. >>> we'll talk with the white house former chief of staff, andy card, who whispered into the president'samerica is under attack we'll look at the new terror threat, something that airport patdowns and watch lists will never prevent. we'll hear from a 19-year-old girl, still in utero when her father died that day she never got to meet him, but she talks to her father every day. we'll broaden our focus to the pentagon admiral james stavridis was there that day he had just one star then. he'll join us later in this news hour the fourth and final plane, of course, headed for d.c., instead crashed in the field in pennsylvania the remarkable story of the hero passengers on flight 93. the man who helps keep their memories alive >>> there are no specific credible threats against new york city at this time that's the word from the mayor and the police commissioner today, but given the significance of tomorrow's events, officials say you can expect to see a massive police presence throughout our city, not just at ground zero. that includes bomb-sniffing dogs and specialize the vapor-wake canines t

andy card was president bush's chief of staff on 9/11, and had to interrupt the commander in chief astell them that a second plane had hit the twin towers. he's been speaking to our north america correspondent, jon sopel. i'm standing at the door to the classroom with a president and the principle of the school. a navy captain came up to the president and said, sir, itappears captain came up to the president and said, sir, it appears a small twin—engine plane crashed into one of the towers in the world trade center in new york city. the principle a bit of a classroom and she and the president walked into the classroom, the door shut. it appears it was not a small twin—engine plane, it was a commercialjet liner. 0h, twin—engine plane, it was a commercialjet liner. oh, my god. another plane hit the other tower at the world trade center in new york city. that is when i walked up to the president and i leaned down and i whispered to him, a second plane hit the second tower, america is under attack. hit the second tower, america is under attack-— hit the second tower, america is under atta

then andy card walked in, and the image of the then white house chief of staff whispering to the president that a second plane had hit the world trade center, as those children watched, is still haunting 20 years later. those students are now 27 years old. and i wondered what ever happened to those kids and their teacher. do they remember that day? how do they feel two decades later about their connection to one of the most terrifying and consequential events in american history. >> the day i discovered that the white house was coming to m.e. booker, i was sworn to secrecy. so imagine, i had to, for three months, as much as i talk. >> the earliest memory i have of that is we were in front of a black board. we're being told that our reading comprehension grade went from, i think it was a d, and then we bumped it up to a b or maybe an a. as a result of that, the president of the united states would be coming out to visit us, so we would be congratulated. >> what we found is a good curriculum based upon the science of reading. >> president bush was pushing his no child left behind education r

and chief of staff andy card at that moment decides he needs to go tell the president. i remember that andy walked over to the door. literally the president is in the adjoining classroom. i remember when he got to the door, he paused and it seemed like an eternity. i bet it was 1,000, 1, he got to the door and i never understood until a found years ago west happened to be on a panel talking about 9/11. he said when he got to the door he realized he needed to know exactly what he was going to say so the president would not ask any questions. so he had to formulate what he was going to say. and you remember the famous photograph where he tells the president about the second plane flying into the world trade center and then america is under attack. the president had to make a decision. should he stand up and walk out? excuse himself and walk out? he thought the reading demonstration would be a matter of seconds, maybe a minute or two at most from being concluded, so rather than standing up and excusing himself in the middle of it with 40 tv cameras and stuff, he decided tha

andy card, it's great to see you again especially on this day because i want to talk to you about thatyour thinking? you had clearly heard from the situation room or that, you know, you'd been notified. so how did you decide how to notify the president of the horror? >> first of all, andrea, thank you for having me on. it's important to reflect on what happened 20 years ago. >> yes. i was standing in a holding room and the president was standing with the principal and i was right next to the principal when deb lawyer who was a navy captain in charge of the situation room in the white house and the acting national security adviser on the trip to florida came up to the president and said, sir, it appears the small twin engine prop plane crashed into the world trade center in new york city. the principal, the president and i all had the same reaction, oh, what a horrible reaction the pilot must have had a heart attack or something and the principal went into the classroom, the door shut, captain lawyer came up to me and said sir, it appears it was not a small twin engine prop plane and it

