Democrat Sen. John Fetterman made a surprise appearance in a video shown at the Republican midterm convention Wednesday night in which he warmly introduced fellow Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick, a Republican.

The appearance has fueled speculation in Pennsylvania that Fetterman could seek reelection as an independent in 2028.

“His support is so low among his fellow Democrats I am not sure he could hire any Democratic staffers or consultants to work for him, so that is off the table,” Chris Nicholas, editor of PA Political Digest, told Newsmax.

Nicholas added that “[r]unning as an Independent takes more signatures to make the ballot but you have a longer time frame in which to gather them, and voters of all parties may help you gather them and sign them.”

Nicholas’ view was echoed by veteran Pennsylvania conservative activist Lowman Henry, chairman and CEO of the Lincoln Institute.

“I would not be surprised if he runs as an independent,” Henry told Newsmax. “Right now, it looks like there could be a crowded field in the Democratic primary — [Rep.] Chris Deluzio teased a run last week. [Rep.] Brendan Boyle is seriously looking at it, as are [former Reps.] Conor Lamb [who lost the 2022 primary to Fetterman] and Susan Wild.”

“But don’t dismiss the credibility of him running as an independent,” Henry continued. “Pennsylvania is not a run-off state, so the winner in the general [election] only needs more votes than anyone else — not over [50%].”

Henry, Nicholas, and other Pennsylvania political observers say that, aside from his support for Israel and openness to working with McCormick and President Donald Trump, Fetterman’s overall voting record remains largely aligned with Democrats.

As with the late Democrat Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who was reelected as an independent in 2006, Henry and Nicholas said a switch to the Republican Party would be unlikely for Fetterman.

Republican Rep. Dan Meuser is reportedly exploring a 2028 Senate race, as is former Rep. Keith Rothfus.

Fetterman’s appearance drew significant attention on the convention’s opening night. In Nicholas’ words, “it is a sign that no one is better at manipulating the Attention Economy than John Fetterman, with the exception of the President.”

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.

Sameen Chaudhry

USA TODAY

Maria Bartiromo is signaling that she has more in store after her abrupt departure from Fox News.

The veteran television anchor addressed the situation publicly for the first time on Thursday, Sept. 10, one week after Fox News Media announced it had parted ways with her after more than 12 years.

“Before too much time passes, I want to thank all of my friends, followers and supporters for all of the kind words,” Bartiromo wrote in an Instagram post⁠. “I am so grateful for the outpouring of love this past week on social media & through texts. I love you all and I promise to be back soon w my next moves.”

The post included a series of peaceful snapshots featuring flowers, a beach sunset and Bartiromo’s dog, Dusty. She concluded the message by writing, “Sending love from @Dustybsteinberg & me.”Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!

Bartiromo, 58, shared a similar message on X alongside a photo of a rainbow breaking through the clouds. After thanking her supporters again, she teased: “More to come.”

The posts did not reveal what Bartiromo plans to do next or directly address the circumstances surrounding her Fox departure.

Fox News Media announced Sept. 3 that Bartiromo was no longer with the company, effective immediately. The network did not provide a reason for the decision, describing it as a business matter and thanking her for her work.

However, Bartiromo’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, has challenged reports characterizing her departure as a firing. In a statement provided to USA TODAY, Freedman said “the irresponsible reports that have been published stating that Maria Bartiromo was fired or is no longer an employee of Fox are absolutely and unequivocally false.”

“Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise,” Freedman continued.

Bartiromo joined Fox in 2014 after two decades at CNBC. She hosted three programs across Fox News and Fox Business: “Mornings with Maria,” “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street” and “Sunday Morning Futures.”

Following the announcement, Fox removed Bartiromo’s name from its business programs and began using replacement hosts. Her departure also prompted a public reaction from President Donald Trump, who praised her professionalism and described her as a “true warrior.”

Although Bartiromo has not offered details about her split with Fox, her latest messages suggest she does not intend to remain away from the public eye for long.

The acting U.S. Navy secretary Hung Cao said that the Iranian military severely damaged a major Navy installation in Bahrain, acknowledging the extent of damage sustained by the base during the conflict.

