9/11 Memorials Mark 25th Anniversary as Trump Repeats $5,000 Dividend Pledge

The anniversary included remembrances of those who died. The Guardian spoke with Stanley Praimnath and Brian Clark, two of only four people known to have survived above the impact zone in the south tower. Anna Sweeney Rossman, who was five when her mother, flight attendant Amy Sweeney, was killed aboard American Airlines Flight 11, described how the events of that day had cast a shadow on her life.

President Donald Trump, speaking at a Republican midterm convention in Dallas, doubled down on his pledge to pay every US adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of Congress in November. The Guardian reported the promise sparked incredulity and accusations of bribery. Trump defended it: “We can do that because our country has never done better. We’re taking in trillions, trillions of dollars.” He asked voters to “pretend I’m on the ticket” in November.

In a shorter address than his nearly two-hour speech on Wednesday, Trump led an improvised pledge of allegiance to himself and told the audience to commit to voting at all costs. He asked Republicans in the arena to repeat: “I don’t care if I’m registered or not. I’m going to try. And cheat like hell like they do.” The Guardian reported he also told those gathered in Dallas that they would “go to hell” if they did not vote. The Guardian reported Trump’s approval rating was at a historic low, and that he was one of the few people to mention the so-called “dividend” while many lawmakers and officials, including Vice President JD Vance, avoided it.

Vice President JD Vance urged Republicans who may oppose parts of the administration’s agenda not to abandon the party in November’s congressional races. He pointed to conservative activist Charlie Kirk, killed a year ago that day, and argued voters should not “throw the baby out with the bathwater” over “a policy issue here or there,” an apparent reference to dissent over the Iran war that he did not name. The Guardian described Vance’s speech as an audition for a possible 2028 presidential run; he listed administration successes, warned of the “far left,” called Democrats “lunatics” and dismissed a protester waving a Mexican flag.

Outside the arena, dozens of demonstrators gathered to protest Trump’s policy agenda. Dallas police said two people were taken into custody, one after an alleged assault involving a counter-protester and one for blocking a roadway, according to The Guardian.

In other developments reported by The Guardian, a US appeals court rejected Trump’s attempt to impose sweeping restrictions on mail-in voting before the November midterm elections. Anthropic detailed efforts by bad actors to misuse its AI for the production of bioweapons. More researchers and staff members at the AI startup posted warnings about the safety of the technology, while Elon Musk called the chorus of concerns a “setup” and a “psyop.” California adopted legislation that Gavin Newsom described as “nation-leading,” banning addictive social media features for young users, regulating companion chatbots and implementing new safeguards around AI. Sales of previously occupied US homes declined in August to their slowest annual pace in more than a year as buyers grappled with rising mortgage rates and home prices.