Echoes from 9/11
The week's news at a glance.
New York City
In a chilling reminder of the horrors of Sept. 11, New York City this week released partial recordings of 130 desperate calls to 911 made after planes struck the World Trade Center. The 11 compact discs contained only the emergency dispatchers’ side of the conversations, not the voices of the callers inside the burning towers. But they confirm the findings of the 9/11 Commission that rescue attempts were hindered by poor communication among city agencies. Although the police and fire departments ordered an evacuation of the towers 10 minutes after the first plane hit, only two of the 130 callers were told to get out. On one recording, an operator argues with a man who wants to walk down from the 88th floor of the south tower. “You cannot,” she says. “You have to wait until somebody comes there.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
September 9 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include the shadow of Jeffrey Epstein, Russia's answer to peace talks, and tougher citizenship questions
-
Murdoch's conservative son wins succession battle
Speed Read Lachlan Murdoch will get control over the media empire that includes Fox News and The Wall Street Journal following his father's death, while his siblings will receive payouts
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump