Mizzou quarterback Beau Pribula (9) passes the ball (copy)

(The Center Square) – Twenty-five years ago Friday, New York firefighter Stephen Siller ran through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel toward the burning twin towers where he, like so many others that day, would lose his life. Friday morning, his family walked that same route in his honor, completing a four-and-a-half month 9/11 remembrance tour across the U.S.

Siller’s older brother Frank founded charitable organization the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, to honor and remember his brother’s sacrifice. The foundation focuses on helping veterans, first responders and their families, including by providing mortgage-free homes and specially adapted housing.

“[Stephen’s] act of heroism, that selflessness, that ultimate price he paid, has now changed the lives of thousands of people,” Siller said Friday.

The foundation is committed to remembering 9/11 and passing that memory on to younger Americans who are too young to remember it themselves. That’s why this year, Siller and others from the foundation traveled the country in a Steel Across America tour, transporting a 21-foot, 16,900-pound World Trade Center steel beam more than 10,500 miles through nearly 40 stops across the country and back stopping in more than 21 states.

“For over four months, the steel has been a gathering place for communities to remember the events of September 11th, to honor first responders and veterans, and to ensure that a new generation understands the significance of what happened 25 years ago,” reads a foundation press release.

The tour stopped at military installations, firehouses, memorials and other notable sites, including Mount Rushmore, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the White House Ellipse in Washington. It’s part of a larger ongoing effort that includes a K-12 curriculum for teaching on 9/11 and a mobile exhibit that travels the country to educate America’s youth about 9/11.

“Look, a third of America wasn’t even born 25 years ago. We have to teach them,” Siller said. “Freedom is not free, and we’re going to make sure that we teach America that we have this great country — the best that ever existed, by far and away…. just because of these men and women that are willing to protect us.”

The foundation has also committed to paying off the mortgages or providing mortgage-free homes to an additional 55 families of fallen first responders in honor of the 25th anniversary. The families represent 18 states, with 27 from the New York metropolitan area, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Fifteen of the fallen first responders died from 9/11-related illnesses.

Of walking the route of Stephen’s last steps 25 years later, Siller said it was “something I will never be able to fully put into words.”

“Stephen ran toward danger to help people he didn’t even know. We are here today to honor him, the 343, and every hero who has continued to serve in the years since.”

Hundreds of people joined the walk Friday morning, finishing at FDNY firehouse 10 and placing roses at the FDNY Memorial Wall, a 56-foot-long bronze bas-relief memorial honoring the 343 firefighters who died on September 11, 2001.

(The Center Square) - U.S. inflation rose by 0.4% in August for an annual rate of 3.4%, keeping in track with July's data, according to a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

The index for gasoline rose 3.9% during the month, accounting for more than one third of the monthly items increase. Energy overall increased by 2.1% and the shelter index rose by 0.3%. 

The index for food increased 0.1% over the month and rose 0.3% for all items less food and energy. 

Over the past 12 months, the energy index has increased by 16.3%, largely driven by rising prices from the U.S. military conflict with Iran. 

"America still has an inflation problem," said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal. 

Inflation in July only rose 0.1%, showing a persistent economic nag as global energy markets continue to be affected by the conflict with Iran. 

Long pointed out that prices for other inflation indicators also rose in August, a surprising trend that is not often seen. 

"Higher gas prices accounted for a third of the increase in August, but shelter, eating out, transportation and new and used vehicles all had significant price increases as well," Long said. 

The price for new vehicles rose by 0.3% in August and 0.4% for used cars and trucks. 

Inflation continues to outpace wage growth, Long said. Wage growth in the past year is 3.1%, according to the BLS. 

"Many American households have to belt tighten and make difficult choices on what to cut back on," Long said. "This is why consumption appears to be slowing. Americans are getting squeezed financially."

(The Center Square) – For those in New York looking to honor the 25th anniversary of September 11, there are many ways to remember.

Events range from the annual ceremony honoring those who were killed and others paying tribute to firefighters, along with church services and moments of remembrance taking place across the city.

Dawn to Dusk Remembrance – FDNY Ten House, the firehouse closest to the World Trade Center, will be open to the public for much of the day for visitors wishing to pay their respects.

8:30 a.m.: Ground Zero Ceremony – The 9/11 Memorial & Museum will hold the annual commemorative ceremony for the families who lost loved ones to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This event is not open to the public but will be livestreamed. The nearly 3,000 victims’ names will be read aloud by relatives, punctuated by moments of silence marking key moments of the attacks. A seventh moment of silence will be added this year for those who have died since 2001 due to 9/11-related illnesses.

11:30 a.m.: Wreath Laying at the FDNY Fire Museum – Visitors can explore exhibits highlighting the history of the New York Fire Department and its response to September 11.

1 p.m.: Dancers from the New York Butoh Institute will give a live performance of “Unforgotten: Butoh for 9/11” in Times Square as part of an annual commemoration of the victims of 9/11, with a special tribute to firefighters and police officers who lost their lives that day.

3 p.m.: The 9/11 Memorial & Museum reopens to the public.

6 p.m.: Premiere screening of Resilience, a short film about the ongoing health impacts for FDNY firefighters who helped with rescue and recovery efforts on 9/11.

6:30 p.m.: The New York Yankees and the New York Mets kick off a three-game series running from Sept. 11-13 with a pre-game tribute to first responders and those who died in the attacks.

Other commemorative events were earlier in the week and will continue through the weekend.

City agencies have been encouraged to hold their own moments of remembrance or commemorative events Friday.

Other Friday events, like a concert at the New York Philharmonic and an interfaith memorial service at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church & National Shrine will be held for victims’ families and their guests.

(The Center Square) – New Yorkers, Americans from across the country, and people from all over the world came to the World Trade Center memorial site this week, culminating in a memorial service Friday morning. 

President Donald Trump, many elected officials, families of those killed on 9/11, first responders and member of the military were in attendance. 

Thousands of people have been packed in the 9/11 Memorial & Museum to learn about the events of 9/11 and what led up to them, and to learn of the acts of service and bravery in the aftermath and throughout rescue and recovery efforts 

During the annual commemoration ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan, family members read the names of 2,983 men, women and children killed by Islamic terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, and Feb. 26, 1993, due to the fact that the north tower of the World Trade Center was attacked twice. 

The 1993 terrorist bombing killed six. The 2001 terrorist attack killed 1,470 in the tower and 87 on American Airlines Flight 11, the hijacked plane that crashed into it, The Center Square reported.

Those killed on 9/11 were between the ages of 2.5 and 85, from 90 countries and from varying ethnic, socioeconomic and faith backgrounds. 

“Twenty-five years later, the responsibility to remember 9/11 – and share the stories of sacrifice and heroism that inspired the world – has not diminished. In City Hall, we vowed to bring Lower Manhattan back stronger than ever, and its comeback is a testament to the resilience that carried our city and country forward. As the history of 9/11 continues to pass from those who lived it to those who learned it, our vow to Never Forget takes on new meaning – and requires us to preserve the stories and lessons of 9/11 for generations to come,” said Michael Bloomberg, New York City’s former three-term mayor who chairs the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.  

The ceremony paused for six moments of silence, at:

• 8:46 am—, when the first hijacked plane, American Airlines Flight 11 hit the north tower;

• 9:03 am, when the second hijacked plane, United Airlines flight 175 hit the south tower;

• 9:37 am, when hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon;

• 9:59 am, when the south tower collapsed;

• 10:03 am, when hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, Penn.;

• 10:28 am, when the north tower collapsed. 

It also started a new tradition, pausing for a moment of silence for the first time in 25 years, around 12:20 pm to acknowledge all who’ve died from 9/11-related illness or injuries.

“Twenty-five years after 9/11, we remain steadfast in our responsibility to remember the 2,983 people who were killed by the attacks in 2001 and 1993, and to ensure their stories live on. As more people come of age with no memory of that day, this anniversary is an important moment to come together, reflect on how 9/11 changed our country, and reaffirm our shared promise to never forget,” 9/11 Memorial & Museum president and CEO Beth Hillman said.

“For so many families, returning to this place and hearing the names of our loved ones – including my husband, David – is a powerful reminder that they will never be forgotten. Soon, those who witnessed 9/11 will be outnumbered by generations who know that day only through the names we read aloud, the names etched in bronze on the Memorial, and the stories preserved in the Museum. That is how we ensure that those we lost remain more than history,” 9/11 family member and 9/11 Memorial & Museum founding trustee Paula Grant Berry said.

