The Latest: Trump marks 9/11 anniversary at the Pentagon

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are marking 24 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks at a service at the Pentagon on Thursday.

The remembrances are being held during a time of increased political tensions. The 9/11 anniversary, often promoted as a day of national unity, comes a day after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a college in Utah.

Here’s the latest:

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser remembered the victims from the city who died on 9/11 and praised the city’s emergency first responders for how they reacted that day, and every day since.

“Our nation changed in an instant in New York City, at the Pentagon, and of course, in the skies over Shanksville, Pennsylvania,” Bowser said in a solemn remembrance at Washington, D.C.’s largest fire station.

Bowser listed the names of those from Washington, D.C., who died in the attacks, including three 11-year-old students who were on Flight 77 when it crashed into the Pentagon. Rodney Dickens, Asia Cottom and Bernard Brown were aboard, along with the educators who were accompanying them.

“We pray for their nearly 3,000 lives lost on that day, and the lives that have been lost since.”

A suspect on trial for attempting to assassinate Donald Trump while he played golf in South Florida last year forfeited his right to continue his opening statement on Thursday when a judge objected to his repeated talking about unrelated matters.

Ryan Routh, representing himself, veered off topic, discussing Adolf Hitler and wars in Ukraine and Gaza during his opening statement in a Fort Pierce, Fla. courtroom.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon warned him to stay on topic and twice asked jurors to leave the courtroom.

Routh has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate. The trial, expected to last two or three weeks, began nearly a year after the alleged assassination attempt.

The Trump administration’s move of ceremony from the traditional site near the Pentagon’s memorial outside its walls into the building’s internal courtyard was spurred by the shooting death of conservative activist and influencer, according to a White House official.

Following Kirk’s assassination, a decision was made to move the ceremony to the courtyard, said the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, attended the Thursday morning commemoration.

Both Trump and Hegseth paid tribute to Kirk during remarks at the solemn gathering to mark the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

A Maine principals’ group is fighting a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice that seeks the names of all students playing interscholastic sports in the state as the justice department attempts to ban transgender athletes from participating.

The Trump administration sued Maine in April for not complying with an executive order barring transgender athletes from sports. The justice department followed up with a subpoena of the Maine Principals’ Association, a nonprofit that oversees school sports in Maine, seeking a host of information.

In a Sept. 4 legal filing, the principals’ association said the subpoena included “requests for the production of all athletic rosters for the state.”

Crews wearing hardhats and green smocks have begun erecting metal barriers and tents for extra security screening, more than seven hours before tonight’s Yankees game where Trump will be in attendance.

Crews are working every entrance at Yankee Stadium. Secret Service agents have also begun arriving with sniffer dogs.

The sniper who assassinated Charlie Kirk is believed to have jumped off a roof and fled into a neighborhood after firing one shot and has not been identified, authorities said Thursday in disclosing they have recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle they believe was used in the attack and are reviewing video footage of the person they believe was responsible.

The FBI released photos of a person of interest in Kirk’s shooting as investigators appeal to the public for tips.

The shooter appeared to be of college age and blended in on the university campus where Kirk was killed Wednesday, said Beau Mason, the commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety. It remained unclear how far the shooter has traveled, though law enforcement officials say nearby woods where the rifle was found have been secured.

A plane carrying more than 300 workers from South Korea who were detained during an immigration raid at a battery factory in Georgia last week left Atlanta shortly before noon Thursday, bound for South Korea.

The workers traveled by bus from a detention center in southeast Georgia to Atlanta earlier in the day for their flight, which is expected to land in South Korea on Friday afternoon. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the detainees released by U.S. authorities included 316 Koreans, 10 Chinese nationals, three Japanese nationals and one Indonesian.

They were among about 475 workers detained during last week’s raid at the battery factory under construction on the campus of Hyundai’s sprawling auto plant west of Savannah.

South Korean officials have said they were negotiating with the U.S. to win “voluntary” departures for the workers – rather than deportations that could make them ineligible to return to the U.S. for up to 10 years.

Trump made those remarks in a brief conversation with reporters as he left the Pentagon.

Vice President JD Vance is traveling to Utah on Thursday to meet with Kirk’s family in person.

U.S. Treasury sanctioned 32 people and organizations, as well as four ships connected to the Iran-backed Houthi militant group. The people and firms sanctioned are across Yemen, China, the United Arab Emirates and the Marshall Islands.

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control alleges the people and groups help finance and facilitate the Houthis’ acquisition of global fundraising, smuggling and advanced military-grade weapons procurement program.

