A 9/11 widow delivered a searing message from Ground Zero during Friday’s 25th anniversary remembrance, using the solemn ceremony to demand answers over Saudi Arabia’s alleged connections to the terrorists responsible for the deadliest attack on American soil.

Terry Strada, whose husband Tom Strada was killed inside the World Trade Center’s North Tower, stood before the crowd and made clear that a quarter-century has not ended her family’s fight for accountability.

After reading her husband’s name, Strada asked a question that cut directly to the heart of the decades-long battle.

“How can it be 25 years and still we have no justice for the role that Saudi Arabia played in your murder?”

A 9/11 widow just rent rogue in NYC…

She read her husbands name and then called out Islamic terror and Saudi Arabia.

She called out Bush, Obama, Biden and JD Vance/Trump while they sat right in front of her. The entire crowd at ground zero cheered. pic.twitter.com/xICEZL6FOv

— Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) September 11, 2026

Tom Strada was one of 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees killed when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower on September 11, 2001.

His widow now serves as national chair of 9/11 Families United for Justice and has spent years fighting to uncover what families allege were Saudi connections to individuals involved in the attacks.

Standing at the site where her husband was murdered, Strada accused Saudi Arabia of having “fomented a rancid culture of anti-American terrorism around the globe and then sent its agents to support radical Islamist hijackers so they could attack you and all of our loved ones.”

Fifteen of the 19 terrorists who carried out the September 11 attacks were Saudi nationals.

But Strada wasn’t finished.

She then turned her attention toward America’s own political leadership, accusing successive administrations of failing the families still searching for accountability.

“For 25 years, administration after administration, including leaders in front of us here today, chose to protect the Saudis instead of standing with the 9/11 families,” Strada continued as members of the crowd cheered.

Former Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden were among those attending the ceremony. According to the account, they showed no visible reaction to her remarks.

Strada continued with another blistering accusation.

“They broke promises, both public and private. It has been one betrayal after another,”

She then directed her message specifically toward Vice President JD Vance, who was attending the Ground Zero ceremony representing the Trump administration.

“Tell the Saudis to stop lying. Tell them that if they want to be friends with the USA, they cannot continue to deny all of this, all of the pain, all of the destruction that we have been suffering through.

“Vice President Vance, thank you for being here today,” she concluded. “Please carry that message back. Stand with the families. Stand with survivors. Stand with Americans. As my husband Tom would have said, that is always the right thing to do.”

Families’ Fight for Answers Isn’t Over

Strada’s organization has spent years pursuing litigation seeking to hold Saudi Arabia responsible for alleged assistance connected to the September 11 attacks.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied playing any role in planning or supporting the attacks.

But 25 years later, the legal battle is still alive.

The dispute is expected to return to a federal appeals court in Manhattan next month, with part of the case focusing on Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national whose interactions with two future 9/11 hijackers have received intense scrutiny.

Al-Bayoumi encountered Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar after they arrived in California and helped the men establish themselves in the San Diego area, according to the 9/11 Commission.

He departed the United States for the United Kingdom approximately a year before the September 11 attacks.

British authorities later detained and questioned al-Bayoumi at the request of the United States, but he was never charged.

Families of 9/11 victims have continued pointing to evidence they believe raises serious questions about his activities.

Among that evidence is a video recorded in 1999 and unsealed by a court in 2024.

The footage showed al-Bayoumi recording the U.S. Capitol while discussing a “plan.” Attorneys representing victims’ families have argued that the recording depicts surveillance of the building.

The 9/11 Commission identified the Capitol as one of the possible intended targets of United Airlines Flight 93.

That plane never reached its target.

Instead, it crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against the hijackers.

Another video from February 2000 showed a gathering hosted by al-Bayoumi for al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar shortly after the future hijackers arrived in San Diego.

25 Years Later, the Questions Remain

A quarter-century has passed since nearly 3,000 people were murdered in New York, at the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

But for Strada and other victims’ families, the passage of time has not erased their demands for answers.

Friday’s ceremony was designed to remember the people America lost.

Strada made sure it also served as a reminder of the questions she believes America still hasn’t answered.

Her message wasn’t confined to Saudi officials thousands of miles away.

It was delivered directly to American leaders standing at Ground Zero:

Twenty-five years later, these families are still demanding accountability.

The Indiana Supreme Court has stepped into one of the closest elections imaginable, overturning a recount decision and handing Republican state Sen. Spencer Deery victory by just three votes.

The dramatic ruling came only hours after the state’s five justices heard arguments over six disputed ballots — ballots that ultimately determined who won the Republican nomination in Indiana Senate District 23.

At the center of the showdown was a consequential question: Should legitimate voters have their ballots thrown out because election workers failed to put required stamps or signatures on them?

The state’s highest court has now answered that question in Deery’s favor.

The ruling restores six ballots cast for Deery and makes him the Republican nominee over Trump-endorsed challenger Paula Copenhaver by a razor-thin final count of 6,335 to 6,332.

The court ordered the Indiana Recount Commission to certify the revised totals and directed election officials to resume preparations for the general election with Deery listed as the GOP candidate.

The justices did not immediately provide their full reasoning, saying a more detailed written opinion will follow.

For Deery, however, the decision was about something much larger than saving his political career.

“I think it’s important that Indiana draw a line that says when voters do their part, that vote shouldn’t be at risk of either incompetence or even intentional incompetence by individuals who want to change that vote,” Deery said.

Six Ballots Flipped the Entire Race

The extraordinary legal battle began after Deery emerged from the May Republican primary with an almost impossibly narrow three-vote advantage over Copenhaver.

Copenhaver challenged the result and sought a recount.

The Indiana Recount Commission subsequently threw out several ballots, including six votes for Deery that were missing required county clerk markings.

That single decision completely reversed the election.

Instead of Deery winning by three votes, Copenhaver was certified as the winner — also by three votes — with a tally of 6,332 to 6,329.

Deery took the fight to court.

His attorneys argued that the voters themselves had followed the rules and should not have their votes erased because election officials failed to carry out administrative requirements.

They pointed in part to Indiana law allowing ballots to be counted when voters fulfill their obligations but election officials fail to perform theirs, provided there is no evidence of fraud, tampering or misconduct.

That distinction became a major focus during arguments before the Indiana Supreme Court.

Several justices pressed attorneys on why the six votes should be discarded when there had been no evidence presented showing the ballots were fraudulent.

Justice Mark Massa questioned how ordinary voters could possibly be expected to know whether election officials had properly placed the required markings on their ballots.

Justice Derek Molter raised another striking point: The six disputed ballots came from three different counties, prompting questions about how they could realistically represent some coordinated scheme rather than legitimate votes affected by administrative errors.

Copenhaver’s attorneys countered that clerk seals and election-worker signatures are important safeguards designed to authenticate absentee ballots and protect the integrity of elections.

But the court ultimately sided with Deery.

Trump Endorsement Raised the Stakes

The three-vote battle also carried political implications far beyond a single Indiana Senate district.

President Donald Trump had endorsed Copenhaver after Deery opposed a congressional redistricting proposal backed by Trump.

Deery wasn’t alone.

Several Republican state senators who resisted the redistricting effort subsequently found themselves facing primary challengers.

Trump-backed candidates successfully defeated six incumbent Republican senators. Deery and fellow state Sen. Greg Goode, however, survived challenges stemming from the same political fight.

Deery said outside organizations poured millions of dollars into efforts targeting Republican lawmakers who opposed the redistricting push.

“The track record isn’t good for people in my shoes,” Deery said, adding that simply surviving the challenge could prove to be one of the most significant political contests of his career.

Copenhaver, meanwhile, said she disagreed with the Supreme Court’s ruling but accepted its authority and wished Deery well.

She continued to argue that the ballot-authentication requirements involved in the case serve an important role in guarding against potentially invalid votes.

Election Clock Was Already Ticking

The Supreme Court’s intervention came with Indiana election officials facing rapidly approaching deadlines.

Counties are required to begin mailing absentee ballots by September 19, with in-person early voting scheduled to begin October 6.

