Morning Joe - General president of IAFF reflects on 25 years since 9/11

Episode Date: September 11, 2026

September 11, 2026: 8am — General president of IAFF reflects on 25 years since 9/11 To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It is just before 8 o'clock in the morning here at Ground Zero in New York City. The 9-11 terrorist attacks here killed 343 members of the FDNY and a New York Fire Patrolman. The ensuing toxic exposure at Ground Zero since has claimed the lives of hundreds more firefighters. And we're joined now by Ed Kelly, General President of the International Association of Firefighters, who, by the way, also was here in the days and weeks after the attacks of September 11th. Ed, it's great to be with you on this day. Want to talk about the firefighters that you represent. Want to talk about their heroism on that day

and what you've done to bring them care in the years since, but also just your thoughts as we sit here 25 years later, we've mentioned 343 plus the patrolman who died on that day, but also the hundreds more than that even who died in the years since. What are your thoughts this morning? Well, Willie, thanks for having me first off. And it's our inspiring to sit here,

overlooking the memorials that were built as a tribute to the lives that were lost that day. 343 FDNY members, one New York City Fire Patrolman Keith Roma, who also, every single one of them acted incredibly heroically that day, along with many others, civilians, we lost police officers that day. When America was attacked, when our way of life was attacked, we responded. We responded as a country, and the pinnacle of that response was the FDNY, the firefighters that responded from right here at Ten House and all over Manhattan and Brooklyn and Staten Island and the Bronx, who in Queens that came here. And when they were responding into this incident, you know, looking up at those towers burning, they knew that some of them were going to their deaths and they went anyways. And I think what they did, the heroism that they showed, inspired a generation to put others before self. Many, many, many Americans raised their right hand, took a note to join the military, to fight the war on terror, inspired by the sacrifice that was made that day.

And I think of the heroics that they showed us how to not only live, but how to die. And I'll forever be indebted to those that taught me how to serve. And we're still inspired to this day by those images of firefighters walking up the stairs while everyone else is running down, a fire truck's racing down the west side highway while everyone is running in the other direction. That is the story of firefighters. And you point out, we listened to a moment from President Bush speaking this week about how he was shocked by how that recruitment went through the roof in the military.

And the same thing happened as people watched these firefighters. A generation grew up and said, I want to be one of those guys. Just last night I was speaking with Chief of the FDNY, who at the morning of 9-11 was the first senior chief on scene. At the time he was Deputy Chief Pete Hayden. And he said to me in the fallout of 9-11, there were concerns about whether or not recruitment at the FDNY would take a hit. And he said he was right that the sacrifices made by those men that day will inspire people to want to be members of the FDNY. And you know, that's proven. It's a very difficult, competitive job to get on because of not only the sacrifice was made that day, but the inspiration that was fostered by those men. We've also been talking this morning about the national effort from firefighters who came from all over the country.

You saw fire trucks from all over the nation, firefighters representing their states and their cities. You came down with a group of firefighters from Boston a couple of days after the attacks just to see what you could do to help. Can you share what you saw when you got down here? What do you remember about being on ground zero? Well, the attacks of September 11th for firefighters, it was almost like a clarion call, like being called to duty. You know, there was a calling to serve here for many of us. And they travel really from all over the world, really. And, you know, getting down here and I remember coming in by train.

And we linked up with a firefighter from the west side from Hell's Kitchen that took us down here. And we joined the efforts on the pile. But to see the destruction that was here at Ground Zero was it was seared into my memory the level of destruction. It was something that I would tell you, like, Hollywood could not create that set. It wouldn't be believable. And what I think the story, as much as we lost a lot of people, and as much as the pain that was inflicted upon our country is something that we should never forget. The real story of 9-11 was how not only we responded from the very minute those planes hit,

but how the country responded. And so many people lived that day. That rescue effort was the greatest rescue effort in the history of the world. Thousands of lives were saved. So for all the sacrifice and all the loss that we endured that day, there were birthdays, there were weddings, there were celebrations that people got to participate in in life, contributions to society that were made in the wake of 9-11 by people that were rescued out of those buildings, that, you know, this is as much a story about an incredible rescue effort as it is about the sacrifice of that day.

Absolutely. Let's talk about what's happened since 9-11, the firefighters, it's well known by now that several years ago, the number who died from the toxic air. They breathed down here while performing those acts of heroism exceeded the number of who died on the day, the 343. What's the work you've been doing? What's the work your organization has been doing to get the health care that these men and women need? I believe we're up to 453 firefighters have died from exposures on ground zero. So we fought in Congress with a collection of people that stood up, John, to it deserves great thanks for bringing attention to it. We fought in Congress to ensure that the

World Trade Center Health Fund was properly funded, that those people that were, had health impacts from their service on Ground Zero, had access to the medical resources they need. And it's been a long, tough fight. And just this week, we found out that the New York City administrations over the course of years has hidden tens of thousands of documents. from the public that proved how toxic the environment was here at ground zero. And when we think about how much of a fight it was to get access to the medical resources that our members deserved, having access to those records would have made a huge difference. So I think that there's a reckoning that should be coming for that,

and the people that hid that from the public. Yeah, 170,000 documents made public by the administration. Ed, a guy you know well from Boston, Mike Barnacle, has a guy. a question for you. Michael, how you doing? I'm doing well, Eddie. I'm doing well, and so are you. But I want to talk to you today on this day when something unforgivable happened 25 years ago and the memories of that day that reside are still resilient in the minds of many of firefighters who helped make the day as memorable as it was. Sadly, many of them died. 343 died. But I want to ask you about the core of being a firefighter. There's an old expression that when the cops

come down the street, someone's in trouble. When a fire department comes down the street, help is on the way. What is it about the core of being a firefighter? That it's just as is there installed in a firefighter with the New York Fire Department as it is with someone from the Waltham, Massachusetts Fire Department. What is it about that that makes firefighters different? Well, I think the cornerstone of being a firefighter is your willingness to sacrifice, which is what did 343 FDNY members, and Keith Romer, who was also an IFF member who worked for the New York City Fire Patrol, they taught us what the definition of sacrifice is. And that's the cornerstone of putting others before self.

And I think that inspiration, that motivation is what keeps people raising their right hands and taking an old time. be a firefighter. General President of the International Association of Firefighters, Ed Kelly. Thank you for all your services of firefighters to all your members, not just for what they do on days like this, but for what they do every single day. Ed, thank you very much. Really appreciate it. All bless America.

Less than an hour from now, an observance ceremony will take place at the Pentagon where 184 people died on September 11th. Let's go there alive to MS Now. Pentagon reporter, Priya Shrether. Priya, good morning. Good morning, Willie. That's right. This remembrance and honor ceremonies expected to get underway within the next hour. We have already seen moments of remembrance earlier this morning with an American flag being unfurled on the west side of the Pentagon just as what we saw take place that day 25 years ago. And we are expecting President Trump to be in attendance here at the Pentagon, just as he did. last year. And we are also expecting to have an observation of a moment of silence at 937 a.m., which, of course, is the time when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west side of the building.

Of course, 184 people died here at the Pentagon that day, 59 people who were on that aircraft and an additional 125 inside of the building. We're expecting some top senior military leaders to in attendance here today and also family members of some of those 125 people who died in the Pentagon. We know based off of President Trump's remarks from last year that he sort of emphasized these themes of national resilience and unity and a commitment to never forget this day. He also highlighted many stories of heroism, just like you mentioned from Ground Zero, including the story of an Army Sergeant First Class who saved a Navy lieutenant inside of the building that day, the only person to have survived from the Navy

Command Center. So we can expect to hear more stories like that. It is notable that the president decided to come here to the Pentagon and not to Ground Zero, which of course is where most sitting presidents go. And we saw reporting from the New York Times that indicated that part of the reason he wanted to come here to the Pentagon is because he wanted to deliver remarks himself, which of course is not allowed at Ground Zero. So we'll be. be watching very closely to see what he says today, but it's expected to be a very solemn ceremony, Willie. Yeah, Vice President J.D. Vance will be here at Ground Zero, along with four living former presidents, President Trump there at the Pentagon. Pentagon reporter Priya Shrethar, Brea, thanks so much.

