Mark bingham. [ Bell Tolling ] reflections on lives lost in New York, pennsylvania and washington, d. C. On this day 20 years ago when hijackers turned Passenger Planes into weapons in a Terror Attack that killed 2,977 people, flight crews, firefighters, first responders and civilians. Families in new York City gathering once again to never forget. We miss you with every passing day. Celeste was a model. Shelves our light. What a vivacious and dynamic personality. She had a habit of saying get over it. Cathie, we have never gotten over it but we have gotten on with it. We have tried to live life fully each day, and your Love And Companionship as a sister continues to inspire us. At the Pentagon An American Flag unfurled at sunrise on the West Side of the building where a plane struck and 184 people were killed. [ Bell Tolling ] and her husband, rear Admiral Wilson F. Flagg, united states navy reserve. Retired. Remembrance ceremonies also took place at boston logan, the Departure Airport for two planes that struck the World Trade Center towers. President Biden Made Stops Today in all three locations. He was joined in New York by former president s Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. While in pennsylvania, former president george w. Bush reflected not only on the past but expressed concern for the future. We have seen growing evidence that the dangers to our country can come not only across borders but from violence that gathers within. So much of our politics has become a naked appeal to anger, fear and resentment. That leaves us worried about our nation and our future together. And as tributes poured in for those lost 20 years ago, Defense Secretary Lloyd austin reflected on 13 lives most recently lost. Almost a quarter of the citizens who we defend today were born after 9 11. That includes thousands of our outstanding young Service Members, and many of the 13 brave men and women who just days ago gave their lives to save others in afghanistan were babies back in 2001. With more now on the days 9 11 memorial events, nbcs Rehema Ellis at Ground Zero and mikelis at the White House. Welcome to both of you. We will go to you, mike, because moments ago in shanksville, pennsylvania, President Biden speaking to the press for the first time today. What did he say . Reporter yes, as we have seen the president make two of the three stops scheduled today, we have seen him bring two different types of experience to the day. One is the experience he has seen as somebody who has lost his Loved Ones, his Wife And Daughter in 1972, and then, of course, his son in 2015. But also the persons of somebody who has been in public office during so many of these anniversaries, particularly as Vice President. What the White House had said is we were expecting not to hear from the president today, that it was a day in which he would symbolize the rest of the country in mourning the loss of those who died 20 years ago. But in an unscheduled stop that the president made after visiting the memorial in shanksville, pennsylvania, he was at a local fire station. He did speak with some of the reporters who were traveling with him. He spoke, for instance, and i think poignantly about the remarks earlier today from former President Bush that he had also made in shanksville. You played some of those earlier. The president , we understand, was able to watch some of those remarks while he was traveling to pennsylvania on Air Force one, and he praised President Bush for those remark goes. We are also told by the reporters traveling with him he seemed to refer to his most recent predecessor, former President Donald Trump, in krilt sizing him for some of his divisive rhetoric. Also we know this 9 11 is different than all of the previous anniversary us because for the first time u. S. Service members are no longer on the ground in afghanistan, and the president talked about this anniversary coming in that context just a few moments ago. Lets take a listen to that. Including major players over the last 20 years, and everybody, every One Of Us look, it didnt start off this way. If you had told anybody we were going to spend 300 Million bucks a day for 20 years to try to unite the country after we got bin laden, after Al Qaeda was wiped out there can Al Qaeda come back . Yes, but guess what . It is already back other places. Whats the strategy . Every place Al Qaeda is were going to invade and have troops stay there . Come on. Anyway, so i just think that and, again, what people are, as i read it, im told, people 70 of american people think it was time to get out of afghanistan, spending all of that money. The flip of it is they didnt like the way we got out, but it is hard to explain to anybody. How else could you get out . For instance, if we pulled up a c130 and said, were going to let anybody who was involved with being sympathetic to us get on the plane, you would have people hanging on the wheel well. You hear the president there discussing what could be one of the more defining decisions he makes as president of the united states, the decision to withdraw all u. S. Forces by this anniversary of 9 11. But the overwhelming theme of the day, alex, has been unity. You heard it from the president in that recorded address that he made last night. You heard it from the Vice President who also spoke in shanksville today, and later this afternoon both the president and the Vice President will join together to mark the anniversary at the pentagon as well, alex. Yeah. It was pretty extraordinary as well seeing president s biden, clinton and obama all together at Ground Zero. Thank you for that. Lets go to Rehema Ellis at Ground Zero in New York. I know you have had a long day, lots of emotion given you were there covering the story 20 years ago. Overall, what has it been like on this Milestone Memorial Day . Reporter alex, in so many ways it is like every year and, in fact, families that i spoke to today say thats what happens. It is like every year, but it is what they want. They want a time to remember, a time to reflect, and they come here one woman told me she cant imagine where else she would be on this day. In fact, theres something about that woman and another family whom i want to share Sound Bites with you from them, they share something in common, in addition to the fact that they lost Loved Ones. Julie sweeney lost her Husband And Brian was on united Airlines Flight 175 that took off from boston and crashed into the north tower. The mcghinly brothers, they lost their brother daniel. He was on the 89th Floor of the north tower, and both of these families had an opportunity to hear from their Loved Ones one last time before they died. Take a listen. It is very surreal to walk back into a home and know that you might be hearing your loved Ones Voice for the last time, and i walked over and pressed play and, you know, the old fashioned Answering Machines time stamped messages and it said 8 58 a. M. And he very distinctly, very matter of fact told me, im on a hijacked airplane. If things dont go well, and it is not looking good, i want you to know i absolutely love you. I want you to do good. Go have good times. Same to my family and everybody. I just totally love you and i will see you when you get here. I think it was at that moment that i knew he wasnt coming home. Danny would have given anything to get out of that building, and i know because i spoke to him minutes before he died. You know, as well as all of our Loved Ones in the 9 11 community, they would have given anything. What did he say to you . Well, he he started crying, and i said, whats going on . He said, well, you know, what he was witnessing what was going on next door, and he said i said, well, what are you doing . Why dont you just get out of there. He said, im just here praying for the people next door. And then marty had called me and i said, well, marty is calling, let me let him know you are okay. And, you know, i said he just wanted to go home to his wife peggy and five kids. I said, well, let me let marty at least know you are okay, you know, and hung up the phones, told marty, and then a couple minutes later the second plane hit. Reporter those are precious moments for them, painful moments for them to hear, alex, but also extremely precious, that they had that one last connection with someone that they love, and both families said that one of the things that they took from those Phone Calls and that message left on their Answering Machine is that they have to live their life to the fullest. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone. They certainly know that better than most, and thats why they say they honor their loved one by making certain that they live as best as they possibly can. Alex. That is an extraordinary legacy then. Thank you so much, Rehema Ellis at Ground Zero. The lessons learned from what happened 20 years ago today and how theyve made us safer. I will speak about that with former 9 11 commission member Tim Roemer in minutes. Lets move on to the Coronavirus Pandemic as there are more than 40 Million cases in the u. S. And more than 660,000 total deaths. Right now about 40 of the population is fully vaccinated. This comes as President Biden is ramping up efforts to get more shots in arms with a Vaccine Mandate targeting most federal employees and contractors, Health Care workers and companies with 100 or more employees. Meanwhile, a new Cdc Study found that unvaccinated people are, get this, ten times more likely to be hospitalized and 11 times more likely to die from covid. The fda is urging parents with children under 12 years old, dont get them vaccinated just yet. The agency says it hopes vaccines would be available for younger kids in the coming months. Joining me to discuss all of this dr. Celine gounder, infectious Diseases Specialist and epidemiologist. Welcome as always. Lets head out west and how theyre doing in los angeles. School officials are requiring children 12 and older to get vaccinated by end of this year. How important a move is this . What would you tell parents who may be hearing this and seem somewhat reluctant to have their child vaccinated . Alex, look, the idea here is to reopen schools safely and to keep them open. By Vaccinating Children who are 12 and up, the fda has provided Emergency Use Authorization for this move. By vaccinating that group you help reduce the risk of infection among the teachers, the staff and the students. We also have seen that the citys Teachers Union is supporting this move, so they understand the importance here. It is also about equity. We have seen that communities of color have been hit hardest during the pandemic. Students of color and low income students are the ones who have fallen the most behind as a result of the move to virtual learning, so it is really to help also ensure that students can stay in the classroom and we dont have more of those losses in their education. Okay. What about the Record Rise in covid infections among children . I mean kids, yes, they are less likely to be hospitalized or die from covid as compared to adults, however, there are some pediatric hospitals and icus already stretched. So how do you explain all of this . The Delta Variant is different. The Delta Variant is more infectious, which means it transmits from one person to another more easily. We also know that young people, so especially teens and young adults, are the ones because of their social behaviors who drive a lot of the transmission in the community. So the combination of that age group, which because of their social patterns is transmitting a lot and this more infectious Delta Variant, not to mention that kids under 12 still have not yet been vaccinated, is really driving this surge among the pediatric population. Okay. Lets turn to that new study you may have heard me read with emphasis, but it is from the cdc and it found that unvaccinated people are 11 times more likely to die from the virus. How can Health Officials effectively get this statistic out, and do you think it might encourage those who are still reluctant to get the shot . Look, you know, over 90 , 95 of the people who we are seeing in hospitals with covid, who are ending up in icus with covid right now, are people who have not been vaccinated. So if you want to protect yourself, if you want to protect your family, your community, study after study after study has now shown that the vaccines are safe and effective. And if we want to get back to normal life, the sooner we can all get vaccinated the sooner we can do that. Okay. Lets talk about President Bidens Vaccine Mandate for federal workers and also companies with more than 100 employees. I know that you were part of the president s covid task force. You recall he said back in december hes not going to impose a Vaccine Mandate. What do you think changed his mind . Well, look, they have thrown every incentive in the book, everything from tickets to Sporting Events to cash incentives to try to get people to get vaccinated. Theres been massive mobilization of messengers, trusted messengers in the community to try to reach out to people and educate folks about the vaccines, and yet our Vaccination Rates are hovering at about just over 50 of the population fully vaccinated. We havent really been able to break out of that, and so i think thats why theyre moving forward with mandates because theres an understanding that this is the way to fully reopen the economy, to get people back to work safely, and were just not going to be able to get back to normal life without it. Okay. Dr. Celine gounder, as you said, thank you so much. Good to see you. Is america safer 20 years after 9 11 . Hard answers from someone with an insiders look at 9 11 intelligence next. Facing leaks takes strength. 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By that point two planes had already struck the World Trade Center towers, but this made it clear this was not just an attack on new York City but on america itself. First, the countrys economic center, then its military and defense center. This was the scene this morning during the moments of silence there, remembering the moment the pentagon was struck. 184 people were killed in articling son, virginia, 125 at the pentagon and 59 on board that plane. The attacks on 9 11 forever changed how the pentagon defends this great nation. Lets go to nbc News Pentagon Correspondent Courtney Kube joining us to talk about this. First of all, lets reflect on today. What has it been like there . Reporter so today the mood has been very solemn and very somber, as it is every year on September 11th. You know, one of the differences is every year as we get further and further from the attack in 2001, there are simply fewer people here in the building who were here that day, the day of the attack, but that doesnt change the fact that the people here feel a very real connection to those who were lost that day. People who work in this building, there is a real feeling, a sense of loss for those 184 people who died that day here at the pentagon. We heard a little bit from the chairman of the joint chiefs, general mark milley, at the ceremony this morning where he spoke about their legacy. Their legacy lives on in the idea that is america, and no terrorist, anywhere on earth, can ever destroy that idea. For every soldier, sailor, airman and marine, for every cia officer, for every fbi agent, for every cop and fireman, you did your duty. Your service mattered. Your sacrifice was not in vain. Reporter and that message of their service and their sacrifice not being in vain is particularly poignant this year, alex, because the u. S. For the first time since the 2001 attacks has no u. S. Service members serving in afghanistan. The war there, of course, started after the attacks here when the u. S. Went to afghanistan to go after Al Qaeda, the group that was behind the attacks here and in New York and in pennsylvania. But for the first time now there arent any Service Members there, and there is there are a lot of questions about whether the facts that theres no americans there and the taliban are once in charge again, does that mean that the sacrifice of those more than 2,400 americans who died serving in that war, the more than 20,000 who were injured, was their service in vain . General milley, secretary of defense Lloyd Austin have made the case time and time again since the full withdrawal a little under two weeks ago, since that time theyve made the case that, in fact, their service was not in vain, their work in afghanistan, their service there mattered. You are making a thoughtful point, courtney, but talk about how the attacks changed the way the pentagon defends this country and what it means going forward after our withdrawal from afghanistan. Reporter so the situation is completely different. I mean just to put it bluntly, the six is very different. The u. S. No longer has troops on the ground in afghanistan, and they have actually in the 20 years with pretty constant