Biden attends wreath-laying ceremony at National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial
From CNN’s DJ Judd
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden are in attendance for the wreath-laying ceremony at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial this afternoon.
Also at the ceremony are Vice President Kamala Harris, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Panetta on Bush's domestic terrorism remarks: "A terrorist is a terrorist," whether in US or abroad
Former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta said he's glad that former President Bush called out domestic terrorism in his speech at the Flight 93 memorial today.
“I think just as 9/11 was a wake-up call to foreign terrorism and the threat from foreign terrorism, I think Jan. 6 was wake-up call for domestic terrorism. And the reality is thata terrorist is a terrorist, whether that terrorist is abroad or whether that terrorist is here at home.And this country has to recognize that we have a responsibility to protect ourselves from attacks from terrorists, whether they’re here or whether they’re in Afghanistan or elsewhere,” Panetta told CNN.
He also said said President Biden should "focus on the future" regarding Afghanistan.
"I really think it isimportant for President Biden tomove on.He made a decision, whether youagree or disagree with thedecision, he made it.I think what's important now isfor the President to focus onthe future and how is thiscountry going to make sure that9/11 never happens again,andthat we will protect our countryfrom terrorists abroad andterrorists here at home.I think that's the key messagehe has to send to the Americanpeople," Panetta said.
Earlier today in Pennsylvania, Biden defended the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
California Rep. Lee says the tragedies of 9/11 "still echo in our hearts"
From CNN's Dan Merica
Rep. Barbara Lee, the only member of Congress to vote against the authorization for the use of force in Afghanistan following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, acknowledged the anniversary in remarks and compared the unified response to the terrorist attack to the need to unite in the face of the pandemic.
“Today is a day of reflection. You know, the tragedies of Sept. 11 attacks and all our country has been through over the past 20 years still echo in our hearts,” Lee said in Oakland, California, today. “... As we honor the memories of those whose lives we have lost in 9/11, we have to remember, as we did then, we worked together through those tragedies."
Lee's remarks were made during an event for Gov. Gavin Newsom, who faces a gubernatorial recall election next week.
"Now we are working together through this tragedy of the pandemic, of the inequities that we have within our system, and that means we have to make sure that we continue to work to beat back this recall and make sure that Gavin Newsom continues to be our governor, because he has fought to hard, so hard to close these inequities, to unify this state," Lee said.
Twin sisters fled Wall Street holding hands on 9/11
From CNN's Christina Zdanowicz and Deblina Chakraborty
Ivilina Popova and her twin sister, Elmira, came to the US from Bulgaria in 1991. After working at universities in different cities, they left academia so they could be together. The pair moved to New Jersey, Ivilina said, and landed jobs on Wall Street. When the second plane hit the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, she said she felt numb and as though darkness took over as she fled with her sister.
Listen to Popova’s story, in her own words:
CNN asked readers to share how their lives have changed in the past 20 years. Listen to more of their stories here.
Biden offers praise for Bush's remarks, expresses hope the US can "demonstrate that democracies can work"
From CNN's DJ Judd
President Biden spoke briefly with reporters Saturday while visiting the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department, where he reflected on the day's events.
“It’s a tough day for him and everyone who’s lost somebody—and I know you’ve heard me say it before, and I’ll probably get criticized for saying it again, butthese memorials are really important,” Biden said. “But they’re also incredibly difficult for the people affected by them, because it brings back the moment they got the phone call, it brings back the instant they got the news, no matter how years go by.”
The President spoke about a friend of his from Delaware, who lost a son on 9/11, acknowledging he, “like a lot of people, is probably having a tough day today.”
Biden also offered praise for a group of passengers on board United Flight 93, who seized control of the co*ckpit and redirected the plane to an empty field in Pennsylvania, marveling, “Talk about genuine heroism."
“Even though you knew they were probably going to do something and you’d lose anyway, it’s one thing to say, I know I should step up, it’s another thing to do it. That’s genuine heroism,” Biden said.
The president also offered praise for former President George W. Bush’s remarks earlier at the Flight 93 Memorial.
“I thought President Bush made a really good speech today, a genuinely good speech, about who we are, we’re not—the core of who we are is not divided, it’s just this notion of, I don’t know how to explain it,” Biden said.
After 9/11, this Muslim American knew life would never be the same again
From CNN's Christina Zdanowicz and Deblina Chakraborty
Sept. 11, 2001, was a wakeup call, said Sadia Sheikh, who moved to the US in 1978 from Pakistan. When she turned on the TV that morning, what she saw on the screen hit her hard. At that moment, as a Muslim American, she said she knew her life would never be the same again.
Listen to Sheikh’s story, in her own words:
CNN asked readers to share how their lives have changed in the past 20 years. Listen to more of their stories here.
Flight 93 widow says husband's last words to her were "don't worry, we're going to dosomething"
Deena Burnett Bailey, the wife of a Flight 93 victim, said this year's Sept. 11 anniversary is different for her — not because it's been 20 years since the attack but because her daughters are all now grown adults.
"Even though that's a very bigmilestone, for me, this is thefirst year all of my girls areeducated, out of school and aregrown, working, living on theirown, living out of state.As a mom who was so incrediblyconcerned 20 years ago about howI was going to raise these threebabies on my own financially,emotionally, mentally, how I wasgoing to do that, this is reallythe first anniversary in which Ihave been able to say I did it.I did it," she told CNN.
"And so to be able to come backto Shanksville, to bring them,to show them where it allhappened and to be able to sharethat experience with my adultdaughters ... it brought us fullcircle," she said.
This is the first time all three of her daughters have gone to the memorial, she said. Her twin daughters were 5 and her younger daughter was 3 when her husband, Tom Burnett, was killed.
"This is really our chance to saywe can put closure, kind of anend cap on the past 20 yearsbecause I was able to raise thegirls the way that Tom and Iwanted them raised," she said.
On Sept. 11, 2001, they talked to each other at least three times while he was on the plane, she said.
"He started sharing theinformation I was giving him tothe people around him.He just sounded very matter-of-fact, like he was just gatheringthe information and trying tosort it out," she said.
"He called again a third time andhe told me that he put a plantogether to take back theairplane.They were waiting until theywere over a rural area to takeback the co*ckpit.He said not to worry," she said.
"He was a little concerned in thelast phone call but he also wasvery confident, he was verycapable.He seemed that he was very, verymuch in charge of the situationand going to make a difference.I believed him when he saideverything would be OK.Then his final words to me were'don't worry, we're going to dosomething.'He hung up the phone, they wentup the aisle and into theco*ckpit," she said.
CNN will air 9/11 special "Shine A Light" tonight
As part of the 20-year remembrance of9/11, CNN will air"Shine A Light," hosted by anchor and chief Washington correspondentJake Tapper.
The one-hour event will pay tribute to the nearly 3,000 people who were killed in the9/11attacks, their families, survivors, rescue and recovery workers and volunteers, and those in the military.
The program will feature discussions with young adults who were affected by the events of9/11and its aftermath.
The event will also include musical performances by Brad Paisley, Common, H.E.R., and Maroon 5 and appearances byRobert De Niro,Leonardo DiCaprioandEli Manning.
"Shine A Light"willair on CNN, CNN Internationaland CNN en Español at 8 p.m. ET.
Trump visits NYPD precinct in midtown Manhattan
From CNN's Elizabeth Joseph
On the 20thanniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, former President Trump visited the New York City Police Department’s 17thprecinct in Manhattan’s Midtown East neighborhood.
“It’s a sad day, a very sad day for a lot of reasons, and we just added to that reason last week,” he said, referencing the current administration’s “disappointing” pullout of US troops Afghanistan.
Trump issued multiple statements attacking President Biden Saturday, and unlike Biden and former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Trump was not in attendance at the National September 11thMemorial in Manhattan.