We appreciate it. Still ahead this morning. We'll be joined by Lawrence Wright. He is the author of the Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Looming Tower, about al-Qaeda and the events that led up to 9-11 with an update now 25 years after that dark day. Morning Joe's coming right back. Good people of New York City and New Jersey and Connecticut as we mourn the loss of thousands of our citizens. I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you.

And the people of the rolling down will hear all of us soon. That iconic moment from President George W. Bush standing on the pile with New York City firefighters. three days after September 11th. And these are live images from here at Ground Zero at 815 in the morning, 25 years after the attacks of September 11th, 2001, just a few minutes away from the beginning of what has become an annual ritual ceremony, the reading of the names among the dignitaries here today. Vice President J.D. Vance, four former presidents, Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Biden will be here. Also, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg, and current

Mayor Mamdani among those who will participate today. Let's bring in here at our set at Ground Zero MS Now, Senior National Security Reporter, David Rode. David, a lot to talk to you about here. Your story has traced this tragedy in so many ways. Can you talk about being down here? And by down here, I mean very close down here on that day. Yes, so I was right over there on Broadway and jumped on a subway to come cover it. I was a Metro reporter for the New York Times and then got out and the South Tower fell right in front of me and like millions of people or thousands, I should say, ran for my life, the second tower fell.

And I just want to talk about, I want to talk more about not the recovery effort that day, but what happened in the decade after that. And I thought about this, and I lived here now. My wife and I have chosen to live in this area, you know, since 9-11. We live right down the street. One of my children goes to school near here. And the simple lessons to me are, I would say, love, serve, and fight.

and that has to do with a few people. I want to talk about, I wrote a story about a couple of them today. One is love, and I've spent a lot of days in the last few days talking to widows and others about use the moment. You never know when you're going to lose your loved one. I think that's an incredibly important basic reason. And then it's the people who sacrificed after that. There was a New York Times photographer named Eddie Keating, who spent months here covering the cleanup.

I worked with him. We took a picture together in a friend's apartment here of a T-Set, and it became one of the iconic images of 9-11. He died of brain cancer several years ago. He got that from the dust here. And then this morning I wrote about a Marine I met more than a decade ago in Afghanistan. His name is Daniel Sochi. He was a student at Villanova University, volunteered to join the Marines and went and fought in Afghanistan and Iraq.

And then the third person I read about this morning is Ed Bogan. He was a CIA officer. He volunteered. He hunted down members of Al-Qaeda. He believed it was right to fight back. The Marines served and Bogan fought. And he was part of the effort and part of the group of CIA officers who found Osama bin Laden. And that enabled the raid that killed him.

We've been talking so much this morning about that love and service and the reaction. We're just talking to Ed Kelly about how a lot of people thought when the World Watch would have watched here. People would say, I don't want that. I don't want to be a firefighter. And exactly the opposite happened. People said, I want to be one of those guys when I grew up. Same goes. We had President Bush talking last night in Dallas about how he was shocked by the recruitment numbers in the military.

People said, I want to go avenge that. That's what you're writing about a bit this morning. Yes, and that's exactly what Daniel Sochi did. He was in his dorm room, and he watched the second tower hit. He and his roommate volunteered together. Two million service members volunteered and somehow served in the various wars after 9-11. 7,000 died. 35,000 were wounded, so recruitment numbers went up.

And it's interesting. Ed Bogan, who's a CIA guy, he really, he's fight, and he felt that it made a difference. Al-Qaeda still exists, but it's much weaker. And the positive thing, too, and all these people told me this, was that there hasn't been a major terrorist attack in the United States in 25 years. That was a tremendous achievement. There's a sense of, oh, everything failed. And, you know, Afghanistan, yes, the Taliban came back in. But again, Daniel Sochi, this Marine who served there, he said, it's a great thing.

And these young men who, like, did this service, shouldn't feel like a failure because the Talibanadegh, al-Qaeda has been weakened. Ed Bogan, the CIA operative, said all the top leadership of al-Qaeda was wiped out, including bin Laden, and that prevented another attack because they all had the experience, and they can't use that experience now. To your credit, you've never enjoyed making any of this story about you, but your life was seriously impacted by what happened here on that day, for people don't know, and I don't want to make you relive it if you don't want to. You were taken captive and held for a long time. You escaped from the Taliban.

What are your thoughts about where this day has taken your life over these last 25 years? Thank you. And it's fine to bring up its part of my life. And my wife and my family was incredibly supportive to me. And again, I would say love, serve fight. I covered Afghanistan for seven years after being around 9-11. I was kidnapped at the end of it by a Taliban commander who invited me to an interview. And it was seven months in captivity.

And love was first, like, regretting, you know, this decision to go to the interview. There were two Afghans with me, a journalist and a driver. They were kidnapped as well. I was terrified of what was going to happen to them. Serve, I kind of played my time and stayed alive because that was the best way to help the Afghans and then fight in that this Afghan journalist helped me escape. We were brought to a house near a Pakistani military base, and while our guards slept, we used a car tow rope to lower ourselves off of the roof we were held in, the house we were held in.

And I'm here today because of the bravery of that Afghan journalist. Love, serve, fight. A great message for today. We're lucky to have you on our team, David. Thank you so much. Thank you, Willie. MSNNNNAS, Senior National Security Reporter, David, David, thank you.

Joe. Hey, let's be around. Seth writer for the New Yorker and Pulitzer Prize winning author Lawrence Wright. His book titled The Looming Tower, Al-Qaeda, the Road to 9-11, came out 20 years ago. And it's said to be the definitive book

about al-Qaeda and what led to the attacks, because it is the definitive book about al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, and what led to the attacks. A book has a new, introduction, written for the 25th anniversary of that day, examining the after effects and the continued turmoil in the Middle East. Lawrence, thanks for being here. It is unlike any book on Al-Qaeda or the past 25 years that I've ever read. It's nothing short of a masterpiece.

Tell us what your insights are 25 years later about what happened, what you wrote about, what you learned and what you've learned over the past quarter century. Well, you know, things keep coming up, Joe. I call it in this new forward an unsolved crime because there are events that happened that were crimes. For instance, the CIA hid the fact that there were two al-Qaeda future hijackers living in San Diego 19 months before 9-11, and they refused to turn the, that information over to the FBI. So, in my opinion, we missed a chance to stop 9-11 because of that.

One of the things that troubles me is that in many ways, we are as complacent now as we were on 9-10. You know, if you look at us what America has become since 9-11, we've shed our alliances, we've depleted our arsenal. We're in a very vulnerable state. And I look at the technological changes that have taken place since 9-11 with drones and artificial intelligence and, you know, other. These are great tools for terrorists. And I just wonder what bin Laden would have done with them had he had access to them. But a future bin Laden will have superpowers because of all these technological changes. Just as al-Qaeda used our technology in those airplanes to strike us, the technology that we're creating now will be in the hands of terrorists and we'll reap the consequences.

As we look back on 9-11, often when we talk about whether it was avoidable or not, you know, we will hear about a memo that Gadig crossed the president's desk saying that al-Qaeda. a plan to use airplanes to strike American targets. Obviously, the president has a lot of memos going across his desk and a lot of threat assessments every single day. I remember one time, Mike being told by Bob Mueller, if you saw what I saw every day, you wouldn't get out of bed. A lot of threats to track down. That being said, based on all the information you had, you just told us about the CIA

covering up the fact that two CIA, two Al-Qaeda operatives were in San Diego for over a year. Give us your best argument that 9-11 was avoidable. What should America have done? What were the warning signs that we missed then that we want to be more alert for moving forward? Well, look back in history, Joe, it led to 9-11, the events that happened beforehand.

In 1998, for instance, Al-Qaeda bombed two American embassies in East Africa, killing 224 people. More than 100 people were blinded by the flying glass. And, you know, in retaliation, we bombed a veterinary medicine clinic in the Sudan and training camps in Afghanistan. And then in October of 2000, the USS Coal, which for some crazy reason, was parked in the harbor of Aden, Yemen, a very delectable prize for bin Laden. And it was bombed by suicide bombers. 17 American sailors died. The CIA had information about the people that. bond that. And they didn't turn it over to the FBI then either. So it's another one of what I call

crimes. I mean, this was, in the simple terms, a murder, a homicide investigation. And there was evidence that wasn't provided. I think 25 years later, it's high time that we held accountable to people that held on that information. Lawrence, your book, of course, the definitive account of al-Qaeda before September 11th. Could you give us an assessment of where things stand with the terror group now? Obviously, Osama bin Laden himself, dead now 15 years. Talk to us about al-Qaeda since that day and where things stand. What sort of threat do they still potentially pose? You know, al-Qaeda is far weaker than it was. I mean, even though it's far more populous. I mean, al-Qaeda on 9-11 has about 400 people. And some estimates,

say that there may be 40,000 people in al-Qaeda now. And I don't know how to evaluate that, but there are more people involved in it, but they're disjointed. They're in separate provinces. They're not unified in an effort to strike the West. There's a longing for that, but they haven't been able to do it. The Islamic State, on the other hand, is far larger and more potent organization than al-Qaeda. But what worries me is not the number of people in the terrorist groups.

What worries me now is the tools that they will have access to, such as drones, artificial intelligence, crypto. I mean, all of these are wonderful tools and wonderful tools for terrorists and tyrants as well. And so, you know, the technology that was used against us on 9-11, those aircraft carriers, I mean, excuse those aircraft that crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and would have taken out the legislature. They were turned against us. Now there are new tools. And I think we'd be fooling ourselves if we don't realize that we are manufacturing

tools that bin Laden would love to have had on 9-11. The Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Looming Tower, Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9-11. 11 is available to read now with a new introduction. Author and staff writer for the New Yorker Lawrence Wright. Lawrence, thank you so much. Up next here on Morning Joe, how a small town in Canada provided a safe haven for thousands of Americans on September 11th when the country's airspace was shut down.

MS. Now's Josh Einer joins us with that story that's next here on Morning Joe. Welcome back to Ground Zero here in New York City on this 25th anniversary of the attacks of September 11th. When North American airspace was completely shut down in September 11th, 38 planes were diverted to the tiny Canadian town of Gander. 7,000 strangers suddenly found themselves stranded there, nearly doubling the town's population in just a matter of hours. But the people of Gander responded to the crisis in real time, opening their homes, feeding and clothing thousands of those visitors for five days and asking nothing in return. That story became the subject of a Broadway musical.

Joining us now, Emmett's now senior reporter Josh Eindler. Josh, good morning. 25 mornings later, you would turn to Gander. What did you find? It was quite an experience to return there. Well, you know, when chaos rained down on Lower Manhattan 25 years ago, it was also pretty chaotic in Gander. It's 1,100 miles away from New York.

Suddenly, all those people showed up nearly doubling the population in about an hour. But these community, the people who live there and the people who live there, and the people who visited had to find a way through it. And they ended up forging deep friendships that are now being tested in a way that they haven't seen in all this time. Our first bus came after midnight. Four plane loads wound up at Gander Academy, a local elementary school where Diane Davis was a third-grade teacher.

More than 700 people would sleep on the gym floor. And so it was just Wal-to-Wall people. Wal-to-wall people, these were our deluxe suites. We had television set up, and passengers would come in, and they hadn't seen it. So when a flight would come in, they would gather, and they would watch it. And every time the plane struck, it was like seeing it again for the first time. In our darkest moments, which it was for us, kindness was everything. been a six, they never stopped for five days.

Five days of waiting. And then, as suddenly as it began, it was over. The mood on the plane was joy that we were finally coming home. But then the plane went silent over New York airspace. It did. It went silent, and it was really hard to look out the window. It's been a quarter century since those unprecedented days after 9-11. The planes are gone.

gone, the thousands of visitors have gone on to live their lives. And here in Gander, things are basically back to normal. That means maybe four flights a day in the high season. But to people who were here then, it still feels like yesterday, a distant memory that is so important to keep a lot. 25 years later, Newfoundlanders are celebrating their role on those horrific days. The story, memorialized in the Broadway musical, come from away, now playing in Gander. itself. We got two TVs set up in the cafeteria with the news on. The show draws inspiration from people like Diane Davis and a key central character, Captain Beverly Bass. Recently at American's

