Two solemn anniversaries and the cancer of political violence

Read the original at Washington Examiner ↗
Cite

Benson, G. (2026, September 11). Two solemn anniversaries and the cancer of political violence. Washington Examiner. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/premium/4717095/two-solemn-anniversaries-and-the-cancer-of-political-violence/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Washington Examiner · collected 2026-09-11 · by Guy Benson

Quick Summary

Two solemn anniversaries are being marked: the 25th anniversary of the hijacking of commercial jetliners by jihadi terrorists that killed thousands, and the first anniversary of a shooting at a public event in which Charlie Kirk was fatally wounded. No specific numbers on the death toll or the number of people affected by the second attack are mentioned. The article focuses on the ongoing impact of these events on Americans' emotions, evoking "revulsion and righteous anger" that persists even after 25 years. It is written from a perspective critical of what it calls "the cancer of political violence".
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-11, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

On the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, New York City's first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, faces controversy over his decision to attend memorial events despite calls from some victims' families and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani for him to stay away. Mamdani, who lost an older brother in the attacks, insists on honoring those affected by reading out names at Ground Zero. Meanwhile, nearly 110,000 signatures have been collected through a petition urging Mamdani not to attend, citing concerns over his past associations and appointments that some see as conflicting with the solemnity of the event. Despite this opposition, Mamdani is moving forward with plans to release more than 170,000 pages of documents related to air quality around Ground Zero in the months following 9/11, aiming to provide transparency on what the city knew about toxic conditions and how they handled it.

