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Michael's Daily Memo
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Last night I hosted former Navy SEAL Rob O’Neill for a Veterans Day tribute at Parx Casino. I’d waited 15 and a half years to shake the hand of the man who pulled the trigger on Osama bin Laden. For 90 minutes, a rapt audience listened as I questioned O’Neill about his career — more than 400 missions, for which he was decorated more than 50 times — and the raid at Abbottabad. C-SPAN carried it live, and you can watch the full interview on my YouTube channel. It was one of the most memorable interviews I’ve been privileged to conduct.
But it’s what happened before we took the stage that will stay with me.
First, some context. Before leaving for Parx, I was reading for today’s newsletter and came across a distressing story in the New York Post. It reported on a recent Buckley Institute survey in which 22 percent of American college students — more than one in five — agreed with the statement “America deserved September 11th.” Hold that thought.
Before the interview, O’Neill and I were in the green room, and I told him two of my invited guests wanted to shake his hand.
First came Ellen Saracini. Ellen was widowed on 9/11 when her husband, Victor, the captain of United Flight 175, was killed after hijackers took his plane and flew it into the South Tower. Ellen raised their two daughters without him. She had come to give Rob a “9/11 Never Forget” pin. Philadelphia jeweler Steven Singer has sold the pin for $10 over the years, mostly to my radio audience, and it has raised nearly $1 million for 9/11 charities. O’Neill put it on his lapel right away and wore it the rest of the evening. Ellen thanked him, and the two embraced.
Then came Tara Bane. She was just 30 when she lost her husband, Michael, who worked for Marsh & McLennan on the 100th floor of the North Tower. Tara was tearful and unsteady with emotion as she, too, thanked O’Neill. She’d brought her son, Cole, who asked O’Neill to autograph a bin Laden “wanted” poster.
Watching these two women find a measure of peace, I was a bit overcome myself. And then I thought about those college students who told a pollster that America deserved 9/11. They weren’t alive that day. But I’d like them to answer this: What did Ellen Saracini and Tara Bane do to deserve losing their husbands?
Never forget.

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DAILY POLL
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Trump privately wrote Biden a gracious letter in 2021. Is his public combativeness mostly an act?
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TOP STORY
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Nvidia shares plunged more than 5% Thursday amid reports its board may remove CEO Jensen Huang following allegations of workplace affairs and potential security breaches. The controversy threatens leadership stability at the AI chip giant, raising investor concerns while creating opportunities for competitors AMD and Broadcom.
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TODAY'S YOUTUBE
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SPONSORED BY PARX CASINO
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IN OTHER NEWS
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A soldier guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier reprimanded Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his advisers after members of the group laughed and chatted following a Veterans Day ceremony. The sentinel demanded silence and respect, and the Pentagon acknowledged the soldier acted appropriately.
A new Buckley Institute poll finds 22% of surveyed college students believe America deserved the 9/11 attacks, while 72% disagree. The survey of 803 undergraduates also reveals growing support for socialism, declining support for Israel, and continued concerns about free speech and censorship on college campuses.
Democrats’ midterm victories were fueled by moderate and Republican voters frustrated with President Trump, the Iran war, rising costs, and political division, but many of those voters remain independent and are not committed to supporting Democrats in future elections.
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A MESSAGE FROM INCOGNI
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump held a tense weekend phone call over whether to resume strikes on Iran, with Netanyahu pushing for renewed military action and regime change while Trump pursues diplomacy and says force doesn't appear necessary for now.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore faces renewed scrutiny over his military record after his former commanding officer disputed claims that Moore led troops in combat and questioned the Bronze Star awarded to him in 2024, adding controversy as Moore emerges as a potential 2028 presidential candidate.
Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran will not let a single particle of enriched nuclear material leave the country and warned that any new US strikes would be answered by attacks on American bases, including those in Europe.
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CARTOONS
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MORE NEWS
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Wall Street rallied Wednesday as artificial intelligence stocks rebounded from last week’s sell-off, with the S&P 500 gaining 1.3%, the Nasdaq rising 1.6%, and CoreWeave surging nearly 25% after stronger-than-expected results, bringing markets closer to recovering their recent losses.
A previously undisclosed 2021 letter from Donald Trump to Joe Biden reveals a surprisingly warm message in which Trump praised Biden’s love for America, wished him success, and encouraged him to make history, despite their bitter political rivalry and Trump’s continued public attacks on his successor.
On Veterans Day, retired Admiral James Stavridis draws four lessons from World War II for today's conflicts in Iran and Ukraine: technology reshapes battlefields fast, leadership at the top matters, wars are won in shipyards and factories, and troops deserve a united nation behind them.

For the Left
The FBI has added Iranian Revolutionary Guard member Shahram Poursafi to its Most Wanted Terrorists list over an alleged plot to assassinate former National Security Adviser John Bolton in retaliation for the 2020 killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, offering a $20 million reward for information.
For the Right
Americans are expected to pay 7.1% more to heat their homes this winter, averaging an additional $66 per household, while heating oil costs could surge 70% amid global supply disruptions linked to the Iran war, putting millions of families under additional financial pressure.
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