According to Virginia Del. Carrie Coyner (R-Chesterfield), the still-unfolding scandal involving Democrat attorney general nominee Jay Jones goes deeper than just a few text messages.
Coyner, who was the recipient of several 2022 text messages from Jones advocating for the assassination of then-state House Speaker Todd Gilbert, said that Jones had made similar comments to her back in 2020 when they were discussing the idea of qualified immunity for police officers.
“We had a pretty heated conversation about public policy and pain involving qualified immunity,” Coyner told Brandon Jarvis of <a href="https://www.virginiascope.com/coyner-says-jones-told-her-in-a-2020-phone-call-that-a-few-police-officers-dying-would-stop-them-from-killing-other-people/">Virginia Scope</a>.
“I served on the Courts Committee for a short period of time. A bill to remove qualified immunity for police officers, which protects police officers from personal liability in their line of duty and their line of work, and he believed that they should not have qualified immunity, and he was trying to convince me to agree with that,” Coyner explained.
“I said, ‘No, police officers have to make a split second decision about whether or not to shoot a gun to protect themselves or protect others. And if they’re having to think about, will this strip my whole family of everything … are they going to be able to make that split-second decision?’” Coyner recalled, adding, “And I said, ‘I believe that people will get killed. Police officers will get killed.’ And he said, ‘Well, maybe if a few of them died, that they would move on, not shooting people, not killing people.’ And I said, ‘that’s insane.’”
“But he firmly believed that if you removed qualified immunity, that police officers would act differently, and I firmly believe that it would not result in good public policy, and it would put police officers and the public’s lives at risk if they have to second-guess themselves on a decision they’re making in a moment where someone is doing something violent,” she said.
Jones — who did put his name behind legislation ending qualified immunity for police officers — did not speak directly with Virginia Scope, but provided a statement claiming that he had never said any such thing.
“I did not say this. I have never believed and do not believe that any harm should come to law enforcement, period. Every single day, police officers put their lives on the line to protect our communities, and I am deeply grateful for their service and sacrifice. As Attorney General, I will work hand-in-hand with law enforcement to support their work,” the statement read.

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) campaigns as the Democratic nominee in the Virginia’s governor’s race.

Jay Jones Text Scandal Just Got Worse: Here Are The Others Ex-Colleague Says He Wanted Dead

Jay Jones

Media

Police

Political Violence

Politics

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) was apparently baffled by the fact that Washington, D.C., Police Union boss Gregg Pemberton was less concerned with the January 6th pardons than the 1,537 police officers who’ve been assaulted since that day without justice being served on their behalf.
Pemberton and Durbin went back and forth several times on Tuesday, and the Illinois senator struggled to wrap his brain around the fact that Pemberton was unbothered by President Donald Trump’s blanket pardons for January 6 rioters.
WATCH:
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🚨NEW: DC Police Union Boss Gregg Pemberton expresses &#8220;FRUSTRATION&#8221; as Dem Senator Dick Durbin *SOLELY* focuses on J6 officer assaults🚨
PEMBERTON: &#8220;More than 1,500 officers have been assaulted by people since that day — and nothing has happened to those suspects!&#8221;
&#8220;My… <a href="https://t.co/x7mtWS5vzW">pic.twitter.com/x7mtWS5vzW</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1973038000222134646?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Durbin asked about the pardons right away, demanding to know how Pemberton had felt upon learning that Trump had pardoned those who’d been arrested and convicted for taking part in the January 6th riot on Capitol Hill.
Pemberton conceded that it was frustrating, but then said it was more frustrating to him that in the months since January 6, 2021, some 1,537 police officers had been assaulted — and after the suspects were arrested, the cases were “no-papered” by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, meaning that they could not proceed.
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Durbin once again asked about the pardons, and Pemberton pointed out the fact that those cases had already been adjudicated and that the defendants in question had already been charged and convicted — and some had served jail time — before those pardons were issued. The cases he was talking about never even made it before a judge — and the assaulted officers could never see justice — because the U.S. Attorney’s Office had stopped them cold.
Durbin raised the question of the pardons yet again, but Pemberton continued to push back.
“More than 1,500 officers have been assaulted by people since that day — and nothing has happened to those suspects!&#8221; he said.
&#8220;My frustration, Senator, is that no one seems to care about police officers who were assaulted after that day or before that day,” Pemberton continued. “It seems like people only care about police officers who were assaulted on that day in the calendar!”

Senate Judiciary Holds Hearing On Domestic Terrorism

Dick Durbin Baffled As Police Union Boss Cares More About 1,500 Assaulted Officers Than January 6 Pardons