“They blew the hell out of Bahrain,” Cao said in an interview with The Epoch Times, which was published Thursday, referring to the Naval Support Activity Bahrain (NASB), which serves as the headquarters for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the U.S. Fifth Fleet.

The base has been heavily targeted by Iran after the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes against the Islamic Republic in late February.

The Navy has relied on NASB as its main logistics hub in the Middle East.

Cao said the Navy is weighing what to do with NASB, including whether to repair the base.

“I have a task force that’s looking at that,” he told the news outlet.

In late August, the Navy’s top officer said it would be a while before the service branch would return to the base, including to retrieve the personal goods from sailors.

“We’re not getting back in there anytime soon,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said during a town hall on Aug. 31. “I just want to be completely honest with that.”

Filip Timotija, The Hill

I was sitting in my home office not far from the Pentagon when it happened. The TV behind me had the sound lowered, but I suddenly became aware of a major development. I reached for the remote and cranked up the audio.

A plane had struck one of the twin towers in New York. TV anchors initially speculated it must have been a small plane that had run off course, but a much larger plane struck the building, and then a second one hit the other tower. It quickly became clear America was under attack. I saw smoke rising from the Pentagon and went up on the roof to get a better look. My son, who was a firefighter, later told me he pulled bodies out of the wreckage. He still doesn’t like to talk about it, likely because of the horrible experience.

Later, United Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, because of the bravery of Todd Beamer, who led other passengers and crew in a revolt that stopped the hijackers from possibly hitting the White House or Capitol Building.

I wrote six columns in a row and many others following that modern day of infamy. Here are some excerpts that ring true 25 years later.

A plane had struck one of the twin towers in New York. TV anchors initially speculated it must have been a small plane that had run off course, but a much larger plane struck the building, and then a second one hit the other tower. It quickly became clear America was under attack. I saw smoke rising from the Pentagon and went up on the roof to get a better look. My son, who was a firefighter, later told me he pulled bodies out of the wreckage. He still doesn’t like to talk about it, likely because of the horrible experience.

Later, United Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, because of the bravery of Todd Beamer, who led other passengers and crew in a revolt that stopped the hijackers from possibly hitting the White House or Capitol Building.

I wrote six columns in a row and many others following that modern day of infamy. Here are some excerpts that ring true 25 years later.

On the day of the terrorist attacks, I wrote: “It brings into clear focus the state of war that has existed for some time between America and those who oppose our values and way of life.” I called for the expulsion of people and organizations with ties to radical terrorist groups. Unfortunately, that did not happen, and the threat from within remains and appears to be growing. There are still unanswered questions about how those attacks were allowed to happen.

It didn’t take long before the “blame America first” crowd was heard from. They are still around, as we see in the current election cycle. The Mufti of Jerusalem had recently called on Allah to destroy America, which he said “is controlled by Zionist Jews.” Nothing has changed, and antisemitism has gotten worse.

I noted that in many Muslim schools, hatred for Jews and the U.S. is drummed into children from the earliest grades. A 7th-grade Palestinian textbook said: “(Islam) will defeat all other religions and it will be disseminated, by Allah’s will, through the Muslim Jihad fighters.”

Something else died on 9/11 besides the deaths of 2,977 people. I wrote it was the doctrine of moral equivalency — the idea that people everywhere are just like us or can be made so by acquiescing to their demands. Unfortunately, that flawed line of thinking continues to exist (consider those making such a case in the Iran war). Unfortunately, that worldview is still alive. The moral equivalency crowd, I wrote, will try to wear down our resolve. They have lost all credibility, just as the “peace in our time” crowd did shortly after Pearl Harbor and America’s entry into World War II.

Energy independence, I said, would free us from the grip of the Middle East. That, too, has not yet been achieved.

I was fortunate to be able to visit Ground Zero when others were barred. A friend knew the fire chief, who let us into a roped- off area. Three images I shall never forget: the blocks and blocks of store windows with pictures of the missing and pleas for help in finding them; the parked cars that were filled inside with dust from the collapse of the buildings; an unopened soft drink bottle lying in the debris. I have kept the hard hat they made us wear, on which I wrote “NYC 9/11/2001.”

