>> david michael barkway >> matthew barnes >> sheila patricia barnes >> evan j. baron >> renee barrett-arjune >> arthur t. barry >> good morning, everyone, i'm heidi collins. it is september 11th, 2009. you are looking at live pictures from ground zero, shanksville, pennsylvania and also the pentagon. this hour, we look back on the morning america was attacked. . good morning once again, everybody. i'm heidi collins in new york today. you are in the "cnn newsroom." do you remember where you were exactly eight years ago? this morning, the nation pauses to remember the 9/11 terrorist

attacks. somber ceremonies are being held right now at the sites of the attacks, including new york's ground zero, as you can see here. as family members and loved ones read the names of the victims that day, we will remember several moments of silence, including when two parkt flew into the buildings of the world trade center, into the pentagon, and also into a field in shanksville, pennsylvania. we'll remember those moments and we'll remember those victims. this morning, already, we watched mayor michael bloomberg escorting in the vice president of the united states, joe biden and his wife jill, they are there for commemoration as well. want to take you out right now to cnn's jason carroll, who is standing by with more of our coverage in new york. jason, if you can hear me, i know you are at the site, overlooking some of the progress and some of the lack of progress

that's going on and has gone on at the world trade center. but what are your thoughts this morning as far as the vigilance and our safety in this country since that day? >> reporter: well, you know, heidi, as we see some of these family members attending the ceremony, i remember what one of the family members told me several years ago. she told me, never again. and i think that's sort of like a foundation, as we look to security in this country, post-9/11. i spoke to tom ridge, who used to be head of the department of homeland security. we spoke to him about what the country has done to better secure our nation post-9/11. he said, one of the best things the country ever did under president bush was the development of the department of homeland security. he said, we now have better communication between agencies, we have better intelligence. also spoke to a leading terrorism expert who told me one of the best things that this

country can do and has done is just with everyday people, you know, there's a saying here in the city, if you see something, say something. and some of the best intelligence that they've been able to gather in this country post-9/11 has come from everyday people wanting to help, seeing something, and reporting it. so, you know, the country definitely better in terms of safety post 9/11. still a long way to go. but it was an interesting, sort of story that we did in terms of looking at what the country's done to secure itself post-9/11. >> jason carroll, thanks so much. certainly appreciate it. want to take you straight to vice president joe biden now as we prepare for a moment of silence, when the second plane hit the south tower at the world trade center. let's listen. >> tell me about despair, yours, and i will tell you mine, wrote the poet, mary oliver. meanwhile, the world goes on.

meanwhile, the sun and the clear pebbles of rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mont mountains and the rivers. meanwhile, the wild geese high in the blue air are heading home again. whomever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like a wild goose, harsh and exciting. over and over, announcing your place in the family of things.

>> my name is grace afliar and my husband worked on the 94th floor as an accountant. how proud we were of him. we came from the philippines in 1983 with our three children, christopher, genie, and gemma. eight years have passed, but sometimes it feels like everything just happened yesterday. the pain can still be so sharp. other times, i realize how my life has changed. my children have grown up, my grandchildren, reilly james and grayson, were born. life has brought in gifts to us, two brothers, two sisters, and their families.

i wish he could be here to share them. but he can still be with us in the way we live our lives. he taught us to be humble and to be patient with one another, to never hold on to anger or hate. and in his own words, to find the strength to be gentle and the courage to be kind. this is a poem that expresses how i feel. i carry your heart with me, i carry it in my heart, i am never without you. anywhere i go, you go, my dear. and whatever is done by only mean is your doing, my love. i fear no fate, for you are my fate. i want no world, for beautiful, you are my world, my true.

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you. cesar, we miss you very much and thank you for sharing your life with me. love you. >> 9:06 now. we're looking at live pictures from the site of the world trade center, remembering september 11th. people have been throwing flowers into the waters there. we've been listening to the victim's names being read. now listening to the governor of new york, david paterson. there will be readings, there will be moments of silence, 9:03, just a few moments ago, we did pause for a moment of silence because that was when the first plane hit the north tower of the world trade center. we will continue to follow this and bring you those special moments as we go this morning. the solemn remembrances not only at the site of the attacks, but

at one possible target that was spared, the white house. [ bell ringing ] >> later this hour, president obama will attend a wreath laying ceremony at the pentagon where 184 people died. he will then speak at 9:41 eastern. we, of course, will bring you his remarks live. now, on to shanksville, pennsylvania. the site where united airlines flight 93 crashed into a field. you remember the incredible stories that investigators later learned of the passengers revolting against the terrorists. they ultimately prevented the flight from reaching its intended target, most likely, the white house or capitol building. this morning, cnn's kate balduan is there and joins us now. good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, there, heidi. one thing visitors most often note when they come to this site is the serenity, the peaceful, the quiet that you feel and sense in this setting. compare that, as you just noted

to the tragedy that occurred here eight years ago. now, if you can see behind me in the distance, there's an american flag back there. that basically indicates the point of impact of united flight 93. 40 passengers and crew and the four hijackers on board all died in this very, very tragic accident. family members on this day, obviously, a very difficult day here. they're gathering together for a ceremony to mark the anniversary. this anniversary also marks, though, heidi, a giant step forward in the effort to get a permanent memorial on this site. until recently, it has been locked up in a very emotional battle between the federal government and land owners on just what to do. but they have come to an agreement and they are moving forward. so this anniversary is especially meaningful for so many people as well. i want to bring in gordon felt. he is felt.

your brother was on flight 93. first off on this anniversary, thank you and our condolences for your family's loss. please tell us, it happened eight years ago, well, what does this day still mean for you and the many families here? >> this day is certainly still an opportunity for the families to get together to come here, to summerset county, to mourn the loss of our loved ones. their loss is both personal to us as well as more symbolic to the country. you know, they lost their lives in a horrendous way. but in doing so, saved countless lives on the ground in washington and perhaps the capitol building. and that, we separate their actions and mourn their loss. >> and part of today's ceremony is called -- is named courage remembered, which i think is very fitting for this setting and for your family members. talk to me about the permanent memorial. how things are going in the big effort to get that put here on

the side by, at least in part, by the ten-year anniversary. why is it so important to get this permanent memorial off the ground and up? >> it's critical that the memorial be built to recognize the actions of the 40 passengers and crew of flight 93. and we're thrilled that there's been some significant movement, as you said, in the last month, on the part of the federal government, working with the local land owners to ensure that the land will be transferred over to the national park service so that construction can start by the end of this year. we expect to be under construction. so two years from now, when we come back to the ceremonies of september 11th, we'll with able to dedicate a permanent and lasting memorial to our loved ones. >> reporter: a very different site, a very beautiful site we all expect to see just two years from now. two speakers going to be here today. the keynote speaker, former secretary of state, colin powell, will be here. we'll be listening and we'll have that live, heidi. >> very good. that site right there and the

stories of flight 93 was certainly something that people really hung on to after 9/11 and their persistence and courage. kate balduan, thanks so much. we appreciate it. on our blog this morning, we're asking how 9/11 changed your life. just go to cnn.com/heidi and post your comments there. we'll share as many of them as we can. to this, thousand, caught on tape. two workers with a community organizing group allegedly offering advice on setting up a prostitution ring and evading the irs. here you go. eleven sixteenths... (announcer) from designing some of the world's cleanest and most fuel-efficient jet engines... to building more wind turbines than anyone in the country... the people of ge are working together... creating innovation today for america's tomorrow. thanks! no problem!

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you probably remember the group with the acronym, a.c.o.r.n., the grassroots organization that works with low and moderate-income people was accused of voter registration fraud in several states last year. now we are talking about the organization again because of a new controversy. abbie boudreau is joining us now with the story. i think everybody knows who a.c.o.r.n. is from the last election cycle. >> i think you're right and i think pretty much everybody knows about the tape that we're talking about. where it appears that two a.c.o.r.n. workers were caught on tape allegedly offering advice about how to set up a prostitution ring and evade the irs. here's what apparently happened. a man and a woman posing as a pitcher and prostitute were secretly recording a conversation with two a.c.o.r.n.

workers. the man who recorded the video is an independent filmmaker named james o'keith. now, he's also a conservative activist, and remember, a.c.o.r.n. is a liberal community organizing group. the undercover sting shows the pair approaching two women working at the a.c.o.r.n. office in baltimore, maryland. o'keith and the woman posing as a prostitute asked for advice on how to set up a prostitution ring involving more than a dozen underage girls from el salvador. girls we're talking, 14, 15, 16 years old. one of the workers allegedly tells the pair, you want to keep them clean and make sure they go to school. she keeps repeating that. she says, to train them to keep their mouths shut. one of the employees told the pair they could even declare some of the young girls as dependents to receive child tax credits. there was even a point in the video where a workers suggested that the woman posing as the prostitute refer to herself as a performing artist on tax forms and stop calling herself a prostitute. here's how all that unfolded.

>> your business is a performing artist. >> a performing artist. >> it's what you are. okay? so you're not lying. >> kind of a hit on my ego. >> performing artist. so stop saying prostitute. >> got it. >> we did put out calls to the baltimore office, but they were not returned. a local spokesperson told the associated press that both people seen in that video were fired and we've been unsuccessful getting callbacks from the two a.c.o.r.n. workers seen on that video. cnn also reached out to a.c.o.r.n.'s national offices. we talked to scott levenson, a spokesperson there, he said the portrayal is false and defamatory and an attempt at gotcha journalism. he also said that the same crew tried filming the same kind of sting at other a.c.o.r.n. office and it was unsuccessful. remember, this was edited video where it could go black at times. a.c.o.r.n. is making it clear until they see the entire unedited video, they're not

saying anything further. >> yeah, you know, it makes you wonder, is this something that authorities would look into or what's their role here? >> right. well, we did call the baltimore police department. they tell us that they're not looking into it the time. so we'll have just have to wait and see what happens. >> keep us posted. sure do appreciate that, abbie boudreau. thank you. the taliban taking its toll on troops.

checking our top stories this morning. two taliban militants are under arrest in pakistan right now.

a key commander -- were taken by pakistani security forces during operations in the volatile swat valley. three other commanders also detained. two more coalition troops are dead in eastern afghanistan. military officials say one of the them --. now live from kabul, afghanistan, with the very late latest. tia, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, heidi. another u.s. soldier killed today in one of the bloodiest summers, the bloodiest summer since the war began here in 2001. eight years later, many people in both america and afghanistan are questioning if the war effort is still worth it. this has been eight years and when you speak to the average afghan, a lot has changed in those eight years. they saw an improvement in their lives the first two years. many welcoming the coalition forces with open arms.

but when the focus of the war shifted to iraq, many afghans saw their lives as deteriorating and they still do. and right now we're seeing the taliban and many organizations stating the taliban has control from 60% to 80% of the country and the question remains, is it worth the fight? and the obama administration is saying, yes, it is. just last week, we went out with the commander of the forces, general stanley mcchrystal and the u.s. ambassador, karl eikenberry for this new push. what the afghan people will tell you to this day is that it's not necessarily the war effort, the guns they need. they say, it's a civilian effort, helping them find jobs, that's when you'll see the taliban disappear, the gangs disappear and you'll see that their government will change too. that's one thing they're asking for right now, is help, and when it comes to their political

system, we just saw an election that was marred with fraud. so therefore the afghan people losing hope in their own government and seeing the coalition countries as a backer of the government. heidi? >> well, there's so much to talk about, and certainly on september 11th, when we think about afghanistan, it's very poignant to be able to talk with you today about that progress over the eight years that we have been at war in that country. atia abaay, appreciate it. our anderson cooper is also in afghanistan this week taking a look at the dangers facing u.s. troops there. you can see his special reports from the battle zone tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern. remembering september 11th. >> and i am honored to be here today for brooklyn's own volunteers for prospect park alliance. thank you.

>> keith e. coleman. >> you are watching live pictures of ceremonies at the site of the terrorist attacks at the world trade center. we are listening to the names of the victims being read. we'll be following commemorations throughout the next few hours. >> michael l. collins. >> thomas j. collins. >> joseph k. colson. >> jeffrey duane coleman. >> patricia malia. >> linda m. stone. >> saul e. cologne. >> sandra joleen brace. >> denise. you like your health coverage, but worry what happens...

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we are listening in to chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, admiral mike mullen,

standing in front of the president and the secretary of defense, robert gates, in washington on this day to commemorate september 11th. we will go to the president when he speaks live. that is scheduled for 9:41 this morning. voices go silent at the new york stock exchange in honor of the victims of september 11th. in fact, today is a very personal day for traders on wall street, located just steps away from ground zero, the memories are still fresh. our susan lisovicz, who's usually at the new york stock exchange, is joining me now on set to talk a little bit more about it. when you see that moment of silence on the new york stock exchange, it is always breathtaking. >> it's palpable, the grief that's still fresh eight years later. but in many ways, 9/11 has shown

the resilience of the financial industry and the people, the people there, heidi, it is very personal. as you mentioned. the new york stock exchange literally shook that day. ringing the opening bell today, the september concert foundation. this celebrates peace and humanity through music. and one of the things that's going to be happening today, heidi, is that i'm going to a trading floor from -- that's a spin-off of canter fitzgerald, that lost nearly all of its people, nearly 700 people in its new york office. it is holding its fifth charity day. it's raised more than $20 million on 9/11. one person who survived that day, he said, it's a celebration. not only have we survived, we've thrived and we're giving back.

>> great to hear that. susan lisovicz, we'll check back in with you a little bit later on. we'll watch those numbers for you. you're looking live right now at the pentagon, admiral mike mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. officials have been arriving there all morning long. ceremonies, of course, remembering 9/11. we will be taking president obama's remarks, live from the pentagon. he is standing behind admiral mullen, very rainy day. an umbrella over his head. we, of course, will take his comments live. also, keeping an eye this morning on a field in shanksville, pennsylvania. that event scheduled to begin in about 15 minutes. we'll take you there for a moment of silence commemorating the victims aboard flight 93. and right now ceremonies going on at ground zero. families of 9/11 victims are

there this morning, once again, eight years later, for the annual reading of the names. in fact, let's talk for a moment about ground zero. there are long-approved plans to build five skyscrapers on that site, but it still stands mostly empty. across the street, though, a very different story. seven world trade center was the last building to collapse on 9/11. it's now completely rebuilt and 85% occupied. developer larry silversteyn was determined to make it the safest building in the world. he gave me a tour of the unique construction and showed me how he incorporated the lessons learned from the 9/11 attack. >> we're in the stairwell in this building. now, what distinguishes this stairwell from any other is that if you look at it, you'll see it appears to be extraordinarily wide. >> yes. >> in fact, it's 20% wider than code requires. because as we learned on 9/11,

fire responders coming up the stairs with equipment prevented people who wanted to leave from coming down. so simple solution, 20% wider. you'll also notice what appear to be twin pipes, sprinkler systems. there's duality of sprinklers. what transpired on 9/11, when the planes came through, sliced right through the sprinkler system, thereby making them inoperative. so we have dual systems. next thing is, these sprinkler systems are fed by house tanks at the top of the building. the house tanks at the top of the building hold twice the water requirement that code requires. these stairways are both pressurized and smoke exhaustive. pressurized to make sure no smoke get into them, and if they do, if the smoke does somehow get into the stairway, it's exhausted through the smoke

exhaust system. the whole steel structure of this build is built like none other that has ever been built in america before. >> why? >> i'm an occupant of this building. i have my kids working with me, i have 150 people, their extended family. i want them to be comfortable, i want them to feel safe. they can feel very comfortable and feel very safe in this building. it's built to last, indefinitely. this is part of the steel assembly in this structure. you can get a sense of the heft of the steel that's imbibed in the construction of this building by just looking. two-feet-thick concrete, with 70 tons of steel rebars. >> so you come here every day. >> yeah. >> you've been coming here every day for -- >> well, since may of -- since may 30th, in fact, of 2006. >> we look here and we see this beautiful office and this space that you work in and we just

take a few steps and we come over here and this is what you are officing above, every day. what does that mean to you? i came to the window one morning and i saw several of the foundation workers sitting. >> unfortunately, we need to get you to the president now, remembering 9/11. let's listen in. >> nearly 3,000 days have passed, almost one for each of those taken from us. but no turning of the seasons can diminish the pain and the loss that day. no passage of time and no dark skies can ever dull the meaning of this moment. so on this solemn day, at this sacred hour, once more, we pause. once more, we pray. as a nation and as a people.

in city streets where our two towers were turned to ashes and dust and in a quiet field where a plane fell from the sky and here, where a single stone of this building is still blackened by the fires. we remember with reverence the lives we lost. we read their names, we press their photos to our hearts. and on this day that marks their death, we recall the beauty and meaning of their lives. men and women and children of every color and every creed, from across our nation and from more than 100 others, they were innocent, harming no one, they went about their daily lives. gone in a terrible instant, they now dwell in the house of the lord forever. we honor all those who gave their lives and all the survivors who battled burns and wounds and helped each other

rebuild their lives. men and women who gave life that most simple of rules. i am my brother's keeper, i am my sister's keeper. we pay tribute to the service of a new generation. young americans raised in a time of peace and plenty who saw their nation in its hour of need and said, i choose to serve. i will do my part. for you and your families, no words can ease the ache of your heart. but on this day and all that follow, you may find solace in the memory of those you loved and know that you have the unending support of the american people. scripture teaches us a hard truth. mountains may fall and the earth

may give way, the flesh and the heart may fail, but after all our suffer iing god remains fir and steadfast. so it is, so it has been for these families, so it must be for our nation. let us renew our resolve against those who perpetrated this act against us. in defense of our nation, we will never waver. in pursuit of al qaeda and its extremist allies, we will never fail. let us renew our commitment to all those who serve in our defense. the courageous men and women in uniform and their families and all those who protect us here at home. mindful of the work that protecting america is never finished, we will do everything in our power to keep america safe. let us renew the true spirit of

that day. not the human capacity for evil, but the human capacity for good. not the desire to destroy, but the impulse to save and to serve and to build. on this first national day of service and remembrance, we can summon once more that ordinary goodness of america, to serve our communities, to strengthen our country, to better our world. most of all, on a day when others sought to sap our confidence, let us renew our common purpose. let us remember how we came together as one nation, as one people, as americans, united not only in our grief but in our resolve to stand with one another, to stand up for the country we all love. this may be the greatest lesson of this day, the strong eest

tribute from those taken to us, that such need of purpose need not be a fleeting moment. but through their own lives and through you, the loved ones that they lost, men and women who lost their lives eight years ago today leave a legacy that still shines brightly in the darkness. that is our calling today, and in all the septembers still to come. may god bless you and comfort you. and may god bless the united states of america. >> president barack obama remembering september 11th and the victims of that day. we'll take a break and be back in just a moment. 

we are looking at live pictures now of the pentagon, the ceremony has just come to a close. president obama alongside the secretary of defense, robert gates, and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, admiral mike mullen laid a wreath and took a moment to remember the victims of september 11th at the pentagon as well, specifically. so we are looking at these very, very rainy pictures as we continue and move forward to remember these days, september

11th. in fact, want to go ahead and show you the wreath laying. let's pause and take a moment. ♪

♪ ♪ >> once again, the wreath laying ceremony just a few moments ago at the pentagon, to include president obama, whose words we heard prior to that and also secretary of defense and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. right now, what you're looking at are more live pictures. we want to show these two you, because you see the mass of

umbrellas. a very, very rainy day in washington, d.c. today. but behind those umbrellas, what you can't see is the president and secretary of defense, robert gates, walking through the line of people in the pouring rain, shaking hands along with the first lady, michelle obama, and greeting people and speaking with them, family members of victims of september 11th at the pentagon. and now we want to bring you live pictures as well of the 9/11 memorial service taking place this morning in shanksville, pennsylvania. shanksville is where united airlines flight 93 crashed as passengers and crew members tried to fight off the hijackers. incredible stories of bravery from that flight. opening remarks being delivered by interior secretary, ken salazar. you see him on the left of your screen there. the names of the 40 people

killed on board flight 93 will be read aloud. after that, several speakers will share their thoughts, including general colin powell. he's delivering the keynote address. we'll bring that speech to you live when it happens. once again, back to the pentagon, now live pictures of president president barack obama, walking through the crowds, shaking hands of friends and family members who were lost at the pentagon on september 11th. taking a moment despite the pouring rain. you see the first lady behind him, michelle obama, doing the same. greeting people and taking some time to say hello this morning. i'm sure a very poignant and touching moment for people, for family members of the victims at the pentagon this morning, to be able to reach out and touch the president eight years after

september 11th. earlier, the president spoke and spoke quite briefly, in fact, to remember this day and to remember the victims. the president walking away now, and saying good-bye, almost, with the secretary of defense, robert gates and of course, once again, the first lady, you see them walking off now. pretty incredible moment, i'm sure, for all the family members who are gathered thereto a the pentagon this morning. let's talk about, for a moment now, ground zero. long-approved plans to build five huge skyscrapers on this site, but it has gone very, very slowly. across the strereet, though, a different story. seven world trade center was the last building to go down on september 11th. now, look at that, completely rebuilt, 85% occupied. developer larry silversteyn is determined to make it the safest building in the world. we took a tour together of his unique construction and how he

incorporated the important lessons learned from september 11th. >> we're in the stairwell in this build. now, what distinguishes this stairwell from any other is that, if you look at it, you'll see it appears to be extraordinarily wide. >> yes. >> in fact, it's 20% wider than what code requires. because what we learned on 9/11, fire responders coming up the stairs with equipment prevented people who wanted to leave the building from coming down. right? so simple solution, make them 20% wider. you'll also notice what appear to be twin pipes, sprinkler systems. there's duality of sprinklers. what transpired on 9/11, when the planes came through, spliced right through the sprinkler system, thereby making them inoperative. so we have dual systems. next thing is, these sprinkler systems are fed by house tanks at the top of the building. the house tanks at the top of

the building hold twice the water requirement that code requires. these stairways are both pressurized and spoke exhaustive. pressurized tod to make sure no smokes get into them and if the smoke gets into the stairway it goes out. this building is like none other ever built in america before. >> why? >> i am an occupant of this building. my kids work with me. i have 150 people. they are extended family. i want them to be comfortable and feel safe. they can feel very comfortable and feel very safe in this building. it's built to last indefinitely. this is part of the steel assembly in this structure. you can get a sense of the heft of the steel that's embodied in the construction of this building by just looking. super thick concrete.

with 70 tons of steel rebars. >> you come here every day. you've been coming here every day -- >> since may 30th, in fact, of 2006. >> we look here and we see this beautiful office and this space that you work in. we just take a few steps and we come over here and this is what you are above every day. what does that mean to you? >> i came to the window one morning and i saw several of the foundation workers sitting and just talking. i picked up the phone and called the foundation contractor and said tell your guys to get off your butts and get to work. how do you know? i'm looking down upon them from my office. everybody is scurrying around because he obviously made the call and they went to work. >> all these people out there right now working. it's nowhere near as many as you want i understand that. i'm hearing construction crews

saying cranes moving, what am i seeing? >> what you're looking at is the -- in this corner is the freedom tower under construction. that's just beginning to rise. my view could have been and should have been further along than it is today but nevertheless the important thing is that it is moving forward. >> when you look at this, you see the potential and you've been working on this for the eight years that -- well, 7 1/2 to be more specific, what's the first emotion that comes to your mind? is it impatience now? is it frustration now? is it hope? where would you be? >> it's really a combination of recognition of how slowly this has gone. and the time it's taking to move this process forward. has it been frustrating?

yes. am i disappointed? >> terribly. however i'm fully committed to fulfill the obligation that i took on back on 9/11 to see these buildings beuilt and see the process through. if i don't stay with it, the entire process could fall apart and that would be a tragedy. this is new york. the old part of new york. new part of new york. but when all is said and done here, we'll spend $20 billion on a complete rebuilding and this place will be magnificent. >> pretty incredible day over there overlooking the world trade center sites. a lot going on there. some people and many people want to see a lot more going on so we'll continue to follow that story obviously right here on cnn. working on the vaccine. new test results contain a

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>> we'll show you once again some of the live pictures now from new york. still reading the victims' names at the world trade center site. we are waiting for another moment of silence as we continue to listen. at 9:59 that moment of silence

will commemorate the fall of the south tower. all right. in order to -- let's go ahead -- i believe the bell is going to ring. let's go ahead and listen. [ bell tolling ] >> once again, that moment of silence now and ringing of the bell in order to observe the time that the south tower

collapsed and fell to the ground. a number of people gathered as you can see at the world trade center site today, at the pentagon and in shanksville, pennsylvania. now to the governor of new jersey, and soon we'll hear from former mayor, rudy giuliani, as well. >> i shall not live in vain. >> my name is casey gross. >> do you remember where you are exactly eight years ago? this morning the nation pauses to remember the 9/11 terrorist attacks. somber ceremonies being held at the sites of the attacks including new york's ground zero. you're listening to that ceremony right now. also, you are looking at

shanksville, pennsylvania, where united airlines flight 93 crashed into a field. [ bell tolling ] >> alan anthony bevin. [ bell tolling ] >> mark bingham. [ bell tolling ]

>> my daughter deora francis. >> sandra w. bradshaw. >> as we continue to listen to the names of the victims from flight 93 in shanksville, pennsylvania, the bell tolling at the temporary memorial, you remember some of those names and

the rush to the cockpit and the rush to try to save that plane from going down at its intended target which was most likely the capitol building or maybe even the white house. very brave stories coming from flight 93. as we continue here, you see the other pictures at the pentagon as well as new york city. mayor rudy giuliani was just at the podium moments ago. we're waiting on a moment of silence out of shanksville now. the moment that flight 93 did crash into the field that you are looking at. we'll continue to follow all of these ceremonies and remembrances today on september 11th. very closely and bring you all of those moments of silence. of course, the best that we can today. there is other news that we need to get out to you. in fact, breaking news right now. we want to get to jean.

the coast guard is on alert and enda enda engaged at this time. >> reporter: there's a security zone there in place because of the ceremonies going on at the pentagon today and we have seen at least one boat come up the potomac and challenge the coast guard and try to get into that security zone. the coast guard has been very clear in their radio instructions to the boats to stop. that they are in violation telling them to leave but it appears that these boats have not paid attention to the coast guard directives and have continued. at one point there appeared to be a game going on where a coast guard boat would try to cutoff the boat intruding. the boat would veer to the right and attempt to go further up the river. it would be cutoff again. again it would veer to the side. sort of a cat and mouse game going on there with at least one

boat. they have warned the people on this intruding boat that they could face fines and seizures c. the coast guard sent a transmission saying they expended ten rounds of ammunition and instructed people to get out of the zone and come to the stern of the boat but as far as we can tell from you this vantage point and radio traffic we're hearing, the incident is continuing on the potomac river. >> we are continuing to look at this video here of the potomac river coming from our affiliate in washington d.c. this is pretty incredible. i have to say that as a story is developing here and i learn that rounds had actually been fired. i mean, that really changes the story. >> reporter: one presumes these are warning rounds. we don't know for sure. the coast guard wouldn't hesitate to take out the engine of the boat if that's what it took to stop it from going into a zone where it should not be.

it's not unusual to see boate e come in to the security zone but when the coast guard says you're not supposed to be here they turn around. this person seems intent or people seem intent on trying to violate that zone for what purpose we can't possibly say. the coast guard putting up defense at this point. >> and i'm not sure if you're able to look at a monitor right now to watch live pictures with me or not but i'm trying to give people a good idea of what they're seeing at this very moment because we of course see boats with flashing lights on them. that would be the coast guard trying to get a look at where the suspicious vessels are in this shot. >> yeah. you know, i can't quite make it out. it's such a long shot of the scene that i can't be sure which boats are coast guard boats and which are the intruder. at this point because of the spacing between the boats, my guess is that these are all

coast guard vessels. we can't see the whole river. that's a bit of a disadvantage. this is a fixed shot from a building. >> one thing we can show if you hang with me here is video that was given to us just moments ago. you can see a little bit better beyond the first bridge there in this restricted zone. more boats and you see obviously a little bit more movement here because of the wake of the boats. i can tell they're going faster. it shows them going after -- >> you can see a little bit of the chase going on on the side of the screen there. at one point we did hear radio transmissions of someone saying bang, bang, bang, but it's unclear to us who was speaking at that point in time. if that was the coast guard indicated they were firing some rounds or whether this was some traffic coming off this vessel that appears to be challenging them. >> very good. homeland security correspondent this morning. let us know if you learn anything else.

let's bring in fran townsend, the former director of homeland security. i'm not sure where you are. are you able to see this right now? >> i am, heidi. i'm looking at the same monitor that you are. it is difficult for us here in the bureau to make out what's going on. you know, we should underscore it is very unusual even for warning shots to be fired by the coast guard at a vessel. obviously they're on alert today because of the anniversary of 9/11 and the ceremony but if they actually -- if we could confirm that they actually fired rounds that would be a very unusual step for them to take. >> i thought so. as it was being explained to us, the coast guard can come up to a weekend boater or someone who isn't quite familiar with this restricted space on the potomac river and say you are in restricted space, are you aware of that? you have to leave and that usually ends up being the end of it. to escalate it to the point where they had to fire perhaps

warning shots seems like things are more serious. >> it's sort of incomprehensible why a recreational voter wouldn't heed the warning and direction of the coast guard. people don't realize that we see this with small passenger planes. recreational passenger planes. sometimes someone will violate a restricted zone, be radioed to and they get out immediately because it's not intentional. this is pretty important and worth watching for us. >> let me ask you this, fran, i certainly don't want to speculate because we don't know where we're at right now but oning this thing we're looking at as we get live pictures in is the coast guard boats with flashing lights on top are not driving as fast as they were before. now they are just mobile in that space. i'm seeing traffic flowing

freely across both of the bridges there. if it were going get to the point of potential -- i'm not sure how to put it. if this was some type of -- >> confrontation. >> exactly. confrontation. would the bridges be closed down as well to get people out of that space? >> it's entirely possible depending on how the situation and confrontation would escalate. it is conceivable they could close bridges to prevent others from getting involved in the crossfire. they practice these sorts of missions and the idea is to keep it as contained as possible. it may very well be the r recreational boat goes away and we go back to normal patrols. >> appreciate the insight.

we see them speed up once again. it's really tough to try and make out what might be happening here. we do have something -- i hope that it's available right now. some of the audio communications taking place. let's hissen in. fran, his within me. tell me what you hear. obviously we are not able to bring those up right now. i think we've been able to hear a little bit in our control room. we'll continue to try to bring that audio to air just as soon as we can get it because i think we may have a better idea with you with us, fran, as to what these communications sound like and what they mean.

right now we still see a lot of activity. what typically happens next in a situation like this? is there any way to know? >> difficult to say. no question the boats on the potomac will communicate with coast guard headquarters which is a short distance from the scene you're looking at who will communicate with the secretary of homeland security and her command center keeping her apprised. the operational control of this incident will remain with the coast guard and that will be in the chain of command obviously in terms of making any decisions particularly something like the authorization to fire on a recreational boat. >> all right. obviously great job by our affiliate here getting the video in and trying to stay trained on those boats. happening on the potomac river. the coast guard is apparently fired some type of shots. we quite frankly do not know if those were warning shots but

according to jeanne that's likely the case. ten rounds were fired on a boat that came into this restricted space that's very well known in the area of the potomac that you're looking at right now. i'm going to try to pull up that audio communication between the coast guard vessels. let's listen in one more time. >> slow down. stop your vessel. you will be fired on. all right. once again that's some of the communications that we heard the coast guard. to me, fran, if you were able to hear that and if you are still with us, it sounds to me like that was communication with the suspicious boat. >> that's right. it sounds like what we were listening to was the warning from the coast guard patrol

vessel to the boat telling -- warning them, you're in restricted zone. get out of it. if you don't heed their command or direction, you may be fired upon. that's a standard -- what you heard was standard process for the coast guard to warn a recreational vehicle that they violated a temporary restricted zone. the interesting thing to me is whether the fact that the recreational vehicle didn't immediately respond to that. >> yeah, is it possible they just didn't hear the warning? they would hear that, correct? >> hard to imagine that you wouldn't have heard it. you're required to have radio communications gear on board. it would be hard to imagine they didn't hear or didn't know they had been warned not to mention the coast guard patrol boat activity around them to have not heard it and not noticed it is sort of hard to imagine. >> give us perspective. we should remind everyone that you are coming to us from washington.

today it would be important obviously on september 11th to know the position of what we're looking at. this portion of the potomac is restricted because how close is it to some of the federal buildings? >> most people don't realize where you are on the potomac is just adjacent to the pentagon. just off the water is where the memorial is and where the ceremony, where the president was and so there would have been a restricted zone there if the president had been in that area regardless but today as you mentioned, heidi, on a special day where you have the victims' families and all sorts of military officials including the president, it's a particularly sensitive time to be careful about enforcing that security zone and so the coast guard rightly took their responsibilities there very seriously and were very aggressive about notifying the recreational boat. >> i'm still fascinated looking at the bridges there because traffic obviously still moving

very freely just thinking that if it had escalated or would at some moment escalate they would really be careful and move quickly to shut down those bridges and keep civilians or motorists out of harm's way. >> i think that's right. what you can't see there is the potomac river has an inlet that goes closer to the pentagon and you can see the reason that they are very careful about that area is because if you go past the shot we're looking at now and go closer to the pentagon, you're even in a better position if you wanted to launch some sort of attack from the water on the pentagon. it really is understandable both with why the temporary restrictive zone is there and why the coast guard is aggressive about protecting it today. >> what happens to the president during something like this? just curious. obviously we just heard him speak a few moments ago, laid the wreath in memory of those that were lost on this day eight years ago. does the motorcade go this way

to get him back to the white house? >> well, what would have been happening is the secret service has got obviously the ability to monitor the radio frequencies and do that live as it's happening. they'll adjust his motorcade route and his security package as they're going. >> right. we're learning just to make sure that we're as accurate as we can be in the middle of all of this, the president is back at the white house. would this be a normal route? there's no normal route because you have to change it up. nobody wants to know exactly where he is at all times. listen, we appreciate all of the information you were able to get us. please let us know if you are hearing anymore here because we we want to keep people informed. stunning to me that this is happening right now on september 11th. certainly not what we want to be seeing. quickly want to update everybody as to what you are looking at. we have gotten information and confirmation that the united states coast guard is tracking

and challenging suspicious boats not quite sure how many. they have actually now fired shots, not sure if those were warning shots or if the boat was fired upon, but they are in restricted space on the potomac river which we heard fran describing near federal buildings and that's why it's restricted. so we'll continue to watch these live pictures right now. i believe we have one of our correspondents mike brooks with us right now. you were with washington, d.c. police for years and years. the can you provide us insight as to what is going on in a situation like this? >> on 9/11 you'll have in d.c. and new york extra patrols but keep in mind that the president did go to the pentagon this morning. don't want to say how he got there but let me just put it to you this way. when the president is there, there's a possibility that he may or may not go across either the bottom of the screen

memorial bridge and at the top of the screen roosevelt bridge, they'll restrict this area around the bridges because of boats possibly coming up underneath the bridge if the president needs to use the bridge and the main duty for patrol of the potomac river is supported by the u.s. coast guard and i can tell you that most of the time when the president is moving across the bridge or may move across these bridges, you have secret service on board one of the coast guard boats or metropolitan police department harbor boats. that's one of the things. you always have a primary and secondary route for the president if something happens en route and there are certain places they go. that's all predetermined by the metropolitan police, u.s. park police and u.s. secret service that works details around d.c. and in the d.c. area. >> appreciate that very much. we should also point out quickly

because people did watch live on our air moments ago the president speaking at the 9/11 ceremonies. that was at the pentagon obviously. he needed to get back to the white house. he's at the white house. he's secure in that building. it is interesting to talk about these routes obviously constantly changing so that there is no pattern for which mode of travel the president would be taking. mike, sure do appreciate that. we want to get to our pentagon correspondent barbara starr standing by with more information about what we're looking at here. interesting to point out, these two bridges we're talking about memorial and 14th street, correct? >> that's right, heidi. as you look at the screen there this is very close to the pentagon. the president was here this morning. that obviously -- you can't say often enough is the major concern about the security around this facility. for people who have not visited here, there are several acres of land around the pentagon. large parking lots. highways, roads, for access for

the 20,000 people who come to work here every single day. and what is just absolutely beyond astounding to most of us who are in this building, including the journalists, is everyone had their tv sets on watching the 9/11 ceremonies, watching the president here and suddenly one more time the picture changes and we're right back into a security incident. word has spread instantly up and down the hallways. all five floors of this building. people are now really peeled to their tv sets watching this wanting to know what's going on. again, for people who haven't been to the pentagon complex, i think it's interesting to note, one of the big changes after 9/11 -- we talked about 20,000 people come here every day. but they really have moved the roads and moved the parking lots so the general public doesn't have very close access to the building obviously bluntly because of the concern about terrorism and car bombs and that sort of thing.

the waterway, the potomac river is one area of civilian traffic. not that close let's be blunt. you couldn't really blow a boat up on the river and impact the pentagon. it is an area of being able to transit up and down so close to the pentagon on the virginia side of the river, so close to many federal buildings on the washington side of the river. so people here watching this unfold very familiar with the piece of water you're seeing, those two bridges which are major commuters routes and waiting to see what happens. pentagon security teams watching this also very carefully. we are told at this point, heidi, for change in the security status around the pentagon. this is always a place in some sense of lockdown. >> exactly. and as you mentioned so well, certainly on september 11th every year as well that type of security obviously in the forefront of everyone's minds. we continue to watch these

pictures, too, barbara because i keep watching for activity whether or not the coast guard boats which we are seeing three of them right now. you can see flashing lights on top of those boats. again, united states coast guard here. whether or not they are traveling or racing around that area as we saw earlier, we now got a helicopter flying through the shot. not sure -- that would not be media. that's restricted airspace as well, barbara? >> you know, i think what we know is that any time as mike brooks said the president moves anywhere but especially in washington, d.c., there's a security zone around him. i think as both mike and our security correspondent would tell you, since 9/11, there's a real inner agency response that's quick when anything like this happens. the metropolitan washington area, the metropolitan d.c. police department, federal authorities, the fbi, the

department of homeland security, the coast guard, the u.s. military, there is a very significant inter agency security apparatus and ability to deploy forces very quickly throughout the washington area for any type of security situation. i think what's interesting and we perhaps don't know the answer yet as you're pointing out, what's going on here? if they have these suspicious or suspect boats sort of in a lockdown situation, if they have them surrounded, you know, we'll see something unfold. when they are chasing them, that's perhaps the most unsettling. >> absolutely. barbara, as we talk to you on this day eight years later from the september 11th attacks, i know you were there at the pentagon and as you mentioned, everyone talking in the halls right now about what's

happening. the concern couldn't be higher as we continue to look at these live pictures of the potomac river and what's happening. >> i want to add one thing. we americans sort of tend to forget a little bit. it's been eight years. a lot of people came to work in this building this morning saying saying it's raining outside and miserable. we won't go outside to the ceremony. we're very sorry for the families but it's another miserable rainy day in washington d.c. looking at it with a sense of sophisticated boredom if you will. and now we have this. and it really hits you. >> absolutely. barbara, i appreciate that. we want to get back to you if you are able to learn anymore information from your seat. the pentagon. our homeland security correspondent has new information at this hour. what do you have? >> we've been talking to the coast guard since we became aware of this incident. they're not able to confirm exactly what was happening on the river.

we are told that commander is in the command center trying to get answers as to what is going on. the command center is a short hop down the river from where this took place. the coast guard can't give us any answers yet as to how many boats were involved, how serious an incident this was, whether shots were indeed fired or not. we're waiting to get answers on all of that. >> sure. of course. i just wonder if we're not able to get those answers, does that possibly mean the incident isn't over? you said whether shots were fired. over or no? >> i think that it is. looking at that picture, i haven't seen those boats moving at all. i think that it is a static situation right now. you know, there's the possibility that maybe -- who knows what they're looking at. they could be looking at the possibility that this wasn't a real threat at all. perhaps this was something like a training exercise that may be something that they're looking

at. we haven't gotten any answers yet. we are seeing another boat come into the picture now there. i can't tell you what that is. none of the others are moving to head it off. it wouldn't appear to be anything threatening. the president has left the pentagon. the high threat situation would have been diminished somewhat. >> exactly. we had heard just a little while ago that he was back at the white house inside the white house and that was interesting information to have. definitely. as you mention, a forth boat in that picture trying ining to f out if the situation is over or still being handled. certainly the coast guard has television sets and if this were a training exercise wouldn't they want to answer that question immediately at this point? >> you would think they would and you would have thought that 9/11 wouldn't be the day for that. particularly in the vicinity of the pentagon. but as i say, we just don't have any answers yet. we can't say that's what it was

or whether this was a genuine incident. i was listening to those scanners myself. i heard them say that ten rounds had been fired. now there needs to be a question of whether that took place or not. some mystery here. >> obviously you need to be checking with your sources and making more of those phone calls because we are trying to get to the bottom of this just unbelievable that we're even talking about it at all on september 11th. we'll stay very, very close to this story. jeanne will be out checking with her sources and barbara starr and mike brooks. we'll bring in fran townsend once again. will they run a train exercise on september 11th? >> as i once said about the buzz over of lower manhattan it would be felony stupidity if they decided to run a training exercise on september 11th at

the same time the president is at the pentagon. it is inconceivable that anybody would have approved a training exercise on this day. >> it would never be approved. how high a level does something like that go? would the secretary of defense have known about it? where does that go exactly? >> normal l aally a training ex doesn't go up to the cabinet level. >> but on this day -- >> i wouldn't rule it out. the government has made these sorts of mistakes in the past as we've seen. it really would be a tragic, horrible mistake for which people should be held accountable by the way if there is a training exercise like this in this area on this day. and i also think jeanne is right. if this was a training exercise, the command center ought to know that and been able to have said that to calm the public. so i think it's odd if this turns out that it's just a training exercise. >> okay.

all right, fran. we're obviously making all of those phone calls now. seems just unbelievable. i can't think of another word if in fact that were the case. maybe there will be a reason for it if that's the case and we'll learn more about that. alongside you, fran, i want to bring up that picture so everyone knows what we're talking about here. live pictures that we continue to watch. we're looking at four vessels right there in the center memorial bridge and 14th street bridge on the potomac river washington, d.c. area not far away from several federal buildings that you can just get a little glimpse of on the shores there because the coast guard originally verbiage was began tracking and challenging suspicious boat or boats in the area. this is restricted space. most boaters know that they are not allowed in this area. apparently what we are hearing is the coast guard went over and

said you have to get out of this area. it's restricted space. and there were apparently ten rounds fired. whether they were warning shots or whether it was at the boat, we don't have that information just yet. also possible information that perhaps was some type of training exercise. we have been working the story very hard this morning and jeanne is able to bring us new information right now. >> looks like a training exercise after all. we're told that this was a training exercise. we've also heard from a local police agency that they have been told directly by the coast guard that this was a training incident. all of this morning along the potomac river just as 9/11 commemorations were taking place, which included radio traffic saying shuts had been fired apparently all a training

exercise. not a real intrusion into restricted waters. >> you are our homeland security correspondent. your thoughts and have you ever heard or seen something going on like this on september 11th? what was the reasoning? i'm sure you're asking those questions. i can't believe it. >> the coast guard hasn't talked directly to us about this yet. the coast guard is saying they told the federal government, they told local police agencies, this was a training exercise. they have not told us that directly yet. we haven't got all of those questions answered. those are questions to be asked. what were they thinking to do this on this particular date on the potomac river right next to the pentagon as ceremonies were taking place, as the president was in place at the pentagon. i'm speechless over the whole thing. the good news here is it wasn't

a real incident. it is easier because of that. >> we should say again, wanting everyone to know watching over the last several minutes here as we've been following this story live looking at live pictures of the restricted space in between memorial bridge and 14th street bridge on the potomac, this was according to a federal source, a coast guard training exercise on september 11th. fran townsend, you call it felony stupidity. >> this ranks up there with someone approving the buzz over of lower manhattan with a mock-up of air force one. what we need to have happen right now is commitment on the part of the secretary of homeland security and the coast guard to come out in front of the press and explain this. i expect we won't get our questions answered yet because they don't know what happened. frankly, they need to come out and apologize and they need to commit to us that they'll figure it out and then be transparent

about what they do find out. i have to tell you, eight years after september 11th, the fact that we've had two of these mistakes in the course of several months is outrageous. you know, like many americans, i myself lost somebody on 9/11 and it makes me angry that the government can't get their act together and doesn't yet seem to understand that this really does have an impact on people especially on the anniversary. >> also we want to make sure that we're clear, fran, because you can look at it two different ways here. we do not -- we have not heard directly from the coast guard ourselves that they say they did communicate that this would be a training exercise held today to the federal government. even if that is the case that we learn later that did happen, what does that say about the communication system? >> that's right. by the way, why didn't they also alert the press so that there wasn't this -- you know, we didn't go through this period of

covering it and not understanding what we were looking at. there's a whole series of questions. even if they did tell other federal partners, we need to understand why the communications weren't better. >> listen, we have mike brooks standing by with some new information to share as well. he's our law enforcement analyst. what do you have? >> after i hung up with you, i was talking with federal law enforcement sources. one source with the fbi said they got over their pagers that it was in fact a training exercise. as fran was saying, i've been involved in hundreds of training exercises in and around washington when i was with the fbi joint terrorist task force. this is unbelievable to me as a former law enforcement professional. if you're doing a training exercise on 9/11, take it away from the 14th street bridge, from the memorial bridge, from roosevelt bridge, from the pentagon and all of the other federal icons you have in the city. this is just unbelievable to me.

also, what usually happens when you have a training exercise? it's right before you start all of the radio communications talk about shots fired, you make it perfectly clear that it is in fact a training exercise. wh was this done? it doesn't sound like it to me. this is a mistake that is -- you know, a little over an hour after marking the eighth-year anniversary of what happened hundreds of yards away from where this exercise was going on. >> i hear frustration and anger in your voice as well on a day like this it's hard not to think it and, fran, as you mentioned, about victims' family members and how this would make them feel on this day after we have spent a lot of time on it and covering it not knowing ourselves what was happening here until we were able to find out that indeed the united states coast guard training

exercise. let me see what more we can find out now. who do we have on the line with us, guys? okay. fran, you are still with us. what happens next? you think what should happen is this at the level of secretary of defense robert gates who should come in front of a microphone? saying this is what we did, we didn't know, they didn't know, whatever the story turns out to be he should be fielding that? >> no. the united states coast guard as you will remember reports into the secretary of homeland security. this is not a secretary gates issue. it's a secretary napolitano issue. i have no doubt at this point in time that he has spoken with the secretary and will have to explain to her what happened, what they did and why it turned out the way it did. i do think just to instill a sense of calm now, the secretary of homeland security ought to

step in front of the cameras. explain it was a training exercise and apologize to the american people and especially to the victims of 9/11 and commit to the fact they'll try to find out and understand how this went so horribly wrong. you know, that's going to take a bit of time. for sure we need to understand did they notify other federal agencies? did they notify state and locals? why didn't they put a notification out to the press? >> that's the key question obviously. >> they need to commit to us they're going to find out and make that public. >> okay. very good. fran townsend, thanks so much. we'll take a very quick break as we continue to follow this story on the potomac river today. back in a moment. (mom) he needed everything for college:

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breaking news this morning that we've been following. there was an incident on the potomac river to be specific in between memorial bridge there and the 14th street bridge. the united states coast guard came upon what they're calling or what they did call a suspicious vessel. they warned that that vessel was in restricted river space there and i'm trying to figure out if these are live pictures yet again. we're looking at more u.s. coast guard boats. we are learning more about this that indeed it was a training exercise on september 11th. jeanne meserve is with us once again. do you have something new for us? >> reporter: the coast guard

isn't telling us directly this was a training exercise but we heard from a number of sources elsewhere in the government and local police agencies that they've been told directly by the coast guard this was a training exercise. the coast guard is gathering information and they are promising us they'll have answers soon. the top guy of the coast guard was anxious so get answers. we're told that commandant trotted down to the command center to say what is going on here? they are still gathering the facts. they still have not told us everything. from multiple sources this was a training exercise remarkably enough on the anniversary of 9/11. >> let me just ask you a question about that with regard to september 11th. obviously all morning long we've been following the ceremonies and people being remembered who died that day in washington and at the pentagon and in shanksville, pennsylvania. is there any chance that a training exercise like this would go on specifically because

it was september 11th? i mean from what you're telling us abouted that ed thathad all like he's not crazy about this. >> i think that allen as i understand it wanted to find out what was going on. i don't know what his attitude is about what went on. i think you could trust fran townsend, a top official at the white house to tell you that this was a really bad idea. she's been on the inside and understands how these things are talked about and i would be at a loss to figure out why it would be a good idea to do it on this day. >> i want to throw that out there. sometimes when we think about this day, everything is so different on this day and maybe they were trying to run a training exercise specifically because things are so different on this day and who knows maybe there were lessons to be learned that you wouldn't get on another

day. >> perhaps. we'll wait and see what they tell us. >> obviously. a lot of questions to be asked as we continue this morning. jeanne meserve, appreciate that. we'll take a quick break and continue to work this story for you happening on the potomac and also back to our september 11th commemorations this morning. i assure you it does. i can only taste... only taste the crunchy clusters, honey, and brown sugar. no madam, i don't have esp. (announcer) fiber one. cardboard no. delicious yes. you can serve a nutritious breakfast from walmart for just over $1 a person. one breakfast a week saves a family of four over $800 a year. save money. live better. walmart. - oh, come on. - enough! you get half and you get half. ( chirp ) team three, boathouse? ( chirp ) oh yeah-- his and hers. - ( crowd gasping ) - ( chirp ) van gogh? ( chirp ) even steven.

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watching take place on the potomac. looking at video from earlier because the united states coast guard apparently was conducting a training exercise. you see a gun on the very tip of that ship there or boat i should say. and there were according to some communications that we heard there was another boat that came into the area that was apparently suspicious and there were ten rounds fired. we don't know and are continuing to confirm whether there were real rounds fired or not. once again, all of this confusion because apparently it was a training exercise on september 11th. a lot of questions to be asked here. new information coming in from john king. he's telling me that law enforcement sources are actually saying now that, yes, the secret

service was trying to figure out what was going on here because you can see all of this activity there on the water. they were told by the pentagon there was nothing to worry about and passed that along to the president's staff that it was a training exercise. of course we should also remind you that the president was already back at the white house when this event began and we had seen him speak moments later. a lot of questions to be asked here. all of our correspondents are working on it and we'll bring you latest information as it continues to develop. >> let's renew our resolve against those who perpetrated this barbaric act and plot against us still. in defense of our nation we'll never waiver. pursuit of al qaeda and its extremist allies we will never falter. let us renew our commitment to

all those who serve in our defense. our courageous men and women in uniform and all those who protect us here at home. mindful that the work protecting america is never finished, we'll do everything in our power to keep america safe. september 11th eight years later. throughout the morning memorial services have been held at the sites of the terrorist attacks. at ground zero a moment of silence a few moments ago marking the exact moment that the north tower collapsed. former secretary of state colin powell in shanksville, pennsylvania. that is where united airlines flight 93 crashed into a field. a solemn ceremony also taking place at the pentagon where president obama delivered remarks just a short time ago and placed a wreath. our pentagon correspondent barbara starr is joining us live once again with the latest on

the war on terror. we did think we were going to be talking about september 11th all morning long and then this incident on the potomac and now back to afghanistan and the fact we're at war there dates us all of the way back to 2001, september 11th. >> that's really a point of reflection today. eight years later what we're suddenly seeing but maybe not so sudden but may have been coming for a long time is a political referendum and an emotional referendum on this eight-year war on afghanistan as the president lay the wreath commemorating the events of september 11th that began the war in afghanistan people are asking the question how much longer, how many more troops, is it really worth it? what we saw emerge in the last two days was opposition from the democrats on capitol hill from two crucial places. house speaker nancy pelosi and senator karl levin democrat, chairman of the powerful senate armed services committee. both now expressing their

concern and the beginning of opposition to an escalation of the war to sending of large numbers of additional u.s. combat forces. asking a lot of questions about how those forces would be used and can the u.s. really succeed in afghanistan eight years later. is this really a winnable war against the taliban or a counterinsurgency that will drag on for many more years into a quagmire. as we see this commemoration of events of september 11th, we see a lot of questions emerge and real questions about long-term u.s. public support for the war. heidi? >> of course. where does that stand right now as we continue to look at this again i keep saying it all morning long, eight years later. >> you know, there are polls that have been out there showing some decline in public support. defense secretary robert gates has been making the point that he thinks there's about a year

left to show progress. in the next 12 months they have to do something to show that u.s. troops have turned the tide and momentum to change the perception if not reality that the taliban have a certain momentum in afghanistan and that now the momentum is back with the coalition and with the afghan military. 12 months is a really short time because basically we're one year away from the midterm elections and the obama administration politically and militarily want to show progress well before those midterm elections. it will take a long time to get more troops there. so the window of getting something to happen is short. >> we appreciate it. thanks so much. a gender controversy in the

world of running. a south african champion tested to see if she's a woman. now, new reports about the test results are sparking some route yage.

prosecutors in california will seek the death penalty against a former sunday school teacher accused of raping and murdering 8-year-old sandra cantu. her body was found stuffed in a suitcase submerged in a pond. huckaby is pleading not guilty to all charges. several top militants are under arrest in pakistan right now. a key commander and high profile spokesman were taken by security forces during operations. three other commanders were also detained. the pakistani army says the men

are being interrogated. a taliban spokesman publicly invited osama bin laden to move to the taliban strong hold in the swat valley. michael jackson fans are about to get the first peek at a behind the scenes documentary of the pop star's final three months. mtv will air the video. the documentary, michael jackson, this is it, features tape from about 100 hours of video by concert promoter aeg. meanwhile, a tribute concert planned for later this month be in vienna has been rescheduled now to june 2010 in london. there are new developments with the h1n1 flu or swine flu as you may know it. ree researchers say a single dose may be enough for most adults. instead of two-shot dose, people can get just one.

the vaccines could be used to protect twice as many people. the vaccine is to be available to the public by mid october. cdc says they confirmed the first case of a drug resistant flu. tamiflu was given to people at a summer camp. the cdc said to wait to use the drugs until you are actually sick. south africa expressing outrage over reports that world champion runner caster semenya has both male and female organs. gender test indicate the 18-year-old south african athlete is a hermaphrodite. south african officials call the media coverage an outrage.

they say her privacy rights have been violated. thanks to watching everybody. join tony harris in just a moment.

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