The museum remains committed to reaching more than 100 million Americans who weren’t alive 25 years ago or are too young to remember 9/11. Its annual Anniversary Digital Learning Experience is providing schools worldwide with access to a 30-minute film featuring first-person accounts of the Sept. 11 attacks and aftermath. 

It’s also encouraging Americans and others around the world to participate in Remember the Sky on Sept. 11 by sharing a photo of the sky with a personal, commemorative message. It’s also marking the 25th anniversary through The Never Forget Fund, with Bloomberg providing matching donations dollar for dollar, up to $25 million.

The museum’s Tribute in Light will also be on display at dusk. First launched six months after 9/11, the twin blue lights beam every year at dusk on Sept. 11 until dawn on Sept. 12. Displayed from the roof of the Battery Parking Garage south of the memorial, they reach up to four miles into the sky. They are comprised of 88 7,000-watt xenon lightbulbs positioned into two 48-foot squares, resembling the shape and orientation of the Twin Towers. The beams can be seen from a 60-mile radius around lower Manhattan.

(The Center Square) – The inaugural U.S. First Responder Ride for Resilience wrapped up Thursday afternoon in Manhattan’s Battery Park, where cyclists completed mile 343 of a five-day route stretching from Boston to Ground Zero.

A couple hundred first responders, cancer survivors and civilian supporters rode in honor of the 343 members of the New York City Fire Department who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, and to raise funds for first responders battling cancer and mental health challenges.

Among the participants was FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief and Manhattan Borough Commander John Corcoran, a 40-year veteran who served on 9/11 – though he humbly admitted he joined for only part of the ride. His reason for riding was the same thing that motivates him to go to work each day.

“The idea of helping people. We take this job as firefighters to help people. Definitely not for the pay, and definitely not for the health benefits, because firefighting is a very dangerous job,” Corcoran told The Center Square.

Corcoran and other first responders worked from Sept. 11, 2001, until May 2002 to first find and rescue survivors and then to recover those who had died.

The ride was the third of its kind, though the first in the U.S. and to Ground Zero. Organized by Friends of Firefighters — a nonprofit that provides free mental health services to FDNY firefighters — in partnership with Livestrong and the Boston Fire Cancer Foundation, the first two rides took place in Ireland.

Irish firefighters and the FDNY have a strong bond, according to Livestrong President and CEO Suzanne Stone.

“There is just a really tight Irish brotherhood with the FDNY, and so after 9/11, a lot of Irish firefighters came here to help with the cleanup, and they truly bonded,” Stone told The Center Square. “That’s how the first ride happened in Ireland.”

About 20 Irish firefighters participated in this year’s ride.

Stone was able to join the ride Thursday and recalled a conversation with a first responder she said would “stay with her.” They were talking about some of the notoriously difficult hills earlier in the ride, and Stone was empathizing.

“I was like, ‘That’s really hard,’” she said.

“Yeah, it is,” he said, “But every time I turn a pedal, I think about one step that one of my brothers was taking when he walked up the tower, and if he could walk one more step, I can pedal one more time.”

(The Center Square) - Terror struck America on Sept. 11, 2001, when 19 al-Qaeda hijackers seized four Boeing jets and turned them into missiles, killing almost 3,000 people.

The hijackers arrived in the U.S. on tourist visas with cash and travelers checks they got in the Middle East. They enrolled in flight schools.

Here’s what happened on that morning of 9/11, minute by minute. Details are from sources such as the 9/11 Memorial Museum, the Miller Center,  the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. the World Economic Forum and the Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks.

5:45 a.m. Hijackers Mohamed Atta and Abdul Aziz al-Omari pass through a security screening at Portland International Airport in Maine and take a commuter flight to Boston Logan International Airport.

6 a.m. Polls open in New York City for the primary election.

6:45 a.m. Atta and Omari arrive at the Boston airport. Atta, Omari, Satam al Suqami, Wail al Shehri and Waleed al Shehri board American Airlines Flight 11. At another terminal at the airport, Marwan al-Shehhi, Fayez Ahmed, Mohand al Shehri, Ahmed al Ghamdi, and Hamza al Ghamdi board United Airlines Flight 175, on a Boeing 767 piloted by Captain Victor Saracini and First Officer Michael Horrocks. 

7:15 a.m. Khalid al Mihdhar and Majed Moqed checked in at the American Airlines ticket counter for Flight 77 at Dulles International Airport in the Washington, D.C. area. The plane was a Boeing 757, and the pilots were Capt. Charles F. Burlingame and First Officer David Charlebois.

7:35 a.m. Hani Hanjour and two brothers, Nawaf al Hazmi and Salem al Hazmi, came to the same counter. 

7:59 a.m. American Airlines Flight 11, which was on a Boeing 767 piloted by Capt. John Ogonowski and First Officer Thomas McGuinnes, leaves Boston for Los Angeles. Aboard are 76 passengers, 11 crew members and five hijackers. 

8:14 a.m. Terrorists hijack Flight 11 over Massachusetts, using knives, Mace and the threat of a bomb.

8:15 a.m. United Airlines Flight 175 leaves Boston for Los Angeles with 51 passengers, nine crew members and five men who hijack the plane during its takeoff. The flight is on a Boeing 767 piloted by Capt. Victor Saracini and First Officer Michael Horrocks.

8:19 a.m. Betty Ann Ong, a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11, uses an inflight phone to contact the airlines’ ground personnel and report the hijacking. She tells them the cockpit can’t be reached and that two flight attendants were stabbed. The call happens shortly after a hijacker stabs passenger Daniel Lewin, who's sitting in front of the hijacker in first class, where two hijackers are also sitting. Lewin is believed to be the first person killed on 9/11.

8:20 a.m. American Airlines Flight 77 leaves Washington Dulles International Airport for Los Angeles with 58 passengers and six crew members. The hijacking happens as the plane takes off.

8:21 a.m. Hijackers turn off an American Airlines Flight transponder, which is what permits traffic control to identify a plane and its flight path.

8:24 a.m. Hijacker Mohamed Atta tries to communicate with the passengers and crew on American Airlines Flight 11, but presses the wrong number and unknowingly gives information about the attacks to air traffic control. Minutes later, Atta inadvertently contacts ground control again.

8:30 a.m. About 80 people come to the World Trade Center to attend a financial technology conference on the North Tower’s 106th floor. There are also 72 restaurant staff members preparing for the conference and breakfast service.

8:32 a.m. Flight attendant Madeline Amy Sweeney, who’s on Flight 11, reports the hijacking to a friend on the ground - a manager of Boston Logan International Airport. During the last minutes of her life, Sweeney provides her friend with details about the hijackers.

8:37 a.m. The U.S. Air Force’s Northeast Air Defense Sector gets an alert from the Boston Air Traffic Control Center, which hears hijacker Mohamed Atta’s transmissions.

8:42 a.m. United Airlines Flight 93, a Boeing 757, leaves Newark International Airport in New Jersey for San Francisco with seven crew members, 33 passengers and four hijackers. The pilots are Capt. Jason Dahl and First Officer LeRoy Homer Jr.

8:46 a.m. Terrorists controlling Flight 11 crash the American Airlines jet into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Everyone on the plane and hundreds inside the tower die instantly. At the same time, firefighters, police and paramedics rush to the tower, where an evacuation of survivors has begun.

8:50 a.m. Before President George W. Bush enters a second-grade classroom at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Fla., he's told about a plane crashing into the North Tower. Bush and his advisers assume the crash is an accident.

8:50-8:54 a.m. Five hijackers take control of Flight 77 above southern Ohio.

8:51 a.m. Hijackers take control of United Airlines Flight 175.

8:52 a.m. A flight attendant, believed to be Robert John Fangman, is on Flight 175. Fangman reaches a United Airlines operator in San Francisco and reports the hijacking.

8:55 a.m. The south tower at the World Trade Center is declared secure. A Port Authority fire safety employee goes on the public address system and tells people there is no need to evacuate. 

8:59 a.m. Port Authority Police Department Sgt. Al DeVona orders both towers evacuated.

9:03 a.m. Terrorists controlling Flight 175 crash the United Airlines jet into the south tower. As that happens, the New York City Police Department increases its deployment to almost 2,000 officers, and the New York City Fire Department deploys several hundred additional firefighters to the World Trade Center.

9:05 a.m. New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani arrives at the police department’s command post near the World Trade Center.

9:05 a.m. At the school in Florida, second-graders are reading aloud from the book "The Pet Goat" as President George Bush sits and listens. White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card walks over, leans down and whispers to Bush, "A second plane has hit the second tower. America is under attack." Bush stays in his seat and continues to listen to the children read for several minutes. After the reading ends, Bush walks into another room to make phone calls and brief staff. He later explains he didn't want to create a panic among the students and media in the classroom.

9:28 a.m. Four hijackers take control of United Airlines Flight 93 above northern Ohio.

9:30 a.m. A Secret Service agent’s report of possible additional hijacked planes leads to the evacuation of the U.S. Office of Emergency Management’s headquarters at 7 World Trade Center.

9:30 a.m. At the school in Sarasota, Fla., President Bush delivers televised remarks and calls the attacks a "national tragedy." He reports he spoke with Vice President Dick Cheney, New York Gov. George Pataki, FBI Director Robert Mueller III and other officials.

9:35 a.m. Bush and his staff leave the elementary school for the drive to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. 

9:36 a.m. Vice President Dick Cheney is brought by Secret Service agents to the Presidential Emergency Operations Center below the White House.

9:37 a.m. Hijackers crash American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon. All 64 people on the plane are killed. The crash and a fire it caused cost the lives of 125 military and civilian personnel on the ground.

9:42 a.m. All civilian flights in U.S. airspace are grounded by the FAA.

9:45 a.m. Evacuations are started at the U.S. Capitol, where both houses are in session. 

9:54 a.m. Air Force One departs with President Bush and his advisers from Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. The president prefers to return to Washington, D.C., but his staff suggests Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana as a secure location.

9:59 a.m. As Americans across the nation watch in horror on TV, the World Trade Center’s South Tower collapses within 10 seconds after burning for 56 minutes. More than 800 civilians and first responders die.

10:03 a.m. Passengers and flight crew fight hijackers and take control of the cockpit of United Airlines Flight 93. During the struggle, the Boeing jet crashes in a field near Shanksville, Pa., instead of what is believed to have been the hijackers' target: the Capitol. At the moment of the crash, the plane was 20 minutes away by air from Washington, D.C.

10:28 a.m. The North Tower of the World Trade Center collapses, after burning for 1 hour and 42 minutes. Also destroyed is the Marriott hotel at the base of the towers. More than 1,600 people are killed.

10:50 a.m. At the Pentagon, a fire caused by the jet crash causes five stories on the western side to collapse.

11:02 a.m. Mayor Giuliani orders evacuation of lower Manhattan.

11:45 a.m. Air Force Once lands at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.

12:16 p.m. The last commercial plane above the continental U.S. lands. Airspace is now completely closed.

2:50 p.m. Air Force One lands at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. That evening, Air Force One lands at Andrews Air Force Base, and Bush and his advisers leave by helicopter to the White House.

(The Center Square) – Thousands of friends, fans and family members gathered Thursday evening at Utah Valley University to remember the life and legacy of Turning Point USA founder and president Charlie Kirk.

It was on Sept. 10, 2025, that Kirk was shot and killed during a TPUSA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Those who knew Kirk well said the Scottsdale, Ariz. resident died doing what he loved: engaging with young people on a campus.

The audience at Thursday's memorial service included Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow and the current TPUSA chair and CEO, who didn't address the large crowd.

Dr. Frank Turek, author of “I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist” and the leader of the Cross Examined ministry, said Kirk was the greatest man he ever personally knew due to his humility, intellect and focus on fundamental issues.

He told the audience at the service that Kirk cared deeply about the three God-ordained institutions: government, family and the church.

"Charlie would always say, 'Politics is not our first responsibility, but it helps us achieve our first responsibility,' ” Turek said. "The biological two-parent family is what makes a civilization."

Kirk, 31, was a big proponent of marriage and often encouraged men to get married and have children.

Kirk also shared his faith in Jesus Christ, something Turek mentioned throughout his remarks.

“Charlie is not in heaven because of any good things he did,” said Turek. “Charlie is not in heaven because he died for his Savior. Charlie is in heaven because his Savior died for Charlie Kirk.”

Turek was with Kirk at the event last year when Kirk was shot.

Sage Lloyd, president of the Turning Point USA chapter at Utah Valley University, described the fear, grief and heartbreak experienced by the chapter, while emphasizing that despite the trauma, online threats and hostility, the students refused to give up or be silenced.

“Honestly, we had every reason to give up, but we did not,” Lloyd told the audience.

Lloyd added that Charlie Kirk may have been one man, but what he built will never end with just one man.

“He may never pick up the microphone again, but the millions of voices he inspired will never put theirs down,” said Lloyd.

Mikey McCoy, chief of staff at TPUSA, also spoke of Charlie’s faith and his passion for freedom and liberty.

“Freedom is not merely a possession,” said McCoy. “It’s a responsibility.”

McCoy later mentioned the assassination, saying that an assassin’s bullet cannot win an argument.

“It can only prove that the assassin never had one,” McCoy told the audience. “Violence is the tool of those who have run out of ideas.”

Daily Wire personality Michael Knowles said American politics is simply worse because Charlie Kirk was assassinated.

“The American right is less coherent, less unified and less strong,” Knowles said. “The American left is more radical, more emboldened, more openly violent.”

Knowles later noted Charlie Kirk’s name had meaning.

“It occurred to me that Charlie’s last name literally means church,” said Knowles. “And 'Charlie,' by the way, means free man.”

Critics of Kirk have argued that he was hateful, judgmental or unkind toward those who lived differently.

Glenn Beck of The Blaze disagreed.

“It wasn’t hate,” said Beck about Kirk’s overall message and purpose for TPUSA. “It was love.”

Beck encouraged those in attendance, young people especially, to follow Kirk’s lead by dedicating their life to “learning and living and speaking the truth” when and where it needs to be spoken.

“Charlie was murdered,” said Beck. “That was the action. Where is the equal and opposite reaction? You. You are the equal and opposite reaction. You are the life after his death.”

(The Center Square) – Vice President JD Vance called for unity among voters, touted administration policies, and honored Charlie Kirk in a speech Thursday night attempting to motivate Republicans to turn out in the upcoming midterm elections.

“By the end of 2024, you were tired. We were tired as a country, but you were not defeated,” Vance told a Dallas crowd at the Republican midterm convention on Thursday. “The radicals in Washington - they could take much from us, but they couldn't take our will to fight back, and so all of us came together on November the fifth, and we made Donald J. Trump the 47th president of the United States.”

Vance highlighted the Trump administration’s accomplishments over the last two years, including immigration enforcement, crackdowns on fraud, and economic stimulation. He contrasted President Donald Trump's policy priorities with the Biden administration’s goals, which he said drove inflation to an all-time high and depleted the country’s housing supply.

The vice president called on support for the “American birthright,” highlighting his desire to support law enforcement, affordable housing and religious freedom.

“Like most parents, I want my kids to do the most important thing. I want them to fall in love,” Vance said. “I want them to find somebody who's worth building a life with, and I want them to be able to afford a home where they can raise their children in peace and prosperity and comfort.”

Vance slammed policies during the Biden administration that he said caused workers wages to fall by $3,000, drove inflation up 20% and doubled the cost of a home. He also slammed the administration's immigration policies. which resulted in millions of illegal immigrants entering the country.

“Our nation became a place where you had to be rich to enjoy what used to be the birthright of every ordinary middle-class life,” Vance said. “Our country was stolen from us and handed to strangers.”

Vance also touted his work to enforce what he said was $250 billion in fraud and penalize individuals convicted of fraudulent welfare schemes. He pointed to a case last May where two Somali national women were charged with defrauding Medicaid of $46 million through fake autism clinics.

The former Ohio senator slammed some Democrat opponents running for Congress in the midterm elections, including Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Texas U.S. candidate James Talarico.

“They'll say the same stuff: defund the police, abolish the border, the green new scam –  we've heard all this stuff before, but I think that what's new about them is what motivates them,” Vance said. “A new type of hardcore hatred.”

He criticized El-Sayed for his association with controversial streamer Hasan Piker, who said “America deserves 9/11.” Vance also criticized Talarico’s past statements supporting transgender surgery for minors.

“These are candidates who, when they're not calling to repeal the Second Amendment, they will attack you as a literal white supremacist if you dare to criticize Sharia law,” Vane said.

In the middle of his speech, Vance was interrupted by a protester waving a Mexico flag.

“Well, well, my friend, if you love Mexico so much, get your a** over there, I'll buy you the plane ticket,” Vance retorted to massive cheers from the audience.

The vice president concluded his speech with a call for unity to voters who have felt alienated by the Trump administration's military conflict in Iran. He called for voters who disagree to unify with the party in order to maintain Republican control of Congress and remember the wins of the last two years.

“Do not throw the baby out with the bathwater,” Vance said. “Don't give the country over to a bunch of crazy people because you happen to disagree with us on a policy issue here or there,” Vance said.

“I'm not asking anybody to agree on every single policy of the administration. What I am asking you to do is to recognize the contrast with the radicals and recognize the achievements of the last 18 months,” Vance continued. “We have done a lot, my friends, and we can do a lot more if we fight together.”

(The Center Square) – States and school districts across the country are tightening rules on artificial intelligence as the 2026-27 K-12 school year begins, with education leaders citing concerns over student learning, screen time and the risks of rapidly advancing technology.

As concerns about AI’s impact on K-12 education have grown, dozens of states have introduced or passed legislation aimed at regulating its use in schools.

California 

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken steps to restrict AI use as it has become a cause for concern. This past week, Newsom signed Senate Bill 813 and Assembly Bill 1405, which aim at keeping AI accountable through safeguards and auditors.

“The concerns raised in recent incidents reinforce what California has long recognized: artificial intelligence holds extraordinary promise, but it must be developed and deployed with meaningful safeguards to protect the public,” Newsom said in a statement, even calling on the federal government to implement national safeguards.   

The Center Square reached out to the Democratic governor's office for further comment on what this looks like in the K-12 classroom but did not receive a response. 

The Los Angeles Unified School District told The Center Square that the Generative AI Ad Hoc Committee met in early September to develop guardrails and procedures for students' use of AI. The district said it allows students 13 and older to access approved generative AI tools if they complete Digital Citizenship Instruction and acknowledged the Responsible Use Policy. The district said since the beginning of the 2026-27 school year, it has restricted students' access to generative AI platforms while it reviews safeguards.

In an interview with The Center Square, Lance Izumi, senior director of the Center for Education at the Pasadena, Calif.-based Pacific Research Institute, said the lack of long-term research on AI's impact on student learning should warrant caution. 

“Since AI is such a new resource, there is still no definitive research on the long-term impact of AI on student learning. In particular, there is no long-term tracking of students and their learning and performance using AI tools,” Izumi told The Center Square. 

“Given the lack of research data, slowing the introduction of AI into the classroom makes sense and gives policymakers the time to better understand how AI can help and hurt student learning, and then craft policies accordingly,” he added. 

Izumi said AI could provide benefits when used for tutoring or research, but Izumi raised concerns about cheating and the potential declines in students' development of fundamental skills.  

“On the benefit side, AI can be helpful as a tutoring tool that meets students where they are academically and provides them with explanations, practice, and assessments to improve their learning,” Izumi said. “However, there is a dark downside to AI as well. Teachers are complaining that AI allows students to cheat on virtually any assignment that they give them.”

"Research also shows that AI users performed worse than non-AI users on standardized test essays. AI usage can also become a crutch, with students failing to develop key skills such as reading and writing,” Izumi said. 

New York City

New York City officials have also moved to limit AI use in schools.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels launched a moratorium to combat artificial intelligence use in the classroom, along with a screen time policy for the 2026-27 school year. 

The city's approach also includes an AI literacy module for high school students twice a year. According to the Mayor’s Office, the modules will cover “AI-related bias, risks, ethical considerations and impacts on careers and future skills.”

Arizona 

In Arizona, lawmakers are considering legislation that would require schools to teach students about artificial intelligence.

The Arizona House Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Innovation passed House Bill 4005, which would require school districts and charter schools to provide instruction on the “ethical, moral and educational uses” of AI, The Center Square previously reported. 

Under the legislation, school districts and charter schools would be required to submit an annual report to the Arizona Department of Education by Oct. 15 describing the type of AI instruction they provide to students.

The Center Square reached out to Arizona Superintendent Tom Horne for comment, but he was unavailable.

Illinois

The Illinois State Board of Education launched an AI guidance package in June 2026, providing school districts with guidance on evaluating and using artificial intelligence products.

The roughly 400-page AI Blueprint emphasizes that AI should support teachers and student-teacher relationships.

“The guidance is not organized around artificial intelligence as a technology to be adopted for its own sake. It is organized around the enduring educational premise that the teacher-student interaction is the centerpiece of teaching and learning,” the document states. 

“AI may assist with planning, access, feedback, communication, operations, and resource development, but it must remain a means to inform teaching and learning rather than a substitute for educator judgment, student relationships, or the developmental and civic purposes of public schooling,” the document said. 

The Center Square reached out to ISBE for further information but did not receive a response. 

“It is important to tell students early and up front about both the positive and negative impacts that AI can have on their education,” Izumi told The Center Square. “We must be honest with our children, especially when they are young, and not put the biases of adults ahead of the interests of students. And we have to get students to buy into how they can best maximize their own learning. Limiting AI usage, when supported by research evidence, does not mean that students can't learn about the technology itself.”  

“AI policy in education should be guided by research data showing how AI benefits or harms the learning of students, so ideally research components should be attached to AI policies so that these policies can be validated or invalidated,” he added.

(The Center Square) – A tech non-profit dedicated to tracking anti-semitism online identified a number of resurfaced antisemitic conspiracies ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, such as tropes that Jews are secretly responsible for major world events including the tragic terrorist attack on New York’s World Trade Center.

Founder and CEO of CyberWell – the tech non-profit in question – Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor told The Center Square that “the significance of these 9/11 conspiracy theories goes far beyond the specific allegations about 9/11.

“Conspiracy-driven scapegoating that portrays Jews as secretly and maliciously responsible for major world events, tragedies and social problems has become one of the most prevalent forms of online antisemitism CyberWell has tracked in recent years,” Cohen Montemayor said.

“Unlike most event-driven antisemitic conspiracies that spike around a major event and then fade, 9/11 scapegoating has endured for decades and become a reference point for newer antisemitic narratives, used as supposed proof that Jews were behind past crises and must therefore be behind the next one,” Cohen Montemayor said.

CyberWell identified “scores” of recent social media posts from Meta, Reddit, TikTok and more blaming the Jewish people for 9/11 or claiming they had advance notice.

Some posts simply blame Israel for orchestrating 9/11, some accuse the World Trade Center leaseholder, who is Jewish, of having prior knowledge about the terrorist attack, and some bring back up the “Dancing Israelis” conspiracy that baselessly alleged Israeli men near the World Trade Center were celebrating the attack, as explained by CyberWell.

Some posts “used a juice box emoji, a coded reference based on the phonetic similarity between ‘juice’ and ‘Jews,’ while others paired 9/11 images with the antisemitic ‘Happy Merchant’ caricature to evade automated moderation systems,” a CyberWell news release said.

“Other posts harassed individual Jews by accusing them of involvement in the attacks and used antisemitic slurs, including ‘kike,’” the release said.

Beyond 9/11 accusations, CyberWell “has documented similar scapegoating around major events,” the release said, including “the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting, the 2025 Minneapolis shooting, the hantavirus outbreak, the migrant crisis in Ceuta, and wildfires in Europe, Los Angeles, and Argentina.”

“In each case, antisemitic narratives falsely blamed Jews for causing, orchestrating, or profiting from events with which they had no connection,” the release said.

CyberWell’s Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor told The Center Square that “blaming Jews for major tragedies reinforces the longstanding antisemitic trope that Jews are a secretive and powerful group responsible for society’s problems.”

“By exploiting major tragedies to deepen distrust and division, these narratives can destabilize societies, sow hatred and can lead to violence,” Cohen Montemayor said.

“When these narratives are repeatedly spread and amplified online, they normalize hatred and hostility against Jews and can contribute to real-world harassment, threats and violence,” Cohen Montemayor said.