While Bill is on a research and writing sabbatical for the next 4 weeks we decided it’s important to revisit the horrors we laid out in our Project 2025 podcast series, Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal – and tie them to what’s actually happened so far. The story that leads off Chapter 6 captures the struggles of 12-year-old Alvaro and his mother in a fictional detention center in West Texas. Alvaro expresses his hunger to his mother, who is too weak to properly care for herself. As they navigate the deteriorating conditions of the camp—overcrowded with diminishing food supplies, hostile guards, and a sense of fear from both authorities and fellow detainees—Alvaro reflects on lost friendships and longing for better times. His mother’s health declines as she sacrifices for him, giving him her piece of bread despite needing it more herself. This highlights Alvaro’s growing awareness of their desperate situation. He learns from a friend, Manuel, about possible escape routes and decides to plan his own escape to ensure both his and his mother’s safety.

In the second half of Chapter 6, in a parallel narrative, soldier Jake Caldwell describes the chaos of the detention center from his perspective. As he witnesses the overwhelming influx of women and children, he feels the systemic failures of the camp. The environment strips away humanity, leading children to escape in search of freedom. As both narratives unfold, Alvaro attempts to escape the camp, filled with hope for a future where he can see his mother smile again even as Jake grapples with the moral dilemmas of his role in the oppressive system. Their stories intertwine themes of resilience, sacrifice, and the harsh realities faced by both detainees and guards in the unjust conditions of the camp.

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

Mark Ruffalo and Andrea Guidry who read the chapters and others who contributed character voices.

Sound design by Marilys Ernst and Jonathan Moser.

Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal is 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.

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