Assault

Dick Durbin

January 6

WASHINGTON — Top law enforcement organizations are warning that a government shutdown would put the lives — and livelihoods — of many American law enforcement officers in danger.
The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), which represents 250,000 state and local law enforcement officers throughout the United States, warned in a statement Saturday that &#8220;if lawmakers neglect their constitutional duties, allow funding to run out and shut down the government, federal law enforcement officers, who are working to protect our cities and communities from violent crime, drugs, and guns, will be putting their lives on the line without getting paid.&#8221;
&#8220;Federal funding for task forces will stop flowing,&#8221; the organization warned. &#8220;Federal grants, resources, and supports for state and local law enforcement will stop, leaving vital public safety initiatives in the lurch.&#8221;
NAPO pointed to the tragic shooting at a Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility earlier this week, arguing: &#8220;Now is not the time to let federal funding run out. As the deadly shooting at the Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility [on Wednesday] illustrates, American law enforcement officers are working in an increasingly dangerous and charged environment.&#8221;
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&#8220;To have them risk their lives without pay undermines support for the work they are doing and increases the stresses and strains the job puts on them and their families,&#8221; the organization insisted. &#8220;We are calling on all lawmakers to do the right thing and enact a continuing resolution to fund the government before time runs out.&#8221;
Their calls to action come after the White House Office of Management and Budget issued a memo late Thursday to federal agencies, ordering these agencies to prepare for reduction-in-force if there is a government shutdown &#8212; specifically pinpointing unfunded programs that fall outside President Donald Trump’s priorities &#8212; and draft termination plans.
The National Fraternal Order of Police, which represents 382,000 members throughout the United States, similarly urged Congress to fulfill one of its &#8220;most fundamental responsibilities&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;providing funding for the operations of our Federal government.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_977737" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-led-shutdown-will-put-law-enforcement-lives-on-the-line-without-pay-top-orgs-warn/topshot-us-politics-trump-police" rel="attachment wp-att-977737"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-977737" class="wp-image-977737 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2218104080-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2218104080-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2218104080-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2218104080-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2218104080.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>US President Donald Trump (C), flanked by Attorney General Pam Bondi (L) and Fraternal Order of Police National President Patrick Yoes (R), speaks during a roundtable discussion with the Fraternal Order of Police in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 5, 2025. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;They have got to pay the bills,” said the organization&#8217;s president, Patrick Yoes. “Political divisions and Congressional dysfunction seem to be a growing problem no matter which party controls Congress and the White House.”
Yoes pointed to the continuing resolution, which passed the House earlier this month, but requires 60 votes to pass the Senate. It failed to pass the Senate in a 44-48 vote, which eight of the senators missed.
“The bill is a ‘clean’ continuing resolution that will prevent the partial government shutdown that is swiftly approaching,” Yoes argued. “The Senate’s rejection will cause major disruptions for programs that fund public safety efforts in our communities. Government officials throughout the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security won’t be able to man their posts and provide support for operations in the field. This should be unacceptable to all Americans.&#8221;
Similarly, the Council of Local Prisons argued that a government shutdown would &#8220;not only threaten&#8221; the livelihoods of the men and women who serve in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) — it would also &#8220;directly jeopardize institutional security and public safety nationwide.&#8221; The individuals who work in the BOP perform incredibly &#8220;difficult, dangerous, and essential work in government service,&#8221; the organization warned.
BOP can&#8217;t reduce its hours, close its doors, or pause its operations during a shutdown, the organization said in a statement. And given that federal correctional officers are already facing a staffing crisis, a shutdown would cause officers to work without pay, put major strain on the spouses and children of correctional staff, and signal &#8220;instability&#8221; in the profession, making recruitment harder and driving &#8220;experienced officers to seek employment elsewhere.&#8221;
&#8220;Correctional facilities must remain fully operational around the clock,&#8221; the Council of Local Prisons explained. &#8220;Inmates must be housed, fed, transported, and supervised regardless of political gridlock. The mission of the BOP is continuous, and its staff are required by law and duty to report to work—even if pay is withheld.&#8221;
&#8220;This reality means that during a shutdown, thousands of correctional officers and staff are compelled to put their lives on the line each day without the certainty of a paycheck. For many, this creates immediate financial hardship, while for all, it adds unnecessary stress to a job already defined by danger and high stakes.&#8221;
Understaffed prisons will see more violence, the organization warned, noting: &#8220;Failures within institutions spill over into the public—whether through contraband trafficking, gang coordination, or threats against law enforcement and citizens.&#8221;
&#8220;This issue transcends partisanship,&#8221; the Council of Local Prisons insisted. &#8220;Members from both sides of the aisle have consistently recognized the critical role of the Bureau of Prisons in safeguarding the public. Ensuring these officers are supported is not a Democratic or Republican issue—it is an American issue. Public safety cannot be compromised for political brinkmanship.&#8221;
&#8220;Every day a shutdown continues, correctional staff are asked to risk their lives without pay, institutions operate under mounting strain, and the American people are put at greater risk. The cost of inaction far outweighs any perceived political gain.&#8221;

Senator Chuck Schumer

Democrat-Led Shutdown Will Put Law Enforcement ‘Lives On The Line’ Without Pay, Top Orgs Warn

Congress

Democrats

Government Shutdown

Three police officers and the suspect who opened fire on them are dead after a shooting that took place on Wednesday afternoon in North Codorus Township, York County, Pennsylvania. Two other officers remain in critical condition but are considered stable.
According to multiple reports, the suspect was the subject of a stalking and trespass charge that was filed earlier in the day in York County, and police were going to make an arrest when the shooter — who has not yet been identified — instead opened fire.
Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner, Col. Christopher Paris, confirmed during a news conference on Wednesday afternoon that three of the Northern York Regional Police Department officers involved had been killed and their attacker had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Paris also announced that an investigation was still ongoing.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner confirms *THREE* police officers from the Northern York Regional Police Dept are dead after a shooting in Codorus Township, near Spring Grove in York County. Two more injured.
Attacker is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. <a href="https://t.co/IohF3u4fDG">pic.twitter.com/IohF3u4fDG</a>
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1968442077198385346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a statement following the tragic shooting, saying via X, &#8220;The @FBI and @ATFHQ are on the scene supporting local law enforcement following the shooting of multiple police officers in York County, Pennsylvania.
Violence against law enforcement is a scourge on our society and never acceptable. Pray for the officers involved.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The <a href="https://twitter.com/FBI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBI</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ATFHQ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ATFHQ</a> are on the scene supporting local law enforcement following the shooting of multiple police officers in York County, Pennsylvania.
Violence against law enforcement is a scourge on our society and never acceptable. Pray for the officers involved.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/1968430529033773295?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Governor Josh Shapiro (D-PA) also commented on the shooting, praising law enforcement officers for the work they do every day — and also pointed out that their families serve with them.
&#8220;It’s an extraordinary thing what these law enforcement families do. They support the individual who puts on the uniform and runs toward danger. They’re there for them when they leave in the morning, and they pray throughout the day that they will come home at night,&#8221; he said.

A detail photo of police tape reading “police line do not cross” wrapped around a tree. At the scene of a shooting in Reading Monday evening 12/21/2015 at 11th street just South of Franklin. Police were also investigating a connected incident at the inter

Three Police Officers Dead After Shooting In Pennsylvania, Suspect Also Deceased

Ambush

Shooting

Violent Crime

Utah officials and the FBI confirmed during a press conference on Friday morning that the man suspected of assassinating conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was taken into custody on Thursday night.
Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox said at a press conference that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was arrested after allegedly confessing or implying to a family member that he had assassinated Kirk. Robinson also recently told a family member of his dislike of Kirk, the governor said. Cox added that a family member of Robinson’s told investigators that the suspected assassin had become more political in recent years, and that Robinson mentioned at a recent dinner that Kirk was scheduled to speak at Utah Valley University.
“They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had,” the governor added. “The family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate.”
Robinson was taken into custody at around 10:00 p.m. local time on Thursday, according to FBI Director Kash Patel. One of Robinson’s family members reached out to a family friend about the 22-year-old who allegedly confessed or implied that he had assassinated Kirk. The information “was then relayed” to authorities, according to Cox. Robinson lived with his family in Washington County in southwest Utah and was not a student at Utah Valley University.
Authorities said campus video showed the suspected assassin arriving at Utah Valley University in a gray Dodge Challenger before Kirk’s killing, and a family member later confirmed to investigators that Robinson owned the same type of car.
A roommate of Robinson also spoke with investigators and allowed them to review messages from the suspect that were sent via the online platform Discord. Messages sent from “Tyler” allegedly discussed retrieving a rifle from a “drop point” and “leaving the rifle in a bush,” Cox said. Authorities said they found a bolt-action rifle with a scope attached in a bush in a wooded area near where Kirk was assassinated. Another message from “Tyler” mentioned that he had changed outfits, the governor added.
Cox said that ammunition from the rifle that authorities believe the suspected assassin used to kill Kirk was engraved with multiple phrases, including “Notices Bulges OwO what&#8217;s this?” (a furry culture meme), “^&gt;VVV” (the calldown code for a 500kg bomb in the game Helldivers 2), “Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao” (song of the Italian antifascist resistance), “If you read this you are gay LMAO,” and “Hey fascist! Catch!” It does not appear that the suspected assassin made any reference to transgender ideology, as was previously stated in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ammunition-from-charlie-kirk-assassination-was-engraved-with-transgender-and-anti-fascist-ideology">reports</a> citing internal government documents.
FBI Director Patel and Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith thanked the public for its help in catching the suspected assassin. Smith added that the success of law enforcement could not have been achieved without the public’s prayers, patience, and support.
“That is what we needed to get through this,” he said.
Patel added that the investigation remains ongoing, and Governor Cox said that charging documents will likely be filed next week. Utah is one of the few states that still has the death penalty. Both Cox and President Donald Trump have called for Kirk’s assassin to be executed after he is convicted.

Mugshot: Tyler Robinson

Authorities Arrest, Identify Suspected Charlie Kirk Assassin

assassination

Charlie Kirk

Utah

State and federal authorities released a joint update on Wednesday night on the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, saying that two people had been detained for questioning and later released.
In a <a href="https://mailchi.mp/utah/for-immediate-release-updates-on-charlie-kirk-shooting-at-uvu?e=98970b8875">press release</a> issued by the Utah Department of Public Safety and the <a href="https://x.com/FBISaltLakeCity/status/1965961274757468603">FBI</a>, authorities said that George Zinn and Zachariah Qureshi had been taken into custody as suspects and questioned, but law enforcement found &#8220;no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals.&#8221; The statement added, &#8220;There is an ongoing investigation and manhunt for the shooter.&#8221;
&#8220;The shooting is believed to be a targeted attack. The shooter is believed to have fired from the roof of a building down to the location of the public event in the student courtyard. Any additional clarifications cannot be provided to protect the integrity of our investigation,&#8221; authorities said.
Zinn, a 71-year-old man, is known in the Salt Lake City area for disrupting political events and has a criminal history dating back to the 1980s, The Salt Lake Tribune <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/news/2025/09/10/george-zinn-what-we-know-about-man/">reported</a>. In 2013, Zinn was charged with threatening to place bombs at the finish line of the Salt Lake City marathon. Zinn agreed to a plea deal in that case and was sentenced to probation. However, after he failed to meet the conditions of his probation, he was ordered to spend a year in jail, with credit for time served, according to the Tribune. Zinn was arrested again in 2019 after a protest in downtown Salt Lake City turned violent.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill told the Tribune on Wednesday that Zinn leaned libertarian and would “give me a hard time for being a Dem.” He added that at “almost every political event you can think of, there was always George somewhere in the background, listening.”
The FBI began <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/feds-to-immediately-investigate-shooting-of-charlie-kirk-at-utah-campus?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=8&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Feds+To+Take+Over+Investigation+Of+Charlie+Kirk+Shooting">investigating</a> shortly after Kirk was shot. The two subjects questioned by the FBI were released after FBI Director Kash Patel said earlier on Wednesday that the suspected assassin had been taken into custody. Patel later <a href="https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1965928054712316363">said</a>, &#8220;The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency.&#8221;
According to officials, the Utah Valley University Police Department had six officers working the Kirk event, which was in addition to Kirk&#8217;s security detail. Around 3,000 people were in attendance to listen to Kirk when a gunman fired a single shot from the roof of a building near where Kirk was speaking at approximately 12:20 p.m. local time, according to authorities. Kirk was taken to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead &#8220;hours later.&#8221;
The assassin is <a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/charlie-kirk-shot/card/fatal-shot-may-have-come-from-building-200-yards-from-kirk-university-says-ARVsET7iomEWhWNTPkjF?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAg4rD9CJApLW0OvJR8CqO52_pp1WVJmhMszQOS5PI5Cu5doVsgyXfH_IwXWiFw%3D&amp;gaa_ts=68c2b931&amp;gaa_sig=VzRj4Iqq75TbVr0S2H49ff2ndHK68e8rU9zIINkAl7ZG4QlWteWUMcTvc8iGQOoUwVpoQlpgImVIZX7YNhcRhQ%3D%3D">believed</a> to have fired from the Losee Center building, which was at least 200 yards away from where Kirk was speaking in a courtyard on campus. Law enforcement has not released a description of the suspected assassin, other than saying the suspect was &#8220;dressed in all dark clothing.&#8221;
The FBI <a href="https://x.com/FBI/status/1965962302458417304">urged</a> the public to send in any information about the assassination to a <a href="https://tips.fbi.gov/digitalmedia/f4507712a3b2893">tip line</a>.

