25 Years After 9/11, Familiar Rituals and Unfinished Business

A quarter-century after hijacked airliners struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, this month's anniversary kept its familiar rituals, with names read aloud and bells tolled.

On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 al Qaeda hijackers seized four commercial jets, killing 2,977 people. More than 9,000 members of the federal World Trade Center Health Program have since died, though the program's death count includes deaths from all causes. This year, organizers added a seventh moment of silence for those lost to 9/11-related illnesses.

The attacks were followed by the 20-year U.S. war in Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, conflicts in which thousands of American service members and far more Afghans and Iraqis were killed. At home, they prompted the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration and passage of the Patriot Act, while reshaping debates over surveillance and the treatment of Muslim Americans.

All four living former presidents attended the Ground Zero ceremony, which has barred speeches by politicians since 2012. President Trump spoke at the Pentagon.

For many families, the milestone underscored unfinished business. The military trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind, and three co-defendants is scheduled to begin June 5, 2028. Terry Strada, whose husband died in the North Tower, drew cheers as she accused administration after administration, including the former presidents seated before her, of protecting Saudi Arabia rather than standing with the families. The kingdom has repeatedly denied involvement in the attacks.

 

Texas GOP Unveils Map to Flip Seats, Faces Dem Opposition

Texas Republicans unveiled a proposed congressional redistricting map Wednesday, aiming to flip five Democratic-held seats and solidify GOP control after explicit urging from President Donald Trump. The draft, released during a special legislative session called by Governor Greg Abbott, would increase Republican-held House seats from 25 to potentially 30, drawing new boundaries primarily in the Houston, Dallas, Austin, and South Texas regions.

Notably, Houston's 9th District, currently majority-minority and represented by Al Green (D), would be redrawn into a seat won by Trump by 15 points in 2024. The plan also forces Democratic members in Austin and Dallas, including Reps. Greg Casar, Lloyd Doggett, Julie Johnson, and Marc Veasey, into more competitive or even primary battles. In South Texas, current Democratic districts would be tilted toward Republicans by adding more GOP voter pockets while shifting Democratic areas to current more Republican-leaning districts.

Democrats have denounced the mid-cycle redistricting as an overtly partisan attempt to capture seats and to circumvent ongoing legal challenges to the state’s 2021 map. State Rep. Gene Wu (D) called the proposal a “corrupt, racially-motivated gerrymander,” and Democrats are contemplating a quorum break, potentially fleeing the state to stall the vote, despite updated House rules allowing $500-per-day fines for absences. National Democratic groups are mobilizing resources and volunteers to fight the changes and prepare for legal battles, and Democratic-controlled state legislatures may take up their mid-cycle redistricting in hopes of capturing GOP-held seats in their states.