It’s a heavy Monday for Americans as the country marks the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. And the House returns from August recess this week. Here’s what’s going on today: - Memorial ceremonies are happening across the country to honor 9/11 victims. President Biden will deliver remarks in Alaska, and Vice President Harris is in New York for the memorial.
- House Republicans consider whether to open an impeachment inquiry against President Biden.
- A powerful earthquake killed more than 2,000 people in Morocco.
- Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are under fire for writing character letters in support of their “That ’70s Show” co-star Danny Masterson.
And to lighten things up a bit, I do have some happier news: Dairy Queen is selling 85-cent Blizzards for the next two weeks, starting today.🍦 The details are below.
I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-staging.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.
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The U.S. marks 22 years since al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four planes and hit the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and a site in rural Pennsylvania: |
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➤ TODAY’S COMMEMORATIONS: |
In New York: The 9/11 Memorial & Museum held a ceremony. Livestream
At the Pentagon: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley hosted a ceremony. Livestream
In Shanksville, Pa.: A wreath-laying ceremony for the victims of Flight 93. Livestream
In Anchorage, Alaska: President Biden delivers remarks at 4:45 p.m. EDT on his way back from Vietnam. Livestream
At the Department of Justice (DOJ): Attorney General Merrick Garland hosted a ceremony. Livestream
In Boston: The names of the victims are read at a ceremony in Boston. Livestream |
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➤ SIGHTS AND SOUNDS ACROSS THE US: |
These images bring me right back to 2001: Reuters compiled a list of defining images from the Sept. 11 attacks. Photos
A moment of silence at JFK: TechRadar’s Lance Ulanoff posted a photo of a moment of silence this morning the John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 5. Photo
Here’s the front page of the Staten Island Advance: “We still remember,” it reads with a list of victims. Photo
Spotted at the New York ceremony: Vice President Harris and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Photo from CBS News’s Aaron Navarro
A newspaper from that morning: @EricColumbus posted, “Here is the New York Times from September 11, 2001, already old news by the time I picked it up from my doorstep. I’ve never been able to open it up or throw it out.” Photo
How 9/11 has been taught in classrooms: “More than two decades after Sept. 11, 2001, educators who watched the terror attacks unfold live on TV see slow changes in how the tragic day is honored in classrooms.” Full read from The Hill’s Lexi Lonas
Op-ed: ’22 years later, 9/11 families are still fighting for justice’ Read |
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➤ IF YOU READ ONE THING TODAY: |
Journalist and historian Garrett Graff wrote an oral history of the events of 9/11. Today, he is live-tweeting quotes about the day. Graff’s oral history
A piece I read every year — and highly suggest you do, too: Graff published an oral history in Politico Magazine in 2016. It tells the story of Sept. 11 from the perspective of former White House aides. (Politico)
Graff then wrote a book a few years later: ‘The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11’ |
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➤ TWO MORE 9/11 VICTIMS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED: |
New York City officials have identified two more victims of the Sept. 11 attacks with DNA testing. (The Hill)
How many of the victims have been identified — didn’t know this until today: “Despite … advancements in DNA technology, roughly 40% of the victims, or about 1,100 people thought to have died in the disaster, remain unidentified. A total of 2,753 people were reported missing in lower Manhattan after the attacks … Death certificates were issued for all 2,753, although the work to match the names of victims with remains from the site continues.” (CNN)
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Where Republicans’ impeachment plans stand: |
House Republicans have been investigating the Biden family for months and are returning this week to Washington, D.C., to potentially to move forward with an impeachment inquiry.
Have Republicans found evidence?: “They’ve fanned the flames but have yet to find a smoking gun that implicates the president of directly benefiting from his family’s international business dealings or making policy decisions as vice president because of them.”
The two issues: “The sprawling investigation has pingponged back and forth between two main interests: the Bidens’ foreign business dealings, particularly in Ukraine, and a Justice Department investigation into Hunter Biden that whistleblowers allege was slow-walked by prosecutors.” The Hill’s Emily Brooks and Rebecca Beitsch have a helpful read on the saga. (The Hill) |
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‘Hard-line House Republicans itching for shutdown, impeachment fights’: From The Hill’s Emily Brooks and Mychael Schnell. (The Hill) ‘Why the White House thinks impeachment may prove risky for Republicans’: From Politico’s Adam Cancryn, Jonathan Lemire and Holly Otterbein. (Politico)
‘McCarthy Lacks the Votes For an Impeachment Inquiry. Trump’s Allies Have a Plan to Get Them.’: From Time’s Eric Cortellessa. (Time) |
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How I imagine Trump drafting the post: |
Former President Trump blasted Fox News and The Wall Street Journal on Sunday over his reported popularity in the GOP.
Excerpt of Trump’s Truth Social post: “In a phony and probably rigged Wall Street Journal poll, coming out of nowhere to softened the mental incompetence blow that is so obvious with Crooked Joe Biden, they ask about my age and mentality. Where did that come from? Now that the Globalists at Fox & the WSJ have failed to push their 3rd tier candidate to success, they do this.” (The Hill)
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The classic Ross Perot threat: |
“New polls showing President Biden tied or trailing several GOP presidential candidates and deep concerns among voters over his age are stoking Democratic angst about third-party candidates ‘stealing’ a victory in November 2024.”
Dems’ concern: “Democrats have long been worried that in a close race, a third-party candidate could be the difference between winning and defeat in hard-fought states such as Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin or even Florida.” The scenarios from The Hill’s Hanna Trudo |
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🇲🇦 A powerful earthquake in Morocco: Nearly 2,500 people were killed and at least 1,400 were injured in Friday’s magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Morocco. (NBC News) 🍼 ‘How Soaring Child Care Costs Are Crushing New Yorkers’: “Even upper-middle-class New Yorkers are struggling to pay for child care. The workers who provide it are struggling too.” (The New York Times) 💵 ‘The Mighty American Consumer Is About to Hit a Wall, Investors Say’: (Bloomberg)
✉️ The talk of Hollywood: “That ’70s Show” actors Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis wrote character letters in support of their co-star Danny Masterson, who was convicted of raping two women. The letters have received a lot of criticism, so they posted a video addressing the criticism. (USA Today)
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No further context is necessary: |
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The Senate is in. The House returns tomorrow. President Biden is returning from Vietnam. Vice President Harris was in New York this morning and is back in Washington, D.C. - 6 a.m.: Harris left for New York.
- 8:30 a.m.: Harris attended the 9/11 commemoration in New York.
- 11:40 a.m.: Harris returned to Washington, D.C.
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2 p.m.: Second gentleman Doug Emhoff lays a wreath in Shanksville, Pa.
- 3 p.m.: The Senate meets.
- 4:20 p.m.: First lady Jill Biden lays a wreath at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Va.
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4:45 p.m.: President Biden delivers remarks in Anchorage, Alaska. 📺 Livestream
- 5 p.m.: Jill Biden delivers remarks at the National Archivist swearing-in ceremony at the National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C.
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5:30 p.m.: The Senate holds a cloture vote on a nomination. 🗓️ Today’s Senate agenda
- 12:35 a.m. Tuesday: President Biden returns to the White House.
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Tuesday: The House returns. 🗓️ House calendar
All times Eastern.
📝 Hey PR folks, know of any events with livestreams?: If you know of an event that will be livestreamed, please feel free to email me cmartel@digital-staging.thehill.com to be included in this section. |
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🍞 Something to celebrate: Today is National Hot Cross Bun Day.
🐼 Any excuse for a party: The National Zoo is hosting a nine-day party, Panda Palooza, as a send-off before the pandas return to China. (Axios) 🍦 You have my full attention, DQ: To celebrate the fall menu, Dairy Queen is selling 85-cent Blizzards today through Sept. 24. (People) |
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