“We want Islam for this country, ’cause we think that’s the best thing. And we’re not going to be ashamed of that,” Farooq said during the event hosted by Authentic Ilm Mission.

The organization is raising money for a 40,000-square-foot Islamic facility near Plano, Texas — a multipurpose school, seminary, and Islamic community center on the former site of a Christian church.

“We want Islam for this country, ’cause we think that’s the best thing. And we’re not going to be ashamed of that.”

Farooq went further, arguing that Muslims have every constitutional right to follow Sharia law in America.

“We’re Muslims. That’s our identity, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The Constitution of this country protects that. That’s our right to believe in the Sharia. Yes, I said it. That’s our right,” he told the audience.

He compared Islamic law adherence to socialism, communism, and even Satanism — all protected under the Constitution, he argued.

“There’s communists that believe in communism and live in America. The current mayor of New York is a socialist. Bernie Sanders is open socialist,” Farooq continued. “There are Satanists. There’s a church of Satan. I’ve debated them.”

Farooq works with the One Message Foundation and boasts a massive social media following — 430,000 followers on Instagram and 1.4 million on YouTube. His videos have featured commentary defending polygamy as legitimate and speculating that President Donald Trump may be an evil spirit.

The One Message Foundation’s homepage claims the group, together with other organizations, converted nearly 1,500 individuals to Islam during the World Cup.

The planned facility sits on four acres in what Authentic Ilm Mission calls “one of the most densely Muslim-populated areas between Richardson and Plano.” The project includes Islamic K-12 education, a seminary, and training in Da’wah — Islamic proselytization.

According to the group’s website, the project has raised $300,000 of the $800,000 needed, with donations reportedly coming from 1,500 individuals in 50 countries.

The website features a video of a mosque displacing a beautiful church building with a steeple and classical brick architecture. A different graphic allows users to swipe across the screen to replace an image of the church building with an image of the new mosque.

During the livestream, Farooq said classes at the “Da’wah center” would help “educate our youth to have that knowledge … [and] refute Christian apologists and Islamophobes and hadith-rejectors and anybody else that’s trying to deviate Islam.”

Then he warned against compromising Islamic principles — framing the warning in terms of Muslims’ military conquests in Europe.

“Portugal and Spain, Sicily — these areas were under Muslim rule for around 700 years,” Farooq said. “When the Muslims went there, one of the leaders of the Muslims … went with sword in hand, iman in heart … The Quran was on their tongues. It was in their hearts. It was in their actions. And Allah made them victorious. Victory after victory until, to the middle of Europe, they were victorious. Seven hundred years of compromise, of trying to accommodate ended with what? the Muslims losing.”

Farooq is no stranger to controversy. Yvette Cooper, who was serving as home secretary at the time, barred Farooq from visiting the United Kingdom due to comments justifying Muslims having sex with female captives — a position endorsed by Muhammad in the Quran.

When Farooq visited Europe in April 2025 and spoke at a Birmingham mosque, he said, “The future is ours. Every ideal nightmare of a Muslim Europe will come true.”

Texas has one of the highest Muslim populations in the United States at more than 300,000, and a significant portion resides in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The intended site for the Authentic Ilm Mission facility is situated about 20 minutes southwest of the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) mosque, which boasts 10,000 members and is embroiled in controversy over its efforts to establish a Muslim city. The legal battle over EPIC’s planned complex of more than 450 housing plots is ongoing.

The number of mosques in America has surpassed 3,000 in recent years.

There are over 3,254 mosques in the United States right now.

The goal for Islam is to not only indoctrinate and implement Sharia law, but to conquer America and fundamentally change our culture and heritage.

We must not stay silent. pic.twitter.com/SwUZb03Hfr

— Red-Green Alliance Watch (@RedGreenWatch) September 24, 2026

The Footsteps of the Saints production at the Stade de France featured 1,700 young performers in historical costumes representing the saints and blesseds of France — the nation with the second-most saints in Christian history, trailing only Italy.

The performance traced Christianity’s roots in France from the earliest evangelists through martyrs, kings, and warriors who shaped Western civilization.

The production opened with Saint Saturninus, who traveled to Gaul in the Third Century to proclaim the Gospel, became the first bishop of Toulouse, and was martyred after refusing to perform a pagan sacrifice ritual. Mary Magdalene was portrayed as a saint of hope — Provence tradition holds she carried out the first evangelization in the region after traveling there with Martha, Lazarus, and other followers.

Early martyrs included Saint Blandina, a young slave woman tortured by Romans and thrown to beasts in a Lyon amphitheatre during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Saint Denis, the first bishop of Paris, was beheaded at Montmartre — meaning the “Mount of Martyrs” — now home to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

A tableau depicted the baptism of Clovis, the Frankish King whose conversion to Christianity is seen as having spurred the Christianization of France and laid the groundwork for the later creation of the Holy Roman Empire — one of the most significant conversions in Christian history.