Charlie Kirk Assassination: Authorities Release Update On Questioned ‘Suspects’ As Manhunt Continues

Charlie Kirk Assassination: Authorities Release Update On Questioned 'Suspects' As Manhunt Continues

Crime

It’s difficult to believe that 24 years have passed since that fateful September morning in 2001 when a group of radical Islamic terrorists slammed planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a rural field in Pennsylvania, murdering 2,977 innocent people.
So much had changed in New York City in the years leading up to that day. The city had been rescued from the throes of an unprecedented period of violent crime and disorder, fueled by a crack epidemic that ran from the early 1980s into the early 1990s. But in the decade leading up to September 11, 2001, the Big Apple had blossomed into the safest big city in the world. Businesses were flourishing. Tourism was booming. There was an atmosphere of safety and law and order in the streets. New York City was once again the mecca of the western world. I saw it happen and it was a beautiful thing to watch.
Under the leadership of Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton the NYPD was transformed from a rudderless, leaderless, reactionary force of report takers with no direction into an organized army of crime fighters who identified and attacked high-crime areas with a zero-tolerance policy, targeting hardcore crooks and putting them behind bars where they belong. I was a proud member of that army. It took a lot of blood sweat and tears to reduce crime to levels no one would have imagined just eight years earlier.
The city was like a shiny, old, classic car. It had a few dents and even a few ugly rust spots but the engine was humming and millions of citizens, tourists and businesses were riding around with the top down enjoying the sweet music and the cool breeze blowing through their hair. And then, on 9/11, when those planes smashed into our city, it felt like a cinderblock crashing through the windshield of that classic car.
I was at home that morning, getting ready for work when the first tower was struck at 8:46 AM. I was a Detective Lieutenant in the NYPD’s Intelligence Division. My first thought was that the plane striking the North Tower was an accident. Then, 17 minutes later, the second plane struck and there was no doubt we were under attack. I grabbed my suit jacket and raced toward the city.
I met up with a few members of my team on the side of the highway. We piled into one car and headed for Manhattan. There was no conversation. We drove in silence, listening to the frenzied traffic on our portable radios and the haunting, gut-wrenching transmissions of our fellow officers already on the scene pleading for help, some coughing and wheezing in the rubble, perhaps taking their last breaths. It was heartbreaking.
<div id="attachment_971053" style="width: 857px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-971053" class="size-large wp-image-971053" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-1376061-847x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK CITY - SEPTEMBER 11: (FILE PHOTO) (PUERTO RICO OUT) This is a view from West Broadway Avenue of the downtown Manhattan area of the World Trade Center towers after they were hit by two planes during a terrorist attack September 11, 2001 in New York City. (Jose Jimenez/Primera Hora via Getty Images) ***PUERTO RICO OUT ****" width="847" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-1376061-847x576.jpg 847w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-1376061-300x204.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-1376061-768x522.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-1376061.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 847px) 100vw, 847px" />Jose Jimenez/Primera Hora via Getty Images</div>
As we approached the Queens Midtown tunnel, we saw the North Tower crumble and disappear from the skyline. It was another cinderblock crashing through the windshield of our classic car. I was seething.
We raced down the FDR drive headed south toward the Trade Center where we came upon a ghostly parade of terrified people covered in grey dust running north in the opposite direction we were headed. One of the guys in the car with me mumbled, “I think we’re going the wrong way.” I turned to him and snapped, “No. We’re going the right way.”
We eventually came to a stop just south of the Brooklyn Bridge because the FDR Drive had become an apocalyptic parking lot jammed with abandoned cars. We set out on foot crossing over from the FDR Drive to the side streets where we flagged down an empty ambulance and asked the driver to take us as close to the Trade Center as possible. We climbed into the back and slammed the door shut. As we moved through the narrow streets of downtown, the small rectangular window in the back of the ambulance only grew darker and then the ambulance stopped. This was as far as the driver could take us.
When we spilled out onto Broadway, it was like landing on another planet. Dust was flying everywhere. There was a 6-inch layer of ash, papers and personal belongings blanketing the streets. There was a ceiling of toxic smoke hovering over downtown like a London fog. The carnage was all around us. But the thing I remember most were the shoes. Maybe because I knew they were once connected to people. I wondered if they had run out of them and escaped or if their owners were crushed and burning in the rubble. As we wandered aimlessly in a pack, toward what was once the North and South towers, it was hard to fathom what we were seeing. In some places there were 10 story sections of buildings leaning up against other buildings. Fire trucks and cars were crushed beneath the smoldering rubble. We came upon a turbine from one of the planes near the corner of Murray and Church Streets. Further down the block was a piece of the landing gear.
As we wound through the streets, we could hear and feel the rumble of explosions beneath our feet. I imagined it was gas tanks of buried cars exploding beneath the fiery rubble until we encountered a pack of dust-covered firemen wandering around like we were. They warned us the explosions were manhole covers being blown up into the air by the pressure and heat of the fires raging below us and urged us to stay on the sidewalks to avoid being killed. So, we heeded their advice, breathing in the dust, trudging through the debris looking for survivors or people in need of help but only the dead beneath the rubble remained.
<div id="attachment_971055" style="width: 841px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-971055" class="size-large wp-image-971055" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-1201348346-831x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 11: The streets of downtown New York are covered in debris after both World Trade Towers collapsed from a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)" width="831" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-1201348346-831x576.jpg 831w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-1201348346-300x208.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-1201348346-768x533.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-1201348346.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 831px) 100vw, 831px" />Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images</div>
As the afternoon wore on, and communications began to settle down, we got more organized. We eventually helped set up a makeshift morgue in the lobby of a building a few blocks north of the smoldering Trade Center. I don’t recall how many bodies came in. It wasn’t more than a few. But the one I remember most was Father Mychal Judge, the Chaplain of the New York City Fire Department. Five brave, somber, exhausted firemen carried his limp body into the lobby. They knelt down and prayed over him. It was a very moving. He had been struck by debris in the Lobby of the North Tower when the South Tower had collapsed.
By the afternoon, we were deployed up to Greenwich Street, several blocks north of Building 7 where we helped set up a perimeter to keep unauthorized people out of the area. We had a clear view of the 47-story building 7 and the fire raging halfway up inside. At 5:20 PM the building began to tremble. The windows popped across it like bubble wrap. The mighty building shook one last time and then fell straight down into itself sending a cloud of dust tumbling in our direction. The worst of the cloud dissipated before it could reach us. Watching that building fall was the final gut punch. I was so angry and so sad. It was hard to wrap my head around everything we had seen and heard that day. It still is 24 years later.
Every year, when this tragic anniversary rolls around, we hear the common mantra “Never Forget.” And it is true, we should never forget. But for the other 364 days of the year, many of them, especially those on the left, wake up every day trying to find new ways to divide us.
That’s why I prefer the phrase, “Always Remember.”
Always remember the sense of patriotism and unity we felt in the days, weeks, months and years that followed this tragedy.
Always remember how people from all different walks of life, strangers, came together and rallied around each other in ways I had never seen in my lifetime.
Always remember the caravans of civilians and first responders from all over the country who poured into the city with trucks, saws, and heavy equipment or just their hands and hearts begging to help with the rescue and recovery operations.
But most importantly, always remember the heroes, first responders and civilians alike, many of whom lost their lives, rushing into those buildings to save their fellow human beings, never for a second considering the race, religion, creed or sexual orientation of those they were trying to save.
Hate lost that day. 24 years later, however, it’s making a comeback. But if we just take the time to remember those things that united us, hate doesn’t have a chance.
* * *
John Dove is a retired NYPD Detective Lieutenant and the former co-executive producer of “CSI-NY” starring Gary Sinise.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Septmber 11, 2001