i want to bring andy card in. as i said, former white house chief of staff, also with us, air force veteran colonel mark tillman. he was at the controls of air force one on that day. as i said, we have all seen that photo. but after that photo, what conversations were you having with then president bush? i know he wanted to get back to washington, certainly to project a sense of normalcy? >> after i delivered the message to him in the classroom, he realized it wasn't an accident. >> you were sure to say that, you actually said america is under attack. >> i said a second plane hit the second tower, america is under attack. >> how did that feel for you? >> i knew i was delivering a significant message and i knew that it was historic, and i knew that it was going to change his presidency and i also knew that the president probably really became the president that day when he realized it was about his oath, it wasn't about his agenda. >> you could almost see it on his face, what was going on. >> he was definitely thin

i thought accident, small plane, 30 seconds before andy card whispered in the president's right hereas leaning against the left wall of the room 20 feet from the president's left shoulder and got a second page and the second page told me a second plane hit the second tower and i knew it that moment it was terrorism. started to brace and get ready for everything i would have to unfold as the united states defend itself. laura: the president had to be whisked away for national security reasons. to the extent you can tell us what happened please do tell us what happened shortly thereafter. >> the secret service did not think we were under immediate threat otherwise they wouldn't have left to go to the gym at the school where he addressed the nation, talked about the terrorist attack on our country and we quickly got into the motorcade and started flying to air force one, that is when the third plane hit the pentagon we learned about in the motorcade. we boarded air force one and when we boarded the president was told there are still 6 aircraft in the sky that have not responded to the o

the time, people thought it was an accident somehow but minutes later the second plane hit, and andy card needed to tell the president. >> page 153. >> a second plane hit the secon tower, america is under attack is his words. ari fleischer spent the entire day with president bush, take u through those first moments com at you were there for every minute of it. >> as the motorcade pulled up, got a page, and it said a plane has hit the world trade center in i thought accident, small plane, and then about 30 second before andy card walked into that room and whispered and the president's right here, i was blaming leaning against the lef wall of that room and i got a second page and the second page told me a second plane has hit the second tower and i just kne at that moment that it was terrorism in we just started to brace and get ready for everything i knew would have to unfold as the united states defended itself. >> the president had to be whisked away for a national security reasons to the extent you can tell us what happened, please do tell us what happened shortly thereafter. >> interes

andy card, who was george bush's chief of staff on 9/11, speaking to our north america correspondent, jon sopel. we're just we'rejust going to we're just going to bring you some breaking news because there an important tennis match playing. emma raducanu has taken the first set at the us open. she is playing against leylah fernandez. the bbc understands that lawyers for prince andrew are challenging a claim that court papers, relating to allegations against him of sexual assault, have been properly served. representatives of virginia giuffre — who has made the claims — say that they were. a us judge will decide if the case can proceed on monday. the duke of york has always strongly denied the accusations. our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell reports. royal lodge, prince andrew's home in windsor great park. it was here two weeks ago that a representative of virginia giuffre's american lawyers attempted to serve the court papers on prince andrew. this is the official�*s affidavit. in it, he describes how at 9:30 on the 26th of august he presented himself to the police officers gua

thank you so much, andy card. tomorrow, join msnbc special coverage marking 20 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. coverage starts at 5:00 a.m. eastern with alex whit, anchoring live from ground zero. brian williams and nicolle wallace at 8:00 a.m. i will join ali velshi for continuing coverage at 11:00 eastern. america remembers 20 years later, tomorrow morning here on msnbc. we'll have much more from ground zero coming up. president biden set to visit a local school following last night's game changing speech on vaccine mandates. he said to america get vaccinated. e mandates said to america get vaccinated hey, son! no dad, it's a video call. you got to move the phone in front of you like..like it's a mirror, dad. you know? alright, okay. how's that? is that how you hold a mirror? [ding] power e*trade gives you an award-winning mobile app with powerful, easy-to-use tools and interactive charts to give you an edge, 24/7 support when you need it the most and $0 commissions for online u.s. listed stocks. don't g

that picture you can remember it when he was first told by andy card the white house chief of staff.serrie returns to that school and talks with some of the children, now young adults, who were there. >> during a visit emma baker elementary school that george bush learned about the 9/11 attack. 20 years later those students now adults remember vividly the moment white house chief of staff andy card whispered in the ear of the commander-in-chief. >> just from the expression of the president's face, we could all tell, you know, something was going on. >> two airplanes have crashed in the world trade center. >> we actually learned what the word terrorist was that day. it was explained to us. we learned that war is real. >> debrock who works as chemical engineer in houston says 9/11 taught him to work each day to strengthen relationships with family and friends because tomorrow is never guaranteed. la damion smith a soldier posted at fort campbell, kentucky says he was already destined for military service but 9/11 underscored its importance. >> i definitely think about those guys every

