Project 2025 is genuinely frightening

Hola, Meteor readers,

I am both excited and terrified for this weekend. On Saturday, I’m doing my first ever Polar Bear Plunge which, if you’re not familiar, is where people jump into the ocean in the middle of winter, sometimes for charity and sometimes for fun. (I am not in the latter group.) It’s going to be 37 degrees on Saturday. And did I mention I can’t swim?

In today’s newsletter, we dig into another thing striking fear in my heart: Project 2025. Plus, a win for menopausal Brits, student loan forgiveness for some, and your weekend reading list.

Icicle-y yours,

Shannon Melero

WHAT’S GOING ON

What Project 2025 involves: Ever wonder what the Republicans would do if they secured the presidency this fall? Well, wonder no more because they’ve announced their plan to the world. Project 2025, as you may have heard, is an extensive “four-pillared” transitional plan to create a more conservative government. It’s long, it’s terrifying, and it’s real: Project 2025 wasn’t developed by some grassroots, far-fetched, no-name fringe group but by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank and well-organized Beltway mainstay.

So which action items do they want the next conservative president to pursue? Here’s the TL;DR on some of the suggested policies from their mandate book:

• They want to “delete the terms sexual orientation and gender identity (“SOGI”), diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”), gender, gender equality, gender equity, gender awareness, gender-sensitive, abortion, reproductive health, reproductive rights” from “any piece of legislation that exists.”

• They want to eliminate the White House’s Gender Policy Council, because they believe it supports, among other things, “comprehensive sexuality education… and the new “woke” gender ideology.”

• They want to “rescind regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, and sex characteristics.” This, by the way, was in the healthcare reform section.

• In terms of reproductive rights, Project 2025 includes the expected end-abortion-in-all-instances talking points. But beyond that, the plan brings anti-abortion policy into every single corner of government, including to “promote pro-life workplace accommodations”—whatever those are. Public schools, healthcare plans, and child welfare services would also be required to utilize anti-abortion education and methodology, including classes for teens that would emphasize the importance of heterosexual marriage and couples counseling as a barrier to obtaining government assistance for families with children.

• And! They want to “permanently codify both the Hyde family of amendments and the protections provided by the Weldon Amendment”—both of which limit federal funds for abortion.

• Some of Project 2025’s more long-term goals (and there are MANY) include eliminating the Department of Education entirely and stopping any research that involves the use of embryonic stem cells.

The core goal of Project 2025, as outlined in the “four promises” section of the mandate book, is to reform the government by enacting policies that prioritize the American family—which, out of context, sounds lovely. But in abundantly clear terms, the Project specifies that the American family it’s referring to consists of two straight cis-gendered people, preferably ones who adhere to Judeo-Christian values. The authors of Project 2025 shape their agenda around conservative evangelical Christian teachings with the kind of precision the leaders of Gilead would envy.

So, what have we learned from this glance into a literal conservative playbook? In the words of Whoopi Goldberg, “Molly. You in danger, girl.” We are all Molly right now.

AND:

• Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of recently deceased Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, is promising to carry on her husband’s work holding President Vladimir Putin to account. In a video posted on Monday, Navalnaya alleged that Putin was responsible for the death of her husband, who had been imprisoned in a Siberian penal colony. “In killing Aleksei, Putin killed half of me, half of my heart and half of my soul,” she said. “But I have another half left, and it is telling me I have no right to give up.”

• Nineteen different aid groups—including Save the Children, UN Women, Mercy Corps, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights—have signed a new letter asking for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, along with a list of demands which would make it possible for aid groups to help vulnerable communities. “No amount of humanitarian response will make up for the months of deprivation that families in Gaza have endured,” the letter says. “This is our effort to salvage the humanitarian operation so that we can provide, at the very least, the bare essentials: medicine, drinking water, food, and shelter as temperatures plummet.”

• The Biden Administration has forgiven $1.2 billion in student loan debt under the president’s SAVE plan. This will cover about 153,000 borrowers who will be informed about their loan forgiveness via email. (hits refresh on inbox)

• Britain’s Equality and Human Rights Commission has determined that employers must make reasonable accommodations for employees experiencing menopause. Those who feel they have been discriminated against because of their menopausal symptoms will not be able to sue for damages.

• This weekend marks the two-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In a series of photos, The Atlantic chronicles what life has been like for Ukrainians.

LET’S (VIRTUALLY) GET TOGETHER!

Doing anything fun on March 5? We are! The Meteor’s head of impact (and Mother of Swifties) Tara Abrahams will be in conversation with Chelsey Goodan, author of Underestimated: The Wisdom and Power of Teenage Girls, and award-winning filmmaker and Meteor collective member Sarah Jones. Join them for a discussion of the book—and the future young girls are working to create now. The event is totally free and you can register for it right here. See you in cyberspace.

WEEKEND READING

On-screen, off the rails: Wesley Morris has written the only review of Jennifer Lopez’s new “film” you need to read. (The New York Times)

On the front lines: Lawyers, patients, and advocates in abortion ban states are fighting tooth and nail to weaken those laws. But just how does anyone win that battle? (The Cut)

On the court: Thousands of young girls dream of one day making it to the WNBA. And so does this very skilled 84-year-old baller. (The Athletic)

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