September 11
It's the 23rd commemoration (I don't like "anniversary" for bad events) of the worst attacks on the US mainland in our history. I always think about my day...I can still sorta picture it. If you have an interesting story about your 9/11/01, please email it to me at ross@iheartmedia.com
A difficult read by friend-of-the-show Paul Mauro, as he posts on September 11 every year: Notes From Ground Zero - by Paul Mauro - The Ops Desk (substack.com)
One 9/11 memory. One Passenger’s Powerful Message to His Wife on 9/11 | National September 11 Memorial & Museum (911memorial.org)
Just One Thing: Harris wins debate; Taylor Swift piles on
That was a terrible night for Donald Trump. He had a half-decent first 10 minutes of the debate and it was all downhill from there. Kamala had a strategy to get under his skin and it clearly worked despite that strategy being the worst-kept secret in politics. She REALLY got to him when she said that people were leaving his rallies early out of boredom. Questioning the size of his rallies is like question the size of his...well, you know. He had one good line which came when talking about some policy...don't remember which...and he said that she was adopting his policy positions so much that he was going to send her a MAGA hat. And that was basically the only punch he landed all night. He was on the defensive essentially the whole debate and even though he's famous as a counter-puncher, he never landed a good one. He said insane stuff like the lies about immigrants eating people's pets. He seemed frazzled and unfocused, even in his closing statement which should have been well prepared. Over the course of the debate, betting odds on Polymarket, the biggest betting site (and one that has been leaning toward Trump more than others have) moved from about a 6-point Trump lead to a tie. That's BIG.
Some analysis: Kamala Harris baited Donald Trump into a debate on her terms | Semafor
And: Trump Lets Harris Off the Debate Hook - WSJ
More: Trump takes the bait: Takeaways from Harris' big night (axios.com)
Some useful stuff here about what passed for "substance" in the debate: Fact-Checking 22 Claims Made in Trump-Harris Debate (dailysignal.com)
And as if that weren't a bad enough night for The Donald, then this happened: Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for president after debate with Donald Trump (msn.com)
By the way, after the post being up for less than an hour, it had 3 million "likes". Betting odds seemed to move slightly further against Trump on this but only slightly, like maybe 0.5%...nothing compared to the damage from the debate.
Oh, do note that the picture Taylor Swift used with her endorsement was her holding a cat.
Today's Guests
Mick Mulvaney is a political and economic contributor to News Nation who served as the Chief of Staff and then the Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Trump administration. He also served as a member of Congress representing South Carolina.
Mick Mulvaney | NewsNation (newsnationnow.com)
Greg Lukianoff has long been one of the nation's foremost champions of free speech, particularly on college campuses, which was the original focus of his organization, FIRE. We'll talk about the 2025 College Free Speech Rankings in which my alma mater, Columbia, seems to have tied with Harvard as DEAD LAST in the nation (among the schools they ranked.)
Greg Lukianoff | The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (thefire.org)
Demetri Kofinas is the host of the great podcast Hidden Forces. He's spent more time and thought than anyone else I know personally digging into still-unanswered questions about how 9/11 happened, how much Saudi government involvement there was, and whether the CIA may have had information that should have allowed the prevention of those devastating attacks.
Saudi Arabia & the CIA’s Actions Ahead of 9/11 | Bob Kerrey (hiddenforces.io)
What Really Happened on 9/11? | Ray Nowosielski & John Duffy (hiddenforces.io)
Other Stuff
I hope this deal happens...and then I hope Sinwar and every adult male who accompanies him (or female, if a Hamas member or collaborator) gets assassinated wherever they go. Israeli official floats safe passage for Oct. 7 architect Yahya Sinwar in return for hostages (msn.com)
I wonder if the people who would do this will be stopped by a law. I think it's possible but not certain: Colorado's new deepfake law aimed at combating election misinformation | FOX31 Denver (kdvr.com)
Isn't it amazing what some people will do to protect their jobs, no matter who they hurt in the process? Iranian-born scientist who sued University of Alabama at Birmingham awarded $3.8 million in damages (msn.com)
Not a new record for humans, but a recent record, and a record for non-professional astronauts: Polaris Dawn crew flies higher than 1966 Gemini 11 orbital record | Space
The lesson is obvious: Don't let politicians (aka Democrats) turn the US into Europe: EU elites are in despair over Europe's economic death spiral (telegraph.co.uk)
From the article:
“America innovates, China replicates, Europe regulates. It is an extraordinary picture of our situation, because it’s true,” said Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni.
“In 1990 the EU of 12 states made up 26.5pc of world GDP. Today the EU of 27 states makes up 16.1pc, while the US is still at 26pc. We were a big weight in the world but that is no longer the case,” she said.
I think she's on to something: Opinion: Overpriced Denver restaurants overhyped, prices too high (denverpost.com)
Today's Video
This old dude is hilarious...thanks to listener Andy for sending! Great way to go into your weekend
Cheese
ONE MORE 9/11 ITEM
This is beyond powerful:
Read especially the two paragraphs beginning with “A San Francisco”