Robert John Halligan james d. Halvorson carolyn b. Christopher james hanley you have been watching a moment of silence in Lower Manhattan in new york city to mark the moment when the south tower of the trade center fell 17 years ago today on september 11, 2001. We have been watching from new york to pentagon to shankville, pennsylvania. Americans remembering the 3,000 victims of the terrorist attacks. President trump made his way to pennsylvania for a ceremony there. He will speak in a half hour from now. We will bring it to you live. Also, we expect an update on hurricane florence. The storm barrelling toward the a carolina coastline. Im Hallie Jackson in washington. We have reporters set up across the country starting with jeff bennet, with the president in shanksville, the first visit since president obama in 2011. Jeff, watching some of these images from 9 11, 17 years later, its still so difficult to see. In shankville, where you are, they are working to honor the victims thats been there, right . Reporter thats right. Im keeping my voice down out of respect for the event that is under way here. You are talking the tower of voices memorial. A 93 foot talca theed ral, 40 wind chimes, one for each of the victims, 40 heroes that per risched on flight 93. Reexpect President Trump to speak in about 30 minutes now. Sarah sanders says he will talk about the lives lost 17 years ago and those who put their lives on the line. In coming to shankville, he is honoring the people who overtook the cockpit and brought that plane down in the field behind me now known as sacred ground. Flight 93 was the only one not to reach the intended target on 9 11. The suspected target was the capitol. We expect the president to speak in what has become a long tradition of american president s observing this day. He is going to talk about sacrifice and resilience, 9 11 tested this nation, but our strength has not waivered and we are resilient. That is the message we expect. An important message. Jeff, you are looking live at the ringing of the bells in shanksville, pennsylvania. The ambassadors are ringing the bells now. We expect to hear President Trump coming up in 25 minutes from now. You can see him and the first lady sitting on stage as the names of those victims are read. I want to bring in evan, an msnbc news terrorism analyst and senior partner on set with us in washington and political reporter from the New York Times. As we look at the images from shankville, you were on the ground there in the moments and days after flight 93 crashed. I was based in harrisburg covering the capitol. Shanksville three hours west on the turnpike. They sent a lot of reporters out there to cover it. I stayed in touch with some of the folks who were the responders and some of the folks who works to erect this memorial over the years. They, at times, felt as if they were the forgotten victims, flight 93 was not held up and spoken about in the same way as the tragic events at the pentagon and, of course, the twin towers, because so many fewer people died. In many way, it was emblematic about the willingness and desire to fight back and sacrifice ones self. For them, this marks recognition in a way they have launched and feel like, you know, their story is an important part of and is an important part of the 9 11 story. That memorial, of course, called the tower of voices, 40 wind chimes, one for each passenger and crew member who died there. It was dedicated a few days ago. This is the first president ial visit since then, essentially. The architect designed it for the voices of passengers and crew members, many of them called loved ones to leave heart breaking messages before the crash. Evan, i think a lot of people watched the coverage of 9 11. For a lot of folks, it feels like yesterday. It feels like it is fresh, especially when you look at the pain for the families who lost loved ones on that day. What changed in 17 years from a National Security perspective, in your view . Look, we have decimated the top leadership of al qaeda. Most of them are dead or held in guantanamo bay. It is not all good news. We have folks in gitmo who are no closer to a trial than when they first arrived. Its not clear when they will face trial. They may die of old age before they see court. For the victims, thats too bad. We are in a position of being the generals who are always fighting the last war. You look here in new york, you had a person that idolized a terrorist group who went down and mowed down innocent bicyclists on the west side. Instead of trying to figure out why they joined this or what drew them to the group is put concrete barriers on the bike path. Thats great, but what about the other million soft targets in new york city . That really isnt a solution. Thats part of the problem. We havent found a good way of dealing with this problem, you know, holistically, not just tactically. Evan, we have seen shanksville. You are seeing new york city on the right and here in washington, the ceremony at the pentagon. Vice president pence was there laying wreath with james mattis. That is just wrapping up. It may have been nearly two decades ago, but there are First Responders and many in washington at the fbi, dealing with Health Problems, cancer, for example that developed after 9 11. Three fbi members, according to Pete Williams have died in