US health officials announced on Friday that the largest outbreak of food poisoning due to Cyclospora in US history has ended.
Officials at the US Food and Drug Administration said they are confident that all quantities of shredded lettuce that were withdrawn from the markets and linked to this particular outbreak have been removed from the markets, according to what was reported by the Associated Press.
Federal officials indicated that about 13,000 reported cases of Cyclospora were linked to the outbreak that included several states.
These cases represent the largest portion of this year's unprecedented increase in cases of infection with this parasitic disease that causes diarrhea.
Although the outbreak is considered over, several questions remain unanswered, including the source of the outbreak.
It is noteworthy that the parasite is transmitted through human feces, and it is still unclear how sewage contaminated a sufficient amount of food to infect such a large number of people.
On Friday, Americans recalled one of the worst and most tragic days in its history, when the heart of the United States was exposed a quarter of a century ago, on September 11, 2001, to unprecedented attacks, led by 19 terrorists affiliated with Al-Qaeda, targeting symbols of the strength of the United States, economically and financially in New York, and militarily in Washington.
Contrary to the traditions of previous years, US President Donald Trump chose to commemorate this occasion at the “iconic” building of the US War Department, the Pentagon, which was vulnerable to attack on that day by being rammed by a civilian plane, similar to the targeting of the World Trade Center towers in New York by two other civilian planes, which led to their collapse, in an “Apocalyptic” scene that was recalled by thousands of those who attended the commemoration ceremony, including US Vice President J.D. Vance, and four former presidents, George W. Bush, who was serving as president. The White House at that time, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.
The horrific anniversary witnessed laying wreaths, raising American flags, and observing minutes of silence coinciding with the times of the attacks, in mourning for the victims, whose names were read, one by one. A separate memorial ceremony was held in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the fourth civilian plane, believed to have been destined to target the White House or Capitol building, was shot down.
The attacks led to the collapse of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, which was considered a symbol of American economic and financial power, close to the “Raging Bull” on Wall Street, and among the tallest buildings on Earth. It also created a hole in the Pentagon, a symbol of American military power near Washington, DC.
The attacks killed about 3,000 people.
Keep fighting
During his speech at the Pentagon, President Trump said: “In the course of history, there are few moments that divide time into before and after.” He stressed that the United States will not forget September 11, 2001. He added: “Today we renew the sacred oath that we took for the first time in their name a quarter of a century ago. We will never forget, ever. This is why we fight today.” Because “we have no choice.” We can only win. We fight fiercely. We fight to win.”
Trump said: “We salute the first rescuers and law enforcement forces, and we have all our love and appreciation for them.” We also salute the members of the armed forces who are now working to ensure that the Islamic Republic of Iran, the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism, never possesses a nuclear weapon.”
President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who also spoke, used their speeches to justify the Iran war, which they defended as necessary to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. During the speech, Trump did not mention the name of any other country.
Anniversary in New York
At the World Trade Center site, a new memorial to the victims of the attacks has been erected. As usual, no political speeches were delivered at the ceremony. Speakers thanked first rescuers and the military, talked about the lives of loved ones, and mentioned important family events they had missed.
Remembrance ceremonies have always included moments of silence at pivotal points in the attack's sequence of events, and this year organizers added another moment to honor those exposed to clouds of toxic dust from the collapse of the Twin Towers, and who later died of cancer and other diseases. Questions still remain about the number of people who have suffered from dust-related health problems.
The impact of the events of September 11 is still present, as it reminds us of how the shadows of these attacks extend to many aspects of life in the United States and abroad.
The US-led global war on terrorism included the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan - the latter of which was Washington's longest war - and the detention, harsh interrogation and sometimes torture of terrorism suspects in an international network of secret CIA prisons. While the United States found and killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011, the mastermind of the September 11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is still awaiting trial 23 years after his arrest.
The attacks changed the course of air travel in the United States, led to the granting of new powers to the federal government in the field of surveillance and intelligence gathering, in addition to the establishment of new banking regulations, and sparked an ongoing debate about the balance between security and freedom, including the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, several anti-terrorism laws, and billions of dollars allocated to finance the fight against terrorism at the state level.
The events of September 11 ignited a wave of patriotism that prompted some Americans to join the military, firefighters, police forces, or other public agencies.
Focus on Mamdani
Meanwhile, New York Mayor Zahran Mamdani has faced increasing scrutiny; While calls for service and national unity remain fresh in the minds of many, the attacks have also fueled mistrust, intolerance and hate crimes directed against Muslims.
Over the past quarter century, American Muslims have played an increasing role in public life, from state legislatures to Congress and New York City, where Mamdani is the city's first Muslim mayor.
However, he faced some criticism for attending a ceremony commemorating the attacks at the World Trade Center site, something his predecessors had done for years.
Some of the criticism came from former Republican Governor George Pataki and relatives of victims of the September 11 attacks, who pointed out, among other things, previous statements made by some of Mamdani's political associates about the attacks.
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani also criticized Mamdani's presence, even though they shook hands on Friday, while they were waiting, with other officials, for the commemoration ceremony to begin.
Mamdani said this week that he loves the city and the country, and wants the memory of the attacks to focus on the families of the victims, the rescue teams, and the New Yorkers who supported each other after the attacks, which he described as a “horrific act of terrorism.”
Advertisements on Times Square billboards stopped. Commemorations extended beyond the sites of the attacks, and included beaming of light from Mount Washington in New Hampshire, a flight of stairs at the University of Mississippi's football stadium, and a memorial service at the Honolulu September 11 Memorial.
