Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on New York City and Washington, DC, progressives this week have expressed appreciation for the few Democratic leaders who have defended Mayor Zohran Mamdani against openly Islamophobic attacks from right-wing city lawmakers demanding that he skip Friday's memorial event. But…
Page B1From§Eachthe milkman edition — 10 September 2026
9/11 officials lied about toxins; top Democrats silent on racist push for memorial exclusion.
The record after 9/11 carries a double obituary: first, the loss of public trust as officials lied about air toxins, and second, the passing of party backbone as Democrats remained silent when a racist push tried to keep Mamdani from the memorial. The government, facing catastrophe, chose to bury the facts alongside the bodies. The party, facing bigotry, found it easier to bury their voice. The survivors are left with the consequences, both in the air and in the ceremony. Preceded in death: the norm that truth comes first, and the principle that everyone belongs in the room. Survived by: the long shadow of exclusion, and the chronic cough of cover-ups. In lieu of flowers: a public record, signed and spoken, and a memorial with a seat for everyone.
“When the government hides the poison and the party hushes up the hate, it’s the same playbook: keep the truth out of the ceremony, and the fallout lands on the rest of us. The memorial is for remembering, but the receipt is for forgetting.”
“The officials did what was necessary to keep the public calm. As for the memorial, everyone deserves respect, and any silence is probably just a scheduling conflict. Did I say 'respect'? I meant 'discretion'.”
The receipts
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has unsealed more than 170,000 pages of records as part of a settlement with 9/11 Health Watch.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.