El-Sayed ignites firestorm after sharing 9/11 message on social media: ‘Piece of s—‘
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, sparked social media backlash after posting his 9/11 message on his X account. “They didn’t just attack America that day they attacked the idea of America,” El-Sayed said. “The notion of a nation brought together by ideals — a place where freedom and commitment to justice bind us, even if, at times, we struggle to fully realize it,” the controversial far-left candidate continued. “Today on 9/11 we remember the lives that were taken from us in a terrible act of terrorism.” CBS NEWS TAKES HEAT OVER REPORT ON DEM HOPEFUL ABDUL EL-SAYED’S NOW-DELETED 9/11 POSTS Online viewers quickly reminded El-Sayed of his friendship with Hasan Piker, the progressive streamer who has gone viral multiple times for previously claiming that the U.S. “deserved 9/11.” “Shut up, you FRAUD,” the Libs of TikTok, a conservative X account that focuses on key social and cultural issues, said in a post Friday. Steve Guest, a frequent political commentator and a former staffer for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, echoed the criticism in a post of his own, posting a picture of Piker and El-Sayed standing together. “This you?” Guest wrote. He also included a caption on the photo with another one of Piker’s quotes. “‘I hate America… at least I say it with my f—ing chest,’” the picture’s caption read. “Campaigning with a guy who said we deserved 9/11… his brazen dishonesty makes him all the bigger piece of s—,” GOP consultant Ryan Girdusky posted on X. “You’re a disgrace. You remain unwilling to disavow your chief spokesman who said “America deserved 9/11,” National Republican Senatorial Committee communications director Joanna Rodriguez posted on X. “You belittled the American lives lost year after year while giving excuses and showing sympathy for terrorists.” “Good job reading from that script buddy,” GOP digital strategist Mike Hahn wrote on X. Joey Mannarino, the co-founder of the Overton Institute, a right-wing media group, expressed surprise that El-Sayed had gained any kind of momentum in his campaign for Senate. EL-SAYED TORCHED ONLINE AFTER BRUSHING OFF QUESTIONS ABOUT HASAN PIKER CAMPAIGN TIES: ‘WHAT A PAL’ “How in God’s name is Abdul El-Sayed even close to winning this race? The man campaigns with people who say America deserved 9/11. He is a radical Islamist extremist if I’ve ever seen one. And this is who Michigan wants to put in the Senate?” Mannarino wrote. In the past, El-Sayed has made statements noting he doesn’t share all of Piker’s views. “But I want to be crystal clear, nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokesperson,” El-Sayed said after Piker called Israel a “Jewish ISIS.” “And while politicians and pundits try to make this race about a Twitch streamer, we’re going to be talking about gas, groceries, good schools and healthcare. Because that’s what Michiganders keep asking about.” Chuck Ross, an investigative reporter with The Washington Free Beacon, noted that El-Sayed’s post didn’t focus on the wars that followed 9/11, a topic El-Sayed has frequently invoked when speaking about the terror attack. “El-Sayed, reading off a teleprompter, gives a statement about 9/11. This time he sticks to just 9/11 and not the ‘War on Terror’ aftermath that he usually mentions in his 9/11 anniversary posts,” Ross wrote. In the past, El-Sayed has held up the war on terror as an example of military aggression, using it as Israel prepared to strike Gaza back in October 2023. ABDUL EL-SAYED SAYS RALLYING WITH HASAN PIKER DOESN’T MEAN HE ENDORSES ‘AMERICA DESERVED 9/11’ REMARK “The President’s visit to Israel as it plans a major escalation & invasion of Gaza is already being held up as an endorsement of the violence being unleashed on innocent Palestinians. I can’t help but hear echoes of 9/11. When do we learn that more violence doesn’t fix violence?” El-Sayed wrote. El-Sayed’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment on why he had not made more efforts to disavow Piker.
EXCLUSIVE: Pence group knocks Vance plan to pay stay-at-home parents up to $9K per child
A proposal backed by Vice President JD Vance to subsidize stay-at-home parents with up to $9,000 per child annually would invite government intrusion and undermine the initiative’s original purpose of encouraging work and independence, according to a group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence. In a one-page document, Advancing American Freedom (AAF) urged conservatives to oppose the plan, which it said would “expose the sanctity of the family to government intrusion, punish work, and create new avenues for fraud.” Vance is pushing for the expansion of the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), which was created during the Clinton administration to help low-income and working-class families pay for childcare. The program provides about $9,000 per child annually, with funds typically paid directly to childcare providers. CONSERVATIVES CAN FIGHT THE RISE OF SOCIALISM BY DEFENDING THE AMERICAN FAMILY Under Vance’s draft plan, families with a stay-at-home parent earning below state income limits could receive up to $9,000 per child annually. To qualify, a married couple must feature one spouse who stays at home while the other works at least 35 hours a week. Unmarried couples and non-working single parents would not be eligible. “Parenting is the most difficult job in the world. Vice President Vance is right to focus on the family,” AAF President Tim Chapman told Fox News Digital. “Unfortunately, as sympathetic groups around the movement have noted, this particular proposal would do more harm than good, opening up the family to government audits, benefit cliffs, dependency and new disincentives to work.” AAF looks forward to the continued debate about family policy and the future of the conservative movement, Chapman added. EXCLUSIVE: VIDEO SHOWS MICHIGAN LAWMAKER TOURING DAYCARE IN $1.1M TAXPAYER FUNDING PROBE Roughly 870,000 families — 80% of whom are single parents, predominantly mothers — receive up to $9,000 a year per child, the AAF said. Expanding eligibility to stay-at-home parents, the group warned, could create more competition for already limited resources. The CCDF is already stretched thin, with nearly one-third of states having waitlists, according to AAF. Vance’s plan would require an auditable “childcare service,” the group said, and could open the door to fraud if not properly monitored. “We generally like these kinds of different creative proposals. There’s no job that’s more difficult than raising kids,” John Shelton, the vice president of policy at AAF, told Fox News Digital. “And, so, that’s a laudable thing, but the devil’s in the details. “What should be this opportunity for celebration and excitement could actually end up being this huge setback where you get a $1,000, $5,000 bonus, and suddenly you lose out on access to north of $10,000 depending on how many kids you have,” he added. “That’s a disincentive to work to kind of grow and get promoted. That is not the kind of conservative ideal for how these programs should work.” NEWT GINGRICH: WANT TO REFORM MEDICAID? ACCOUNTABILITY IS THE WAY FORWARD Furthermore, stay-at-home spouses would be penalized for taking on remote, part-time or gig work, and families could take a financial hit for receiving a raise or promotion at work. “Welfare’s goal is to get people into work and off of welfare,” the AAF said. “This proposal would do the opposite.” PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY WAS RIGHT: AMERICA MUST PUT BABIES AND MOTHERS FIRST Supporters argue stay-at-home parents should receive financial support on par with families that use subsidized childcare services. “Parents who hand their kids to commercial day care get subsidy payments, while parents who bear the toil, expense, and opportunity cost of raising their kids at home currently get ZERO,” Roger Severino, vice president of the Heritage Foundation, wrote on X. “It’s illogical and unjust and this proposal would level the playing field.” Shelton praised the Trump administration’s intent but argued the policy’s execution falls short. “I give the administration [an] A for effort, but a C or a D for implementation of what we’ve seen so far,” he said. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Vance’s office for comment.
Clinton, Bush received multiple warnings on bin Laden hijack plots before 9/11, declassified files show
Former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were given multiple warnings that 9/11 organizer Usama bin Laden and his terror network were planning to hijack large commercial jets in an effort to attack the United States, according to a batch of files released by the Trump administration Friday. The reports, contained in previously classified documents from presidential daily briefs (PDBs) and high-level CIA intelligence memorandums, noted that operatives had already evaded security checks during a trial run at an unidentified New York airport three years before members of al Qaeda took down the World Trade Center. The plotters aimed to leverage hijacked flights to demand the release of imprisoned extremists, including Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman and Ramzi Yousef. USS COLE COMMANDER RECALLS CHILLING 9/11 WARNING AT CIA JUST 20 MINUTES BEFORE FIRST PLANE HIT “Some members of the bin Ladin network have received hijack training, according to various sources, but no group directly tied to bin Ladin’s al-Qa’ida organization has ever carried out an aircraft hijacking,” a Dec. 4, 1998 presidential daily briefing states. “Bin Ladin could be weighing other types of operations against US aircraft.” Months before the December 1998 briefing, a Sept. 10, 1998, PDB memorandum noted that bin Laden’s preferred option was to strike on U.S. soil in Washington, D.C. That report warned that the terror network responsible for the East Africa embassy bombings could possibly fly a plane packed with explosives into an American city. AMERICA BUILT A FORTRESS AFTER 9/11; THEN THE THREAT STARTED HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT Throughout 1998, U.S. intelligence agencies tracked bin Laden’s movements and support system, while identifying associates and sympathizers operating across several states, including New York, California, Texas, Michigan and Florida, the documents state. The warnings spanned two presidential administrations. An Aug. 6, 2001, PDB delivered to Bush informed him that the FBI uncovered patterns of suspicious activity inside the U.S. consistent with preparations for hijackings or other attacks, as well as recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York. KASH PATEL REVEALS THE CHILLING HOLIDAY TERROR PLOTS FBI FEDERAL AGENTS QUIETLY STOPPED “Al-Qa’ida members — including some who are US citizens — have resided in or traveled to the US for years, and the group apparently maintains a support structure that could aid attacks,” that document states. “After US missile strikes on his base in Afghanistan in 1998, bin Laden told followers he wanted to retaliate in Washington.” AT GROUND ZERO, 9/11 FAMILIES TURN TO TRUMP AS OBAMA’S OLD DECISION RESURFACES Weeks before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, a daily brief for Bush said the FBI was conducting around 70 field investigations throughout the U.S. that it believed were related to bin Laden. The documents were released as part of a broader push by the Trump administration to shed light on what intelligence agencies knew before the attacks. “Today I authorized the release of 71 Presidential Daily Briefs to honor the lives of those killed on 9/11, along with CIA officers who subsequently gave their lives to the fight,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement posted on X. In his second administration, Trump has also released classified files on the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