the last six months. Yes. They are waiting to hear, you know, they are waiting to hear what the president has to say and the message from the federal government. They are still receiving benefits and dealing with the aftermath. I read something so interesting this morning, people that responded to 9 11 are going to help in the hurricane, all these many years later today. Its how they must be feeling today to go and help out. Yes, they are waiting to see what the federal government, the new federal government is going to say, what President Trump will stay. He stuck very much to message last year, did not veer off as he tends to do. He led the National Moment of silence in d. C. He went to the pentagon, also. We are waiting to see what he is going to say. We expect him to stick with that message this year as well. Thank you. Please stick around. Evan, i appreciate you joining us. We are going to have more Coverage Later in the show. We are also following something anita referenced, what could be a catastrophic storm set to hit the carolinas. Take a look at this picture. Florence is 400 miles wide. It is a category 4 and may strengthen to a 5. To give you a sense of the massi massiveness, the last one this big was hurricane hugo. Bill, from what i am hearing and seeing, this is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. This will last easily into monday next week, tuesday, maybe wednesday and Power Outages. We are talking peoples lives at risk from the floodwaters right through the beginning of next week. Lets get into it and show you what the concerns are. First off, 130mileperhour winds. I dont care what the intensity is when its off the coast. I care after its approaching land fall. Thats when it pushes the water and the wind dam comes on shore. All indications is it is a major hurricane. Whats changed overnight, slightly, is the timing. This line, right before land fall was thursday at 8 00 p. M. Yesterday. Now, we are at 2 00 a. M. We slowed it down as it gets to the coast. That means two things, one, the rain is going to be ridiculous. A major hurricane stalling or slowing down as it makes land fall, thats a disaster. The beach damage could be worse with the erosion and dunes and storm surge. Thats going to be a huge problem. Notice, it goes from 145 to 130. My hope is that it will slow down more, weaken even more before it gets to the coast. Regardless, i think its almost impossible to avoid the catastrophe of the amount of rain that is going to fall. The question is how bad will the wind damage be. We are talking from georgetown to myrtle beach, possibly to southern virginia. Thats where the Power Outages will be. The extreme wind damage is near the land fall and to the east of it. Of course, when you get a major hurricane approaching the coast, you are going to deal with storm surge. With hugo, it was horrendous. Thats where the destruction and damage was done. The land fall is near wilmington. The right is to the storm surge. I havent ruled out myrtle beach yet. Right now, this is where it lies, the worst storm surge. Its not etched in stone. The rainfall conditions, this is epic of the 30 inches of rain of slow moving hurricane dying over North Carolina for three or four days is ridiculous. One of the things we have to watch, we have our american models further up the coast and the outer banks. The european model, the most accurate is near wilmington, the South Carolina and North Carolina border. I do not want my friends in myrtle beach or georgetown to, you know, dont rule out the chance of a direct hit. Well get a new update at 2 00 p. M. This afternoon. Hopefully, they will converge to pinpoint and let everyone know who is at risk. We are 72 hours out. You are right, it is going to be a marathon. You are going to keep us updated. Bill karins, thank you for that. We are in North Carolina, one of the areas bill talked about there. Lets talk evacuations there. They are leaving mandatory evacuations to the locals. Where you are, they are recommending voluntary evacuations. Fill us in. Reporter just in the hour that i have been here, we have seen the weather turn. We have seen those waves get bigger. We have seen the clouds hover over this area. The city manager told me by tomorrow morning, the evacuations here are going to be mandatory. He said by wednesday at 8 00 p. M. , no one will be able to go in or out of this island of 2500 people. So, he said, if you can get out, get out now. That is increasingly hard to do. As we were driving over here, gas station after gas station had no lines. Because they had run out of gas. They ran out of service. We saw people hovering around the streets, bunkering down, deciding to board up and tie down whatever can be hazardous, if they are going to stay or decide to leave. The city manager told us, also, they are moving out the generators, heavy pieces of equipment. When looking at 130mileperhour winds, that could be life threatening. He said, listen, i have worked here many years and have never seen something come this way as catastrophic. Please stay safe and keep us updated. Thank you. Up next, bob woodward defends the claims in his book in an interview overnight. Another tape from o marosa is surfaci surfacing. President trump expected to speak in about 15 minutes. We are going to bring it to you live when it begins. I wish you werent so worried about moving. Im hoping these nature sounds will help me relax a bit. At least we dont have to worry about Homeowners Insurance. Just call geico. Geico helps with Homeowners Insurance . Good to know. Feeling better . I love you, pookie bear. [parrot 1] i love you, pookie bear. [parrot 2] i love you, pookie bear [parrots] i love you, pookie bear get to know geico and see how easy homeowners and renters insurance can be. How do you feel when the president says, youre lying. Um, im not. Im willing to put myself out here. I have done the work. This is the best reporting you can do or that i can do. So, that, of course, was bob woodward defending his book fear trump in the white house. This is already a best seller, officially out today. Some folks buying their copies at midnight. Woodward is making the rounds on all the outlets. He is going to be on the Rachel Maddow show. The president seems to have noticed. He and the white house are pushing back on the work of fiction. Im joined by criminal defense attorney, robert and with me on set, former bill clinton, chief of staff and anita and ken are with us as well. Thank you all. The book, the anonymous New York Times oped, bob woodward out on tv, the president clearly understanding that bob woodward is out on tv, created this moment where even the president s family members are saying that circle of trust is getting real, real small. Here is don jr. Today. I think there are people in there he can trust. It is a Smaller Group than i would like it to be. Who do you trust . Ill keep it to myself. They are not family . I am talking outside of family. That gos without saying. Does he have any other choice . Its not usually a good thing in a white house or any organization. Its a bubble in the white house, anyway. When you get that circle smaller and smaller, that does not lend itself to the right kind of atmosphere or the right kind of Decision Making in the white house. What is the other alternative for the president . He set the tone. So, hes going to have to live with it. I think we prided ourselves, president clinton had the most loyal cabinet, not because of fear, because of respect and communication. I dont know whether the president can reset in terms of relationships or not. Lets talk strategy more broadly. I want to put up the graphic we showed a moment ago. All the places woodward is talking about his book. Its his own campaign to sell this. They are going to compile a list of inaccuracies from the book. The white house says big waste of time for us to do that. Is she right . Well, bob woodward takes the position, hes got the situation right and he fills in. Hes a respected journalist, so, i think this back and forth with bob woodward, that does not send a message to people of the country this president and the administration is focused on their concerns. I dont think thats a winning battle for the white house. I have been told senior staffers are told dont talk about it. Other news stories are coming to the forefront. They want to talk about the economy. Sthak is what im hearing. It is a balancing act in the white house. The staff are trying to say to the president , we hear your concerns, we are trying to do something about it. They dont want to stress it. They want to go on to the hurricanes, the midterms. Good luck. Thats the challenge. Instead, he is focusing on, to don jr. s point is figuring out who are the leakers and who is in that circle of trust. Thats always the way hes operated in business and campaign and the white house. Outside instigations like this make it worse. The other Pressure Point for the president is the russia investigation, something hes been frustrated with for months. A twist, omarosa releasing another tape, a couple of them. The president is heard with Sarah Sanders and hope hicks talking about the steele dossier and hillary clinton. I want to play it for you. You think hillary is getting killed now with russia. Somebody told me it was a million dollars. Closer to six. Someone said shes far worse for the country than her own campaign. Nobody knows who spent it. I heard it was 5. 7, now they say it was nine. It went through a law firm so they cant trace it. Is there anything the special counsel might find useful from that recording or others like it . Good morning. I have been very critical with President Trump and the interference firing of comey, putting upon sessions, the mueller attacks. I think the tape provides defense to donald trump. I think theres a lot of data points where he is indicating, hey, i had nothing to do with russia collusion, it was hillary clinton. Remember, as a prosecutor in the mueller investigation, you have to prove a corrupt purpose. This is where they never got it with the clinton investigation and they dont get it here. Prosecutors dont make defendants, especially at this level, dance on the head of a pin if they technically violate a law. They want to prove they did it purposefully and knowingly. If donald trump could stop tweeting, stop writing letters on air force one and stop attacking mueller, he would be in a much better position to say, hey, i wasnt involved in collusion. If he believes this investigation is wrong because he wasnt involved in collusion, his actions could be deemed appropriate. I my omarosa damaged him politically, but helped him legally. Can you