Latest news with #September11th
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bernard Kerik dies at 69
Bernard Kerik, who was New York City's police commissioner during the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center before pleading guilty to tax fraud and then being pardoned, died on Thursday night at the age of 69. FBI Director Kash Patel announced Kerik's death in a post on the social media platform X, saying the law enforcement officer, an Army veteran, died after a 'private battle with illness.' 'He was decorated more than 100 times for bravery, valor, and service, having rescued victims from burning buildings, survived assassination attempts, and brought some of the world's most dangerous criminals to justice,' Patel said. 'His legacy is not just in the medals or the titles, but in the lives he saved, the city he helped rebuild, and the country he served with honor,' the FBI director added. The New York City Police Department confirmed Kerik's death, offering 'our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.' Kerik, who was praised for his response during the 9/11 attacks, pleaded guilty to federal tax fraud and false statement charges in 2009, in part for getting $250,000 for apartment renovations from a construction company. He was in prison for three years, from 2010 until 2013. President Trump pardoned him in 2020. Kerik was nominated to lead the Department of Homeland Security in 2004 by former President Bush, but shortly after, Kerik withdrew his nomination, saying he had uncovered information that led him to second-guess the immigration status of his housekeeper and nanny. Kerik founded a risk management consulting firm, Kerik Group, in 2005. 'With over forty years of service in law enforcement and national security, he dedicated his life to protecting the American people,' Patel wrote on X late Thursday. 'As the 40th Police Commissioner of New York City, Bernie led with strength and resolve in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, guiding the NYPD through one of the darkest chapters in our nation's history.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Today in History: May 30, Trump found guilty on 34 felony charges
Today is Friday, May 30, the 150th day of 2025. There are 215 days left in the year. Today in history: On May 30, 2024, Donald Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex. Also on this date: In 1431, Joan of Arc, condemned as a heretic, was burned at the stake in Rouen, France. In 1911, the first Indianapolis 500 auto race was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; driver Ray Harroun won the race with an average speed of 74.6 mph (120 kph). In 1922, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., was dedicated in a ceremony attended by President Warren G. Harding, Chief Justice William Howard Taft and Abraham Lincoln's surviving son, 78-year-old Robert Todd Lincoln. In 1935, Babe Ruth played in his last major league baseball game for the Boston Braves, leaving after the first inning of the first game of a double-header against the Philadelphia Phillies. (Ruth announced his retirement three days later.) In 1937, ten people were killed when police fired on steelworkers demonstrating near the Republic Steel plant in South Chicago. In 1971, the American space probe Mariner 9 blasted off from Cape Kennedy on a journey to Mars. In 1972, three members of the militant group known as the Japanese Red Army opened fire at Tel Aviv's Lod Airport, now Ben-Gurion Airport, killing 26 people. Two attackers died; the third was captured. In 2002, a solemn, wordless ceremony marked the end of the cleanup at ground zero in New York, 8 1/2 months after the terror attacks of September 11th brought down the World Trade Center's twin towers. In 2012, former Liberian President Charles Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in prison after being convicted on 11 counts of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity at a trial at The Hague. In 2023, disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes was taken into custody at the Texas prison where she was sentenced to spend the next 11 years for overseeing an infamous blood-testing hoax. Today's Birthdays: Actor Keir Dullea is 89. Actor Stephen Tobolowsky is 74. Actor Colm Meaney is 72. Country singer Wynonna Judd is 61. Musician Tom Morello (Audioslave; Rage Against The Machine) is 61. Filmmaker Antoine Fuqua is 60. Actor-singer Idina Menzel is 54. Rapper-singer Cee Lo Green is 50.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bernard Kerik remembered as ‘fearless' NYPD leader who helped guide NYC through 9/11
Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik was remembered as a 'fearless' leader who helped New Yorkers get through the darkest days of the 9/11 terror attacks before his death Thursday. The ex-Big Apple top cop, 69, died surrounded by family from a heart-related condition following a high-profile career in law enforcement that had its triumphs and controversies. 'He became police commissioner when they thought crime couldn't be reduced any further, yet he reduced it further. His work helped New York become the safest big city in America and a shining example of urban renaissance,' former mayor Rudy Giuliani said in a statement. 'Then he faced the worst foreign attack since the war of 1812 on American soil—September 11th. He was at my side within 20 minutes of the attack and never left.' 'Bernie's leadership helped guide the people of a very frightened city to draw from their inherent individual strength as Americans and children of God,' added Giuliani, who appointed Kerik police commissioner in 2000. He served about 16 months in the leadership role. 'Bernie could be the most fearless guy I know,' Giuliani also told The Post Thursday night. 'When he was police commissioner, he personally made arrests. You know what that did for morale? The cops loved it. I loved it. The public loved it.' Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement that he visited Kerik at the hospital Thursday afternoon, calling him a friend he's known for almost 30 years. 'He was with his loved ones, who are in my prayers tonight,' Adams said. 'He was a great New Yorker and American. Rest in peace, my friend.' Kerik started out as an NYPD cop in 1986 before he left the force to join the city's Department of Correction, being named its commissioner four years later by Giuliani. The former mayor said in his Thursday interview that Kerik excelled at curbing violence at Rikers Island during his stint in charge. '60 Minutes did a piece calling Rikers Island the worst jail complex in America,' he said. 'They came back five years later when Bernie was in charge and they couldn't believe the turnaround they saw.' Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa said he worked with Kerik to help keep New Yorkers safe. 'I remember Bernie when he was an undercover cop in Times Square. He had a ponytail,' Sliwa, who is running for mayor as a Republican, said. 'He was street savvy. He was a street cop. He was a cop's cop.' Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella called Kerik a 'true patriot.' 'Bernie Kerik served our city and nation, well,' he said. 'He was a true patriot, especially during and after September 11th.' Those who knew him personally described him as a loyal supporter and family man. 'In public, he had a tough exterior. Privately, he cherished his family, wife and kids, cops and he was always there for me and my family,' Kathy Vigiano, a retired cop and widow of 9/11 hero Det. Joseph Vigiano said. National figures also poured in their condolences to Kerik's loved ones. 'Heartbroken about the loss of our dear friend Bernie Kerik,' US Attorney General Pam Bondi tweeted. 'Prayers to Bernie's family and many friends.' FBI Director Kash Patel called Kerik 'a warrior, a patriot, and one of the most courageous public servants this country has ever known.' 'His legacy is not just in the medals or the titles, but in the lives he saved, the city he helped rebuild, and the country he served with honor,' Patel said. While Kerik had a remarkable career in law enforcement, including heading up a provisional police force in Iraq following the US invasion of the Middle Eastern nation in 2003, he later served four years in federal prison when he pleaded guilty to eight federal felonies, including tax evasion, in 2009. Additional reporting by Larry Celona.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Bernard Kerik dies at 69
Bernard Kerik, who was New York City's police commissioner during the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center before pleading guilty to tax fraud and then being pardoned, died on Thursday night at the age of 69. FBI Director Kash Patel announced Kerik's death in a post on the social media platform X, saying the law enforcement officer, an Army veteran, died after a 'private battle with illness.' 'He was decorated more than 100 times for bravery, valor, and service, having rescued victims from burning buildings, survived assassination attempts, and brought some of the world's most dangerous criminals to justice,' Patel said. 'His legacy is not just in the medals or the titles, but in the lives he saved, the city he helped rebuild, and the country he served with honor,' the FBI director added. The New York City Police Department confirmed Kerik's death, offering 'our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.' Kerik, who was praised for his response during the 9/11 attacks, pleaded guilty to federal tax fraud and false statement charges in 2009, in part for getting $250,000 for apartment renovations from a construction company. He was in prison for three years, from 2010 until 2013. President Trump pardoned him in 2020. Kerik was nominated to lead the Department of Homeland Security in 2004 by former President Bush, but shortly after, Kerik withdrew his nomination, saying he had uncovered information that led him to second-guess the immigration status of his housekeeper and nanny. Kerik founded a risk management consulting firm, Kerik Group, in 2005. 'With over forty years of service in law enforcement and national security, he dedicated his life to protecting the American people,' Patel wrote on X late Thursday. 'As the 40th Police Commissioner of New York City, Bernie led with strength and resolve in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, guiding the NYPD through one of the darkest chapters in our nation's history.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Former NYC Mayor Giuliani remembers best friend Bernie Kerik as 'true patriot': 'Much better for knowing him'
Rudy Giuliani, who served as mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, mourned the death of former New York City Police Department Commissioner Bernard "Bernie" Kerik on Thursday, describing the grief of losing his "best friend" and a "true patriot" as "inexpressible." Kerik died at 69 years old "after a private battle with illness," according to FBI Director Kash Patel. Kerik and Giuliani were prominent figures during and after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City due to their leadership roles in the city, and they quickly became close friends. "On September 11th, Bernie Kerik and I saved each other's lives. If we weren't already friends, that bound us together forever. He was my best friend, a true Patriot, and one of the bravest men I've ever known," Giuliani wrote in a statement. Bernard Kerik, Former New York Police Commissioner And 9/11 Figure, Dies At 69 Giuliani said Kerik was at his side "within 20 minutes of the attack" on 9/11 and "never left." Read On The Fox News App The first collapse trapped both of them in a building for what Giuliani thinks was 20 to 30 minutes, but they were able to escape safely with "substantial additional assistance" and "extraordinary bravery" – an attitude that Giuliani said "permeated the way" for recovery over the next four months. "Bernie's leadership helped guide the people of a very frightened city to draw from their inherent individual strength as Americans and children of God," Giuliani said on Thursday. He also praised Kerik's career in law enforcement, specifically pointing out his role as Commissioner of Rikers Island, where he was able to reduce violence in the prison by 90%, and his role as NYPD commissioner, where he reduced crime in the city. "He was driven by an unwavering love of this country and a commitment to serving others. He was one of the most decorated New York City police officers of his time," he said. Former Nypd Commissioner Calls On Political Leaders To 'Get Out There' And 'Deescalate' Violence Kerik's 35-year career has been recognized with more than 100 awards for meritorious and heroic service, including a presidential commendation for heroism by President Ronald Reagan and two Distinguished Service Awards from the Department of Homeland Security. He was considered for the role of Homeland Security chief in 2004, but lied to the White House during vetting, which ultimately led to him pleading guilty to eight felonies, including tax fraud, in 2009. He spent about three years in prison, then moved to home confinement and, later, supervised release. President Donald Trump pardoned him of the convictions in 2020. Kerik worked with Giuliani again to investigate claims of election fraud following the 2020 presidential election. Giuliani expressed his condolences to Kerik's wife, his two daughters and his son – who is also a police officer – and said he believes all of Kerik's friends and admirers are "much better for knowing him." Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Andrea Margolis contributed to this article source: Former NYC Mayor Giuliani remembers best friend Bernie Kerik as 'true patriot': 'Much better for knowing him'