First use of Alien Terrorist Removal Court sends Afghan woman back after Election Day ISIS plot: DOJ
An Afghan woman accused of supporting an ISIS-inspired mass shooting on Election Day 2024 has been deported to her home country in the first successful use of a specialized federal court established by Congress — the U.S. Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC) — 30 years ago to determine whether a non-citizen is an “alien terrorist.” Nazira Haji Zada, 47, was sent back to Afghanistan after recently admitting to the ATRC that she was an “alien terrorist” and waving an appeal, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). “This landmark case, resulting in the prompt removal of this alien terrorist to her country of origin, is a win for national security and the rule of law,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “Those who support and condone terrorism should not be living in the United States, and this first-ever case before the ATRC shows how the [DOJ] will use every tool at its disposal to protect our country.” TRUMP TURNS TO ‘ZOMBIE’ COURT AFTER BOASBERG POINTED TO IT IN DEPORTATION FIGHT Zada’s son and son-in-law, Abdullah Haji Zada and Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, were previously convicted for their part in the alleged plot. The men were arrested in October 2024 after allegedly buying guns and ammunition from an undercover FBI agent. They later admitted to buying AK-47 rifles to carry out a mass shooting on behalf of the Islamic State. Zada’s son was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Tawhedi is awaiting sentencing, according to the DOJ. Zada, who had been living as a permanent resident in Fort Worth, Texas, is not allowed back in the U.S. again. The court had issued an order of removal for Zada on Aug. 20. EXCLUSIVE: 25 YEARS AFTER 9/11, ICE SAYS MORE THAN 2K KNOWN OR SUSPECTED TERRORISTS HAVE BEEN DEPORTED FBI Director Kash Patel called Zada’s deportation a “historic and vitally important step in our work to protect the U.S. homeland from terrorism.” He added, “An individual who supported a plot by ISIS-sympathizing family members to commit an attack in America has paid the price for that. She came to our country, betrayed it, and has now lost the right to live here and enjoy our democratic freedoms. This FBI and our Justice Department partners will protect the American people from the threat of terrorism, using all means necessary.” The family allegedly began selling their possessions to raise money for the attack, and the family bought one-way tickets to Kabul, except for her son and Tawhedi. FBI ARRESTS 3 MEN WHO ALLEGEDLY PLEDGED ALLEGIANCE TO ISIS, FUNDED DRONE ATTACKS TARGETING US TROOPS OVERSEAS Haji Zada’s attorneys said her decision to consent to removal “should not be seen as an endorsement of this court’s legitimacy.” “Dragging lawful permanent residents into court but refusing to show them or their attorneys the evidence that will be used against them is a plain violation of due process,” defense lawyers said in a statement Friday. “We are confident that the Alien Terrorist Removal Court will be struck down as unconstitutional as soon as a judge is asked to address the issue.” The court’s authority was given by Congress in 1996, but Zada’s deportation is the first time it’s been used. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
‘Open sore’: Families face agonizing wait as 9/11 mastermind’s trial pushed nearly 27 years after attacks
Twenty-five years after nearly 3,000 people were killed on Sept. 11, families waiting to see the accused plotters brought to justice are confronting another extraordinary possibility: They may still never see a verdict. A military judge has scheduled alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three co-defendants to go on trial June 5, 2028, nearly 27 years after the attacks. But the date remains tentative, and a recent ruling barring prosecutors from using statements Mohammed made to FBI agents has underscored the legal obstacles still threatening the case. “It’s like an open sore, and that sore gets even more hurtful when we get to anniversaries,” John Ryan, former chief of department with the Port Authority Police who spent nine months working on the recovery operation at Ground Zero, told Fox News Digital. JUDGE THROWS OUT KHALID SHEIKH MOHAMMED’S 9/11 CONFESSION IN ALREADY LONG WAIT FOR TRIAL Ryan is among the victims’ families and first responders who have watched the prosecution drag through years of litigation over evidence obtained after the defendants were subjected to torture in CIA custody, a collapsed plea agreement, repeated changes in military judges and a mountain of unresolved pretrial motions. “Here we are 25 years later, and I’m still involved in this aspect of that here because we still have not convicted or taken to justice the five people that are being held at Guantánamo Bay,” Ryan, who later became a commander with the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force, said. “The planners, KSM and the others that are in custody, are awaiting trial.” Mohammed and three other defendants have been held by the U.S. for years without facing trial for their alleged roles in the plot that killed nearly 3,000 people. A fifth defendant, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, is being handled separately after being found mentally incompetent to stand trial. A military judge recently barred prosecutors from using statements Mohammed made to FBI agents in 2007, finding that the statements were tainted by the coercive treatment he had experienced in U.S. custody. The government chose not to appeal the ruling, saying an appeal could jeopardize the June 5, 2028, trial date. The judge set the trial 18 months after the prosecution’s proposed January 2027 start to give the defense and government time to work through a long list of unresolved legal disputes. He is the fifth military judge to oversee the case since the defendants were arraigned in 2012. For families who lost loved ones on Sept. 11, the years of delay have become another part of the trauma. I