37): "Egg farmers are in the fight of their lives to keep this disease at bay, to keep our hens safe and to keep eggs coming."

• Economic Impact: Recovering from a bird flu outbreak can take six months to a year, severely affecting egg supply and prices.

• Recent Outbreaks: Bird flu has also affected dairy cows in Nevada and poultry markets in New York City, leading to closures to prevent disease spread.

Elizabeth Walters, Deputy Commissioner for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, addressed the outbreak:

Elizabeth Walters (11:18): "These markets are very closely linked by source blocks, distributors, so we think it's really important to get in there, have a period of the markets being down so we can stamp out this disease."

The episode also mentions the death of birds at zoos due to bird flu, though no widespread risk to humans has been identified. Concerns persist about the CDC being restricted from releasing unapproved communications, potentially hindering public awareness and response to the outbreak.

4. The Super Bowl: Chiefs vs. Eagles Dominance and Performances

[11:30 – 15:54]

Philadelphia Eagles Triumph Over Kansas City Chiefs

In a surprising turn, the Philadelphia Eagles delivered a commanding victory over the two-time defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, with a final score of 40-22. Sports editor Shankar Saman provided insights into the game:

Shankar Saman (13:09): "They just did everything right. They were better on offense, they were better on defense. They got lucky at the right times."

Key Highlights:

• Eagles' Performance: Led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, who secured two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, earning Super Bowl MVP honors. This marks the Eagles' first Super Bowl win since 2018.

• Chiefs' Struggle: Despite their reputation, the Chiefs could not recover from an early deficit, missing the elusive three-peat in the NFL.

Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime Show

The halftime performance featured Kendrick Lamar, making history as the first solo rap artist to headline the Super Bowl. His performance included a diss track aimed at Drake, titled "Not Like Us," which sparked controversy as Drake is suing Lamar’s record label over false accusations in the song.

Performance Highlights:

• Kendrick Lamar’s dancers donned American flag colors.

• Samuel L. Jackson portrayed Uncle Sam on stage.

• Serena Williams made a surprise appearance, hinting at political affiliations by positioning herself against Drake.

• The show concluded with:

  Shemitah Basu (14:33): "The 13-minute show ended with the words 'Game over' lit up a message clearly to Drake."

Impact and Reception:

• Lamar’s performance was interpreted as a commentary on race relations in America and a direct challenge to Drake, aligning with the tumultuous narratives surrounding both artists.
• The Eagles' decisive win and Lamar's provocative performance dominated post-game discussions.

5. President Trump’s Trade Tariff Announcements

[15:02 – 15:54]

On the day of the Super Bowl, President Trump announced significant changes to U.S. trade policies directly from Air Force One:

Donald Trump (15:33): "Ain't you tired trying to strike a chord and it's probably a minor."

Key Announcements:

• Steel and Aluminum Tariffs: Imposition of a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, affecting all countries, including major trading partners Canada and Mexico.

• Existing Tariffs: Maintained a 10% tariff on all products from China.

• Threats and Pauses: Initially threatened additional tariffs on Canada and Mexico but later paused these actions during the Super Bowl broadcast.

These announcements reflect Trump’s ongoing focus on reducing trade deficits and protecting American industries, despite potential diplomatic tensions with neighboring countries.

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Conclusion

In this episode, Shemitah Basu navigates through a spectrum of impactful stories—from President Trump's aggressive stance against government agencies and the strategic appointment of Russ Vogt, to pressing agricultural challenges posed by bird flu, and the dramatic highlights of the Super Bowl. The episode underscores the intertwining of political maneuvers, economic policies, public health issues, and cultural spectacles shaping the current landscape.

For more detailed coverage and ongoing updates, listeners are encouraged to access the Apple News app.

Transcript

[Shemitah Basu]

Good morning. It's Monday, February 10th. I'm Shemitah Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, a key architect of Project 2025 has a big role in Trump's cabinet. Why super bowl chicken wings are cheap as egg prices skyrocket. And a night the chiefs and Drake they never recover from. But first, President Trump on Sunday gave an interview with Fox News Bret Baier and discussed Elon Musk's efforts to cut back on what they see as government waste.

[Donald Trump]

I told him do that. Then I'm going to tell him very soon, like maybe in 24 hours to go check the Department of Education. He's going to find the same thing. Then I'm going to go to the military. Let's check the military. We're going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abus. And you know, the people elected me on that.

[Shemitah Basu]

So far, Trump and Musk have moved to freeze most foreign aid for 90 days and reduce USAID's workforce of 10,000 plus to around 600 people. On Friday afternoon, a district judge nominated by Trump temporarily halted those plans until a hearing later this week. But that didn't stop the Trump administration from sending crews over to the agency headquarters to remove their name from the building. As we've mentioned on this show before, USAID provides about 40% of the world's humanitarian aid. While some conservatives have grown increasingly critical of sending American aid abroad, the Atlantic's Russell Berman told us, people on both sides of the aisle have been surprised.

[Russell Berman]

So the speed with which Donald Trump and Elon Musk are dismantling USAID has been shocking to, you know, supporters and critics pretty much everyone. And there have been attempts over the years to either reduce or to abolish USAID in the past. What Trump is doing is going way beyond even the most conservative or most aggressive proposals that were made for usaid.

[Shemitah Basu]

Musk, in his role as chair of the Department of Government Efficiency, has referred to USAID as a criminal organization and said that he was, quote, feeding USAID into the wood chipper. Last week, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt listed some examples of expenditures by USAID that she says prove that it's full of waste and corruption.

[Caroline Levitt]

These are some of the insane priorities that that organization has been spending money on. $1.5 million to advance DEI in Serbia's workplaces. 70,000 for a production of a DEI musical in Ireland. 47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia. 32,000 for a transgender comic book in Peru. I don't know about you, but as an American taxpayer, I don't want my dollars going towards this crap.

[Shemitah Basu]

The Washington Post and PolitiFact have fact checked those claims. It is true that USAID provided $1.5 million to a group in Serbia to reduce discrimination against the country's LGBTQ community. But the $70,000 for a DEI musical in Ireland is false. That grant came from the State Department, not usaid, and it went toward a music festival, not a musical, to, quote, promote the US And Irish shared values of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. As for the opera in Colombia, that money also came from the State Department, not usaid. And the Fulbright program, not usaid, provided the grant that went to the comic book in Peru, which more broadly featured an LGBTQ character. Meanwhile, President Trump claimed USAID gave $8 million to POLITICO. This is also not true. Staffers at USAID spent $40,000 on POLITICO subscriptions in surveys. Americans believe the U.S. spends roughly 25% of our budget on foreign aid. The truth is foreign aid is less than 1% of our budget. And the Washington Post reports that American farms supply about 41% of the food aid that USAID sends around the world each year. In raw numbers that totaled more than $2 billion in food bought from American farmers in 2020. So the impacts of the cuts would be felt here at home as well. Even Trump's own Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has been outspoken in the past about the need to maintain America's foreign aid and the influence that comes with doing so. Here he is speaking in February of 2013, for example.

[Marco Rubio]

We don't have to give foreign aid. We do so because it furthers our national interests. That's why we give foreign aid. Now, obviously there's a component to foreign aid that's humanitarian in scope and that's important too.

[Shemitah Basu]

And here's Rubio again in August of 2019.

[Marco Rubio]

Anybody who tells you that we can slash foreign aid and that will bring us to balance is lying to you. Foreign aid is less than 1% of our budget.

[Shemitah Basu]

So we asked the Atlantic's Russell Berman, why does the Trump administration see it as advantageous to slash usaid?

[Russell Berman]

I think the reason why they're going after it is because in, you know, the huge federal bureaucracy, it's kind of low hanging fruit. People in the United States, outside of the Washington, D.C. area are not going to be as hurt by cuts to foreign aid, which by definition go abroad. I think the other thing that they want to do is show that they can enact major changes without Congress. And so they're just, quote, a phrase that's been used a lot lately, trying to move fast and break things.

[Shemitah Basu]

It's unclear if the courts will allow these cuts to go forward. A recent paper published by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service says USAID cannot be moved, abolished or consolidated without approval from Congress. But Trump's allies say the Constitution allows Trump to gut this agency and that it's the courts, not the president, who are overstepping by trying to stop him. Just this weekend, Vice President J.D. vance said on social media, judges are not allowed to, quote, control the executive's legitimate power. Here's a name of a recent Cabinet appointment that you should know. Russ Vogt, who was confirmed last week as the director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vogt served in this role for two years during Trump's first term, during which time he froze military aid to Ukraine and delayed funding for Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. And while the budget office isn't as glamorous as some of the other departments we've talked a lot about, it has a tremendous amount of power. Vogt has described OMB as, quote, a president's air traffic control system and the nerve center of the federal government. Here he is in an interview with Tucker Carlson last November.

[Russ Vogt]

It has the ability to turn on and off any spending within the Office of Management and Budget, has the ability to turn off the spending that's going on at the agencies.

[Shemitah Basu]

The other reason to know Vogt's name, he was one of the chief architects of Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's blueprint for Trump's second term.

[Megan Messerly]

He authored Chapter two on the Executive Office of the President, where he really lays out clearly his theory of executive branch power and his vision for sort of testing the limits of that power.

[Shemitah Basu]

That's Megan Messerly, White House reporter for Politico.

[Megan Messerly]

I think this is one of the clearest examples. I mean, we saw Democrats in the run up to the confirmation vote, you know, just bring up Project 2025 again and again, saying, you know, this is one of Project 2025's authors. We warned you about Project 20. Now this is coming to fruition with votes, confirmations.

[Shemitah Basu]

Though Trump repeatedly said on the campaign trail that he had nothing to do with Project 2025.

[Donald Trump]

I haven't read it. I don't want to read it purposely.

[Shemitah Basu]

I'm not going to read it, Messerly says. We're already seeing so much of it unfolding.

[Megan Messerly]

We've seen this massive effort already to reshape the federal government. It really runs the gamut here, even just within social issues, school choice, banning transgender troops from serving in the military, ending diversity equ equity and inclusion programs. You know, these are all things that are in Project 2025.

[Shemitah Basu]

Some of the other goals laid out in Project 2025 disbanding the Commerce and Education departments, undoing climate protections and redefining marriage and family according to the Bible. During the 2024 presidential campaign, these ideas pulled extremely unpopular with voters. In fact, an NBC News poll from last September found that just 4% of voters viewed the plan favorably. Last week, every Democrat in the Senate voted against vote's nomination. All 47 Republicans voted to confirm, with Politico reporting that Republicans in both chambers are feeling enthusiastic about Vogt and his ability to enact Trump's agenda. The day after he was confirmed by the Senate, the Trump administration tapped Vote to be acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and his first email to the staff instructed them to stop work immediately. He has since said the bureau will be closed for at least a week. The CFPB is a watchdog agency intended to look out for American consumers and shield them from misleading or fraudulent practices by banks, credit cards or loan agencies. Just a few weeks ago, before Trump took office, the CFPB sued Capital One, alleging the bank cheated customers out of $2 billion by underpaying the interest on savings accounts. Capital One says it disagrees with the claims. It's estimated that 1.47 billion chicken wings were consumed over super bowl weekend, according to the National Chicken Council, which led NPR to ask the very good question. With bird flu going around, how come we're seeing such high prices on eggs but not the same kind of scarcity with chicken wings? Well, as it turns out, it's because chickens raised for meat live on different farms than the chickens raised for laying eggs. And even though the chickens that become our wings aren't immune from bird flu, they haven't been hit as hard by the current outbreak. The farmers who raise eggs, on the other hand, are scrambling. Here's one farmer who has a flock of 14 million egg laying hens across three states, speaking to NPR.

