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Politics: 2024Talks - July 8, 2024

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Politics and views in the United States.

Audio file

Former President Donald Trump denies any knowledge of the conservative Project 2025, President Joe Biden aims to reassure Democrats he's up for the job and the Wisconsin Supreme Court reverses a near total ban on ballot drop boxes.

TRANSCRIPT

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Welcome to 2024 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

We are in the process of the second American revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.

Kevin Roberts, president of the Right Wing Heritage Foundation, defends the Supreme Court's ruling giving presidents legal immunity for official acts.

The ruling could be used to overturn former president Donald Trump's felony conviction and pave the way for Project 2025, a roadmap for a second Trump term Roberts helped write.

That plan calls for national abortion and contraception bans, an expansion of presidential powers, cuts to social security and Medicare, profoundly limiting the FBI, and firing any federal employee not loyal to Trump.

Trump is denying knowledge despite some top advisors working on it.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a potential VP pick, distanced the campaign from Project 2025, calling it just the work of a think tank.

They come up with ideas, they say things, "Look, I like Heritage Foundation.

"I agree with some of the things they stand for, "but there's a bunch of scholars and people "that turn around and work on different projects, "but our candidate for president is Donald Trump."

The Biden campaign says it's evidence that Trump and his allies are a threat to democracy.

Another potential Trump VP pick, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, is defending Trump's vow to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate President Joe Biden.

Joe Biden has done exactly that for the last few years and has done far more in addition to that to engage in a campaign of lawfare against his political opposition.

Trump was convicted of covering up hush money payments to a porn star in a New York City court, and there's no evidence Biden is involved in two Justice Department cases against the former president.

The DOJ historically acts independently from the White House, something Trump says he would change.

Biden campaigned in two battleground states, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

At a Black church service in Philadelphia, he urged his supporters to stay unified.

You know, I've been doing this a long time, and I honestly, God, have never been more optimistic about America's future if we stick together.

At least five Democratic lawmakers have called for him to end his campaign.

Four more are reportedly considering joining them.

Vice President Kamala Harris and members of the Congressional Black Caucus were in New Orleans, where she focused on the threat of another Trump presidency.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has reversed a near total ban on the use of ballot drop boxes.

Paulina Gutierrez with the Milwaukee Election Commission says responding to threats and false claims of voter fraud, her city will increase security.

Every time we are handling ballots, it's always more than one person.

We have security cameras at all of our drop box locations and looking at ways that we can enhance now.

At least 29 other states allow for absentee ballot drop boxes, and expanded use in Wisconsin could impact the election there.

I'm Katherine Carley for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.