Saint Louis, the only king of France officially proclaimed a saint by the Church, was portrayed as a young man presenting Pope Leo with a replica of the Crown of Thorns while barefoot, demonstrating humility. He founded many hospitals and monasteries in France.

The performance also honored Saint Vincent de Paul, who founded the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity, and Saint John Baptist de La Salle, founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, who dedicated much of his life to educating impoverished children. The charities founded by the two men laid the groundwork for the modern understanding of human rights.

Perhaps the most stirring portrayal was that of Joan of Arc, who entered the stadium on horseback representing the courage of the Patron Saint of France — famed for her piety and her role in breaking the English siege of Orléans in 1429, before being wrongly convicted as a heretic. She was later canonized in 1920.

The ceremony featured some 60 relics of French Saints, including those of Saint Martin and Vincent de Paul, as well as the Holy Tunic of Christ, which Irene of Constantinople gifted to Charlemagne over 1,200 years ago.

At the conclusion, all 1,700 saints gathered before Pope Leo as fireworks blasted from the top of the stadium. Visibly moved to tears, Leo proclaimed in an off-the-cuff moment: “Thank you for your courage, thank you for your presence, thank you for your faith. You are the saints of France!”

In a speech to the tens of thousands of young people, Pope Leo said the performance illuminated “not only the prayer of each individual, but also the entire history of the Church.”

“Those who live with God strive for what is best: they are constantly striving. They seek virtue, that is, the strength that makes them good and true,” he said. “Dear friends, the dynamic that characterizes Christian life has a precise name: it is called the path of holiness. It is the path that the Lord opens before each of us, accompanying us all along the way. And how many sons and daughters of this beloved land of France have allowed themselves to be led on this path!”

Mathieu, a 22-year-old from Toulon, told France Catholique the event was profoundly moving.

“The saints have greatly influenced history and helped many people move from suffering to hope. These are words that resonate very strongly today,” he said. “The presentation was very moving; it is good to see these living figures among the young people. They became one with all the groups of young people present. They are not outdated figures. Our religion is embodied.”

“The Pope has awakened the youth of France. We must not forget to put Christ at the heart of our lives and not be afraid to bear witness to Him. Union with Christ is more important than our differences.”

Pope Leo’s visit to France marks the first papal visit to the European country since Benedict XVI visited in 2008. His agenda includes a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, a prayer service at Notre-Dame Cathedral, and an open-air mass along the Champs-Élysées.

This is just incredible. The Pope is absolutely loving this.

At the Prayer Vigil with the young people of France, they reenact the incredible history of the Church of France, from the arrival of Lazarus and his sister Mary Magdalene, the martyrdom of St. Denis, the baptism of… pic.twitter.com/kelLpsoV98

— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) September 25, 2026

It was one of the most moving moments of Pope Leo XIV’s Prayer Vigil with young people at the Stade de France.

Hundreds of actors represented France’s more than 1,700 saints and blesseds, creating a striking image of a true “army of holiness.”

Pope Leo XIV was deeply moved and,… pic.twitter.com/NaRj50JSBR

— EWTN News (@EWTNews) September 25, 2026

Gao Pu, whose elderly parents are locked in a Chinese prison for preaching Christianity, told the Daily Caller the conditions inside are “inhumane and just brutal.”

Men are packed 20 to a cell, forced to clean dirt endlessly, and fed protein just once a week. Inmates are hosed down twice a month instead of showered. Anyone caught brushing their teeth or cleaning themselves gets beaten by fellow prisoners under orders from guards.

Gao’s 70-year-old father was recently beaten by a group of men. His 69-year-old mother, whom he called “the most innocent and pure-hearted woman,” suffers from high blood pressure, chest pain, severe bruising, and a weak left leg — yet she’s forced to stand in place for hours every day without rest.

“The way they are treated is just, you know, inhumane and just brutal and they’re actually, like, animalistic.”

Gao’s parents, Pastor Gao Quanfu and Pang Yu, were both entertainment industry figures who gave up fame and millions of dollars to follow Christianity. Quanfu was a famous musician and film/TV producer; Yu was a former actress and TV anchor.

After embracing the calling to become pastor and pastor’s wife, both were detained last year on charges of “using superstition to undermine the implementation of the law” — later changed to fraud. Gao says the charges are the Chinese Communist Party’s way of turning the acceptance of tithes and offerings into a 10-plus-year sentence.

But Gao’s parents aren’t alone. Arrested with them is another pastor of the Light of Zion Church, Tang Bingyi, who remains detained. Eight other Zion Church leaders, eight Catholic bishops, and several other Christian leaders remain imprisoned across China.

