🌹 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is hosting a special event to mark the upcoming 20th anniversary of the 11 September attacks.

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🚚🌱 A garbage truck crashed into a building in Michigan – and exposed an illegal marijuana grow operation.

An illegal cannabis farm was uncovered on Wednesday morning after a vehicle collided with a building in Michigan’s Sterling Heights, media reported.

No one was injured as a result of the accident – except for maybe a few of the nearly 260 plants that were growing there.

Recreational use of marijuana is legal in the state – however, the revealed number of plants exceeded the allowed maximum. Moreover, it is illegal to grow the drug in the city’s commercial buildings.

#BREAKING: Russia summons US ambassador over America’s election meddling, diplomatic source says

NASA is holding a press conference dedicated to the samples collected by its Perseverance Rover on Mars.

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#BREAKING: US Appeals Court reportedly rules to reinstate mask mandate ban in Florida schools

The US Appeals Court ruled in favour of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, allowing his administration to reinstate the mask mandate ban in the state and continue punishing officials who require masks anyway, according to media reports.

🦓 Five zebras have been on the run since August 31 after escaping from a private farm in Prince George County, Maryland. Member of the House of Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat, decided to issue a statement on the matter.

🗣 “Local news has reported that the zebras were let loose on Saturday or Sunday of last weekend, a period of time during which I was enjoying quiet time at home with my family,” she said.

It is unclear why Norton felt the need to speak out since there were no official statements about her involvement.

😁 It seems Norton was a poor zookeeper in a past life...

🗽 The demolition of the monument to General Lee is the personification of Orwell's famous 1984 novel. Erasing history from memory, we forget who we are and how we came to this moment. Attempts to forget what actually happened, or to correct the memory of it, results in historical lessons getting lost.

Missouri Rep. Tony Lovasco said the "reprehensible" statues of former President Lincoln should be demolished in the name of justice after the removal of General Lee's statue.

❓ But is it really necessary to achieve justice? Can't you see that this is just another example of culture wars that are inflated and fuelled to divide people through symbols, while ignoring material reality.

#URGENT | Video: Massive fire reported at NYC hospital

🇺🇸🇱🇧 The State Department said the US welcomes the agreement by Lebanese leaders on forming a new government but urged the parliament to approve it quickly.

💉 Republican Governor of South Carolina Henry McMaster has pledged to oppose US President Joe Biden's mandate to vaccinate all businesses with more than 100 employees to the "gates of hell," as fellow governors prepare to sue the Biden administration over this "unconstitutional" requirement.

🗣 "The American Dream has turned into a nightmare under President Biden and the radical Democrats," McMaster wrote on Twitter. "They have declared war against capitalism, thumbed their noses at the Constitution, and empowered our enemies abroad."

🇺🇸🇦🇫 When asked about fresh evidence published by The New York Times that the US tracked and targeted the wrong person in the August 29 drone attack that killed 10 Afghan civilians, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told Sputnik the strike was based on "good intelligence," albeit CENTCOM continues to assess it.

✍️ @Greg_Abbott signed into law on Thursday a bill to protect Texans from illegal social media censorship after it was passed during a special session in August.

🗣 “Social media websites have become our modern-day public square,” he said.

🗣 “They are a place for healthy public debate where information should be able to flow freely — but there is a dangerous movement by social media companies to silence conservative viewpoints and ideas. That is wrong, and we will not allow it in Texas.”

💉 Biden administration officials declined to say whether Americans need to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination for domestic travel in the near future, but did not rule out such a requirement.

🧐 Such measures can only be compared with a ban on movement, which in fact violates the Constitution

🇺🇸US President Joe Biden stressed the importance of unity on the 20th anniversary of September 11 attacks.

"As we saw in the days that followed, unity is our greatest strength. It’s what makes us who we are — and we can’t forget that," Biden tweeted.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have arrived at Ground Zero for the 9/11 memorial in New York.

❗️Russia invites US to resume dialogue on anti-terrorism on 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks

Pentagon holds ceremony in memory of victims of 9/11 attacks

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Police escort a woman away from the September 11 memorial, where the ceremony commemorating the victims of the 9/11 attacks is being held.

Twenty years ago, 11 September became a day that divided the lives of millions of people around the globe into two – before and after. On this tragic day, a group associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four planes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States, killing almost 3,000 people.

This day left an indelible mark on the lives of the majority of Americans; survivors, victims' relatives, and eyewitnesses continue to carry the horrific memories with them every day.