explain that . Im having trouble getting the link why the recording helps the president . In it, theres no indication. Hes saying i had nothing to do with collusion. Clinton is the one that had something to do with collusion. Donald trump keeps repeating this over and over. Maybe his underlings has something to do with it. The books, the oped pieces showing chaos in the administration, a man who cant control his most loyal people, this works to his benefit that he is saying im not in control of these things. These people did these things doesnt necessarily mean i did them. He believes clinton is colluding with the russians, not him. I think it helps him legally. Robert, thank you for being on. You can catch bob woodward 9 00 eastern on Rachel Maddow show. He will be back tomorrow on morning joe here on msnbc. I wonder if anyone in the white house will be watching. Next, paying tribute, President Trump and the first lady honoring the victims of flight 93. Those who lost their lives 17 years ago today. You are looking live at that stage. You can see the president and first lady sitting there. He is expected to speak sometime is next few minutes. We are going to bring it to you as soon as it starts. Your mornings were made for Better Things than rheumatoid arthritis. Before you and your rheumatologist move to another treatment, ask if xeljanz xr is right for you. Xeljanz xr is a oncedaily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well enough. It can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. Xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. Dont start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. 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So, with the countys help we built a new hospital from the ground up and having citi as an early investor worked as a signal to others to invest. With citis help we built a wonderful Maternity Ward and we were able to purchase an mri machine. Weve made it possible for the people who live here to lead healthier lives and thats invaluable. We are live in shanksville, pennsylvania. The president and first lady are there remembering those who lost their lives in that field. Gordon is speaking now, the president of the families of flight 93 association. This is Donald Trumps first visit to shanksville, as president. You can see the president and first lady there. Another first, a remembrance ceremony that includes the tower of voices. The memorial dedicated this weekend that holds 40 wind chimes, one for each passenger and crew member on board flight 93. We expect to hear from the president in a couple minutes. We are going to bring the remarks to you live. We are also watching what is going on in new york city. A moment of silence to mark the moment the north tower fell. I want to bring in steven hadley, security adviser to george w. Bush on september 11th, serving later as the National Security adviser for the president s second term. Anita and ken are also back with us. Thank you for being on the show. Nice to be here. We were in the situation room on september 11th. Can you share what its been like since then and that day . Its a long time since that time, 17 years. But, one of the things i think is important is that we continue to mark this event and not forget the fact we were caught off guard, lost a lot of citizens. We have a continuing obligation to make sure that never happens again. I want to pull up a photo of the situation room on that day. What was that like . I was initially in the situation room, then called the the president s Emergency Operation center where the Vice President and others were managing this crisis on behalf of the president while he was out of washington. People forget that we did not know whether this was a one off attack or the first of a series of attacks. So, there were three things we needed to dochlt we needed to, one, reduce the risk that we would be vulnerable to a second attack, get all those thousands of airplanes out of the air. Secondly, we needed to get the Defense Department to deploy assets and deploy the country and third, the Intelligence Community had to figure out what happened, why, who was behind it and was this the first of a wave of attacks. You talk about now, making sure we are never caught off guard again. The fbi director was out talking about the current threat and where the danger might come from today. Listen. I think the threat, todays terrorism threat includes sleeper cells, al qaeda, all the major terrorist organizations you would think of, but we are also very focused on home grown violent extremists, which are people who are largely here already in the United States, big cities, small towns, coasttocoast. These are people who are largely radicalized online. Do to combat that online radicalization we are seeing . We are doing better. That certainly has to be a focus. One of the things we have been doing on this u. S. Institute on preventing extremism is deal with the problem that extremism, since 9 11, has spread. There were 2,000 terrorist incidents worldwide in 2001. There were 10,000 in 2017. One of the reasons we have not been effective in preventing the spread of the extremist ideology that is used in some sense as a cover or pretext for extremist violence and terrorism. Thats one of the things we focused on the task force. We wanted to develop a consensus