First Thing: America mourns as FBI releases declassified 9/11

Good morning.

The FBI has released a newly declassified 16-page document related to logistical support provided to two of the Saudi hijackers in the lead-up to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The document describes contacts the hijackers had with Saudi associates in the US but offers no evidence the Saudi government was complicit in the plot.

The document, released on the 20th anniversary of the attacks, is the first investigative record to be disclosed since Joe Biden ordered a declassification review of materials that for years have remained out of public view. The president had encountered pressure in recent weeks from victims’ families, who have long sought the records as they pursue a lawsuit in New York alleging that senior Saudi officials were complicit.

On Saturday, families of the victims gathered at the 9/11 memorial plaza in New York to mark the 20th anniversary of terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. Similar ceremonies played out in Washington DC and Pennsylvania – the sites of other attacks that day.

• Biden last week ordered the justice department to conduct a declassification review of investigative documents and release what they can.

• The Saudi government has always denied any involvement and supports the full declassification as a way to “end the baseless allegations against the kingdom once and for all”.

• George W Bush spoke at a memorial service in Shanksville, lamenting America’s current political turmoil and attacking those who threatened – or carried out – violence at home.

California recall: Newsom fights for survival as historic crises fuel extraordinary race

Ballots were already being cast in California’s gubernatorial recall election when Gavin Newsom, visiting a pop-up clinic in Oakland, once again implored his constituents to get the Covid-19 vaccine. The week before, the governor had visited the site of the devastating Caldor fire, which had threatened the resort town of South Lake Tahoe and destroyed nearly 1,000 structures.

These calamities – a once-in-a-generation health crisis and unprecedented challenges posed by drought and extreme weather – were, largely, what gave rise to the recall effort. Having won his seat by a historic margin in 2018, Newsom has found himself in a peculiar position.

Still broadly popular in the state, he’s fending off challenges from Republicans and rightwingers that could trigger extraordinary political upheaval in one of America’s bluest states.

• What’s on the ballot? Californians are being asked two questions. First, should the governor be recalled? And, if so, who should replace him?

• If voters decide to recall Newsom, who is likely to replace him? Newsom’s leading challenger is the rabble-rousing rightwing radio host Larry Elder.

• Who else is in the running? Other Republicans, including the former…