joseph dunford. at 10:00 eastern, the house returns for work on oil and natural gas drilling legislation. on c-span2, the senate comes in at 9:30 a.m. for debate with speech is expected throughout the day on the 9/11 terror attacks. and on c-span3, the remembrance service from new york city marking the 9/11 anniversary. that starts at 8:30 a.m. eastern. announcer: this morning on washington journal, we discussed the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, with four members of congress. democratic congresswoman and homeland security chair presented bennie thompson, homeland security committee member michael guest. later, democratic senator and homeland security committee member tom carper, and republican senator and homeland duty committee chair.

as always, we will take your calls and you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter as well. next. host: this is a flag unveiling ceremony from earlier this morning at the pentagon as part of the events surrounding the 18 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. washington, new york, pennsylvania. we will show you events not only from the pentagon. later, events planned at the white house and ground zero in new york city. we will speak with key legislators about the state of homeland security and we will hear firm you -- hear from you on this anniversary. 202-748-8000 if you live in the eastern and central time zone.

if you live in the mountain and pacific time zone, 202-748-8001. starting today, you can text us your comments and thoughts. that text number, 202-748-8003. you can tweet if you want @cspanwj. and on our facebook page, you can post there, too at facebook.com/cspan. abc news takes a look at some of the deaths that happened post the 18 years because of medical illnesses, particularly to first responders. nypd died off the 9/11 related illnesses compared to the 23 killed in the attack on the world trade center. that number continues to grow. it is heartbreaking. it is sad for the department and the families left behind. the last 18 years have been just

as devastating for the fire department. 22 members have died from 9/11 related illnesses. on friday afternoon, their names will be added to the trade -- world trade center memorial wall. that will be the inscription that reads on the wall. if you go to the washington post , lauren k johnson is based in seattle. she is a writer and served with the air force in afghanistan. posting an op-ed, happy birthday to the war without end. president george w. bush gave his mission accomplished speech may 2003. december 2014, barack obama hailed the end of combat operations in afghanistan.

79 u.s. military personnel have been killed there. at the most recent death occurred september 5. spohn new --ars spawn new wars. she adds this saying my generation, the first of the post 9/11 veterans and those who came before, we are the memory keepers. we remember airports before the see something, say something era. we were not so polarized by rage and fear and tragedy such as columbine were the exception. my hope is we never forget. my fear is that we already have. that is the thought of learn k johnson. you can see that in the washington post and you can add your thoughts to the mix as well. if you want to give us a call if you live in the eastern and central time zones, it is 202-748-8000. for those of you in the eastern

and central time zones and if you live in the mountain and pacific time zones, 202-748-8001 . you can text the program. if you want to send a text, we ask you give your name, city, and state. the text number is 202-748-8003. you can post on twitter at @cspanwj and our facebook page at facebook.com/cspan. alex starts us off in rockville, maryland. good morning, go ahead. caller: i am a navy iraq war vet. i want to thank everybody who saved lives. we were all neighbors. there was no racism about who you were. as i speak today, i volunteered naval community events and in my area, they don't have veterans speak to the kids. you talking about how to remember if you don't enforce -- they have volunteers who are

veterans and those who provide safety to people, let the youth and people know let's serve and continue and it is disappointing when you cannot even give a historical perspective. it is disappointing when we cannot keep on forgetting about these tragedies and come together only because of tragedy. host: do you recall what you were doing on that day? caller: i was a navy reservist. i had just joined at 22 years old. i was two months into the reserves. the only reason i got in, i wanted to serve at 32 and they age waiver. all through marilyn, d.c., all the phones were locked. no one could call each other. i was going from neighbor to neighbor and they were telling me, this is real.

it is unbelievable like a movie that is a nightmare. albert hitchcock did not make anything like this. in north carolina, you are next up. good morning. caller: that was quick. good morning, pedro. how are you? host: fine, thank you. go ahead. caller: like one of the callers said, we said we would never forget, but i think it is natural to let things slip away. i am sure something similar happened to civil war veterans and world war i and we see it happening with world war ii. the thing that is slipping away and i think it is being done to a certain degree consciously and sipped a manic -- systematically and by design is the dots that had to be connected. thene could have predicted planes being flown into the

towers or what happened on that day, but there was a steady stream of islamic jihadist attacks against america that went back to the first world trade center bombing in the parking garages in 1993 and for almost a decade, they, they being the violent strain of that -- i will qualify that not all muslims are of this ilk, but there are too many that are. the bombing of the world .rade center in 1993 we also had the bombings of the embassies in africa. we had the attack on the uss cole. we had the attack on the barracks in saudi arabia. ofwas a steady stream

coordinated, islamic jihadist attacks against american outpost's and installations, all overseas. host: where do you think we are today? caller: that is a good question. i think there is a strain of american politics and political correctness that does -- i am going to watch the news today because i am off work today. ofneed -- not for purposes demonization, but we also cannot run away from the fact of who caused this. that gets buried, that gets pushed aside. this was not just a terror attack, this was a coordinated paramilitary attack on the united states by a violent strain of islamism that plagues us today, all over the world. the middle east is still problematic, to say the least. host: let's hear from jack in

seattle, washington. good morning. caller: i am calling about -- i want to be one of those people who will never forget. i was affected by it very strongly. i was coaching a youth basketball team and right after practice, one of my players came up to me and said coach, i have to fly to new york, this was like september 13 or something. i said, let me know when you come back and i remember her uncle was one of the firefighters lost in one of the towers and it really affected me very heavily. i did not realize it until i got home and then it really hit me hard. i took it very personally. when i saw her at practice a couple days later i told her, if they ever build some kind of

memorial thing or something, i want to go to new york and pay respects. 2012, my two sisters and i flew to new york and we went to the 9/11 memorial and the building, obviously it was not finished yet, but it was amazing to see that beautiful building being constructed while i was walking around the memory -- where they have all the names and the waterfall is right there. absolutely powerful moment in my life to walk around and look at that building and no those people did not beat us. it was a very powerful and emotional moment reading all those names as you walk around. i would recommend anybody that visits new york city to go to the memorial. it is an unbelievable experience and you get a perspective of

what happened on that day. host: that is jack in washington. janice in louisiana, go ahead. caller: hello. we should never have gone into afghanistan. in the beginning, the afghani's did not bomb us in 2001 read it was the saudi arabians and the taliban did not hate us in the beginning, nor the people. when we went in like gangbusters, that goodwill fell apart. we need to get out of afghanistan. too many american soldiers have paid dearly for our government's mistakes. send diplomats over to help the taliban, et cetera, to get together with our government. host: that is janice on this 18th anniversary of 9/11.

we show you from the white house, events there. flag at half mast -- half-staff and other events that will take place today as well airing the course of the morning. again, we want to hear from you about this 18th anniversary. 202-748-8000 if you live in the eastern and central time zones, 202-748-8001 in the mountain on pacific time zones. starting today, you can text us. inaugural text coming in today from new jersey this morning. we know very well what happened 18 years ago this day. we must remain vigilant, but not given to those who seek to divide us. says iff of facebook worked at a high school and years went on. none of these students were

alive when 9/11 happened. we must never forget this day. my first thought is praying for the victims and the victims's family. my second thought is 80's crazy it has already been 18 years there it i remember the entire day like it was yesterday. kimberly says i remember a brought out the best in all of us. there were no race divisions, unwavering unity as americans. i wish it did not take tragedies to unite us. senator martha mcsally from arizona on her twitter feed adds this saying this morning she is climbing 2071 steps for 110 -- the same who gave the ultimate sacrifice on 9/11. we will never forget the heroism they showed on that terrible day. tracy in new jersey, you are next. caller: good morning. i love this show, i always do.

i really don't know why those people bombed us and i would --e to know anybody explain hear anybody explain the history of why they bombed us. host: where do you think we are 18 years after the event? where do you think we are as far as homeland security and those matters 18 years after 9/11? caller: i don't know. i really never heard anybody do a serious discussion on why they think they had to bomb us. host: let's go to eli in st. clair shores. hello. caller: i can answer that last question. possiblyr 1998 or both, bin laden declared a plot against the united states. and thes against iraq use of u.s. troops in saudi

arabia. there are a number of fallacies regarding 9/11. one young lady called earlier and said saudi arabia was involved in the attack, they were not. they were not representatives of the saudi government. essential we got the taliban out of afghanistan state. it was a failed host: let's hear from kevin in maryland, you are next up, good morning. caller: it's just wanted to say in remembrance of 9/11, wanted to share my experience. i was actually in college when 9/11 took place. it aid me want to get involved in public service. just try to support the efforts of america's services as much as

possible. to the lady that said we should not have gotten involved in afghanistan, i strongly disagree. i think we should have gotten involved in afghanistan. i think what we should not have done was gotten involved in iraq, but we should have gotten involved in afghanistan. we should have remain involved and we should ensure it is not a safe haven for terrorists to launch attacks on america again. where we made the mistake was misdirecting our attention from afghanistan and starting a war in iraq. host: your calls welcomed during the course of the morning. you can text us as well at 202-748-8003. post on our twitter feed and facebook page. this is from roseann in san diego adding to the conversation, don't forget those murdered in the airplane crash in pennsylvania. vice president fike pence set to speak in pennsylvania to honor those lost in flight 93.

several events taking place today and we will show video from all those major locations. you have seen them already from the white house to ground zero to the pentagon. several events will take place throughout the morning. we invite you to go to c-span.org for more information on the events of today and how you can view them. that is available at c-span.org. cj in richfield, minnesota. caller: thank you for taking my call. god bless america and thank you, again. i was unemployed at the time when 9/11 happened, so i was at home watching it on tv. after that, i noticed that when i went outside and everybody was real nice to each other. it was the first time for about a week i saw solidarity in america. if you check the news, you will see the crime rate went down. you did not even hear about anything going on but what was

going on with 9/11. after that, everybody went back to being the way they used to be . i usually watched the gospel shows that come on and the churches were flooded. i remember joyce myers making a speech that morning and she said the spirit of the church where it was so many people in there -- through all her sermon that day. i remember the american people -- solidarity for the first time in my lifetime and after that, we know the rest. thank you for letting me get that in. host: specific events you can watch on c-span today, 8:30 on c-span 3, events happening in new york city to remember this day. you can see events at the pentagon scheduled to start around 9:10 this morning.

watch that on this channel and if you go to c-span.org, events from pennsylvania starting at nine: 45 this morning, wherever you can view those events. all that information available .o you at c-span.org a text from amanda. anyone who lived through 9/11 will not forget the impact of knowing americans were under attack on their own soil. new generations only know it as a day that will live in infamy, such is the nature of history. shannon saying she was in band class. it was confusing, heartbreaking, and an anxious day in high school. carol saying i just started teaching in florida. i lived in boca raton. the terrorists were in pompano and the light before they were living it up at a very nice bar and restaurant in palm beach where many took visitors. this is some of the comments on our social media and text feeds.

this is from richard, maryland. you are next. caller: hi. i am dr. samuel. i was working in the er in alexandria the time when the planes hit -- all the planes hit the pentagon. patientsfew of the transferred to our er. they closed down the er, this is a freestanding er. we were in alexandria at the veryh plaques and it was a -- thing. they closed it down so if any of the injured needed immediate attention, we were there to attend to them. we had a few of them come over to our place. i remember one person was thrown

off the chair with the impact. it was already a frightening moment. at the same time, we just realized the world we are living in is so unpredictable. pat isashington, d.c., next. good morning. caller: hello. i would like to say thank you for this program and allowing me it.une into these things we celebrate in america, the atrocities that go on around the world that america always seems to have their hands and, like the bombings and one the gentleman did not mention was the ohio bombing, i believe they blew the front of the fbi building off. then you had columbine and of

course, 911. our government -- in order for people to hate you, you have to give them a reason to hate you. we talk about afghanistan and the saudi arabians and the and things like that and we mention the things they do and we hate on them, but what about the things we have done to them to make them want to hate on us? the bottom line is we need to get our house in order before we keep going up to other people's houses telling them what they can and cannot do. the first step would be if we could get a president that has a backbone in the white house and stand up to the nra and let's put a stop to this because if you don't, sooner and later and probably sooner more than later,

another devastating killing is going to happen, massacre with guns. host: let's hear from tina in pennsylvania. good morning. thank you for taking my call. 18 years ago, my family worked at the pentagon. i am not going to get into what we lost and how it affected us, but the problem with america today is people don't remember, they took videos off the tv tragedy.t was a it was very emotional. a lot of people could not deal with. i had small children. every year my kids watch that tape. this year, my grandkids will watch that tape. on september 11, we came together as a nation. it wasn't about if you were republican or democrat, if you were black, you were white, you

were immigrant or natural born, we work together. we were united. it angers me to hear some of these calls because it is not on president trump. you don't like him, i get it. this is about people coming to our nation and doing harm. there is nothing we can do about it because we have certain people in certain parties that absolutely want everybody and anybody to come in. we had that happen once and look what happened. host: you said your grandchildren will watch a tape. a tape of what? of that day.vents i still have a vcr. i recorded everything. i was married to a man in the navy and i remember going and pressing his uniform wondering because he had retired in august

and wondering if he was going to be called back to duty. they will sit this evening and they will watch so they don't forget. they weren't here yet. my children were young, they barely remember the events of that day, but i will not let them forget. of those people died in vain because we allowed it. host: let's hear from byron in oregon, you are next up. good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i have heard a lot of these phone calls and i cannot say lossing about the pain or because i was barely 2. i was not even two years old when it happened. i remember growing up in the post-9/11 world. i know a lot of people have suffered and grown up without .athers, without mothers

--is that sacrifice that that pain. i needed to join the military to protect that family. that pain i wish to protect this country some. -- this country from. that is why i wanted to tell people who are still suffering the loss 18 years later that i wish you all the love in the world and i know that no amount suppressr anger can the loss you face. plan to serve i as long as i can to make sure no one else has to go through that pain. host: that is byron in oregon. off of twitter, for folks who have not already been there, i recommend a trip to the 9/11

memorial. the national parks service has done an amazing job. the term "hero" is widely overused. asa marion says this is not day for hate, this is a day to remember in the day to be a proud american -- jeff off twitter saying he was working as a contractor, saw on television during lunch. thought it was a movie, it was not a movie, i was numb. i went back and told everyone to go home. steve from twitter, i work at a doj agency and we went to immediate lockdown. tom is next from fort fond du lac -- fort lauderdale, florida. i was onas -- caller: an aircraft on the way to puerto rico and i will never forget what i found when i landed.

believed what was going on until i saw the video of the towers on video coming down. mustst be vigilant and we not give the muslim religion a free pass like it seems like we are doing in the political scene today. i want to give everybody a couple of things to think about. number 1, the muslims trying to moderate the religion that live in the united states fear for their lives. they fear for their lives. the american idea of getting along with muslims is freedom of religion. the muslim idea of getting along is everybody is a muslim or else . we need to stay vigilant and we need to stop giving muslims a

free pass. we only have two elected muslims to the house of representatives in the united states and already is comingagainst jews out of their mouths. host: we will go to randy in indiana. go ahead. caller: thank you for taking my call. i would like to know why we haven't seen documentaries on how the 20 people got into the united states and got student loans for their flight training in why our security people the united states, weather it be the fbi or local enforcement or whoever, nobody was held responsible. fbi, mylling the

senator, both my senators and the congressman and my mayor on some people i worked with here me howent visas telling much they hated the united states. when i talk to the fbi, the fbi told me that is their right. when they were here working -- they were here on student visas. i would really like to see somebody do a documentary on the 20 people that crashed those planes into the buildings. int: that is randy indianapolis. for a half-hour, we have taken your calls and read your texts and tweets read we will do so for our to hour program today. also during the course of the morning, we will talk with key legislators on homeland security committees and show you events taking place not only here in washington, new york as well,

all of that part of our coverage. if you want to let us know your thoughts on this anniversary, 202-748-8000 for the eastern and central time zones, 202-748-8001 for the mountain and pacific time zones. you can text us starting today. 202-748-8003. when we -- when you do, all we ask is you put your name, city, and state and keep it short and to the point. you can also post on our facebook page, facebook.com/cspan. the new york police department puts out a tweet on their feed today. we lost 23 brothers and sisters on september 11 2001 and continue to learn more -- lose more from 9/11 related illnesses. texts us today. we were united and focused. we have devolved. we vilify our fellow americans and diminish our institutions.

brent in west virginia, go ahead. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i remember 18 years ago sitting in front of my television with my mouth agape in total shock and i could not believe what i was seeing on tv. to a much lesser extent today, i sit in shock when i hear fellow americans talk about it was our fault, why do they hate us, we should do things like declare the nra a terrorist organization and all of this anti-american, rhetoric coming from mostly the left and this attitude of this war on terror, it is endless, pointless. onmakes me so sad because

one hand, i am grateful this generation was not in power during world war ii or there is no way we would have ever thought, much less won that war. we, as a nation, do not have the courage or the will to do what is necessary to defeat our enemies around the world. world. we do have enemies around the world and they do hate us for no good reason. it is not because of anything we have done. it is not because of anything we have said. it is because they subscribe to an ideology that tells them to hate us. host: that is brent in west virginia. fred in maryland, you are next up. caller: good morning, thanks for taking my call. i believe the same mentality we had in the late 1990's is carrying over to this day through the media and the

democrat party. you can see their hatred for the country, the military, even the police. i think we have to learn from the past. i believe some of them terrorists overstayed their visas. if you are visiting this country, you don't have the same rights we do. if we don't wake up, it only takes one terrorist to get through.. like the southern border, all it takes is one. host: doesn't it say something that we have not had a in 18 yearsattack like with 9/11? caller: there is a lot of sleeper cells we are not aware of. president trump is being hampered by the news media against dust from the start -- against us from the start. host: the new york daily news

this morning on their front page highlights two lights that stood where the world trade center once did. the lights of our love, roll call of those lost 18 years ago. is next.nnessee hello. caller: good morning, pedro. how are you doing today? my heart goes out to those who lost people in 9/11. my stepfather lost a niece in the oklahoma city bombing, she is the last one that got pulled out. today, not saddened because of the loss of 9/11 -- please don't take me wrong when i say that. what good does it do to remember this day if we don't learn everything -- anything? -- electedamic officials that are islamic.

nothing against islam except these are the most rabid of them. forat ourselves on the back $10 million in relief for first responders for 9/11, but it is iran.send $155 billion to we go to afghanistan thinking we can get something accomplished years and spent 20 left with their tail between their legs. it saddens me this country has not woken up a little bit better . that is pretty much all my comments. thank you for your time. host: rick, you are next up, hello. caller: good morning, pedro. i agree with the last three callers. i think we better do something with protecting our borders and just pray for the people we lost in 9/11.

these congressmen, senators better wake up and start thinking about the american citizens instead of thinking about foreigners coming over here with turbines on their head. host: let's go to george in california. hello. caller: good morning, pedro. i think it is really sad 18 years later, the people who committed that act are still winning. they have managed to divide our country. the vitriol i hear coming over the lines is staggering. we are all americans and since when is it wrong for someone to have a different opinion then you? they are tearing us apart and you are letting them. day, the organization 9/11 which encourages folks on this in to do acts of service memorial to what was lost on 9/11, they have a full-page ad

this morning. we were not red states or blue states, we were the united states and all americans. as we approach the anniversary of 9/11, we respectfully ask all candidates to remember this remarkable moment of national unity and agree to suspend all political advertising and other campaign related activities in favor of nonpartisan expressions of service, unity, and prayer. we ask you to make this pledge for respect and contribute to 9/11 victims, recovery personnel. members of our military and the national day of service and remembrance also known as 9/11 day. that full-page ad in many of the newspapers. dayr newspapers using this to put the memorial in pictures, keep their memory alive including a photograph from the aftereffects immediately seen on 9/11.

that is some of the ways the newspapers are capturing this moment. for our texting service, this is september ohio adding 11 of every year is more important than christmas day or yearly fourth of july or easter. and were in florida saying as a millennial only 8 when the towers were hit, i have to admit i don't feel a lot of the intense patriotism a lot of older americans feel. while it was legitimate when it happened, it seems like never forget has turned into an internalized revenge fantasy i don't want to be a part of. sayingssas texting us today we can only pray those who have lost loved ones are doing better. we shall never forget. charlie in herndon, virginia saying 9/11 changed our entire way of life. there was life before 9/11 and

after 9/11. see howly saddens me to divided and polarized the country is today. that is some of the folks who have texted us. at can add yours via text 202-748-8003. tom in connecticut, good morning. caller: good morning, pedro. i am a vietnam veteran and i have called a few times before. on 9/11 and i believe the current educational system, especially the higher educational system is devoted to anti-americanism and i think the diluted byeration is virtual reality of the internet. host: how does that relate to

today? caller: the culture today is artificial culture. it is a culture of facebook and internet. people are not accountable for their words or their actions. that goes right up through congress. those are my feelings. i echo most of the calls i have heard today. host: from trenton, new jersey, john. you are next up. caller: good morning. 9/11 will forever be in our hearts and my heart. i would like to say with everyone talking, the folks that went in to help, the first gravelers had to beg and for money to be helped out -- money to be helped

out. host: buzz feed relates a story that takes place -- first reported in july saying the senate was on tuesday in july passed a bill providing health care and benefits to first responders of the 9/11 attacks. the bill ensures victims, first responders, and families receive benefits including health care for 9/11 related deaths and illnesses. the measure updated keeps the fund going through 2092 and allows applicants to file until 2090. virginia.lacksburg, good morning. caller: thank you, c-span. i appreciate your show. i was working night shift back then and i was watching in live time when the second plane hit the second building. i immediately called my mother

and told her. america has changed. this is going to change america forever. i immediately, after talking to my mother, i started crying. host: john in illinois. you are next, good morning. caller: good morning read i remember that morning, too. one thing that gets me about that building. the man that bought the building, silverstein, just before it happened a few months, he ensured it for everything he could possibly buy. terrorist insurance, the book goes on and on. when it happened, there was over 100 firemen in there that heard the bombs in the building. that is on record. any insurance could have taken that thing apart, there was so

much evidence. they got helped, you might say. at the way they got out of the insurance from investigating the thing, the american taxpayers paid for that building. that is what burns me up. i know how an insurance company will beat you down. they will try every way possible to beat you down. i often wonder why the insurance company did not pick that thing apart with all the evidence. i read a book a couple years ago that said the american taxpayer paid for thed thing and i think that cap to the insurance company probably had to sign a clause not to investigate. the american taxpayers paid for that building. host: tracy off of twitter as her thoughts saying i remember it was a bright, cloudless morning, so i went for a walk. the time i got back, -- got back, the entire world has

changed. i stayed by the foam at home all day -- phone at home all day waiting to hear he was ok. from georgia, lewis joins us on the phone. good morning. caller: i am just interested in what kind of trees they planted at the memorial. they look like swamp chestnut oak trees and could it represent the future of the country. >? ? they are all uniform and those swamp chestnut oak trees produce andns the sign of pecans they are proteins and it could be used as an agricultural crop. host: that is lewis in georgia joining us on the phone. joining us through the course of this morning, we will talk with key legislators on the topic of homeland security. joining us is bennie thompson.

he serves as the chair of the homeland security committee. good morning to you and thanks for joining us. where are we as far as homeland security 18 years after the fact? guest: we have created an organization called the apartment of homeland security in response to the acts of 9/11 18 years ago. we have some 250,000 full-time employees, over 200,000 contract employees keeping america safe. congress has taken a full throttle approach to making sure that, if at all possible, 9/11-type actions will not happen again. approach, what are some of the details? what would you tell viewers onto specifics of that? caller: we have created -- guest: we have created, for instance, the transportation

security administration. you cannot get on a plane without going through some type of screening because we have identified that as one vulnerability. we have now enhanced immigration customs enforcement so that individuals that try to come to this country illegally have to prove who they are. there is some conflict around it, but we have that office going. it and border protection. we have a number of entities under the department of homeland security purely for the protection of people here in the homeland. the beauty of it is we have pushed it out far and wide around the world so that if an airplane is coming to the united states, that departure has to meet american standards. we have done quite a bit.

host: even as you describe the things you have done, are there things that need to be focused on? things that need to be improved on to improve the overall level of security? guest: absolutely. we still have vulnerabilities that i cannot name that we are still closing the loop on. we are improving from a science and technology standpoint, making sure our men and women who do this job every day have the best cop -- possible equipment, so we have invested significantly in that. we have put a lot of money in training. training is important because part of the lesson from 9/11 is those brave first responders who in newed, especially york, did not have the ability to talk to each other. we have invested billions of dollars into interoperability.

is there.re training we have created fusion centers so federal, state, and local first responders have a place where they can meet regularly and see what is happening. we enhanced our ability to respond to natural disasters. hurricanes, wild, tornadoes, floods. we are all hands on deck as an agency and to our credit, we have come a long way. we understand bad people still want to harm us as americans. host: you are scheduled to have a meeting this week, the topic, global terrorism threats to the homeland. who did you invite to the hearing and who showed up? guest: we had four witnesses. jocelynrian leven, dr.

who are noted in their own field and they gave a sobering testimony to what our challenge as a country is. first of all, there are still people who want to do harm to us, so we have to be forever vigilant. they identified what some of us have come to believe that we have as much to fear from domestic terrorists as we have international terrorists. the fbi finally came out acknowledging most of the domestic terrorist acts in this country are caused by right wing extremists. we will work diligently on that. they indicated that al qaeda, isis, all those international

terrorist threats we have come to know are still there. many of them are not looking to claim territory, they are just claiming the hearts and minds and trying to keep people going. one of the real challenges is to make sure those agencies tasked with those sponsor abilities continue to do that and don't lose focus. we have had some challenges with this administration going along and not bringing members of congress away with them. -- along with them. beenrically, we have bipartisan. we found those persons that want to harm us don't ask party affiliation or race or gender, they just want to hurt americans

and we have to keep it safe. host: that hearing yesterday, did everybody you invited show up to testify? guest: initially, as a committee, we have always been presented on a witness standpoint. the director of the fbi and homeland security and the head t, national counterterrorism center, none of it showed -- we were very disappointed. i indicated we were not a partisan committee. one of the challenges working with the trump administration is those members we need to come before various committees are not really made available to us. we made inquiry in early july early julye that here we are on the anniversary of 9/11. ever since i have been on the

committee and i have been on the committee since it was created, we have always had that presentation by top-level officials. they are now telling us that we can only come around the 30th of october. that is not where it should be and does not put the focus or the priority and for the committee on both sides, democrats and republicans voice their absolute disappointment in their presence not being available for the committee hearing. our witnesses were excellent, but it did not give us the administrative position as to what is going on from a global terrorist standpoint. host: because it deals with national security, your thoughts on the news concerning john bolton? guest: we announced it during the hearing. we are playing musical chairs, so to speak, with national security. it is a keen position, it is a

professional position, it should not be a political position, but we have a president who wants to do everything himself. 8 other senior people in the department of homeland security are acting. i have never seen that many acting people before and it does not allow for a sound administrative directions because those individuals don't in todayow from day out weather or not they will have a job and they are waiting on some reference from the white orse, some nod as to whether not they can do what they want to do. the john bolton situation was a problem although many of us had disagreements with him, he was still there. i am more concerned now that what individual will now take that position who is really competent who basically would see weather or not -- whether or

not they will last 6 months. the ability to get someone who could do the job professionally, i think the president will have serious difficulty. host: representative bennie thompson, democrat from mississippi, he serves as the chair of the homeland security committee joining us on this anniversary of 9/11. thank you for joining us. guest: thank you for having me. host: we will take your calls concerning this anniversary day. 202-748-8000 for those of you in the eastern and central time zones. 202-748-8001 if you live in the mountain and pacific time zone. if you want to text us, starting today, you can. 202-748-8003. you can tweet us at @cspanwj. post on our facebook page at facebook.com/cspan. we will finish this program today just after 9:00 minute events at the pentagon begin.

several events taking place throughout the day. if you want to follow them on our various platforms. theting at eight: 30, events in new york city you can monitor on c-span 3. the events at the pentagon you can watch here on c-span and shanksville, pennsylvania, will have a series of events. you can see that starting around 9:45 this morning at c-span.org. phil is next from florida. thank you for waiting on this day where we take your calls on the anniversary of 9/11. caller: no problem. i was at home watching tv when it happened. my brother was in manhattan driving a bus, a public bus and they made him park the bus and everybody had to walk because cabs or nothing moving. when i was watching on tv, i saw

the first plane hit and the first thing i thought was what country hates us enough to do this to us? then the second plane hit. they really got it going. next threer the days, no one was flying except .he saudi arabians they got home, they got back to they arabia and when searched the 16 from saudi arabia, why did we attack afghanistan? we know bin laden was part of the royal family and that is where he was getting his funds from. there is a lot of questions i have and i don't understand. thank you for the call and thank you for c-span. host: joseph in florida, go

ahead. caller: good morning. good morning to all americans out there. directoruman resources with offices on the 80th floor of the world trade center. i happened to be out of the office that day. i lost 18 employees and i had to attend 18 funerals. weighs very heavily on me. i think we all need to keep one thing in mind that we need to pray that the good lord shine down, look upon us and give us peace. that is what we need and what we don't need is word from the tweeter in chief today because he should keep it to himself. host: kendra in indiana, you are

next. caller: good morning. i remember where i was when 9/11 happened. i lived in public housing and i on just gave birth to my son 9/03/01. when we talk about pre-9/11 and post 9/11, i tell him you were one of the last pre-9/11 babies. it is amazing how we unified when that happened. from all over the country, prayers and donations responders from everywhere, so it hurts my heart to see how divided we are as a country now. the other thing that worries me and others me is the fact that whatever tragedies like this happen, we come together for a while and then after a while, we go our separate ways and we

don't consider how hard these families are hurting, and what they need. they don't need to see us here today, gone tomorrow, like with all the mass shootings going on. the churches were full when 9/11 happened. spiritually, we were seeking answers, seeking the almighty. now it seems that we have but ,od so far away from our lives it is like a genie in a bottle, we touch him when we want him and forget about him when it is good for us. my prayers are to all the family members who have lost loved ones. i did not lose anyone, that i had family in the military and i started praying immediately for our military because they were going to be put in harm's way host: that is kendra in indiana.

these are events in new york you seeing, the lead up to the formal ceremony about a half an hour from now. at the pentagon today, it will be just after 9:00 where events will take ways and -- take place, and shanksville, pennsylvania at around 9:45. the white house will hold a moment of silence. for the next hour, we will take your calls and we will speak to some legislators. those of you0 for in eastern and central time zones, (202) 748-8001 in mountain and specific -- pacific time zones. caller: thanks for c-span.

in june 1971, i reported to the commandant district on church street from the 14th floor. looking up, i could see a great big chasm in the ground. looking off to my right, i could see the 28th story of the south tower going up. december 7, 1941, my dad was listening to the radio, my kid brother and i were tussling over the comic strips and my dad looked up and says, shh. i found out that pearl harbor had been attacked. at first, i thought the world trade center could not be another attack on the united states but when the second tower was hit, i immediately knew that.

i drove by the local mosque which had been built about three years earlier just to s, i am sorry that this happened. i know you will beeverorget thed trade center going down, let us never forget that. hope that the peace they tried to work for will come to be. that is what we are about, what the united nations is all about. a years on active duty before retired and became disabled. americans willw go back to looking neighborly at people no matter where they are. this is one world and we have to live together. wordsrob vet writes the -- never forget. he is joined by bill adams who

says -- it is a reminder of those who would destroy us. someone texting us this morning from manassas, virginia, saying we can only pray that those who have lost loved ones are doing better. we shall never forget. terry in woodbridge, hello. caller: i just want to make a comment about 9/11. i want to know, why does congress and everybody else think it is ok to keep terrorist prisoners in this prison for 18 years? keep them alive. host: do you mean the ones that guantanamo bay? caller: yes, and keep them alive. we are supporting them 100%. that does not make sense to me. you had a representative on. host: representative ben thompson. caller: you asked him about the

hearing yesterday and none of the trump administration showed up. maybe because they are so busy at the border trying to prevent terrorists coming in that way. if they have these hearings and they show more respect to people that are going to be nominated, whatever, maybe we shouldn't have so many problems. host: larry in south carolina, hello. caller: how are you doing? volunteer at the trade center on 9/11. i helped pull the last two survivors out and i would like to thank the new york senate for the bill. we have been in court for nine years. guest: -- host: over what? caller: the 911 fund and my disability. disabled.

we had to sunni arc to find the york to find the word volunteer. first responders like me help pull the last two survivors out. host: dede in fayetteville, pennsylvania. caller: i have three daughters, 21, 13, and five who have grown up in the post 9/11 world. i have heard a lot of negative comments about our younger generation, and i just want to point out that they have grown up in a different america than many of us pre-9/11. they have grown up in a culture of safety, hyper safety, but hyper safety that comes at the expense of hyper fear. we don't have kids that go outside and lay.

-- play. we have kids that routinely go through active shooter training and live in the very secure world we live. our younger generation had to deal with a lot we may not think about. host: when you tell your daughters about these events, what is the reaction? caller: you may 9/11? host: 9/11 specifically. caller: it is sadly almost normalized for them. something that was so shocking for us the day of is something they have grown up knowing about all their life. i don't think it is out of the realm of possibility for them that it will happen again. it is not out of the realm of possibility they will go to a school or a public event and there will be a shooting. it is sadly normal for our young

veneration, and not surprising that -- generation, and not surprising that the internet, that is where the focus is. that is part of the solution to some of these issues that we deal with as a nation today. magazine" highlights how teachers and school system teaching 9/11 as history. there is no natural guideline that states the following terms of teaching 9/11 as teaching to. the lessons will vary depending on the school district. in new york, students will onerve a moment of silence wednesday after governor cuomo signed a law on monday requiring observation of the anniversary. analysis of state high school social studies academic standards in the 50 states and the district of columbia note

that 26 specifically mentioned the 9/11 attacks, nine mentioned terrorism or the war on terror, and 16 didn't mention 9/11 or terrorism related examples at all. in a new study released this 1040 middleton high school teachers -- middle and the school teachers, and most popular way of teaching is showing a documentary or similar video. legislators will join us throughout the course of the morning to talk about the events of today and larger matters of homeland security. joining us is representative michael guest, serves on the homeland security committee. guest: thank you for having me. host: we talked to your chairman a few months ago -- moments ago.

where are we now when it comes to homeland security? guest: we are much safer than 18 years ago when these events transpired. those are events that we will always remember, that will shape us as a nation, the attacks that morning that again 8:46. united airlines flight and american airlines flights that struck the north and south tower, the attack on the pentagon, and the heroic events of united flight 93 which crashed in shanksville, pennsylvania. those 102 minutes before the attacks of the world trade center and the collapse changed us as a nation. we are much safer today. as a result of those attacks, we had the creation of the department of homeland security. law-enforcement agencies were

combined under a single umbrella which allows us to respond to situations much quicker and streamlines the operation. the committee on homeland security, a committee on which i am proud to serve which is chaired by a fellow chaired by a fellow mississippian, it has oversight over the department of homeland security, and the primary mission is to work every day to see what we can do in congress to protect our country and homeland against attack, and better secure the safety of the american citizens. host: you talk about the benefits and the pluses. are there deficiencies that need to be addressed? guest: we need to continue to look at areas where we may have weaknesses in the system. i authored a bill out of the house awaiting action in the senate.

it would require homeland security to run a series of exercises in which we would be able to see how we are able to track and respond to instances of individuals fixing to travel into the united states, or who have been radicalized trying to leave the united states. that will help us identify deficiencies within the current system, and for us to do what we can to correct those and make sure we are protecting the american people. we must remain vigilant. while we have not had an attack qaeda, years, we see al they are reorganizing and continuing to grow. they have approximately 40,000 members worldwide a part of their organization. they continue to express a great hatred for our country.

attacked atould be any time. we have to look at ways they could attack us such as cyberattack we must make sure we are prepared to handle a biological attack. if a terrorist agent was able to release an attack in any of our metropolitan cities that is biological in nature, it could cause great destruction and we could have great calamity. we must remain vigilant each and every day. even though we have been blessed and able to prevent attacks, those could come at any moment. you authored, these training exercises, do they go to what you described or are there specific exercise you are looking at adding? guest: we would determine and rate the we could

department of homeland security's ability to prevent terrorists from traveling and make sure we could track individuals who are allowed on airplanes that are entering the united states. differentork out with law-enforcement enforcement agencies that are coordinating with each other to make sure we protect the public. we would make sure that we are prepared to track individuals who have become radicalized in the united states and are attempting to travel abroad. ago, two college students were radicalized and were arrested porting an airplane in mississippi with the intent to join isis in the middle east. we must be prepared to fight each and every day and remain vigilant as a nation, and law

enforcement. the chairman talked about the hearing on global terrorism you held this week and he was disappointed that numbers of the fbi and the like did not show up. did you express that? guest: there will be a second part in which members of the fbi will appear before the committee and testify. because of the timing of the hearings, they were unable to be there. i am aware they do intend to testify this month before the department of homeland security. we will be able to make inquiries of them as to their preparation and what they see as their existing and future threats against our country. to look attant organizations which are international and domestic and the threat they pose. host: your previous career was district attorney.

how do you balance homeland security with privacy and civil rights? guest: you have got to walk a very fine line. while we all want to see american citizens are protected, we must understand we have constitutional rights that have been granted. we want to make sure to strike the balance between not infringing on someone's cons to show no rights, but at the same time make sure we are protecting the american public. law-enforcement has done a good job of that we have developed soperations among agencies we can share information we were unable to do on september 11, 2011. law enforcement is continuing to renew their assessment on where we need to best position our resources and protect the american public. host: your thoughts on the

departure of john bolton and what it does for homeland security overall. guest: he was a wealth of knowledge and information. he had served our country well over decades. him leave, but i understand he serves at the well and pleasure of the president and the president felt he needed to go in a different direction. president trump has prioritized protecting the american public and our homeland, so this is a situation he felt like he needed to go in a different direction. even though i am sad to see mr. bolton leave, i support the president. host: is it mr. bolton's approach you are saddened by and well the president appoints somebody else? guest: with his wealth of information, not serving in that capacity.

he is recognized as an expert in his field. he is really i believe, an expert in that subject matter, and to have someone who no longer may possess the same length of service that he has, i believe is something we are going to have to find someone who has that similar type of background. i believe it is important that the president has someone he has complete trust in, that regardless of the time of day he can reach out to that individual and get the information he needs. it is important to support not just this president, but any president as they think to surround themselves with experts in this subject matter. host: serves on the homeland security committee, talking about homeland security in light of the anniversary. guest: thank you for having me.

host: make in fredericksburg -- mick in fredericksburg, virginia. juner: we lost our child 10, 2007 in a car wreck. someone ran him off the road and killed him. to all of those who lost loved ones on 911, i feel your pain -- nine/11, i feel your pain. i think millennial people are in big trouble. the lack of religion in our world and nation is our greatest problem. dad always said if you don't believe in god, there is no reason to do the right thing in life, and i truly believe that i would ask everybody -- i truly believe that. do ald ask everybody to little soul-searching and talk to god and be forthcoming about

who you are with him, and try to find yourself. god bless the united states of america. i would ask all the pop -- politicians and everybody, do not take five week vacations. host: tim in annapolis, maryland. caller: i was in a weird position. i was one of the first responders to new york in 1993 before i moved to washington, d.c. and became a paramedic firefighter. i was working on september 11. what struck me was the camaraderie not just among the firefighters and ems, but with everybody, and the momentum of staying vigilant. with all of the training we got for the next 10 years, 2010 was absolutely amazing. as time went on, all this training we were getting that

the federal government was providing seems to have disappeared. the personnel that were there, it is only about 50% with retirements and disabilities. may be the federal level the training is there, but for municipalities, it seems like a lot of our training has disappeared. it is important to stay vigilant for local first responders, particularly in major cities like washington, d.c. the second thing is, what also coincides with that is unfortunately, i think the reasoning that training isn't there anymore, we have become complacent over the last five to 10 years, and it is a shame. host: john in los angeles,

california. caller: i have a few things to say. when this thing happened, the week after, i was asking why wasn't anybody asking why these people would commit suicide flying planes into buildings? thereponse was to go over to countries that had nothing to do with it and do the same thing we have been doing to people 50 years. america is a bully and she does what she wants. she has the ability to make people feel bad because somebody comes over and retaliates. i am not saying it is right. i believe we should believe in christianity, but it is a teaching of peace, not war. we have created a mess in the middle east. how many countless people have been turned into refugees? how many countless people have been killed because we think we

have the right to go over and do what we want to? americansal politics, should be ashamed for not thinking about things. host: from seattle, washington, go ahead. caller: i was born after nine/11 so idid not -- after 9/11 did not personally experience it , but as an iranian american i experienced the fear americans experienced. in school when i was very little, my mother told me not to tell anyone i was from the middle east, not to tell our religion. on this anniversary, i want to ask all americans a very important question -- given that we know when people are poorest as when they are most like to join terrorist cells and attack our country, why is it we only

gmi?.15% of our it is less than canada, new zealand, almost every country in western europe by a large margin. most people in the america dutch in america and the middle east are not terrorists. they only become terrorists when they have nothing to lose and have lost everything. that is when they are most extremist,to these is lame extremist ideologies. it is important -- islamic extremist ideologies. thanks for taking my call. host: about five minutes from now, ceremonies at ground zero will take place in new york city. you can see that if you want on c-span3.

today, events at the pentagon will take place. we will stop this show and show you that then, shanksville, pennsylvania at 9:45 on c-span.org. up until then, your calls. emily in athens, ohio, you are next. caller: i was a few years old when 9/11 happened. i grew up in a world that focused on security, especially at airports and throughout my whole life we have been in iraq and iran and the middle east. we are dumping over $600 billion a year into this and not getting anywhere. donald trump does not have our best interest in mind. he is trying to reduce the national -- international affairs budget drastically. we give 1% annual way to helping

countries across the world. once we give money to people across the world and lift them out of poverty, their government is less likely -- less susceptible to terrorist nations. events like 9/11 would not have to happen. we need to spend more money and attention on helping other countries, lifting other countries out of poverty, and not cutting the international affairs budget. focus on that, and that will raise our national security and help people abroad. host: that is emily in athens, ohio. you can text your comments. is the texting number. just include your name and the city and state you are in.

-- i am a teacher in public schools and 9/11 is downplayed or ignored. my kids seem to be now or just don't care. dave says what he would like to see come out of that is the repealing of the so-called patriot act. bill cyrus recounts he was on the way to class listening to radio, did not know what to make of it. it seemed like they were talking about a movie. and visit us on facebook. d from frederick, maryland. caller: thanks for having me on. i would like to say to americans, we love our country. we have an amazing country. i am sick of people demonizing our country and referencing us as bullies.

that is what 9/11 is about. called an enemy within radical jihad as long as him. -- they work in tandem with radical globalist. we have a real problem on our hands. we have to deal with it accordingly. i truly believe that the people's president, donald trump, has our best interest at heart. i think it is time for us, as previous callers have said, let's look inward, give it to god, and work with one another to prevent the problems we are dealing with now in a complicit media who is also working against this country. host: james, st. louis,

missouri, go ahead. hello? caller: hello, my name is jimmy. i am calling from st. louis, missouri. i was almost 40 when i saw that tower, and i the knew then that people are people wherever they go. the same here, the same around the world. albuquerque,vid in new mexico, go ahead. thatr: i would like to say this is a very memorial day, but you know what really gets me? when these democrats who came back from their vacation still do not show any patriotism, no caring, no loving. i don't know why they are

involved because they are completely, utterly to destroy america. all they want to do is keep on fighting against us a tree it's, those of -- patriots, those of us who love america. the democrats are anti-america and do not love america. host: that is david in albuquerque. randy in fayetteville, north carolina. caller: i have a couple of things. rak work -- ex- federal worker. --911, i worked for the nine/11, i worked for the governor -- 9/11 i worked for the government. i remember vividly when the planes crashed into the twin towers. i listened to the representative

guests from mississippi. a couple of comments in regards to his response, are we safer today? one of the lessons learned from 9/11 is we did not read intel good. learned.a lesson readhat representative to the 9/11 commission report. int: let's go to camal charles city, virginia. caller: i was going shopping that morning, my wife and myself. weheard it on the radio, so may have a different perspective than someone who saw it on tv. after we heard about the first tower was fallen, we heard about the other one was fallen. home,mber before we got

donald rumsfeld mentioned about $73 trillion was missing from the american economy. i wondered, how could that be? after 9/11, i could see it was missing. we had pension plans, 401(k)s. most of it was wiped out. he used the statement "collateral damage." i think 9/11 was something like it, the pictures of who did it was not al qaeda. it was saudi arabia. those were not guys running across the desert shooting guns. they were dressed up like businesspeople and it had to be something like a financial deal that went bad. radio theyrd on the

broke into it and the announcer said there was a financial center in north carolina. i thought the financial center was in new york. host: those are shots of new york city, where events are scheduled to take place shortly. if you have been watching, you see the mayor in the crowd, the former mayor in attendance as well. events are scheduled to take place just about now for remembrance events all over. ,o to c-span.org for coverage including shanksville, pennsylvania. the vice president is scheduled to speak, events starting at about 9:45. city at 8:30 or whenever it starts, go to

c-span3 for that. the pentagon in just about 40 minutes from now, starting their events. martin in conway, pennsylvania. , aler: i would like to speak gentleman called earlier and was talking about how this is religion, he brought religion into the mix. as a study year of doctrine over the last 40 years, it is christianity is what this country was founded on. a nation to god as we stand. there is a thing called the pivot. pearleived that after the -- after pearl harbor. the magnificent men and women who lost their lives to protect is aom crazy people, there thing in scripture from the old

and new testament, god two bits, client nations to god in the pivot -- we are losing our pivot sir, inve to kill, order to keep the freedom that you and i have today, watching the show with you, speaking my mind. that we will leave it at let's go to janice -- we will leave it at that. let's go to janice. caller: celebrating 9/11 is reveling in the past. we should quit it. we should stop letting the media take us by the nose and desk letting the media take us by the nose. there is no god, no life after death, no purgatory. host: why not take events like today and remember them?

if we are only supposed to consider the future? caller: self-indulgence. host: what do you mean by that? i believe she has hung up. the president sending out a tweet saying in part for his plans leaving the white house, soon to speak at the pentagon, adding it is his great honor. that will be part of events that will take place just after 9:00 this morning. you can watch on this channel. duane in cheyenne, wyoming, hello. caller: i would like to just say that today is an event that we should remember. post-9/11, but i think it is very important to know. watching the show, and we have always been unified.

ied using that has un-unif is technology, but i don't want to get on to that because 9/11 is about remembering those who gave their lives, and how much it has changed us today, and how well secure we are. host: a moment of silence theduled for 8:40 five at white house, people gathering for that event, as you can see on the screen. thomas toby from greenfield, wasachusetts texted us -- i 19 years old out of high school. i remember everything about that day. i hope my little girl will never have to experience anything like that. i will never forget. randy in iowa, go ahead. distressedm kind of about some of the comments i am

hearing this morning. the firstsalute responders of new york city, and a lot of them are democrats and union people. i am union and democrat and patriotic. to a guy by the name of jack sullivan who was working for the cia -- i got this information several years ago off a frontline program -- he was working for the cia and he was in yemen. they had people under arrest and he wanted to interrogate them and was not allowed to. other things led to him leaving the cia. he was the chief of security at the world trade center when the attacks happened and he died in that attack. that is the one man who could have saved it, could have

changed the outcome, except for the republican administrations, bush and trump, are refusing to trust foreign intelligence and cia intelligence. they are ignoring as the essential threats to the united -- existential threats to the united states of america. we are stuck in a loop, in a cycle of ignorance. host: i have to leave it at that, i do apologize. before the moment of silence takes place, we want to talk with senator tom carper, democrat of delaware. good morning. us, your assessment of where homeland security is today. guest: the nature of threats to our country continues to evolve. i am a vietnam veteran.

and it on the communists took off on their. one thing for sure, it will continue. one thing we need is excellent leadership, consistent leadership. we have teen -- seeing a lot of turmoil and the department of homeland security and the white house. we need better relationships and information sharing with allies and nontraditional allies. we need to be a better member of a team and a leader. host: is that the way the current homeland security team is organized to take on the task? guest: they are 25,000 terrific people with a good leader, a series of good leaders. they have swiss cheese right now ranks of homeland security, so many people coming and going. it is bad for morale and security. from you heard form --

several former heads of homeland security. what did you take away? about they talked a lot an existential threat to our clamant -- hot our climate is warming. it is not just the property damage to us and around the country. we did not think a lot about that 20, 30, 40 years ago. host: there is discussions about negotiations with the taliban. inyou think a presence afghanistan is necessary? guest: until the taliban assured us they will not provide sanctuary to al qaeda, and treat women as decent human beings instead of berating them, i would not cut a deal with those guys. the afghan government has to be involved, not a bystander.

host: would you like to see current troop levers -- levels continue? aest: there should be negotiation and discussion with congress. we should be uninformed participant. i would not go willy-nilly putting 10,000 people at this time. host: with the events concerning john bolton, talk about those unwanted does for homeland security. guest: i suspect on the republican side, a lot of tears will be shed. security national advisor for this administration in two and a half years. turnover,urmoil and not good for our country. host: as far as mr. bolton's approach, if you think there should be a change, what should be that change? guest: we ought to be willing to have negotiations with iran,

instead of threatening war and coming to the edge of war. why not talk to those guys? why not talk to their prime minister? he was educated in america and likes this country. host: why do you think i would be receptive? guest: i know the prime minister of iran. i talked to him for over a dozen years. ,ost: senator tom carper democrat of delaware, thanks for your time. in just a few moments, a moment of silence to be observed at the white house. we will take that when it starts, as part of several activities that will start across the course of the morning in new york city, the pentagon, and shanksville, pennsylvania. new york city, starting now. let's listen for a bit.

>> ♪ oh say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed last gleaming?'s whose broad stripes and bright stars through the para los -- powerless fight -- perilous

fight watched ramparts we were so gallantly streaming -- red rockets red where glare the bombs bursting in air nightroof through the that our flag was still there that star-spangled land ofer the the free the brave ♪ of

opening events in new york city. we will take you to the white house.

{playing taps]

host: that bobo the silent be done at the white house -- moment of silence being done at the white house. pennsylvania, we will show you in a bit. that is the u.s. capital just concluded. concludehe white house

a moment of silence. in about 20 minutes from now, events of the pentagon are scheduled to take place. tom and woodbridge, virginia. caller: it is an honor to get on the phone on september 11. 11, i was twomber blocks away from the pentagon at a job interview and i decided to head to new york on the 12th. the bridge was only guarded by one police men. i showed him my military id. that night, throughout the night, i was there until 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning, i walked the entire edge of the debris field all the way around. it was like a holocaust uv. -- movie.

people forget that people lived and worked there. strewn ruined. night stayed the one because my family was begging me to come back home. i just want people to remember the enemy is still out there. they think 9/11 is just the tip of the iceberg and would like to do for. in january, two thousand two, i 2002,sted in the army -- aire listed in the army until 2009. i have worked counterterrorism with all the major threat organization. hezbollah, al qaeda, isis,

all of them. rest assured that you cannot pay terrorists to go away and you cannot negotiate. host: chris in long beach, california, go ahead. caller: i just wanted to say that i agreed with janet. we should get out of afghanistan. iraq andd the shah in put those people's backs across the wall -- against the wall. most people do not like to hear the truth but that is the truth. but does not make it ok what they did on 9/11. host: from jones borrow, georgia -- jonesboro, georgia. caller: i remember the day that workppened when i got to at a federal building in

atlanta. radio whenp my someone said something bad happened new york. -- happened in new york. i knew someone there. i had known him for a while. it just touched me all the years from then, i don't know what to do. --t: east green bunch greenbush, new york. caller: upstate new york, near albany. to whom am i speaking? host: you are on the program. caller: i am very sorry for the gentleman friend who had died. we all lost somebody. justa veteran myself and i

am so proud of my president and his wife today. that is all i can say. host: people who are texting us steve ining, this is charleston, south carolina -- people are oblivious to events that don't happen to them in their lifetime. it is akin to trying to describe the pain. it can't done. it has to be experienced. jody tweeting -- we remember those whose lives were lost forever. ,e honor the first responders the courage and bravery. 18 years after the moment that changed our nation forever, we will never forget 9/11. ron johnson is joining us now, republican from wisconsin. we have been asking the same type of question.

later, how is the state of homeland security? johnson lastd jeh sunday and monday and he said in some respects it is better and in some it is more tenuous. we continue to face threats. i would ask everybody -- because we did this sunday night with three bipartisan secretaries of homeland security and six bipartisan senators -- ran around the table and described what we were doing 18 years ago on this terrible day. the value in that is we do remember, we will not forget. rememberular, what we is that moment of unity in this nation. it is unfortunate it takes that measure of tragedy to bring this country together, but we came together and we need to come together again. talk to your friends and family,

neighbor, remember where you work, talk about it, and remember that moment of unity. host: what are bipartisan ways that could go forward when it comes to improving homeland security? guest: one of our big issues is the extent of illegal immigration. it has changed from 10, 15 years ago with single male adults coming in as economic migrants. terribleeople fleeing conditions into this country without a legal process. we should be able to find common ground to fix that. there is a consensus we want secure borders but we want to treat people with humanity. we have to put away the divisiveness and find a solution. host: when it comes to funding, are the programs necessary to maintain homeland security

well-funded? guest: by and large, the department is well-funded, but it is called upon to do so many things. it is in charge of fema which has to do with these hurricanes and wildfires. at the same time, secure our borders and protect this nation from international and domestic terrorism. it is an enormous task. that is one of our questions we asked at the field meeting at the 9/11 memorial. it is hallowed ground and a tremendous museum. does dhs have too many responsibilities? secretaries who have to handle that task think it is a department that makes a lot of sense. -- you need all those component parts to keep the nation safe. host: are you saying homeland

security is unwieldy as a whole or there are better ways to manage it? guest: it is a big department with an awesome responsibility. everyone of those agencies and component parts that are well-versed in their tasks, carry out those tasks, and they need to be properly funded. we had a partisan bickering fight in the supplemental resolving the border. hopefully we can resolve the funding issue without that type of acrimony. host: we have a couple of callers talking about foreign aid and how that should be bolstered and by helping other countries economically, it could stop those doing terrorist acts. guest: i am a fiscal conservative in support of four need. -- foreign aid.

particularly in central america, those countries are struggling because of america's insatiable demand for drugs. that has given rise to drug cartels operating in central america. they destroy public arms -- institutions, so we bear some responsibility for the lack of government and centrum america -- central america. gapeed to reduce the between the initial standard where people get to stay long term overwhelming our courts on asylum, and turn that into a legal process. host: the reaction to the news of john bolton and what it does for homeland security? guest: i enjoyed my relationship with john, but bottom line, it was obvious the president and john bolton disagreed on too many areas. everyone serves on the president's discretion and he

agreesso it's probably a good tg those two parted company. johnson, chairon of the homeland security and governmental affairs committee. about 10 minutes from now is when the pentagon will start ceremonies honoring the 18th anniversary of 9/11. we will take you to that in just a few moments. let's hear from reginald in houston, texas. 9/11 but'm sad about i'm also sad about what we did in afghanistan and what we're doing in other countries now. we have annihilated places. i'm hurt and dismayed when we leave places the way 9/11 was left. dr. king said america was one of the biggest purveyors of violence in the world stop using

all of that military might and military budget. on poor people instead of trying to go around annihilating and attacking people. we have never repented for what we did to the indians, to mexico. we are trying to build memorials out here. york, you willw be the last call. hello. caller: thanks for taking my call. i'm a former u.s. marine and i at the hospital at the world trade center clinic. i wanted to respond to the lady questioned why did we go into afghanistan to fight the taliban. i remember very well that the u.s. government had demanded

that the taliban hand over bin laden and they would have been spared the invasion that we wound up doing and when they helped and continued to bin laden hide and escape justice that's when we went into afghanistan. start where i wanted to at. host: go ahead and finish your thought. company inorked at a midtown and a week before i signed the lease for my apartment. i went to the 40 forest floor of that building where i signed my lease and was looking straight down into the world trade center and i watched the entire thing and i with my binoculars remember watching people jump out of the building. i remember seeing the buildings fall and i photographed it and filmed the entire thing and i will never ever forget that day.

call he will be the last for this program. you can monitor and find out more information about where you can view these events again on c-span.org. another addition of this program starts at 7:00 tomorrow morning. we will take you now to the pentagon where that event honoring this day is set to start in just a few minutes.

gentlemen, on behalf of the united states department of defense, we welcome you to the annual september 11 observance to honor and remember the 184 lives lost on american airlines flight 77 and at the pentagon at 9:37 a.m. on september 11, 2001. gentlemen, actiq director of administration and organizational policy. -- acting director of administration and ni