>> or the man in the red banda na, wills crother, who saved countless lives. he wasn't a firefighter. he wasn't a police officer, but like so many that day, he made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of others. his name must be read outloud. >> [applause] >> what about todd beamer and the other passengers on flight 93 who fought the hijackers before they crashed in shanksville. state court

officers, everyonewho was present on that day or had their agency present, civilians, too, so much appreciate the fact that their loved ones are not forgotten. that we'll always remember their names and we'll remember their actions that day and this was a must do. this needed to be done and i'm so glad it was. >> sandra: you wrote a piece on the 15-year anniversary of 9/11. this is 19 years now since these attacks. next year, of course, will be 20 years and it is hard to believe this time has passed. but at 15 years, brad, you wrote america is at our best when we're tested as a nation. it was a very significant piece in which you went on to say america's greatest strengths from our freedom, liberty and goodness. what was the point of your piece that day as we look back

at the tragic events that happened that morning? >> look, there isn't anything my nephew would have wanted more than to be helping people and sacrificing his life. that's what we do every day in america. we have brave servicemen and women, we have police and fire and first responders. we have ordinary citizens who do things that are never reported. the goodness of america runs through us. we're the most charitable nation on earth. we are always there for ourselves and for others and we can meet any adversity and we're much better when we're tested. and we overcome challenges that many would throw their hands up in the air and say it's too tough. it is never too tough for america. our country has faced challenge after challenge and we've met and exceeded the expectations of beating those challenges. so america is a good country and we have to keep reminding ourselves of the goodness of our country and thank god we

live in the freest nation on earth. we're not perfect. our founders said we strive to be a more perfect union and we're more perfect because of ceremonies like this today remembering our past and carrying it forward to make sure our future is just as bright no matter what the challenges of the moment seem to be. >> sandra: god bless thomas. we've been showing pictures of your nephew while you've been talking and i know you and your family miss him dearly. our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family this morning. we mentioned you're the only senior staff member in the white house to lose a family member on that day. what was that like for you especially this morning as we look back on reflect on the moments when president bush learned of the events that were happening when the first plane hit the north tower and then the south tower? >> it was really surreal. i was in charge of the president's schedule and i always had the news on in my

office to make sure that anything that came on the news that could affect his schedule i was on top of. as we saw the first plane hit the tower, it was reported that it was a passenger plane, a private small aircraft. i thought how odd. i'm from the board. how could that happen on a clear day? i thought it was strange. then the second plane hit and i knew we were under attack and it was a terrorist event. i went into the situation room hoping they would have answers in the white house. they didn't. they were watching it in realtime as well. then there came a time when we were evacuated from the west wing because the shanksville plane they said was coming for the white house or the capitol. so we were evacuated. i had 150 staff with me that i was responsible for. and we had to keep working. and i put my staff into teams. i wanted them to work on what did other presidents do in times of crisis, the bombing in

oklahoma, the pearl harbor attacks. when did the president address the nation? what did he do? why did he do it? we kept working to provide information that the president could use to make his own decisions. later on that afternoon, my sister was calling me because her son was not responsive to telephone calls and yet i knew somehow that he was there trying to help and the court was just a few blocks from the world trade center and he was helping people. my brother was calling me, the commissioner of the port authority that owns the trade center and for my nephew. the patriots that i was working with at the white house, they all came together and when there came a time when i was told to send them home and return to the white house just a handful of us, they wanted to continue working. and they were the first ones to say what can we do to help? so i saw the best of america that day. >> sandra: it's so difficult for such horrific events to

occur to then have those acts of herroism that came from them and the stories about your nephew, thomas. you know, you look at kids who are in high school right now and they weren't even born when this happened. what is your message to those who now will only read about this in history books as they grow up and have to learn the history of this day? >> if we don't learn from history we're condemned to repeat it. some history should never be repeated. so school kids need to come down to ground zero and see it for themselves. they need to hear the stories from survivors and as they pass on the survivors we pass it to the next generation. we need to make sure it's instilled in our school children by teachers and parents and peers. we can never lose a sense of history that happened that day. >> sandra: brad blakeman, really appreciate you joining

us this morning. our best to you and your family. thank you. >> thank you so much. >> sandra: trace, it is amazing how raw it still is 19 years later. it touched all of our lives in so many different ways and everybody has their stories but to listen to someone like brad who his nephew's body was never recovered, thomas. he went out and did what he could to help others on that day. let's go to general jack keane and listening to his stories. judge janine talking about her daughter was on a field trip to the pentagon. everybody has a story from that day and so difficult to look back at all those. >> trace: as you listen to brad blakeman recount that heart rending story about his nephew i was struck by him saying earlier in the interview that america is a good country. it is notable you point out that in that time 343 firefighters lost their lives, 71 police officers, first responders trying to do good things. brad blakeman, wonderful story

there. we'll have more remembrances of that terrible day 19 years ago when general jack keane and congressman pete king join us later this hour as we continue to honor those who lost their lives during the 9/11 attack. >> charles f. burlging hamm 3. thomasly burnett junior, donald j. burns. it's the ones that got away that haunt me the most. [ squawks ] 'cause you're not like everybody else. that's why liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. what? oh, i said... uh, this is my floor. nooo! only pay for what you need.

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>> trace: continuing our coverage of 9/11 ceremonies. president marine one landing in shanksville, pennsylvania. of course, that's where flight 93 crashed on this day 19 years ago. 10:03 in the morning when flight 93 crashed in shanksville. the president will speak, joe biden will also be in shanksville. they will not be there together. let's bring in our chief white house correspondent john roberts live on the north lawn. john, as we look at marine one here give us an idea how the president is commemorating 9/11 this year. >> this has historically been a

day to put aside politics even in a presidential campaign and i expect that's how it will go today. president is always the second helicopter, by the way, to come down. the first one typically is staff. that will be the president landing now aboard that blackhawk helicopter, the white top version of marine one. it becomes marine one when the president is inside it. otherwise it is just a blackhawk helicopter. we do have some excerpts from the president's speech which he will deliver there at 9:45 this morning scheduled to run 20 minutes as he pays tribute to the 40 heroes aboard flight 93 who fought the hijackers who flew the plane into the ground in shanksville and talk more about 9/11. an excerpt from the speech the heroes of flight 93, an everlasting reminder that no matter the danger, no matter the threat, no matter the odds, america will always rise up, stand tall, and fight back. more broadly, he will talk about everyone who died and all

of the heroes of 9/11. he will say in new york, arlington and here in pennsylvania people raced into the suffocating smoke and rubble at ground zero, the world witnessed the miracle of american courage at sacrifice. as ash rained down police and firefighters ran into the fires of hell. today we honor their extraordinary sacrifice and every first responder who keeps america safe. i read many of the excerpts. it will be a very powerful speech this morning. at the same time as you mentioned joe and jill biden will be traveling to shanksville this afternoon and they will be in new york city this morning, and it doesn't look like the schedules are going to cross at any point. it is not likely that biden and the president will be in the same space at the same time. over politics so far has been put on hold today. the president did tweet this morning about america getting back to work writing congratulations, j.p. morgan chase for ordering everyone back to the office on september

21st. will always be better than working from home. i'm also told it is not likely that the president will hold one of his briefings later on today. so as the ceremonies in shanksville and there at ground zero at the pentagon to honor the 3,000 people who died on 9/11. trace. >> trace: we'll be covering those live. john roberts live at the white house. john, thank you. >> sandra: many 9/11 tributes changing this year because of the pandemic including the travis mannion foundation annual hero's run. the ceremony is being held at the pentagon as we remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost 19 years ago today. >> every nation in every region now has a decision to make. either you are with us or you are with the terrorists. [applause]

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ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. ♪ here? nah. ♪ here? nope. ♪ here. ♪ when the middle of nowhere... is somewhere. the all-new chevy trailblazer. ♪ >> sandra: continuing coverage of 9/11 remembrances in just a moment. first other stories we're following this morning. at least 10 people dead in california as wildfires rage up and down the west coast. more than 10% of oregon's population has been forced to evacuate. >> trace: all four former

minneapolis police officers charged in the death of george floyd will appear in court today for a hearing addressing several key matters including a possible change of venue. this will be derek chauvin's first time in court in person. >> sandra: dining out at a restaurant or drinking at a bar may increase the risk of getting covid. those who tested positive reported dining out in the 14 days before getting sick. the study comes as most states are allowing restaurants to reopen. >> trace: pentagon is holding a ceremony remembering those lost on 9/11 19 years ago. american airlines flight 77 crashed into the west wall of the first floor of the pentagon killing 125 people in the building along with 64 people on the plane. with us now is general jack

keane. retired four star general, chairman for the institute for the study of war and fox news senior strategic analyst. general keane, always great to see you especially on a day like today. i reread an article that you wrote four or five years ago about being inside the pentagon 19 years ago at this very time and you talked about -- i think it's imperative to note of the 184 people who died on flight 77 and the pentagon, 85 of them were your teammates from army headquarters. this is a very somber day for you. >> yeah, most definitely. it is interesting that was the first day of the 9/11 wars and i always described it as the first battle of the wars that took place. we lost 85 people out of that headquarters and more loss of life for the united states army than any other day for the last 19 years. that's how representative 9/11 is to the united states army as well as it is to the american

people, trace. it is a vivid memory for all of us. >> trace: and you in your article go back, general, and say you watched it on television and as soon as you learned a plane had hit the north tower of the world trade center you knew full well it was not an accident. >> i remember 1993 very well they tried to bring down the world trade center with a bomb in the garage. i'm a born and raised new yorker. no plane is going to accidentally hit the world trade center on a beautiful day. the second plane came. i asked my operations officers, two star general, to bring the army operations center up to full manning. in the conversation with him after the second world trade center building was hit, we were talking about an airplane that flew out to ohio and was on its way back to the vicinity of washington, d.c. and when it got close to the city turned east and then south. he was monitoring faa net and

as we were having that discussion the plane hit us. he did not feel it because he is at the bottom four stories down. and we did feel it. a lot of smoke. the building shook. a lot of stuff fell down. i told my people to call home and evacuate and took two of my people a colonel and my aide. gave him my shirts from my bathroom. soaked them up and helped some people get out of there. it was a horrific day. the first day culminated by going to the hospital. five hospitals, wounded spread out all over the city. it was there i confronted their personal stories as to what happened to them and realized it was a significant amount of heroism just as we learned about what took place in new york city but also huge amount of resilience and resolve as they were coping with pain and horrific injuries because of the burns they received.

>> trace: we have 65 seconds until the moment of silence. you said at the time we heard the report that five planes inbound to the u.s. were unaccounted for and fighter aircraft were mustered to engage them and president cheney gave them permission to shoot them down if necessary. what must be going through the minds they would kill hundreds of innocent people to save thousands. your thoughts. >> it was that. likely guys and gals in their 20s and 30s with those weapon systems at their fingertips knowing that they were taking innocent lives to protect many others. fortunately they were able to identify themselves to the pilots of those airplanes and they turned out not to have terrorists on board. it was quite a moment. i think we were all just frozen in place staring at the screen listening to what was happening before our eyes. >> trace: thank you, general. let's listen.

>> a moment of silence for those who died on flight 93 and in new york. [moment of silence] >> present arms. [taps being played] of knowing

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i can hear you. [cheering and applause] i can hear you. the rest of the world hears you, and the people -- [cheering and applause] and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon. [cheering and applause] >> sandra: president george w. bush from ground zero on the days that followed the terror attacks. peter king joining us now, i can hear you. what a moment that was, september 14th, 2001. what do you think when you look back and see and hear that moment? >> i was actually there at that time and i was on there with president bush but i was across the street. we couldn't hear exactly what he said but we heard the tremendous ovation from the crowd and then the president came over and asked us how he did. great, only because we were basing it on the ovation. when i got home that night and

saw it was all over television that was the moment. the firefighter he was standing with has become a good friend to me and my wife, a true patriot. the president couldn't have picked a better person to stand with. being here today really brings back memories of the saddest day, the most tragic day in american mystery but also the most uplifting and heroic considering how all the cops and firefighters were the true heroes and fought back and inspired the entire country. >> sandra: talk more about that. we still hear the names being read in lower manhattan at ground zero there. those first responders, those firemen and women, police, those that ran through the doors into a burning building to save people, the heroes that we witnessed on that day, congressman. >> they trul were heroic. they didn't think twice. they made a point of going in. that was their job and vocation. what they did first of all they

saved countless numbers of lives and almost as importantly, they inspired the nation. just think on that day where there was so much sadness and despair. if we had seen cops and firefighters running away or ducking for cover. they went into the fires of hell. so we should always, always be grateful for them and keep that in mind today. these are the true heroes. same cops who ran in there that day are the same ones being vilified today. we have to keep that in mind. the firefighters are again classify themselves. >> sandra: 19 years later how has this country changed as a result of that day? >> wow, i just wish we could go back to september 11th, september 12th when the country was unified and we saw what was good about the country and why it was worth fighting for and why we never have to back down. now we have people thinking it's heroic to attack police

officers and attacking rocks. there is also an element in society. we have leaders in government encouraging them for looking the other way or enabling them. we have to find a way to reinstill that american spirit of unity and love for the country and whatever faults we have we are the greatest country in the world. >> sandra: we're looking live at shanksville, pennsylvania, where the president and first lady have taken their seats there. the president will deliver a message to the family members of flight 93 in prepared remarks. today every heartbeat in america is whetted to yours. congressman peter king, appreciate your time this morning and great to be with you, thank you. >> thank you as always. thank you very much. >> trace: many 9/11 tributes are virtual ones because of the pandemic this year including the travis mannion foundation's 13th annual 9/11 hero's run. how this event will be different this year.

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make sure lowering the risk of spreading covid-19 is on your list for your next small gathering. do your part to lower the risk. >> trace: a live look in shanksville, pennsylvania, we're anticipating the president will speak any moment now. as soon as he begins we'll take you to that. many 9/11 tributes going virtual because of the coronavirus pandemic including the travis manion's foundations 13th annual 5k race series honoring the memory of travis manion who was killed in april of 2007. his sister runs the foundation named for him and ryan joins us now. thank you so much. i know this is a very emotional day for you. give us an idea when you talk

about the run being virtual what that means, ryan. >> well, we've done this run 13 years in a row since travis was killed in 2007. and each year we've brought out thousands and thousands of people in live race events. this year it has taken on a virtual component. we were a little nervous but we have been overwhelmed by the amount of people who have signed up to run this event virtually. it is more than a run, trace. it is a way for us to collectively come together and remember what september 11th is all about and honor that commitment to never forget the men and women who stepped up that day and stepped up in the days following. >> trace: it is important to note. you talk a lot about the fact that ryan, before he deployed overseas, he went to rescue one in new york where the majority of the crews there died. that was so pivotal for him.

talk about that, ryan. >> travis visited with one of his marine friends. they went to rescue one and spent the time with them before leaving for his deployment and spent the day there because they wanted to thank them and travis came home and said i went there to thank them and they were thanking me. they gave travis a hat. on the back of the hat it said 9/11 never forget. he gave the hat to my dad. dad, wear this while i'm gone and remember this is what we're fighting for. we have created incredible bonds with the firefighters at rescue one and they are the true resilience of america. and each and every day we need to make sure we honor them but even more important today that we understand their sacrifice and how they came together to help us through the most tragic day in our nation's history. >> trace: you talk about heroes, ryan. it is important to note this year, you know, there is a big focus on the heroes on the

front line healthcare workers which, you know, just stepped up so dramatically this year. >> right. you look at where we are today as a nation and, you know, we're facing another historic event and to see those front line workers that stepped up and i think it is important to note that any time america falls, there are great people here that step up and take the lead. and we have to look to that as a source of inspiration. as divided as we are right now as a country we have to remember and think back to that feeling of unity that we felt in the moments following september 11th in the days and weeks that followed, how we came together to help each other as a nation. >> trace: yeah. compelling words, ryan manion, good of you to join us. thank you so much. >> thanks so much. >> sandra: america coming together for a day of reflection. a live look at shanksville, pennsylvania where the

president and first lady are seated. the president will deliver remarks to family members of flight 93 remembering all those who lost their lives on september 11, 2001 and the heroic efforts of first responders and citizens who gave their lives to save others. our coverage continues as we await the president. we'll be right back. d mike. an army family who is always at the ready. so when they got a little surprise... two!? ...they didn't panic. they got a bigger car for their soon-to-be-bigger family. after shopping around for insurance, they called usaa - who helped find the right coverage for them and even some much-needed savings. that was the easy part. usaa insurance is made the way liz and mike need it- easy. (announcer) it's important to lose weight, the way liz and mike need it- improve your health, and strengthen your immunity. the solution for losing weight the right way is golo. golo is a unique approach to weight loss that targets insulin resistance and body fat.

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manhattan where just moments from now we will be taking a moment of silence as a nation to remember the collapsing of the south tower in lower manhattan. as we also await the president. he and the first lady are seated in shanksville, pennsylvania. the president is about to deliver remarks there. we'll have those for you. together we'll take a moment to remember the south tower, trace, as it came down 19 years ago, almost to the minute. >> trace: and it is important to note that the flight that hit the south tower came 17 minutes after the flight that hit the north tower that collapsed. took a little longer but almost like it was in sync with the collapse here. let's listen. [bell tolls] [moment of silence]

>> patrick joseph driscoll. steven patrick driscoll. >> sandra: 9:59:30 was the moment 19 years ago today the south tower collapsed. as families gather in lower manhattan to remember their loved ones lost, victims who died in the towers, first responders who tried to save

lives that day. meantime we're in shanksville, pennsylvania. we are waiting for the president honoring and delivering remarks as america stops to remember the terrorist attacks against america 19 years ago today. >> andrew sonny garcia. [bell tolls] >> jeremy logan glick. [bell tolls]

>> trace: kristin white gold. >> sandra: welcome back to "america's newsroom" and our continuing coverage of today's 9/11 memorials and tributes. good morning, trace, i'm sandra smith. >> trace: i'm trace gallagher. president trump and joe biden both in shanksville today where flight 93 went down killing everyone on board after the passengers fought back preventing al qaeda terrorists from hitting their intended target. i mean, you think about this, sandra. as you go back to the bells tolling for the people who died aboard flight 93 and brad blakeman talking about todd beamer. the let's roll thing and the

fact they fought back against those terrorists and they drove the plane into the field. the countless lives that they likely saved by giving their own lives is what we are remembering here today in shanksville and the president will speak about that. >> sandra: in some prepared remarks the president is about to address those families who lost loved ones that day. every passenger he is about to say and crew member on that plane had a life filled with love and joy, friends and family, hopes and limitless dreams. let's listen. >> linda grondland. [bell tolls]

>> richard jay godagna. [bell tolls] >> first officer, leroy homer. [bell tolls] >> sandra: powerful moment on the ground in shanksville, pennsylvania where the president is about to deliver his remarks. chris wallace joining us now. i said it earlier, still feels so raw. hard to believe it's been 19 years since all of this happened and what we're about to hear from the president, we got a look at what he is about to say, addressing the family members of flight 93.

today every heartbeat in america is whetted to yours. your pain and anguish is the shared grief of our whole nation and we feel that this morning as we look back and remember, chris. >> you know, it is interesting -- i agree with you, sandra, it is 19 years since 9/11 since that horrible day and yet it still maintains its power and it still feels like a wound that is still open. and as the power, i think, of the remembrance and the moments of silence is it forces you to go back to that day. the feelings you had, the thoughts you had as you have the moment of silence when the first plane hits the world trade center and then the second plane and then the moment of silence when one of the towers collapses and now we're commemorating shanksville. and it takes you back to how you felt, the feelings of fear, the feelings of what was going

on and how wide was this going to be spread? and what i think the enduring power of shanksville is that in a sense, you know, we talked about the war on terror that george w. bush waged from this moment through the end of the presidency. barack obama continued the war against terrorism. he called it something different. you could argue that shanksville and flight 93 and todd beamer and those -- that brave group of passengers who rushed the cockpit and yes, stopped the attack on the capitol but also unfortunately had to drive -- to do so had to drive the plane into the ground in shanksville was really the beginning of the war on terror. the beginning of america saying no, enough. we are going to fight back and stop that. the bravery of those men and women on flight 93 is the

bravery that we've seen over these last 19 years in iraq and afghanistan and pakistan, as we have met the threat to the u.s. and to civilization around the world. it is amazing the power it has. it's interesting because some people relatives of the people who died then have been upset because understandably with the covid pandemic the ceremonies have been scaled back especially in new york. and obviously public health comes first now but i think we have a point. we can't forget this as long as we're live and after we're gone our succeeding generations have to know how it felt to be alive and to live through these events on 9/11, 2001. >> sandra: i'm digging through excerpts of the president's speech he is about to deliver and he will talk about the moment on flight 93 when those group of 40 did the most what he says most american of things. they took a vote and then they

acted. he is going to say together they charged the cockpit. they confronted pure evil. and in their last act on this earth they saved our capitol. he will be saying this from that pennsylvania field, chris, where i also said this earlier. amazing to think that teenagers in high school today weren't even born yet when all this happened. they will be reading about this in their history books and how important to your point that we read those names, that we mark these moments, that we remember how drastically our country changed on this morning 19 years ago. >> you are exactly right. i was thinking that earlier today. it has been 19 years so even if you are in your early to mid 20s you have no real first-hand memory of 9/11 and what it was like to go through that day. and i think it is so important for us as americans, as civilized people to remember what this day was, what it

represented, the threat to civilization and the way -- it wasn't just america that was hit. it really was all of our western values. obviously the deaths were on american soil, but it was really an attack on our way of life and our values and we need to remember that. we need to remember that threat. the fact as i remember ronald reagan used to say, freedom isn't free. each generation has to pay a price to maintain it. and those of us who lived through 9/11 obviously will never forget it. those who weren't alive or too young to experience it they need to learn that lesson as well. >> trace: it's interesting, chris, trace gallagher here. i remember that great story on flight 93 and the heroes were making their plan to go to the cockpit and they agreed yes and todd beamer said let's roll there was also a great story of the grandmother sitting next to the teenage girl and told her at the time have you called your people? have you notified your people?

the girl was shocked but she did that. it was one of those things where there were more heroes on board that plane than just the men going up for the cockpit. but it brings to mind, chris, all the heroes. the heroes on flight 93 and the police officers, 343 firefighters who lost their lives in 9/11 and john roberts was saying earlier this is a day without politics. above politics. but it seeps in there a little bit because of the first responders and the heroes we talk to. a lot of people are talking about, a lot of articles written about, you know, the vilification of police officers today and how we are reminded today about how many heroes there are on the front lines. >> think about it and particularly, of course, in new york where you had these two huge towers both hit. again, to go back to that moment when the first tower was hit i think most of us thought oh my gosh, what a terrible tragedy, what a terrible

accident. shortly after 9:00 a.m. in the east when the second plane hit the second tower, and we realized it wasn't an accident. it wasn't a tragedy. this was a deliberate attack and that's when the briefers andy card, then the chief of staff, went in to see george w. bush speaking to a grade school class in florida and said these simple words, america is under attack. you talk about the first responders. think of those huge towers and obviously the possibility -- we didn't know for a while that they would collapse. yet you did have the first responders whether it was policemen or firemen, some regular citizens who didn't run away from it but ran to it. what kind of bravery, courage, selflessness does it take to run two danger ran its away from it because you are trying to help your fellow men and women? that is extraordinary bravery and we must never lose sight of the tremendous acts of

individual bravery that were committed that day by our fellow americans. >> trace: you know, chris, i want to jump in quickly and ask you, everybody says you know where you were on 9/11. where were you, chris? what did you think after you saw what was happening in new york? >> well, like so many people, you know, i'm at home. i hadn't quite gone to work. i was working at abc at the time and i had the morning news on and i saw the first plane go in and thought oh my gosh, what a terrible accident. then, of course, the second plane and as i was racing to drive into work we got word about the pentagon and that was really the moment, i think, for a lot of people where you thought how big is this and how coordinated is it? when is it going to end? i remember the desperate attempt to get every plane out

of the sky and we heard almost all the planes had landed immediately. some hadn't and we wondered were they just slow to get the message, looking for an airport or in the case of flight 39 in shanksville had the plane already been taken over by the evildoers, by members of al qaeda? they were on their way, as you say, to strike the u.s. capitol. as you well know, both of you, you've been to the fox bureau in washington and we have the extraordinary view of the capitol right outside our window and how many times over the last 19 years i have thought how horrible it would have been if the dome of the capitol, that extraordinarily graceful structure which is such a symbol of our democracy and of our government, if that had been struck by this flight, which it appears that's where they were headed. and to give thanks to the passengers on flight 93 who summoned the courage. think about that. yes, they knew what was

happening. they were talking about cell phone to people on the ground so they knew the planes were being used as weapons of destruction. but to go into that to try to storm the cockpit and know that they might be leading themselves to certain death, that takes a special kind of heroism. >> sandra: we're about to hear from the president. he begin speaking any moment now. he is going to tell those families on the ground in shanksville we cannot erase your pain, we can help to shoulder your burden. we promise you the unwavering love and devotion of all americans. both the president and the democratic nominee, presidential nominee joe biden will both be traveling to shanksville, pennsylvania. too much of a december distraction to have them there at the same time. here we are 19 years later and the environment that we are in, chris, i know countdown is on

to your first debate. you will moderate the first debate and off we go to election day. >> yeah. i just want to say and i will stop talking as soon as the president comes into view. you know, one of the things -- i'm happy that the president and joe biden are speaking today. one of the good things that came out in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 19 years ago there was a sense of national unity. all the things that had divided us. there were as many things back then as now that divided us, the country came together for a long period of time in a sense of a unity of purpose to summon the will to strike back and bring the people who launched the attack on us to justice. it won't all go away now but at least for this day. the fact we put politics aside and remember. it's the case, so much more unites us than divides us.

we lose sight of it so often and we shouldn't. it's terrible it has to come on a day like today but maybe forces us to remember that we are all americans and there is an awful lot of common values that we share particularly when they are threatened by people like those islamic terrorists. >> sandra: a great message. chris, great to be with you this morning. chris wallace, thank you. >> thank you for having me. >> trace: thank you, chris. a live look at shanksville, pennsylvania. we're still awaiting the president to speak. we anticipate that will happen any moment. we will take a quick break. if the president starts we'll come out of the break. in the meantime we'll see you on the other side. veteran homeowners: newday's helping thousands of veterans

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>> sandra: president trump will begin speaking at a ceremony to honor those who lost their lives on flight 93 which crashed when passengers tried to take control from hijackers 19 years ago today? shanksville, secretary. secretary burn hart and will be introducing the president. the prepared remarks, he will speak directly to family members on the ground in shanksville who lost loved ones and i wanted the share this as well. this was from a short time ago

at the pentagon 9/11 memorial. general mark millie saying 3 million americans have deployed since the 9/11 attacks and roughly 6,000 have laid down their lives at the altar of freedom. the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff saying that a few moments ago as we dip into the ceremonies happening in lower manhattan, the pentagon, now shanksville, pennsylvania, where the president and joe biden will be visiting a bit later today, trace. >> trace: it's interesting because we talked to general jack keane earlier who was at the pentagon and the general kind of recounting how he got within 100 yards of the plane flight 77 that crashed into the pentagon and he couldn't go any closer. he wanted to help those hurt and couldn't get closer because of all the heat coming off the plane. he would see people who were desperately trying to get there and save those people and as you watch here in shanksville, pennsylvania, it is important to note that, you know, flight

93 was a regularly scheduled flight from newark, new jersey, to san francisco. it left at 8:42. it left at 8:42 just a few minutes before the first plane hit the north tower of the world trade center and when flight 93 was hijacked, the people on board didn't know at first what to do but they had cell phones and because of the cell phones they were able to as chris wallace was kind of reminding us, they were able to get an idea what was happening around the world. they knew the second tower had then been hit and then they had been -- an idea that they were among those planes that had been hijacked for a reason. the seven crew members, the 33 passengers on board that plane, and those people got together, they got a plan together and as todd beamer's famous slogan, his famous saying was let's roll and they went for it and the idea was to commandeer.

the hijackers had box cutters. they knew their lives were in peril at that time. we will pause for the president. [applause] >> president trump: thank you. thank you very much. thank you, david, very much. it's a great honor to be with you. 19 years ago on this day at this very hour on this field 40 brave men and women triumphed over terror and gave their lives in defense of our nation. their names and their stories are forever inscribed on the eternal roll call of american heroes. today we pay tribute to their sacrifice and we mourn deeply for the nearly 3,000 precious and beautiful souls who were taken from us on september

11th, 2001. to the family members of flight 93, today every heartbeat in america is whetted to yours. your pain and anguish is the shared grief of our whole nation. the memory of your treasured loved ones will inspire america for all time to come. the heroes of flight 93 are an everlasting reminder that no matter the danger, no matter the threat, no matter the odds, america will always rise up, stand tall, and fight back. to every 9/11 member all across this nation, the first lady and i come to this hallowed ground deeply aware that we cannot fill the void in your heart or erase the terrible sorrow of this day. the agony renewed, the

nightmare relived, the wounds reopened, the last treasured words played over and over again in your minds. but while we cannot erase your pain, we can help to shoulder your burden. we promise that unwavering love that you so want and need, support, devotion, and the very special devotion of all americans on that september morning when america was under attack, the battle turned in the skies above this field. soon after taking off from newark, new jersey, radical islamic terrorists seized control of united 93. other hijacked planes struck the north tower of the world trade center and then the south

tower, and then the pentagon. the terrorists on flight 93 had a fourth target in mind. it was called air nation's capitol. they were just 20 minutes away from reaching their sinister objective. the only thing that stood between the enemy and a deadly strike at the heart of american democracy was the courage and resolve of 40 men and women. the amazing passengers and crew of flight 93. donald and jean peterson were grandparents traveling to vacation in california. there was a student heading back to college. richard gardago was returning from celebrating his

grandmother's 100th birthday. lauren was three months pregnant with her first child. every passenger and crew member on the plane had a life filled with love and joy, friends and family, radiant hopes and limitless dreams. when the plane was hijacked, they called their families and learned that america was also under attack. then they faced the most fateful moment of their lives. through the heartache and the tears, they prayed to god, they placed their last calls home, they whispered the immortal words, i love you. today those words ring out across these sacred grounds and they shine down on us from heaven above. when terrorists raced to destroy the seat of our

democracy, the 40 of flight 93 did the most american of things, they took a vote and then they acted. together they charged the cockpit. they confronted the pure evil and in their last act on this earth, they saved our capitol. in this pennsylvania field, the 40 intrepid souls of flight 93 died as true heroes. their momentous deeds will outlive us all. in the days and weeks after 9/11, citizens of all faiths, background, colors, and creeds came together, prayed together, mourned together, and rebuilt together. the song god bless america became a rallying christ for the nation. we were united by our

conviction that america was the world's most exceptional country blessed with the most incredible heroes and that this was a land worth defending with our very last breath. it was a unity based on love for our families, care for our neighbors, loyalty to our fellow citizens, pride in our great flag, gratitude for our police and first responders, faith in god, and a refusal to bend our will to the depraved forces of violence, intimidation, oppression and evil. in new york, arlington, and shanksville people raced into the suffocating smoke and rubble. at ground zero the world witnessed the miracle of american courage and sacrifice as ash rained down, police

officers, first responders, and firefighters ran into the fires of hell. on that day, more than 400 first responders gave their lives, including 23 new york city police officers, 37 port authority workers, and 343 new york city firefighters. today we honor their extraordinary sacrifice and every first responder who keeps america safe. with us today is david demato, a retired chicago police officer, and a current officer of the navy reserves. on 9/11 he drove from chicago to ground zero. as david says, while the sights and smells of working at ground zero will forever be etched in my mind, what is more profound

is the way this country came together afterwards. the police officers and firemen were revered as the heroes they truly are. the military was appreciated in a manner not seen in decades. and common people found new meaning in values like friendship, kindness, and selflessness. thank you, david, such beautiful words and thank you to every member of law enforcement who risks their lives to insure our safety and uphold our peace. this morning we also remember the 183 people who were killed in the attack on the pentagon and the remarkable service members who crawled straight through the raging blaze to rescue their comrades. we express our undying loyalty to the nearly 6 million young

men and women who have enlisted in the united states armed forces since september 11, 2001. more than 7,000 military heroes have laid down their lives since 9/11 to preserve our freedom. no words can express the summit of their glory or the infinite depth of our gratitude. but we will strive every single day to repay our immeasurable death and prove worthy of their supreme sacrifice. america will never relent in pursuing terrorists that threaten our people. less than one year ago american warriors took out the savage killer and leader of isis, baghdadi. soon after our warriors ended the brutal reign of the iranian butcher, the world's top

terrorist, soleimani is dead. here in shanksville this community locked arms and hearts in the wake of tragedy. with us today is chuck wagner, a heavy equipment operator who lives just a few miles away. very soon after the attack, chuck helped search for the black box. he was so changed by what he experienced that he joined with several members of his church to become what they call ambassadors for the 40 men and women on flight 93. chuck and his neighbors learned about each person, cared for their families, and each day rain or shine they took shifts standing vigil over their final resting place. long before this place was a national memorial, back when it was marked by a simple wooden cross, chuck and his fellow ambassadors were always here waiting to tell visitors about

those we lost. 19 years later chuck says his life is devoted to three things, his family, his church, and preserving the memory of the men and women of flight 93. to chuck, his wife, jane -- [applause] thank you very much. thank you very much. to chuck and his wife, jane, thank you so much for being here and to the over 40 ambassadors with us today, please stand and receive america's thanks. this is a very deep thanks. please. [applause]

thank you very much. also with us is marine veteran jason thomas from long island. on september 11th, jason had just retired from the marines but he immediately put back on his uniform and raced into the nightmare of ash and debris at ground zero. he found a fellow marine, dave karns, together they began to call out united states marines, united states marines. if you can hear us, yell, tap, do whatever you can do. we're the united states marines. soon they heard a shout for help. two police officers were trapped beneath 20 feet of rubble. jason and dave dug for hours on end knowing that at any momentent the wreckage could come down on them crushing them alive. at one point someone told jason

to stop. jason replied i'm a marine, i don't go back, i go forward. that day jason helped save the lives of those two officers. for years jason said nothing about what he did on 9/11. he did not even tell his five children. but when he saw the rescue recounted on tv he decided to meet those officers. one of them gave him a gift, a steel cross made from a beam that jason helped lift to free them from the hell on earth. as jason said about the cross, it means a lot. it is a symbol of what we are as americans because that day we all came together and stood as a nation, as americans. it didn't matter what race you were, what religion you were, it didn't matter. we all came together to help one another.

i would die for this country. i would die for this country. jason, thank you very much for bearing witness to the character of our nation. jason, thank you very much. [applause] thank you, jason. the men and women of flight 93 were mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives. nothing could have prepared them for the dreadful events of that morning. but when the moment came, when history called, they did not hesitate, they did not waiver. 40 towering patriots rose up, took charge, made their stand, turned the tide and changed the course of history forever. our sacred task, our righteous duty, and our solemn pledge is to carry forward the nobel

legacy of the brave souls who gave their lives for us 19 years ago. in their memory, we resolve to stand united as one american nation, to defend our freedoms, to uphold our values, to love our neighbors, to cherish our country, to care for our communities, to honor our heroes, and to never, ever forget. thank you, god bless you, god bless the heroes of flight 93, god bless all of the families. 9/11 will never forget. god bless you all and god bless america. thank you very much. thank you. [applause] thank you very much.

>> mr. president, thank you so very much for those moving and inspirational words. as we conclude here this day together, we do indeed remember and honor the 40 passengers and crew members of flight 93 in this special an unique ceremony. as we go our separate ways, may we carry the memory of how they came together on that day to make our nation and world a better place for all. at this time, i would like to ask all attendees to remain in their seats as we prepare for the ceremonial wreath laying. i would ask that the flight 93 ambassadors and dignitaries remain seated immediately following the wreath laying ceremony to allow time and

space for the families of flight 93 to walk to the wall of names and through the ceremonial gate to the sacred ground. once again, thank you all for joining us today to honor the memory of the passengers and crew of flight 93. thank you. [applause]

>> sandra: the president and first lady participating in a wreath laying ceremony at the flight 93 national memorial

19th anniversary observance. in his remarks, the president a moment ago addressing the families of the 40 intrepid souls of flight 93. he says they died as heroes, they charged the cockpit, they confronted pure evil and in their last act on earth they saved our capitol. the president paying his respects there on the ground in shanksville, pennsylvania along with the first lady. joe biden will be visiting a bit later today. karl rove later became white house deputy chief of staff. today he shares his reflections with us. karl. your thoughts as we look back at this moment 19 years ago today for our country, for our history. you just heard the president's remarks there on the ground. >> i thought they were wonderful remarks. i happened to visit this morning, every day at about 8:48 a.m. eastern time i get a call from my former white house

assistance susan ralston who on that day called me outside emma booker elementary school and told me about a plane having flown into the world trade center. i went over and told the president 10 or 15 feet away what had happened and a few minutes later condy rice called with the same sketchy information. this morning susan and i reflected we remember every single moment of that day. i remember going to the same site the president is today outside shanksville, no memorial, a simple beautiful field scarred by a gigantic hole and scattered everywhere were minute pieces of level. all that was left with the plane that hit the earth with such violence it disintegrated. i remember meeting shortly after 9/11 in new york the day the president stood across a pile of rubble and rallied the country. a horrible moment in our life.

the life of our country and we better realize that the people who did that still exist today and harbor in the center of their ideology a hatred of all that we consider to be important to being an american, liberty, freedom, the right to choose our own direction in life. to worship as we wish, to go about our business not directed in fear and anger but in freedom and joy and it is a day we all ought to remember. >> sandra: i can tell the emotions are still so raw for you 19 years later and talk about that moment when president bush days after this happened stood on the rubble, firefighters surrounding him and said i can hear you. >> yeah. it happened by accident. a white house advance woman named nina bishop had decided that the people of america needed to hear from the president. she brought the issue up in a meeting the night before the president's visit to new york had been shot down. so when we came to the final

stop in new york, she basically provoked the moment. and it happened entirely by accident. and you remember the moment the president has got his arm draped over a firefighter, retired firefighter, wonderful human being who was there by accident. he had woken up on the morning after 9/11 and said i have to go and was volunteering every day at 9/11 at the site and you're right. it was a moment of the president started to talk. he never used a bull horn before. somebody yelled at him i can't hear you and he finally figured out the trigger on the bull horn and the rest is history. it was what the american people needed to hear. i'll tell you there was an almost equally powerful moment later in the day that the american people did not see. the president went to the javits center, convention

center turned into a staging area and dormitory for the rescue workers coming from around the country to help. there was a shift coming off work and a shift coming out and so the president was there to thank the workers as they came back in and to wish those that were going to work well. and after that went on for an hour or two. the president was supposed to go into a parking garage, which there had been a temporary room set up with pipe and drape and he was supposed to spend roughly 45 minutes, i believe, meeting families of the fallen, of people who had died, first responders who had died on 9/11. and he went into that pipe and drape room and emerged nearly 2 1/2, 3 hours later because he stood there and talked to every single one of those people who had lost a loved one and grieved with them and prayed

with them, hugged them, cared for them. wept with them. the most amazing moment i think i have ever seen in private. nobody ever saw it except the people in the room and where one of the mothers of an officer who lost his life that day gave the president his badge and said i do not want you to ever forget what happened here and for the rest of his time in office, president bush carried that badge with him virtually every single day in his pocket as a reminder of his duty as president of the united states to keep us safe and he did keep us safe. >> sandra: thank you for sharing that story, charl. >> trace: i just want to jump in. i remember hearing the president talk about later that day. we saw him on the pile of rubble giving that i can hear you speech but later in the day he talked about that it was really heart rending to hear him recount some of that. i want to take you back earlier in the day. we know and saw the video. so many times we've seen the president in the school room in florida and andy card walking in and giving him the news. i'm wondering what was going on behind the scenes at that time, karl. what was the plan?

what was the hope when you got the president out of the school? was there a plan or was this just kind of taking it step-by-step? what was the action behind the scenes? >> first of all we were in an adjacent room called the staff hold we had. i had stolen a television from another classroom and plugged it into the wall. we had a television, a couple of special telephones called secure phones that are put at every site where the president travels and when andy -- when the second plane flew in andy needed he had to go in and tell the president. i remember andy walking to the door separating this room from the adjacent classroom and i remember at the time he stopped at the door. it seemed like an eternity. it was probably just a second or two. but until years later i didn't understand what happened. he got to the door and realized he needed to know exactly what he was going the say to the

president. there were cameras and photographers and press. he didn't want the president to break up the reading demonstrated being conducted in that room. he wanted to tell the president when he said the words. the second plane has hit the world trade center america is under attack. the president had a decision to make. should he immediately get up and leave the room or wait until the read evening exercise finished? he thought it was a matter of moments before it finished. it took several minutes. what a terrible thing to be to sit there and realize that you needed to get on but you didn't want to stand up and walk out of the room and create a sense of panic. he waited. and when he came back into the room. i've known him a long time. we met when i was 22 years old and he was 26. i've known him a long time and i can read his moods. a different person walked into that room that morning. when he came into the room there was a little anxiety in the room.

he had a voice calm as cold steel and said we're at war. give me the director of the f.b.i. and the vice president. we jumped on the phones and got ahold of director mueller. we couldn't get richard cheney, vice president of the united states because he was being rushed down a hallway to a secret entrance to the president's emergency operations center. but there was no quote plan. and we sat there. the president said i need to say something to the country. and so ari fleischer and dan and i were with him as he sat at a table. the furniture was only meant for kindergartners. we were sitting at a table and in walked the head of the secret service detail. small guy, really terrific human being said in a quiet, firm voice. mr. president, we need to get you to air force one and airborne as rapidly as possible. they were worried -- everybody knew where he was and they were afraid somebody would fly a plane into the emma booker

elementary cool and kill the president of the united states. >> sandra: you mentioned ari fleischer and he is documenting and tweeting throughout the morning and remembering and looking back at each of these moments which clearly all of you remember so clearly. and he just wrote a few moments ago unlike most americans who were watching every second of this on tv. communications aboard air force one were poor. tv reception was spotty. we didn't have satellite tv. occasionally able to watch tv when an antenna signal was strong. you look back at the technology and lines of communication were much slower and different at that point. >> yeah, we didn't have dish tv like you have on every aircraft today. i had to carry a blackberry that was not government issue in order to do any political

communications. that was the only device that we had on air force one that people could use to send an email to their spouse or their families saying i'm okay. so we passed the blackberry around and people were email off it. the messages would back up until we flew over a town and could pick up a wireless signal and download them. very primitive communications back then which is why air force one was upgraded within a short period of time. when we got ready to go to the airport normally i would be in a car two or three cars behind the presidential limousine the beast. and that morning for whatever purpose the president whistled at me and pointed to the back seat of the limousine so i rode to the airport with him. normally presidential motorcade they go 40, 45 miles per hour. we pulled out of that school

and began going 80 to 85 miles per hour. nobody said anything. the phone rang as we were driving to the airport. a little phone on the side of the right side of the beast. the president picked it up. i can only hear one side of the conversation. i knew it was bad when he said is rumsfeld alive? news of the strike on the pentagon. at that moment i couldn't look at the president. i looked to my left and realized that if i could roll down the window, which you can't, there was a police car a foot or foot and a half to the side of the beast, of the limousine. four of them blanketing the car maybe a foot away and they were matching our speed and we were going 85 miles per hour down a freeway. i asked secret service all around. we were worried about a car bomber intersecting the motorcade. if there was an attack on the motorcade we wanted to cause the bomb to go out 10 or 15 feet away from the limousine giving the president a better

chance of surviving the blast. >> sandra: wow. amazing recollection of the absolute details of what transpired that morning as we look back. trace, i know you are with us and we're looking live at ground zero where these ceremonies and remembrances continue throughout the morning. >> trace: karl, i know you've been down to the new world trade center. i know you've been down and seen the 9/11 museum. as you walk through, what is it that strikes you most about what you see down there now compared to what you saw 19 years ago? >> well, i've been on the surface of the site of 9/11. to my great shame i have not been to the museum and i'll tell you why. i'm afraid of being overcome by the emotions of that day. you know, you feel so deeply. i've met these people. i met todd beamer's parents and i met victims.

when we had the families of the flight 93 to the white house, imagine at that point we didn't know -- we now understand that flight 93 was meant for the capitol. but in the days and immediately afterwards we didn't know. so we were meeting people whose loved one had died protecting we thought the white house. now we know it was aiming for the capitol. but i've met these people. to think of the grief and the pain that these people have suffered in losing the lives of people whose only offense was to be an american and to be either on an airplane or to be in a tower, an office building in lower manhattan. i mean, the bush presidential library in dallas has an exhibit devoted to 9/11 and i go to the library a lot for events with the president and activities around there. it is painful. i'm sure it is painful for everybody who lost a loved one. i admire their courage showing up every year to hear the name

of their loved one read at the ceremony at the site and god bless the leadership of the museum and the town fathers of new york and mothers of new york for continuing that great ceremony there. i think it probably gives some comfort to those who lost someone. >> trace: insights that only you can give, karl. we greatly appreciate your insight today. thank you, sir. >> sandra: 19 years since the 9/11 terror attacks. we remember this morning. our coverage continues. we'll be right back.

>> sandra: president trump defending himself against accusations that he intentionally misled the country on the dangers posed by the coronavirus saying he has worked to calm the nation in a time of crisis. welcome to a brand-new hour of "america's newsroom," i'm sandra smith. good morning, trace. >> trace: good morning, sandra. i'm trace gallagher. president trump pushing back on a wave of criticism sparked by tapes of his february interview with bob woodward where he admitted down playing the virus defending his handling of the crisis in michigan last night. >> president trump: america will prevail over the china virus as fdr said, the only

thing we have to fear is fear itself. when hitler was bombing london churchill, great leader, would often go to a roof in london and speak and he always spoke with calmness. he said we have to show calmness. no, we did it the right way and we've done a job like nobody. >> sandra: chief white house correspondent john roberts is live from the north lawn this morning. john, how now is the president pushing back on woodward's book? >> he continues to mount a vigorous counter narrative what is presented in the woodward book at the beginning. not only invoking fdr, churchill and the british stiff upper lip idea keep calm and carry on. in michigan also going after the author, bob woodward himself. listen here. >> president trump: this whack job that wrote the book, he said they wanted me to come out and scream people are dying, we're dying. no, no. we did it just the right way. we have to be calm.

we don't want to be crazed lunatics. >> the president insisting he did not lie about the severity of the virus but trying to avoid setting off a panic. in an interview yesterday joe biden said he played down the virus to the detriment of the nation. >> he said nothing. he said there is no need for social distancing. don't bother wearing masks. he went so far as to suggest it was a violation of american freedom to maintain you had to wear a mask. and look what's happened. again, 190,000 dead and climbing. >> the president has since wearing a mask is patriotic. in michigan last night very few masks in the crowd and very little effort at social distancing. it is likely to be a quiet day in politics with so much of the day focused on 9/11 remembrances. >> sandra: the president spoke

in shanks villa short time ago this morning. what was his overall message on the ground. >> as he has in years past the president paying tribute to the nearly 3,000 people who died in the attacks of 9/11. also honoring the family members who continue to grieve for their lost loved ones and paying attention to the 40 heroes who died on flight 93 and the small group of people. we remember todd beamer saying let's roll trying to take the aircraft by the hijackers who were determined to fly it into the capitol building. >> president trump: the heroes of flight 93 are an everlasting reminder that no matter the danger, no matter the threat, no matter the odds, america will always rise up, stand tall, and fight back. >> 3:00 this afternoon at the white house the recognition of heroism will continue as the president presents the medal of

honor to army sergeant major thomas payne who showed extraordinary gallantry in an operation to liberate 75 iraqis who were being held hostage by isis. >> sandra: john roberts from the white house for us this morning. thank you. >> trace: the ceremony taking place at the pentagon this morning honoring those killed after american airlines flight 77 crashed into the west wall of the building. general jack keane on america's newsroom this morning reflecting on what that moment meant for americans in uniform. >> i always described it as the first battle of the wars that took place. we lost 85 people out of that headquarters. it represents more loss of life on that single day for the united states army than any subsequent day for the last 19 years. so that's how representative 9/11 is to the united states army as well as it is to the american people, trace. it is a vivid memory for all of us.

>> trace: the attacks killed 125 people inside the pentagon along with 64 people on board flight 77. of course, our september 11th coverage continues. later this hour we'll talk to a 9/11 first responder who is also a coronavirus survivor. how the pandemic is taking a heavy toll on those left vulnerable from working at ground zero. joe biden visiting ground zero this morning as did vice president mike pence. the biden campaign suspending tv ads for the day. i won't make any news today or talk about anything other than 9/11. we took all our advertising down. it's a solemn day. you can determine whether i make news but i won't be holding any press conference. peter doocy live for us in gettysburg, pennsylvania. peter. >> good morning. joe biden and mike pence bumped elbows with each other in new york this morning and also spoke very briefly but difficult to make out exactly

what they were saying through the facemasks. they also stood just a few feet away from each other for a moment of silence. now the democratic nominee is on his way to shanksville, pennsylvania where president trump is. we don't expect them to cross paths. biden will arrive for an event not part of the day's official program. biden's campaign pulled campaign advertisements down today. the trump campaign didn't do that. they asked for cash today and one text alert offering a trump campaign hat for anybody that donates $45. a day unlike any other on the campaign trail but brings biden back to the battleground state where he spent more time than anywhere but delaware during the pandemic. now he flies and gets further the keystone state. he has a nine point lead there and trump carried 53-44. trump sometimes talks about he

has loved pennsylvania since he attended the wharton building schools. biden talks about longstanding family ties. he used to be northern as pennsylvania's third senator because of all the talk about scranton. we don't expect to hear anything about that from biden today. his focus is going to be on the families of those who lost loved ones on united flight 93 here in pennsylvania. trace. >> trace: putting politics aside. peter doocy live in gettysburg. >> sandra: how will the president's remarks to bob woodward impact his chances with swing voters? charlie hurt is a fox news contributor. charlie, we've been covering the 9/11 ceremonies throughout the morning and some beautiful remembrances about that day, that tragic day that happened 19 years ago today. and here we are 53 days out to election day and you've got this back and forth. you have the president defending his own words in this

tape. where do things stand with this this morning? >> well, honestly, i don't think in the long run the bob woodward book will have a lot of impact on this election. i think anybody who cares about what bob woodward has to say made up their minds about who they will vote for a long time ago. that said i think on a day like today it is a reminder it is usually the big things in life that really do sort of change -- determine the outcome of elections. i'm reminded that it was -- so much about this current race as ugly as it is reminds me of the 2004 race which was very much defined by 9/11. and i think that this effort by the biden campaign and by democrats and others to try to politicize the pandemic and use it against trump has a real risk of backfiring. i'm reminded that it was 19 years ago today that andy card walked into that classroom in

florida and whispered in president bush's ear that the first plane had hit one of the towers and it wasn't just a couple years later that the john kerry campaign decided to use that as an attack on president bush in their campaign to say that he didn't react quickly enough. he kept reading to the kids. he didn't run out of the classroom. that backfired and didn't work for them. i don't think politicizing the pandemic will work any better than it did for kerry in 2004. >> sandra: kamala harris said where we talked about hearing the president on tape, this makes it clear to voters that they should vote for joe biden. here is kamala harris in her own words. >> and the commander-in-chief of the united states of america was in possession of this information that long ago but conducted himself the way he did? there are so many reasons why

joe biden needs to be elected president of the united states. and if those reasons did not make it clear why, this certainly does. >> sandra: that was yesterday in miami gardens, florida. i will put up the latest polling. this is the real clear politics average of polls in the state of michigan first where you have joe biden leading president trump by 4.2 percentage points there. and then in florida joe biden is leading the president by just over a point there. the state of the race this morning, charlie. >> absolutely. the polls certainly do suggest that president trump has a lot of room that he has -- lots of space he needs to make up. but the polls are not all that different than they were four years ago when trump did make that -- managed to make the argument between now and election day that he was their preferred choice.

i think you know in this environment. the more act rid and nasty the environment the harder it is to gauge what people really think. people are reluctant to talk about it. think about the amount of negative harshly fiercely negative press the president gets. some of it is his fault. the idea you'll sit down and spend 18 hours talking to bob woodward for a book that comes out weeks before the election certainly just boggles the mind. but given that the amount of negative press that the president is enduring just makes it more difficult to gauge exactly what people really do think. and there is a lot of time between now and the election when people make up their mind. i think most voters end up making their mind up based on the big issues, not some of these smaller controversies that we necessarily have to sit and talk about along the way. >> sandra: big issues are still coronavirus, economy and law

and order. we'll see what happens 50 some days out now, charlie. thank you. >> sandra: you bet, sandra. >> trace: the former police officers charged in the death of george floyd appearing before a judge today. what their lawyers are now requesting. plus as wildfires rage across the west, we'll hear from someone who was forced to evacuate his family in the dead of night. half of their town burned to the ground. his story and more as folks try to pick up the pieces of their lives. an update to a controversial plan to fly air force fighter jets above new york city in remembrance of 9/11. critics calling the planned flyover tone deaf and tasteless when people died from planes flying over building and when fire patrols circled the city.

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>> trace: the four ex police officers charged in the death of george floyd in court today. the judge hearing arguments whether they should be tried together or separately.

the other three offices are charged with aiding and abetting second degree murder. they all want the trials moved outside of minneapolis because of pre-trial publicity. breaking right now fox news confirming a plan to mark 9/11 with a military flyover above manhattan has been called off following a lot of blowback from new yorkers and their lawmakers. f-18 jet was set to fly over the hudson river this afternoon at 2500 feet. the initial alert that this would happen prompted criticism on twitter with many calling it inappropriate and tone deaf. max rose responding are you out of your mind? cancel this immediately. we're still awaiting a statement from the military on that decision. >> sandra: now to the west coast fires in oregon, 900,000 acres have burned over three

days. an area bigger than the state of rhode island. more than 10% of oregon's population has had to leave their homes and in california six fires this year among the 20 largest wildfires in state history. our los angeles affiliate kttv is live from monrovia, california with us where people are preparing to evacuate there. what are you seeing and hearing? good morning. >> good morning, sandra. we're at the bobcat fire. in monrovia. l.a. county fire stationed in this residential neighborhood that butts up to the angeles national forest where the fire continues to burn this morning in steep and rugged terrain. it has exploded to 26,000 acres with only 6% containment.

very much out of control still and it is quite the fire fight from both the air and the ground. one of the problems firefighters are facing here and across california is the air quality. the thick smoke, orange skies, cloud cover. visibility is extremely bad. the air quality is very bad for folks with respiratory issues and even people who aren't sick. they're advising folks to say home and throughout l.a. county. a lot of folks saying they've never seen this before. skies are orange. gray, looks like a winter day even though we're still in summer here, sandra. >> sandra: we're on the ground in monrovia. thank you. >> trace: the california family escaped the creek fire with no time to spare. he noticed orange flowing down the hills and got his wife, three kids and three dogs out safely. the home as you see is destroyed. toby wait joins me now.

we are so sorry for the loss of your home. it has to be heartbreaking for you. thank you for joining us. you are also the superintendent of the big creek school districts and principal of the school there. i want to ask you because i know you said you saw a plume of smoke in the distance and didn't worry about it that much but the middle of the night they banged on your door. tell us what happened then. >> friday evening we were on what's called the helipad, a small plume of smoke. we thought we may be evacuated. we went home and went to bed. early saturday morning the sirens were going off. we were told to evacuate. we grabbed a few things. our children and our pets and we fled town. and trace, i want to say it is truly amazing as we are heading up this road cut into the side of a cliff. we call it the beaver slide. we have these incredibly brave

women and men, firefighters, police officers in the state of california. as we are fleeing they are coming right into the clutches of this fire and they're risking their lives to save homes for people they don't know. they don't know our community. i want to give a shout-out especially as reweb 9/11 and the brave firefighters on this day. these folks are truly heroes that put their lives on the line for other people. >> trace: it is appropriate on 9/11. you know there are so many first responders, so many fires burning all over the west coast right now. hundreds of them and these firefighters are going in as the residents are leaving. you're right, sir, you have your wife, three children and three dogs. you have to get them out. clearly that's priority one. you have a little time to take a few things. what do you decide to take? >> you know, we took pictures first. that was the most important thing that we have.

everything else can be replaced. i left a few items, cookie jar that i inherited from my grandmother and a nativity scene that my grandmother from big creek had painted there. so really, you know, when stress is on the line, you get your valuables, your processions that you can't do without. photos of the family and really, we left pretty much with the clothes on our back. >> trace: i have to ask you. i know big creek is a small town. the mayberry of the west. so very few residents. my question to you, sir, with half of the homes destroyed, what happens to school? what happens to the kids? how do you go forward? what's the plan for big creek? >> number one we aren't going to be victims of this fire. we aren't going to be a victim. we'll move forward and we'll persevere and going to overcome. we had a school zoom earlier this week. we go back to distance learning

on monday. we have kids spread throughout california. we have one family in colorado. nonetheless our teachers will be teaching from hotel rooms, maybe from the front seat of the car as it's driving down the street. we are going to persevere and overcome. this is an extremely tight knit community and imperative we get back to what our new reality is. this is what we're faced with and we'll move forward. >> trace: best of luck to you, your family, your dogs, your town. we hope it works out for you. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> sandra: a bit later today president trump will be presenting the medal of honor to an army soldier. how the horrors 19 years ago today led him to heroism worthy of this country's highest military honor. plus as schools begin to reopen the death of several teachers are renewing fears of the spread of the coronavirus in

classrooms. and new research indicating a disturbing trend among 9/11 first responders. we'll have the details on that straight ahead. ♪ here? nah. ♪ here? nope. ♪ here. ♪ when the middle of nowhere...

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>> trace: top headlines at the bottom of the hour. the houston police department firing four police officers after pumping 21 bullets into a incapacitated man. he was holding a metal object and had mental illness.

police used stun guns and bean bags. when that didn't work they opened fire. the officers shot him 18 more times after the three shots that put him on the ground. the union calling the shooting justified. >> sandra: parents question sending their kids back to school. at least six teachers have died from coronavirus since classes began. the "washington post" reporting the victims in several states. one teacher died one week after classes started in south carolina. she was just 28 years old. a special ed. teacher died in missouri. in mississippi a student said history teacher looked fine when he last saw him but now he is dead. >> trace: we mark 19 years since the terror attack that changed our nation and two decades after that dark day the terrorists bent on death and destruction are still claiming

victims. every 2 1/2 days a person who was at ground zero dies because of their decision to help in a time of crisis. that's according to the feel good foundation, which fights for 9/11 first responders. it reports more than 17,000 americans have cancer. that is government certified as resulting from ground zero toxins and the poisonous dust that remained in the air for weeks. not just a new york problem. the foundation said people came to help at ground zero from all 433 congressional districts in the country except two. the feel good foundation predicts the number of 9/11 victims who died from issues after the fact will surpass the people who died in the attack itself. as first responders get older, a new health threat is turning up. researchers have just reported that people who worked in the rubble of the twin towers are

suffering mental decline 10 to 20 years before normal. the cognitive impairment is the first step toward dimension. scans show the poisons at ground zero actually shrank victim's brains leading to memory loss earlier than the general population. >> sandra: president trump will present the medal of honor today to sergeant major thomas payne, 9/11 was a defining moment for payne who decided to join the military while watching the attacks on tv when he was just 18 years old. he is receiving the award for his role in the 2015 raid that freed more than 70 isis hostages in iraq. the medal is the military's highest honor for valor in campaign. payne is a purple heart recipient from a wound he sustained in separate 2020 mission in afghanistan. secretary of state mike pompeo is in the middle east. he is participating in peace talks between the taliban and afghan government. the talks resume tomorrow. he said this will be contentious. president trump saying yesterday u.s. troops in

afghanistan would soon be reduced to about 4,000. the troop withdrawal was one of his promises when he ran for president in 2016. >> look at this. i can't see upstate new york from here. or connecticut. that's funny, yes. >> roko, camaj was killed on this day in 2001 when the south tower collapsed. with us now is his son vincent. we are so sad for your loss. you have the mask on. your dad worked at the world trade center from 1973 until the towers collapsed in 2001. there were 43,600 windows on the world trade center. most of them were washed by

machines but your dad had to wash the top windows because they were thicker and he absolutely loved it, the job. he would not give it up. i want you to talk about what your dad loved so much about that. >> my father is quoted as saying it is just me and the sky up here. nobody bothers me and i don't bother anybody. he loved the view. he loved the freedom. we have a video of my dad throwing his hands up and saying i'm the king of the world trade center when he was on top. he just enjoyed his job. he loved his job. >> trace: amazing, vincent. you talk about your dad. he was the hero. he was above where the plane went in and talking to people before the towers came down. what was he saying in his last moments before that happened? >> well, we have a transcript of my father speaking to the

port authority officer and speaking to him through the walkie-talkie. they told him roko, where are you? he said i'm on the 105th floor. wait there, we're sending people to come. >> trace: vincent, we just lost him. fascinating. we have him back. keep going with your story, sir, i'm sorry. we don't have his audio right now. we're trying to get it back. he talked about the fact his father -- if you don't know this, there are several hundred in one tower that were above where the planes went in. those people had no way to get down. in the south tower there were 800 people above where the plane went in and those stories. there was no chance for them to get down because not only were the stairwells blocked but also because the plane's impact the doorjambs were all off kilter so in many cases they could not

open the doors. do we have vincent back? and the idea of let's bring vincent back in. the idea your dad was one of those who was above where the plane went in and people were telling him roko, we'll come get you. pick it up from there if you would. >> they said to my father, we'll send people up. wait where you are. we'll come for you. my father said quoted saying please, don't send anyone up here. there is thick smoke. i find that unbelievable. >> trace: your dad was a hero. he saved lives doing that. what does today mean for you, your family and the member -- memory of your father? >> we remember our dad every day. there isn't a day that goes by where he isn't mentioned. i had a baby girl named meadow recently. i can't wait to tell her the

story of my father and show her videos and fox has some great videos of my dad that will help my daughter know who he was and -- they never found my father's remains. so coming down here i know he is scattered across the ground here. this is my father's cemetery. it is truly -- it brings everything back. every time i come down here it brings everything back. >> trace: our hearts go out to you for your loss even 19 years later. we appreciate the story. we'll be right back. (gong rings) - this is joe.

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>> trace: top new york city business leaders are leaning on the mayor urging him to crack down on crime which is rising dramatically and to fix other

quality of life issues so people can return to work in the city. the heads of more than 160 companies sending a letter to mayor bill deblasio calling for immediate action. meantime the city has been cutting services to close to two-year, $9 billion budget gap. >> sandra: the coronavirus pandemic taking a heavy toll on 9/11 first responders and ground zero workers many of whom suffer from underlying health problems from breathing dust and debris. joining us now is michael barasch and william valentin a 9/11 first responder and covid-19 survivor. thank you for being here. so michael, to you first and we'll get william's story here. michael, give us the overall situation with 9/11 first responders, those that worked on the ground at ground zero

and how we are seeing covid impact their ability to fight through the virus if they contract it. >> thanks for having me, sandra. 9/11 didn't end on 9/11. for 500,000 people in the 9/11 community including the 100,000 first responders, the most common illness was copd, asthma and other respiratory illnesses. they also developed one of the 68 cancers that have been linked to the toxins. not surprisingly the coronavirus attacks the lungs. so it shouldn't surprise us that 9/11 community is having such trouble right now. i've already lost 98 clients who had prior conditions to the coronavirus. it is just heartbreaking and it is not just first responders as i said. there were 300,000 office workers, 50,000 students and teachers, they all have the same 9/11 illnesses and they

are all so vulnerable right now. >> sandra: i want to hear william's story now. william, as i mentioned, you were a 9/11 first responder and also now a covid-19 survivor. how did the illness affect you? >> well, i already had a weakened immune system and compromised rest piratory sis emotion. i have nine documented illness from the 9/11 response. when covid hit i started out with fevers, double pneumonia. i was on a ventilator for 30 days in the hospital, for 90. last mobility in my left arm, shoulder and hand. had to learn how to walk again and numerous residual effects from the virus. >> sandra: how are you doing

now, william? >> i go to therapy three days a week, two hours a day still trying to regain mobility. i have issues with hyper sensitive skin, losing my hair, hyper sensitive teeth. neurological issues, nerve pain. stabbing pains in my legs, numb spots on my body. i could go on and on. the things that they say about the virus i thought i was going to get. some lung problems and maybe it would go away and things would get better but it has been a long road and it definitely -- the virus grabs you and doesn't want to let you go. unfortunately we lost a lot of 9/11 responders to this virus unfortunately. >> sandra: william, so sorry to hear about these immense challenges that you are having. michael, you're trying to help people like william. >> i represent so many cops, firefighters and responders and urge everybody who is not a first responder, sign up for

the free world trade center health program. last year congress did an amazing thing. they extended this for 70 years. that's the rest of everyone's life. still only 5% of the non-responders have even registered. they extended the deadline for anyone who died more than two years ago. their families have until next july to register but they aren't going to do it unless they know about it. it is so important that people like you are allowing us to get the word out. bill didn't mention he lost his dad during the 90 days he was in the hospital. his family couldn't even visit him in the hospital. this is not a joke, this virus. i appreciate the fact that now everybody, scientists, politicians are all agreeing wear a mask, be careful, especially the 9/11 community, especially for anyone with a pre-existing condition and help spread the word so that people

take advantage. >> sandra: we have to leave it there. appreciate you both coming on. michael thank you to you and william, our best to you. we hope you feel much better. >> thank you, sandra. >> trace: a big cat that can kill is terrorizeing one american neighborhood and it is still on the loose. >> i think i spotted the tiger in my backyard. >> the missing tiger mystery. just ahead. attention veterans with va loans. record low mortgage rates have just dropped to new all time lows. veterans can refinance their loans with no income verification, no appraisal, and no out of pocket costs. one call to newday usa can save you $3,000 every year. you could start saving, beginning with your next mortgage payment. refi now at these historic low rates.

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in knoxville, tennessee. no one knows where it escaped from. it turned up wednesday. animal control set up traps for it and in florida wildlife crews in fort myers wrangled this gator. bit a woman's leg trimming trees near a lake. and a moment of unity before the opening game of the nfl season drawing the ier of some fans in kansas city last night. hearing scattered boos from the crowd as they locked arms before the coin toss. chiefs players stood alone on the field for the national anthem. >> a much different game day experience because of the covid-19 pandemic. last night's game was played before a socially distanced crowd of 16,000. the chiefs of only one of five times allowing fans in the stadium to begin the season. jim gray is a sportscastor and

fox news contributor. 16,000 fans were loud. the chiefs safety protocols for the game. socially distanced seating, high traffic areas, cashless concessions, no bags inside the stadium. masks at all times unless you are eating or drinking. five teams allowing fans. you think it's safe and a good idea, jim? >> well, i think at those social distances they know what they're doing and following the protocols. when you saw last night. only groups together were the people who came together and obviously are either in quarantine together, living together or know each other's health and behavior habits. i think it's safe. places like indianapolis are allowing 2500 fans in the stadium seats more than 70,000. i think it's safe. i think that they have the seats locked down so you couldn't run and switch seats or go to another area and security in there. the normal you -- ushers and

so forth. i think it's fine. >> trace: these are the canaries in the coal mine? see if there were outbreaks and then maybe the nfl make decisions and maybe see more people in stadiums around the league? what do you think? >> yes, i think they're evaluating on a week-by-week basis. some of these places have said probably not for the season. they open up a $5 billion stadium for the rams and cowboys and chargers play the next weekend and they've said that they aren't expecting to have fans at all this season. same with new york and some other municipalities. i think they will have to see where the virus goes. places like dallas undetermined how many fans they'll let in. some places up to 20% of capacity. so i believe it's a moving target and it will fluctuate as we see where the virus goes.

>> trace: it will be a shame not to have any fans for the super bowl bound chargers. on the separate point we're going forward. >> how do you know that? don't take a shot at them. everybody is the same now except the kansas city chiefs. the only undefeated team nou. everybody else has no losses, either. >> trace: chargers are in good shape. , no you misunderstood. i'm up on them. i'm a san diego boy at heart. i think they'll go to the super bowl. >> they play in los angeles, no longer in san diego. >> trace: i know, that's a shame. i have to move on. the big game this weekend. >> not a shame for the people who are in los angeles. >> trace: tom brady versus drew brees this weekend. tom brady's first outing with the bucs. your thoughts on the game. >> it's great.

43-year-old tom brady against 41-year-old drew brees. incredible what they've achieved in terms of yards and touchdown. they'll go against each other. tom brady in a new situation. fun to see. spoke to brady last night. excited about the new opportunity. he left a great history behind when he left the patriots. but now it's time. that game will be on fox on sunday. 4:25 you can tune into big fox and watch it there. a really fun day. there is no homefield advantage for the saints. all their fans not permitted in the stadium. that's probably the loudest place in the nfl. that and kansas city. >> trace: drew brees 41 years old. tom brady 43 years old. a great game. jim gray. great to see you. i love the chargers, i'm a big fan. thank you for joining us. >> thanks for setting that straight. >> trace: the nfl is on fox.

catch the bucs and saints this sunday at 4:25 p.m. eastern on your local fox station. >> sandra: in just a moment a moment powerful enough to overcome politics. an uplifting and moving picture just captured as two rivals unite in memory of 9/11's victims. go go go on a real vacation. visit go rving.com or your nearest rv dealer.

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