I Was An NYPD Detective On 9/11. This Is What I Saw.

Always Remember: A Former NYPD Officer Reflects On 9/11, 24 Years Later

9/11

Islamic Jihad

New York City

NYPD

Radical Islamic Terror

Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Thursday, arguing that the president’s National Guard deployment in the nation’s capital is an “illegal federal overreach.”
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, a Democrat, <a href="https://oag.dc.gov/release/attorney-general-schwalb-sues-end-illegal-national">argued</a> that the deployment “is not only unnecessary and unwanted, but it is also dangerous and harmful to the District and its residents.” The lawsuit claims that Trump’s move to send in National Guard troops to help address D.C.’s violent crime problem deprives “the District of the local autonomy granted under the Home Rule Act.”
“No American city should have the US military – particularly out-of-state military who are not accountable to the residents and untrained in local law enforcement – policing its streets,” Schwalb added. “It’s D.C. today but could be any other city tomorrow. We’ve filed this action to put an end to this illegal federal overreach.”
President Donald Trump said he deployed the National Guard to the nation’s capital on August 11 to “reestablish law, order and public safety.” Trump also ordered federal law enforcement officers to assist in making arrests. The White House fired back after the lawsuit was filed, telling <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/us/dc-trump-national-guard-suit.html">The New York Times</a> that D.C.’s move was “nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of D.C. residents and visitors — to undermine the President’s highly successful operations to stop violent crime in D.C.”
The White House said last week that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/in-less-than-a-month-trumps-federal-d-c-force-makes-more-than-1k-arrests?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=11&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=In+Less+Than+A+Month%2C+Trump%E2%80%99s+Federal+D.C.+Force+Makes+More+Than+1K+Arrests">more than 1,000 arrests</a> have been made, including apprehensions of many suspected illegal immigrants, in D.C. since Trump deployed the National Guard. An administration official told Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan that authorities also seized more than 100 firearms and cleared nearly 50 homeless encampments.
On Wednesday, Trump <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/trump-dc-crime-down-100-percent-heres-what-numbers-show/">declared</a> that D.C. “is a totally safe city” following his executive action. “You are not reporting any crime because there is none,” Trump said. “They said crime is down 87%, then I said ‘no it’s not. It’s down 100%.’”
According to <a href="https://mpdc.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/mpdc/publication/attachments/9.1.2025%20Surge%20Report.pdf">data</a> released by the Metropolitan Police Department, violent crime has gone down 39% during Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and federal law enforcement agents compared to the same time last year. Homicides dropped 58% and burglaries decreased by 49%, according to the Metropolitan Police Department’s statistics. President Trump has questioned the D.C. police department’s crime data after allegations surfaced earlier this year that officials “cooked the books” to keep crime numbers down.
The lawsuit follows a ruling from a federal judge on Tuesday who said that Trump broke the law when he deployed the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles during violent anti-ICE protests in June, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-rules-trump-illegally-deployed-us-military-to-los-angeles">reported</a>. The order from Judge Charles Breyer, the younger brother of former liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, takes effect next week.
Breyer’s order blocks the Trump administration from using around 300 National Guard troops left in Los Angeles to engage “in arrests, apprehensions, searches, seizures, security patrols, traffic control, crowd control, riot control, evidence collection, interrogation, or acting as informants, unless and until Defendants satisfy the requirements of a valid constitutional or statutory exception.”
The lawsuit filed by D.C. against Trump makes similar arguments as the case brought against the president in California, claiming that the National Guard deployment to cities violates the Posse Comitatus Act by using the military for domestic law enforcement. While Trump’s move is challenged in D.C., he is also considering deploying the National Guard to tackle violent crime in other cities, such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans, and Baltimore.

National Guard

D.C. Files Suit To End Trump’s National Guard Deployment

Courts

Donald Trump

Trump Administration

Washington D.C.

A 38-year-old Alabama man who traveled to Southern California with a cache of weapons and ammunition, claiming to be the &#8220;Angel of Death,&#8221; was arrested after threatening a Catholic monastery, according to prosecutors.
Joshua Michael Richardson was charged on Wednesday with felony criminal threats and possession of six high-capacity gun magazines, brass knuckles, and a sword, the Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-09-04/heavily-armed-angel-of-death-from-alabama-charged-with-threatening-socal-church">reported</a>. Richardson sent a disturbing email to St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado Canyon, California, on August 19, saying that he was &#8220;rider of the pale horse,&#8221; who personifies death in the book of Revelation, and threatening to &#8220;do the Lord&#8217;s reaping&#8221; at the monastery. He also claimed to be Michael the Archangel, the &#8220;Angel of Death,&#8221; from the Bible, according to prosecutors.
Silverado Canyon is a small, unincorporated community in eastern Orange County, nestled within the Santa Ana Mountains about 55 miles southeast of downtown L.A.
Along with the high-capacity magazines and sword, investigators also discovered knives, body armor, and a stun gun in Richardson&#8217;s truck. It does not appear that the Alabama man had a firearm in his possession when he was arrested.
The L.A. Times reported that Richardson allegedly attended a service at St. Michael’s Abbey on August 26 and then followed the priest into a private area. He told the priest that “he came to do the Lord’s work, to separate the weak from the weeds, and that he rode his white pale horse from Alabama,” prosecutors said.
Richardson reportedly added that he wanted to target St. Michael&#8217;s Abbey because it still celebrates Michaelmas, which recognizes St. Michael with a feast on September 29. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department received a report about the threats two days after Richardson attended the service at the monastery, and arrested him. He is being held without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.
Law enforcement urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
&#8220;While incidents like this can feel unsettling, they also highlight the power of community. If something seems off, say something. Trust your instincts and report suspicious activity, whether it is a strange message, unusual behavior, or something that does not sit right,&#8221; the sheriff&#8217;s department said.
“No one should have to worship in fear that a stranger would walk through the door with the intent to carry out their own day of judgment and determine who lives and who dies,” added Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “A threat on one house of worship is an attack on every place of worship, and we refuse to allow threats and terror to dissuade any person from practicing their faith without fear.”
Richardson was arrested shortly after a Catholic school in Minneapolis was attacked by a trans-identifying shooter. FBI Director Kash Patel <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kash-patel-says-minneapolis-school-shooting-was-an-act-of-domestic-terrorism">said</a> that the Minneapolis shooter, identified as 22-year-old Robin Westman, held anti-Catholic and antisemitic views. Westman killed two children and wounded more than a dozen others after opening fire at Annunciation Catholic School during Mass last Wednesday.

Catholic

‘Angel Of Death’: Man Arrested After Threatening Catholic Monastery, Traveling With Cache Of Weapons

California

Catholic Church

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Thursday that the FBI was assisting local law enforcement in reviewing the writings of the transgender-identifying male shooter who opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School during a school Mass held at the church building on Wednesday. 
O’Hara gave the update during an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg5XSySV-a0">interview</a> on NBC’s “Today” show, where he discussed the latest development in the investigation into the attack that left two children dead and 17 others injured. The gunman has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-we-know-about-the-trans-identifying-gunman-who-slaughtered-catholic-school-children?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=10&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=What+We+Know+About+The+Trans-Identifying+Gunman+Who+Slaughtered+Catholic+School+Children">been identified</a> as “Robin Westman,” a 23-year-old man who identified as a woman and previously went by Robert.
Police say that Westman killed himself after he shot through the windows of the Annunciation Church, where students were attending a morning Mass. O’Hara said that police were still investigating Westman and examining what he had left behind. 
“We recovered literally hundreds of pieces of evidence in total that we have to go through. There is some additional writings, I would say, that the FBI is helping us go through,” O’Hara said. 
“Everything that we have seen so far is really a classic pathway to an active shooter,” he added. “We have seen a whole lot of hate against a whole variety of people and what we have seen so far, but nothing specific to point to as the motive for targeting this church and this particular incident.”
FBI Director Kash Patel announced Wednesday that the FBI was investigating the shooting as domestic terrorism and a hate crime against Catholics.
In previously reported writings, Westman discussed assassinating President Donald Trump, fantasized about killing children, expressed hatred toward Jewish people, and ranted about his transgender identity.
“The focus remains trying to go through everything that we possibly can, following all of the evidence to its logical conclusion to try and determine what potential motive there actually is for this shooting,” O’Hara said, saying police would try to provide answers as quickly as possible. 
He said that police would likely apply for additional electronic warrants to search through the shooter’s devices.
O’Hara also said that they believed the gunman used to be a member of the church and attend the school there. It was previously reported that Westman’s mother worked at the school. 
All of those injured during the attack are expected to survive, though some are still in critical condition, O’Hara said. He also praised the church for having security guidelines that he said helped save lives. 
“Also thankfully, due to the procedures that the school had in place, that the church had in place, after the Mass had begun, the doors to the church were locked. So this coward had to fire from outside of the church, through the church windows and into the church. And we believe him not being able to get into the church likely saved countless lives,” O’Hara also said. 
During the Biden administration, the FBI also aided in the investigation into the March 2023 attack on The Covenant School in Nashville by a transgender-identifying female. During that investigation, the FBI suppressed writings that the attacker left behind, arguing that they would lead to conspiracy theories.

Shooting At Annunciation School Church In Minneapolis Leaves Multiple Children Dead And Many Injured

‘A Whole Lot Of Hate’: FBI Examining Writings Of Trans-Identifying Gunman In Catholic School Attack

kash patel

Mass Shooting

Minneapolis

Transgender

Two children were killed and at least 17 people were wounded when a shooter opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning.
The gunman, who was in his early 20s, is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O&#8217;Hara. During a press conference after the shooting, O&#8217;Hara said that the two children who were killed were ages 8 and 10. The shooter fired through church windows during school Mass, striking children and worshipers. The students were attending Mass at the Catholic church next to the school when the shooter opened fire.
The shooter was identified as Robin Westman, according to <a href="https://x.com/peterjhasson/status/1960758053625627109">multiple</a> <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/08/27/us-news/minneapolis-catholic-school-gunman-idd-as-robin-westman-while-possible-manifesto-shows-psychotic-obsession-with-mass-shooters/">reports</a>. In 2020, Westman reportedly <a href="https://x.com/peterjhasson/status/1960758053625627109">changed</a> his name from Robert to Robin because he &#8220;identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification,&#8221; according to a Minnesota government document shared online by Washington Free Beacon Editor Peter J. Hasson. Since Westman was a minor at the time of the name change, his mother had to sign the application.
The shooter was carrying a rifle, shotgun, and pistol, and killed himself after firing &#8220;dozens of rounds&#8221; at innocent children, according to O&#8217;Hara. Police believe the shooter fired all three weapons. The shooter barricaded the students and staff in the church by placing a wooden plank against some of the side doors, in an attempt to prevent them from fleeing, O&#8217;Hara said.
The police chief added that 17 other people were wounded in the shooting, 14 of whom were children. One adult and six children are in critical condition, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/08/27/us/minneapolis-church-shooting/4bb55715-d5ea-591a-8eb6-cbd06d35e4b2?smid=url-share">according</a> to the Hennepin County Medical Center.
President Donald Trump said that he had been briefed on the shooting.
&#8220;The FBI quickly responded and they are on the scene,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115101274999111772">wrote</a> on Truth Social. &#8220;The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!&#8221;
The Richfield Police Department, which neighbors Minneapolis, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RichfieldPD/">said</a>, &#8220;Police are responding to an active shooter call. Officers are reporting 20 victims. A man dressed in all black and armed with a rifle was reported at the scene. EMS has requested a Mass Casualty Response and fire crews are bringing in additional resources.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been briefed on a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and will continue to provide updates as we get more information,&#8221; Minnesota Governor Tim Walz posted on X. &#8220;I&#8217;m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific violence.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I’ve been briefed on a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and will continue to provide updates as we get more information. The BCA and State Patrol are on scene.
I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovTimWalz/status/1960706436284985707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Police said the shooting was first reported at 8:27 a.m. local time, and more than 65 units responded. The church and school are located on the 500 block of West 54th Street in Minneapolis. Annunciation Catholic School serves students from kindergarten through 8th grade. Wednesday marked the school&#8217;s third day of the new school year.
This is a developing story; refresh the page for updates.

Parents await news of their children’s status after shooting at Annunciation Church on Wednesday morning, Aug. 27, 2025 in Minneapolis

Shooter Targets Catholic School In Minneapolis, Multiple Children Killed

Christian

Minnesota

School Shooting

Nearly 50 organizations signed a letter sent to President Donald Trump on Monday, urging Trump to keep Marijuana labeled as a Schedule I drug after the administration sparked fierce debate when it announced it was considering downgrading weed&#8217;s classification.
The groups — which include faith-based, law enforcement, public policy, and health care organizations — argue that downgrading marijuana&#8217;s classification would &#8220;result in serious harm to public health and safety,&#8221; according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Daily Wire. Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-sparks-debate-with-comments-on-reclassifying-weed">raised eyebrows</a> earlier this month when he said during a White House press briefing that his administration would “make a determination over the next few weeks” on whether to reclassify marijuana.
During his comments on the drug, Trump acknowledged that marijuana can have negative effects on people, especially children. The organizations behind Monday&#8217;s letter to Trump hope that the president will continue to consider the health of American children when his administration reviews weed&#8217;s classification.
&#8220;You have an opportunity to make a stand for the safety of children across America by opposing the flawed proposal to reschedule marijuana,&#8221; the letter states.
&#8220;Arguments like &#8216;marijuana should not be in the same category as heroin&#8217; are politically salient and easy to understand, but they fundamentally misunderstand how drug scheduling works,&#8221; the letter continues. &#8220;Contrary to popular belief, drug scheduling is not a harm index. Rather, it balances the accepted medical use of a substance with its potential for abuse. Schedule I drugs have no accepted, safe medical use and a high potential for abuse. Marijuana fits squarely within this definition, a fact acknowledged in every scheduling review prior to 2023 (the Obama Administration recommended against rescheduling in 2016).&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
Discussions within the Trump administration have focused on classifying the drug as Schedule III, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-marijuana-federal-drug-classification-01a73b8c?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAgpZ8UL7Mw6HKwBVKPjsmn_wP6A2h8SNZiG41aF9hPed4QVwq2_gG6R&amp;gaa_ts=6897fc20&amp;gaa_sig=Nm9TnTCPjVnNlMv_P1PaH_NVhN3Nn8RbA8H9lDEnLY0FBfl1b_Sd78D-SH_icaL7fTnMQ1iwaisKOLJA0cNS5g%3D%3D">reported</a>. Reclassifying marijuana as <a href="https://www.dea.gov/drug-information/drug-scheduling">Schedule III</a> would put the drug in the same category as drugs that have “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.”
The issue has divided Americans, including those who are among Trump&#8217;s base. The president told reporters on August 11 that marijuana is &#8220;a very complicated subject.&#8221;
&#8220;I’ve heard great things having to do with medical [marijuana], and I’ve [heard] bad things having to do with just about everything else,&#8221; he said.
Among the groups pushing Trump to keep marijuana drug classification the same are the National Narcotic Officers&#8217; Associations&#8217; Coalition and the Drug Enforcement Association of Federal Narcotics Agents (DEAFNA). Conservative groups such as CatholicVote and the Family Research Council also signed the letter.
The letter points out that findings from the Centers for Disease Control <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cannabis/health-effects/cannabis-use-disorder.html">show</a> that 30% of cannabis users meet the clinical definition of having cannabis use disorder, and cannabis users have a 30% chance of getting addicted. Marijuana is also getting stronger.
&#8220;The amount of THC in cannabis has increased over the past few decades. Products with high concentrations of THC can have greater intoxicating effects and increase the risk of overconsumption,&#8221; the CDC stated. The government agency added that there is some evidence &#8220;that high THC concentration cannabis use by adolescents and young adults is associated with continued use and development of future mental health symptoms and disorders.&#8221;
Eric Brown, president of the National Narcotic Officers&#8217; Association Coalition said that narcotics officers witness the &#8220;far-reaching consequences&#8221; of marijuana abuse &#8220;every day.&#8221;
&#8220;Efforts to reschedule marijuana risk sending the wrong message — that the substance is safe — while ignoring the science and significant dangers associated with its use,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Rescheduling would only accelerate marijuana consumption, driving higher rates of substance abuse and increasing demands on already strained public safety resources and budgets. We strongly urge the Administration to reject any effort to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III.&#8221;
The groups also argued that &#8220;Marijuana has not been approved for any medical use by the FDA, and it likely never will.&#8221; While it&#8217;s true that the FDA has not approved marijuana itself to be prescribed for any medical condition, the agency has <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/public-health-focus/fda-and-cannabis-research-and-drug-approval-process#:~:text=To%20date%2C%20the%20FDA%20has,currently%20available%20on%20the%20market.">approved</a> purified forms of the drug, such as Epidiolex, which treats seizures.
&#8220;The agency also has approved Marinol and Syndros for therapeutic uses in the United States, including for nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy and for the treatment of anorexia associated with weight loss in AIDS patients,&#8221; the FDA stated.
Proponents of downgrading marijuana&#8217;s classification point out that moving it from Schedule I to Schedule III wouldn&#8217;t legalize the drug at the federal level, but would only reduce the scale of marijuana-related offenses. Some states have passed laws legalizing recreational and medical marijuana use, and legalization has become a hot topic in recent years, as pro-cannabis groups have pushed politicians, including Trump, to join their side on the issue.
The pro-weed coalition is moving the needle in their direction on public opinion — and not just on reclassifying weed, but also legalizing it at the federal level. A Pew Research <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/03/26/most-americans-favor-legalizing-marijuana-for-medical-recreational-use/">poll</a> conducted last year showed that a majority of Americans (57%) believe that both medical and recreational marijuana should be legal, and 32% said it should be legal for medical use only. Just 11% of respondents said marijuana should be illegal.
Trump addressed the issue at the White House earlier this month after he floated the idea of reclassifying marijuana during a fundraiser at his New Jersey golf club earlier this month, according to the WSJ. Among the guests at the golf club when Trump hinted at the move was Kim Rivers, the CEO of Trulieve, one of the largest marijuana companies in the United States.
Trump also sided with the pro-marijuana crowd last year in Florida, when he voted to legalize recreational use of the drug in his home state. The marijuana amendment push in Florida received 56%, falling just short of the 60% needed to pass it into law. Legalization efforts also failed in North Dakota and South Dakota last year.
A White House official told the WSJ earlier this month that Trump wants to take on issues like marijuana that are viewed as “80-20 cultural issues.” If the president were to take the side of weed proponents, it could also help him and Republicans among independent and young voters in the 2026 midterms.
But according to the group of organizations pushing Trump to say no to downgrading the drug, the risks of reclassifying marijuana far outweigh any potential electoral advantage such a move would give Republicans. The letter highlights how a reclassification of marijuana to Schedule III would end marijuana test requirements for people with numerous important jobs.
In 2024, the National Transportation Safety Board <a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/news/Documents/DEA-Schedules-of-Controlled-Substances-Rescheduling-of-Marijuana.pdf">said</a> that &#8220;HHS-certified laboratories used for such testing are not authorized to test for Schedule III controlled substances. This would mean that airline pilots, airline maintenance workers, bus and truck drivers, locomotive engineers, subway train operators, ship captains, pipeline operators, personnel transporting hazardous materials, and other safety-sensitive transportation employees would be prevented from being tested for marijuana use.&#8221;
Downgrading marijuana to Schedule III would also give dispensaries massive tax breaks, the group points out, arguing that &#8220;street dealers and dispensaries alike would be able to receive reductions for promoting or marketing the sale of addictive drugs.&#8221; In the letter, the group also states that international drug cartels and Chinese money launderers that <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/investigations/marijuana-mexican-cartels-stunning-rise-chinese-money-launderers-rcna158030">operate</a> marijuana farms in the United States could also benefit from a major tax break if weed is rescheduled.
According to the group urging Trump to keep marijuana a Schedule III drug, America&#8217;s drug problem would only get worse if the federal government takes a more lenient stance on weed. Travis Weber, the vice president for Policy and Government Affairs at the Family Research Council, said, “The deep pain and crisis of meaning that many in our nation are facing will not be made better by encouraging even more drug use, which is what rescheduling would do. Taking substances to temporarily “treat” our mind and body alone can never solve what is really a spiritual problem. Drugs won’t fill the void inside and heal our pain. Only Jesus can do that.”
Read the full letter below:
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<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-964659 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/1756121115680-f2c6c7ba-fd70-437b-97f3-e95c1e1fe8b9_4-445x576.jpg" alt="" width="445" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/1756121115680-f2c6c7ba-fd70-437b-97f3-e95c1e1fe8b9_4-445x576.jpg 445w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/1756121115680-f2c6c7ba-fd70-437b-97f3-e95c1e1fe8b9_4-232x300.jpg 232w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/1756121115680-f2c6c7ba-fd70-437b-97f3-e95c1e1fe8b9_4-768x994.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/1756121115680-f2c6c7ba-fd70-437b-97f3-e95c1e1fe8b9_4.jpg 791w" sizes=" (max-width: 445px) 100vw, 445px" /></div>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-964661 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/1756121115680-f2c6c7ba-fd70-437b-97f3-e95c1e1fe8b9_5-445x576.jpg" alt="" width="445" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/1756121115680-f2c6c7ba-fd70-437b-97f3-e95c1e1fe8b9_5-445x576.jpg 445w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/1756121115680-f2c6c7ba-fd70-437b-97f3-e95c1e1fe8b9_5-232x300.jpg 232w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/1756121115680-f2c6c7ba-fd70-437b-97f3-e95c1e1fe8b9_5-768x994.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/1756121115680-f2c6c7ba-fd70-437b-97f3-e95c1e1fe8b9_5.jpg 791w" sizes=" (max-width: 445px) 100vw, 445px" /></div>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-964663 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/1756121115680-f2c6c7ba-fd70-437b-97f3-e95c1e1fe8b9_6-445x576.jpg" alt="" width="445" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/1756121115680-f2c6c7ba-fd70-437b-97f3-e95c1e1fe8b9_6-445x576.jpg 445w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/1756121115680-f2c6c7ba-fd70-437b-97f3-e95c1e1fe8b9_6-232x300.jpg 232w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/1756121115680-f2c6c7ba-fd70-437b-97f3-e95c1e1fe8b9_6-768x994.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/1756121115680-f2c6c7ba-fd70-437b-97f3-e95c1e1fe8b9_6.jpg 791w" sizes=" (max-width: 445px) 100vw, 445px" /></div>

Marijuana, Donald Trump

Doobie Debate Blazes: Groups Urge Trump To Reject ‘Flawed’ Weed Reclassification Push

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