This is Eric Glass.

In Lily's family, there's a story everybody knows by heart.

If this story had never happened...

All of us wouldn't be here right now.

Sammy wouldn't be here?

She's Nana wouldn't be here.

Wally wouldn't be here.

Anyone that we know wouldn't be here.

So what happens when Lily's mom tells her, this story is not true?

This American life, surprising stories, every week. story is not true. This American life is surprising stories every week.

This is fresh air. I'm Dave Davies. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Democratic attacks

on Donald Trump often cited Project 2025, a policy blueprint for his second term developed by the

Conservative Heritage Foundation.

Democrats targeted many proposals from the plan, such as replacing thousands of civil servants in the government with Trump loyalists and abolishing the Department of Education.

In response, candidate Trump sought to distance himself from the effort.

I have nothing to do with Project 2025. That's out there. I haven't read it. I don't want to read it purposely. I'm not going to read it.

But once in office, Trump pursued many of the initiatives outlined in the project. An analysis by the publication Bloomberg government found that 37 of the 47 executive actions taken in Trump's first few days in office directly or partially matched recommendations from Project 2025.

Our guest, journalist David Graham, has a new book about the origins, authors, and policy proposals of the more than 900-page report

the project produced. Graham writes that the project's vision of America is that of an

avowedly Christian nation, but following a very specific narrow strain of Christianity. In many ways,

he writes, it resembles the 1950s, while father's work, mothers stay at home with larger families.

Graham observes that some proposals made in pursuit of that vision may be harder to implement, with deep cuts to government programs inflicted by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency.

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