Crash Course Weekend: 9/11 and the Big Lie

[View this email in your browser]( Your daily update from [Salon](. Written by [Brett Bachman](. 9/11 and the birth of Trump's Big Lie 20 years ago Saturday, the world changed forever. Those changes have been the focus of a ton of stellar coverage over here at Salon this week — from the ways 9/11 [created a consumer surveillance boom]( radically [shifted the boundaries of our political discourse]( shaped the [trajectory of late-night television]( and [comedy]( while also [setting the stage for our current pandemic moment]( through the gross mismanagement of healthcare efforts for the first responders who worked at or near Ground Zero. But one piece in particular stuck out to me as an important contribution to the 9/11 discussion: [columnist Lucian K. Truscott's deep dive]( into the ways the events of that tragic day laid the groundwork for an explosion of domestic extremism, culminating in the attack on the U.S. Capitol building this past Jan. 6. "[The 9/11 attacks] and how we reacted to them tore us apart as a nation — by destroying our shared sense of reality," Truscott writes. "There is no common set of facts we can agree on about anything: Not about the COVID pandemic and masks and vaccines; not about the climate change that has killed hundreds and left town after town burned to the ground or under water and destroyed by tornadoes and hurricanes. We cannot agree that votes counted amount to elections won or lost. We cannot even agree on the common good of vaccines that will save us, that science is worth studying, that learned experts are worth listening to." It was also interesting to hear some of the same arguments, just a few hours later, [coming out of former President George W. Bush's mouth]( at a ceremony in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, near the spot where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed that day after passengers overwhelmed several al Qaeda hijackers who had taken control of the plane. "There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home. But in their disdain for pluralism, disregard for human life. In their determination to defile national symbols they are children of the same foul spirit and it is our continuing duty to confront them." Whatever you think about Bush, or his role in all of this, it was a notable sentiment for a Republican in 2021 to be expressing — and marks, at the very least, an across-the aisle agreement that there is a problem. Whether we can come together and figure out a way to solve that problem, however, is still very much an open question. (Photo via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) Abortion saves lives. Yes, really In non-9/11 related news, Texas' near-total abortion ban is still standing — and that means more pregnant people will die. Data shows pretty unequivocally that staying pregnant is riskier than having an abortion — and that banning the procedure will only drive it underground, where it will also become more deadly. In fact, [a forthcoming study from the sociologist Amanda Stevenson]( estimates that banning abortion in the U.S. "would increase the number of pregnancy-related deaths by 21% overall and 33% among non-Hispanic Black pregnant people." And that's not even a full accounting of the death toll — any deaths due to illicit abortion procedures would be in addition to those estimates. "Of course, death is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the harms of denying people abortions," [Stevenson writes in a piece for Salon this weekend](. "A group of especially rigorous studies has demonstrated that denying people abortions hurts their emotional, physical, social, and economic lives – often for years to come. Simply put, denying people abortions hurts them and their families." "When someone is pregnant and doesn't want to be, forcing them to remain pregnant forces them into a future they do not want. Because pregnancy is especially dangerous in the United States, forcing someone to remain pregnant can even foreclose on their future entirely. "Abortion saves lives" is more than just a slogan; it is an empirical truth that everyone, no matter their position on the morality of abortion, needs to consider." - 9/11 brought Americans together. [Why is the pandemic tearing them apart?]( - As unvaccinated patients overrun critical care resources, [doctors forced to consider care rationing]( - Too soon, or too late? [Who got canceled after 9/11]( and why - Mike Lindell [held secret meeting with Trump]( on "reinstatement day" - Republicans [vow to block Biden's "tyrannical" vaccine mandates]( - “Wealth is a higher power”: [Amazon's “LuLaRich” & the ultimate suburban white women "pyramid scheme"]( - The last American drone strike in Afghanistan [killed a U.S.-allied aid worker — not an ISIS bomber]( - Is a patty melt [a hamburger or a sandwich?]( Either way, it's the best - [Giuliani associate pleads guilty]( to campaign finance violations - How 9/11 [helped define Generation Z’s new brand of patriotism]( - Bill Maher [says "the left" is embarrassing him]( - GOP strategists fear Larry Elder is [blowing his chances in the California recall]( - Broadway's [9/11 musical "Come From Away" lands on TV]( offering kindness & laughter in dark times - "No explanation": [Why is gunmaker Remington subpoenaing school records]( of kids killed at Sandy Hook? - Will [declassifying long-secret 9/11 files answer lingering questions]( about that tragic day? - In [the haunting movie "Silent Land,"]( a couple's seaside stay in Italy plunges toward a moral implosion - And, finally, [drink this decadent pumpkin spice milkshake]( while contemplating the end of summer Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up]( to receive Crash Course. What does "terrorism" mean to you? Terrorism has a pretty straightforward definition: "the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives." But what does that word mean in an era when most terrorists, by any strict definition of the word, align themselves with mainstream Republican politics? [This is the question posed by Salon's Amanda Marcotte this week]( — pointing out the long history of violence perpetrated by American conservatives, from the KKK to Timothy McVeigh and Eric Rudolph. The Jan. 6 insurrection, of course, fits neatly into this version of history as well. "After the attack on the Capitol on January 6, which was absolutely a terrorist attack by any reasonable definition, Republicans are more committed than ever to turning a blind eye to terrorism and allowing violent extremists to control American politics." Given the bad faith obfuscation surrounding the "terrorism" discourse, it remains an open question of whether the word can even be meaningfully used during this era of hyperpartisan polarization. - "[I Reported on 9/11. Conspiracy Theorists Distorted My Words]( New York Magazine - "[John Mulaney was performing a role all along]( Vox - "[Paul Pierce, the Boston Celtics legend and Hall of Famer, was better than you think]( Yahoo Sports - "[In Old New York]( The Baffler - "[Tropical Storm Ida may have caused mass rodent death in New York City, experts say]( Gothamist "Where is Trump?" The former president was [notably absent at, well, all of the myriad 9/11 memorials being held Saturday]( to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the deadly terrorist attacks. "He had the option to attend but decided to honor the day with different stops," his spokeswoman Liz Harrington said. Instead, he released a video statement praising New York City's "brave" first responders — while also blasting Biden's decision to end the 20-year war in Afghanistan, which started shortly after 9/11. Later, he traveled several blocks from his Trump Tower home to make a surprise appearance at a fire station and police precinct, where he again criticized Biden for his handling of Afghanistan. "Trump feels strongly about Robert E Lee but skips out on conventional patriotism," Vox co-founder and Senior Fellow at the Niskanen Center Matthew Yglesias tweeted. "Where is Trump? Where he has always been in the moments adult leadership has been needed: nonexistent," author John Pavlovitz added. (Photo via Getty Images) Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( Copyright © 2021 Salon.com, LLC, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at Salon.com Our mailing address is: Salon.com, LLC 1000 N. West StreetWilmington, DE 19801 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](