"America Deserved 9/11” Candidates are SURGING. How Did This Happen? | 8/21/26

August 21, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

A 35-year-old white woman from Albany, New York, converted to Islam five years ago, pledged allegiance to ISIS, praised the 9/11 attacks, and spent a month planning to bomb the New York State Capitol with a nail bomb to kill as many lawmakers as possible. The FBI arrested Jessica Bowie, who had taken the name Aisha Sayf, before she could carry out the attack. Host Justin Barkley, filling in for Glenn Beck, uses this arrest as the entry point for an episode organized around a single question: how do radical ideologies take root in people who previously showed no sign of extremism, and what does the rising tolerance for such ideas in mainstream politics mean for the country?

The Mechanism: Mind Viruses and Algorithmic Indoctrination

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What you'll learn

1 (00:51) **FBI Thwarts ISIS-Inspired Terror Plot** - Host Justin Barkley introduces the day's biggest story: the arrest of 35-year-old Jessica Bowie (Aisha Sayf) for plotting to bomb the New York State Capitol.
2 (19:42) **The Terrorist's Own Words** - Barkley reads chilling quotes from the FBI affidavit, including the suspect's desire to destroy the White House with the president.
3 (23:29) **The Surrogate Who Fled to Save a Baby** - Barkley introduces a story about a surrogate mother who refused to abort a baby diagnosed with a treatable heart condition and fled to Texas to protect him.
4 (25:45) **Abby Johnson on the Surrogacy Case** - Former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson joins to discuss the legal and ethical implications of the case.
5 (32:41) **Baby Gabriel's Current Status** - Johnson provides an update on the baby, whom the surrogate has named Gabriel.
6 (42:00) **Marl-a-Lago Raid and DOJ Developments** - Barkley briefly mentions the DOJ moving to question Biden-era FBI officials involved in the Mar-a-Lago raid, linking it to a "find out" phase of justice.
7 (44:00) **The Lindsay Clancy Trial: Legal and Cultural Analysis** - Criminal defense attorney David Gelman joins to break down the high-profile trial of a mother who killed her three children.

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Show Notes

As the 25th anniversary of 9/11 gets closer, we have political candidates who think it was deserved. Filling in for Glenn, Justin Barclay rants against the idea that people running for office think America deserved its most tragic event. A surrogate mother is being sued for $100,000 after refusing to get an abortion. Anti-abortion activist Abby Johnson joins to discuss the issues that come from surrogacy and IVF. Legal commentator and attorney David Gelman joins Justin to discuss the ongoing trial of Lindsay Clancy, who is accused of murdering her three children in an apparent case of postpartum psychosis. Justin and David also discuss the latest with convicted murderer Karmelo Anthony as he's attempting to get a new trial. Justin discusses America's ongoing debt crisis and explains how the Democrats' solution will only make matters worse. A new EPA rule change could bring immediate, drastic relief at the gas pump. New Mexico House candidate Greg Cunningham joins to discuss the current status of the border and the Trump administration's accomplishments. Is the American Dream still possible?

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