Texas headquarters, the real Beverly saw for the first time the Airlines Memorial to its two flight crews who died on 9-11. Kind of gives you chills. Hard to talk about. Sorry. She lost 17 co-workers, including a pilot she knew well. Well, just brings it all back. There's still so much more emotion. You know, Willie, we spoke to four different people. We spoke to two of the plain people, and we spoke to two people in Gander, and each one of them broke down at some point as we were talking about this so many years later,

and all of this now being tested by this trade war that's going on and all the rhetoric from the Trump administration towards Canadians. Every single person we talked to in Canada said that they were, deeply, deeply offended based on what they had been through 25 years ago on behalf of Americans. When we talk about our friends and our neighbors to the north, there it is. Those are our friends and our neighbors to the north. Talking about the spirit of 9-11 today, who was alive in Gander today for sure. It was.

There is much more of this report. It's a really beautiful story. You can watch Josh's full report on MSNOW's YouTube channel. There's a QR code on the screen there if you want to watch it right now. MSNOW reporter, Josh, thanks so much. And Joe, on that topic of where we are right now in our relationship with Canada, it's worth reminding many of our friends who may be watching the show and kind of parroting some of what they're hearing from the top, that 40,000 Canadians fought with the United States in the war on terror.

40,000, 158 of them died in combat for something that happened to the United States, not to them, but that happened right here 25 years ago. Yeah, they've been extraordinary friends. They've been extraordinary neighbors. And the United States, our success, our rise, has been in large part because we've had such great friends and great neighbors to the north. And one of the longest borders, uninterrupted borders, that we've never had to militarize. Because they're our friends. They've been our friends.

They will continue to be our friends. regardless of the nonsense that's coming out of the White House right now. And this is a day, a good day to stop and reflect on how much we owe Canada, how much we owe our Canadian allies, how much we owe the people of that great country. And that story just underlines it. They've always been there for us. They were there after 9-11, and they will be there in the future,

whether we're our current administrations treating the country horribly or not. And it is shameful. It is shameful how our allies to the North have been treated by this administration. And we've historically had such great free trade with Canada and Mexico. And Canada has just, they've fought alongside us. They've given us information, security information. They've been incredible partners. and the hope, I think, is that Trump comes to one of his senses when it comes to North America.

Let us hope. We'll be right back with more Morning Joe. We are back here at Ground Zero in New York City on this 25th anniversary of the attacks of September 11th, 2001. A program is underway at the 9-11 Museum and Memorial. Short time from now, we observe a moment of silence for the moment that American Airlines Flight 11 hit the North Tower. of the World Trade Center. At this time, 25 years ago, a building full of people had no idea what was about to begin. A country had no idea what was going to begin. More than 2,700 people killed here at Ground Zero, nearly 3,000 in total in the Pentagon in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We have former presidents of the United States, four of them gather here today,

the Vice President of the United States, J.D. Vance, mayors as well. The reading of the names and annual ritual will begin shortly, but for now, we pause for the first moment of silence at 846 a.m. Those bagpipes from the FBNY have become part of the haunting annual soundtrack for these commemorations 25 years on. That was the moment of silence at 846. These times now have become part of our collective national memory, 903, will be the next one when the second plane hit the South Tower at 846 Flight 11 crashed into those high floors of one world trade, 76 passengers, 11 crew members on board, hundreds more inside, killed instantly, also cutting off access to the ground from anyone above the 91st floor.

Joe, I saw that image of President George W. Bush, who is down here today and thinking it was just two minutes from right now as he sat in that second grade classroom reading to kids, in Sarasota, Florida that Andy Card leaned in just right about now and said, Mr. President, America is under attack. I know. A moment he'll never forget, a moment Americans will never forget. And this is always such an extraordinarily moving time for this country. And we want to ring in Stephanie Ruhl.

