NEWS AND OPINION:
Lest we forget, Monday is the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, which killed 2,977 people. President Trump has not forgotten, either in his official role or as a citizen.
He was in New York City that morning, witnessing the smoke and mayhem as the World Trade Center towers collapsed, 4.1 miles south of his home in midtown Manhattan. On the 15th anniversary of the attacks last year, Mr. Trump, then the Republican presidential nominee, observed the moment at the National September 11 Memorial as a presidential hopeful, just 58 days before he was to win the White House. This year, he has issued an official proclamation to mark the event.
“Throughout history, everyday Americans and first responders have done the extraordinary through selfless acts of patriotism, compassion, and uncommon courage. Not just in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, but across our great Nation, Americans on September 11, 2001, bound themselves together for the common good, saying with one voice that we will be neither scared nor defeated. The enemy attempted to tear at the fabric of our society by destroying our buildings and murdering our innocent, but our strength has not and will not waiver. Americans today remain steadfast in our commitment to liberty, to human dignity, and to one another,” Mr. Trump says in his proclamation recognizing Patriot’s Day — the official title for the anniversary, determined by a joint resolution of Congress approved weeks after the attacks.
“It has been 16 years since the tragedy of September 11. Children who lost their parents on that day are now parents of their own, while many teenagers currently in high school learn about September 11th only from their history books. Yet all Americans are imbued with the same commitment to cause and love of their fellow citizens as everyone who lived through that dark day. We will never forget. The events of September 11, 2001, did not defeat us. They did not rattle us. They, instead, have rallied us, as leaders of the civilized world, to defeat an evil ideology that preys on innocents and knows nothing but violence and destruction. On this anniversary, I invite all Americans to thank our nation’s incredible service members and first responders, who are on the front lines of our fight against terrorism,” notes Mr. Trump.
With first lady Melania Trump, the president will mark the anniversary with a solemn moment of silence at the White House on Monday. He will also attend commemoration ceremony at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, accompanied by Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Vice President Mike Pence will observe the day in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, site of the Flight 93 Memorial.
THE EVOLVING HILLARY
A year ago, then presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was taken ill during the aforementioned 9/11 commemoration in Manhattan, her departure caught on camera, her diagnosis pneumonia. Things change 365 days later. Brace for buzz from Hillary Clinton, whose new book “What Happened” arrives Tuesday, to be followed by a three-month tour which includes a dozen U.S. cities, and three more in Canada.
Mrs. Clinton’s journey begins next Monday at a sold-out event in a historic theater just three blocks from the White House. There will be no book signings — only an onstage discussion with Lissa Muscatine, who served as Mrs. Clinton’s chief speechwriter in both the State Department and the White House.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Clinton has revealed a few details of what life was like for her in the immediate aftermath of her defeat in the 2016 presidential election.
“Off I went, into a frenzy of closet cleaning, and long walks in the woods, playing with my dogs, and yoga — alternate nostril breathing, which I highly recommend, trying to calm myself down. And, you know, my share of Chardonnay,” Mrs. Clinton told CBS host Jane Pauley on Sunday.
FOR THE LEXICON
“Liberal supremacist” is a handy new term offered by New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin.
“It fits those who demand safe spaces and want to erase history. They’re the ones whose argument starts and ends with ‘shut up.’ Liberal supremacists have their own dogma. They believe they are smarter and better than everybody else,” Mr. Goodwin writes.
He also highlights a suggestion which arrived from Post reader Ruth Cohen, who has this suggestion for the politically correct New York City mayor, Bill DeBlasio.
“Rename Columbus Circle Hello Kitty Circle. And Columbus Avenue can be renamed Diversity Avenue. To avoid trigger associations, Columbia University can be called Welcome University. As for Manhattan, rename it Manandwomanhattan, or just Hattan so nobody is offended,” Ms. Cohen notes.
THE LIBERAL INFLUENCE ESCALATES
An extensive new Pew Research Center analysis finds that 48 percent of Democratic voters overall now identify as liberals. A decade ago, that number was 32 percent. There is an interesting ethnic dynamic at work, however. Currently, 55 percent of white Democratic voters say they are liberal — compared to 28 percent of black Democrats and 41 percent of Hispanic Democrats.
While 8 percent of white Democrats now identify as conservative, that number is 30 percent among black Democrats and 22 percent among Hispanic Democrats.
Meanwhile, who’s the most liberal among all Democrats? That award goes to those with a postgraduate school education who weigh in at 60 percent liberal, the college grads (58 percent) and millennials born after 1981 (57 percent). The analysis was based on 17 years worth of Pew Research Center voter surveys.
MCCAUL’S TIMELY REMINDER
In his monthly assessment of the terrorist threat against the West, House Homeland Committee chairman Rep. Michael McCaul advises that there have been 145 “homegrown jihadist cases” on U.S. soil in the last four years, 17 of them this year so far.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks, there have been a total of 215 such cases, of which 137 were ISIS-related, reports the Texas Republican in his report, found here
“While ISIS continues to suffer heavy territorial losses in Syria and Iraq, the group has intensified calls for jihadists to carry out attacks against the West. With the so-called ‘caliphate’ deteriorating, we must ensure that America and our allies are prepared to aggressively confront this evolving threat,” says Mr. McCaul. “Now more than ever, we must be vigilant so we can best protect our homeland from those attempting to sneak in or those already radicalized at home.”
POLL DU JOUR
• 68 percent of U.S. investors say they are “optimistic” about the performance of stocks in the next year.
• 61 percent say “now is a good time” to invest in the stock market.
• 47 percent of this group say the market “will continue to increase”; 18 percent say stocks are a good investment; and 17 percent consider stock market volatility a “buying opportunity.”
• 37 percent overall say it is not a good time to put money into stocks.
• 52 percent of this group worry about a “market correction.”
Source: A Well Fargo/Gallup Investor tracking survey of 1,008 U.S. adults with investable assets over $10,000 conducted July 28-Aug. 6 and released Friday.
• Murmurs and asides to jharper@washingtontimes.com
