U.S. commemorates 9/11 at Ground Zero, Pentagon, Shanksville memorial

Events are taking place at all three sites directly affected by the hijacked planes on Sept. 11, 2001, as the U.S. commemorates the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks.
At Ground Zero in New York, President Biden joined former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama for a ceremony, which included six separate moments of silence. The first one took place at 8:46 a.m. ET, the time when the first plane struck the north tower of the World Trade Center complex. The bells rang again 17 minutes later — the second plane hit the south tower at 9:03 a.m. ET. The next four moments of silence then came at 9:37 a.m., 9:59 a.m, 10:03 a.m. and, finally, 10:28 a.m. to mark, respectively, when the third plane struck the Pentagon, the south tower collapsed, Flight 93 crashed into a Pennsylvania field after passengers revolted against the hijackers, and the north tower fell.
Meanwhile, former President George W. Bush (who was in office at the time) and Vice President Kamala Harris gave remarks at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where Biden is scheduled to arrive shortly. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin addressed a crowd at the Pentagon.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland