The Federal Air Marshal Service deploys air marshals to help ensure the security of, and to prevent threats to, civil aviation. We assessed several air marshal workforce issues. Among other things, air marshals have expressed concerns about schedule unpredictability and sleep deprivation. The Service has guidelines for shift lengths and rest periods but doesn’t monitor if they are followed. More.
Aviation Security: Federal Air Marshal Service Has Taken Steps to Address Workforce Issues, but Additional Actions Needed
De Blasio signs bill to expand 9/11, line-of-duty survivor benefits
Government-funded health care is being extended to the families of all New York City municipal workers — not just uniformed personnel like cops and firefighters — who die in the line of duty or from 9/11-related illnesses. Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, signed the legislation, known as Introduction 1785, at City Hall Tuesday afternoon to cover the workers’ family members, such as spouses, domestic partners and dependent children. More.
Start of Sept. 11 Trial in Doubt After Defense Lawyer Asks to Quit Case
A long-serving capital defense lawyer for one of the five men accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks asked the judge on Tuesday to be excused from the case, citing his health and other issues, casting doubt on whether the trial can begin as scheduled next year. More.
With a Year Until Guantánamo’s 9/11 Trial, the Military Has a Long To-Do List
After a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck in the Caribbean, the Navy captain in charge of this remote Pentagon outpost declared a tsunami warning. Word reached the base school and boats on the bay but never got to the war court, where pretrial hearings were underway in the case of the five men accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. More.
9/11 Study Shows PTSD Tied to Earlier Death
Survivors of the 2001 terrorist attack on New York City's World Trade Center who developed PTSD have a lasting risk of premature death, a new study finds. The study of nearly 64,000 emergency responders and civilians found that the longer the post-traumatic stress disorder lingered, the more likely they were to die early from any cause. More.
Friends of Flight 93 announces new leadership
The former senior executive director of the Pentagon Memorial Fund was appointed executive director of the Friends of the Flight 93 National Memorial. Officials said Andrew Ammerman, who served as senior executive director of the Pentagon Memorial Fund for more than 13 years, will assume the post as new leadership begins work with the volunteer organization that supports the national memorial in Somerset County. More.
Guantánamo Testimony Exposes Role of Doctors in C.I.A. Interrogations
When the C.I.A. strapped down Khalid Shaikh Mohammed at a secret site in Poland in 2003, those inside the cell included a three-man waterboarding team, black-masked guards — and a doctor. The doctor’s stated role was to monitor the health of the detainee. He also kept count of each near drowning. Read More.
In Guantanamo testimony, CIA waterboarder says he threatened to cut throat of 9/11 mastermind’s son
The man seen as the architect of the CIA’s enhanced interrogations program, who personally waterboarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, threatened to cut the throat of the alleged 9/11 mastermind's son if another attack occurred inside the United States. Mohammed, 55, was dubbed “KSM”and described as “the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks” in the 9/11 Commission Report. More.