Gao said he understands the summit may focus on AI policy and rare earth minerals — but some things should be non-negotiable for a country built on the principles the U.S. stands for.

“I can only pray,” Gao said.

The pastor’s son wouldn’t be the first to see Trump’s pressure on China free detained Christians.

Trump made defending persecuted Christians a hallmark of his second term, even going off the teleprompter during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to call out the group’s hypocrisy for not standing up for Christians facing persecution worldwide.

Trump calls out the United Nations for hypocrisy, saying that they criticize him for protecting the US’s borders and children while ignoring the millions of Christians facing persecution.

Watch pic.twitter.com/OSP042JctV

— Derek VanBuskirk (@DerekVBK) September 22, 2026

Gao pointed to Pastor Ezra Jin, the leader of the Zion Church, who was released in July — just two months after Trump invoked his name during a visit to Beijing.

At a Congressional hearing Tuesday, Jin testified that his growing church reached 1,500 members by 2018, when the CCP installed 24 surveillance cameras at the sanctuary before mobilizing hundreds of police to shut it down.

Although the CCP scattered the church, it only helped it spread. COVID-era Zoom worship services made nearly 100 meeting places possible across 40 cities by 2025. The government arrested 30 pastors in October in response.

While Jin and many others were eventually released, eight still remain imprisoned on charges of using information networks, illegal business operations, and fraud — all connected to their online Christian worship.

“This is a tremendous insult and a vicious attack on the Christian faith.”

Jin credited his release to Trump raising the issue with Xi, plus an immediate letter from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a statement signed by 33 members of Congress. Beijing knew Washington was watching.

Republican New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith, the commission’s co-chairman, said he’s asking Trump “to appeal to Xi Jinping to show compassion and courage” as he did with Jin.

It’s not only small house churches targeted. The persecution reaches even the Catholic Church — the largest organized religious institution in the world.

Jason Jones, founder of the Vulnerable People Project, which launched a campaign to free Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen and seven other bishops imprisoned by the regime and replaced with CCP-approved leaders, told the Caller that Trump is in a unique position to advocate for prisoners of conscience.

“The administration should understand that not only are American Catholics united on this, but the whole Body of Christ is,” Jones said. “We are locking arms with our persecuted bishops in China. Their suffering is ours, and if they’re not free, no Catholic is free. No American president can make Catholics an afterthought to some trade negotiation.”

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham also asked Trump to bring up the case of Jimmy Lai this week, Politico reported Tuesday. Lai was a Christian pioneer of the fashion industry turned media magnate who was sentenced by a Hong Kong court this year on sedition charges and now faces 20 years in prison.

Trump’s former Ambassador-at-large Sam Brownback told the Caller that Lai, along with the Catholic bishops, is one of several issues he hopes the president raises by name during the visit.

Brownback said bringing up these cases could demonstrate to the world — and to Chinese citizens — what’s going on. It could also help show that the entire system China is implementing is flawed in its most fundamental aspects.

Having just published a book diving into the stories of several religious minorities persecuted by the Chinese regime, Brownback said the Communist government is aiming to crack down on any religion that places something above the state.

This is why China has sought to imprison Christian leaders, sterilize and “reeducate” Uyghur Muslims, place Falun Gong practitioners into forced labor camps while testing them for forced organ harvesting, and impose heavily burdensome restrictions on Tibetan Buddhists — including the disappearance of the six-year-old Panchen Lama in 1995 and the regime’s current plan to pick the next Dalai Lama as a puppet of the state.

While Gao joins Smith, Brownback, Jin, Burnham, and thousands of others in hoping even the names of these prisoners will be raised by the president, he believes there’s something anyone can do to help.

“And for the Christians here in this country, we desperately, desperately need your prayers. We need our parents’ names, our church’s name, in their prayers, every Sunday, every day. We need prayers.”

Despite the odds, the son hopes a dictator’s heart can be softened.

“What’s impossible with men is possible with God,” Gao told the Caller.

Discarding “errors.”

Jordan Schroeder, a mother of two, says the language stopped her cold. We’re talking about unborn babies — lives created by God — and a major publication is describing them as disposable mistakes.

“At no point did I think of what was growing inside of me as some potential ‘error’ my body might need to ‘discard.’ That was my baby.”

The piece discusses anthropologist Kate Clancy’s book “Pregnancy Interrupted” and spends considerable time on the uncertainty of early pregnancy. Doctors can get gestational age wrong. Measurements differ. Standards for diagnosing a miscarriage can even vary by location.

The article itself points to research on pregnancies classified as having “unknown viability.” About one-fifth of those pregnancies eventually turned out to be viable.

So doctors don’t always know.

Yet somehow, Schroeder writes, the conversation shifts from acknowledging medical uncertainty to describing embryos as “errors” that can be “discarded.”