“We will continue applying maximum pressure against those who threaten the security of the United States and the region,” Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, John K. Hurley said in a statement.

The State Department is warning foreign visa applicants and holders that they could be denied a U.S. visa or deported if they praise or make light of the assassination of conservative American political activist Charlie Kirk.

In an unusual post to X, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said he was personally “disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalizing, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action.”

Landau has been at the forefront of publicizing the revocations and denials of U.S. visas, having announced earlier this year that he had revoked visas for performer Bob Vylan and his crew after the British punk-rap duo led crowds in chanting “death” to the Israeli military.

“In light of yesterday’s horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Landau said. He also asked social media users to copy him on any posts they might see that could be relevant.

Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkey are calling on the Trump administration to take a harder line with Israel following a trip to the region last month to witness the conditions in Gaza.

The senators issued a report that details the findings of their trip to the Gaza border and surrounding region, including that the Israeli government has too many restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza and that the food distribution sites that are allowed are designed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to drive people from northern Gaza.

“In our interviews and through our observations, it was clear that the Netanyahu government is also restricting the delivery of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including using food as a weapon of war,” Van Hollen said.

Israel’s government has strongly denied accusations like that, saying Hamas is to blame for the the lack of food in Gaza. But the senator’s report showed how support for Israel in its war against Gaza is eroding among congressional Democrats, many who’ve spent their political careers in support of Israel.

The Secret Service has joined the Yankees in warning fans of very long security lines being likely for tonight’s game, due to President Trump being in attendance.

“If you are attending tonight’s @Yankees game, plan on arriving early and consider leaving your bags at home to help speed up the security screening process,” the Secret Service posed on X.

That followed the Yankees saying earlier that ticketholders “are strongly urged to arrive as early as possible.”

Gates are opening more than three hours before first pitch between the Yankees and Tigers in the Bronx at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Trump is attending to help mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

His attendance at the U.S. Open last weekend in New York sparked very long security lines.

Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a friend of Kirk, said his death “hits particularly hard.”

Lee, a Republican, said he talked his fellow conservative “very regularly, sometimes several times a day.”

Their last text exchange was a short time before Kirk’s death, Lee said at a hearing Thursday of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Lee is the panel’s chairman.

Lee said the shooting also “hits home particularly heavy with me” because it occurred at Utah Valley University, a few miles from where he grew up and near where he now lives.

Lee said he’s attended event at the school since he was a teenager. “And this is a safe place. Not the kind of place where you expect something like this to happen. It’s truly tragic.”

The New York Yankees say ticketholders “are strongly urged to arrive as early as possible” due to extra security measure as the president attends tonight’s game in the Bronx.

The team said in a statement that gates open at 4 p.m., more than three hours before first pitch against the Detroit Tigers.

It added that fans should also “budget extra time for entry due to enhanced security measures” at all Yankee Stadium gates.

Trump is attending the game to help mark the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

His visit to the men’s final of the U.S. Open in Queens on Sunday sparked massive lines, long enough that some fans didn’t make it to their seats for more than an hour into the match – despite organizers delaying the start by 30 minutes.

Trump is scheduled to fly to New York to attend Thursday night’s Yankees-Detroit Tigers baseball game at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

It will be the latest of many sporting events the president has attended this year, including the Super Bowl and the Daytona 500.

“They have a virtual manhunt out there. So we’ll see what happens,” Trump said in a brief exchange with reporters shortly after attending the a 9/11 memorial ceremony at the Pentagon. “We hope we get ’em.”

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called for unity Thursday after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at an event in Utah on Wednesday.

“The first reaction of everybody – everybody – should be to say, this is a horrible thing, we ought to come together and to not seek political advantage from it,” Schumer said at a news conference after a meeting with Jeffries over the upcoming spending deadline.

Schumer said political violence is an “affliction” in the United States.

Jeffries said the shooting “should be denounced by everyone, and moving forward, we have to figure out a better way to come together, not as Democrats or Republicans but as Americans.”

The wreath, laid by the president and first lady, was in remembrance of the 184 service members and civilians who were killed 24 years ago at the Pentagon.

Both also signed a guest book.

House and Senate Democrats met Thursday morning to discuss government spending and said afterward that they’ll push for improvements to health care in exchange for keeping the government open.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both of New York, said after the meeting that they are united as the Sept. 30 funding deadline approaches.

They didn’t detail their specific demands from Republicans, but they’ve been pushing for an extension of heath care tax credits that will expire at the end of the year and for Republicans to undo cuts to Medicaid in their tax and spending cuts legislation enacted earlier this year.

