As we are taking a holiday break, we are re-running two of the episodes of Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal series that we produced before the election. We produced it to warn people of what was coming if Trump were reelected, but now we think it's just as important for people to understand what we can actually expect in the next four years. And we hope it will help fuel our collective opposition and resistance to Trump 2.0 This is the second re-run, The Department of Retribution.

In Chapter 5 of Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal, Part one, the fictional characters Congresswoman Louise Getty and Senator Wade Stiller, former rivals, meet at the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. They reflect on their pasts and express concern over a hostile political climate under Trump’s second term, feeling fear and paranoia about being surveilled and targeted by the government. Their conversation reveals a sense of vulnerability as they confront the reality that many of their colleagues have abandoned principles out of fear. Louise recalls the intense political maneuvering and betrayals leading up to and following the January 6 insurrection.

In Part Two, Woody Nuxhall, the newly appointed head of the Treason and Political Crime Section of the DOJ, oversees his zealous young team of prosecutors, eager to pursue investigations and vendettas against political enemies. The group discusses tactics to surveil and undermine former colleagues and opposition figures, planning a strategy fueled by partisan loyalty and vengeance, while embracing a radical transformation of the DOJ's role in politics. The narrative emphasizes the deeply entrenched fear and moral compromise within Washington's political landscape, contrasting the idealistic memories of past sacrifices with the present-day weaponization of governmental power. Overall, the story highlights the erosion of democratic norms, and the personal toll this environment takes on the individuals involved.

While these stories are fictional, they are based on Trump's own words and Project 2025. In fact, the New York Times, just last week reported just how Trump would use the Justice Department to go after his enemies.

We’d like to thank the artists who contributed their time to make this episode:

Richard Schiff and Morgan Fairchild read the chapters and others who contributed character voices.

Sound Design by Marilys Ernst and Jon Moser.

Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal was written by 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.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As The Bill Press Pod team takes a holiday break, we decided to re-run two of the episodes of Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal series that we produced before the election. Though we produced it to warn people of what was coming if Trump were reelected, we think it's just as important now for people to understand what we can now actually expect in the next four years. And we hope it will help fuel our collective opposition and resistance to Trump 2.0

This episode tells the fictional story of a middle school that opens its doors to unvaccinated students after a possible second -term President Trump eliminates Federal funding for schools with vaccine mandates. The story follows the school nurse, Stephanie Morris, as she navigates the influx of unvaccinated students and the resulting disease outbreaks that spread rapidly through the school and community. The narrative illustrates the real-world implications of the president's policy, with outbreaks of diseases like measles, whooping cough, and the flu causing hospitalizations and even deaths among vulnerable students and staff. The story highlights the challenges faced by the school nurse in trying to protect the health of all students, including her own daughter who has an autoimmune condition, without the backing of mandatory vaccination policies. Overall, the episode demonstrates how Donald Trump’s promise to defund schools with vaccine mandates could have devastating consequences for children's health and safety.

We'd like to thank all the artists who volunteered their time to make this episode:

Laurie Burke, Leigh McGowan who read the chapters & Audrey Hakes , Joe Walsh, & others who contributed character voices.

Sound design by Marilys Ernst and Jonathan Moser.

Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal written by Pepper and produced by Pepper, Melissa Jo Peltier and Jay Feldman and is a production of Ovington Avenue Productions and The Bill Press Pod.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

2 Days to Govt Shutdown. Elon has the Power. Johnson Out? Can Musk Last? Gaetz Scandal Report. New Hegseth Drama. Gabbard in Trouble. Indict Liz Cheney? ABC Caves to Trump. CEO’s Bend the Knee. Drone Mania. With Sudeep Reddy, Senior Managing Editor at Politico, David Jackson, National Political Correspondent for USA Today and Lynn Sweet, Washington Bureau Chief and Columnist for The Chicago Sun Times.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.