9/11 families to Biden: Don’t come to memorial events – National & International News – FRI 6Aug2021

9/11 families ask Biden not to attend memorial events. FL schools defy governor on masks. Iran’s new president urged to resume nuke talks.

NATIONAL NEWS

9/11 families ask Biden not to attend memorial events

The 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is just a little over a month away. Commemorative events are expected to take place at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and Shanksville, PA. But 1,800 families who lost loved ones on 9/11 have signed a statement asking that President Biden not attend. That is, unless Biden fulfills his campaign promise to release sealed FBI files containing evidence of the depth of Saudi government involvement in the terrorist attacks.

The group’s statement in part reads: “We cannot in good faith, and with veneration to those lost, sick, and injured, welcome the president to our hallowed grounds until he fulfills his commitment. Since the conclusion of the 9/11 Commission in 2004 much investigative evidence has been uncovered implicating Saudi government officials in supporting the attacks. Through multiple administrations, the Department of Justice and the FBI have actively sought to keep this information secret and prevent the American people from learning the full truth about the 9/11 attacks”.

Brett Eagleson, who lost his father, Bruce, in the World Trade Center attack, summed up the anguish of the families. Eagleson said, “We are frustrated, tired and saddened with the fact that the U.S. government for 20 years has chosen to keep information about the death of our loved ones behind lock and key”.

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FL Gov. threatens funding cuts to schools with mask mandates

Last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order preventing schools from requiring students to wear masks if their parents object. Florida currently accounts for 20% of the nation’s new wave of coronavirus cases. Broward and Duval Counties, whose seats are Ft. Lauderdale and Jacksonville respectively, are having a particularly hard time. School boards in those and two other counties have elected to ignore the governor’s decree in hope of protecting returning students who are too young to be vaccinated.

There is some constitutional ambiguity as to whether the governor can prevent school boards from setting mask mandates. Nevertheless, DeSantis has retaliated with threats to cut state funding to any school districts requiring masks. Broward and Duval believe that by giving parents the choice to opt out, they are still in compliance with the governor’s order.

Alachua County, whose county seat is Gainesville, has imposed a mandate requiring a valid medical justification for any student refusing to wear a mask. This requirement directly contradicts DeSantis’ order. However, it remains unclear whether DeSantis has the constitutional authority to make good on his defunding threat.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

US urges new Iranian president to resume nuclear talks

Yesterday, Iran’s new hardline president Ebrahim Raisi had his official swearing in. Since Raisi won the elections in June, the talks in Vienna to restore the 2015 nuclear deal have largely been on hold. Now, as Raisi begins to form a government, US negotiators and mediating powers are eager for the talks to resume.

Though a hardliner, Raisi has signaled willingness to engage in diplomacy to lift US sanctions. Since former President Trump unilaterally reinstated sanctions in 2018, Iran’s economy has been in freefall. Not only that, the country is also suffering a shortage of vital medicines. Parts of Iran are also experiencing water shortages, which have sparked intense protests. All the while, Iran is currently suffering its worst days of the pandemic.

Raisi’s priority is to get the country’s economy back on its feet. To do that, he needs the sanctions lifted. However, Raisi has said that other programs that have come under international scrutiny, such as its drone and missile programs, are non-negotiable.

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