Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, 84, reappeared in public on Monday evening after more than 90 days out of view following a serious fall, leaving his Washington, DC, home for the Capitol.

McConnell had not been seen publicly since he was hospitalized after a June 14 fall, prompting continued questions about his health and his ability to represent Kentucky constituents in the wake of the accident.

In a post on X on Monday, McConnell said he was ‘really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing … colleagues.’

‘My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier. I’m still not quite back to 100%, but I’ve assured Leader Thune that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me,’ the former longtime Senate Leader continued.

‘Elaine and I are very grateful for all the continued well wishes from our fellow Kentuckians, and I’m glad to get back to more of business as usual on their behalf this month,’ McConnell’s X post concluded. 

Capitol Police were seen assembling outside McConnell’s home on Monday before he left the property with heightened security and headed to the Capitol for the 5:30 p.m. voting series. He arrived shortly before 6 p.m. and, within minutes, was on the Senate floor casting his vote and conferring with colleagues from a wheelchair. 

Several weeks after his hospitalization, McConnell spoke by telephone with some congressional colleagues, telling them he was recovering and hoped to return to work soon.

Still, his explanations did little to satisfy lawmakers in either party, with both Democrats and Republicans expressing concern.

South Dakota Republican John Thune, who replaced McConnell as Senate Leader, told reporters on Capitol Hill Monday, ‘I hope he’s back,’ when asked about the Kentuckian’s absence. 

The Daily Mail’s request for comment on a timeline for McConnell’s return went unanswered earlier on Monday.

However, ‘senior Republicans’ have reportedly been told to expect him back in the Senate on Wednesday to vote on the farm bill.

After further pressure mounted to provide ‘proof of life,’ evidence McConnell released a photo of himself and his wife from the hospital, with a newspaper that was dated July 12, which some initially suspected was AI generated.

He disappeared for weeks after providing the photo, until his office put out a second picture on July 27.

Weeks later, it was revealed that he was discharged from the hospital and would continue his recovery at home.

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 ‘Senator McConnell continues his recovery from a fall at home in June,’ a comment from his doctor attached to the photograph said.

‘Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation.’ 

Another statement from his office revealed that he had also had a mild case of pneumonia.

James Comer, a top Kentucky Republican in the House, told the Daily Mail during the first week of September that he has not personally talked to McConnell, but that he ‘expects’ and ‘sure hopes’ that the senator will return to Washington later this month on September 14th with the rest of his colleagues.

‘I have not talked to Leader McConnell. I’ve talked to staff, many of whom are from my district originally, and they have all said it’s their goal for Senator McConnell to be here when they, when the Senate comes in next week,’ Comer told the Daily Mail at a press conference on Capitol Hill on September 3rd.

Kentucky governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, told Newsweek that McConnell’s absence, and especially his lack of communication with his constituents, shows that ‘the Senate, and Congress, under Republican Leadership is broken,’ adding ‘they don’t think that they work for the American people and they do.’

Beshear also added that he thinks it is time ‘for a fix the darn country constitutional amendment that will prevent this from happening.’  

McConnell, who is not seeking re-election in this year’s midterms, has been dogged by health scares throughout his final term.

His office said in a statement to reporters in July: ‘The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.’

That was before the August recess. The House returned to Washington this week. Senators are not due back until September 14.

The secrecy around McConnell echoes the silence that swallowed New Jersey Republican Tom Kean Jr just months ago.

Kean missed more than 140 consecutive votes over 116 days, an absence he blamed on depression only after he returned to Washington.

9/11 beat: Libs’ Deep Denial on Islamist Evil

As the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks was observed, many major media organizations shifted their focus from the Islamist terror assault itself to the discrimination Muslims allegedly faced afterward, writes Spiked’s Tom Slater. For decades, he argues, liberal commentators have sought to recast the meaning of 9/11, often treating the mass murder committed by Islamists as less consequential than the alleged sins of American foreign policy. That line of thinking echoes the post-attack claim that the United States somehow “had it coming,” he says. Slater warns that the instinct to center Muslims in every discussion of 9/11 becomes dangerous when it downplays Islamist violence and fails to recognize what he describes as an ongoing threat to Western society.

Dissident: Punish Putin, not Russians

Developments in Ottawa and Strasbourg offer another illustration of the West’s inconsistent approach to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Kara-Murza writes in The Washington Post. Canada has recently removed sanctions from certain Kremlin-connected figures, while the European Court of Human Rights dismissed hundreds of cases brought by Russians alleging abuses by their own government. Broad restrictions on Russian travelers, he adds, can also hurt people who oppose Vladimir Putin’s dictatorship and the war. Rather than isolating all Russians, Kara-Murza argues, Western governments should intensify sanctions against the Kremlin while preserving contact with Russian civil society, where opposition to both the regime and the conflict is becoming increasingly apparent.

From the left: OpenAI Hired Chuck’s Daughter

OpenAI has strengthened its Washington influence operation by bringing aboard three prominent lobbyists with connections across the political spectrum, The American Prospect’s Dylan Gyauch-Lewis reports. Two arrived from major tech firms Amazon and Meta, while Jessica Schumer is departing her role leading Amazon’s public-policy efforts in New York. Beyond her Democratic political experience, she is the daughter of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — a relationship that, the article notes, carries the kind of access and insider familiarity associated with powerful political families. The recruitment drive offers a window into the influence industry’s dependence on well-connected dynasties. In sports parlance, OpenAI did not merely add depth to its roster; it landed a first-string player.

READ MORE: Fox News Pundit Says McConnell Should Step Down If He Won’t Return

Health beat: Dems’ Latest ObamaCare Oops

“Since when was Jesus an antitrust attorney?” asks The Wall Street Journal editorial board, taking aim at Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. Talarico recently said his Christian faith would guide him to dismantle large health-care monopolies. But the board argues that Democratic-backed government policies — particularly ObamaCare — helped spur consolidation among American hospitals and pharmacies in the first place. The answer, it contends, is not simply breaking up large firms, but rolling back regulations that limit market competition. The Journal further argues that the left ultimately favors a single-payer health-care model, in which Washington officials would decide which treatments patients receive. If Talarico were candid about that objective, the board concludes, he would say so.

Republican: Pass Our Bipartisan Crypto Bill

The Clarity Act represents an increasingly rare bipartisan deal on crypto regulation, Sen. Cynthia Lummis writes in The Hill. The legislation, crafted alongside Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand after a year of negotiations, is designed to provide the digital asset sector with clearer rules while adding consumer safeguards, she says. Lummis notes that President Trump accepted ethics provisions applying to him as well as other Democratic priorities. For lawmakers concerned about Trump’s cryptocurrency investments, she argues, approving the measure would offer a more effective response than blocking it. The crypto industry will not disappear if Congress fails to act, she warns; it could relocate to financial hubs such as London, Singapore or Abu Dhabi, taking American jobs, tax revenue and regulatory oversight with it.

— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board

Four people were hospitalized Monday after a construction drilling rig collapsed in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood, crushing three vehicles and a construction container, trapping two workers and sparking a vehicle fire, authorities said.

Miami Fire Rescue was called to the area near Southeast 12th Street and Brickell Bay Drive at about 8 a.m., after the rig toppled.

“Miami Fire Rescue responded after a drilling rig fell onto three vehicles near SE 12 Street and Brickell Bay Drive,” the department said in a post on X.

“The Technical Rescue Team units worked to safely free two trapped victims in a crushed container. Fortunately, the 4 patients transported were in stable condition.”

Firefighters rescued two construction workers, ages 27 and 29, from the crushed construction container, Miami Fire Chief Robert Hevia said at a news conference.

At the same time, crews put out a fire that broke out when the rig crushed a BMW, Hevia said.

“To be able to see the crane falling, pull the car in reverse and pop out of the back while the car’s on fire, really incredible,” Hevia said, describing the BMW driver’s escape from the burning vehicle.

The rig also crushed two unoccupied parked vehicles, he said.

The two workers, the 47-year-old rig operator and the BMW driver were all taken to local hospitals with minor injuries, he said. Hevia also said all 18 construction workers at the site were accounted for.

“It was a very complex scene with a fire that was occurring, our crews were putting out the fire and our technical rescue team working simultaneously to cut through the Conex box, the construction box, and they were able to successfully extricate the two victims,” Hevia said.

Earlier Monday, the Miami Police Department urged motorists to avoid the area.

“Due to a crane collapse, Brickell Bay Drive is currently closed between SE 12th Street and SE 13th Street. Motorists are encouraged to avoid the area, seek alternate routes, and expect delays. Please use caution and follow the direction of officers on scene,” Miami Police wrote on X.

Officials have not said what caused the collapse. Hevia said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the incident.

According to NBC 6 South Florida, the collapse occurred at the site of billionaire Ken Griffin’s planned Citadel headquarters.

Miami Fire Rescue and Citadel could not immediately be reached by News Media for comment.