of how to protect the spread. Think back to the speech that president bush, at the time gave after 9 11. He came to the Islamic Center saying the face of terror is not the fais of islam. That is not what islam is about. Islam is peace. That was striking from people to hear from the president. He was right. What we were beginning to see was american citizens upset and enraged by what happened on 9 11 understandably, making life uncomfortable for believers of the islamic faith in the United States. He really wanted to call the country to pull together and focus on the real problem, which is those terrorist extremists who really are perverting islam in the name of what is essentially a political agenda. Is that a message that you think is being declared loudly enough from the Current Administration or work to be done on that front . I think there is work to be don on prevention. The administration is doing some things. They have a stabilization effort going on, trying to increase the coordination between the various departments of governments to deal with stabilization of conflict states. They are talking about the issue of fragile states, bad governance that are vulnerable to being taken over by extremists and terrorists. I think they are making an effort. We want to see whether we can build on what the administration is doing, what the congress is doing to get a bipartisan National Effort on this problem. I want to share what jay johnson had to say, regarding the issue we are talking about. He was talking building bridges in the community. Here is what he said. When i was secretary, i spent a lot of time in americanmuslim communities building those bridges, encouraging them to work with local Law Enforcement when they see someone going in the wrong direction. That effort, i fear, has largely atrophied in this administration. Do you think thats an accurate assessment from jay johnson . I dont know. I have been out of the administration now for almost nine years. From your perspective on the outside looking in. I think we we theres a lot of division, there are a lot of reasons for that. One of the things this country needs to do is knit itself back together. One of the problems in these fragile states is the same thing, division and failure to reach out and the inclusive of all communities. If you arent inclusive of communities, you alienate them and they are susceptible to terrorists. I want you to stick around. We are keeping an eye on the events in shanksville, pennsylvania. President trump expected to be introduced at any moment. Well bring the president s remarks as soon as they begin. Stick with us. Ring business. So this wont happen. Because youve made sure this sensor and this machine are integrated. She can talk to him, yes. Atta, boy. Some people assign genders to machines. And you can be sure you wont have any problems. Except for the daily theft of your danish. 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My unlimited 2 cash back is more than just a perk, its our healthcare. Can i say it . Whats in your wallet . You are looking live at the ceremony in shanksville, pennsylvania. Ry ryan zinke speaking now and will introduce President Trump to speak on the most somber day. The president and the first lady to the secretarys right as he gets ready to make remarks. Last year, he conducted a ceremony in washington. He led the moment of silence from the white house, went to the pentagon and issued a warning to extremists saying america cannot be intimidated. I imagine it is a similar message from President Trump today. Yeah, he actually does well in situations like this where he is able to stay on script, which is something a big if and to talk about american resilience and american power. Yeah, i mean, we expect him to say that and talk about the heroes. He likes to talk about that, people who stood up against aversety, who took over the plane or tried to take over the plane. They expect him to talk about that. One thing people want him to talk about and we havent seen much of is an overall strategy on how to deal with terrorism. He talks he is tough on it, but he hasnt gone through an Overall Administration strategy. It appears the secretary is getting ready to bring up President Trump. He is welcoming the president to the crowd in shankville, pennsylvania. President trump speaking live now, on the 17th anniversary of 9 11. [ applause ] thank you very much. Thank you very much, ryan. So beautiful. We are gathered together on these hallowed grounds to honor the memory of nearly 3,000 souls who were murdered on this day 17 years ago. We are here to pay solemn tribute to the 40 passengers and crew members on flight 93 who rose up to fight the enemy, took control of their destiny and changed the course of history. Today, we mourn their loss. We share their story. And we commemorate their incredible valor. On september 11th, 2001, a band of brave patriots turned the tide on our nations enemies and joined the immortal ranks of american heroes. At this memorial on this sacred earth, in the field beyond this wall, and in the skies above our heads, we remember the moment when america fought back. Melania and i are grateful to be joined for todays ceremony by Governor Tom Wolf and governor mark sh wiker. I also want to thank the members of congress and senator bob casey, congressman lou barletta, keith, along with the president of the families of flight 93 gordon felt. We are also joined by members of the National Park service along with firefighters, First Responders and incredible people from Law Enforcement. These are truly great people. [ applause ] some of you here today answered the call and raced to this field 17 years ago. You fill our hearts with pride and i want to thank you on behalf of our country, thank you very much. [ applause ] most importantly, to the family members of flight 93, today, all of america wraps up and joins together. We close our arms to help you shoulder your pain and to carry your great, great sorrow. Your tears are not shed alone, for they are shared grief with an entire nation. We grieve together for every mother and father, sister and brother, son and daughter who was stolen from us at the twin towers, the pentagon and here in this pennsylvania field. We honor their sacrifice by pledging to never flinch in the face of evil and to do whatever it takes to keep america safe. [ applause ] 17 years ago, your loved ones were among the 40 of flight 93, 40 passengers and crew members on board, the 8 00 a. M. United Airlines Flight from newark to san francisco. There were men and women from every background. There were young people returning from visiting family. Moms and dads on business trips and friends going and coming from birthdays and weddings. They boarded the plane as strangers and they entered eternity linked forever as true heroes. [ applause ] soon after take off, flight 93 was hijacked by evil men bent on terror and conquest, passengers and crew members began using their phones to call home. They learned that two planes had already crashed into the World Trade Center in new york city. Immediately, those on board flight 93 started planning a response. Sandy bradshaw, a Flight Attendant called her husband and told him they were in the back of the plane preparing hot water to throw on to the hijackers. Passenger jeremy glick explained the plan to his wife and said, stay on the line, ill be back. The passengers and crew members came together, took a vote and they decided to act. At that moment, they took their fate and americas fate, back into their own hands. In the last 20 minutes, many placed their final calls home whispering those eternal words, i love you. Some said the lords prayer and then they bravely charged the cockpit. They attacked the enemy. They fought until the very end. And they stopped the forces of terror and defeated this wicked, horrible, evil, plan. Flight 93 crashed yards from where we stand, just 20 minutes flying time from the United States capitol through their sacrifice the 40 saved the lives of countless americans and they saved our capitol from a devastating strike. In the days after the attack, tens of thousands of firefighters, police officers, and recovery workers traveled to new york and arlington to crawl through the rubble and search for survivors. There were prayer vigils, memorials and charity drives all across our nation. Here in shanksville, many of you raised up the first memorial, a wooden cross, a chainlinked fence, moe mentos and tributes pouring in and dozens and dozens of american flags. A piece of americas heart is buried on these grounds, but, in its place has grown a new resolve to live our lives with the same grace and courage as the heroes of flight 93. This field is now a monument to american defiance. This memorial is now a message to the world, america will never, ever submit to tyranny. [ applause ] since september 11th, nearly 5 million Young Americans enlisted in the United States armed forces. Nearly 7,000 Service Members died facing down the menace of radical islamic terrorism. Today, we also think of the more than 200,000 Service Members now serving overseas. We of every citizen who protects our nation at home including our state, local, and federal Law Enforcement. These are great americans. These are great heroes. We honor and thank them all. [ applause ] as commander in chief, i will always do everything in my power to prevent trysts from striking american soil. Here with us today is Dorothy Garcia blockner. Her husband, sonny, was one of the passengers on flight 93. On september 11th, 2001, just over a month after their 32nd wedding anniversary sonny was on his way back from a business meeting. He called dorothy, who he loves so much. Called her on the plane and uttered her name before the line went dead silent. In the days after the attack, dorothy told the investigators there was only one thing she wanted from this field, her husbands wedding ring. They would know it by the inscription etched inside. All my love, it said, followed by the number 8 2 69, the date of their anniversary. The officers, great people, promised to try, but in this field of wreckage it seemed certainly impossible. Dorothy began to pray, and she asked her friends to do the same. Days went by, then months. Still no ring. A week before christmas on december 19th, she heard a knock at the door. Two officers were standing with a really beautiful to her, she saw it was so beautiful, she knew what was happening. A beautiful small, white box. Inside it was a wallet, a luggage tag, a drivers license, a small bag with the wedding ring inscribed with those three precious words, all my love. Those words echo across this field, and those words tell the story of 40 men and women who gave all their love for their families, their country, and our freedom. To dorothy and to every family here today, america will never forget what your loved ones did for all of us. [ applause ] earlier this week you dedicated the final part of this memorial, the tower of voices, standing at 93 feet tall, the tower of voices is now the first structure visitors see when they come to this now sacred ground. It will hold 40 beautiful chimes that ring throughout these fields, each a unique note but all in perfect harmony. Each time we hear those chimes playing in the wind, we will remember the 40. We will remember their faces, their voices, their stories, their courage, and their love, and we will remember that free people are never at the mercy of evil because our destiny is always in our hands. [ applause ] americas future is not written by our enemies. Americas future is written by our heroes. [ applause ] as long as this monument stands, as long as this memorial endures, brave patriots will rise up in americas hours of need, and they, too, will fight back. [ applause ] 17 years ago, 40 incredible men and women showed the whole world that no force on earth will ever conquer the american spirit. We treasure their memory. We cherish their legacy, and we ask god to forever bless the immortal heroes of flight 93. Thank you. God bless you. God bless the families, and god bless the United States of america. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. [ applause ] we have been watching President Trump speaking in shanksville, pennsylvania at the site where flight 93 crashed on september 11th, 2001. 40 passengers and crew members were killed, crashing it on to that field in western pennsylvania. The president called this a monument to american defiance. Back with us steven hadley, former National Security adviser to george w. Bush, nbc National Political reporter, anita kumar, ken vogel back as well. Shared a very personal story of Dorothy Garcia getting her husbands wedding ring back from the wreckage of the site. I thought it was a great speech. I thought he captured the moment. He focused on them, focused on the heroes. He found a very powerful story, and i think its important for the American People to remind the sacrifice and the courage those men and women on that plane displayed. So i think it was a difficult moment, and i think he rose to the moment and helped the country to remember. Josh . You know, hallie this is the speech many in the white house were praying President Donald Trump would be able to give, the tone they were hoping he would be able to strike on a somber occasion like this. It was sober. It was emotional. He made it about other people. He wasnt selfreverential. He told personal stories, and he really allowed this day to be for other people, and i think that its going to probably go down as one of the better speeches this president has given. Americans around the country are remembering the victims and the lives lost, not just in shanksville, pennsylvania, not just at the pentagon but at ground zero too. The ceremony there at the 9 11 memorial in Lower Manhattan is going on as well. Reporter it is, and it is a very emotional day for those families and friends, loved ones who gather here today as they do every day since that tragedy from 17 years ago, and it is a very simple but dignified ceremony. When each and every single one of those 2983 names are read aloud by people who love them. There is a bell that sounds out in memory of their spirit and their souls that were lost, and as they stand on that ground of ground zero, you can see behind me just the portion of the one World Trade Center that is there now on the footprint of what was the place of the twin towers. People say its so important that they not only never forget but always remember. Thank you. Steven josh, ken, anita, thank you all for being with us the as we take one last live look this hour at that ceremony. We want to wrap up with todays big picture, and this one comes to us from 30,000 feet. A beautiful moment, check it out. This is one World Trade Center peeking above the clouds. The only thing you can see above the clouds early this morning taken by a passenger on a flight that was taken off out of newark. Today that building stands tall and stands proud like so Many Americans do as they pay their respects to the men, women, and children who lost their lives 17 years ago today. The photographer peter lapman. Would love to hear your thoughts on facebook, snapchat and instagram. That wraps up this hour of msnbc live. Ali velshi will have much more coming up in just a bit. Good to see you. Good morning, everybody. Im ali velshi. Stephanies off today. Its tuesday, september the 11th. Lets get smarter. Hurricane florence, the kind of storm the midatlantic hasnt seen in decades. We look for strengthening over these opening waters. Get ready now. Were going to have about a Million People coming from the coast. Going to get out of dodge, man. Very worried rs y, yes, very anxious. Well try to stay here. If you hear it is this big of a storm . Do you think another 9 11 style attack could happen today . Well, i would say this, we are dramatically better positioned. We had about 120 terrorismrelated arrests last year alone. My mother, susan klein