And I want to talk to you because right now, I guarantee you, people that are moved in the financial district by this are also looking at the inflation numbers, which we're going to get to in a minute. But it never sleeps. The finance community never sleeps. This is a community that you have been close to your entire adult life. You've worked there. You've reported on it. me you've written about it for MS now. Right now, tell me how you're feeling. Joe, it was right at these moments, right? I was a very junior salesperson at Credit Suisse at the

time. And on a trading desk, we have regular phones and then they have turrets. And a turret is a direct line between a trading desk and these brokers, brokers, many of whom Eurobrokers, Cantor Fitzgerald, that were down at the World Trade Center. And people's cell phones weren't working. And so they couldn't make outside calls to call their wives. And so as And I'm a really junior person. And as we're watching, the first plane hit, and everyone's confused. And these guys suddenly are making calls. Like, I don't know what's happening.

Then the calls turned because they're calling these traders at banks because they can only call in these direct lines. And they're saying, call my wife, call my mom, call my son at school. And it was these moments of like, we're confused about what's happening. And then absolute devastation. And for me personally, I can remember that day because I had just been engaged two weeks before. And I remember running home, I worked on 23rd Street, and my husband worked down in the financial district.

And we got out of the subway with Sean Patrick Maloney, who was the colleague then, who then ran for Congress after this. And they ran up the FDR. I remember getting to my apartment and knowing I was never going to move out of New York City if I worked here and had children. Because of all those people who were on one side of the river and their families were on the other. And it wasn't just the people who lost their lives. but if you remember how disconnected we were, but how it brought New York City together. And so as devastating as this is,

just watching Mike Bloomberg right there, even knowing that Rudy Giuliani, they're watching our city come together, those days when so many people were going to hospitals trying to ask in emergency rooms for the names of their colleagues and coworkers and friends, it was just this horrible moment, but a tremendous moment for New York and America

that we have to honor forever. So tell me, Stephanie, Who are you thinking about today? From September 11th. Is there anybody that comes to mind? I'm actually thinking of my friend Jennifer James, who was in the first tower, who made her way down and is alive today.

And I'm thinking of Jen and all those other people who the grief they've experienced over the last 25 years for all their coworkers that they lost, but for how blessed they feel to be alive. And I'm also just thinking about The workers, not just in those days, but in the year following, last night I interviewed the head of the Fresh Kills landfill. That is where everything was sent. The millions of tons of debris, all of those men for a year who went through that debris to find body parts and work IDs and anything they could,

so many of whom have lost their lives since, I'm thinking of them because they're the next level 9-11 victims who we need to honor. All right. Infliction, by the way, 3.4% in August. Not good. Not good for people who want interest rates lowered. If you think we're going to get an interest rate cut next week, we are not. Is it going to be raised? We don't know. All right. Well, thank you so much for coming and for your reflections. We'll be right back.

Back here at Ground Zero in New York City, the reading of the names continues ahead of the next moment of silence at 903, which will be the moment. plane hit the World Trade Center. Joe, I just have to say being down here, yes, it was a quarter of a century ago, which is a long time, but the power of this place remains when you're here. It is fresh. It is in front of you, and part of that is owed to the extraordinary 9-11 Memorial Museum, which keeps the memory alive of the victims, but also of all the heroes of this day. No doubt about it. Mike, what are your thoughts today? My thoughts right now are about all the phone calls that were placed. by people who never made it out of the buildings or never made it off of the airplanes that were flying in the sky.

All the last phone calls to their children, to their wives that ended with the phrase, I love you. John. I'm thinking of those who sacrificed so much who sacrificed everything that day, including Ladder 118, which is based in Brooklyn Heights, FD&Y. There's a photograph that was later immortalized on the front page, the New York Daily News. You can see the World Trade Center burning in the background.

Latter 118, going over the bridge into the fire to help all six men on that truck dial. And I'm thinking about my friend who lived across from the towers who died of pancreatic cancer and all the people who got sick sins and who have sacrificed to. More people lost after 9-11 from 9-11-related diseases then who died then. So I'm thinking about those people. Well, this is, I can just say 25 years later, it's hard to believe that. that time has moved as quickly as it has moved. I can tell you, for those that weren't born or that were too young to remember,

we have responsibility to tell them about 9-11 and talk about the days that followed. I can tell you I'd never been more proud to be an American than I was then. I've never been more proud of the country coming together than I was then. It's looking back is always a reminder of who we once were. And as James Earl Jones said, in Field of Dreams, who we can be again. Stephanie Rule picks up the coverage right now.