Sept. 11

Sept. 17 (UPI) — A federal court has sentenced a man who recorded drone video of a U.S. military installation in Guam to two months of home confinement, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.

The U.S. District Court of Guam handed down the sentence to Billy Cao Cruz, 54, on Sept. 11. Along with home confinement, Cruz was sentenced to two years of supervised release and a $25 fine for violating national defense airspace.

FBI agents questioned Cruz on April 16 about a video he uploaded to his YouTube channel called “Planet Guam.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands described the video, uploaded to YouTube on Feb. 1, as “sensitive” and said it had nearly 12,000 views before it was removed from YouTube.

Prosecutors said Cruz had previously been warned about photographing military installations. He told FBI agents he used a specific drone because he believed it had fewer restrictions that didn’t require him to notify nearby airports.

“You get away with a lot of things” using the specific drone, Cruz told the agents.

U.S. Attorney Shawn Anderson said nearly all of Guam’s airspace is under flight restrictions due to the large military installation there.

“These restrictions help ensure the safe operation of commercial, military and private aircraft,” Anderson said. “As this case demonstrates, they also protect our national security, including the military personnel who keep our homeland safe.”

Sept. 11 (UPI) — President Donald Trump spoke at the Pentagon Thursday giving his condolences and telling the stories of those who died in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

In his speech, Trump mentioned that the Pentagon was built 84 years ago, and “On Sept. 11, 2001, those same walls built with the sweat and muscle blood of our parents and grandparents were scarred by flame and shaken by terror as our country came face to face with pure evil on that fateful day, savage monsters attacked the very symbols of our civilization.”

“That terrible morning, 24 years ago, time itself stood still,” he went on. “The laughter of school children fell silent. The rush of our traffic came to an absolute halt, and for 2,977 innocent souls and their families, the entire world came crashing down so suddenly. … To every member that still feels a void every day of your lives, the first lady and I unite with you in sorrow and today, as one nation, we renew our sacred vow that we will never forget Sept. 11, 2001.”

Trump also mentioned the “Department of War,” what he’s renamed the Department of Defense, though it hasn’t yet been approved by Congress.

“In the years that followed, America’s warriors, avenged the fallen and sent an unmistakable message to every enemy around the world, ‘If you attack the United States of America, we will hunt you down, and we will find you, go all over the sometimes-magnificent Earth. We will crush you without mercy, and we will triumph without question.’

“That’s why we named the former Department of Defense the Department of War. It will be different. We won the first World War. We won the Second World War. We won everything before that and in between. And then we decided to change the name. Well, now we have it back to where we all want it. Everybody wanted it. Everybody is so happy to have it back. You will fail, and America will win, win, win. The enemy will always fail.”

He then went back to telling stories of those killed in the 9/11 attacks and the families of those killed.

At the beginning of his speech, Trump mentioned the “heinous assassination” of political commentator Charlie Kirk who was shot and killed while hosting an event in Utah on Wednesday.

“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty. Our prayers are with his wonderful wife Erika [Frantzve] and his beautiful children. Fantastic people, they are,” Trump said.

He then announced that he will posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Before Trump spoke, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth — introduced as Secretary of War — spoke, mentioning that “Islamist terrorists” attacked the United States.

“War is an enduring aspect of the human condition, a tool that, when wielded wisely, punishes enemies intent on terrorizing or subjugating our nation,” he said. “War must not become a mere tool for global social work eager to risk American blood and treasure for utopian fever dreams. We should hit hard, reap vengeance and return home.”

According to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, 2,977 people died during the attacks, including 2,753 in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon and 40 on Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania.

The president is expected to travel to New York later Thursday to attend a Yankees game. The Yankees are expected to have a pregame ceremony to recognize the victims and heroes of 9/11.

Vice President JD Vance was scheduled to attend a ceremony in New York, but changed his schedule to head to Utah to offer condolences to the family of Charlie Kirk.

Sept. 11 (UPI) — Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance will travel to Utah Thursday to pay respects to the family of Charlie Kirk.

The vice president changed his previous plans to visit New York City to honor the victims of the Sept. 11. 2001, terrorist attacks, according to sources reported by USA Today, The Hill and Politico.

Political activist and author Charlie Kirk, 31, was shot and killed Wednesday while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, which is about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City.

About 3,000 people attended the event, and Kirk was responding to a question about mass shootings when a single shot was heard at about 12:20 p.m. MDT, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason told reporters during a late-afternoon news conference.

Kirk placed his right hand on his neck as he fell. He was picked up by his private security team, which took him to Intermountain Health Utah Valley Hospital, which is near the university.

He was pronounced dead soon after.

The vice president was a close friend of Kirk.

President Donald Trump still plans to attend a 9/11 observance at the Pentagon and then a New York Yankees–Detroit Tigers baseball game at Yankee Stadium.

Vance eulogized Kirk in a long post on X late Wednesday.

“Charlie Kirk was a true friend,” Vance wrote. “The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him. I am on more than a few group chats with Charlie and people he introduced me to over the years. We celebrate weddings and babies, bust each other’s chops, and mourn the loss of loved ones. We talk about politics and policy and sports and life.”

“I was in a meeting in the West Wing when those group chats started lighting up with people telling Charlie they were praying for him,” he continued. “And that’s how I learned the news that my friend had been shot. I prayed a lot over the next hour, as first good news and then bad trickled in.”

Sept. 11 (UPI) — A coalition of House lawmakers from both sides of the aisle has voted to repeal laws authorizing the United States’ use of force in Iraq in 1991 and 2003, which critics say has been abused by presidents.

The bipartisan amendment attached to the annual National Defense Authorization Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives in a 261-167 vote on Wednesday. Forty-nine Republicans joined 167 Democrats to pass the bill.

Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., a sponsor of the bill, described the decades-old authorizations as “long obsolete” and at risk of abuse by administrations of either party.

“It’s time for Congress to reclaim its constitutional authority over matters of war and peace,” the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said.

The 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force was originally passed by Congress following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. However, it has been used by administrations since to justify military strikes, including during the first Trump administration to justify the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020.

The vote also comes on the heels of President Donald Trump using the military to attack a drug smuggling vessel earlier this month and Iran’s nuclear facilities earlier this summer.

The proposal to repeal the AUMF was part of the $892.6 billion NDAA, which passed the House on Wednesday in a 231-196 vote, with only 17 Democrats giving it their approval.

A baggage cart passes by a Southwest 737 Max 8 airliner after arriving from Los Angeles at St. Louis-Lambert International Airport on March 13, 2019. Over the Labor Day weekend, Southwest became one of the first U.S. carriers to take delivery and fly a plane with a “secondary barrier” to protect pilots from cockpit intrusions. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 1 (UPI) — Southwest Airlines has become one of the first U.S. carriers to take flight with an added barrier to protect pilots from intrusions when they exit the cockpit.

Southwest took delivery of the Boeing 737 Max 8, with the added retractable gate-like feature, and put it into service over the Labor Day weekend. The change comes nearly 24 years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

“For Southwest this was the right decision,” the airline said in a statement. “We have a robust safety management system that takes a proactive approach when it comes to enhancing safety wherever possible.”

The additional flight deck barrier is designed to prevent cockpit invasions, like those during the 2001 terror attacks when hijackers took control of four jetliners. The secondary gate is closed to provide added protection for pilots when they open the cockpit door to access the lavatory.

Before the barriers, flight attendants have routinely blocked access to the front of the plane, using themselves or a drink cart, whenever a pilot leaves the flight deck. While existing planes cannot be retrofitted with the barriers, newly delivered planes will come with the barrier installed.

Last week, a 2023 Federal Aviation Administration regulation required Boeing and Airbus to begin delivering its new planes with the secondary barriers.

According to the final rule, the new barrier “will be deployed, closed and locked whenever the flight deck door is opened while the airplane is in flight.”

While Southwest has decided to take immediate delivery of planes with the secondary barriers, other airlines have opted to wait until July 2026 after the FAA granted a one-year exemption.

Aug. 27 (UPI) — Prosecutors seek a seven-year sentence for Nadine Menendez, the wife of former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., for her part in a bribery and corruption scheme.

Nadine Menendez, 58, is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 11 in the U.S. District Court for Southern New York courtroom in Manhattan, where her husband was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison in January.

Nadine Menendez “did not commit bribery reluctantly, fleetingly or on a small scale,” federal prosecutors told U.S. District Court Judge Sidney Stein, as reported by The New York Times.

“She did so eagerly, for years, and in a scheme implicating foreign relations, national security and the integrity of state and federal law enforcement,” they argued.

“The defendant engaged, for years, in a corruption and foreign influence scheme of stunning brazenness, breadth and duration, resulting in exceptionally grave abuses of power at the highest levels of the legislative branch of the United States government,” prosecutors argued.

Her attorneys alternatively seek a sentence of one year and one day due to breast cancer treatment.

They said she can’t receive adequate care while in prison and sought leniency due to her growing up in war-torn Lebanon, enduring gender-based violence and having cancer, The Hill reported.

Federal prosecutors expressed a willingness for her to undergo recommended surgeries before surrendering for her eventual incarceration.

A jury in April found Nadine Menendez guilty on 15 counts related to the bribery scheme centered on her husband’s political corruption.

Federal prosecutors showed she accepted cash, gold and a Mercedes luxury automobile in exchange for political favors by Bob Menendez.

He chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before resigning amid his legal troubles in 2023.

Two co-defendants, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, also were found guilty on related charges and sentenced to three years and eight years, respectively, in January.

1 of 4 | Tulsi Gabbard, director of National Intelligence, speaks during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 23. On Wednesday, she announced 40% cuts to staff at the ODNI. File Photo by Eric Lee/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 20 (UPI) — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced Wednesday a plan to cut 40% of her office’s staff by October in an effort to save taxpayers about $700 million per year.

She said the overhaul of the Office of the Director National Intelligence will reduce “bloat” and refocus the agency’s mission “in the most agile, effective and efficient way.” Gabbard dubbed the plan ODNI 2.0.

“Over the last 20 years, ODNI has become bloated and inefficient, and the intelligence community is rife with abuse of power, unauthorized leaks of classified intelligence and politicized weaponization of intelligence,” she said.

“Under President [Donald] Trump’s leadership, ODNI 2.0 is the start of a new era focused on serving our country, fulfilling our core national security mission with excellence, always grounded in the U.S. Constitution, and ensuring the safety, security and freedom of the American people.”

Congress created the ODNI to oversee all 18 intelligence community agencies within the U.S. government in 2004 as a response to to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. Since its founding, the staff of the ODNI grew to about 1,850, 500 of whom the Trump administration has already cut since the start of the president’s second term.

In addition to cutting staff, the ODNI won’t rehire vacant positions.

The cuts will see the duties of the Foreign Malign Influence Center, National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center and Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center absorbed into the ODNI’s Mission Integration directorate and the National Intelligence Council. Additionally the work of the National Intelligence University will now fall under the Defense Department’s National Defense University.

The External Research Council will be shuttered and the ODNI’s facilities in Reston, Va., will be closed and moved to headquarters.

May 30 (UPI) — Bernard Kerik, New York City’s police commissioner on Sept.11, 2001, died Thursday at the age of 69.

Kerik was hailed as a hero for his response to the terror attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, but fell from grace after pleading guilty to federal corruption charges and tax crimes in the years that followed.

F.B.I director Kash Patel said in a statement on social media Thursday night that Kerik had died “after a private battle with illness.”

“With over forty years of service in law enforcement and national security, he dedicated his life to protecting the American people,” Patel wrote.

Kerik rose to prominence as former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani‘s bodyguard during Giuliani’s 1993 mayoral campaign. He worked his way through the ranks of the police department as a street cop and narcotics officer in some of the city’s busiest and most heavily trafficked areas, including Times Square, before being promoted to corrections commissioner where he took on the abuse of sick time by fellow officers and worked to reduce violence among prison inmates.

Kerik’s rapid rise through the ranks prompted criticism among many, who were quick to point out that he did not have a college degree or the necessary experience to carry out the duties of a high-ranking bureaucrat in the nation’s largest and most closely scrutinized police department.

Officers at Kerik’s rank were typically required to have a college degree, which he did go on to earn in 2002.

Crime declined during his tenure as police commissioner, but his critics said that was a continuation of the success that had been achieved by two of his predecessors.

Despite heavy criticism and scrutiny, Kerik received several meritorious awards, including the title of Commander of the British Empire, bestowed on him by Queen Elizabeth II.

In 2009, however, Kerik pleaded guilty to eight charges ranging from tax evasion to theft of honest services, making him the first city police commissioner to become a felon. He was sentenced to 48 months in prison.

The New York City Police Department issued a statement Thursday night saying it was in “mourning” over Kerik’s passing.

“For nearly two decades, Kerik served and protected New Yorkers in the NYPD, including helping rebuild the city in the aftermath of 9/11,” the police force said on X.

“We offer our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”

Andrew Giuliani, son of Rudolph Giuliani and a member of the Trump administration’s White House, said in a statement Thursday that “New York lost one of our greatest crime fighters this evening.”

“Bernard Kerik set the standard, turning the most dangerous Correctional systems in the world into the gold standard,” he said on X, adding that as police commissioner on Sept. 11, “Bernie led from the front.”

“Personally, I will always remember Bernie through the eyes of my seven-year-old self, as one of the toughest cops a boy could imagine.

“Rest in peace my friend; you rock; you great warrior!”