The end of the shoe bomber's revenge
A few minutes later Moutardier returned to find Reid trying to light a fuse in one of his shoes. When Moutardier tried to intervene, he attacked her. Several other passengers jumped to her assistance and were able to subdue Reid.
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Turns out between getting his shoes wet in the rain before boarding the flight, and his foot perspiration, Reid couldn't light the fuse before he was overpowered.
The flight was diverted to Logan International Airport, and Reid eventually pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston.
During his sentencing, Reid tried to justify his actions by claiming he was 'a soldier of God' under the command of Osama bin Laden, but US District Court Judge William Young was having none of it.
'You are not a soldier in any army, you are a terrorist,' Young told Reid. 'To call you a solider gives you far too much stature.'
Young pointed to the American flag in the courtroom.
'You see that flag, Mr. Reid?' Young said. 'That is the flag of the United States of America. That flag will be here long after you are forgotten.'
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Young sentenced Reid, dubbed 'the shoe bomber,' to the maximum, three life sentences, with 110 years on top, and no possibility of parole.
And, yes, it would have been nice to forget Richard Reid forever, but that was difficult because for the last 19 years every time someone boarded a flight in the United States, the shoe bomber was able to virtually exact a tiny bit of revenge.
Five years after Reid's futile attempt to blow up an airplane full of people, the TSA, the federal Transportation Security Administration, began ordering passengers to take off their shoes for screening.
You might ask, if the government really believed that scores of terrorists were lined up at airports with their Nikes stuffed with C-4, why did it take five years to implement the requirement to take off your shoes?
But that would suggest the people who implemented the take-your-shoes-off requirement, and maintained it for two decades, were operating on a plane that was based on evidence and logic.
The absurdity of the shoes-off policy was exposed by TSA's own policies of allowing you to buy your way out of it, or avoid it based on your age.
Since 2011, passengers who are 75 years old or older and those 12 or younger did not have to remove shoes at security checkpoints.
Since 2013, passengers who pay for the TSA PreCheck program can breeze through the screening process without removing shoes, belts or light jackets. Best money I ever spent.
Applying the logic that gave us the shoes-off policy in the first place, what would stop a terrorist from using some kid or an old lady as a mule to ferry explosives on board? Or from paying 80 bucks to buy into the TSA PreCheck program?
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Logic and common sense were never intimately involved with the shoes-off policy, especially in more recent years.
On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced
'Ending the 'Shoes-Off' policy is the latest effort DHS is implementing to modernize and enhance traveler experience across our nation's airports,' she said. 'We expect this change will drastically decrease passenger wait times at our TSA checkpoints, leading to a more pleasant and efficient passenger experience.'
It is tempting to ascribe the current regime's decision to ditch the shoes-off requirement to the stopped clock theory. But, remember, a stopped clock is correct twice a day, and Noem is not even remotely close to achieving that metric.
At least she did not elect to make the announcement against the backdrop of shoeless detainees in some far-flung prison.
For that, and for the privilege of keeping our shoes on, we should be thankful.
Credit where credit is due. Thanks Secretary Noem.
For the last 22 years, Richard Reid has been a guest of the nation at the Supermax prison in Colorado, where one day he will die.
And that flag is still standing in Judge Young's courtroom.
Kevin Cullen is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
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Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: Gianni Versace shot dead outside Miami Beach home
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Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
‘I already want to cry.' Undocumented parents prepare for the unthinkable: Giving up their kids
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'I already want to cry,' said Sonia, who requested that her full name not be used to protect her. Since June 6 — when the Department of Homeland Security began widespread raids throughout the Los Angeles region — the number of immigrant parents making emergency arrangements for their children's care has skyrocketed. Parents have flooded legal rights organizations in person and on Zoom for help filling out the forms that will designate another adult to take over responsibility of their children, many of whom are citizens, if they are detained or deported. An estimated 5.62 million American children have an undocumented household member, and nearly 2 million of them are under the age of 6. More than half of these children do not have a parent with legal status, according to a report from the Brookings Institution. It is not clear how many parents have been detained or deported during the recent raids. Since 2018, however, about 60,000 parents of U.S. citizen children have been deported, according to data provided by ICE. Data on what happened to their children isn't readily available, but those who were American citizens most commonly stay in the U.S. if only one parent is deported, said Tara Watson, who directs the Center for Economic Security and Opportunity at Brookings. Parents who are detained by ICE are 'asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates,' Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. 'DHS takes its responsibility to protect children seriously and will continue to work with federal law enforcement to ensure that children are safe and protected.' McLaughlin said that parents in the country illegally 'can take control of their departure' with a the CBP Home Mobile Application, an app with services provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 'The United States is offering illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now,' McLaughlin said. 'We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.' Some families choose to take their children with them to their country of origin. One study estimated that from 2014-2018, there were 80,000-100,000 U.S. citizen children in Mexico as the result of parental deportation. 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'We've heard about children having nightmares about the possibility of being separated,' he said. 'We encourage parents to have this conversation in a very calm manner as if preparing for an earthquake or a flood.' Luz Gallegos, executive director of TODEC, said most people are seeking help virtually because they are too afraid to leave their homes. And it's not just an influx of parents who are living in the country without legal status. For the first time, Gallegos said TODEC is seeing parents with DACA, green cards holders, and even naturalized citizens preparing for possible deportation. TODEC also runs a youth leadership and development program for the children of immigrant parents called 'Monarcas Luchadoras,' where they are learning how to help their families create preparedness plans and packing groceries for members of the community who are too afraid to leave their houses right now. TODEC recommends that parents pick someone who has citizenship or legal permanent residency, so they are not at risk. Gallegos said she has personally been asked by so many families to serve as caregiver that she has lost count. 'I feel like if you say yes to one, you have to say yes to all of them.' Instead, she tries to help parents think through their safety nets. Many families end up selecting teachers, child-care providers or people from their faith communities, rather than family members who are also likely to be immigrants. Susan, an immigrant from Guatemala who lives in L.A., has been a nanny for 18 years. She has a strong community of other immigrants but asked her former employer whose child she cared for during the pandemic and who is white, to be her three children's caregiver if she is deported. Susan requested that her full name not be used to protect her. 'I know that her and her husband's word will be respected,' Susan said. 'If a Guatemalan citizen goes to fight for my children, obviously their rights won't be respected.' Susan, who is in her 30s, has lived in the U.S. for half her life, and her husband has been here for 30 years. During the pandemic they were essential workers, she said, providing child care, cleaning houses and doing construction. 'And now we are criminals,' she said. Signing the caregiver forms was 'one of the most difficult decisions that I've had to make as a mom, because I feel like I am giving away my children. But I don't want them to be taken by the government if I have to go with immigration.' But parents like Susan 'understood that they were in the country illegally, and that this could potentially happen,' said Ira Mehlman, spokesperson for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which favors stricter immigration controls. 'It is unfortunate that the kids are put in this situation, but like any other parent, they are responsible for the consequences of their decisions on their kids.' He said parents of U.S. citizen children should not be given special leniency for exemptions from deportation. Mehlman favors the elimination of birthright citizenship, which President Trump called for in an executive order. A federal judge last week prohibited the order from taking effect anywhere in the U.S. Numerous studies have found that the deportation of a parent can have a profound impact on a child, including long-term developmental and behavior issues, depression and academic decline. 'Following deportation of a family member, children demonstrate numerous emotional and behavioral challenges, such as eating and sleeping changes, anxiety, sadness, anger, and withdrawal,' according to a 2018 policy statement from the Society for Community Research and Action, a division of the American Psychological Assn. 'Even if the family is ultimately reunited, the consequences of their forced family separation often remain.' For very young children in particular, separation from a parent is 'tremendously traumatizing,' said Sherry Berg, a clinical psychologist at Para Los Niños, which runs seven Head Start programs in Los Angeles County. Separation anxiety — the fear of being separated from the primary caregiver and something happening to them — is a normal part of early childhood development; a parent's actual deportation is 'their worst nightmare.' Sara, a Guatemalan immigrant from South-Central L.A., said she is thinking of self-deporting with her 9-year-old son, who is a citizen. They haven't left their apartment in weeks, except for the occasional errand to a grocery store and a quick trip to the post office to secure a passport for him. Her son does not want to move to Guatemala, a country he's never been to. 'What he's told me is that in October when classes start, then hopefully the raids will have calmed for school,' said Sara. In Riverside, Sonia said she's tried to shield her 4- and 7-year-old children from what is happening. But her 10-year-old has been asking about what's going to happen to his family. 'Before summer vacation, the teacher called me and told me that she was going to have him evaluated, so that they could give him psychological help because he is very anxious,' she said. Both she and her husband are from Michoacan, Mexico, a state fraught with drug cartel violence. She said they fear the conflict there, and work is hard to come by. If only one of them is deported, the other will stay in the U.S. to raise the children. If both are deported, she wants her children to stay in the U.S., where they are safe and have opportunities — at least until the parents figure out whether they can make a new life for the family in Mexico. Undocumented children whose parents are deported often stay under the radar by going to live with other family members, said Watson said. But those who come under the purview of ICE are often transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which may place them in institutional settings while looking for a sponsor. Maria, a home child-care provider in Highland Park with 20 years of experience, said she was recently asked by the mother of an undocumented 11-year-old at her day care if she would be willing to adopt her — permanently. 'I could feel her pain. She was saying, 'She's going to be yours. I'm not going to ask for her back,' said Maria, who requested that her full name not be used to protect her. 'I was speechless. It was a very drastic decision.' The mother was from Honduras, where her nephew was recently murdered, and she was terrified for her daughter's safety, Maria said. 'I could see her fear in her eyes and her tears.' Maria had been caring for the girl for five years, and agreed to see a lawyer to discuss the options. But before they were able to go, she said the mother and child were picked up by federal agents. 'I was heartbroken,' Maria said. 'I would have adopted her.' This article is part of The Times' early childhood education initiative, focusing on the learning and development of California children from birth to age 5. For more information about the initiative and its philanthropic funders, go to
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
It's Time for Pam Bondi To Go
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino—all three are caught up in an internal feud over the now-you-see-them-now- you-don't files of the felonious financier, Jeffrey Epstein. But Pam Bondi is ultimately responsible. Her botched handling of this issue combined with her other disasters mean she shouldn't continue holding the highest law enforcement position in the United States. Bondi has racked up a string of embarrassments for the president that, despite a supportive post, President Donald Trump won't endure long. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks during a cabinet meeting hosted by President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 8, 2025. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks during a cabinet meeting hosted by President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 8, 2025. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images First of all, DOJ has done a disastrous job defending the administration in court, winning just 31 percent of the time. If the first duty of the department is to win court cases, Bondi's leadership has a record of failure that is probably worse than any attorney general in DOJ history. Meanwhile, Bondi embarrassed the Trump administration by boasting about things she plainly didn't achieve. After just a few months on the job, Bondi claimed her anti-fentanyl operations saved 258 million lives—a number that is roughly three-quarters of the entire U.S. population. She boasted that she would end weaponization at the Justice Department then used her power to fire dozens of non-partisan career employees to settle scores with whomever she chose. Another batch was just terminated last week. She claimed about her prosecution of Kilmer Abrego Garcia that, "This is what American justice looks like," just before the case was exposed as a sham in court. She is fighting a whistleblower accusing DOJ of planning to break the law intentionally when faced with court orders. She is facing serious ethics complaints in Florida filed by over 70 people, including lawyers, law professors, and retired judges that accuse her of firing employees who refused to engage in unethical conduct. And she promised us the Epstein client list. Now her lies about it are turning President Donald Trump's own base against him. The facts are already well known and have been highlighted by Fox News, where Bondi was once a regular commentator. In February, the attorney general was asked a very specific question and gave a very specific answer on video: "DOJ may be releasing the list of Jeffrey Epstein's clients. Will that really happen?" Her response was crystal clear: "It's sitting on my desk right now." Now, pay close attention to what the official Justice Department memo said as Bondi ended her much bragged about transparency regarding Epstein: investigators found "no incriminating 'client list.'" The memo didn't say there was no Epstein client list. It said there was no "incriminating" client list. It was the classic lawyer's dodge. Insert a word that you can define yourself—"It didn't look 'incriminating' to me"—and now you can sound like a list that exists doesn't really exist at all. But remember, it's an "incriminating" list that doesn't exist, not a list. This is the lie inside the lie. And Bondi is compounding it. She is allowing the public impression that there is no list at all—"incriminating" or otherwise. She said that when she referred to the list she meant the file. Bondi's credibility is shot at a time when DOJ's ability to defend the country and the administration are at a critical juncture. Many of the key issues concerning Trump's power have yet to come before the Supreme Court. Can Trump end birthright citizenship? Can Trump invoke the Alien Enemies Act to assist in speeding up his deportations? Can he cancel spending mandated by Congress? Will he be able to make all the independent agencies created by Congress dependent on him instead. Should the incompetently crafted Abrego Garcia case be withdrawn so he can be deported? This is no time to have an incompetent hand at the helm. It's also no time for internal squabbling. If the attorney general can't work with the FBI leadership, we are all in trouble, yet the deputy FBI director is headed for the exit, and the director might not survive if Bondi does. Bondi is chiefly tormented about leaks rather than trying to mend fences. It's time for Bondi to get out before she is shoved out. American law enforcement needs more bang and less bunk. Thomas G. Moukawsher is a former Connecticut complex litigation judge and a former co-chair of the American Bar Association Committee on Employee Benefits. He is the author of the book, The Common Flaw: Needless Complexity in the Courts and 50 Ways to Reduce It. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