LOST MY WIFE ON 9/11; PLEASE LET THIS 25TH ANNIVERSARY BELONG TO THE FAMILIES Sean Passananti, whose father was killed on the 100th floor of the North Tower, said the passage of time has made the case feel increasingly detached from the scale of the crime. “It feels really like a twilight zone and unbelievable that we have to fight for justice for the worst terrorist attack that ever happened on our soil,” Passananti said. “It doesn’t feel real. It’s unexplainable.” SON WHO LOST FATHER IN 9/11 ATTACKS SHARES POWERFUL LESSONS 25 YEARS LATER: ‘I’M STILL HERE’ Passananti said he has attended the memorial ceremony every year but one since the attacks. “I wish I wasn’t here, obviously, but I feel like I have to be here every year,” he said. Dennis McGinley, whose older brother Danny worked on the 89th floor of the South Tower, said the delays have kept his family from closing a painful chapter. “President Trump has a unique, historic opportunity here to be a hero, be our champion, finally close the books on this American nightmare, which is now becoming an American embarrassment,” McGinley said. McGinley described the families’ grief as an injury that keeps reopening. “It is like the wound never healed, and every year we get salt poured back into that wound,” he said. Ryan said he lost 37 police officers he had worked with during his career, along with civilian colleagues at the Port Authority. After the recovery operation, he moved into counterterrorism work. He said he expected the 9/11 case to remain part of his professional life, but not for this long. “The fact is that they’ve all admitted their involvement. It’s not a question of guilt. It’s just a question of the process and the fact that the process has taken 25 years,” Ryan said. The case has been moving through the military commissions since the defendants were arraigned in 2012. By then, Mohammed had already spent nearly a decade in U.S. custody. He was captured in Pakistan in 2003 and held for years at CIA “black sites,” where he was subjected to harsh interrogation techniques, including repeated waterboarding. Mohammed and the other defendants were transferred to Guantánamo in 2006. The treatment of the defendants in CIA custody has become one of the central obstacles in the prosecution. Defense attorneys have argued that statements obtained after the defendants were tortured cannot be considered voluntary. Prosecutors have argued that later statements made to FBI agents by a “clean team” should be admissible. The recent ruling excluding Mohammed’s 2007 FBI statements dealt another blow to that effort and highlighted a problem that has followed the case for years: whether prosecutors can separate evidence gathered later from the coercive interrogations that came before it. The case has also been disrupted by changes in judges, the coronavirus pandemic and a failed plea agreement. In 2024, the defendants reached plea agreements that would have required them to plead guilty in exchange for life sentences rather than face the death penalty. Then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin withdrew the agreements, prompting another round of litigation. A federal appeals court later blocked the defendants from entering guilty pleas under the withdrawn deals. Years earlier, the Obama administration had tried another route. In 2009, the administration announced that Mohammed and four other defendants would be prosecuted in federal court in Manhattan. That plan was abandoned after fierce opposition from New York officials and lawmakers who raised
Inside Trump’s intimate meeting with nation’s bravest soldiers during whirlwind Texas trip
ARLINGTON, Texas — During his whirlwind trip to Texas to rally Republican voters ahead of November’s elections, President Donald Trump on Thursday made a pit stop to honor America’s bravest warriors the day before the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The intimate gathering was held at the National Medal of Honor Museum, where Trump also met privately with the Medal of Honor recipients who were present. Trump also signed legislation clearing the way for a new monument honoring the award’s recipients on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., before addressing roughly 100 guests, including 16 of the nation’s 65 living Medal of Honor recipients. REPUBLICANS HEAD TO DALLAS WITH ONE MISSION: DEFY HISTORY AND WIN BIG “It’s very special for all of us,” Trump said. “It’s special for me to be here, and it’s an American treasure devoted to the best and bravest warriors of our country. And, frankly, it’s really the best they’ve ever produced.” The event was a stark contrast to the tens of thousands to whom Trump had addressed about 13 hours prior at the GOP midterm convention, a half hour away in Dallas. DAVID MARCUS: IN DALLAS, GOP SEEKS UNITY ON 9/11, KIRK ANNIVERSARIES Charlotte Jones, daughter of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, is the chairman of the museum’s board of directors and served as the event’s emcee. Her father beamed with pride as he sat front and center, which Trump noted from the stage. High-ranking Republican politicians, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, were among the high-profile guests who huddled in the room for the event. Both Jones and Troy Bertram, the CEO of the new center, stressed that the National Medal of Honor Museum (NMOH) is not just a war museum. “We are not a military history museum,” Bertram told Fox News Digital. “We are storytelling around the humans, about their courage, their sacrifice. Who they were before what they became.” Trump’s speech struck a tone of admiration for the men and women honored by the museum. MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT JAMES CAPERS JR. SAYS RECOGNITION IS BITTERSWEET AFTER LOSING ‘SO MUCH’ “They stormed into hellfire and crushed America’s enemies,” the president said. “They had bravery like few people could even think of having. They carried the wounded out of battle and on their own backs and carried them back and forth. … They stood in the way of bullets, purposely just standing just like this and taking bullets, and it’s amazing.” One of those warriors was Army Lt. Col. William Swenson, a man of steely resolve who serves on the museum’s board. DAKOTA MEYER TALKS SERVICE, BLASTS CONTROVERSIAL DESIGN FOR GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR MEMORIAL His heroic 2009 actions in Afghanistan, where he fought during Operation Enduring Freedom, earned him the highest military decoration awarded by the U.S. government in 2013, presented by then-President Barack Obama. Pinned down by the enemy during a seven-hour battle in the Ganjgal Valley of the country’s Kunar Province, Swenson saved lives by making multiple trips into active combat zones, pulling wounded soldiers to safety and loading them onto helicopters for evacuation. “The president and our commander-in-chief has been a strong supporter of this project,” Swenson told Fox News Digital. “He continues to be a strong supporter of this project, and having him as involved as he is going to be a great contribution to get the monument done to standard, on time and to start signaling the messaging to the American people what’s important about service.” The 47th president is working with private donors to build the new monument in Washington, D.C., near the Lincoln Memorial, in honor of recipients of the nation’s highest military award for heroism in battle. He previously signed the Hershel “Woody” Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act, officially clearing the path for its construction. WWII VET GIVES DIRECT MESSAGE TO YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY: ‘WE GAVE UP OUR YESTERDAYS FOR YOUR TOMORROWS’ “When he died, Woody was the last surviving recipient from World War II. [He] had one of the most dangerous jobs of war, and that’s operating a flamethrower,” Trump said, speaking of the man for whom the bill was named. “In the Battle of Iwo Jima, he carved a path to American victory — literally carved a path so soldiers could get in and win through a deadly gauntlet of enemy strongholds. And back and forth he went. He just kept going back and forth.” Williams was one of about 300 flamethrowers in Iwo Jima, a famed and defining battle in the war’s Pacific theater. The late soldier’s family members were in the audience and were fondly acknowledged by the president. “America will never, ever forget what they did and what they risked and how much they risked [and] what they meant to their families and what they’ve meant to our country,” Trump concluded. “I want to thank you all once again.” Swenson described the importance of remembrance. “What we do to ensure that we have common history, common beliefs, is we have monuments, and we have museums. We have our mythology that tells us who we are as Americans and what we will continue to be in the future,” he said. “Without this mythology, we don’t have that narrative. The fact that the event was held the day before the 25th anniversary of 9/11 wasn’t lost on him, either. He described the tragedy as a “seminal event” for him, which happened just as he was finishing college, that shaped his entire future. Swenson spent 22 years in the Army after the attack. “The United States is forged in fire,” he said. “We’ve had revolutions, we’ve had civil wars, we’ve had global conflicts, we’ve had civil strife. There will always be challenges to our freedom and to our country, and it’s up to us to move forward from those events and create that more perfect union. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “That said, we must always learn
AOC, Mamdani interaction caught on cam at 9/11 memorial sparks online fury
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., were lambasted Friday for appearing to share a moment of levity at the 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan during the solemn reading-of-the-names of victims. Mamdani was already facing criticism from some 9/11 victims’ families over his attendance when a television feed showing the reading of victims’ names cut from a young man sobbing at the memorial to the mayor and congresswoman appearing to grin and laugh as they spoke, though their conversation was inaudible. “Disgraceful,” said Steve Guest, a former top staffer for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. “AOC and Mamdani look happy.” MAMDANI HEADS TO 9/11 MEMORIAL DESPITE 110,000-SIGNATURE PUSH FROM VICTIMS’ FAMILIES TO STAY AWAY “They always show us who they really are,” another critic on X said. Others critics were more direct. “Why the f— are these two laughing?” Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., asked. FAMILIES OF 9/11 VICTIMS’ MESSAGE TO MAMDANI: ‘PLEASE DO NOT COME’ TO MEMORIAL CEREMONY However, a top member of former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s entourage claimed that the video was taken out of context. “The videos of [them] laughing are not true. I was standing next to them the whole time,” tweeted Michael Ragusa, reportedly head of Giuliani’s security as of 2025, according to WPIX-11. “The camera just caught her greeting him hello. Multiple other politicians were laughing and joking behind me. Republicans and Democrats.” The Pittsburgh Republican Committee suggested on X that the sight was one of the reasons 9/11 victims families didn’t want the mayor there, while former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt also sounded off. ZOHRAN MAMDANI URGED TO SKIP NEW YORK CITY’S 9/11 MEMORIAL: ‘VILE ANTISEMITE’ “While normal Americans cry, commie Mamdani and AOC laugh it up at the 9/11 memorial in New York,” Pratt said. “They hate you. They hate your country. They enjoy your misery. We cannot allow these people to have power.” A New York City lawmaker added that she was outraged to see Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez acting that way. “After thousands of families of victims of terror beg Mamdani not to show up, he stands there and laughs while families weep,” said Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, R-Brighton Beach. “This is NYC’s Mayor.” RETIRED PORT AUTHORITY OFFICERS TELL MAMDANI, HOCHUL TO STAY AWAY FROM GROUND ZERO ON 9/11 Richard Sementa, better known as “Mr. Producer” for Mark Levin’s national radio show, tweeted, “Un-freaking believable.” Juanita Broaddrick called Mamdani and AOC “two disgusting degenerates” on X. Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., who continues to criticize democratic socialists and opponents of Israel, called the mayor “Jihad Mamdani” and said he and the congresswoman should not be anywhere near Ground Zero. “They do not mourn this country, they mock it,” he tweeted. “Have some damn respect.” “As the names of Americans murdered on September 11th are read aloud at Ground Zero, AOC and Mamdani are laughing and smiling together,” said Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas. “There is a time and a place for politics. This isn’t it. Ground Zero is sacred ground.” “September 11 is not a photo op, it is not a networking event,” said Hunt. Separately, Mamdani was seen at other points standing somberly between New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and New York first gentleman William Hochul Jr. But critics continued pointing out what one called the “jarring split-screen” of the mayor joking around with Ocasio-Cortez a split-second after the mourner was seen sobbing over the shadow “fountain” at the footprint of the Twin Towers. “What exactly is funny?” former Trump White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson asked. Former NYPD cop and Fox News contributor Paul Mauro tweeted what he envisioned the two discussing. “Zo[hran]: You’re not buying into this ‘never again’ bull— are you? AOC: ‘No, not me,’ Hilarity ensues.” SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER It was not immediately clear what the two politicians were chatting about at that moment. Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez for comment.
