Friday, September 11th, 2026 - 9/11's 25th Anniversary, ABC Kills Talarico Interview, Trump’s Voting Restrictions Blocked Again

Today's Headlines: Today marks 25 years since September 11th — 2,977 people killed that day, and over 5,000 first responders who have since died from toxic exposure at Ground Zero. The 9/11 Memorial added a seventh moment of silence this year specifically to honor those who died in the years following. The Republican convention pregamed the anniversary with "Trumpapalooza" — featuring a "God Made Trump" video, promises of $5,000 checks nobody will ever see, and a crowd member screaming that James Talarico and Abdul El-Sayed should be shot. Speaking of Talarico, a new poll shows him leading Paxton 48-43, which explains why ABC refused to air Jimmy Kimmel's Talarico interview after the FCC threatened the network, its affiliates, and local Texas stations — the interview is up on Kimmel's YouTube now, and if the Colbert precedent holds, more people will watch it there anyway. On the election interference beat, an appeals court rejected Trump's mail-in voting restrictions on the grounds that the president doesn't have authority to regulate state elections — though he'll almost certainly appeal to the Supreme Court — and the Supreme Court rejected Missouri's gerrymandered congressional map for the second time, leaving the state past its ballot deadline with no guidance on what map to actually use in November, which is a mess entirely of their own making. And finally, benchmark mortgage rates hit a 14 year high, so yay.  Resources/Articles mentioned: 9/11 Memorial: News Release: 9/11 Memorial & Museum Adds Moment of Silence to 25th Anniversary Commemoration, Honoring Those Lost to 9/11 Health Effects NYT: Republican Convention Live Updates: Vance and Trump to Speak on Day 2 of Midterm Event NBC News: Jimmy Kimmel says show won’t air James Talarico interview on TV, citing FCC threats The Guardian: US appeals court rejects Trump’s bid to restrict mail-in voting before midterms NYT: Supreme Court Again Blocks Republican-Backed Missouri Voting Map The Hill: Benchmark mortgage rate hits 14-month high as bond yields keep rising Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices