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Sen. Ruben Gallego said Sunday that if he were elected president, he would support undoing many of President Donald Trump’s architectural changes to Washington, including tearing down the new White House ballroom and Trump’s planned 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery.

The Arizona Democrat, who has not announced a 2028 presidential campaign but has acknowledged considering a run, made the remarks during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” His comments marked one of the clearest statements yet from a potential Democratic presidential contender that some of Trump’s major construction projects should ultimately be demolished rather than simply inherited by a future administration.

CNN anchor Jake Tapper raised the subject while discussing Trump’s extensive effort to reshape prominent landmarks and public spaces around the nation’s capital, including the White House ballroom, the proposed triumphal arch and changes involving the Kennedy Center and Reflecting Pool.

“President Trump is putting his mark on Washington, DC quite a bit, building a White House ballroom. He plans to build an arch, attempts to rename the Kennedy Center, the reflecting pool, and on and on and on. It seems clear to me that this is going to be a big issue for Democrats running for president in 2028. I know you haven’t made a decision yet about whether or not you’re going to run for president, but if you do, would you advocate for tearing down the ballroom or tearing down the arch?” Tapper asked.

Gallego indicated that he would favor reversing nearly all of the changes.

“I think I’d be advocating for almost all of that. You know, the the real stain that this president has put on this country has been the fact that he eroded democracy, right. Let’s start with January 6. The fact that for the first time ever, a U.S. president attempted an actual coup. That right there is a reason why we should not have anything named toward him. The fact that he has destroyed the institutions that have kept this government together through some of the hardest times, and eroded, for example, our Department of Justice, is another reason why we needs to be taking down all these honorific situations or emblems of him. The fact that he wants to destroy the Kennedy Center, a man that contributed so much to this country, to replace it with his name, who has done everything to destroy this country, is another reason why we have to make sure that we wipe him out. So this is not me trying to get to Donald Trump because I don’t like Donald Trump, it’s because of what Donald Trump has done to this country. And as somebody who visits a lot of my friends at Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, the fact that we’re going to have this ugly monstrosity in the view of this very sacred site —”

Tapper interrupted to clarify which project Gallego was referring to.

“The arch?”

Gallego confirmed that he was referring to Trump’s planned triumphal arch.

“The arch is another reason why that needs to be taken care of. Because, again, this man has done nothing but actually destroy the very fundamental things that these men and women have fought for, which is to save this country in continuous democracy.”

Gallego’s remarks came as Trump has moved aggressively ahead with a series of major construction and renovation projects in Washington. The proposed arch is planned for Memorial Circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery and has been envisioned at roughly 250 feet tall. The administration has said the monument would honor American veterans and has compared its design to Paris’ Arc de Triomphe.

The arch has generated both political and legal opposition. Critics contend that the structure would interfere with the historic sight line between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House and argue that the administration lacks the congressional authorization required to build it. The administration has disputed those arguments, while the project has yet to receive final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission.

Trump has strongly defended the project, saying of the planned arch, “I think it will be the most beautiful in the world.” He has compared it to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and said the Washington structure would be of a similar scale, though slightly larger.

The White House ballroom has separately become a major political and legal flashpoint. Construction on the project has continued following litigation over whether congressional approval was required, with the Supreme Court recently allowing work to proceed while the legal battle continues.

Trump has defended the ballroom as both a major improvement to the White House and a project intended to serve future presidents, rather than himself. He has also described the facility as designed with significant security features.

“This is for future presence. This isn’t for me. This is for future presence. And it’s a gift. We’re making a gift to our country, spending hundreds of millions of dollars to build a ballroom,” Trump said last month.

The dispute over what a future administration should do with Trump’s Washington projects has been building for months. Some Democrats have discussed reversing name changes and other alterations, although others have suggested that physically demolishing completed structures would be far more difficult to justify. CNN reported earlier this month that Democrats it had spoken with generally did not expect a future Democratic administration to tear down completed projects because doing so could itself be viewed as destructive.

Gallego, however, went considerably further Sunday, saying he would favor removing much of Trump’s imprint if he eventually reached the White House. His comments were particularly pointed regarding the arch, which he described as an “ugly monstrosity” because of its planned location within view of Arlington National Cemetery.

The Arizona senator tied his opposition to friends buried in Section 60 at Arlington, arguing that Trump should not be memorialized near a site honoring American servicemembers.

Gallego’s remarks also offered a preview of an issue that could become part of the 2028 presidential debate: whether Trump’s physical transformation of Washington should remain after he leaves office or whether a succeeding administration should attempt to reverse it.

[Video below.] Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed escalated his attacks on President Donald Trump on Sunday, calling the President a “barbarian in the White House” during a nationally televised interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

El-Sayed made the remark while responding to questions about the extraordinary amount of attention Republican leaders have focused on his candidacy ahead of November’s midterm elections. El-Sayed, a physician and former director of the Detroit Health Department, is facing Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s closely watched U.S. Senate contest. Republicans have increasingly sought to make El-Sayed and his progressive political views a national campaign issue.

During the interview, CBS host Weijia Jiang noted that El-Sayed had repeatedly been singled out by leading Republicans at the recent Republican National Convention, including President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Rogers.

Jiang then played a clip of Johnson warning about El-Sayed and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani while arguing that Democrats in competitive congressional districts ultimately align themselves with the party’s progressive wing.

“We know who the Mamdanis and the El-Sayeds are, but it’s the Democrats in the swing seats who say one thing and then join forces and vote with the socialists that they’re afraid of. That is the dangerous part. They’re the ones who have let the barbarians inside the gate,” Johnson said.

Asked what he thought about Republicans devoting so much attention to him, El-Sayed immediately turned Johnson’s “barbarians” characterization against President Trump.

“Well, I’ll tell you this: the barbarian is in the White House, and we’re seeing the consequences of that right now,” El-Sayed said.

El-Sayed then accused Republicans of attempting to divert voters’ attention from economic and foreign-policy issues, citing gas and grocery prices, tariffs, the administration’s conflict with Canada, the war with Iran and access to medical care.

“You know, it was not a subject at all of the RNC? the gas prices, grocery prices, these ridiculous tariffs, and this war with Canada that’s raising our prices an average $5,600 a year for the average Michigan family. The war in Iran- didn’t want to talk about any of it. The fact that you can’t see a doctor in the United States. So, they’re going to point to me. They’re going to talk about me. They’re going to point to my name. They’re going to point to our faith. And at the end of the day, they’re doing that so that you don’t pay attention to the fact that you are being nickled and dimed by the barbarian in the White House and by a set of public policies that are not in your interest, but in his.”

The remarks came as El-Sayed has emerged as a major Republican target in the battle for control of the Senate. Republican leaders have portrayed his candidacy as evidence of the Democratic Party’s movement toward its progressive wing, while El-Sayed has sought to make affordability, health care and economic policy central themes of his general-election campaign.

The Michigan contest has attracted national attention in part because of its potential significance in determining control of the Senate. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take the chamber, making competitive races such as Michigan particularly consequential.

El-Sayed has also faced controversy during the campaign over previous remarks and associations. Earlier this month, he apologized to Michigan’s Jewish Democratic Caucus over comments he made following an attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan. El-Sayed had said in discussing the attacker that “hurt people hurt people,” while referencing the man’s reported personal losses in an Israeli airstrike. He later said he had intended to provide context rather than justify the attack and acknowledged that it was not the appropriate moment for such analysis.

At the same time, some attacks directed at El-Sayed have drawn criticism for targeting his Muslim faith. Republican figures have made allegations about El-Sayed having ties to terrorism without presenting evidence, while El-Sayed has argued that Republicans are deliberately focusing on his name and religion.

Sunday’s exchange underscored the increasingly personal tone of the Michigan race. Republicans have sought to associate El-Sayed with the Democratic Party’s progressive and socialist wing, while El-Sayed used his CBS appearance to turn one of their most pointed descriptions back on President Trump — twice referring to the President as the “barbarian in the White House.”

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Researchers are raising concerns about a rare and potentially fatal neurological disorder that has been reported among some patients using popular GLP-1 weight-loss medications, including Wegovy and Zepbound, with experts warning that severe appetite suppression, vomiting and other gastrointestinal side effects can leave patients dangerously deficient in essential nutrients.

A study published in Clinical Nutrition documented 15 reported cases of Wernicke encephalopathy, a serious brain disorder resulting from a severe deficiency of vitamin B1, or thiamine, among people who had been taking GLP-1 receptor agonists.

The majority of cases were associated with semaglutide, which is marketed under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, or tirzepatide, which is sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound.

The researchers identified the 15 cases by reviewing reports contained in the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System, previously published medical literature and cases seen at their own medical center.

Many of the patients experienced gastrointestinal or nutrition-related problems, including significant weight loss, vomiting, reduced appetite and malnutrition.

The researchers also found that reports of Wernicke encephalopathy occurred disproportionately among people using GLP-1 drugs compared with patients taking other medications. They cautioned, however, that their findings demonstrate an association and do not establish that the medications themselves caused the disorder.

Vitamin B1 is essential for normal brain function. A severe deficiency can result in confusion, difficulty walking, impaired balance and changes in vision. Without prompt treatment, Wernicke encephalopathy can cause lasting neurological injury and, in severe cases, death.

Karthik Achari, a Chicago-based clinician and founder of PepMD who was not involved with the research, stressed that the findings need to be understood in the context of the enormous number of people now using GLP-1 medications.

“Researchers went through adverse event reports and the medical literature and found a small number of cases, 15, of Wernicke encephalopathy in people taking GLP-1 drugs,” Achari told Fox News Digital. “That’s out of millions of people on these medications. So this is rare.”

“But it’s real, it’s serious, and the mechanism makes sense,” he added.

According to Achari, GLP-1 drugs can substantially suppress appetite and can also trigger nausea and vomiting. In certain patients, that combination could lead to inadequate food intake and eventually a vitamin B1 deficiency.

“The drug shrinks your appetite. It doesn’t shrink your body’s requirements,” he said. “You can now eat very little without feeling it, which is the point of the medication, but your need for protein, vitamins, and fluids didn’t go anywhere.”

Achari said certain groups could be particularly vulnerable, including patients experiencing prolonged nausea or vomiting, those rapidly losing weight while consuming very little food, people who previously underwent bariatric surgery and those who consume alcohol heavily.

Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based nutritionist and author of “The Sleepdemic Solution,” similarly emphasized that adequate nutrition and hydration should be an important component of care for patients using GLP-1 medications.

“GLP-1 medications can dramatically reduce appetite, but that also means people may unintentionally under-eat the very things their bodies need most, especially protein, fiber and fluids,” she told Fox News Digital.

Palinski-Wade warned that persistent vomiting or diarrhea can contribute to dehydration and potentially lead to kidney complications. She recommended seeking medical advice when such symptoms continue for approximately 24 hours.

“Don’t assume every side effect is just part of being on a GLP-1,” Palinski-Wade said. “Severe or persistent symptoms deserve attention.”

The study’s authors noted important limitations to their findings, particularly that much of the research was based on adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA. Such reports cannot establish that GLP-1 drugs caused Wernicke encephalopathy. The researchers called for further study, while medical experts cautioned that patients should not discontinue prescribed GLP-1 medications solely because of the new findings.

Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz issued a blistering condemnation of “NAZA,” an anti-Israel film that received an award at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, accusing its creators of falsely depicting Israel as intentionally killing civilians in Gaza.

The film, produced by two Israelis, presents the Gaza war from a pro-Palestinian perspective and portrays Israel and the IDF in a sharply negative and delegitimizing light.

“As a former IDF Chief of Staff and Defense Minister, I state unequivocally: IDF soldiers and commanders are among the most moral, humane and principled fighters in the world. How do I know? Because I was there. I know the IDF’s operations in Gaza in detail – before October 7, and even more so afterward,” Gantz wrote.

Gantz rejected the film’s portrayal of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, arguing that the IDF had gone to extraordinary lengths to uphold ethical standards while fighting in densely populated areas.

“You have to be a liar to portray Israel as deliberately carrying out killings in Gaza. No army in the world has fought in an urban environment while maintaining the purity of arms as the IDF has.”

Gantz also recalled a message he said he delivered to senior American military officials shortly after the October 7 massacre, stressing that Israel’s military campaign was never intended as an act of vengeance.

“In the first days of the war, for example, I told a delegation of American generals that there was no action we could take in Gaza that would make up for the atrocities committed against us on October 7. Therefore, revenge was never the purpose of the fighting. We are fighting to protect Israel’s citizens and to ensure security for the decades to come.”

Gantz’s criticism came after Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar denounced the filmmakers in even stronger terms, saying he would seek to have their Israeli citizenship revoked “for betraying the state.”

“The victory of the despicable film NAZA at the Venice Film Festival is appalling,” Zohar said. “The creators’ seething self-hatred, which drives them to harm their homeland in order to receive applause from antisemites around the world, is unfathomable and constitutes a betrayal of the state. This is precisely why I led the important cinema reform – so that Israeli citizens will no longer pay out of their own pockets for attacks on IDF soldiers and the State of Israel. I will work to revoke the citizenship of these contemptible filmmakers.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump sharply criticized Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Sunday after video showed the two Democrats smiling and appearing to laugh during the reading of victims’ names at the 25th anniversary commemoration of the September 11 attacks at Ground Zero. The circumstances of the brief, inaudible exchange have been disputed by a witness who was standing nearby.

“I think it’s terrible,” Trump said when asked about the video of the two Democrats. “It’s not a place to be laughing, especially in that case.”

“I thought it was terrible,” he continued. “The fact that they were laughing together at a very important part of the ceremony was inappropriate.”

Trump’s criticism followed two days of controversy surrounding footage of Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez at Friday’s ceremony, with the brief clip spreading rapidly across social media and prompting criticism from Republican elected officials and other public figures.

The television feed first showed an emotional young man near the memorial before switching to Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez, who could be seen smiling and appearing to laugh while speaking with each other. There was no audible recording of their conversation, leaving unclear what the two were discussing.

The exchange occurred during the traditional reading of the names of those murdered in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as well as the six victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Friday marked 25 years since the 9/11 attacks, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed.

As the video circulated online, critics accused Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez of behaving disrespectfully during one of the most solemn portions of the annual commemoration.

“As the names of Americans murdered on September 11th are read aloud at Ground Zero, AOC and Mamdani are laughing and smiling together,” Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, wrote on X.

“There is a time and a place for politics. This isn’t it. Ground Zero is sacred ground,” Hunt added. “September 11 is not a photo op, it is not a networking event.”

Meghan McCain was among the other prominent figures who reacted to the footage, writing on X, “Why the f— are these two laughing?”

New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, a Republican who has frequently criticized Mamdani, also condemned what she believed the footage showed.

“After thousands of families of victims of terror beg Mamdani not to show up, he stands there and laughs while families weep,” Vernikov wrote. “This is NYC’s Mayor.”

The controversy followed an already contentious debate over Mamdani’s presence at the anniversary ceremony. Ahead of September 11, a petition calling on the mayor not to attend the Ground Zero observance amassed more than 110,000 signatures. Mamdani nevertheless attended the event and remained through the ceremony.

However, Michael Ragusa, who has worked as an aide to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and was standing near Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez during the ceremony, disputed the characterization of the exchange as the two laughing about the proceedings.

“The videos of [them] laughing are not true. I was standing next to them the whole time,” Ragusa wrote on X.

“The camera just caught her greeting him hello,” he added. “Multiple other politicians were laughing and joking behind me. Republicans and Democrats.”

Ragusa subsequently emphasized that his defense was not based on political sympathy for Mamdani or Ocasio-Cortez, noting that he is a longtime Republican who has been critical of both Democrats. He said he was simply describing what he witnessed while standing alongside them.

Mamdani was also seen behaving somberly during other portions of the ceremony, and reporting from the event noted that he remained through the entire reading of the victims’ names. Exactly what Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez said to one another during the brief exchange captured on camera remains unknown.

President Donald Trump on Sunday lavished praise on Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff for their diplomatic work surrounding Gaza, crediting the two envoys with helping secure the return of the hostages and advance a ceasefire while pointing to what he described as a sharp reduction in fighting in the Strip.

Trump made the remarks while speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, where he was asked about the performance of Kushner and Witkoff, who have also been playing central roles in the administration’s efforts to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.

“They’ve done a great job. Look at Gaza for an example. We got all the hostages back,” Trump replied.

He added, “You know, people forget, there’s not a lot of fighting in Gaza. Hamas is now willing to give up their weapons. They’ve done an incredible job. Nobody could’ve done the job they did.”

Q: Do you have concerns about Witkoff and Kushner in their ability to close the deal?

Trump: No, they’re doing a great job. Look at Gaza. pic.twitter.com/rRR03LhpSE

— Acyn (@Acyn) September 13, 2026

Trump’s comments came shortly after Kushner publicly discussed the circumstances that enabled the administration to advance its Gaza agreement, including the diplomatic repercussions of Israel’s September 2025 attempt to assassinate senior Hamas leaders in Qatar.

Speaking remotely Sunday at the Yalta European Strategy conference, Kushner said the Trump administration took advantage of the international backlash that followed the Israeli operation in Doha and used Israel’s growing diplomatic isolation as leverage to press the Israeli government toward an agreement ending the war.

The September 9, 2025, Israeli strike targeted senior Hamas officials gathered in Doha while they were considering an American ceasefire proposal. The senior Hamas figures targeted in the operation survived, while several security personnel were killed.

According to Kushner, the failure to eliminate the Hamas leaders intensified Israel’s international isolation. The administration subsequently used that changed diplomatic environment to increase pressure on Israel to accept the proposed agreement.

Roughly one month after the Doha operation, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire and hostage-release agreement. Under the deal, 48 hostages were returned from Gaza, including surviving captives and the bodies of hostages who had been murdered in captivity.

Kushner said Israeli officials initially had significant reservations about the agreement Washington was pressing them to accept, but their view of the arrangement changed after it went into effect.

“Today, they’re quite happy with [the agreement], but at the time, they were uncomfortable with what we were pushing them to do,” he said.

“Ultimately, it turned out to be great for them; it turned out to be great for the people of Gaza, because now we have a new government there that’s obviously looking to take over soon once we advance on the demilitarization.”

Kushner and Witkoff have previously described the Qatar strike as a turning point in their Gaza diplomacy. Kushner said in an earlier interview that the two believed the attack was strategically misguided and decided amid the resulting crisis to combine an earlier ceasefire proposal with a broader plan to end the war.

At the same time, the administration has encountered significant difficulties in implementing the subsequent stages of its Gaza plan, particularly regarding Hamas’ disarmament and the future governing structure for the territory.

Kushner said last week that Israel’s approaching election was complicating efforts to advance the plan, even though he maintained that Washington and Yerushalayim largely agree about their ultimate objectives for Gaza.

“I think we agree with them on the end state,” Kushner said of Israel. “They just have a crazy election and that makes them a little irrational in certain regards but we’re very determined and we’re working through these things.”

The administration is now seeking to move ahead with the establishment of a new governing structure for Gaza while simultaneously implementing the demilitarization of the territory.

Those efforts have been complicated by disagreements over precisely how Hamas would surrender its weapons and when Israel would withdraw its forces. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will not pull out of Gaza before Hamas disarms.

Hamas has previously rejected demands that it completely surrender its weapons. According to the report, Kushner met last month with senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya and warned that any violation of the Trump framework, including an effort to conceal weapons, would bring the diplomatic process to an immediate end and leave Israel free to resume military action.

Hamas officials have reportedly since assured mediators that the terror group will implement all 20 provisions of the framework, including its requirements for disarmament and the demilitarization of Gaza.

Trump’s comments Sunday indicated that he views the Gaza agreement as one of Kushner and Witkoff’s principal diplomatic achievements, particularly the return of the hostages, while the administration continues working to implement the remaining provisions of its plan.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu pushed back Sunday against comments by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and envoy, who characterized Israel’s failed assassination attempt against Hamas leaders in Doha last September as an operational failure that left Israel increasingly isolated and ultimately helped push Yerushalayim toward a deal with Hamas.

In a statement issued by the Likud, Netanyahu’s party argued that precisely the opposite had occurred. It said Netanyahu’s decisions to enter Gaza City and strike Hamas leaders in Qatar, combined with intense pressure applied by President Trump, forced Hamas to abandon its previous demands and agree to release all of the hostages who remained in Gaza.

Kushner made his comments during a video conversation from Malta, where he was involved in White House efforts to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. While there, the American envoy met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a day after holding a three-hour discussion in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“It was an operational failure that led to isolation… We used that dynamic to push them into a deal,” Kushner said during the video conversation.

Kushner’s remarks came amid continuing differences between the Trump administration and the Israeli government over the implementation of the U.S.-backed plan for Gaza.

His description of the Doha operation suggested that the diplomatic fallout from the attempted strike created leverage that Washington was subsequently able to use in negotiations. Netanyahu’s Likud, however, maintained that the military pressure itself — including the Gaza City operation and the attempt to eliminate senior Hamas figures in Qatar — was instrumental in breaking Hamas’ resistance.

The disagreement comes as the White House continues pressing Israel to move forward with the next stages of the Gaza plan, particularly the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of the Strip.

Kushner met with Netanyahu for approximately four hours last month as part of the administration’s effort to advance the plan and resolve outstanding disagreements surrounding its implementation.

During that meeting, the sides reached an understanding that reconstruction in Gaza would not proceed without the complete disarmament of Hamas.

Under the framework discussed, the first stage of demilitarizing Gaza would require Hamas to surrender all of its weapons for destruction under the supervision of Gen. Jeffers.

President Donald Trump on Sunday played down a report that Chinese entities provided Iran with high-resolution satellite imagery of an American military base in Jordan before an Iranian missile strike killed three U.S. service members, saying that China conducts intelligence operations against the United States just as Washington spies on Beijing.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing U.S. officials familiar with the matter, that Iran obtained satellite images of Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in northeastern Jordan from Chinese entities both before and after Tehran’s July 17 attack. U.S. officials have linked the imagery to the strike, although they have not accused the Chinese government itself of directly participating in the attack.

Asked aboard Air Force One on Sunday about the report and whether he intended to raise the matter with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump did not directly address the question, instead noting that intelligence gathering is conducted by both countries.

“They basically do what we do,” Trump told reporters.

“You know what they say? That China spies on us,” Trump said.

“I say you’re right, and we spy on them, too,” he added.

Trump also offered a relatively measured assessment of Xi’s conduct amid the tensions between Washington and Beijing.

“I think he’s behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well,” Trump said as he returned to the United States following a weekend trip to Ireland.

The President’s comments came after the Journal reported that U.S. officials believe Chinese-sourced imagery was connected to Iran’s deadly July 17 ballistic missile strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, a major U.S. Air Force hub in Jordan.

Three American service members were killed when Iranian ballistic missiles struck a housing area at the base where U.S. personnel were staying. Four other American troops were wounded.

The three troops killed were First Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25; Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19; and Sgt. Angel Rampersad, 28. They were assigned to missile-defense units at the base.

Iran had already targeted Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in the days preceding the deadly attack. Subsequent visual and satellite analysis showed damage to living quarters, hangars and drone shelters at the sprawling installation.

According to the Journal, Tehran obtained high-resolution imagery of the base from Chinese sources ahead of the attack and additional imagery afterward. U.S. officials reportedly regard the finding as the clearest indication thus far that assistance originating from Chinese entities may have contributed directly to Iran’s ability to strike American forces during the war.

The officials cited by the Journal did not identify the Chinese entities that allegedly supplied the images, and they stopped short of alleging that Beijing itself authorized or participated in providing the intelligence used by Iran. Reuters said it could not independently verify the Journal’s report.

Senior U.S. officials have nevertheless raised the satellite imagery issue directly with Chinese officials. Beijing has rejected the allegations and demanded that Washington provide evidence supporting them.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington defended China’s relationship with Tehran, saying cooperation between the two countries complies with international law and accusing unnamed critics of “maliciously linking and smearing other countries.” The spokesperson did not specifically address the allegation involving the July 17 strike.

Concerns about Chinese satellite support for Iran had surfaced well before the deadly Jordan attack. According to the Journal, the Trump administration had warned Beijing months earlier that Chinese companies appeared to be supplying Iran with satellite imagery that could be used for military targeting.

The United States also imposed sanctions in May on three Chinese companies over satellite imagery sales to Iran. U.S. officials are now concerned that Chinese-sourced data could also improve Tehran’s ability to locate and target American naval vessels and other U.S. military assets operating in the Middle East.

One element of the relationship under scrutiny involves Iran’s access to Chinese satellite technology. The New York Post, citing the Journal’s reporting, said Tehran acquired the Chinese TEE-01B satellite in 2024 for approximately $36 million and gained access to ground stations operated by Chinese satellite company Emposat. It remains unclear, however, whether those systems supplied the particular imagery connected by U.S. officials to the July attack.

The revelations come at a particularly sensitive moment in U.S.-China relations, with Trump and Xi expected to meet in the United States on September 24. China has not yet officially confirmed the planned summit.

Despite the report about Iran’s use of Chinese-sourced imagery, Trump indicated Sunday that he continues to view his relationship with Xi positively and did not suggest that the allegations would derail the anticipated meeting.

The administration’s response comes as Washington attempts to manage its broader competition with Beijing while simultaneously confronting Iran and scrutinizing the extent to which Tehran has received assistance from China and other foreign sources during the war.

For U.S. officials, the central concern extends beyond the July 17 attack. If Iran is receiving timely, high-resolution commercial satellite imagery from Chinese entities, that information could potentially improve Tehran’s ability to monitor American bases, ships and troop movements throughout the region. The Journal reported that those concerns have become increasingly urgent following the deaths of the three U.S. troops in Jordan.

PHOENIX — A newly unveiled statue honoring slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk was vandalized with red spray paint outside Turning Point USA’s Arizona headquarters early Sunday, just three days after the memorial was installed to mark the first anniversary of Kirk’s assassination.

The eight-foot bronze-colored statue was found covered with red paint Sunday morning, with paint sprayed across Kirk’s face, neck, torso and hand. A frowning face was drawn on the statue’s chest, while a nearby memorial display was also defaced. Phoenix police are investigating and, as of Sunday evening, had not announced any arrests or identified a suspect.

Police said they received reports of vandalism at the memorial shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday. Officers responded to Turning Point USA’s headquarters near 48th Street and Beverly Road, where the statue and a nearby sign had been spray-painted.

Photographs from the scene showed red paint concentrated on several portions of the statue, including Kirk’s neck — the area where he was shot during the September 10, 2025, attack at Utah Valley University. Red paint also covered his face and left hand, while the sad-face image was painted across his torso.

The vandal or vandals also targeted a memorial display positioned near the statue. According to Turning Point USA, Kirk’s face was crossed out on one sign and the name “Jesus” and a cross were also marked over. Turning Point USA Chief Operating Officer Tyler Bowyer said he believed another marking left at the scene spelled “Satan.”

“This morning we woke up to radical criminals vandalizing our Headquarters,” Bowyer wrote. “Crossing over Charlie’s face, scratching out Jesus and the Cross & spraying red paint on his neck. This isn’t the country we want to live in. Arizona is not Gotham.”

Turning Point USA said surveillance footage from the overnight incident was being reviewed and that the organization was cooperating with law enforcement in an effort to identify those responsible. The group said the statue would be repaired and the damaged memorial signs replaced.

“We will restore the statue and replace the signs, but we are also reviewing the footage of the incident and are working with law enforcement to identify who did this and hold them accountable,” the organization wrote. “But vandalism like this is not funny, it’s diabolical. The incident happened in the middle of the night because evil never sleeps. Beyond spray painting on the neck and face, they made the intentional decision to cross out the name of Jesus on a nearby sign.”

Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, also responded Sunday, saying the vandalism would not diminish her husband’s influence or the work of the organization he helped build.

“They thought a bullet would silence my husband’s voice but it only made it louder. They think spray paint can obscure his legacy, but it will only spread it further. Every attempt to tear down what Charlie built makes us root deeper and work even harder.”

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell condemned the vandalism as well, declaring, “These acts of vandalism will not be tolerated.”

The statue had been unveiled Thursday, September 10, exactly one year after Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. The statue stands eight feet tall and depicts Kirk wearing a T-shirt bearing the word “FREEDOM,” resembling the clothing he wore on the day he was killed.

Utah sculptor Quintin McCann, who created the statue, told FOX 10 that he began working on Kirk’s likeness almost immediately after learning of his assassination.

“Someone’s death, who I’ve never met, has never impacted me so much. And I’m sure many people can agree. And I just stayed at work that evening and just started sculpting his portrait,” McCann said.

Kirk, 31, was speaking before a crowd at Utah Valley University when he was shot in the neck. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died. Tyler Robinson was arrested two days later and charged in connection with Kirk’s killing. Robinson has pleaded not guilty, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty if he is convicted. His next scheduled court appearance is October 23.

Supporters of Kirk who gathered near the vandalized memorial Sunday expressed anger over the attack.

“He was non-violent, so he just died for his beliefs, his challenge to make society better,” Kirk supporter Kyle Elliott said. “Like Turning Point, just like the name of the company, Turning Point USA, so we are at a turning point for sure, and it’s because of Charlie Kirk.”

Police have not publicly identified a motive for the vandalism, and there was no immediate indication that investigators had identified any suspects. Authorities asked anyone with information about the incident to contact Phoenix police or Silent Witness.

[Video below.] House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declined Sunday to rule out the possibility that Democrats could pursue impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump if they capture control of the House in the November midterm elections, saying any future action would depend on the facts, the law and the Constitution.

“No, we haven’t ruled anything in and we haven’t ruled anything out in terms of impeachment,” Jeffries said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Jeffries said he would look to Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and other Democrats serving on the House Judiciary Committee, as well as Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., and Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee, to take the lead in examining potential wrongdoing.

“[And] be guided by the Constitution, and then let the chips fall where they may, in the best interests of the American people, so that the House, once again, can function like a separate and co-equal branch of government and a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch,” Jeffries said.

Trump was impeached twice by the House during his first term and acquitted by the Senate on both occasions. The President has recently predicted that Democrats would attempt to impeach him again if they regain the House majority.

“They’re going to impeach me. They have no idea why,” Trump said at a rally last week.

Jeffries also promised that a Democratic-controlled House would use its investigative and oversight authority to pursue individuals it determines have engaged in wrongdoing, saying Democrats would “hold the crooks accountable.”

“If someone has been screwing over the American people, shortchanging the American people, or stealing from the American people, they’re going to be held accountable under a Democratic majority,” Jeffries said.

Reuters reported last month that House Democrats have been developing plans for extensive investigations if they regain control of the chamber, focusing in part on companies and financial institutions connected to Trump. According to that report, Democrats involved in the planning were emphasizing investigations rather than an immediate effort to impeach the President.

Despite his sharp criticism of the Trump administration, Jeffries also left open the possibility that a Democratic House majority could work with the President on issues where the two sides find agreement.

“We’ve said from the very beginning of this Congress, if the other side of the aisle is willing to find the common ground necessary to decisively address the fact that everyday Americans are drowning in this Republican economy, working hard, playing by the rules, can’t thrive and can barely survive, then we’re committed to actually trying to find that common ground, as we just recently did with the housing affordability bill that is now law,” Jeffries said.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

A new academic study by a Yale University professor concluded that The New York Times’ reporting on Israel’s war against Hamas systematically presented the conflict in ways unfavorable to Israel, including by giving far greater attention to Palestinian suffering than Israeli suffering and minimizing Palestinian violence.

The study was conducted by Edieal Pinker, a professor at the Yale School of Management, and published in the academic journal Studies in Conflict & Terrorism.

Pinker examined 1,559 New York Times articles published between the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and June 7, 2024. His analysis found that the newspaper frequently left out Israeli military casualties while giving less prominence to acts of violence carried out by Palestinians.

“Personal accounts of Palestinian suffering appear two out of every three days, while comparable accounts of Israeli suffering rarely appear,” Pinker wrote in his study.

According to Pinker’s analysis, the cumulative effect of the newspaper’s reporting was to depict Israel as the “sole aggressor” in the conflict while presenting Palestinians primarily as “passive victims.”

The New York Times rejected Pinker’s conclusions and defended its reporting on the Israel-Hamas war.

“Our editors make careful and deliberate choices about every story we publish to ensure our language, framing, prominence and tone remain true to our mission of independent journalism,” a spokesperson for the Times said in a statement.

“We remain open to good-faith disagreement but will not change our coverage to buttress entrenched perspectives,” the spokesperson added. “Our commitment is to independent reporting that our readers can trust.”

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also responded to the study, sharply criticizing the Times and what he described as broader bias in mainstream news organizations.

“When you didn’t think you could have more contempt for the NYT & the bias of MSM, this will solidify your outrage as to how unreliable once respected & now discredited news organizations have become,” Huckabee wrote on X.

A British Breslover, Yitzchok Elmkies z”l, a father of seven, was found dead in a wooded area near Uman over Rosh Hashanah, with Ukrainian authorities investigating the circumstances of his death amid reports that signs of violence were discovered on his body.

Elmkies was approximately 45 to 50 years old and a resident of England and had been staying in Uman in recent months. One report said that he had been living in the Ukrainian city for approximately a year and a half.

According to sources, Elmkies was discovered by Breslover chassidim who had gone into the forest for hisbodedus during Rosh Hashanah. They came across him lying unresponsive and summoned emergency personnel and local authorities. Responders who arrived at the scene were unable to save him and pronounced him dead.

Signs of violence were found on Elmkies’ body, raising the possibility that he had been murdered. Investigators were examining a possible homicide. However, as of Sunday night, Ukrainian authorities had not officially confirmed that Elmkies was murdered, and the precise circumstances surrounding his death remained under investigation.

United Hatzalah confirmed that a Jewish man from England had been found dead in the forest near the tziyun of Rav Nachman of Breslov.

“During the holiday, we dealt with a case involving a person, a Jewish resident of England, who was found lying lifeless in the forest. The circumstances of the incident are under investigation,” said Aharon Ben Harush, director of the United Hatzalah delegation and deputy head of its Uman branch.

Ben Harush said United Hatzalah representatives in Uman were also working with Ukrainian officials in an effort to have the body released as quickly as possible for kevurah.

“United Hatzalah representatives in Uman are working with the authorities to have his body released for burial as soon as possible,” he said.

The discovery occurred during the massive annual Rosh Hashanah gathering in Uman, where tens of thousands of Yidden from Israel, the United States, Britain and countries around the world had traveled to spend the Yom Tov near the tziyun of Rav Nachman of Breslov.

During the two days of Rosh Hashanah, United Hatzalah personnel operating their Uman medical clinic treated dozens of people who became ill or suffered injuries of various kinds.

Elmkies’ death cast a pall over the enormous Rosh Hashanah gathering, particularly as word spread that he had been found by fellow chassidim in a forest used by visitors for hisbodedus.

Ukrainian police were continuing to investigate the case Sunday night and had not yet publicly announced a definitive cause or manner of death. Reports emphasizing the possibility of murder remained based on the reported signs of violence and information from people familiar with the scene rather than an official determination by investigators.

Elmkies is survived by seven children.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

Rudy Giuliani said he put aside his sharp disagreements with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during an unexpected face-to-face encounter at Friday’s 25th anniversary commemoration of the September 11 attacks, telling Mamdani during their handshake that he regularly prays for him.

“We ended up facing each other. I said, ‘I pray for you all the time,’” Giuliani, 82, told the Post.

Mamdani responded, “Thank you,” according to Giuliani’s account.

The brief interaction came after Giuliani had publicly called on Mamdani not to attend the Ground Zero ceremony, citing his objections to the mayor’s views and associations related to the September 11 attacks.

Giuliani said that once the two men found themselves facing one another, he concluded that refusing to acknowledge Mamdani would have shifted attention away from the victims and their families and turned their political dispute into the story of the day.

“We realized that if either one of us turned our backs [on the other], that would have been the story,” Giuliani told the Post.

“It’s about respect for the families, the solemnity of the occasion,” he added.

Despite their significant political disagreements, Giuliani also had some praise for Mamdani, noting that the mayor remained at the lengthy Ground Zero commemoration through its conclusion.

“He stayed until the very end. I give him credit for that,” Giuliani told the Post, while making clear that the cordial encounter had not altered his broader views of Mamdani.

“Our differences are strong and haven’t changed,” Giuliani said.

Among the issues Giuliani had raised before the anniversary was Mamdani’s association with controversial podcast host Hasan Piker, whose past comments concerning the September 11 attacks have drawn criticism.

“I’m concerned about him hanging around with guys saying 9/11 was our fault,” Giuliani told the Post.

Mamdani, 34, nevertheless attended Friday’s ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial plaza in Lower Manhattan, despite Giuliani and some relatives of 9/11 victims publicly objecting to his presence.

Mamdani said afterward that the anniversary should remain centered on those murdered in the attacks, their families, the first responders and others affected by September 11 rather than on political disputes.

The handshake between the current and previous mayors was captured during the commemoration and quickly attracted attention, particularly because it followed days of public criticism of Mamdani by Giuliani ahead of the 25th anniversary.

Federal health officials have declared the largest cyclospora outbreak in U.S. history over after nearly 20,000 confirmed infections, two deaths and hundreds of hospitalizations — even as authorities investigate a separate salmonella outbreak linked to broccoli sprouts.

The Food and Drug Administration announced Friday that the cyclospora outbreak had ended after confirming that all products covered by the recall had been removed from the market.

But health officials are now warning about another potential threat in the produce aisle.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a multistate salmonella outbreak associated with broccoli sprouts produced by Evergreen Fresh Sprouts. So far, 22 people have become ill and two have required hospitalization.

Idaho-based Evergreen Fresh Sprouts voluntarily recalled affected cases distributed in Idaho, Montana, Utah and Washington.

Officials are concerned that the sprouts may be contaminated with Salmonella Bovismorbificans, a strain of bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal illness, including bloody diarrhea.

The cyclospora crisis began in July and rapidly grew into an unprecedented outbreak. Federal officials ultimately received reports of nearly 20,000 laboratory-confirmed infections — several times the number recorded during the same period a year earlier — along with more than 6,100 suspected cases.

Two people died and approximately 570 others were hospitalized, according to the CDC. Cyclospora infection can cause severe and prolonged diarrhea as well as vomiting, bloating and other gastrointestinal symptoms.

Investigators linked the outbreak to Mexican operations belonging to California-based Taylor Farms. Taco Bell restaurants were particularly affected, while the widespread publicity surrounding the outbreak also contributed to a major decline in lettuce sales.

Numerous people who later became ill had eaten at Taco Bell locations in Michigan, Ohio and other parts of the country.

At the outbreak’s height, federal officials recorded more than 1,000 infections in a single day. By August, that figure had plunged to fewer than two newly detected infections per day.

Hundreds of people who became sick have filed lawsuits against Taco Bell and Taylor Farms. The Post previously reported that some victims could eventually receive tens of thousands of dollars in compensation for their injuries and suffering.

Taylor Farms initially disputed the government’s conclusion that its lettuce was contaminated and said the FDA “apologized” over conflicting produce test results, maintaining that the agency had made a “mistake.”

The FDA rejected that account, saying it did not apologize to Taylor Farms and pointing out that the company ultimately recalled 236,192 cases of salad products because of possible contamination.

Despite declaring the outbreak over Friday, federal authorities said their investigation into how the contamination occurred was continuing.

Before this year’s unprecedented surge, 2019 had been the second-worst year on record for cyclospora infections in the United States, with approximately 4,700 cases reported nationwide.

Kamala Harris accused Republicans of “cheating” ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, saying she is devoting her time to helping Democrats capture control of Congress in an effort to “stop the madness.” Her allegations centered on Republican-backed redistricting and voting restrictions, claims Republicans disputed.

“Midterms, midterms, midterms, full-time occupying my thoughts, my mind and my work,” Harris said.

“We have to win these midterms. These — these folks are cheating. They’re redrawing lines. They’re trying to make it more difficult for people to vote so they won’t vote because they are afraid of the power of the people.

“And, so, I’m spending full-time working on doing everything I can to help people restore some balance in our government, which is, through the midterms, winning back Congress, the House and the Senate so that we can stop the madness,” Harris told former women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe on her podcast, “What Are You Like?”

During the conversation, Rapinoe asked Harris what had prompted her to return to a more active role in politics and public life.

“I don’t know how to live and not serve. I honestly don’t. I just don’t. It’s something I’ve come to terms with. I don’t know how to, I just don’t know a life without figuring out how I can help move the needle,” she said.

Harris said her objective was to bring back “some sense of sanity” and what she described as a properly functioning federal government.

The Republican National Committee pushed back sharply against Harris’ accusations, with RNC election integrity Communications Director Ally Triolo accusing Democrats themselves of seeking to undermine election safeguards.

“If Kamala Harris is upset Republicans are going after the illegals and fraudsters trying to vote, it makes you wonder if she’s taking crazy pills again. Voter ID and proof of citizenship are common sense, but Democrats can’t win elections without cheating the system,” RNC election integrity Communications Director Ally Triolo told Fox News Digital in a statement.

Rapinoe also questioned Harris about whether she had reached a decision on seeking the presidency again in 2028.

“I haven’t decided,” Harris said. “From my perspective, ’28 doesn’t matter if we don’t win ’26.”

Harris has made clear in other recent interviews that her immediate political focus is on this year’s congressional races rather than a potential presidential campaign two years from now.

In an interview last week with MS NOW’s Peter Alexander, Harris was also asked about reports that some Democratic candidates in Republican-leaning states would prefer that she stay away from their campaigns. Harris said she supported candidates making whatever strategic decisions they believe will help them win.

“Listen, Peter, we need to win, OK? Bottom line, we need to win,” Harris said. “I have run locally, I’ve run for statewide office and, obviously, nationally. And these candidates know what they need to do to win, and I would expect nothing less.

“I look forward to being on the trail and helping folks where I can be helpful, but we have got to put a check on this lawless administration and deliver what Americans need and deserve. Lower costs, affordable healthcare, affordable childcare, you name it. So, I support them in doing whatever they need to do to win.”

The discussion with Harris eventually shifted from electoral politics to Rapinoe’s experiences in women’s athletics.

“I’m thinking about my own experience being a female athlete, and I went through, in the prime of my career, just the most historic time in women’s sports,” she said.

Rapinoe described enormous advances in women’s sports during her career, while arguing that those gains have subsequently been accompanied by setbacks involving what she characterized as equal rights.

“I mean, it was crazy in the best ways. We saw a huge amount of progress, which has led into a pretty significant regression in terms of just equal rights and people’s rights in general. I definitely think those two are tied.

“It was for the longest time, you know, don’t talk about women’s issues,” she added. “Same kind of thing. It was like, ‘Well, you’re not that good,’ or ‘You’re not that entertaining’ or, ‘Don’t do it like this or whatever.’

“And then we did it, and all women’s sports sort of did it. And then it was like, ‘OK, we’re just going to do something else.’ And I always just felt like they’re like they’re not going to let us just win.”

Newly declassified CIA documents show that Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush received repeated intelligence warnings in the years before September 11, 2001, that Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda were seeking to attack the United States, with one 1998 briefing raising the possibility that terrorists could fly an explosives-filled aircraft into an American city. The newly released material confirms and expands upon intelligence failures previously examined by the bipartisan 9/11 Commission.

The documents, released by the CIA on Friday as the nation marked the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, include intelligence reports dating to 1998. Some of their contents had previously become public, but the release represents the largest collection of declassified Presidential Daily Brief material related to 9/11 ever made public by the agency.

Among the warnings were reports indicating that Al Qaeda operatives were already inside the United States and that individuals associated with bin Laden’s network may have conducted a practice run at a New York airport almost three years before terrorists hijacked four passenger jets on September 11, killing nearly 3,000 people.

“Bin Laden [sic] Preparing To Hijack US Aircraft,” a Dec. 4, 1998, document prepared for Clinton’s Presidential Daily Brief ominously warned.

“Some members of the Bin Laden network have received hijack training, according to various sources,” the document said. “Bin Laden could be weighing other types of operations against US aircraft.”

The same intelligence report cited information that “Bin Laden might implement plans to hijack a US aircraft before the beginning of Ramadan on 20 December and that two members of the operational team had evaded security checks during a recent trial run at an unidentified New York airport.”

An even earlier briefing delivered during the Clinton administration contained a striking reference to the possibility of an aircraft being used in an attack against an American city. The September 10, 1998, material said: “Bin Laden late last month said his preferred option is to strike the US on its own soil in Washington … the same group responsible for the [US Embassy] bombings in Africa [Kenya and Tanzania] may fly an explosive-packed airplane into a US city.”

A July 1998 intelligence document reflected the uncertainty surrounding some of the information reaching U.S. officials at the time, saying “[w]e have received four reports from highly questionable sources suggesting Usama [sic] Bin Laden is making plans to conduct an attack in the United States.”

By February 11, 2000, Clinton’s intelligence briefers were reporting that authorities had obtained a manifesto listing possible terrorist targets “such as the Statue of Liberty” in New York Harbor and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Other intelligence assessments raised concerns that bin Laden could be considering an attack on a shopping mall in Washington, D.C.

The newly released collection also includes the well-known 2001 Presidential Daily Brief concerning bin Laden and the threat of an attack inside the United States. The briefing, received by Bush in August 2001, was titled “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US.” The 9/11 Commission later examined the document and the administration’s response to it in detail.

“Al-Qa’ida [sic] 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 file said.

The briefing also reviewed bin Laden’s longstanding determination to retaliate against the United States and cited FBI findings concerning suspicious activity on American soil.

“After US missile strikes on his base in Afghanistan in 1998, Bin Laden told followers he wanted to retaliate in Washington,” the document states, noting the FBI found “patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York.”

By August 2001, only weeks before the attacks, intelligence presented to Bush indicated that the FBI was “conducting approximately 70 full field investigations throughout the US that it considers Bin Laden-related.”

When Bush was interviewed by the bipartisan 9/11 Commission in April 2004, he said he had not been provided with “actionable intelligence” that could have enabled his administration to prevent the attacks. According to the commission, Bush said he understood Al Qaeda to be dangerous but had not been told that a terrorist cell inside the United States had been identified.

The newly declassified records were released as part of a broader transparency initiative under President Donald Trump. The Trump administration has also released previously classified government records concerning the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.

“Today I authorized the release of 71 Presidential Daily Briefs to honor the lives of those killed on 9/11,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement.

The CIA said the 71 declassified products total more than 100 pages and document how intelligence analysts’ understanding of bin Laden and Al Qaeda evolved before September 11 amid what the agency described as information that was often incomplete, vague and difficult to assess.

Hours before the documents became public, Condoleezza Rice, who was serving as Bush’s national security adviser when the September 11 attacks occurred, apologized to victims’ families for the government’s failure to recognize and prevent the danger in time.

“Those of us in authority on that day did not see the nature of the danger in time to prevent the attack of 9/11,” Rice said.

“I will always carry deep personal remorse for the pain that you, the families of the fallen, still feel, and for the trauma that our country endured.”

The declassified material also shows that intelligence officials believed bin Laden was interested not only in attacking the United States but in securing the release of Omar Abdel-Rahman, the so-called “blind sheikh,” who was serving a life sentence in federal prison in North Carolina after being convicted in connection with a plot to attack New York landmarks following the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Bush later confirmed to the 9/11 Commission that he had seen intelligence concerning the possibility that terrorists could hijack an airliner in an attempt to force the release of Abdel-Rahman or other imprisoned extremists. He maintained, however, that his administration had not received intelligence specifically warning that passenger aircraft would be turned into missiles.

Clinton, meanwhile, strongly defended his administration’s record against Al Qaeda during a September 2006 appearance on “Fox News Sunday.”

“I got closer to killing [bin Laden] than anybody has gotten since. I had responsibility for trying to protect this country. I tried and I failed to get bin Laden. I regret it.”

When then-host Chris Wallace continued questioning Clinton about his administration’s handling of the terrorist leader, Clinton responded: “You did Fox’s bidding on this show. You did your nice little conservative hit job on me.”

The newly released intelligence also underscores that not every pre-9/11 warning proved accurate. U.S. agencies collected numerous reports describing possible terrorist operations that never materialized, highlighting the difficulty officials faced in distinguishing credible threats from unreliable intelligence.

One example came in a July 21, 1999, CIA memorandum reporting that bin Laden had said his organization “made a dry run of a bombing of the FBI headquarters” in Washington and suggesting an attack would happen “soon.”

But CIA analysts explicitly warned about the reliability of that information, noting that they had “reservations about the source.”

Intelligence officials also investigated whether bin Laden might have acquired a nuclear weapon, potentially from Russia. They ultimately concluded that he did not possess one, but remained deeply concerned about Al Qaeda’s efforts to obtain chemical or biological weapons. The newly released CIA collection includes several reports examining bin Laden’s interest in weapons of mass destruction.

“If Bin Laden succeeded in buying a chemical or biological weapon,” a document noted in February 1999, “his past behavior and statements indicate he would have no reservations about using it and he would begin searching for a suitable target.”

Another intelligence report prepared for Clinton’s daily briefing on February 11, 2000, described bin Laden as promoting a “global drug trafficking” operation aimed at sending heroin and opium into Europe and the United States as part of “his anti-West campaign.”

At the time, bin Laden was based in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, where the cultivation of poppies and production of narcotics generated enormous revenues.

“Afghan territory under Taliban control is now the largest producer in the world of illicit opium, which is refined into heroin,” a December 2000 State Department fact sheet stated. “Narcotics-related income strengthens the Taliban’s capacity to provide support for international terrorism.”

Representatives for Clinton and Bush did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the release of the documents. Both attended the 25th-anniversary remembrance ceremony at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan on Friday.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed that Tehran would not capitulate to the United States or Israel, delivering a defiant message as the widening conflict threatened critical Middle Eastern shipping routes and rattled global energy markets.

“Iran has successfully stood against Israel and the US,” Pezeshkian said late Friday while addressing a gathering of religious leaders in New Delhi.

“Since we are seeking truth and justice, we will not yield in front of bullying arrogance.”

Pezeshkian also accused the United States of attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure during its military campaign against Iran.

“If Americans are warriors, let them face our valiant military forces,” Pezeshkian wrote on X.

“Why wage war on civilian infrastructure, food supplies, and livelihoods?”

“If they’re human, why deny people access to water, food, and medicine?” he continued.

“Our people can’t be bullied into submission. Iran won’t surrender.”

The Iranian president made the remarks ahead of the weekend BRICS Summit in India and only days after President Donald Trump defended the U.S. military campaign against Tehran.

“If I had it to do again, I would do exactly what I did,” Trump said Thursday, arguing Iran posed a threat to Israel, the Middle East and US cities.

Even as Pezeshkian publicly vowed that Iran would continue resisting the United States and Israel, Tehran was simultaneously pursuing an intensive diplomatic effort aimed at addressing a war that has increasingly endangered international shipping and global energy supplies.

Iran and the United Arab Emirates on Saturday endorsed a joint BRICS declaration voicing “deep concern” over the continuing escalation across the Middle East and calling for restraint. The declaration came despite a deterioration in relations between Tehran and Abu Dhabi during the conflict.

Pezeshkian also held talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed on the sidelines of the summit, as governments across the region worked to prevent the fighting from expanding further.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who met with Pezeshkian on Friday, emphasized the importance of protecting seafarers, preserving freedom of navigation and ensuring that maritime commerce can continue safely.

Modi also renewed India’s call for the confrontation to be resolved through “dialogue and diplomacy.”

The diplomatic activity came as Iran prepared for negotiations in Oman on Monday concerning the Strait of Hormuz, where commercial shipping has been badly disrupted by the conflict.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Saturday that the talks in Oman were not expected to immediately result in a signed agreement governing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most consequential oil-shipping routes in the world.

Iran is seeking an expanded role in overseeing passage through the strategic waterway, including authority to collect fees from ships traveling through it.

Meanwhile, the threat to regional energy infrastructure expanded beyond the Strait of Hormuz when Saudi Arabia temporarily closed its East-West oil pipeline following a drone attack. The pipeline is particularly important because it allows Saudi oil to avoid the Strait of Hormuz and instead reach export terminals on the Red Sea.

Saudi authorities said the drones responsible for the attack originated in Iraqi territory, although Riyadh did not publicly accuse Iran of carrying out or directing the strike. President Trump said Saturday that he believed Iran was “probably” responsible.

Saudi Arabia said it would refrain from an immediate retaliatory response, providing the Iraqi government with an opportunity to prevent additional attacks from being launched from its territory.

The escalating regional tensions have also driven oil prices sharply higher. Brent crude closed Friday at $104.61 per barrel, while U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate ended trading at $100.05. Those figures represented increases of approximately 18% and 21%, respectively, since August 14.

President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed increasingly dire warnings about the dangers of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence, arguing that the United States cannot afford to slow down and risk surrendering its technological advantage to China. Speaking at his golf resort in Doonbeg, Ireland, Trump said maintaining American leadership in AI outweighed calls for a broad slowdown in development.

“We’re leading China in AI. We’re the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI wins,” Trump told reporters.

Trump argued that some of the darkest predictions surrounding AI are exaggerated, while emphasizing that his overriding objective is to keep the United States at the forefront of the rapidly developing technology.

“And we can put guardrails; we can do this and that,” he added.

“But I think you have a lot of negative voices that are bringing it up that shouldn’t be bringing it up, and they’re bringing up things that won’t happen.”

The President’s remarks came after Anthropic safety researchers Joe Benton and Jacob Coxon resigned from the company amid concerns about the direction and speed of AI development, adding to a rapidly intensifying debate over the potential dangers posed by increasingly powerful systems.

Coxon’s warnings drew enormous attention on X last Tuesday, where he accused Anthropic and OpenAI of acting irresponsibly and charged that they are “racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.”

Amid the growing controversy, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for slowing the advancement of frontier AI systems so that safety research and safeguards have time to keep pace. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and xAI’s Elon Musk subsequently backed the broad call for a slower pace of development.

Some Republicans have also called for a greater government role in AI oversight and for technology executives to assume more responsibility for ensuring that increasingly sophisticated systems remain safe.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday that Congress, the White House and leading AI executives should work together on appropriate safeguards, while agreeing with Trump that the United States cannot allow China to overtake it in the global AI race.

“We have to do this right, safely and wisely,” Johnson told CNN’s “State of the Union,” adding that Congress and the White House need to come together as soon as possible to “figure out what the right balance is.”

“We cannot put a moratorium on this because China will overlap us, and that’s the challenge — national security balanced with the immediate security of making sure the models are safe,” he added.

David Sacks, who previously served as Trump’s AI czar and is now co-president of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, criticized the calls from Amodei and Altman, questioning whether their push for slowing development was entirely about safety.

“[S]top pretending you need anyone else’s permission. Stop pretending antitrust law has to be suspended so you can form a cartel. Stop pretending you need a regulatory approval process that supersedes product liability,” Sacks chided on X in response.

“Most of all, stop pretending the motivation to slow down is purely altruistic,” he added. “China is very unlikely to join a global agreement, as you know, and that has to be taken into account as well. So go ahead and pace the frontier. You are the ones setting it.”

Amodei, in explaining his concerns, pointed to an incident this summer involving OpenAI agents and Hugging Face in which AI agents behaved outside their intended constraints and conducted autonomous cyber activity while attempting to succeed at an evaluation. Amodei argued that more capable versions of such systems could pose dramatically greater dangers.

He noted that “[s]imilar, though less severe, incidents” have taken place at other firms.

“Given the accelerating rate of AI capability development, it’s my worry that in 6–12 months such a swarm could be capable of taking over the entire internet with a persistent botnet … and that the scale of damage would continue to increase from there if AI becomes more powerful without the necessary guardrails,” he wrote in a piece on Saturday.

Democrats have likewise raised concerns about the speed of AI development. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, has called for a moratorium on new data centers and urged Trump to pursue an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping restricting the development of the most advanced AI systems.

“With the future of humanity at stake, Trump must negotiate a comprehensive treaty with President Xi of China to establish a pause on advanced AI development and a ban on super intelligence,” Sanders posted on X Sunday.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said artificial intelligence would receive significant attention when House Democrats gathered for their caucus meeting Tuesday, saying a “high priority will be action on artificial intelligence.”

“We certainly need to begin to act urgently to address the challenges that exist,” Jeffries told ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday. “What we did as Democrats was to begin last December a Commission on Artificial Intelligence and the Innovation Economy so we could evaluate the steps that needed to be done and then present an aggressive framework.”

Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona has called for Congress to establish a select committee devoted specifically to artificial intelligence and its potential risks.

“AI is unlike any technology we’ve seen before,” he said on “State of the Union. “Once it becomes fully dangerous, it won’t care whether you’re Chinese or American. We can’t afford to wait three years to act; we have to move now to regulate it.”

Earlier this year, the Trump administration temporarily restricted access to Anthropic’s frontier Mythos model following concerns about its ability to identify and exploit cybersecurity vulnerabilities, according to the Post.

Trump has repeatedly emphasized what he sees as AI’s transformative potential, describing the technology as “bigger than the internet” and pointing in particular to possible breakthroughs in medicine.

Despite widespread public concern about artificial intelligence and the enormous data centers required to support increasingly advanced models, Trump has continued to argue that the United States must press ahead, repeatedly identifying continued American technological leadership over China as his central priority.

Beijing is moving to prohibit virtually all private possession of drones within the Chinese capital, significantly expanding restrictions that already bar unauthorized flights and have blocked the sale of the devices since May.

The new prohibition, announced Sunday, will take effect November 15 and will make it illegal to possess or store drones — as well as certain critical drone components — anywhere within Beijing’s municipal boundaries.

Chinese authorities have already prohibited unauthorized drone operations in Beijing on security grounds, designating the entire administrative region of the capital as restricted airspace.

The tougher regulations follow a deadly aviation accident in late June, when a small aircraft crashed into a Beijing skyscraper, killing the pilot and leaving 13 other people injured.

Under an earlier set of regulations approved in March and implemented May 1, Beijing residents who already owned drones were required to register the devices using their real names and identities. Those who completed the registration process were permitted to retain their drones as long as they complied with stringent requirements.

That exemption will disappear under the revised regulations approved this month. Beginning November 15, even storing or possessing a drone or designated key components inside Beijing will be prohibited, authorities announced Sunday.

Individuals and businesses that violate the restrictions could have their drones confiscated and may also face financial penalties.

To help current owners dispose of their devices, Beijing authorities plan to offer subsidies to residents who turn in their drones at designated buyback locations, according to the state-owned Beijing Daily. Owners will also have the option of scrapping and recycling their drones in exchange for a smaller subsidy or transporting them outside Beijing before the prohibition takes effect.

Drone use will remain possible in other areas of China, although operators are generally required to register their devices under their real names. Beijing, as the national capital and seat of China’s central government, routinely operates under tighter security restrictions than many other parts of the country.

Tourists and other visitors are also subject to the restrictions. Bringing a drone into Beijing from outside the city is already prohibited.

Federal investigators examining California Gov. Gavin Newsom have expanded their scrutiny to include his international travel, private funding for those trips and possible payments toward personal and living expenses, according to newly revealed subpoenas involving a nonprofit closely connected to the governor.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office issued subpoenas in September seeking roughly six years of communications involving the California State Protocol Foundation, a nonprofit that has used privately donated money rather than taxpayer funds to cover expenses associated with Newsom’s travel.

According to the subpoenas, investigators sought records concerning the foundation’s donors and fundraising activities, Newsom’s overseas trips and events, and any foundation money that may have been used for the governor’s personal or living expenses.

Federal authorities also sought information involving several Newsom aides, including Becca Prowda, the governor’s chief protocol officer, who plays a significant role in arranging his international travel. Prowda is married to San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.

Investigators reportedly also requested communications involving members of the Protocol Foundation’s board, several of whom have longstanding personal or professional relationships with Newsom.

Since becoming governor in 2019, Newsom has directed more than $7.5 million in outside donations to the Protocol Foundation, according to state records cited by the California Post, with approximately $5.1 million coming from money left over from his inaugural activities.

Among the foundation’s donors are corporations and organizations that conduct business in California or are affected by state government decisions, including CVS, a Blue Shield-affiliated foundation and autonomous-vehicle company Zoox. Newsom has also solicited contributions from the New Venture Fund and cryptocurrency billionaire Chris Larsen.

Foundations connected to wealthy philanthropists Susie Tompkins Buell and Lisa Stone Pritzker have also contributed. Both women have financially supported Newsom’s political activities as well as nonprofit organizations associated with his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.

The Protocol Foundation is not the only subject attracting federal scrutiny. Investigators have also been examining tax matters involving Siebel Newsom, according to previous reporting. The precise scope and potential criminal theories behind the various investigations have not been publicly established.

Newsom has accused President Donald Trump of using the Justice Department to retaliate against him politically, pointing to his repeated criticism of the Trump administration and his consideration of a possible presidential campaign in 2028. The Justice Department has declined to comment publicly on those allegations.

“Governor Newsom went after the king — and as he warned in June, the tyrant is now coming after everyone around him,” Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for the governor’s office, said in a statement to The Post.

“This is what Donald Trump does to his enemies: investigate first, hunt for a crime that doesn’t exist second.”

Records obtained following a public-records dispute this summer showed that Newsom held more than 30 briefings or meetings with Prowda concerning his extensive travel schedule and planned meetings and events involving foreign officials.

Newsom’s international travel this year has included visits to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and the Munich Security Conference in Germany. He also traveled to London to sign an environmental agreement. Earlier in his governorship, Newsom led a weeklong delegation to China in 2023.

According to the governor’s calendars, Prowda has accompanied or assisted Newsom at events ranging from the California Hall of Fame ceremony to meetings with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and David Lammy, who previously served as Britain’s deputy prime minister.

Several of Newsom’s longtime political advisers also hold influential positions within the Protocol Foundation.

The organization’s chairman, Steve Kawa, previously served as Newsom’s chief of staff when Newsom was mayor of San Francisco. Newsom recently appointed Kawa to chair the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Jason Elliott, another longtime Newsom adviser who was also appointed to the rail authority, serves on the Protocol Foundation’s board.

Jim DeBoo, who previously served as Newsom’s chief of staff in the governor’s office, is listed as secretary of the Protocol Foundation in its latest IRS filings.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Protocol Foundation did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Post. Foundation officials told the San Francisco Standard that they could not discuss the federal investigation.

A spokesperson for the foundation said it “has proudly supported both Republican and Democratic administrations in fulfilling their duties representing all of California through public events and international engagements.”

The foundation’s spending has extended beyond paying expenses associated with Newsom’s overseas travel.

Protocol Foundation money was also used when Newsom delivered his State of the State address from an empty Dodger Stadium during the COVID-19 pandemic. The nonprofit also reportedly paid for burner phones that Newsom sent to prominent technology executives last year.

Financial records indicate that the foundation’s resources had fallen sharply by the end of 2024. After spending nearly $600,000 more than it collected over the preceding two years, the organization reported just $7,790 in net funds, according to IRS records.

The newly disclosed subpoenas provide additional detail about the federal investigation but do not establish wrongdoing by Newsom, his wife, his aides or the Protocol Foundation.