She calls it sick. And she’s not apologizing for saying so.

Schroeder argues something bigger is happening than just poor word choice. The more she read, the more the baby seemed to disappear altogether. Pregnancy became something happening to a woman’s body — a medical condition. Where did the baby go?

She describes what happens when a woman who desperately wants a baby sees two lines on a pregnancy test. She doesn’t wait for somebody to officially declare the pregnancy “viable” before she starts imagining a future.

Schroeder recalls her own experience: thanking God, calculating the due date, wondering if it’s a boy or a girl, thinking about names, imagining the baby’s first Christmas. Then worrying about everything she ate, drank, lifted, or touched in the past two weeks.

The relationship has already started. She is her baby’s mother.

And if a woman miscarries, nobody needs to explain to her that she lost something. She knows exactly who she lost.

“Nobody would dream of telling a grieving mother that her body successfully ‘discarded an error.’ And if you do, you are a psychopath.”

But use basically the same language inside a discussion about reproductive biology, Schroeder writes, and suddenly we’re supposed to nod along because it sounds scientific.

Words matter.

Schroeder points to another line in The New Yorker piece that disturbed her. After going through biological and environmental reasons a pregnancy might end, the author writes that pregnancy can also be interrupted “by a woman’s choice.”

Just like that — miscarriage and abortion wrapped up in the same word. “Interrupted.”

A woman losing a baby she desperately wanted did not “interrupt” her pregnancy in the same way another person intentionally ended an innocent human life, Schroeder argues. Pretending they fall under the same language doesn’t make them the same thing.

She also notes how fast the language changes depending on whether the baby is wanted. We throw baby showers. We post ultrasound pictures. We decorate nurseries. We talk to “the baby,” “my baby.”

Nobody walks up to an excited pregnant woman and says, “Actually, you’re experiencing a developing medical condition of uncertain viability.” That would be insane.

But when abortion enters the conversation, nobody wants to say “baby” anymore. It’s an embryo or a fetus. Abortion is a “choice.” Now apparently it’s an “interruption.”

Schroeder acknowledges that miscarriage is natural. Chromosomal abnormalities are a major reason miscarriages happen. There are pregnancies that, tragically, will never result in a healthy baby being born.

None of that means we have to talk about the child who passes away as if he or she were a defective product.

If doctors themselves don’t always know what’s going to happen, maybe a little humility is warranted when discussing the unborn.

Schroeder didn’t know anything about either of her children when she first found out she was pregnant. She didn’t know what they would look like, what their personalities would be, whether they would be healthy. She didn’t even know if she’d make it through the first trimester.

But here’s what she did know: they were there.

And from that moment on, she wasn’t the only person involved anymore.

That’s the part that disappears when pregnancy becomes nothing more than a condition happening to a woman’s body. The baby disappears from the language. And once the baby is gone, you can call what happens next whatever you want.

Motherhood begins with uncertainty, Schroeder writes. First you’re worried about every little thing during pregnancy. Then the baby arrives and you’ve got 10,000 new things that can terrify you. Then they’re toddlers climbing on things they absolutely should not be climbing on.

The fear changes as they get older. But they’re still your kid. Always.

That’s why the sentence about “discarding errors” makes her so angry.

An unborn child is not an error. A miscarriage is not a successful disposal of defective material. And a woman who loses her baby didn’t simply have a pregnancy that was “interrupted.”

We’re talking about an innocent human life that God created.

So start talking like it.

Rev. Jim Rigby, Talarico’s pastor and lifelong mentor, was caught on camera telling atheists: “If you love humanity and love nature and that’s why you hate religion then we’re on the same team.” The statement, captured in what appears to be a candid moment before a public address, suggests a theological perspective that diverges sharply from mainstream Christian teaching about the centrality of faith and religious practice.

Rigby leads St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Austin, where Talarico has attended since he was a toddler. “He is my pastor in every sense of the word,” Talarico told the New York Times, calling Rigby one of “the biggest influences on me as a Christian, as a human being.” This longstanding relationship has clearly shaped Talarico’s own public statements about faith, which have themselves become points of contention as the Senate candidate attempts to appeal to Texas’s diverse but predominantly Christian voter base.

Rigby baptized Talarico and officiated his parents’ wedding. The depth of this multi-generational connection underscores how formative Rigby’s theological views have been in shaping the worldview of the Senate candidate now seeking to represent Texas on the national stage.

“If you love humanity and love nature and that’s why you hate religion then we’re on the same team.”

The undercover footage shows Rigby preparing to speak at an event for the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) — an organization that claims “most social and moral progress has been brought about by persons free from religion.” FFRF describes itself as the nation’s largest “freethought association” with nearly 42,000 atheists, agnostics, and skeptics. The fact that Talarico’s longtime spiritual mentor was invited to address such an organization, and apparently accepted the invitation, adds another layer of complexity to questions about the candidate’s own religious convictions and how they might influence his policy positions if elected.

In the video, Rigby reveals he’s been “on trial within the denomination for LGBT stuff, abortion and non-theist” issues. He adds casually: “We had an atheist join the church but that’s not a big deal here.” This revelation points to ongoing tensions within the broader Presbyterian denomination, suggesting that Rigby’s theological positions have generated controversy even among fellow Presbyterian clergy and leadership structures designed to maintain doctrinal standards.

According to the Times profile, Rigby refuses to use male pronouns for God — calling it a kind of “violence” to imply a girl’s brother is more like God than she is. He avoids the word “Lord” because it conjures a wealthy, European, male God. He said he doesn’t much care for the word “God” at all, preferring synonyms because “it’s going to mean something different to everybody.” This approach to religious language represents a significant departure from traditional Christian theology, which has historically maintained specific understandings of divine attributes and proper ways to address the deity, particularly within Presbyterian and Reformed traditions that emphasize scriptural authority.

The undercover footage also features Rev. Babs Miller, whose official title at St. Andrews is Minister to the Parish. Miller states bluntly: “I don’t have a need for a God.” She believes there’s “something out there that holds all this together,” but “she doesn’t see it as a God.” The presence of a minister who openly disclaims belief in God raises fundamental questions about the theological character of the church that has shaped Talarico’s spiritual formation.

“We are not a worshipping church,” Miller adds. This self-description stands in stark contrast to the understanding of church purpose held by most Christian denominations, where corporate worship of God is considered a defining and non-negotiable element of ecclesial identity.

“We are not a worshipping church.”

Miller recently told undercover cameras that Talarico is playing a political game. “I can guarantee you that once he gets elected, he’ll change his tune back to where he was,” she said, according to Daily Wire reporting. This suggestion of calculated positioning for electoral advantage speaks directly to concerns about authenticity and whether voters are seeing the candidate’s genuine beliefs or a carefully crafted public persona.

Talarico has attempted to walk back some of his more controversial statements as the Senate race tightens. He said he was being “provocative” when he claimed God was non-binary. “What I was trying to say is that you can’t use human categories to define God,” he told an interviewer. The candidate’s explanations have done little to satisfy critics who question whether his theological views align with those of the Texas voters he hopes to represent, particularly in a state where traditional Christian belief remains deeply influential in political life.

Talarico faces Republican Ken Paxton in the closely watched U.S. Senate contest in November. Texas voters will decide whether a candidate mentored by a pastor who welcomes atheists and rejects traditional Christian language about God belongs in the United States Senate. The outcome may signal how the state’s electorate weighs questions of religious authenticity against other political considerations in an increasingly polarized era.

“I THINK THE BEST WAY I’VE BEEN ABLE TO DESCRIBE THAT MOMENT WAS GETTING HIT BY A FREIGHT TRAIN.”

“We do all we can to try to save the aircraft. It was evident that that wasn’t possible, and soon thereafter we ejected and found ourselves floating over the heart of Iran,” Bravo told the program. “I will be thankful to my dying day, for my pilot and crewmate Alpha, for saving our lives and ejecting us.”

The explosion shredded Bravo’s parachute. When he looked up into the night sky, he saw nothing above him — and knew he was falling to earth with no canopy.

“At one point, when I looked up and saw no parachute … that was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen. So I paused right then and I prayed, ‘Lord, your will be done. But if I’m getting through this, I need help,'” he said.

Experts estimate Bravo hit the desert terrain at speeds between 70 and 100 mph. The impact broke his back, arm, and shoulder, sprained his ankle, and left him bleeding from head wounds. Despite the catastrophic injuries, his survival training kicked in immediately.

“A modern-day miracle,” Bravo said. “I believe that it’s a testament to God’s provision in my life to bring me through that moment in a way that didn’t prevent injuries but prevented any catastrophic injuries that would have affected my ability to survive.”

With Iranian search parties assembling and a bounty placed on his head, Bravo made the decision to climb. He scaled a 7,000-foot ridge to seek higher ground and evade capture — all with a broken back and shattered limbs.

“NEVER LET A LACK OF MOTIVATION PUT YOU ON IRANIAN TV.”

“Given the terrain that I faced, I think you’d find it surprising what I was able to overcome given those injuries. But I did it because of a warrior ethos that we talk about,” he said. “I owed it to them to show the same warrior ethos in my situation and walk the same walk that I’d been talking for months.”

Bravo spent nearly 50 hours dodging search parties in extreme temperatures with minimal water. Hours into his ordeal, he watched from his ridgeline perch as U.S. forces successfully rescued his pilot, Alpha, in a risky daylight operation.

“It was the proudest dad moment of my life. With apologies to my kids,” he told 60 Minutes. “To see it firsthand made me incredibly proud of them and of Americans like them that continue to raise their hand and say, ‘Here I am. Send me.’ It was a boon to my survival to know that America keeps its promise.”

After two days of evading the enemy, CIA deception operations and military strikes cleared a path for Air Force Pararescue Operators to reach his position. When the rescuers arrived, Bravo kept his message simple: “Let’s go.”

Reflecting on the complex 50-hour operation that brought him home, Bravo directed all credit to his rescuers.

“This is not a story about what I went through. Instead, it’s a story of the teamwork, the training, of the faith, of the decisions and leadership to do something that will live in history as an example of what America is willing to do in order to uphold our promise and leave no man behind,” he said.

Asked if he ever doubted the U.S. military was coming for him, Bravo answered without hesitation.

“Never a doubt. It’s what we do. I have great faith in my Creator. Second only to that is my faith in the men and women of the United States military to do what we say we’re going to do.”

When asked if he would serve again after putting his life on the line, Bravo’s answer was immediate: “I intend to continue to serve in whatever capacity I can. And when we swear an oath to defend this nation and our Constitution, I think it’s easier to do so knowing that we’re doing it as a team. That you have warriors on the left and right of you that are going to continue to fight and answer the call.”

Turning Point Action COO Tyler Bowyer shared photos of the damage on X, showing red paint sprayed across Kirk’s neck, face, and a hand holding a baseball cap. An upside-down smiley face in red paint was also painted on the shirt portion of the statue.

A nearby memorial sign featuring Kirk’s photo was also defaced — a red “X” painted across his face and red paint covering the word “Jesus” in the caption reading, “May Charlie be received into the merciful arms of Jesus, our loving Savior.”

“This morning we woke up to radical criminals vandalizing our Headquarters. Crossing over Charlie’s face, scratching out Jesus and the Cross & spraying red paint on his neck.”

The vandalism came just days after the first anniversary of Kirk’s assassination while speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025 — an event that shocked the conservative movement and drew nationwide mourning.

WATCH — Trump to Breitbart News: Charlie Kirk’s Assassination Is “A Sad Cloud over The Country”:

Mikey McCoy, who served as Kirk’s chief-of-staff, responded to the vandalism with a powerful statement invoking forgiveness — drawing parallels to Christ on the cross and Kirk’s own willingness to return repeatedly to hostile campuses.

“If Charlie could return again and again to the campuses where he was hated and mocked and continue to meet hostility with courage and an invitation to dialogue,” McCoy wrote on X, “If Stephen could be stoned to death and, with his final breaths, cry out to God, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.'”

“If Christ could hang on the cross and pray, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’ … Then I can surrender all the anger, and pure disgust that I feel at seeing this to a just and holy God and pray instead for the repentance and salvation of the people who carry out, mock, and celebrate these evil acts,” McCoy continued.

Turning Point USA confirmed they are reviewing security footage and working with law enforcement to identify the vandals.

“We will restore the statue and replace the signs, but we are also reviewing the footage of the incident and are working with law enforcement to identify who did this and hold them accountable,” the organization wrote on X.

“But vandalism like this is not funny, it’s diabolical. The incident happened in the middle of the night because evil never sleeps. Beyond spray painting on the neck and face, they made the intentional decision to cross out the name of Jesus on a nearby sign.”

This morning we woke up to radical criminals vandalizing our Headquarters.

Crossing over Charlie’s face, scratching out Jesus and the Cross & spraying red paint on his neck.

This isn’t the country we want to live in.

Arizona is not Gotham. pic.twitter.com/bwCxMdnCGY

— Tyler Bowyer (@tylerbowyer) September 13, 2026

If Charlie could return again and again to the campuses where he was hated and mocked and continue to meet hostility with courage and an invitation to dialogue…

If Stephen could be stoned to death and, with his final breaths, cry out to God, “Lord, do not hold this sin against… https://t.co/W7e7cNCzaW pic.twitter.com/3lx1vEq8JL

— Mikey McCoy (@Michael_McCoyy) September 13, 2026

The confrontation unfolded on what should have been a solemn day of remembrance, as the nation paused to honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil. Instead, the presence of political activists near the memorial site added tension to an already emotionally charged occasion, sparking debate about the boundaries of protest and respect for victims of terrorism.

The fireman’s memorable soliloquy, delivered with a classic New York accent, was captured from two angles by Turning Point USA and Freedom News TV and posted on X.

Dressed in his formal department uniform and walking down the blocked-off street near the memorial, the firefighter spotted the agitator with a Palestinian flag wrapped around him, approached the pedestrian barrier, and cut loose.

“You piece of shit. Go back to Palestine. Anti-American. Go back to Palestine. We don’t want you here.”

He wasn’t done.

The firefighter brought up the names of former President Barack Obama, NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — Democrats all.

The inclusion of these specific political figures in his outburst reflects broader frustrations among some New Yorkers and first responders who believe certain elected officials have not adequately condemned anti-American protests or have been insufficiently supportive of law enforcement and firefighters. The firefighter’s words gave voice to simmering political tensions that have divided the city and the nation on issues ranging from foreign policy to domestic protest movements.

“And take Obama,” he continued. “Take Mamdani with you. And AOC. And Hochul. Take ’em all. They’re all no good. You’re no good. That’s right.”

“Nice job, pal,” somebody said off camera.

The firefighter walked away from the agitator as a nearby voice yelled in the video, “The Jews are committing a genocide.”

That shouted accusation underscored the nature of the protest that had disturbed attendees at the memorial ceremony. The inflammatory rhetoric at a site where firefighters, police officers, and civilians of all backgrounds perished together struck many observers as particularly offensive, given the unity and heroism displayed by first responders on that tragic day in 2001.

“Frustration from Americans attending the 9/11 memorial service a few blocks away is spilling over,” Turning Point USA’s X account posted.

The incident highlights ongoing concerns about the appropriateness of political demonstrations at sites of national mourning and tragedy. Ground Zero has long been considered sacred ground by many Americans, particularly New Yorkers who lived through the attacks and first responders who lost 343 fellow firefighters that day. The presence of protesters with messages unrelated to honoring the victims has reignited discussions about balancing free speech rights with respect for the dead and the families who continue to grieve.

Fox News Digital attempted to identify the fireman.

The Fire Department of New York told the outlet, “We are aware of the video circulating of someone wearing a uniform having a verbal altercation today. This person appears to be from another fire department and is not and has never been a member of the FDNY.”

It remains unclear whether he is a current or retired first responder.

The FDNY’s clarification suggests the uniformed individual may have traveled from another jurisdiction to attend the ceremony, a common occurrence as fire departments from across the country send delegations to honor their fallen brothers and sisters. The annual memorial service regularly draws first responders from departments nationwide who maintain a special bond forged by the shared loss of September 11th.

Friday marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and the hijacked airliner stopped by heroic passengers who charged the flight deck, causing it to crash in Pennsylvania.

The quarter-century milestone carries particular significance as a generation of Americans has now come of age with no personal memory of the attacks, making remembrance ceremonies increasingly important for preserving the historical memory of that day and honoring those who died.

All the living former presidents attended the ceremony at Ground Zero along with Vice President JD Vance, who represented the administration of President Donald Trump. Trump gave the keynote speech at the Pentagon memorial ceremony.

Mamdani, Hochul, and Ocasio-Cortez were also in attendance at Ground Zero.

Their presence at the ceremony, despite being named in the firefighter’s tirade, underscores the complex political environment surrounding the memorial event and the deep divisions that persist in American politics even on days meant for national unity.

NOW: "Go back to fkn Palestinian and take Obama and Mamdani with you" man in ceremonial FDNY Uniform confronts Nazi group outside 9/11 Memorial in NYC

Video by Ken Lopez | Licensing @FreedomNTV Desk@freedomnews.tv pic.twitter.com/NyoDpBLEvM

— Oliya Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) September 11, 2026

Absolute legend! A NYC firefighter just TORCHED an agitator: "Go BACK… we don't WANT you here! Take Mamdani, AOC, and Hochul too!"
Real patriots are sick of radical agitators disrespecting America while Democrats enable them. I’d buy them all a one-way ticket out. Time to…

— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) September 11, 2026

In a Truth Social post, Trump demanded the institution erect a 30-foot bronze statue of Washington outside the National Museum of American History, replacing the abstract “Infinity” sculpture that has stood at the Madison Drive entrance since 1967.

“Replace a sculpture that says nothing about America with the man who, more than anyone else, says everything about America.”

The “Infinity” piece — a thin stainless steel ribbon rotating on a granite pedestal — was the first abstract work commissioned by the federal government in Washington, D.C. It represents time and technology, according to the D.C. Preservation League.

Trump called it irrelevant.

“That strange modernist sculpture tells visitors nothing about America, inspires no one, and honors none of our Great American Heroes. George Washington does. He is easily America’s Greatest Hero. Without him, our Country and our Freedoms wouldn’t exist.”

The president wants the change completed before what would be Washington’s 300th birthday on February 22, 2032. He also demanded the museum install an 11-foot Washington statue in the Flag Hall by Constitution Day — September 17, 2026 — and create a five-year exhibition dedicated to the first president’s life.

Trump didn’t stop at the statue. He torched the Smithsonian’s recent focus on “decolonization” and oppression narratives under prior leadership.

“The Smithsonian created a ‘Center for Restorative History,’ and commissioned a ‘Decolonization Plan,’ to focus attention overwhelmingly on those who have been oppressed, but there is almost no attention paid to those who triumphed over great oppression, and against great odds,” Trump wrote.

He pointed to one exhibit that describes Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the New World as the “Great Unsettling” of the continent.

“That tells you all you need to know about how twisted the thinking is today at the Smithsonian. Instead of a Center for Restorative History, America’s National History Museum should have a Center for American Heroes.”

Trump also criticized the museum for failing to honor Washington’s historic December 25, 1776 crossing of the Delaware River — calling it “one of the greatest moments and turning points of the Revolution” that isn’t even mentioned inside the museum.

“Washington’s Victory at Trenton, and the stories of the Americans who fought and [lost their lives] for our Independence, deserve far more attention,” Trump said.

The president closed with a direct challenge to Smithsonian leadership.

“Instead of focusing on ideological activism, the leaders of America’s taxpayer-funded, National History Museum should be focused on telling America’s story — fairly, accurately, and coherently — and there is no better person to start with than George Washington.”

Trump’s Truth Social post included a mock-up image showing the proposed bronze Washington statue towering where “Infinity” currently stands.

I am calling on the Smithsonian Institution to honor the Life and Legacy of George Washington, America’s Greatest Hero, with a five-year exhibition at the National Museum of American History, beginning now, and continuing through, February 22, 2032, the 300th anniversary of… https://t.co/sox4bDl3cz pic.twitter.com/GG7ja2tdMA

— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) September 12, 2026

The demand comes during the run-up to America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 — a milestone Trump has repeatedly used to call for renewed celebration of the Founding Fathers and America’s founding ideals.

The 31-year-old American-Israeli tech billionaire and former captain in Israel’s most elite special forces unit was seated in business class on American Airlines Flight 11 — one row behind hijacking ringleader Mohamed Atta and terrorist Abdulaziz al-Omari.

When the takeover began, Lewin didn’t wait to see what would happen. Fluent in Arabic and hardened by years of counterterrorism training in Sayeret Matkal, he rose from seat 9B and moved to confront the hijackers as they pushed toward the cockpit.

He never saw the blade coming from behind. Satam al-Suqami, seated directly behind him in 10B, struck before Lewin could reach Atta.

“A man in first class had his throat slashed.”

Flight attendants Amy Sweeney and Betty Ong radioed American Airlines with the grim news: the passenger in seat 9B was dead. The 9/11 Commission later determined Lewin was stabbed during the takeover, probably by al-Suqami.

Twenty-five minutes later, Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Danny Lewin became the first person lost in the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Born in Denver in 1970, Lewin spent his teenage years in Jerusalem — where he skipped class to hit the gym and eventually won the title of Mr. Teenage Israel in a bodybuilding competition.

When it came time for military service, he pushed his way into Sayeret Matkal, the ultra-secretive special forces unit whose ranks included Yoni Netanyahu and his younger brother, future Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Foreign-born recruits were almost unheard of in the unit.

Lewin defied the odds. He survived two years of brutal selection, rose to captain, and led dangerous covert missions.

When he hung up his uniform, he traded guns for algorithms. Lewin studied at Israel’s elite Technion before heading to MIT, where he teamed up with applied math professor Tom Leighton. Together, they founded Akamai Technologies, inventing algorithms that eliminated web congestion and practically built the modern fast internet.

“Danny loved really hard challenges, loved to solve problems people thought were impossible.”

By his late twenties, Lewin was a dot-com billionaire with a wife, Anne, and two young sons. He was known for his relentless drive, once famously walking into workrooms to bark at engineers: “You’re behind!”

On the night of September 10, 2001, Lewin stayed up agonizing over company layoffs brought on by the dot-com crash. He got just one hour of sleep before boarding Flight 11 in Boston for a business trip to Los Angeles.

He never made it. But even in his final moments, the warrior inside the mathematician refused to back down.

“I’m sure at some point it became clear to him what was going on,” said early Akamai investor Todd Dagres. “And I’m sure he acted. … But he couldn’t get them all.”

Today, Lewin is buried in Sharon, Massachusetts. In Israel, his name is etched into a 9/11 memorial made of Ground Zero steel — the only memorial outside the U.S. listing every single victim.

Danny Lewin was a titan in life, and in his final seconds, a true American and Israeli hero.

The first victim of 9/11 was Danny Lewin. Born in Denver, raised in Jerusalem. Captain in Sayeret Matkal. Mathematician. Co-founder of Akamai – the company that still carries a huge share of the internet.

On the morning of September 11, 2001 he boarded American Airlines Flight… pic.twitter.com/e4Eawv9IcT

— Michael Dickson (@michaeldickson) September 10, 2026