At Ground Zero, 9/11 families turn to Trump as Obama’s old decision resurfaces
On a cloudy morning at the site where two sprawling towers once stood, the loved ones of New Yorkers killed on 9/11 gathered with a message for President Donald Trump: Release the unredacted files they believe could implicate Saudi Arabia. Vice President JD Vance attended the ceremony alongside former presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Bill Clinton, as well as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo were also among those in attendance. The message was delivered on the main stage by Terry Strada, whose husband, Tom, was killed in the attacks. Speaking from the memorial stage, Strada accused successive administrations of protecting Saudi Arabia instead of supporting the 9/11 families. Strada called out President Barack Obama, who was at the memorial, for vetoing the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA, in 2016. Congress later overrode the veto, allowing 9/11 families to sue Saudi Arabia over its alleged role in the attacks. TRUMP SET TO HONOR 9/11 VICTIMS, FIRST RESPONDERS AT PENTAGON ON 25TH ANNIVERSARY “Administration after administration, including leaders in front of us here today, chose to protect the Saudis instead of standing with the 9/11 families,” Strada said. “They withheld evidence. They vetoed JASTA. They broke promises, both public and private. It has been one betrayal after another. “President Trump can still change that” She urged the president to tell Saudi leaders “that if they want to be friends with the USA, they cannot continue to deny all of this, all of the pain, all of the destruction that we have all been suffering through.” “Please carry that message back,” another speaker said, addressing Vance. “Stand with the families. Stand with the survivors.” The remarks drew applause from the crowd. “Administration after administration has not done anything for us. In fact, they’ve blocked, blocked us every step of the way of getting justice,” Dennis McGinley, whose older brother Danny worked on the 89th floor of the South Tower, told Fox News Digital. “President Trump has a unique, historic opportunity here to be a hero, be our champion, finally close the books on this American nightmare, which is now becoming an American embarrassment. It’s got to start.” The appeal came as families marked the 25th anniversary of the attacks with a renewed push for accountability from Saudi Arabia, which they accuse of helping two of the hijackers establish themselves in the United States. The kingdom has repeatedly denied involvement. The families’ claims center on Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national who helped hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar obtain an apartment in San Diego, and Fahad al-Thumairy, an accredited Saudi diplomat and imam at the King Fahd Mosque in California who had numerous contacts with al-Bayoumi. The 9/11 Commission documented the men’s connections but did not conclude that the Saudi government or senior Saudi officials supported the plot. Its report also said investigators found no evidence that another Saudi national, Osama Bassnan, gave money to the hijackers. Newly released investigative material and evidence presented in a long-running civil case have intensified scrutiny of those connections. In August 2025, U.S. District Judge George Daniels allowed claims against Saudi Arabia to proceed, finding that the families had presented enough evidence to move toward trial. The ruling did not determine that Saudi Arabia was responsible for the attacks. The families say that legal ruling, along with additional FBI and British intelligence material, gives Trump an opportunity to release more records and help resolve what they view as a 25-year-old betrayal. SON WHO LOST FATHER IN 9/11 ATTACKS SHARES POWERFUL LESSONS 25 YEARS LATER: ‘I’M STILL HERE’ For Passananti, the demand was inseparable from his own loss. His father, Horace Robert Passananti, was working on the 100th floor of the North Tower. Passananti was 32 when he called his father after hearing that a plane had struck the building. He never heard from him again. Passananti said he has attended the ceremony every year but one since the attacks. “I wish I wasn’t here, obviously, but I feel like I have to be here every year,” he told Fox News Digital. Passananti, who is affiliated with the group 9/11 Justice, said families want those responsible for the attacks held accountable. “We’ve really been on our own — the families — trying to obtain evidence,” Passananti said. “We’ve gotten really no help from our government. We feel like they’ve put Saudi Arabia ahead of the 9/11 families, and we’re hoping that will change.” TRUMP CONFIRMS PENTAGON PLANS FOR 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 ATTACKS, DISPUTES REPORT ON GROUND ZERO ABSENCE He described the delays in the case as “a twilight zone.” “It feels really like a twilight zone and unbelievable that we have to fight for justice for the worst terrorist attack that ever happened on our soil,” Passananti said. “It doesn’t feel real. It’s unexplainable.” Trump has previously acknowledged that questions remain unanswered about the attacks. In 2022, while defending his decision to host a Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournament at his New Jersey club amid protests from 9/11 families, Trump said, “Nobody has gotten to the bottom of 9/11.” But Trump has not publicly said whether he supports releasing additional files concerning Saudi Arabia’s alleged ties to the hijackers. “President Trump is leading the most transparent administration in history, which is why he authorized the declassification and release of hundreds of pages of documents related to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The President will always pay tribute to the American heroes we lost in the tragic September 11 attacks, their beautiful family members, and to the acts of heroism that defined that fateful day when the unbreakable spirit of the American people prevailed,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said in a statement to Fox News Digital. McGinley worked across the Hudson River and called his brother after seeing the first plane hit, believing it was a small aircraft. His brother told him it was a passenger jet and described
Mamdani draws fury from 9/11 mourners over Ground Zero appearance: ‘Disrespectful’
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s presence at Friday’s 9/11 remembrance at Ground Zero drew criticism from some in the city, including one former police officer who said the mayor “probably should have skipped it” and another mourner who called his appearance “disrespectful” and “very offensive.” Mamdani has faced criticism over his associations with controversial political and online figures, as well as his decision to appoint Ramzi Kassem as his administration’s chief counsel. Kassem previously represented a Guantánamo detainee linked to an al Qaeda terrorist plot. Former New York Republican Gov. George Pataki, 9/11-era FDNY Commissioner Thomas von Essen and others called on Mamdani to skip the ceremony. “He showed up anyway. It does bother us,” Walter Matuza, whose father Walter was killed that day, told Fox News Digital. MAMDANI HEADS TO 9/11 MEMORIAL DESPITE 110,000-SIGNATURE PUSH FROM VICTIMS’ FAMILIES TO STAY AWAY Matuza said he was part of the group of victims’ families that initiated the petition to keep Mamdani away. He cited Mamdani’s association with streamer Hasan Piker, who once said America “deserved 9/11,” as well as Mamdani’s appointment of Kassem. MAMDANI UNDER FIRE AFTER SYMBOLIC 9/11 PEN GOES TO FORMER AL QAEDA DEFENSE LAWYER Matuza, of Staten Island, said his father was one of dozens at Carr Futures brokerage who died after American Airlines Flight 11 struck the north tower just above their 92nd floor offices. Mike, a former New Jersey police officer, told Fox News Digital he recalled watching the terror unfold on television from across the Hudson – and later came to Manhattan to help relieve exhausted NYPD officers stuck at their posts. “Based on the rhetoric that he’s used in the past. Yeah, he probably should have skipped it,” Mike said of Mamdani. He added that Mamdani’s appointment of Kassem also troubled him, saying the mayor could’ve handled the situation in a “whole different way.” FAMILIES OF 9/11 VICTIMS’ MESSAGE TO MAMDANI: ‘PLEASE DO NOT COME’ TO MEMORIAL CEREMONY “But, he did it and unfortunately people aren’t going to forget it.” Another mourner called Mamdani a “communist” when asked about his appearance on Friday, adding that the memorial was “not supposed to be a political event.” Steven, who traveled all the way to New York from Hobe Sound, Florida, to attend the remembrance, lambasted Mamdani’s presence as “disrespectful” and “offensive.” ZOHRAN MAMDANI URGED TO SKIP NEW YORK CITY’S 9/11 MEMORIAL: ‘VILE ANTISEMITE’ “I’ve been following that over the past couple weeks and I saw that I think they had upwards of 700,000 New Yorkers requesting him not to be here. I mean, as the mayor, I would assume he has the right to be here…. But who he represents and the people he’s affiliated with… I feel that he should stay away. I don’t feel that his presence here is wanted, and I think he should honor that as a human being.” The petition had garnered more than 110,000 signatures at the time, according to the petition’s tally. Steven called Kassem’s appointment “hideous” and added that the youngest generation who does not remember or did not live through 9/11 are suffering from “incorrect information” and do not understand the reality of the terror attack. He said he will educate his children on 9/11 so that they do not go down the same ideological road. Attendee John told Fox News Digital that Mamdani does have a right to attend. John said he lost friends including at now-Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s Cantor-Fitzgerald firm – which lost more than 650 people; the most of any company in the Twin Towers that day – and that as long as Mamdani is respectful to the fallen Americans being remembered, he is “fine” with the Democrat attending. Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani for comment. In a prior statement, the mayor said he is proud of New York and “love[s] this city [and] country.” “[W]hat I want this week to be a focus on is on the families whose loved ones were stolen from them 25 years ago in the horrific act of terror of September 11, and a focus also on the first responders who gave everything they could to this city and to the people who came together to try and help their fellow New Yorkers.” During the ceremony, footage captured Mamdani approaching and greeting his 9/11-era predecessor, Republican Rudolph Giuliani. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER The two could be seen appearing to exchange brief pleasantries before Giuliani turned and sat down and an aide began speaking to the incumbent mayor. All living former presidents reportedly attended the ceremony, as President Donald Trump instead visited the Pentagon’s remembrance before departing for County Clare, Ireland from nearby Andrews Air Force Base.
Reporter’s Notebook: Countdown is on as Senate races to pass crypto, college sports bills
It’s a twofer in the Senate. Senators return to Washington Monday for the first time since the wee hours of Aug. 8. The Senate’s slated to meet for three weeks before heading home for the midterms — if the session even goes that long. There are a lot of items senators want to tackle. But only two big ones are lined up for test votes right now. The first legislative vote is locked in. It’s a procedural vote on a measure to regulate cryptocurrency. That comes Tuesday afternoon. The bill needs 60 votes to be in play. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: SUMMER ENDS, BUT THE SENATE’S FALL CRUNCH BEGINS There’s no bigger advocate for cryptocurrency than President Trump. He’s pushing for the Senate to move legislation. “We ended the war on crypto once and for all,” said the President. “Now we need Congress to take the next step by passing the Clarity Act.” Let’s clarify what the Clarity Act does. The measure clarifies federal rules for digital currencies and tokens. The framework would divide oversight between two regulators: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CTFC). Approval of the bill would be the first step toward establishing guardrails for cryptocurrency. “We passed the Clarity Act in the House last summer with 78 Democratic votes. It’s now time for the Senate to join us,” said House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., on Fox Business. The package has bipartisan support. But there’s a roadblock coming from the Democrats. “The one remaining significant issue, I think, is the ethics provision,” said Hill. President Trump’s own financial disclosure report reveals he earned $1.4 billion on cryptocurrency last year alone. That’s why Democrats want specific rules for the Trump family and crypto. “It basically exempts the President from any kind of ethical constraints. And that’s just not going to fly in the Democratic caucus,” said Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., says the bill is too closely aligned with what the President and his industry allies want. “Yes. We need crypto legislation. But not this legislation that has been written by this industry,” said Warren. “I just don’t see how anyone, Democrat or Republican, moves forward on this bill.” That’s why many doubt the measure can score 60 votes twice to break a filibuster. The naysaying aggravates cryptocurrency advocates. “This is the right bill at the right time, and it’s time to vote,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wy. She argues that crypto supporters bowed to demands to firm up ethics rules. “In 2023, we added 100 pages with stronger consumer protection provisions. Yet we got feedback from colleagues that they wanted more. So again, we listened. Today, this bill that was under 300 pages is more than 600 pages. That’s hundreds of pages built over 11 months of daily bipartisan negotiations in windowless rooms where colleagues from both parties shared their priorities, and we worked diligently to incorporate them,” said an exasperated Lummis. Warren argues that the bill makes it easier for drug runners and terrorists to fund their operations — without a literal paper trail. TED CRUZ URGES SENATE TO STAY IN WASHINGTON UNTIL PROTECT COLLEGE SPORTS ACT PASSES THIS WEEK Lummis says if the U.S. doesn’t establish its cryptocurrency blueprint, digital assets could flee overseas. “These companies can go to Singapore, Switzerland, the UAE and have a well-understood clear set of regulations,” said Lummis. So that test vote is locked in. But it’s rare to pass a major financial regulatory measure this close to the midterms. And if Democrats prevail in November, that could create friction with the White House. The Senate also expects a test vote before the end of September on a bill to regulate money in college sports. But there’s no specific agreement on a date for that roll call tally. You know the old saying that there’s no such thing as bad publicity? Well, the “bad” publicity surrounding college football could potentially provide this legislation a boost. President Trump implored senators to stay in Washington to finish the bill last month. But it wasn’t ready. However, controversies over former pro players heading back to college — to say nothing of clock maintenance at the University of Michigan — could prod skeptical senators to give this measure another look. Let’s start with LSU tight end Dae’Quan Wright. If you can keep up with him. Last year, Wright played for current LSU head coach Lane Kiffin last year at Ole Miss — before Kiffin abandoned his squad late in the season for the Tigers. Wright decided to go pro. The Philadelphia Eagles picked him up in the spring. But then waved Wright early last month. The Cleveland Browns then signed Wright. He dressed for a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. Never played a snap. Then the Browns cut him. So, Wright headed back to school. But this time, at LSU. “I’m just putting on a college uniform again and going out there and having fun and embracing my opportunity,” said Wright. A judge then cleared Wright and former Ole Miss defensive lineman Zxavian Harris to play for LSU this fall. But in between, Harris appeared in preseason camp with the New Orleans Saints — before the team waived him. Drew Rosenhaus is Wright’s agent. He believes his client had no other option after his brief cup of coffee in the pros. “His contract with the NFL was terminated,” said Rosenhaus. “If he was still able to play in the NFL, he would be there.” Chaos like this is prodding lawmakers to try to regulate intercollegiate athletics. “It’s not fair to the high school kids coming out to play college ball if you suddenly have colleges that are going and recruiting from the NFL,” said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Cruz teamed up with Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the Commerce panel, to craft the college athletics regulation measure. One big restriction: the legislation limits athletes to one