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.
Subscribe to 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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in 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.
-
Trump pauses $175M for Penn over trans athlete
Speed Read The president is withholding federal funds from the University of Pennsylvania because it once allowed a transgender swimmer to compete
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Turkey arrests Istanbul mayor, a top Erdogan rival
Speed Read Protests erupted in Turkey after authorities detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is ditching Net Zero a Tory vote-winner?
Today's Big Question Abandoning Theresa May's net zero goal is part of Kemi Badenoch's overhaul of Conservative policies
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Trump pauses $175M for Penn over trans athlete
Speed Read The president is withholding federal funds from the University of Pennsylvania because it once allowed a transgender swimmer to compete
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump purports to 'void' Biden pardons
Speed Read Joe Biden's pardons of Jan. 6 committee members are not valid because they were done by autopen, says Trump
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
White House ignores judicial deportation blocks
Speed Read The Trump administration deports alleged Venezuelan gang members under a wartime law, defying a court order
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Schumer: Democrats will help pass spending bill
Speed Read The Democrats end the threat of government shutdown
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump pulls nomination of anti-vax CDC pick
Speed Read Former Florida congressmen Dr. Dave Weldon was nominated to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Judges tell Trump to rehire fired federal workers
Speed Read Trump and Elon Musk's DOGE team face a big setback in their efforts to shrink the federal workforce
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump trade war heats up as Canada, EU retaliate
Speed Read The president imposes 25% steel and aluminum tariffs in an effort to revive US manufacturing, though it may drive up prices for Americans instead
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump hawks Teslas, slashes more federal jobs
Speed Read The Education Department cut its workforce in half ahead of an expected Trump order to shutter the agency
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published