The court had already halted distribution of general-election ballots for Senate District 23 while Deery’s appeal was being considered.

Now the uncertainty is over.

After a primary, a recount, a reversed result and a battle before Indiana’s highest court, election officials have been cleared to move forward.

And after every legal challenge and every disputed ballot, the margin separating the winner from the loser remains almost unbelievably small:

Three votes.

MS NOW’s Morning Joe took its criticism of Sen. Tim Scott to an unusual new level Thursday, with hosts and panelists joining hands for an on-air “prayer” after blasting the South Carolina Republican over his fiery speech at the GOP’s midterm convention.

The spectacle unfolded after the program aired footage of Scott rallying Republicans in Dallas, where he called for party unity behind President Donald Trump and warned that the upcoming elections represent a fight over the future direction of the country.

Scott, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, used the high-profile appearance to make the case for Republican Senate candidates while delivering a forceful warning about Democrats.

“The only way to keep dangerous, radical, weird out of the Senate is a united Republican Party,” Scott told the crowd before urging Republicans to stand with Trump.

Scott described the midterm elections as “a battle for the heart of our nation,” before leveling an even sharper accusation at Democrats.

“They hate our culture. They hate what it means to be American,” Scott said before repeatedly declaring that Republicans would not back down.

Scott delivered the speech with considerable energy, raising his voice and, at one point, opening his jacket and pounding his chest as the crowd cheered.

That performance apparently struck a nerve with Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough.

After the program replayed Scott’s remarks Thursday morning, Scarborough immediately took aim at the Republican senator.

“Speaking of weird, that was really weird,” Scarborough said.

Scarborough objected not only to Scott’s animated delivery but also to his assertion that Democrats hate America and its culture.

But the segment took a far stranger turn when Scarborough brought Rev. Al Sharpton into the conversation and asked him to respond.

“First, we should all join hands and pray for him,” Sharpton responded.

And they did.

The panelists stretched their hands across the table and began holding hands on live television as Sharpton launched into the impromptu prayer.

“Bring him back in, Lord!” Sharpton said during the prayer.

Scarborough then invoked “baby Jesus,” adding an unmistakably joking element to the spectacle.

Co-host Mika Brzezinski pushed back on the idea that the entire exercise was a joke, saying she was genuinely praying. Sharpton similarly insisted that he was serious.

The criticism of Scott didn’t stop when the prayer ended.

Sharpton argued that Scott’s convention performance had crossed a line beyond ordinary political advocacy for Trump. He questioned why the senator would characterize Democrats in such sweeping terms and said that, despite his own frequent criticism of Republicans and Trump, he does not broadly accuse them of hating America.

Scarborough echoed that argument, saying that even when he vehemently disagrees with Republican policies, he doesn’t automatically conclude that Republicans “hate America.”

The unusual exchange quickly drew attention, particularly because the panel mixed political attacks, humor and religious imagery while targeting Scott, who has frequently and publicly spoken about the importance of his Christian faith.

Scott’s office didn’t respond with a lengthy statement.

Instead, spokesman Nathan Brand delivered a three-word answer to Fox News Digital:

“Bless their hearts.”

The Morning Joe controversy followed what was already one of the Republican convention’s most aggressive speeches.

As chairman of the NRSC, Scott is tasked with helping Republicans win Senate races across the country, and he used his Dallas appearance to put several Democratic candidates directly in his sights.

Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico was among them.

Scott went after Talarico over previous remarks involving God and gender, telling the convention that Talarico “believes God is non-binary.”

Talarico has previously acknowledged controversy surrounding some of those remarks, saying he “missed the mark.”

Scott also targeted Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, accusing him of associations with extremists.

But Scott’s broader message extended beyond individual candidates.

He portrayed the November Senate elections as a fundamental choice between Republicans aligned with Trump and Democratic candidates he argued are far outside America’s political mainstream.

And after a speech that triggered an extraordinary response on Morning Joe, Scott ended by returning to the themes of faith, family and freedom.

“We are one nation always under God,” Scott said. “We are always on the side of truth, family and freedom.”