News Cycles: Sept. 11

Judge to hear plan to pay $657M to WTC responders (AP)

AP - A settlement that could pay up to $657.5 million to more than 10,000 ground zero rescue and recovery workers sickened by dust from the destroyed World Trade Center goes before a judge Friday, and he has said he favored a settlement but planned to analyze it carefully to make sure it was fair.

New York's "Ground Zero" workers reach deal on claims (Reuters)

Reuters - Thousands of workers who suffered health problems after the September 11 attacks in 2001 have reached a settlement worth up to $657.5 million with an insurer representing the city of New York, city officials and lawyers said on Thursday.
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Obama nears compromise on Guantanamo trials (AFP)

AFP - President Barack Obama appears near a compromise to allow military tribunals to move forward for the alleged September 11 plotters in exchange for a deal to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center.

Workers urge faster rebuilding at ground zero site (AP)

AP - Hundreds of construction workers raised a rallying cry of "Build it now!" on Tuesday, gathering with elected officials at the World Trade Center site to urge a quick rebuilding of the complex.

9/11 suspects should face civilian court, U.N. envoys say (Reuters)

Reuters - United Nations human rights investigators called on the Obama administration on Tuesday to prosecute the accused September 11 masterminds in a civilian court, declaring that U.S. military tribunals would not be fair.

Graham to Obama: scrap New York terror trial, I'll stand with you (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - On Sunday, two moderate senators defended President Obama’s apparent willingness to reconsider his administration’s decision to use a civilian New York terror trial for the admitted mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
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Key al-Qaida, Taliban arrests in Pakistan (AP)

AP - Pakistan has stepped up its efforts to arrest al-Qaida and Afghan Taliban militants in recent weeks following intense pressure from Washington. A look at some of the major arrests in Pakistan since the Sept. 11 attacks:
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Ad campaign urges Obama to hold firm on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial (AFP)

AFP - A prominent US rights group urged the Obama administration on Sunday not to back down in the face of fierce opposition to its plans to try September 11 plotters in a civilian court in New York.

Ground zero hotel wants to attract 9/11 tourists (AP)

AP - Looking down into the construction site covering the 16 acres where the World Trade Center once stood, some might see a place shadowed by death.

September 11 attacks on US a 'big lie': Ahmadinejad (AFP)

AFP - Iran's firebrand President Mahmud Ahmadinejad on Saturday dismissed the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States as a "big lie," state media reported.

Iran's Ahmadinejad: Sept. 11 attacks a 'big lie' (AP)

AP - Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday called the official version of the Sept. 11 attacks a "big lie" used by the U.S. as an excuse for the war on terror, state media reported.

Iran's Ahmadinejad calls Sept 11 "big fabrication" (Reuters)

Reuters - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday called the September 11 attacks on the United States a "big fabrication" that was used to justify the U.S. war on terrorism, the official IRNA news agency reported.
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Obama under pressure on 9/11 trial (AFP)

AFP - The White House will need weeks to decide on the trial of the September 11 plotters, an official said, after its plans for a military tribunal triggered a strong reaction.

September 11 suspects may face military trial (Reuters)

Reuters - Senior Obama administration officials may recommend that accused September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed be prosecuted in a military trial, U.S. officials said on Friday, in what would be a policy reversal after intense political pressure.
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WH may switch to military trials for 9/11 suspects (AP)

AP - Looking to breathe life into President Barack Obama's stalled pledge to close the Guantanamo Bay prison, White House advisers are inching toward recommending military trials for alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four accused henchmen.

Angry anti-gov't writing linked to Pentagon gunman (AP)

AP - A California man killed in a shootout with Pentagon police drove cross-country and arrived outside the military headquarters armed with two semiautomatic weapons, authorities said Friday. Internet postings linked to the lone shooting suspect reflect long-held anti-government anger.

More anti-gov't writing linked to Pentagon shooter (AP)

AP - Internet postings linked to the suspected gunman in a Pentagon subway shooting suggest long-held frustration with the government's reach into the private life of Americans.

Obama aides mull September 11 suspect military trial (Reuters)

Reuters - Advisers to President Barack Obama are close to recommending that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-professed mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks, be tried in a military tribunal instead of a civilian court, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.
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Feds: Student visa fraud ring found at Fla. school (AP)

AP - A Florida language school helped illegally obtain student visas for foreign nationals who never went to class, violating laws enacted after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks exposed weaknesses in the program, authorities said Thursday.
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Anti-government voters factor in Texas race (AP)

AP - Debra Medina was hardly the ideal candidate in Tuesday's Republican primary: She didn't raise much money and came under fire for suggesting the U.S. might have been involved in the Sept. 11 attacks. Still, she won nearly one out of every five votes, harnessing some support in the nascent tea party movement.