. >> in fairness, michael, we'll let you have that bit of analysis andy card former chief of staff, never off duty certainly a rebuke for politics, no question. he did have tough words for the way politics is conducted in this country in 2021. >> i think he was calling us to a higher position of respect in our democracy. i don't view that as chastising. i think he was really kind of being a leader and a conscience. he has introduced a new conscience to us think about what you're saying think about what you're doing. can't we be better, people aren't we better than that and he was always for that. >> seems like unity has been the theme today. i was thinking about the indication we heard, everybody come together. you can view it as political or not political. i was nodding my head when i was listening, thinking, can't we all just get along it's a perfect day to remember what it was like and also a perfect day to come together michael, look, you are a student of history you know how things can unfold can you actually forsee esee a when we can can all get together at a table, hold hands >> i

andy card went in, the white house chief of staff, went many and told the president. -- in and told therom that classroom where he'd been pushing for the passage of his no child left behind and walked into the room, and the first words he said were, "we're at war." and giving the director of -- get me the director of the fbi and get me the vice president. i saw a man transformed in front of my eyes from a peacetime leader to a wartime leader, and then the resolve and determination to keep our country safe and to bring the people who did this to justice governed his every day, directed his every action for the next seven, over seven years. dana: if i could add to that, one of the things i remember as his press secretary was even in 2008 i remember being on marine one with him, and we were going to give a speech about education. and when i looked at him, i said i know in the back of his mind he's always thug constantly -- thinking constantly, no matter how much we're focused on education, he was constantly thinking are we doing all we can to prevent another attack on this country. and whi

hundreds of miles south in florida, andy card was also at an elementary school.aff to president bush knew he had to interrupt him. that's when i walked up to the president and i leaned down and i whispered to him, "a second plane hit the second tower. america is under attack. " ann van hyne was in her car when she heard the news, and she knew as people were trying to escape the twin towers, her firefighter husband, bruce, would be heading in. my kids went to bed. emily and megan were 17 and 14 at the time.| i stayed dressed, i laid down with them, but i didn't go i to sleep because i figured - someone was coming to the house and i would be in my pyjamas. it's weird, the things you worry about. - and at about midnight, somebody came to the house to say that - bruce was unaccounted for. this memorial, with great restraint, doesjustice to the terrible events of that day. but nothing can capture the sense of chaos, anger, disbelief of what was unfolding. then, there was steely resolve, and americans were united and most of the rest of the world stood with america. th

hundreds of miles south, in florida, andy card was also at an elementary school.aff to president bush knew he had to interrupt him. that's when i walked up to the president and i leaned down and i whispered to him, "a second plane hit the second tower. "america is under attack. " ann van hine was in her car when she heard the news, and she knew as people were trying to escape the twin towers, her firefighter husband, bruce, would be heading in. my kids went to bed. emily and megan were 17 and 14 at the time. - i stayed dressed, i laid down - with them but i didn't go to sleep because i figured somebody- was coming to the house and i didn't want to be in my pyjamas. it's weird, the things you worry about. - and at about midnight, somebody came to the house to say that bruce _ was unaccounted for. this memorial, with great restraint, does justice to the terrible events of that day. but nothing can capture the sense of chaos, anger, disbelief of what was unfolding. then, there was steely resolve, and americans were united and most of the rest of the world stood with

i was back in austin and andy card's office who was chief of staff and he pretty much offered me the job on the spot. and he said we know you're a good photographer. but it had that advantage of traveling that they knew me, they knew how i worked. and the first thing he said was can you manage and course i said yes o. but what he really meant was and these words stuck with me because during the interview he also said looking at the white house was like trying to drink water through a firehose at full throttle. and he was right. because i discovered immediately how much happens and how much i had to manage as the personal photographer of the president and director of thewhite house . the first thing i had to do was hire staff to handle the workload. because i had spent all my time traveling and documenting g and trying not to miss a thing. and what happens with the photos afterwards was very important . part of my job was maintaining that archive at the very beginning was just a handful of rolls of film and years later, nearly 4 million images in the entire database and this is the en

andy card, top adviser who broke the news to the president that america was under attack. 20 years later, opening up about anxieties and traumas of the day. >> sitting in front of a press pool and second graders, didn't want to have a dialogue. decided to pass on two facts, one editorial comment. no questions. whispered into his ear, a second plane hit the second tower. america is under attack. that was all i said to him. then i stood back about three steps. >> frozen in time moment. >> it is. and i honestly believe that's the day he really became president. then i said get captain of air force 1 back on, we have to get out of here. weren't planning to leave pour several hours. >> 32 minutes later, 9:37. >> in the limousine to air force 1, he was frustrated, calling secretary rumsfeld at pentagon, can't get through. i can't believe i can't get through to the secretary of defense. how come i can't get through? then i find out on phone call it looks like it's just been hit. >> flight 77 crashed into the pentagon. >> this country, strongest country in the world, has been the target of a maj

this now-iconic moment from 9/11, president bush is informed of the attack by his chief of staff, andy card. eddie marinzel is off to his right. >> when i saw the look on the president's face, i knew that there was something that was bad. >> reporter: he was the lead secret service agent on the president's detail, and with the 9/11 attack in progress, his mission became getting the president out of that elementary school classroom and on to air force one as quickly as possible. >> we did a very steep takeoff. >> reporter: why was that? >> our idea was to, you know, hide in the sky until we could figure out what was-- what was going on. >> reporter: "hide in the sky." >> right. >> reporter: fighter jet escorted air force one, protecting the president from any possible attack. the twin towers and the pentagon were feared to be the beginning of a larger al qaeda battle plan. on board air force one, marinzel, card, and a military aide huddled, deciding who was going to tell the commander in chief that secret service supervisors had determined that it was too dangerous to return to washington. >

andy card was talking about that command. you talked about it, too.m that. to his knowledge that was not the case. >> they thought the plane in shanksville is a plane they had taken out. seeing the pictures of karen hughes and rice and dick cheney in the bunker and the president wanting to go back but as andy card recounts the secret service saying you can't, going on to nebraska. we didn't have cell service. i was trying to call my parents. couldn't find where my husband was. he was over the atlantic and flying into dulles and they were turned back. they didn't have space in canada so i didn't hear from him until 2:59 in the afternoon. >> wow. >> when my cell phone rang finally. the old flip phone. ready to go on the air from our old bowl cam in the old network and he said what's happening? i said listen up. i left my phone in the lap. he could find out what happened. he was back in switzerland. brian, the communications and the panic, we talked about it earlier, we don't know what was happening an ensaw the smoke coming out of the pentagon and that

andy card was president bush's chief of staff 20 years ago and famously had to interrupt the commanderi was standing at the door to the classroom with the president and principal— classroom with the president and principal of the school won a navy captain _ principal of the school won a navy captain came up to the president and said, captain came up to the president and said. sir. _ captain came up to the president and said. sir. it— captain came up to the president and said, sir, it appears a small plane has crashed — said, sir, it appears a small plane has crashed into one of the towers in the _ has crashed into one of the towers in the world trade center in new york _ in the world trade center in new york the — in the world trade center in new york. the principal opened the door of the _ york. the principal opened the door of the class — york. the principal opened the door of the class and they walked into the classroom and the door shut. it appears _ the classroom and the door shut. it appears it— the classroom and the door shut. it appears it was not a small plane but appears it w

you'll remember he was in sarasota reading to kids, and that's when andy card leaned over and whisperedl expression. the president was criticized for not jumping up and running out then. we get to that in the documentary as well. >> i can't wait to watch it. >> thank you for joining us. "the lead" with jake tapper starts right now. sunday at 10:00. join us. >> first the bayou and now the boroughs. "the lead" starts right now. tornadoes, flash floods, rivers overflowing in philadelphia. rushing rapids in the new york city subway as the remains of hurricane ida paralyze the northeast. the war over abortion rights escalating after the supreme court fails to stop a texas law banning nearly all abortions, and the president tries to step in. plus, school board meetings turning into slug fests setting a stellar example for the

so andy card very carefully said, the second plane has hit the second tower.h got his answer from the intelligence community. this is what they could do. and i think he knew instantly, and you could tell it from the look on his face. >> everything changed at that moment. not just for the country but for president bush. >> look what changed that day. he got on air force one determined to go back to washington. he had only been president for less than eight months. that first year is so vulnerable for the president. he didn't have a full staff in place, he was still pushing the to d domestic agenda. he said, the planes just hit. air force one felt it needed to go to a much higher altitude and that further destroyed his ability to talk to people on the ground. and he wanted to go back, and he was asked at one point by vice president cheney, who technically is not in the chain of command, should u.s. military jets shoot down any other plane civilian jetliner being suspected of being hijacked? the whole idea being, you lose lives in the air, you don't lose them on

these are the students who were with president bush in sarasota when andy card walked up and whisperedwas under attack. the students are now 27 years old. there are a lot of surprises in this special. they express some guilt they felt but also some gratitude for the second grade teacher who held them together the last two decades. >> a lot of people say you know, you guys looked so good, so well mannered, that was every day. miss stevens drove a tight ship. >> it wasn't for the president, that was every day. >> what does that comma mean? let's read that sentence again. >> we were good at it. wasn't nothing to be nervous about. >> that was not a performance? >> no. >> they did the work and they were in front of the president and they were holding their own. it was authentic and what you saw were my babies doing what we did every single day. and i felt like a proud momma. >> what was your impression of mrs. daniels' class? >> they were loving him. if you know the president, you would know by the way he smiled how much fun he was having with the kids and reading to them. so it was going r

elementary school students, shortly after, he was informed about the attacks by the chief of staff andy carde president was rushed aboard air force one, which then became something of a flying oval office. as president bush and his staff tried to decide what to do, and what was going on, on the ground below them. the man credited with keeping the president out of harm's way, that day, during that time, going now to colonel mark tillman, the nation's 12th presidential pilot, and was the commander of air force one, in 2001, to 2009. colonel, thank you very much for honoring us by being here right now. i have to ask you, you're commanding air force one. obviously a very important and serious job. at that moment, did you have any idea of how historic the attacks were, or even what was going on? >> no, not at all. it was a simple mission to bring the president back to washington, after he met with the children in the elementary school, and then shortly after, it became, it wasn't an attack, it was an accident, with the towers, that we saw on the news, and then after that, it was all based on the

his chief of staff andy card whispered in his ear that the u.s. was under attack.nt ann compton was in that classroom. she also was on air force one as mr. bush flew out of florida, and she recalled one of the terrible decisions he had to make while on that flight. >> that limited communications made worse when air force felt it needed to go to a much higher altitude. and that even further destroyed his ability to talk to people on the ground. and he -- he wanted to go back, and he was asked at one point by vice president cheney, who technically is not in the chain of command, should u.s. military jets shoot down any other plane, civilian jetliner being suspected of being hijacked. the whole idea of you lose lives in the air, you don't lose them on the ground. >> right. those were the choices that were being contemplated. >> what president ever enters office thinking i may have to do this? and it's unclear whether the president gave his thumbs-up before cheney passed it on or whether it was after. the president agreed either way. that flight was already nose down i

andy card worked with us on a documentary that we put together called "i can hear you."isit to new york three days after 9-11. it was an incredibly emotional day, and it was a very fraught emotional time in the country. so the president went to a national prayer service that morning. the country paid together with all of the living presidents in the front row of the national cathedral. then he get on air force one and came to new york. the helicopter flew over downtown as the smoke was still rising. people were just beginning to dig through the pile as it became known. then there was a moment that really galvanized the country. it was a moment that turned the tide a bit. and began people's ability to have some hope for the future. here's a little bit of what happened that day. watch this. i can hear you. [cheers & applause] i can hear you. the rest of the world hears you. [cheers & applause] and the people that knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon. >> he spoke from the heart. he was interrupted. the interruption defined the speech. >> when the moment cam

understand if this plane was a small plane, a large plane that had flown into the first tower, and then andy cardane hit the second tower. the country is under attack. >> it's chilling to revisit that, those first moments when nobody knew what was happening, but particularly in that classroom, and you've shared with me that those kids who are grown up now, have more complicated feelings about that day than you would think. >> there's a bit of guilt. >> why? >> which was surprising. >> because from their perspective, and i understand it, every other person who has some intimate story, some connection to that day speaks of it in the context of loss, as if they've lost someone or something. they were with the president that day, and they don't want the notoriety of being the kids in the room and, oh, that was cool. they don't see that it's something cool to be a part of, but they do know that it's important to tell that story, to make sure that that history is recorded with a larger story about what happened that day. >> and did you go to the 9/11 museum with them? >> yes, so most of them had not be

this hasn't been done before because that was such an iconic moment seeing president bush there, andy cardis under attack of the. the take away for the students, what kind of impact did being so close to the president on that day have for them? >> this is the only place you will see these students together on the 20th anniversary. they are still working through that. what i heard from most of the students and the teacher, mrs. daniels, there is a degree of guilt. they use that word, guilt. something like a survivor's guilt because it was so much bigger than their reading with the president, than they are being con graphlated for lifting their grades. as they got older they learned about the thousands of people who lost their lives and to be connected in this way and to not have that loss that so many others had, they really, most of them, are reluctant to talk about it. mrs. daniels for years didn't talk about it. they describe a duty to make sure that this part of this narrative, of this story is also shared, and only they can tell that portion of the story. >> and to hear mrs. daniels sa

the season and we'll be joined by those who broke the news to president bush former chief of staff andy cardbc >>> soldiers from the earl's tenth mountain division were among the first troops on the ground in afghanistan after the terror attacks of 9/11 they were also some of the very last to leave after 20 years of war. nbc news was there when the troops returned them to ft. drum, new york, after a nine-month deployment. their final mission? secure the airport in kabul during those last bloody days. they described coming face to face with the taliban. >> the scene in the movie where the two rival gangs see each other and it is a death stare. >> being with the thousands of people, it is something we've never trained to do. we've never specifically prepared form. it was difficult people handing babies over, doing anything they can on get on to an aircraft. it was hard to see >> the army reports about half the returning soldiers were too young to remember 9/11 and some were born after the attacks. >>> richmond, virginia's towering robert e. lee statue taken down today crowds cheered as workers

then in a moment after andy card whispered in his ear, he left.ing to them after they had seen those images. what's interesting was -- i'm getting chills thinking about t. >> me, too. >> she sang to them a song by sounds of blackness, hold on, a change is coming. in this interview, i'm sitting in this classroom with mrs. daniels and the students, she starts to sing it. i'm pretty sure they haven't heard it in 20 years because it's not something that plays on the radio. they come in at the same parts as they sang it with her 20 years ago. and in those small voices as if they were 7 years old again. i mean, that's how that moment resonated for them. throughout the special you're going to feel and hear those moments where a teacher had to decide, what do i do with these 7-year-olds who are now living through this moment and also how this impacted their life over those 20 years since. >> it's amazing she had the foresight to think about that. she's still processing this unbelievable day. but she knew that this would be a day that when they're older, t

and those students sitting there facing the president as andy card whispered those 11 words into his't wait to hear what they say about, you know, what they might have noticed because you saw the immediate change on the president's face. and what -- how, you know, how kids absorb that. victor blackwell, good to see you. >> likewise. >> great to see you. >> a great piece. such great piece u you go have a good day now. >> thank you. >> come back anytime you want. >> yeah. >> anytime boris wants a weekend off. >> that's right. >> thanks, v. >> yeah. >> and listen, don't miss this. watch cnn special report "front row to history: the 9/11 classroom" tonight 10:00 p.m. on cnn. we'll be right back. knows everyone's unique. that's why they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. [ nautical horn blows ] i mean just because you look like someone else doesn't mean you eat off the floor, or yell at the vacuum, or need flea medication. oh, yeah. that's the spot. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ ♪ ♪ life is full of surprises when you least

and then andy card walked in and whispered 11 words into the president's ear.nder attack. mrs. daniels says the president left her. he was sitting there, but he was somewhere else. then he came back, and then he got up and walked away. she had to decide in the moment what to tell her babies, as she called them, about that moment. she wanted to make sure they knew it was not their fault. 20 years later, they had the context of time to understand their place in this historic day. they don't really like to talk about it often because they know that so many other people lost something that day. they don't want the notoriety, but they know that they have to be part of the history of that day to share that perspective. you're going to learn how they believe it has impacted their lives. some have gone off into criminal justice. one of the former students came straight to new york after school in sarsarasota. some have had some challenges. this is the story that you have not heard over the last 20 years. the perspective of those then boys and girls who were with the pr

you'll remember he was in sarasota reading to kids, and that's when andy card leaned over and whispered in his ear, and you'll remember that facial expression. the president was criticized for not jumping up and running out then. we get to that in the documentary as well. >> i can't wait to watch it. >> thank you for joining us. "the lead" with jake tapper starts right now. sunday at 10:00. join us. >> first the bayou and now the boroughs. "the lead" starts right now. tornadoes, flash floods, rivers overflowing in philadelphia. rushing rapids in the new york city subway as the remains of hurricane ida paralyze the northeast. the war over abortion rights escalating after the supreme court fails to stop a texas law banning nearly all abortions, and the president tries to step in. plus, school board meetings turning into slug fests setting a stellar example for the children as some parents lose their minds over masks. >> welcome to "lead. "i'm john berman. a look now at what's become the deadliest path of hurricane ida and the death toll keeps climbing. at least 23 people killed in the las

moments later you saw that whisper from andy card. and the teacher says that he left her.happened in the moments after that. the president had to leave. but this moment, they have been reluctant for a while to talk about this because there's an element of what they call something like survivor's guilt, that they're so close to this. but everyone else who has an intimate story about 9/11 experienced some loss. so they have taken some time to come together and tell this story and we're going to have it on sunday night. >> did they surprise you when you sat down and spoke with them? >> oh, yeah. there were several surprises. there was a moment after the news broke that day in 2001 that the teacher, mrs. daniels, had to decide what to do. she's got this classroom of 7-year-olds, her babies. she decided to sing to them a song that she had sung to them before, hold on, change is coming. as she started to sing it, in this interview, the children chimed in as well at the same part at which they sang 20 years ago. in those small voices that they had as young children. that to me wa

[sirens] maria: it was then white house chief of staff andy card who whispered the news into presidentear. it would be america's darkest day now 20 years ago. >> today we've had a national tragedy. two airplanes have crashed into the world trade center in an apparent attack on the country. pentagon targeted and another hijacked plane. flight 93 crashing in pennsylvania. on wall street the explosion of the first building to come down was being felt in realtime. >> i just came back from outside and i'm covered with soot. basically i was outside when the third explosion occurred. the whole area turned pitch black when the third explosion happened. i don't know if you could see my jacket and my shoes but i'm completely covered in white smoke. >> freedom itself was attacked this morning by faceless coward and freedom will be defended. maria: i'm standing in the very place that i reported from 20 years ago after the attacks and what was most important for me that day was to communicate to the world that everyone was accounted for here at the new york stock exchange. >> it was a real effort -

. >> andy card, it's an honor to have you recollecting all this, such incredible memories you are sharingith our viewers. thank you so much and your service to the president during this difficult time. >> thank you for you to help the younger generation that didn't know. >> i agree, thank you, andy. >> you heard andy card right there mentioning one of the first phone calls was to vladimir putin. this really was an international event that took place. in fact, just within the last hour or so, we got a message from queen elizabeth on this anniversary, she says my visit to the world trade center is held fast in my memory. it remind me as we honor those from many nations, fates and background who lost their lives, we pay tribute for the determination and resilience of communities that work together to rebuild. word from queen elizabeth in the last hour releasing a statement from buckingham palace. >> when we come back, we go to the the cia got their first awareness of osama bin laden. >>> a fire leiutenant in lower manhattan and donald mcintyre, a police officer with the port authority. he wa

you wonder when andy card leans over and says that what are the first few thoughts?ge w. bush handled this in those moments and heard from advisers around him as well about that. rachel: that moment from me is really poignant because i was surrounded by my child. i was pregnant with my second you are trying to keep it together. seeing obviously not as much as george bush did in that moment. you are aware of these children around you and what this means for their future, there are so many things that go through your head. for me, will, i was in a little town in rural, wisconsin i think about how divided our country is right now at that moment those divisions did not exist. i felt like a new yorker. there was no red or blue states. there was no republican states, democrat states, we were all americans. if you go back 20 years, our flag was not very controversial back then. we didn't have two national anthems. we were very united and i think that is what being here, looking at the tower behind us, that's what i think we all want. we want that unity back it's hard to see

perspective of a commentator or analyst after the fact is completely different from the perspective that andy card and others on the panel have tried to -- if you look at a specific problem, and you say how could you have been so fully to not do what you need to do to capture bin laden? what you are not looking at is what the president was looking prospectively. we might not capture bin laden. if i go in with a heavy footprint, there are major problems that might arise. the president is picking which set of likely problems. >> that is your word not mine. could you have done anything different that led to the capture or killing? >> never would i defend everything we did. that is ridiculous. i am simply saying the standard criticism that we should have increased enormously the size of our force in afghanistan ignores all of the downside risk that were considered at the time about going into afghanistan with a larger force. >> do we have one final constitutional question? >> i want to ask a question but i also want to say, i was in the area, covering the conflict at that exact time. the question we w