A New York City police officer gestured at the ruins and said: “Look at this. Here is the result of years of illegal immigration, softness on crime, cutting the defense budget, and lack of attention to right and wrong in this country.” Not a bad summation.

It’s easy to say “never forget,” but each generation must be taught to remember, and one generation has been born since 9/11, and others were too young at the time. Most importantly, it depends on who is teaching the history and whether that teaching is based on facts or if it is filtered through the teacher’s own biases.

Cal Thomas, Townhall

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate,” a terrorist declares on the Flight 93 cockpit recording. That’s followed by the sounds of the terrorists assaulting a passenger.

“Please don’t hurt me,” he pleads. “Oh God.”

As the passengers rush the cabin, a Muslim terrorist proclaims, “In the name of Allah.”

As New York firefighters struggle up the South Tower with 100 pounds of equipment on their backs trying to save lives until the very last moment, the Flight 93 passengers push toward the cockpit. The Islamic hijackers call out, “Allahu Akbar.”

Mohammed Atta had advised his fellow terrorists that when the fighting begins, “Shout, ‘Allahu Akbar,’ because this strikes fear in the hearts of the non-believers.” He quoted the Koran’s command that Muslim holy warriors terrorize non-believers by beheading them and urged them to follow Mohammed’s approach, “Take prisoners and kill them.”

The 9/11 ringleader quoted the Koran again. “No prophet should have prisoners until he has soaked the land with blood.”

On Flight 93, the fighting goes on. “Oh Allah. Oh the most Gracious,” the Islamic terrorists cry out. “Trust in Allah,” they reassure. And then there are only the chants of, “Allahu Akbar” as the plane goes down in a Pennsylvania field leaving behind another blood-soaked territory in the Islamic invasion of America.

Today that field is marked by the “Crescent of Embrace” memorial.

Thousands of Muslims cheered the attack in those parts of Israel under the control of the Islamic terrorists of the Palestinian Authority. They shouted, “Allahu Akbar” and handed out candy.

But similar ugly outbreaks of Islamic Supremacism were also taking place much closer to home.

On John F. Kennedy Boulevard, in Jersey City, across the river from Manhattan, crowds of Muslim settlers celebrated the slaughter of Americans. “Some men were dancing, some held kids on their shoulders,” a retired Jersey City cop described the scene. “The women were shouting in Arabic.”

Similar Islamic festivities broke out on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, a major Islamic settlement area, even as in downtown Manhattan, ash had turned nearby streets into the semblance of a nuclear war. Men and women trudged over Brooklyn Bridge or uptown to get away from this strange new world.

At Union Square, I passed NYU students painting anti-war placards even as the downtown sky behind them was painted the color of bone. They ignored the crowd streaming up past them and focused intently on making all the red letters in NO WAR line up neatly on the white cardboard.

In the years since, I have seen that look on the faces of countless leftists who ignore the stabbers shouting, “Allahu Akbar” in London or the terrorist declaring, “In the name of Allah, the merciful,” among the bloody ruin of a gay nightclub in Orlando. Instead they focus on their mindless slogans.

“NO WAR,” “Stop Islamophobia” and “Refugees Welcome.” The world of the cardboard sign and the simple slogan is an easier and neater one than a sky filled with the ashes of the dead.

On September 11, some of us opened our eyes. Others closed them as hard as they could.

The passengers on Flight 93 who took the lead were in their thirties. But the two firefighters who made it to the 78th floor of the South Tower, Ronald Bucca, who did duty in Vietnam as a Green Beret, and Orio Palmer, a marathon runner, were in their forties. Those men and women had the most meaningful answers to the old question, “Where were you when it happened?”

The great lesson of that Tuesday morning was that it wasn’t over. It wasn’t over when we understood that we wouldn’t find anyone alive in that twisted mass of metal and death. It wasn’t over when the air began to clear. It wasn’t over when the President of the United States spoke. It wasn’t over when the planes began to fly again and the TV switched from non-stop coverage of the attacks and back to its regularly scheduled programming. It wasn’t over when we were told to mourn and move on.

It still isn’t over.

After every attack, Boston, Orlando, San Bernardino, New York, Paris, Manchester, London, Barcelona, we are encouraged to mourn and move on. Bury the bodies, shed a tear and forget about it.

Terrible things happen. And we have to learn to accept them.

But Tuesday morning was not a random catastrophe. It did not go away because we went back to shopping. It did not go away with Hope and Change. Appeasing and forgetting only made it stronger.

“Where were you?” is not just a question to be asked about September 11, 2001. It is an everyday question. What are you doing today to fight the Islamic terrorists who did this? And tomorrow?

Our enemies wake up every day wondering how to destroy us. Their methods, from demographic invasion to WMDs, from political subversion to random stabbings, are many.

A new and terrible era in history began on 9/11. We are no more past it than we were past Pearl Harbor at the Battle of Midway. Its origins are no mystery. They lie in the last sound that came from Flight 93.

“Allahu Akbar.”

We are in the middle of the longest war in American history. And we still haven’t learned how to fight it.

September 11 has come around again. You don’t have to run into a burning building or wrestle terrorists with your bare hands. But use the day to warn others, so you can answer, “Where were you?”

Daniel Greenfield, Front Page Magazine

Iran has resumed production of ballistic missiles, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, contradicting the Trump administration’s claims that Tehran’s military capabilities have been destroyed in the months-long conflict with the U.S.

Iran has assembled new missiles using existing components in more limited quantities than before the war in several underground sites, including the Khojir missile facility in southeastern Iran, U.S. and Middle Eastern officials told the Journal. The regime is also working on new underground assembly sites to avoid renewed American attacks.

The U.S. and Israel have damaged several of Iran’s industrial facilities, and the U.S. naval blockade has prevented parts and ingredients for fuel from being imported. One U.S. official told the outlet that Iran likely resumed production after it and the U.S. signed an interim peace deal to end the war in June.

Tal Inbar, a senior analyst at the U.S.-based Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, told the Journal that Iran likely still has thousands of ballistic missiles.

A White House official told The Hill that the U.S. “is watching Iran and has eyes on their every move,” repeating the president’s past remarks that U.S. strikes have eliminated Iran’s industrial facilities, navy, air defenses and nuclear facilities.

“Iran is weaker now than ever before, and President Trump will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” the official said.

The Hill has also reached out to the Defense and State departments for comment.

Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell told the Journal that the U.S. has “destroyed up to 90% of Iran’s drone, ballistic missile, and naval industrial base” and “significantly degraded” its drone and missile capabilities.

Iranian officials told the state-run Fars News Agency on Thursday that it would have further developments to its defense capabilities.

“Soon, you will see a tip of this iceberg,” Iran’s Defense Ministry told the outlet.

Tehran launched several ballistic missiles at multiple American military aircraft at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, CBS News reported Thursday. The attack was in response to U.S. strikes on five Iranian oil tankers Tuesday.

Trump denied the report, telling NewsNation’s Robert Sherman that there was no damage, “none whatsoever.”

The conflict has stretched into its sixth month, with no deal for peace apparently in sight. The U.S. and Iran have quarreled over control of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has closed off, effectively preventing roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply from being exported out of the region. This has caused gas prices to skyrocket, adding to the conflict’s unpopularity among Americans.

Trump, while en route to the Republican National Committee midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday, said the conflict would end “immediately” after the midterm elections. He later admitted that the conflict will likely go on past the November elections.

“Yes, a negotiation could possibly happen, but it’s not something we’re looking at,” he told reporters.

Ryan Mancini, The Hill

September 11, 2001, was just an ordinary Tuesday. That morning at around 8:30 a.m. on the East Coast, most people were either at work or on their commute. Kids were settling in at school.

Whether the TV or radio news was background chatter or the focus, suddenly there were interruptions announcing that at 8:46 a.m. an American Airlines Boeing 767 (with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel) had crashed into New York City’s World Trade Center’s North Tower. The jet hit between the 93rd and 99th floors of the 110-story skyscraper. Hundreds of people were instantly killed, and others were trapped on the higher floors with no way to escape.

Most people immediately assumed it was a terrible accident, and they continued with their day while listening for news updates.

However, 17 minutes later, at 9:03 a.m. United Airlines Flight 175 hit the South Tower between the 77th and 85th floors.

Americans immediately knew that the United States was under attack, with many correctly guessing who had attacked us.

This was not the first time the World Trade Center had been attacked by Muslim terrorists. On February 26, 1993, terrorists targeted the World Trade Center. A truck bomb exploded in the North Tower’s underground parking structure, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000.

(In October 2025, then mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani visited Masjid At-Taqwa, a mosque in Brooklyn. The smiling Mamdani had his photo taken with Imam Siraj Wahhaj, whom federal prosecutors once named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Is anyone surprised?)

While the world focused on the World Trade Center in Manhattan, American Airlines Flight 77 was circling Arlington, Virginia, which is near Washington, D.C. At 9:37 a.m., the jet crashed into the west side of the Pentagon.

A few minutes later at 9:45 a.m., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officially ordered a complete shutdown of U.S. airspace and commanded all airborne planes to land immediately at the nearest airport.

By this time, passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 were aware that their plane was not experiencing a “regular” hijacking. They had been calling family and friends who told them about the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. Knowing they were going to die, their goal was to divert the plane away from wherever it planned to go. (Later it was revealed that the fourth plane was intended to hit the heart of America’s republic — the U.S. Capitol.) At 10:02 a.m., at a speed of 500 miles per hour, Flight 93 crashed in a rural field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The passengers and crew were heroes for diverting the plane away from D.C.

At 10:28 a.m., the North Tower collapsed. A small group (14 to 18 people) miraculously survived. They were with several New York firefighters in the North Tower’s Stairwell B, which somehow remained intact when the tower fell. Hours later, everyone was pulled from the debris.

Most of the world was glued to their television, radio, social media, and phones. For the United States of America, there will always be a ‘before 9/11’ and ‘after 9/11’ view of the world.

President George W. Bush, who was in Florida when the strikes started, had been shuttled to various locations for protection while in contact with government agents about the unfolding events. By 7 p.m., he was back at the White House. At 8:30 p.m., President Bush addressed the American people and the entire world from the Oval Office. Sitting at the Resolute Desk, he said:

“Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.”

In the days and weeks following the attack, New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani (at the time called “America’s Mayor” for his outstanding post 9/11 leadership) told the American people:

“The attacks of September 11th were intended to break our spirit. Instead, we have emerged stronger and more unified. We feel renewed devotion to the principles of political, economic, and religious freedom, the rule of law and respect for human life. We are more determined than ever to live our lives in freedom.”

On September 11, 2026, Americans will commemorate the horrific day when Muslims attacked the United States of America, killing 2,977 innocent people of all races and faiths. Thousands more who had spent weeks digging out the remains of the World Trade Center in the aftermath (and trying to find pieces of bodies) developed illnesses related to 9/11. Many lived with chronic respiratory diseases and died prematurely. More than 100 search and rescue dogs that were deployed to help find survivors in the rubble of the towers also suffered from medical ailments in the years following their service.

About 40 percent of the World Trade Center victims have been identified. It might have been from jewelry or body parts. Only 261 intact bodies were found. While workers were going through the debris, they found 65,000 items, including 437 watches and 144 wedding rings.

Twenty-five years later, there are many people, organizations, and governments (including many in our own country) that refuse to speak the truth as to who committed the terrorist acts on September 11, 2001. As communist Minnesota representative Ilhan Omar once said, “Some people did something.”

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) asked that the word “terrorist” not be used in conjunction with the 9/11 Muslim terrorist attacks. Former Governor George E. Pataki responded on X to that request:

“I was Governor of New York on September 11, 2001.

The planes did not simply crash into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. They were hijacked and deliberately flown into those buildings by Islamist terrorists.

The CBC’s refusal to call September 11 a terrorist attack is political correctness masquerading as journalism. Fear of being accused of Islamophobia cannot become an excuse for denying the plain truth. This is a shameful failure of moral courage.

Truth matters in a free society. Sanitizing September 11 dishonors the nearly 3,000 people who were murdered, the first responders who ran toward danger, and every family that still carries the pain of that day.

No institution should be afraid to tell the truth.”

At this year’s 25th anniversary Memorial Ceremony in Manhattan, families of the victims will gather on the plaza at the Memorial & Museum. They will read aloud the names of the 2,983 people killed in the 2001 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

A quarter-century ago, the United States was attacked by Islamist terrorists who used planes as their weapons. Today many believe Islamists are attacking the United States with ballots. What do you think?

Robin M. Itzler is a regular contributor to American Thinker. She is the founder and editor of Patriot Neighbors, a free weekly national newsletter. Robin can be reached at RobinItzler@yahoo.com.

American Thinker

Rikki Schlott and

Michael Kaplan

Warnings against artificial intelligence going rogue and leading to a disastrous outcome for humanity have grown louder throughout 2026.

Alarm bells are even being rung by those helming the technology, including OpenAI boss Sam Altman and Anthropic honcho Dario Amodei.

This week a researcher who has worked at both those companies, Jacob Coxon, said he quit Anthropic to warn “AI can kill us all by the end of the decade… These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources.”

As AI hurtles toward Artificial General Intelligence, here’s how the rise of machines could potentially go about wiping us all out.

Humans have been automating jobs for decades, almost all of which are now controlled through the internet — the domain where AI has the most access and control. 

AI systems could [attack] the electrical grid, transportation networks, financial markets,” Stuart Russell, a professor of computer science at UC Berkeley, told The Post. 

Sources explained to The Post how AI could potentially jailbreak almost any device, capturing water plants and forcing surges through pipes until they burst, cutting off supply to whole cities.

It could attack and disable electric grids, leaving huge areas in complete darkness, then disable phone towers. Those who try to escape by vehicle would face chaos, with traffic lights hijacked and gas stations taken offline. ATMs would not operate, and even if you were to access your bank — all funds could be wiped. 

Humans could even be unwittingly recruited for sabotage missions. “Anything we can do on the Internet, AI can do, including pretending to be a human,” added Patri Friedman, an early adapter of AI and founder of Pronomos Capital.

“AI will have no trouble making money – whether it’s through financial trading or doing services for people. It can impersonate a human and hire people or blackmail them to carry out physical ops … such as smuggling a USB thumb drive which can then infect computers on a localized network.”

Even if it didn’t have devious intentions, AI could still kill people, even inadvertently.

“I worry about AI having no common sense,” said Gary Rivlin, author of “AI Valley” told The Post. “Then it somehow, stupidly, drains off all the water because it doesn’t understand what a human would understand. These things know everything and they understand nothing.”

The following is an excerpt from my memoir Keeping the Tryst. It appears just before the end of chapter 37.~

September 10, 2001…

That night I was scheduled to work. And there were three things that I was eager to do when I got home…

The first was to call Lisa.

Secondly, I wanted to start work on writing the script for the movie. Even though I had no grasp whatsoever of crafting a screenplay.

Finally, it was a big night for TheForce.net staff. We would be up all evening getting a bunch of stories about the Episode I DVD release ready to publish at midnight Pacific Time.

Lisa and I talked for a bit, then I threw a pizza into the oven and while that was cooking I started writing the first lines of what I was calling “Sithery”. It seemed as good a working title as anything.

I wrote a page and a half of what passed for a script, then logged into TheForce.net’s staff portal. There were a couple of posts that I needed to have ready, and those were done. I hung out online until 3 a.m. and saw all our work get posted.

Satisfied, I went to the sofa and crashed hard. And before going to sleep I found myself feeling pretty good. I had my own place, a job, and an amazing girlfriend whom I cared for deeply. I was writing a script for a movie. And my words were being read by tens of thousands of people each day.

I thanked God for giving me so much. And then drowsiness took me.

Christopher Knight, The Knight Shift

Radical activists and organizers from across the U.S. and around the world descended on Chicago over Labor Day weekend to attend the Socialism 2026 Conference. The four-day summit was touted as a “place for both seasoned radicals and new activists to sharpen analysis, hone strategy, and build community.” Its more than 100 workshops included a Marxism Education Series, along with sessions bearing titles such as “Confronting Zionism: Decolonizing Palestine and Building the World Anew” and “Trans Care in the Age of Health Fascism.”

But the conference’s central purpose was unmistakable: to chart the socialist movement’s next steps in its pursuit of power — and prepare a new generation of revolutionaries for battle.