Written for “9/11 Memorial Controversies” on 2026-10-27, grounded in this article and the 169 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 9/11 Memorial Controversies
Politics · 170 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
25 years ago, two strangers met in the twin towers and escaped on 9/11. What happened next? same event · 100%
The Guardian
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 3% hedged 5 of 164 📰 publisher trust 67
“Both articles describe the same terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, specifically referencing the World Trade Center and mentioning Stanley Praimnath and Brian Clark's survival.”
He Lost His Father on 9/11. 25 Years Later, He Is Part of a Lawsuit Against Saudi Arabia same event · 100%
Zeteo
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 9
“Both articles describe the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks”
Turning Point USA Is Walking a Tightrope same event · 100%
The Dispatch
⚖️ Centre further right than this 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 3 📰 publisher trust 61
“Both articles describe the death of Charlie Kirk during a public event one year prior to the current date, on September 10th last year”
‘Never Forget’: How Americans remember Sept. 11 same event · 100%
NBC News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 11% hedged 8 of 71 📰 publisher trust 95
“Both articles describe the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks as their central topic.”
The Burning Towers Foreshadowed a Burning World – Viet Thanh Nguyen on the 25 Years After 9/11 same event · 100%
Zeteo
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 15% hedged 2 of 13
“Both articles refer to the same terrorist attack on September 11, 2001”
On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, a divided U.S. gathers to remember and grieve same event · 100%
NPR
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 4% hedged 2 of 47 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, specifically referencing the hijackings and World Trade Center destruction”
Mark Milke: Why the Islamist challenge to the West is so terrifying same event · 100%
National Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this 🔴 15% hedged 7 of 47 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in New York City and Washington D.C., including the hijacking of planes and the courage of passengers on United 93.”
Sheryl Saperia: 25 years on, what would bin Laden see? same event · 100%
National Post
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 6% hedged 6 of 102 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles mention the 9/11 anniversary and describe the terrorist hijacking of commercial jetliners, indicating they are reporting on the same specific incident.”
Americans to mark 25 years since September 11 attacks amid enduring grief, reflection same event · 100%
The Straits Times
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 30 📰 publisher trust 68
“Both articles describe the 25th anniversary commemoration of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and other locations.”
Where does the case against the alleged 9/11 plotters stand? same event · 100%
CBS News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 5% hedged 3 of 56 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles refer to the 9/11 attacks, specifically mentioning United 93 and Flight 93 passengers, indicating they are describing the same incident.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
5
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 5 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
70/100
Washington Examiner's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
170
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-11 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Washington Examiner · 3555 article(s) · 7 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 7 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Guy Benson
12 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 This might have been a compelling answer if he’d invited MacCallum to appear with him on the stump five times in Michigan, which is what el Sayed did with Piker (el Sayed recently lied that he and Piker had only appeared together once on the trail).
2026-10-12 · assertive framing · Why Abdul el Sayed can’t say Iran is a bigger threat than Israel
🔮 Voters were broadly correct in assessing that blame: The Biden administration, with the backing of Congressional Democrats, shoveled trillions of dollars out the door under the auspices of COVID-19 “relief” — ignoring warnings from some of its own ideologically allied economists that the results would be hugely inflationary.
2026-10-08 · assertive framing · How can Democrats call themselves the ‘affordability’ party?
🔮 As he described the composition of November’s electorate, he asked, “Is the base of people who believe in freedom and justice, compassion and mercy, the people, will the people who believe that in the equality of human beings, in the dignity of all human beings, will we show up and vote?
2026-10-07 · mixed framing · Keith Ellison quiet on alleged Somali gang activity that ruined homecoming in suburban Minnesota
🔮 I’ll leave you with this — with my gratitude to my colleague Will Cain for giving me the space to communicate these thoughts: Out of curiosity, how will this be blamed on Israel?
2026-09-30 · assertive framing · Facts can’t convert the Gaza ‘genocide’ faithful
🔮 Perhaps it’s a sign of how dire things may be feeling on Team Red that many Republican-aligned strategists would take this outcome in a heartbeat:
2026-09-22 · mixed framing · Polls show Republicans are staring down a midterm election reckoning
🔮 Owners of some of the stadiums on the tour, including New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, made clear that they would not permit their venues to be used as a platform for Macklemore.
2026-09-21 · assertive framing · Ed Sheeran should have never booked Macklemore to begin with
🔮 Therefore, the American people are the ones who choose their government by way of their own free will.”
2026-09-17 · assertive framing · Yes, the jihadis really do hate us for our freedoms
🔮 But in what is shaping up to be a blue-tinted year, some very problematic figures may get swept into power if voters decide to deliver a generalized backlash against the party in power.
2026-09-17 · assertive framing · Abdul el Sayed’s Hasan Piker problem
🔮 The death toll would have been even higher if not for the remarkable courage of the passengers aboard United 93, who fought back and saved innocent lives.
2026-09-11 · assertive framing · Two solemn anniversaries and the cancer of political violence
Also by Guy Benson
Why Abdul el Sayed can’t say Iran is a bigger threat than Israel
2026-10-12 · Washington Examiner
Are the polls overestimating Senate Democrats again?
2026-10-09 · Washington Examiner
How can Democrats call themselves the ‘affordability’ party?
2026-10-08 · Washington Examiner
Keith Ellison quiet on alleged Somali gang activity that ruined homecoming in suburban Minnesota
2026-10-07 · Washington Examiner
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 12 articles by Guy Benson →

Topics

Americans United 93

Subjects

Americans NORP · 1× Charlie Kirk PERSON · 1× United 93 ORG · 1×

Narrative

The death toll would have been even higher if not for the remarkable courage of the passengers aboard United 93, who fought back and saved innocent lives.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-11
🔮 The death toll would have been even higher if not for the remarkable courage of the passengers aboard United 93, who fought back and saved innocent lives.
2026-09-11 · Washington Examiner
Two solemn anniversaries and the cancer of political violence · assertive framing

Claims (5 extracted, 0 hedged)

Twenty-five years ago this week, jihadi terrorists hijacked commercial jetliners and weaponized them, murdering thousands of innocent people. asserted
terrorists → hijack → people
The death toll would have been even higher if not for the remarkable courage of the passengers aboard United 93, who fought back and saved innocent lives. asserted
who → fight → lives
One year ago this week, a hateful, radicalized leftist shot Charlie Kirk in the neck during a public event, killing the young father and husband. asserted
leftist → shoot → father
The haunting, horrifying images of both attacks stirred revulsion and righteous anger among millions of Americans. asserted
images → stir → Americans
They still do. asserted
They → do → ?
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