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Americans are observing the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks with solemn ceremonies, volunteer activities, and tributes to the victims. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attended a service at the Pentagon Thursday morning. Later in the evening, the president planned to travel to the Bronx to watch a baseball game between the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers. This marked Trump’s first public appearance since Wednesday’s fatal shooting in Utah of his supporter Charlie Kirk. At 9:37 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184 military personnel and civilians. In other news, Harvard University has begun receiving notifications that many federal grants previously terminated under the Trump administration will be reinstated after a federal judge ruled the cuts illegal. The decision may signal the return of federal research funding to Harvard after months of a funding deadlock with the White House, though no payments have yet been made. Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton said the university is “monitoring funding receipts closely.” Last week, a federal judge in Boston ordered the government to reverse more than $2.6 billion in cuts, describing them as unconstitutional and saying antisemitism was used as a cover for ideological attacks. The White House has announced plans to appeal the ruling. Meanwhile, the U.S. labor market shows signs of softening. The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for unemployment benefits rose by 27,000 last week to 263,000, the highest weekly filings in nearly four years and above the 231,000 applications economists had expected. Weekly claims are considered an indicator of layoffs and have generally remained between 200,000 and 250,000 since the post-pandemic recovery. The four-week average of claims increased by 9,750 to 240,500. The total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits for the week of Aug. 30 remained at 1.94 million.

Conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot dead Wednesday at Utah Valley University, authorities said, as federal, state and local law enforcement searched for the unidentified shooter. The gunman, wearing dark clothing, fired from a rooftop at a distance while Kirk spoke during a campus event titled “The American Comeback Tour.” Videos show Kirk reaching up after a single shot struck his neck, as students screamed and fled. Kirk, 31, died at the scene. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox condemned the killing as a “political assassination,” saying the suspect would be held accountable under state law, which includes the death penalty. Two people were briefly detained but later released after authorities found no connection to the shooting. Kirk, a prominent Trump ally, was taking questions on gun violence when the attack occurred. The event, organised by Kirk’s nonprofit Turning Point USA, attracted around 3,000 attendees. Campus police and Kirk’s security were present, and the university evacuated the area immediately. The campus will remain closed until Monday. Former President Donald Trump called Kirk a “martyr for truth and freedom” and blamed “radical left” rhetoric for the attack. Tributes and condemnation poured in across party lines, including from Democratic leaders and former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was wounded in a 2011 mass shooting. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk shot dead at Utah college Turning Point USA, founded in 2012 by Kirk and William Montgomery, promotes conservative ideas among college students. Kirk became a key figure in conservative youth politics, supporting Trump’s campaigns and frequently appearing on cable TV to discuss culture and politics. The shooting comes amid rising concern over political violence in the United States, with incidents targeting individuals across ideological lines, including recent attacks on lawmakers and public figures. Local authorities set up multiple active crime scenes around the university and canvassed the surrounding neighborhood for information, while helicopters patrolled overhead. Students described the scene as chaotic, with some trampled or dropping belongings while fleeing. Witness Madison Lattin said she was “so scared, not just for him but for our own safety” and wept upon learning of Kirk’s death.

Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed Wednesday during an event at Utah Valley University in what Utah Governor Spencer Cox described as a political assassination carried out from a rooftop. “This is a dark day for our state and a tragic day for the nation. I want to be very clear: this is a political assassination,” Cox said. No suspect was in custody late Wednesday. Authorities said they were searching for a new person of interest. Two individuals initially detained were released after authorities found no connection to the shooting. Kirk, 31, co-founder and CEO of the youth organization Turning Point USA, was addressing an audience of around 3,000 people as part of his “The American Comeback Tour” when a single shot struck him in the neck. Videos circulating on social media showed Kirk collapsing and blood gushing from his wound, while spectators screamed and scattered. The shooter reportedly fired from a rooftop some distance away. President Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death on social media, calling him “great, and even legendary,” and later referred to him as a “martyr for truth and freedom,” blaming the rhetoric of the “radical left” for the attack. The university evacuated its campus and canceled classes, with armed officers patrolling surrounding areas and questioning residents to identify the shooter. Kirk’s visit had sparked controversy on campus, with a petition calling to bar him from speaking garnering nearly 1,000 signatures. The university defended his appearance citing First Amendment rights. The shooting drew bipartisan condemnation. Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom called the attack “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible,” while former Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords expressed her condolences to Kirk’s family, which includes his wife and two young children. Kirk, who co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 with William Montgomery, had become a prominent figure in conservative circles, mobilizing young Republicans and promoting limited government and low taxes on college campuses. He also served as a personal aide to Donald Trump Jr. during the 2016 election campaign and frequently appeared on cable news to discuss cultural and political issues. The incident highlights growing concerns over political violence in the United States, with recent years seeing attacks targeting representatives across the ideological spectrum.

The Americans marked 24 years since the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on Thursday with ceremonies, volunteer work, and other tributes honoring nearly 3,000 victims. Commemorations took place in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, with family members, dignitaries, and politicians attending. Many also observed the day privately, reflecting on the lasting impact of the attacks. James Lynch, who lost his father Robert Lynch at the World Trade Center, said he and his family attended a local ceremony in New Jersey before spending time at the beach. “Any kind of grief never really goes away,” Lynch said while volunteering at a 9/11 charity event in Manhattan. “Finding the joy in that grief has been a huge part of my growth.” The anniversary came amid heightened political tensions, a day after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead at a college in Utah. Authorities said additional security measures were in place for the ceremonies, including the World Trade Center event in lower Manhattan. At Ground Zero, family members read aloud the names of victims, while moments of silence marked the times the planes struck and the towers fell. Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance attended the service. At the Pentagon, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump joined a service honoring 184 people killed when hijackers crashed a jet into the military headquarters. In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins participated in a memorial for passengers of Flight 93, who attempted to retake control of the hijacked plane. Across the country, many observed a national day of service, participating in food and clothing drives, blood donations, park cleanups, and other community projects. The 9/11 attacks killed 2,977 people, including financial workers at the World Trade Center and first responders. They reshaped U.S. domestic and foreign policy, leading to the Global War on Terror and U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Legal proceedings against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the attacks, remain unresolved. Meanwhile, the U.S. government continues to provide health care and compensation to thousands affected by the toxic dust from the collapsed towers, with more than 140,000 people still enrolled in monitoring programs.

A federal appeals court has upheld a civil jury's finding that President Donald Trump must pay $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll for his repeated social media attacks against the longtime advice columnist after she accused him of sexual assault. In a ruling issued Monday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Trump's appeal of the defamation award, finding that the “jury's damages awards are fair and reasonable.” Trump had argued that he should not have to pay the sum as a result of a Supreme Court decision expanding presidential immunity. His lawyers had asked for a new trial. A civil jury in Manhattan issued the $88.3 million award last year following a trial that centered on Trump’s repeated social media attacks against Carroll over her claims that he sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan department store in 1996. That award followed a separate trial, in which Trump was found liable for sexually abusing Carroll and ordered to pay $5 million. That award was upheld by an appeals court last December. In a memoir, and again at a 2023 trial, Carroll described how a chance encounter with Trump at Bergdorf Goodman’s Fifth Avenue in 1996 started with the two flirting as they shopped, then ended with a violent struggle inside a dressing room. Carroll said Trump slammed her against a dressing room wall, pulled down her tights and forced himself on her. A jury found Trump liable for sexual assault, but concluded he hadn’t committed rape, as defined under New York law. Trump repeatedly denied that the encounter took place and accused Carroll of making it up to help sell her book. He also said that Carroll was “not my type.” The 2023 jury awarded Carroll $5 million to compensate her for both the alleged attack and statements Trump made denying that it had happened. After that first verdict, the court held a second trial with a new jury for the purpose of deciding damages for additional statements Trump made attacking Carroll’s character and truthfulness. Trump had skipped the first civil trial but he attended the second, which took place as he was running for president in 2024. Speaking to reporters throughout the trial, Trump portrayed the lawsuit as part of a broader effort to smear him and prevent him from regaining the White House. His lawyers complained that the judge, in setting rules for the second, damages trial, had barred Trump and his defense team from claiming in front of the jury that he was innocent of the attack. The judge ruled that that issue had been settled by the first jury and didn’t need to be revisited.

The Trump administration on Monday asked the Supreme Court for an emergency order to keep nearly $5 billion in foreign aid frozen, despite a lower court ruling that the move was likely illegal. President Donald Trump announced on Aug. 28 that he would not spend $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, using a rarely invoked budget maneuver known as a pocket rescission. The authority, disputed in court, has not been used by a president in about 50 years. U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruled last week that the administration’s decision violated the law, noting that only Congress can approve rescission proposals. A federal appeals panel also refused to block his ruling, prompting the administration to appeal to the Supreme Court. Justice Department lawyers said another $6.5 billion in aid under the freeze will be released by Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. Nonprofit groups that filed the lawsuit argued the freeze broke federal law and disrupted urgent humanitarian programs overseas.

United States President Donald Trump has warned of unleashing his newly renamed “Department of War” on Chicago, sparking outrage and protests in both Chicago and Washington, DC, against the deployment of National Guard troops and immigration agents in Democratic-led cities. Trump made the threat on Saturday through a post on his Truth Social platform, sharing a parody image from the film Apocalypse Now that depicted flames and helicopters over Chicago’s skyline. “‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning,’” he wrote. “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.” The president offered no further details, only adding the phrase “Chipocalypse Now,” a play on the 1979 Vietnam War film where the line “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” is delivered. Trump has repeatedly threatened to expand federal enforcement in Chicago, similar to measures already taken in Los Angeles, and to deploy National Guard troops there, reports AL Jazeera. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker denounced the remarks, saying the state “won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.” He added, “The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal.” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also condemned Trump’s comments, calling them “beneath the honor of our nation” and accusing him of trying to “occupy our city and break our Constitution.” Protests erupted in both Chicago and DC. In downtown Chicago, more than a thousand demonstrators carried signs saying “I.C.E. out of Illinois, I.C.E. out of everywhere,” while speakers compared the crackdown to Israel’s actions in Gaza. Nazek Sankari of the US Palestinian Community Network told the crowd, “We are inspired by the steadfastness of Palestinians in Gaza, and it is why we refuse to cower to Trump and his threats.” Viviana Barajas of the community group Palenque LSNA vowed Chicago would “stand up” just as Los Angeles had. “If he thinks these frivolous theatrics to undermine our sovereignty will shut out the passion we have for protecting our people, this is Chicago, and he is sorely mistaken,” she said. In Washington, protesters at the “We Are All DC” march carried banners reading “END THE D.C. OCCUPATION” and posters with slogans like “Trump must go now,” “Free DC,” and “Resist Tyranny.” Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro reported that demonstrators were calling Trump “a fascist and an authoritarian.” Critics also noted that Trump had already deployed 2,000 troops to the capital last month despite violent crime being at a 30-year low. Mark Fitzpatrick, a former US diplomat and DC resident, said, “Federal agents, national guards patrolling our streets, that’s really an affront to the democracy of our city … We don’t have our own senators or members of the House of Representatives, so we’re at the mercy of a dictator like this, a wanna-be dictator.” One protester, Jun Lee, carried a woodcut sign that read “Free DC.” She said she joined the march because she was “saddened and heartbroken” by the federal intervention. “This is my home, and I never, ever thought all the stuff that I watched in a history documentary that I’m actually living in person,” she said. Trump has claimed he has broad authority to deploy the National Guard, at times even joking about being a dictator. “Most people are saying, ‘If you call him a dictator, if he stops crime, he can be whatever he wants’. I am not a dictator, by the way,” he said last month. “Not that I don’t have – I would – the right to do anything I want to do.” He added: “I’m the president of the United States. If I think our country is in danger – and it is in danger in these cities – I can do it.”  

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized deploying up to 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges, a memo reviewed by AP shows. The lawyers — both military and civilian — will be sent in groups of 150, with the first round to be identified next week. The move, requested by the Justice Department, aims to ease a massive immigration court backlog of about 3.5 million cases amid the Trump administration’s intensified immigration crackdown. The appointments, initially set for up to 179 days but renewable, could nearly double the current pool of about 600 immigration judges, following recent dismissals and resignations. The Pentagon and DOJ declined to comment, while the White House said the plan reflects efforts to address the backlog, calling it “a priority that everyone — including those waiting for adjudication — can rally around.”

More than 14,000 mostly Venezuelan migrants who had set their sights on reaching the United States have reversed direction and headed south since U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown took effect, according to a report released Friday by the governments of Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica. The trend, described as “reverse flow” migration, is primarily made up of Venezuelans who fled years of economic, social, and political turmoil at home, only to find that U.S. policies now bar asylum-seekers. Migration through the dangerous Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama peaked in 2023 with over half a million crossings. While the pace slowed in 2024, it has nearly halted this year. The joint report, backed by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said northbound migration has dropped 97% in 2025. Interviews with migrants heading back south in Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia showed that 97% were Venezuelans, and nearly half said they planned to return to their home country. Most said they had no choice but to turn back because they could no longer enter the U.S. legally. Since 2017, around 8 million Venezuelans have fled the crisis. Many initially sought refuge in South American nations such as Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Chile, before a large wave shifted toward the U.S. starting in 2021, braving the perilous Darien route. During the Biden administration, a U.S. government mobile app was the main pathway for asylum-seekers. But Trump scrapped the app on his first day in office, leaving thousands stranded in Mexico. Those who had continued their journey north when the new restrictions began are now heading back. A quarter of those interviewed plan to settle in Colombia, while others were unsure of their destination. Colombia and other South American nations have long appealed for international assistance to manage the Venezuelan migrant influx, even before many began moving toward the U.S. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s political and economic crisis continues unabated. Migrants retracing their steps face even greater risks, the report noted. Many lack money or jobs, and are dropped into areas dominated by criminal groups that increasingly prey on them. “Most of these people are already victims of human rights abuses," said Scott Campbell, a U.N. human rights representative in Colombia. “We urge authorities to aid people in this reverse migration to prevent them from being exploited or falling into trafficking networks run by illegal armed groups.” The development marks a dramatic reversal in one of the world’s largest migration movements. Migrants heading south typically take buses through Mexico and Central America to reach Panama, then pay between $260 and $280 for overcrowded boat rides back to Colombia. Two routes are used: one across the Caribbean Sea, where they land in Necocli, Colombia — the same town where many first entered the Darien Gap; the other along the Pacific coast of Panama and Colombia, ending in remote towns or Buenaventura. Colombia’s Ombudsman’s Office estimates about 450 migrants have taken the latter, more hazardous path, while the U.N. has recorded cases of people being scammed, stranded, or suffering boat accidents, arriving exhausted and vulnerable. The Pacific region remains one of Colombia’s most violent zones, where armed groups fill the void left by weak state presence.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Saturday resisted the Trump administration’s plan to send federal officers into the city, calling the move “out-of-control” and signing an order limiting local cooperation. Under Johnson’s executive order, the Chicago Police Department is prohibited from assisting federal agents with civil immigration enforcement or participating in related patrols, traffic stops, or checkpoints during the expected federal surge. He also instructed all city departments to protect the constitutional rights of residents “amidst the possibility of imminent militarized immigration or National Guard deployment by the federal government.” When asked at a news conference about federal officers “taking orders,” Johnson said: “Yeah, and I don’t take orders from the federal government.” The mayor further barred Chicago police from covering their faces to conceal their identities, a practice commonly used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year. According to two U.S. officials, the operation could begin as soon as Sept. 5 and last about a month. They described it as part of a wider effort to boost federal law enforcement presence in Democratic-led cities, similar to what happened in Los Angeles earlier this summer. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because details had not been publicly released. On Saturday, Trump commented on Chicago violence and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Truth Social: “Six people were killed, and 24 people were shot, in Chicago last weekend, and JB Pritzker, the weak and pathetic Governor of Illinois, just said that he doesn’t need help in preventing CRIME. He is CRAZY!!! He better straighten it out, FAST, or we’re coming! MAGA. President DJT” Unlike the recent federal control of policing in Washington, D.C., the Chicago operation is not expected to involve the National Guard or military and will be centered solely on immigration enforcement rather than a broader anti-crime campaign, the officials said. Chicago, home to a large immigrant community, and Illinois both have strong laws limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. This has often put them at odds with Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Johnson emphasized that neither city nor state officials had been consulted about the planned deployment and demanded that Trump abandon the proposal. At the news conference, he sharply criticized the president, accusing him of “behaving outside the bounds of the Constitution” and targeting Democratic-led cities in retaliation against political opponents. “He is reckless and out of control,” Johnson said. “He's the biggest threat to our democracy that we've experienced in the history of our country.” The White House defended the plan, saying it was aimed at public safety. “If these Democrats focused on fixing crime in their own cities instead of doing publicity stunts to criticize the President, their communities would be much safer,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in an email Saturday.