[Unnamed Egg Farmer]

Egg farmers are in the fight of their lives to keep this disease at bay, to keep our hens safe and to keep eggs coming. We know it's frustrating for consumers who want to go and buy eggs at the prices they've been used to.

[Shemitah Basu]

That farmer told NPR that it can take six months to a year to recover after a flock of hens is wiped out from bird flu. So far, there are no signs of bird flu easing up. In fact, it seems to be spreading. Last week we learned that a new strain of bird flu has infected dairy cows in Nevada, and this weekend bird flu was detected in poultry markets in New York City. Here's Elizabeth Walters, deputy commissioner for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, addressing the outbreak.

[Caroline Levitt]

These markets are very closely linked by source blocks, distributors, so we think it's really important to get in there, have a period of the markets being down so we can stamp out this disease.

[Shemitah Basu]

Bird flu is also responsible for the death of three ducks at the Queen Zoo and as many as 12 birds at the Bronx Zoo. There's no evidence yet that there's a widespread risk to humans, but Scientific American's chief opinion editor says she's concerned about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention being muzzled. The Trump administration has ordered the agency not to release any communications that aren't first approved by Trump's team. Several studies about bird flu haven't been published, including one about the number of veterinarians who've contracted the virus. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're watching. On his way to the Super Bowl, President Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he would impose a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports into the United States starting today and that we should expect to see more action on tariffs later this week. Trump said the tariffs apply to all countries, including Canada and Mexico, our largest trade trading partners so far. Trump imposed a 10% tariff on all products coming from China. He also threatened tariffs on Canada and Mexico before backing down and putting that decision on pause at the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the Eagles dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in a lopsided victory, defeating the two time defending champs 40 to 22. The Chiefs fell behind early and were never able to recover. It means they failed to accomplish the rare and coveted three Peat Apple. Sports editor Shankar Saman was at the the Eagles side.

[Shankar Saman]

They just did everything right. They were better on offense, they were better on defense. They got lucky at the right times. Jalen Hurts played the game he needed to and anytime we were waiting for that little bit of mahomes and Chiefs magic, that little sprinkling of dust where they turn nothing into something and win another Super Bowl. It just never happened.

[Shemitah Basu]

Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts led the Eagles charge with two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. He took home Super Bowl MVP honors. The last time the Eagles won the super bowl was in 2018. At the time Donald Trump was president and the team decided not to attend a ceremony at the White House Last night's other big winner, halftime performer Kendrick Lamar. Lamar didn't just become the first solo rap artist in history to headline the Super Bowl. He brought his world renowned Drake diss track Not Like Us to one of the world's biggest stages. That's after it already won five Grammys last Sunday, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. There were big questions about whether he and the NFL would avoid the song altogether. Drake is suing Lamar's record label for allowing Lamar to call him a pedophile on the track, an accusation which Drake denies. But to fans delight, Lamar performed it leading out that keyword. And when he got to the song's most famous line, the entire stadium sang along.

[Donald Trump]

Ain't you tired trying to strike a.

[Shemitah Basu]

Chord and it's probably a minor. Lamar's dancers wore the colors of the American flag, and he recruited some heavyweights in what felt like a nod to Compton, the takedown of Drake and a scathing review of race relations in America. DJ and record producer Mustard and SZA performed. Samuel L. Jackson played the part of Uncle Sam. Serena Williams made a surprise appearance dancing on stage. She and Drake are rumored to have once dated, the implication being that she is now on Team Lamar 2. The 13 minute show ended with the words Game over lit up a message clearly to Drake. But it also worked in the context of the actual game, when the Chiefs were already down 240 by the half. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. New York magazine has a story about Yonder pouches security devices referred to as phone prisons, meant to keep students from using their phones while at school. Turns out, though, students have already figured out how to get around them. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Narrated to find that story and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.

[Donald Trump]

Sat.