If Republicans don’t engage in bipartisan negotiations, “they ‘ain’t going to get the votes,” Schumer told reporters.

The Pentagon chief, who spoke before Trump at Thursday’s Pentagon ceremony, remembered the conservative activist as an “American patriot.”

“Charlie, we love you,” Hegseth said. “Know that you have heard the Lord’s words. Well done, good and faithful servant. Full heart, clear eyes, like those on 9/11, you will never be forgotten.”

“We will defend the nation they served, the values they upheld and the freedom for which they died,” he said. “We will support our troops, we will protect our families, and we will preserve the American way of life for every future generation.

“We will build taller, grow stronger, fight harder and soar higher, and together we will go forward as one people with one heart, one faith, one flag and one glorious destiny under almighty God,” Trump said.

The Pentagon’s 9/11 observance ceremony, which has traditionally been held near the building’s memorial outside its walls, was moved into the internal courtyard late Wednesday night.

Defense officials acknowledged the move at the event featuring President Trump but deferred questions about what drove the move to the White House. It came hours after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at an outdoor event at a Utah university. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Speaking at the Pentagon, Trump said he remained shocked by horror of Charlie Kirk’s assassination during an appearance on Utah college campus and praised his ally’s impact on conservative politics.

“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” Trump said.

Hegseth was speaking at the Pentagon ceremony and says he was a college junior who had just joined the ROTC program at the time of the attack.

It’s his first time addressing the annual observance in his new role.

Hegseth says the attack was the “ultimate validator to serve.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday that security is “a big concern” for members of Congress and is under “a very thorough review.”

But Johnson told reporters at the U.S. Capitol that he’d seen security estimates into the billions of dollars for all 435 House members, which he said is “not a possibility.” He did mention a pilot program through which members can be reimbursed for hiring private security when they’re on the road or in their districts.

“Somebody who’s arguing the other side of an issue is not your enemy, they’re your fellow American,” Johnson said, in a call for civility. “We’re all made in God’s image and so we need to see one another that way and not as enemies.”

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump along with Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sat at a dais and listened intently as the names of the 184 killed at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, were read.

After each of the victims’ name was announced, a bell was rung.

A federal judge has blocked Trump administration restrictions on services for immigrants in the country illegally, including the federal preschool program Head Start, health clinics and adult education.

The order Wednesday from the judge in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island applies to 20 states and the District of Columbia, whose attorneys general, all Democrats, sued the administration. It puts the administration’s reinterpretation of a Clinton-era federal policy on hold while the case is decided.

Under the proposed changes, some community-level programs would be reclassified as federal public benefits, making them inaccessible to people without legal status. Individual public benefits, such as food stamps and college financial aid, have been largely unavailable to people in the country without legal status.

U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy, who was appointed by Trump in 2019, said in her order that the policy rollout was “rushed” in a way that would worsen the impact for people cut off from community services and those tasked with verifying eligibility.

The president was accompanied by first lady Melania Trump.

The appearance is Trump’s first in public since the fatal shooting Wednesday in Utah of Charlie Kirk, an ally and supporter of the president.

At 9:37 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184 service members and civilians.

Harvard University says it has started receiving notices that many federal grants terminated by the Trump administration will be reinstated after a federal judge ruled the cuts were illegal.

It’s an early signal that federal research funding could start flowing to Harvard after months of deadlock with the White House, but it’s yet to be seen if money will arrive before the government appeals the judge’s decision. So far, no payments have been received, though Harvard is “monitoring funding receipts closely,” spokesperson Jason Newton said.

A federal judge in Boston last week ordered the government to reverse more than $2.6 billion in cuts, saying they were unconstitutional and “used antisemitism as a smokescreen” for an ideological attack. The White House said it will appeal.

It’s the latest sign that the labor market is softening.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the week ending Sept. 6 rose 27,000 to 263,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the most filings since the week of Oct. 23, 2021 and well above the 231,000 new applications economists forecast.

Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs and have mostly settled in a historically low range between 200,000 and 250,000 since the U.S. began to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic nearly four years ago.

The four-week average of claims, which evens out some of the week-to-week volatility, rose by 9,750 to 240,500.

The total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits for the previous week of Aug. 30 was unchanged at 1.94 million.

Opening statements are set to begin Thursday morning for the trial of a man charged with trying to assassinate President Donald Trump while he played golf in South Florida last year, when he was campaigning for a second term.

Ryan Routh is representing himself after U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon agreed to let him dismiss his court-appointed attorneys. They are, however, standing by in the courtroom if needed.

He’s pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations.