9/11 at 25: America Reflects, Remembers and Confronts a Changed Threat
NEW YORK — Twenty-five years after hijackers turned four commercial jets into weapons and killed nearly 3,000 people, Americans paused Friday to remember the dead, honor the first responders and reckon with a legacy that still shapes war, security, health and politics.
At the World Trade Center memorial in Lower Manhattan, the annual reading of names began after cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed. The ceremony opened with the national anthem, followed by the first of seven moments of silence and a bell toll marking the moment American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower at 8:46 a.m. ET. Children and grandchildren of victims were among those reading the names.
All living former presidents — George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden — were in Manhattan for the ceremony, along with Vice President JD Vance. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani also attended. The New York ceremony drew Bush and Laura Bush; Clinton and Hillary Clinton, who was New York’s junior senator in 2001; Obama and Michelle Obama; Biden and Jill Biden; Vance; Hochul; Mamdani; and Giuliani. For Mamdani, it was his first Sept. 11 memorial service as mayor. He said the day was about remembrance, not politics, and called it an enormous responsibility.
The program included an additional moment of silence this year, the seventh, for the thousands who later died from 9/11-related illnesses. It was held at 12:52 p.m. ET after the reading of names and will become a permanent part of the annual ceremony. The traditional six moments came at 8:46, 9:03, 9:37, 9:59, 10:03 and 10:28 a.m., marking the strikes on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, the collapse of both towers and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
President Trump spoke at the Pentagon, where the ceremony began at 9 a.m. with first lady Melania Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on stage. Trump saluted as the national anthem played. A wreath-laying ceremony was scheduled for 10:25 a.m. The names of 125 people killed at the Pentagon and 59 passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 77 were read aloud. Trump folded his hands and saluted during a moment of silence at 9:37 a.m., the moment Flight 77 struck the building. The White House had said Trump would remember those killed at the hands of evil terrorists, honor their loved ones and pay tribute to first responders.
In Shanksville, families read the names of the 33 passengers and seven crew members of Flight 93. A bell tolled after each name, followed by a moment of silence. The plane crashed in a field at 10:03 a.m. after passengers and crew fought back against hijackers who appeared to be targeting Washington, D.C. Gordon Felt, whose brother Edward was aboard, said the passengers were “the citizen soldiers of the new century,” and that the battle was then handed to the military. The Flight 93 National Memorial was built in their honor. Events began at 8:30 a.m. at the memorial.
Former President George W. Bush, who was less than eight months into his first term when the attacks occurred, reflected earlier in the week at his presidential library in Dallas. He said the country sometimes slips into isolationism, but “what happens overseas matters to our national security at home.” He recalled being at an elementary school when then-chief of staff Andy Card told him about the attacks. “I became a wartime president,” Bush said. “This was a war, and the job of the president and the country and his team is to rally the nation and to do what’s necessary to protect our people.”
Condoleezza Rice, who was Bush’s national security adviser, recalled that the attack “came quite literally out of the blue” and described an assault on American cities not seen since the War of 1812. She was at her White House desk when she learned a plane had hit the World Trade Center. She thought it was an accident, as did Bush when she called him. Within 17 minutes, a second plane hit the other tower. Bush was rushed to Air Force One, and Rice was taken to a White House bunker. At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld could not be reached by phone; he was helping pull people to safety while his security detail urged him to evacuate. Rice said those in authority did not see the danger in time. “We did what we knew to do,” she said. “But by definition, it was not enough.” She added that she will always carry “deep personal remorse” for the pain families still feel. Rice also remembered Americans who stepped up, went without sleep and made immense sacrifices, and said the country owes a deep debt of gratitude to the armed forces and intelligence services that prevented later attacks.
The anniversary also laid bare the unfinished consequences of 9/11. The U.S. launched a global war on terror, first in Afghanistan and later in Iraq, a 20-year campaign that killed thousands of service members, cost trillions and ended with a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and the Taliban back in power. The attacks led to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the National Counterterrorism Center, the TSA, CBP and ICE, along with expanded border and immigration enforcement. Surveillance powers and presidential authority to use force also expanded, moves critics viewed as mass overreach. In the attacks’ immediate aftermath, the nation was united by sorrow, love and defiance, and from the destruction came new monuments to resilience: the 9/11 memorial, One World Trade Center, the Flight 93 National Memorial and a restored Pentagon.
CBS News national security correspondent David Martin, who started covering the Pentagon for the network in 1993, recalled driving there on Sept. 11, 2001, when he heard a boom and saw a pillar of smoke rising on the other side of the building. He ditched his car and ran against the tide of people evacuating. He knew planes had hit the Twin Towers, but he said he “couldn’t believe that an airliner had just gone into the Pentagon.”
CBS News national security contributor Samantha Vinograd, who was inspired to public service after 9/11, said today’s security protocols were born from the attacks. She described a “huge sea change” in physical security for travel, government buildings, mass gatherings and monuments, as well as structural shifts meant to improve cohesion and avoid inefficiencies. But she said the threat landscape has materially changed. In 2001, the main threat came from foreign terrorist organizations with large overseas footholds, clear hierarchies and direct command and control. Today, she said, the threat is technology-enabled, foreign terrorism persists, and the domestic terrorist threat has exploded.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch praised the “valor and heroism” of first responders who ran into burning buildings and saved countless lives. She said the threat environment is now “very different” from 25 years ago. “This attack 25 years ago was directed centrally by al Qaeda,” Tisch said. “Now the threat is much more individualized, it’s idiosyncratic, people can be radicalized from their couch at home.” She said social media helped change the threat, and the NYPD planned a massive deployment with visible and unseen layers of security, including counterterrorism teams, heavy weapons teams and counter-drone units. Lower Manhattan faced significant street closures and traffic restrictions, and officials urged the public not to drive downtown.
At the Department of Homeland Security headquarters, Secretary Markwayne Mullin said another attack is probably not a matter of if but when, blaming immigration enforcement failures. He said it would not be because DHS failed to do its job but because “one little person” went unnoticed. Mullin accused sanctuary cities of “harboring and abetting activities just like this,” though he said securing the border “shouldn’t be political.” He argued that if the U.S. takes care of small criminals, they will not become large criminals, and large criminals will not become terrorists.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking at the Pentagon after honoring 9/11 heroes, brought up the war with Iran and said the U.S. is raising up a new generation to fight. He described Iran as the world’s most prolific state sponsor of terrorism and said the U.S. is “still sending terrorists where they belong, to hell.” He added that the U.S. is ensuring Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.
President Trump said the country is stronger than ever and urged Americans to raise children to believe the U.S. is good. “We can raise our children to know that their country is good, that their fathers are brave, and that our flag is a symbol of justice and freedom,” he said. He said future generations will stand in a free and unyielding nation and “will still honor the heroes of 9/11/2001.” Referring to the war on terror in the present tense, Trump said the U.S. salutes service members, first responders and law enforcement, and will not forget the victims. He renewed what he called the sacred oath first sworn in their names: “We will never, ever forget.” “That’s why we fight today,” he said. “We don’t have a choice. There can only be victory.” Trump also said the U.S. is still being tested today and is winning that test.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sept. 11, 2001, was not just a day of loss but a “great story of American courage.” He remembered the 184 lives taken at the Pentagon and aboard Flight 77, the thousands lost in New York and the 40 heroes aboard Flight 93. In the moment of greatest danger, he said, “Americans moved towards one another.” Service members and civilians entered the smoke to bring teammates to safety, and the Pentagon will continue to honor them by remaining vigilant and preparing for the unimaginable.
For families, the passage of time has not closed the wound. Kathleen Curatolo keeps her brother Robert Curatolo close. His badge number is tattooed on her ankle and pinned to her dress. Robert was an FDNY firefighter who responded to the World Trade Center. When the second tower fell, he dove under a fire truck as he was trained to do, but it was crushed. His family believes it was a miracle he was found two days later. Curatolo, principal of St. Patrick Catholic Academy in Bay Ridge, said 9/11 remains a difficult but important part of the school’s curriculum. Most parents at the school are firefighters, police officers or medical professionals, she said. None of the current students were alive that day, but many have loved ones who witnessed the attacks, responded to them or helped save lives.
Matthew Palazzo, an active-duty Coast Guard machinery technician, stood next to Vice President Vance at the Manhattan ceremony. He never met his father, Jeffrey Palazzo, who was also a Coast Guard machinery technician and an FDNY firefighter with Rescue Company 5. Jeffrey Palazzo was 33 when he was killed responding to the World Trade Center. His son joined the Coast Guard in 2020, following in his father’s footsteps. On Saturday, the Coast Guard is expected to commission a new patrol boat in New York City named after his father.
Vanessa Minter, an American Airlines reservations agent, was on the phone with flight attendant Betty Ong from one of the hijacked planes. “The cockpit’s not answering. Somebody’s stabbed in business class and, um, I think there’s mace, we can’t breathe,” Ong said. “I don’t know, I think we’re getting hijacked.” Minter told CBS News she was amazed by Ong’s bravery and composure. “She was literally a pillar,” Minter said. “She knew what she was doing, she knew what information we needed and she was all business.” The last thing Ong said was, “Pray for us.” Then the line went dead. Twenty-five years later, Minter met Ong’s family in person.
Terry Strada, whose husband Tom died in the attacks, used the reading of names at Ground Zero to call on the Trump administration to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its alleged role. She said the family had “finally made it into a court” and proved that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia “fomented a rancid culture of anti-American terrorism” and sent agents to support the hijackers. She accused American leaders of choosing to “protect the Saudis instead of standing with the 9/11 families” and urged Trump and Vance to stand with families, survivors and Americans. Her remarks were met with applause and cheers at the traditionally solemn ceremony.
Twenty-five years on, the casualties are still mounting. Roughly 6,000 first responders, survivors and volunteers have died from illnesses related to the attacks. The FDNY recently added 36 names of firefighters who died from related diseases to its memorial wall. Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said they were “36 more reminders that the legacy of September 11th doesn’t end on one single day.” The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund has received at least 112,000 claims and awarded more than $18 billion. Mayor Mamdani recently released documents from the aftermath showing the city was aware of airborne toxins that later sickened and killed thousands. Peter Raho, an accountant who worked near Ground Zero and was later diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, said, “The government told us the air was safe to breathe.”
The legal reckoning remains unresolved. A military judge at Guantánamo Bay, after rejecting prosecutors’ request to begin trial in January 2027, ordered jury selection for the trial of four alleged 9/11 plotters — including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused of being the principal architect — to begin on June 5, 2028. Gordon Felt, president of Families of Flight 93, told CBS News there is “significant frustration.” “We’ve yet to see justice or accountability,” he said. “The trials are still in a pre-trial phase at Guantanamo … that’s been dragging on endlessly.”
Earlier in the week, a drone show lit up the skies over Lower Manhattan. The display brought 2,977 lights over New York Harbor and the 9/11 memorial, one for each person killed in the attacks. It recreated the outline of the Twin Towers at full height, with drones first swirling in a helix before revealing the final shape. The Tribute in Light also returned, sending towering beams into the night sky where the towers once stood.
Earlier in the week, Trump honored 9/11 heroes at an event on the Ellipse near the White House and posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Welles Crowther, remembered as the “man in the red bandana.”
A CBS/YouGov poll conducted earlier this month found that 68% of respondents said the attacks changed America permanently. Sixty percent said the war on terrorism has been very or somewhat successful, while 40% said it was somewhat or very unsuccessful. Americans were roughly split on whether the country is prepared for terrorist attacks now — 48% said it is prepared, and 52% said it is unprepared.
As the ceremonies unfolded, the memorial site remained closed to the general public with security screenings for invited guests. The spot where the Twin Towers stood remains a sacred space. The memorial’s reflecting pools sit in the footprints of the towers, surrounded by a neighborhood rebuilt from devastation — a rebuilding effort that took years, involved fights among stakeholders and, even 25 years later, is still not complete.
CBS News provided live coverage from the World Trade Center site, the Pentagon and Shanksville. After the day’s events, Tony Dokoupil anchored the “CBS Evening News” from Ground Zero. Two primetime specials, “9/11: We Remember” and “Daughters of 9/11,” focused on survival, loss, hope and the long search for justice. The first special, at 8 p.m. ET, included Lesley Stahl revisiting a story about Summit, N.J., which lost nine residents; Dokoupil speaking with a family that escaped the World Trade Center but lost its patriarch, an FDNY hero; and Norah O’Donnell interviewing Gen. Caine. At 9 p.m., “Daughters of 9/11” followed two friends who lost their fathers, Elizabeth Miller and Jessica Trant, and FBI special agent Frank Pellegrino as they ask whether Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will ever face justice.