Perhaps the weekend’s most memorable remarks came from University of California, Santa Barbara, professor Butch Ware, who told attendees that the Democratic establishment “must be destroyed” and warned they must get ready for “war in the streets.”

For Ware, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed are not radical enough:

We have a tremendous opportunity. But they [the Democratic establishment] are going to keep giving us the Mamdanis and the Abdul El-Sayeds — and in my generation, the Obamas — because they are there to contain radicalism. They are there to destroy it and to diffuse it and to co-opt it and to purchase it.

Despite the false bravado of Democratic leaders such as Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries who persist in peddling the fiction of the party’s “big tent,” Ware was very clear: “The Democrats cannot be reasoned with. They must be destroyed.”

The audience loved it.

UC Santa Barbara professor Dr. Butch Ware at ‘Marxism conference’ says Democrats “must be destroyed.”

“They are going to keep giving us the Mamdanis and the Abdul El-Sayeds…because they are there to contain radicalism.”

“The Democrats cannot be reasoned with. They must be… pic.twitter.com/USKxfFSkZc

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) September 6, 2026

In the next video, Ware tells attendees to get ready for “war in the streets.”

Y’all ain’t dreamed big enough yet. And also, some of these clickety-clack revolutionaries have never been in a f***ing gunfight. But some of us that grew up in the hood know what guns are like. Outcasts said it best, ‘N****s ranting and raving about gas. N****, they made them gas. They got some sh** that’ll blow out our backs.

You are ready for a war in the streets? No, you ain’t. Y’all ain’t nowhere near ready for a war in the streets. You better get ready for both kinds of war.

And if you stay ready, you ain’t got to get ready.

UCSB prof Dr. Butch Ware tells ‘Marxism’ conference: Be ready for “war in the streets.”

“Some of these clickety-clack revolutionaries have never been in a f*cking gunfight.”

“Y’all ain’t nowhere near ready for a war in the streets. You better get ready for both kinds of war.”… https://t.co/Gw4bLlEbWp pic.twitter.com/gOZQTAPYH2

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) September 7, 2026

Responding to Ware’s remarks on X, podcast host Michael Shermer stated the obvious:

If Marxism requires armed violent action, doesn’t that mean that “the people” don’t actually want it (so you have to force it upon them at gunpoint)? For over a century Marxism has failed everywhere it has been tried & resulted in >100 million dead. Enough @ButchWare&

City University of New York Professor Ruth Gilmore drew considerable attention after declaring that capitalism is inherently racist.

There is no good capitalism. There isn’t a capitalism that is somehow not racial. There isn’t a capitalism that does not produce and reproduce all kinds of sexual and gender boundaries.

…

But make no mistake: It’s capitalism we’re after.

We believe you.

Also Ruth Wilson Gilmore: “It’s capitalism we’re after.” pic.twitter.com/0fPBTvvYUf https://t.co/H42I9eX5Ek

— Stu Smith (@thestustustudio) September 7, 2026

During a Saturday interview with Newsmax, former White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley discussed what may have drawn so many young voters to the Marxist conference. He noted that the socialist message resonates particularly strongly with those “who are carrying college debt and squeezed out of housing.”

In Gidley’s telling, young socialists have been sold the idea that prosperity should be theirs immediately, without the years of sacrifice traditionally required to attain it:

You should be able to afford a penthouse in Manhattan. And because you can’t, it must be because of the man.

Instead of saying, ‘Hey, pay your dues, stay with roommates, live, scrape, claw, work to get where you are.’ No, you should be given that on day one.

Democrats have done an outstanding job selling this lie to so many young people in this country.

Young voters, he added, are largely “ignorant” of Marxism’s history and consequences. They simply “don’t know any better.”

Whatever appeal socialism may hold for disaffected young Americans, the rhetoric coming out of Chicago should not be dismissed as youthful idealism. A conference billed as a forum for sharpening strategy and building a movement featured prominent speakers calling for the destruction of the Democratic establishment, preparation for “war in the streets,” and the end of capitalism. When self-described revolutionaries tell the public exactly what they intend to do, it would be foolish not to take them seriously.

Elizabeth Stauffer, Legal Insurrection