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Mamdani heads to 9/11 memorial despite 110,000-signature push from victims’ families to stay away
Scores of New Yorkers, including some families victimized by the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center, are asking New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to skip the annual memorial service at Ground Zero — a call he is not heeding.
Mamdani is set to attend the annual remembrance ceremony on Friday at Ground Zero, which is an invitation-only event attended by victims’ families, dignitaries and other invited guests. Hosted by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the event begins at 8:30 a.m. Vice President JD Vance and former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are also expected to attend.
A petition launched by relatives of 9/11 victims, which has since garnered roughly 110,000 signatures, asks Mamdani to stay home on Friday, citing his appointment of Ramzi Kassem as the city's chief legal counsel. Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, an al Qaeda operative who pleaded guilty to war-crimes charges.
"For 9/11 families, this is not simply a public ceremony—it is a deeply personal day of mourning. The presence of individuals whose words or associations are perceived as conflicting with the solemn purpose of the event risks detracting from that focus and causing additional pain," the petition reads.
9/11 FAMILIES PUSH TO BAN MAMDANI FROM 25TH ANNIVERSARY REMEMBRANCE OVER 'HOSTILE' RECORD
"The 25th anniversary should remain centered on remembrance, unity, and an unambiguous rejection of the violence and extremism that defined that day. Ensuring that all participants reflect these principles is essential to preserving the integrity of the commemoration."
The controversy intensified after Mamdani handed a ceremonial pen used to sign 9/11-related executive orders to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and asked her to pass it to Kassem. Critics on social media characterized the hand-off as a slap in the face to relatives of those who died in the attacks.
The mayor has defended his decision to attend the 9/11 memorial despite the criticisms levied against him.
"I'm proud to be the mayor of this city. I love this city. I love this country. And what 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 11th, 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," Mamdani said in response to the criticisms.
MAMDANI UNDER FIRE AFTER SYMBOLIC 9/11 PEN GOES TO FORMER AL QAEDA DEFENSE LAWYER
Former New York Gov. George Pataki and one-time New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, both Republicans, have echoed calls for Mamdani to stay away from the ceremony.
"Having lost friends there and being very close to many of the families, it offends me that he’s coming," the former mayor said.
In addition to his appointment of Kassem, Mamdani has also caught flak from critics in the lead-up to Sept. 11 for his past failure to denounce the phrase "globalize the intifada," his praise for an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, his endorsement of candidates who have made controversial statements about the attack and his continued association with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who stated that America "deserved 9/11."
The mayor later called Piker’s comments "objectionable and reprehensible," though has not disavowed him as a figure. He has also since stated that he would "discourage" people from saying "globalize the intifada."
The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday.
9/11 hero’s legacy lives on 25 years later as son unveils new tech lifeline for those facing grief
A father's legacy is living on through a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that helps others navigate grief and trauma — two-and-a-half decades after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Launched on the 25th anniversary of the horrific attacks on U.S. soil, Doora is a new AI grief companion from Hold the Door, a nonprofit founded in memory of Ronald Fazio Sr., who was killed after helping his coworkers evacuate the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
"We designed Doora to be a bridge for people in the moment when they're going through a very difficult time so they can have a moment... where they say, 'Maybe I can get through this. Maybe I can grow from this experience,'" Rob Fazio, Fazio Sr.'s son and founder of Hold the Door, told Fox News Digital.
"The foundation of Doora is built upon our 24 years of experience and research on post-traumatic growth and growth through loss and adversity."
The 24/7 chatbot, which Fazio described as a "growth guide," offers voice and text support to help people navigate grief when therapy or support from counselors, friends or family isn't an option.
In a world increasingly skeptical but reliant on AI tools, a team of lawyers, psychologists and business leaders worked together to create Doora specifically for people who are hesitant to seek help.
"Where we used to have people come to us, we realized that going to people and meeting them where they are physically, emotionally and psychologically gets much better results," he said.
Every Hold the Door initiative, including the new AI tool launch, is intended to honor his father and his final act of heroism, according to Fazio.
"His natural instinct of putting others first was really the birth of Hold the Door for others," he recalled of his father. "That's what me and my family have done for the last 25 years."
Hold the Door also offers free workshops, grief resources and community programs inspired by the resilience that followed 9/11.
9/11 VICTIM'S IDENTITY EMERGES NEARLY 25 YEARS LATER AFTER DNA BREAKTHROUGH CRACKS MYSTERY
Fazio said grieving without his father's remains brought unique challenges that he and his family had to work through. At the memorial service, they filled a coffin with treasured belongings that reflected the life his father lived.
"In the absence of a body, sometimes it is hard to grieve," he said.
That day, Fazio made a promise that would later inspire his nonprofit.
"I'll never forget, I was in a Catholic church when we were doing the service, and I said, 'You know, my dad was a quiet man, but his legacy is going to be damn loud,'" he said.
That promise now lives on through Hold the Door and Doora, which Fazio said is designed to "really walk with users" through grief.
9/11 MUSEUM CEO REFLECTS ON LASTING IMPACT OF TERROR ATTACKS AS AMERICA MARKS 250TH BIRTHDAY
"We really are supportive and at the same time give people a little nudge toward their future while they're honoring a loved one they lost or some adversity that they faced," he said.
When grief feels overwhelming, Fazio said Doora can help people keep their pain from defining who they are or what comes next.
"You are who you are, and we can help you develop and create more of who you want to be," he said.
Republican cavalry arrives for Ken Paxton as big-bucks Texas offensive opens cash floodgates
FIRST ON FOX: Top Senate Republicans are unleashing millions of dollars into Texas to ensure that the GOP holds on to the seat as the midterm elections close in.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC tied to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., plans to launch the Texas PAC, unlocking a war chest of campaign funds to ensure Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wins out in November.
Paxton is in a tight race against Texas State Rep. James Talarico, who has become a prime target for Republicans who argue that the state lawmaker is too progressive for deep red Texas.
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"As the Democrat Party gets pulled further to the left, extreme candidates like James Talarico are becoming the norm," Thune told Fox News Digital in a statement. "Republicans are united in keeping him out of the U.S. Senate, which is why I’m proud of the work the Senate Leadership Fund is doing to ensure Texas stays red."
A source familiar told Fox News Digital that during the convention’s final day on Thursday, Thune attended a fundraiser for Paxton to help boost his campaign.
The new PAC will launch an initial eight-figure ad buy on Friday, the day after the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas is set to wrap up. The group tells Fox News Digital they plan to run ads continuously through Election Day in Texas, and the first two will paint Paxton in a positive light, with another showing the contrast between the candidates.
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While the convention has been used to energize President Donald Trump’s base to get out and vote in tight contests across the country, the Texas Senate race was of particular emphasis. And the flow of cash to support cash marks a pivot for the Senate Republican leadership, who earlier in the year, threw their full support behind Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.
But Trump’s endorsement of Paxton over Cornyn ultimately ended the longtime lawmaker’s bid, and set up a messy period of making amends after the dust settled in their runoff race.
Now, Republicans are showing a unified front and working to help Paxton financially as he tries to stave off Talarico.
Most of the latest public opinion surveys in the Senate showdown indicate Talarico with a slight single-digit edge over Paxton. The most recent Fox News poll, which was conducted at the end of July, indicated Talarico with a 51%-48% margin over Paxton.
The race is one of roughly a dozen that will determine if the GOP holds its Senate majority in the midterms.
The launch of the Texas PAC comes a week after MAGA, Inc., the super PAC linked to President Donald Trump, made its first major midterm buy with $10 million in ad spending to support Paxton.
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The support from the Texas PAC and MAGA Inc. is a boost for Paxton, with Talarico’s campaign holding a massive campaign cash advantage over Paxton’s campaign heading into the final stretch leading up to November’s midterms. Talarico has hauled in over $72 million in fundraising since launching his Senate campaign last year, compared to roughly $17 million by Paxton, according to federal filings.
Paxton told Fox News’ Bret Baier he had a "three-month fundraising difference" compared to Talarico thanks to the messy primary battle that dragged into May, months after the insurgent progressive toppled Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas.
"Talarico had three extra months to raise money and not spend it. So he was able to start spending on ads that tried to pivot him from a radical socialist to a moderate Democrat," Paxton said.
"So he's been running ads for about two months," he continued. "My ads have just started. We had to raise some money. But once we're able to highlight the stark differences between a socialist and a constitutional Republican, he will not win Texas."
JOHN ONDRASIK: What 9/11 taught us about courage, unity and the price of freedom
9/11 occurred on a Tuesday.
In October 2009, I released a song entitled "Tuesday" — a musical plea to never forget the lessons of September 11, 2001, when Islamic terrorists murdered 2,977 innocent people on American soil.
Is Monday coming back
That’s what Mondays do
They turn and turn around
Afraid to see it through
Welcome to Monday.
9/11 IS BECOMING HISTORY. MY GENERATION MUST MAKE SURE AMERICA NEVER FORGETS
Performing my song "Superman" at Paul McCartney’s Concert for New York City was one of the great honors of my life. To spend that day — and share that stage — with heroic New York City first responders and the families of those murdered was an incredibly humbling, life-changing experience.
Much of the audience at Madison Square Garden consisted of firefighters, police officers, rescue workers and others who had spent the previous month sifting through the rubble and carnage of Ground Zero. The images of thousands of people singing, screaming, crying and embracing one another remain seared into my memory. For a few hours, music gave them — and all of us — a chance to release some of the pain we carried within.
I LOST MY WIFE ON 9/11. PLEASE LET THIS 25TH ANNIVERSARY BELONG TO THE FAMILIES
The world sang and cried with us.
You may remember what happened in the aftermath of 9/11. America came together in a way we had rarely seen before and have not seen since. There was no red America and blue America. There was only red, white and blue.
Americans stood shoulder to shoulder across the country with compassion, love and resolve — and with an unequivocal commitment to bring Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network to justice.
The thing about memories
They’re sure and bound to fade
Except for the stolen souls
Left upon her blade
Imagine standing in your neighborhood on September 12, 2001, and telling your neighbor what America might look like 25 years later.
Imagine telling them that radical leftist ideologies, hostile to America , would infiltrate some of our most prestigious universities and metastasize through mainstream and social media. That members of Congress would echo propaganda promoted by terrorist
DAVID MARCUS: CALLING 9/11 'INEVITABLE' IS SAME AS JUSTIFYING IT, AND IT IS DISGRACEFUL
organizations such as Hamas. That candidates could associate with people who openly express hatred for America—or even suggest America deserved 9/11—and still win elections and govern American cities.
They would not have believe you, such lunacy!
The aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack in Israel provided another warning about the moral collapse taking hold within many of our institutions. Before Israel had even buried its dead, we witnessed people in the West rationalizing, excusing and even celebrating the slaughter.
It raises an uncomfortable question: If an attack on the scale of 9/11 occurred in America today, would we still respond as one people, one country?
Or would we see more mob like campus encampments, ideological justifications for terrorism, and Americans blaming their own country as the "oppressor" that somehow got what it deserved.
Tuesday came and went
One September
When will she come again?
Twenty-five years after 9/11, America finds itself in another battle — this one for the soul of our nation and, more broadly, for the future of Western civilization.
The threats are not identical to those we faced in 2001. But they are real. Radical Islamism remains a global threat, while antisemitism and anti-American extremism increasingly find expression across the ideological spectrum. Ideas once confined to society’s fringes now travel instantly, and with little consequence, through universities, political movements and social media. The enemy is in the building, and time is not on our side.
That is why "Never Forget" cannot become merely a slogan printed on a bumper sticker or repeated once every September.
It is an obligation. It is our obligation.
We have a duty to teach our children what happened on September 11, 2001: about the evil fanatics who attacked us, why they attacked us, and the carnage of what unchecked extremism can produce.
But "Never Forget" means something more.
It means remembering the best of us.
It means telling our children about the firefighters who climbed stairwells while everyone else was running down. The police officers, paramedics and ordinary citizens who ran toward collapsing infernos to save people they had never met. The passengers of Flight 93 who understood what was happening and, knowing the probable cost, fought back.
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They represent the best of humanity.
Twenty-five years later, their courage should still challenge and inspire us.
Their sacrifice should remind us that America is not sustained merely by institutions, elections or slogans. It survives because generation after generation chooses to defend the principles that make the country worth defending.
Memory fades. History becomes distant. Tuesdays come and go.
But some Tuesdays must never be forgotten.
May the memory of those we lost — and the example of the heroes of September 11, 2001 — give us the strength, courage and fortitude to fight for America every day, especially Tuesdays, for the next 250 years.
Let’s Roll…
The Hispanic vote is up for grabs in 2026. Candidates who ignore it will lose
Hispanic voters are sending both parties a message that should be impossible to ignore: stop assuming you already know where we stand.
A record 36.2 million Hispanic Americans were eligible to vote in 2024. Heading into 2026, polling in competitive congressional districts suggests many are still persuadable, with more than half either undecided or open to changing their vote.
For years, political analysts have tried to squeeze Hispanic voters into a simple narrative. After one election, we're told Latinos are firmly in the Democratic camp. After the next, we're told Republicans have permanently reshaped the electorate.
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The reality is much less tidy.
Hispanic Americans are not moving in lockstep in either direction. They weigh candidates, priorities and circumstances, then make their own decisions. That’s what makes this electorate so consequential, and so risky for either party to take for granted.
When we ask Hispanic voters what matters most, the issues may sound familiar: the cost of living, housing, good jobs, health care and opportunity. But how those pressures are experienced matters.
Nine in ten Hispanic voters we surveyed in battleground districts cite the cost of living as a top issue, while 73% say they are surviving rather than getting ahead. Eight in ten are helping support family members outside their own household. These voters don't need generic messages about the economy. They want candidates who understand how economic pressures are affecting their families and communities, and who can speak credibly to their aspirations for getting ahead.
What often gets missed in political conversations is that Hispanic voters are more than a demographic category. They are parents, workers, business owners, neighbors, and community members. They want elected officials who understand those realities, not campaigns built around assumptions.
The encouraging news is that engagement remains strong.
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A recent Univision survey of registered Hispanic voters in Texas found overwhelming interest in participating this fall. Yet 69% said candidates pay too little attention to the interests and concerns of the Hispanic community.
That's a striking combination. These are not voters who have tuned out politics. If anything, many are paying close attention and wondering whether anyone is listening in return.
NEW MIDTERM BATTLEGROUND TAKES SHAPE AS PARTIES BUILD ELECTION ARMIES
Communication matters.
Seventy-one percent say it's important for candidates to communicate with voters in Spanish, while 56% say doing so would make them view a candidate more favorably.
TO WIN IN NOVEMBER, REPUBLICANS NEED TO TAKE A PAGE FROM OBAMA’S PLAYBOOK
That finding deserves more attention from campaigns. Speaking to Hispanic voters in Spanish isn't simply about translating an English-language message. It signals something more fundamental: that a candidate sees this electorate, respects it and is willing to make the effort to engage it directly.
In recent elections, candidates who have made the effort to engage Hispanic voters directly have had an advantage with this electorate. In close races this fall, Hispanic voters will help determine who wins and who loses; and Spanish-language engagement is an important part of earning their support.
When a candidate communicates in the language people use with family members and longtime friends, it sends a signal that the relationship matters. It suggests a willingness to meet voters where they are rather than expecting them to come to you.
But language alone isn't enough.
Campaigns have more tools than ever to identify and reach Hispanic voters. The harder task is connecting with them. That requires understanding how the issues shaping this election are experienced within Hispanic communities and communicating in ways that are relevant to their lives.
A campaign can flood someone's screen with messages. Earning someone's vote is harder. It takes consistency, respect and a demonstrated understanding of the community a candidate hopes to represent.
That's why Hispanic voters will help determine the outcome of some of the most competitive races in 2026. The electorate is large, engaged, growing and competitive.
Most importantly, Hispanic voters are making their own choices. They are not waiting for party strategists, pundits or political consultants to define them.
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The candidates who succeed will recognize that reality early. They'll talk seriously about affordability, economic opportunity, and the challenges families face every day. They'll show up consistently, not just in the final weeks before Election Day. And they'll approach Hispanic communities as voters to be persuaded, not constituencies to be claimed.
No party has a permanent hold on this electorate.
In 2026, the candidates who understand that first will be better positioned to win.
Trump set to honor 9/11 victims, first responders at Pentagon on 25th anniversary
President Donald Trump will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the Pentagon on Friday, honoring the victims and first responders who lost their lives that day.
"As a proud New Yorker, President Trump has spoken about his own experiences watching the horrific events of September 11, 2001," White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital.
"On the 25th anniversary of this tragic day, the President will remember those who were killed at the hands of evil terrorists, honor their loved ones, and pay tribute to the brave first responders who put their lives on the line to rescue their fellow Americans," Kelly added.
Trump will attend a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at the Pentagon, while Vice President JD Vance will commemorate the attacks at the World Trade Center site in New York. Other administration officials will gather in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, ensuring the White House has a presence at all three sites tied to the Sept. 11 attacks.
Vance will join former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, as well as former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in New York for a remembrance ceremony.
Last year, Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended a 9/11 commemoration at the Pentagon and issued a Patriot Day proclamation calling for flags to be flown at half-staff.
He later attended a Yankees-Tigers game featuring tributes to the victims in the Bronx, New York City.
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During his first term, Trump attended the Pentagon for a memorial in 2017 and 2019, then spent 9/11 at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania in 2018 and 2020.
Trump was a real-estate developer in New York City at the time of the attacks and watched the tragedy unfold in real time.
"I have a window that looks directly at the World Trade Center, and I saw this huge explosion. I was with a group of people and I really couldn’t even believe it," Trump said in a phone interview with WWOR-TV channel 9 on the tragic day.
9/11 TAUGHT US DEADLY LESSONS. 25 YEARS LATER, WE NEED A NEW MODEL TO PREVENT ATTACKS
WHERE TUNNEL TO TOWERS' STEEL ACROSS AMERICA TOUR WILL STOP AHEAD OF 9/11
On Tuesday, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation brought its "Steel Across America" tour to Trump's doorstep at the White House, where the 21-foot, 16,900-pound steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center’s South Tower was on display.
The steel beam has served as a traveling memorial to the victims and first responders of 9/11, offering pop-up events across 21 states leading up to the anniversary of the tragic day.
Trump issues blunt midterm warning, Vance greeted with ‘48’ chants: Top takeaways from GOP convention
Facing a brutal political environment as the GOP fights to hold control of Congress, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance used their speeches on the concluding night of the first ever Republican midterm convention to paint clear contrasts with Democrats and energize supporters to vote.
With less than two months until the midterm elections — and early voting kicking off in a couple of weeks — Trump showcased his policy wins since returning to the White House and led the crowd at American Airlines Center in Dallas in an oath to vote as he made his second primetime convention appearance in two nights.
"You know what happens if you don’t vote? You go to hell," the president warned.
Vance, in a strikingly partisan keynote address, charged that the Democratic Party is the "party of hatred." And with the next race for the White House kicking off once the midterms are over, Vance, the likely heir apparent for the term-limited Trump, was showered with chants of "48" – as in the 48th president – as he delivered his address.
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The speeches by Vance and Trump capped a day that included appearances by some of the other major figures in the GOP, and the party pulled out all the stops to boost morale in the stretch run to the midterms.
Here are the top takeaways from night two of the midterm convention.
Trump's pledge
Facing an energized Democratic Party heading into the midterms, the main mission of the Republican convention was to motivate the GOP's MAGA base, which has a history of sitting it out when Trump isn't on the ballot, to vote this autumn.
Trump reiterated on Thursday evening that his supporters needed to "do me the biggest favor you've ever done...You've got to do this for me. You've got to pretend I'm on the ticket."
The president then led the crowd in a pledge.
FOX NEWS UPDATES FROM THE MIDTERM CONVENTION
"I pledge to the greatest president in the history of America," Trump said as many in the arena repeated his words.
"I am going to go out and I'm going to get my friends, my family, and we are going to vote on November 3rd, or we are going to vote before that," Trump continued before warning that if they didn't cast a ballot, they'd "go to hell."
Trump's unusual pitch
The president repeated his offer to Americans that he announced a night earlier, what he on Thursday described as the "Trump dividend."
On Wednesday, Trump pledged a $5,000 dividend for every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the midterms.
"We can do that because our country has never done better. We're taking in trillions, trillions of dollars," the president argued.
Trump also showcased his second term achievements, claiming that "in 19 months, I've delivered on every single promise I made."
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"We delivered the largest tax cuts in American history, the largest regulation cuts in American history, the largest investment in our military in the history of our country, and made America the energy and military superpower of the world," the president proclaimed.
Trump and Republicans are banking that their litany of political wins can rebuff traditional headwinds – the party in power traditionally loses congressional seats in the midterms. The GOP is also battling a rough environment fueled by persistent inflation, a new surge in gas and diesel prices due to a flare-up in the ongoing war with Iran, and a deepening trade war with neighboring Canada.
While Trump touted "tremendous economic success," public opinion polls paint a very different picture, with the president's overall approval rating, and especially his handling of the economy, well into negative territory.
Inflation was a key issue that helped boost Trump and the GOP to sweeping election victories in 2024, but Democrats say affordability has been the issue that fueled their ballot box victories and overperformances since Trump returned to the White House.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC), which remains in debt and decided against holding a similar convention, was more than happy to focus on the economy.
"The only people reaping the benefits of Trump’s economy are himself, his family, and his ultrarich elite donors. Meanwhile, working families get nothing except sky-high receipts at the grocery store and the pump, unaffordable healthcare premiums, and wages that aren’t keeping up with inflation," DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer charged.
'Radical left lunatics'
Midterm elections are often a referendum on the party in power, but Republicans used their convention to draw a contrast as they spotlighted the Democrats' leftward lurch in this year's primaries and tied the party to far-left and socialist proposals.
"They're not socialists. They're not Democrats, they're communists. We will reject these radical left lunatics," Trump charged for a second straight night.
Vance, in his address minutes earlier, urged Republicans "to send a message this November that the country does not belong to the radicals."
Vance unloads on Democrats
The vice president also argued that Democrats have metastasized into a party that stands against America.
"Let's never forget that America belongs to those who love it, not those who hate it," Vance said.
The vice president also targeted Democrats over combustible issues such as race and immigration. And he took aim at Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in battleground Michigan, for suggesting that Vance's grandfather would object to his marrying a woman of Indian descent.
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"This is what he thinks of my grandfather, a man I loved and who loved his family unconditionally. Abdul looks at him, sees the color of his skin, sees his background, and decides that he could never have loved my wife," Vance said.
The vice president argued that Democrats are no longer "the party of FDR or JFK. Hell, they're not even the party of Bill Clinton anymore. The Democrats are the party of hatred. They're the party that despises America and the people who built it."
Ahead of his speech, the DNC claimed that "JD Vance has been Donald Trump’s most loyal puppet."
And the DNC predicted that "Vance will continue to gaslight Americans, but voters know the truth: Trump and Vance have tanked the economy, plunged the country into more endless wars, and failed to make life more affordable for everyday Americans."
Vance's 2028 moment
While he hasn't said if he'll seek the presidency in 2028, Vance is seen as the front-runner in the race to succeed Trump.
The convention gave Vance the opportunity to appear as a presidential candidate in waiting.
While in Dallas, Vance was warmly received Thursday morning by delegates from key battleground states and he headlined a top-dollar fundraiser for the RNC.
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And during his address, the vice president was interrupted by shouts of "48."
But Vance, at least publicly, remains laser focused on 2026.
"We’ve got to take care of business this November, then we’ll worry about what comes next," Vance quickly responded.
FRANK SILLER: Everyone else was running away on 9/11. My brother ran toward the Twin Towers
On September 11, 2001, while thousands of people were trying to get away from the danger in lower Manhattan, my brother Stephen was heading straight toward it. His shift as a New York City firefighter was over and he was supposed to meet his brothers for a round of golf, but the moment he heard that a plane had hit the World Trade Center, he turned his truck around. For Stephen, there was never really a choice—people needed help, and he was going to help them.
My brother Stephen barely had time to think when news of a plane hitting the World Trade Center’s North Tower came across the scanner inside his black 1990 GMC Sierra 1500 pickup truck just after 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001.
Perhaps that was fitting. In the few seconds that Stephen had to consider whether to keep driving from Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood—where his shift at FDNY Squad 1 had ended just sixteen minutes prior—toward Staten Island, where he was supposed to meet up with the rest of us Siller brothers and head down to central New Jersey and play golf, there was no decision to make. A major accident or attack had just occurred—and countless innocent people needed help. The only direction for Stephen to drive was not away from the fire, but straight toward it.
As golf balls rattled and his clubs whipped to the other side of the truck, Stephen quickly turned around on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, put his foot on the gas, and began racing in the direction of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, where he could drive under the river to lower Manhattan. He could see the thick smoke emanating from lower Manhattan as he tore down the BQE, wondering exactly what had happened and how fast he could get there. Having known Stephen his entire life, I am certain that one question dominated his mind in those frantic yet simultaneously measured few minutes: How many lives can I help save?
FRANK SILLER: 'I LOVE YOU, BROTHER': THE 9/11 LOSS THAT INSPIRED A MISSION OF SERVICE
At some point while driving as fast as he safely could on the BQE, Stephen called his wife, Sally. He told her that some sort of aircraft had hit the World Trade Center and that even though he’d already finished his overnight shift at the elite Squad 1 in Brooklyn, he was now driving toward lower Manhattan instead of home. Right after he said "I love you" and started getting ready to put down his Nextel phone, Stephen also asked Sally to please let his brothers know that he wouldn’t be able to play golf that day.
Other than saving lives and the well-being of his wife and kids, I believe that there was an additional prominent thought going through Stephen’s mind as he got closer to the tunnel. This is no accident. This is a terrorist attack.
For years, Stephen had told myself and others that it was only a matter of time before New York—and specifically the World Trade Center—would be targeted a second time by international terrorists. He also believed that it was going to be a lot worse than the 1993 bombing, which happened the year before Stephen became a firefighter. While my brother deserves credit for his foresight, his prediction was hardly unique within FDNY ranks, as many senior department leaders (like my friend Sal Cassano) all the way down the totem pole to firefighters like Stephen believed that another attack was imminent. Tragically, they were right.
Stephen’s golf equipment kept bouncing around as he maneuvered among cars like he would ordinarily do while driving his beloved red Chevy. Many of these vehicles had stopped right in the middle of the BQE to watch the terrifying events that were unfolding in the lower Manhattan sky. Stephen, who was urgently trying to reach the mouth of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, undoubtedly knew that anything could happen in the next few moments. Yet as Sally could hear in his voice, Stephen was undeterred. Nothing short of an ensuing nuclear missile attack could stop my brother from getting through that tunnel and reaching the Twin Towers.
WHERE TUNNEL TO TOWERS' STEEL ACROSS AMERICA TOUR WILL STOP AHEAD OF 9/11
Robin and Joe Raiso were sitting at that very spot at the mouth of the tunnel after witnessing the surreal sight of the first plane—American Airlines Flight 11—hitting the North Tower. Their car, which had almost made it inside the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel before the NYPD quickly shut it down, was now covered in soot. Even on the Brooklyn side, debris was raining down from a previously bright September sky that was suddenly clouded by smoke and fire.
Naturally, Robin and Joe were both baffled and scared by what they were seeing. They became even more frightened when they heard the screeching sound of a black pickup truck screeching to a stop beside them, on a median. If what was unfolding in the sky above them was some kind of terrorist attack, could the man getting out of his truck be a part of it? Was the tunnel about to be bombed or subjected to another kind of mass casualty incident? A million thoughts raced through Robin’s and Joe’s worried minds.
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That was when they saw my brother. As calmly as possible in the middle of what he correctly assumed was a terrorist attack with sirens blaring, thick black smoke filling the air, and debris falling around him, Stephen got out of his truck, went around back, and started rummaging through the bay of his pickup. After maybe a minute or so, Stephen returned to the front side wearing sixty pounds of firefighter’s gear. Then, without hesitation, my brother started running toward the mouth of the tunnel.
A few moments later, Robin and Joe saw a few NYPD officers stop Stephen in his tracks at the tunnel entrance, which was completely blocked by police barricades. It didn’t take them long to realize that Stephen was indeed an FDNY firefighter, so they nodded, patted Stephen on the back, and let him through.
"We were shocked and amazed. Everyone was trying to run out," Joe would later say. "He was running in." The last time Robin and Joe saw Stephen was when he ran full speed into the uncertain darkness of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Above him was fire, dust, smoke. In front of my brother was a 1.7-mile path through North America’s longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnel toward the only thing in the world that mattered to him in that moment: the victims of what would soon become known as 9/11. With each step forward, even with that heavy gear on his shoulders and chest, Stephen was closer to helping the helpless.
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It is difficult, if not impossible, to determine precisely what happened next. Because of Robin and Joe’s eyewitness account, I believe it is most likely that while Stephen was running through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, the unthinkable—at least for most New Yorkers and Americans who weren’t part of the FDNY, NYPD, or intelligence services—happened in front of millions of eyeballs watching from the ground and on television screens across America. At 9:03 a.m., a second hijacked plane—United Airlines Flight 175—hit the South Tower.
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If Stephen was indeed inside the tunnel when the world as we all knew it changed forever, I can only imagine the tunnel shaking and the deafening sounds that Stephen must have heard. That terrible experience probably made him run even faster—not because he was afraid, but because he knew from the sounds of new explosions that thousands more innocent people were almost certainly in grave danger.
What I cannot imagine is what Stephen saw when he first reached the other side. We know that there was no light at the end of the tunnel—lower Manhattan was covered in darkness and filled with the sounds and smells of fire, smoke, and death.
For Stephen Siller, however, I do believe that he managed to find some light in that darkness. Even amid the chaos, I think my brother knew that his life’s defining moment had arrived. Going backward was not an option—Stephen’s only direction was forward, toward the innocent people he wanted so desperately to help save.
Stephen’s final run through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel has come to represent everything he stood for: courage, sacrifice, and putting others before himself. In his honor, our family started the Tunnel to Towers Foundation to carry that spirit forward and support America’s heroes and their families. To learn more about Stephen’s legacy and our mission, visit T2T.org.
Excerpted from "LET US DO GOOD: My Brother Stephen, 9/11, and the Mission to Honor America’s Heroes" by Frank Siller. Copyright 2026 by Frank Siller. Published with permission from Broadside Books and HarperCollins Publishers.
MIKE PENCE: Remember the fallen — and the generation that defended America since 9/11
On September 11, 2001, shortly after the terrorists struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, I walked across the street to the Capitol, swimming against a sea of pandemonium.
Later, I joined other members in the basement of the Capitol Hill Police headquarters for a briefing on what we knew — and what might happen next.
Former Governor Tom Ridge, then serving as President George W. Bush’s homeland security adviser, told us, "The only thing we know for sure is that they want to hit us again, and they want to hit us worse."
Long before 2001, radical Islamic terrorism was at war with America’s way of life and had already established a terrible rhythm in our national life.
The 1983 Beirut barracks bombing killed 241 American servicemen. Pan Am Flight 103 was blown out of the sky over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, killing 270 people, including 190 Americans. The first World Trade Center bombing came in 1993: six dead, more than 1,000 injured, with the terrorists hoping to topple one tower into the other. In 1998, al-Qaeda bombed our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 people and injuring thousands. Two years later, al-Qaeda struck again, bombing the USS Cole in Yemen and killing 17 American sailors.
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Our government’s response had fallen into a near slumber of its own. Terrorists attacked. Americans mourned. Investigators pursued those responsible. Security was tightened and warnings were issued. Then life moved on — until the terrorists struck again. For all the courage and skill of those fighting terrorism in those years, America remained largely reactive, responding to attacks rather than preventing them and ensuring that they could never happen again.
September 11 broke that rhythm forever. From the firefighters and police who rushed into the Twin Towers without regard to their personal safety, to those who charged the cockpit in the skies over Pennsylvania, America’s defenders surged forward with what felt like all new resolve to take the fight directly to our terrorist enemies.
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America resolved that we would no longer simply bring terrorists to justice after they attacked us. We would find them before they could strike, take the fight to them abroad, and build new defenses here at home.
Twenty-five years later, we should remember the heroes forged that day and we should acknowledge the generation of selfless Americans who have delivered on that promise every day since.
In the aftermath of the attacks, young men and women lined up around the block outside military recruiting offices determined to serve our country. Nearly three million American servicemen and women deployed in the wars that followed September 11. More than 7,000 gave their lives and tens of thousands were wounded. They destroyed terrorist sanctuaries, hunted down al-Qaeda leaders, and brought Osama bin Laden to justice.
When ISIS later established a terrorist caliphate across vast stretches of Iraq and Syria, American forces and our allies destroyed it, liberating nearly 110,000 square kilometers of territory and freeing 7.7 million people from its brutal rule.
But, America’s defenders are not found only on distant battlefields. Some chose careers in law enforcement, disrupting terrorist plans on the homefront and chasing leads that never made the evening news. Others joined the Border Patrol, standing watch on the ground while air marshals guarded the skies. In New York City, 58 children of FDNY firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice on September 11 have grown up to join the same department their fathers served.
Their greatest accomplishment is measured by what did not happen. The nightmare we feared that day — a succession of increasingly catastrophic terrorist attacks on the American homeland — never came to pass.
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Not because our enemies quit trying, but because America’s defenders stopped them cold.
For a generation, Americans have been able to live their lives without the constant fear that another September 11 was around the corner.
That peace was earned by Americans whose names we know and countless others whose names we never will — by those who served both at home and overseas, those who came home wounded, those who never came home at all, and those who still stand watch today.
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On this solemn anniversary, let us remember the 2,977 innocent souls who perished at the hands of our terrorist enemies on September 11.
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And let us honor those who gave their lives in the long struggle that followed.
Because of the heroes forged that fateful day and every day since, the American people live in freedom and security. So let us offer the thanks of a grateful nation to all who answered the call to protect and defend America these past 25 years.
Our founders proclaimed eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. May we never forget or fail to honor the sacrifices made by America’s defenders from that day to this. And may we never cease to be vigilant in the defense of the land we love. So help us, God.
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Trump admin's list of US-designated 'foreign terrorist' groups in Latin America expands to 21
The Trump administration designated an Ecuadorian gang as a "foreign terrorist organization" on Wednesday, extending its list of designated foreign terrorist groups in Latin America and the Caribbean to 21.
The State Department designated Los Tiguerones as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
According to the department, Los Tiguerones is an Ecuador-based gang linked to narcotrafficking and other illicit activity, along with several attacks targeting civilians, law enforcement officers and journalists, including the live takeover of an Ecuadorian TV station in 2024.
"The Trump administration will continue to use all available tools to protect our nation by keeping illicit drugs off our streets and disrupting the revenue streams funding violent narcoterrorists," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
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"Today’s action taken by the State Department further demonstrates that the Trump administration continues to deliver on its promises to the American people to dismantle cartels and narcoterrorist networks in our region, ensuring the safety of the American people," he added.
The announcement came during Rubio's diplomatic tour to South America, where he made stops in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to address U.S. efforts to combat drug trafficking in Latin America.
The label was previously reserved for terrorist groups such as ISIS and al-Qaida that use violence for political ambitions and not for financially motivated crime organizations like the ones in Latin America and the Caribbean that have recently been added to the list.
But the administration wants to increase pressure on the crime rings and anyone believed to be assisting them.
The government began using the strategy in February 2025, and it served as a pretext for the U.S. capture of then-Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this year, as well as dozens of deadly attacks on boats allegedly involved in narcotics trafficking.
The strategy also prompted Latin American countries, including Guatemala and Argentina, to take similar action against certain groups and led Ecuador to launch joint operations on its own soil.
Rubio said terrorist designations "expose and isolate entities and individuals, denying them access to the U.S. financial system and the resources they need to carry out attacks." He also said designations can assist law enforcement actions of other U.S. agencies and governments.
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Mexico has the most groups of any country on the U.S. list for designated foreign terrorist organizations with eight. The Mexican government is under intense pressure from the U.S. to prevent President Donald Trump from taking unilateral action against cartels in Mexico.
Trump’s approach has also featured contradictions, as he pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison for drug trafficking and accused during his trial of protecting the Sinaloa Cartel. Hernández has since returned to his country.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.