Counterterror Pressure against Al Qaeda and then isisk, the group that also sprung up, a Terror Network there in afghanistan, the u. S. And Nato Partners and then eventually the Afghan Military really applied this constant pressure to those groups and were able to stop them from carrying out attacks since then and they were able to degrade them down to only a couple hundred fighters in each network and take away their ability to carry out international or trans national attacks. Now that there arent americans there on the ground, the ability to carry out those attacks is hampered. It is not impossible. The u. S. Still can do it, but it is much more difficult now. The concern being that now the taliban are in charge, theres really a government in afghanistan that is favorable to Al Qaeda. The taliban and Al Qaeda in many ways work together, at least in parallel to one another. So the concern is that now there will be Safe Haven for these Al Qaeda and these isisk fighters, and they may be able to regenerate, rebuild and eventually carry out more attacks. Because of that concern, we are hearing more and more about how the military has these capabilities that are in neighboring countries like qatar, like uae, mainly drones, unmanned aircraft, that will conduct intelligence, that will look in on these groups, and that if if able, they will carry out attacks and strike these groups to hopefully be able to stop them from being able to regroup and regenerate back to their strength of before September 11th of 2001. Again though, alex, it will be much more difficult without troops on the ground there. Yeah, you bring up some really important points. I have a couple of interviews coming up this hour, we will delve further into it. Thank you so much. Nbcs Courtney Kube there at the pentagon. Joining me right now, the first of these two interviews i just referred to, Tim Roemer, former congressman from indiana and a member of the 9 11en commission which provided a complete accounting of the circumstances surrounding the attacks. Tim, welcome. Im so glad to you have here. First question, when you think of where we are as a nation today, reflect on the lessons learned from september 11, 2001, and how have they made us safer . Well, first, thank you for having me on, alex. Good to see you again. My prayers and thoughts go to all of the families, the rescue workers, our military, the 2,977 people that died on this day 20 years ago and the people who got sick afterwards trying to rescue them. We have an obligation to take care of these people. I would say, alex, three main lessons learned that i would mention now. There are more. One is we were in the jaws of hell on 9 11. On 9 12 We came together as a nation, as people flying a flag, donating blood, hugging people we didnt know, helping them out on the street. We can disagree in our politics on certain issues and we will have disagreements, but we cannot disagree on everything. So the lesson of unity is important for us as a nation sometimes. Too, we made changes through the 9 11 commission that made our government more resilient. Made our Intelligence Share Information more quickly, and that resilience is key today. Then, third, i would just say that afteraction reports like the 9 11 commission are really important. What did we do wrong or what mistakes did we make and how do we fix them later so that will were more effective in what we do in the future years. Okay. Three good points, and im sure there are many more. On the heels of what Courtney Kube was saying there, tim, what is the state of our national security now that we are completely withdrawn from afghanistan . Does that Cause Concern for you . You heard the kind of attacks that she thinks are potential. She was reporting, as she is reflecting that which is going on in the discussion inside the pentagon, the fact that you have the taliban and Al Qaeda that parallel one another and that afghanistan can offer Safe Haven for isisk and Al Qaeda members. Just as 9 11 was an inflection point, alex, we have one today 20 years later. Terrorism continues to be a threat to us. We dont have the eyes and ears in afghanistan with our troops out now that we used to. That concerns me. Our Intel Operations on what goes on in afghanistan today with the taliban running that government, with isisk, with Al Qaeda potentially rebuilding, we have to make sure that that is still a priority. But as the president has said, there are terrorism threats in syria, iraq, africa, el shabab, and we have seen the rise of china and russia. When we took our eye off global states and put our eye on terrorism, now we have to concentrate on them again. Where do we fiercely compete with china, where do we try to cooperate on covid and climate change. I would also say partnerships and alliances are key. We have to devote more diplomacy to rebuilding those, whether it is between the quad, our European Partners in nato. Finally, i would say one thing that concerns me is the degradation of democracy around the world. Freedom house has put out reports saying democracy even in the states where we have terrorism threats here in our own country that attacked our capitol on January 6th, we have to pay attention to that as well and strengthen our democracy. And to that last point, tim, lets take a listen together to something that President Bush said today when speaking in shanksville, pa. We have seen growing evidence that the dangers to our country can come not only across borders but from violence that gathers within. There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home, but then theres diss day for pluralism and their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols. They are children of the same foul spirit and it is our continuing duty to confront them. How do you enter present that, tim . I agree with the president , former President Bush. I think abraham lincoln, a fellow midwesterner, said it more succinctly. He said the real threat to america is not going to come from outside our shores. It will be coming from inside our shores, and that we must pay attention to our constitution and our Rule Of Law. Thats why an independent 9 11type Commission for January 6th and what happened there is important. Weve got to get to the bottom of that and make sure terrorism in our country, we are united as a people, as all americans, democrats and republicans, against that kind of terrorism threatening our souls, our democracy and our childrens future. Yeah. Amen to that. As we focus One More Time on today, as you know, President Biden has called for the declassification of all of the documents related to the attack. Some materials, of course, will stay classified if their release poses any sort of a clear national security risk. Do you agree with releasing these documents . Do you think Theres Anything in there that could still shock us . Well, alex, i have been in as a senate staffer, a member of congress on the 9 11 commission and in Public Service well over two decades. Our government has a tendency to classify way too much. We need to emphasize transparency in government and truth, getting to the truth, so the american people continue to believe in their democracy. So i believe what President Biden did on September 3rd issuing an Executive Order to the Department Of Justice and the fbi and other agencies saying, declassify more, let the american people know more about what happened, thats a good thing. I do think there are questions about saudi involvement. 15 of the 19 hijackers were saudi. We know that two of the hijackers were met and were put in a comfortable place. He was paid by a socalled defense company. There are questions i hope some of the declassified documents shed more light on, and i hope that that will happen sooner than later. I got to tell you, Tim Roemer, thank you for shedding light on the questions i have asked you today, particularly on this important anniversary. It is good to see you, my friend. Thank you. A Planned Rally next weekend has police worried regarding a robust security measure. What it could mean next. Y measu. What it could mean next. One week from today a rally dubbed Justice For J6 is planned for washington, d. C. Law enforcement officials are bracing for the protests to potentially get unruly and turn into what we witnessed at the capitol on January 6th. Capitol Police Plan to put up fencing around the capitol like the one set up in january. Lets go to Ali Vitali on capitol hill. Good to see you. How do officials read whats coming their way . Reporter the capitol and Law Enforcement getting back on high alert because just a few months after all of the fencing came down which was fortified after January 6th, all of it is coming back up, our sources tell us, in anticipation of this j6 rally. Organizers of this gathering say that it is meant to be in support of the nearly 600 people who were arrested in connection with the insurrection. Their cases are moving through the u. S. Justice system now and will be for several years, but it is also in support of Ashli Babbit who was shot and killed as she was trying to get into the lobby of the House Chamber on January 6th. But those images that you are seeing on your screen, i know it was several months ago, about seven months ago now, but that memory is so visceral for everyone who is still here on the hill. You hear lawmakers preparing for the worst, Law Enforcement also doing the same. Everyone here determined to learn from the mistakes of January 6th and make sure that next saturday is nowhere near close to that. Okay. Well, that would be good, let me tell you. Nobody wants to see a repeat of January 6th. Speaking of that no, i though we are hearing more from the January 6th select committee about its investigation. What is the latest from there . Reporter yeah. Thats definitely true because in the last few days when you talk about learning from the mistakes of the past, what we saw in the immediate weeks and months after January 6th was an investigation that looked forward, that has since been completed. That one delved into how best fortify the Capitol Campus as well as how to best protect lawmakers who were the Center Piece of these threats from insurrectionists. At the same time though theres still the commission, the select committee on January 6th, looking into what happened and the things that led up to that deadly day here on the capitol complex. That is still ongoing, and weve seen a flurry of requests from that committee in recent weeks, some of them records requests and preservation requests from telecom and Social Media Companies, others of them coming from two federal agencies, asking them to give documents and records. In the past few days some of those documents have actually made their way to the committee. A spokesman was vague about it, but he told us that the majority of Social Media Companies are cooperating with the probe. He also said that the committee needs more information though and they will use, quote, whatever tools are at our disposal to get the records that were seeking because, remember, and you and i have made this distinction before, the requests that theyve put out there so far are just that. Theyre requests, but this is a committee that has the ability to subpoena if necessary, so it is something we should definitely be looking forward to if we see the records requests not be complied with in the way the committee wants them to be. Alex. I was going the say the Word Subpoena had you not done so right there. Ali vitali, thank you so much. Taking on texass highly restrictive Abortion Law, next. Restrictive Abortion Law, next one thats been paved and one thats forever wild but freedom means you dont have to choose just one adventure you get both. Introducing the Allnew 3row Jeep grand Cherokee L jeep. Theres only one. Jeep grand Cherokee L hey lily, i need a new Wireless Plan for my business, but all my employees need something different. Oh, we can help with that. Okay, imagine this. Your mover, rob, hes on the scene and needs a plan with a mobile hotspot. 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Well, alex, i dont think it is a Hail Mary. I think it is more like Tom Brady with two minutes to go on the clock. I think this is prepared, ready, skill and a brilliant response. I think it is on very sound legal ground as to the procedural posture. Remember, that is what was so problematic about this statute. It was designed in such a way to isolate State Actors and empower private actors to enforce the law by filing lawsuits, and in that way they created statute that may have been beyond Judicial Review. In fact, the legislative director for right to life of texas had said, we have created a statute that will stymie Judicial Review. Theres only one entity that can file a lawsuit here, and thats the Department Of Justice. Thats what theyve done, by filing interest that not only the public at large are having constitutional rights violated but that the government is having its rights violated because of all of the entities in texas that are federal defense department, bureau of prisons facilities, Refugee Resettlements where they do provide Health Services including abortions for rape and incest. So this Abortion Ban has essentially allowed the law to skirt other attempts, right, to block it in court. So the Dojs Case is different how . Well, because it is suing the state directly. So because of the way it was structured, individuals were not able to sue any State Actors. You kind of had to wait until there was a harm in fact, until you had somebody actually perform an abortion and then get sued by one of these people. You know, nobody wants to risk either being the patient or being the provider, but when it is the federal government there is a theory that the federal government is there to safeguard constitutional rights and can preemptively sue. This strategy was used in arizona when there was an Immigration Law that was passed before it went into effect the united states sued in arizona. That case went all the way to the supreme court, and the Justice Department was successful there in striking that down. So under the Supremacy Clause and under intergovernmental immunity, the united States Government has standing here in a way a private party would not. Okay. Lets take a listen to something that attorney general Merrick Garland said this week. Here it is. This kind of scheme to nullify the Constitution Of The United States is one that all americans, whatever their politics or party, should fear. If it prevails, it may become a model for action in other areas by other states and with respect to other constitutional rights and judicial precedence. As you hear that, do you think it is a preview of the dojs legal strategy and will it be effective . Yes, i do think so. You know, i suppose the ultimate question on the merits of whether roe v. Wade will stand will be up to the supreme court. Thats already in some danger with this Mississippi Case before the court in the fall, but this attack not only attacks reproductive rights, it really attacks the Rule Of Law because it allows this group of legislators in texas to try to circumvent the Judicial Review that is supposed to exist and be a check on abuse by legislatures. So i think in that way by making sure that this law at least gets reviewed by a court is a very, very important step because, as Merrick Garland said there, we could see it used for all kinds of things, ban on transgender rights, ban on gun rights, ban on free speech, whatever you want it to be, without allowing people to be able to sue and get redress in courts. As to the merits, again, this one is blatantly unconstitutional because at the moment the Law Of The Land is roe v. Wade, which says at least during the first trimester theres a right to an abortion without any undue burdens. With the Texas Law at six weeks, it is clearly unconstitutional. So a good Faith Interpretation of this statute should invalidate it. In the Mississippi Case, maybe even in this case, we will see whether the court wants to revisit and overrule roe v. Wade, but at least in this way they cant do it in this, i think, manipulative and back doorway. Theres a lot coming our way on all of this, which means, barbara mcquade, we will see you again soon. Thank you so much. Despite the war on terror, Al Qaeda has only grown greater in the numbers and the numbers are pretty staggering. The man who wrote the book on Al Qaeda, next. Alice loves the scent of gain so much, she wished there was a way to make it last longer. Say hello to your Fairy Godmother Alice and longlasting Gain Scent beads. Try spring daydream, now part of our irresistible scent collection. Limu Emu Doug got a couple of bogeys on your six, limu. They need customized Car Insurance from Liberty Mutual so they only pay for what they need. What do you say we see what this bird can do . Woooooooooooooo. We are not getting you a helicopter. Looks like were walking, kid. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. In 2016, i was working at the Amazon Warehouse when my brother passed away. And a couple of years later, my mother passed away. 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I know you have been investigating the hows and whys for 20 years now. What is top of mind as you watch the tributes and the reflections with the benefit of hindsight . Oh, to be honest i have been flooded with memories and regrets, sadness, you know, especially all of the people that i met along the way while i was working on that book, the people at i49 Quad And Fbi in New York who tried so valiantly to stop this attack, and the members of the alex station, the Fbi Station who also worked very hard and, unfortunately, failed. The young students that i mentor, these young reporters in saudi arabia. For one reason, i keep thinking about this young arab woman who asked me for how long must the Middle East be a graveyard for the hopes and dreams of the youth, and i thought about all of those people today. Theyve just been very much on my mind. Yeah. Statistics are pretty shocking that im going to share here. This is coming from a new Updated Preface for your book that you wrote that in 2001 the Al Qaeda network compromised a total of 300 to 400 men, but in 2021 it is now 30,000 to 40,000 fighters in various countries as part of a more global network. Right. Lawrence, does this make Al Qaeda an even bigger threat than 20 years ago . I mean does it mean theyre as organized, less so, more so . Does having more people make it more difficult to organize them . What does it say about the way the u. S. Fights terrorism . Well, you know, Al Qaeda is not just one thing anymore. Al qaeda has franchised itself and, you know, these affiliates range from morocco all the way to bangladesh. So there are dozens of them and, you know, many of them are nationalistic in their orientation, but their ultimate goal as an international Terror Organization is to attack america and the west. So their desires havent changed. Their manpower has expanded absurdly and, you know, we have not been able to contain it. Weve been fortunate and i commend the Intelligence Agencies for keeping Al Qaeda At Bay to the extent that they havent been able to pull off another 9 11 attack. But there have been many attacks, and the proliferation of terrorists across the globe, not excluding our own country, alex. Yeah. You know, the domestic terrorists actually model themselves on Al Qaeda. This group called the base, for instance, which is what Al Qaeda means, they read the Training Manuals that Al Qaeda puts out. You know, they really are looking to become a kind of american terrorist organization. You know, this is, you know, the proliferation of so much terrorism in the world is a really dire forecast for the future. Yeah, it is very sobering to hear you put it like that. President Biden Today responded to the criticism of his decision to withdraw u. S. Troops from afghanistan. Lets take a listen to that. 70 of american people think it was time to get out of afghanistan, spending all that money. But the flip of it is they didnt like the way we got out. But it is hard to explain to anybody how else could you get out. For example if we were in tajikistan, we pulled up a c130 and said were going to let, you know, anybody who was involved with being sympathetic to us to get on the plane, we would have people hanging in the wheel well. Whats your assessment of that, lawrence . That was a mess. You know, it is hard to imagine a graceful exit from afghanistan, and even the taliban didnt know that there were going to be walking into kabul when they did so it caught everybody by surprise. Im heartened by the fact that people are now leaving on commercial flights, so maybe this isnt as Big A disaster as it appeared to be. But, you know, when i was in afghanistan it was 2003 and it was a period of great hope. Hammers and saws everywhere, you know, as people were building new lives for themselves and girls were going to school, and it looks like all of that has been forfeited now. I fear that the truth is america and its allies could never do it all by ourselves. You know, the afghan people had to have a stake in it as well, and, you know, you have to throw up your hands at some point, say Americas Involvement with countries that we dont understand is probably always going to edge towards a catastrophe. Thats what has happened. Let me ask you about when you were writing your book. Was there something, lawrence, that kept you awake at night and now 20 years later with all that weve learned, is there something that still keeps you awake . Oh, yeah. You know, terrorism is, you know, very much present, but the tools that we use against terrorists for instance, drones could easily be turned against us. I also worry about precedence. You know, the pandemic, for instance, is something that is you know, it is a natural occurrence, the one that were facing now, but a Manmade Pandemic is certainly not out of the question and certainly within the ambition of some of these terrorist organizations. You know, the japanese cult, you know, they really had a goal of reducing the population of the whole world to essentially their group, and some of these white supremacist groups have a similar goal of trying to eliminate other ethnic organizations through biological means. So, yes, im very concerned about all of those things all right. Well, lawrence wright, im so glad you came on to talk about it on this really important day. Always a difficult conversation listening to you, but im glad that you made your points. Thank you so much for illuminating us. Thank you for having me. In just a moment words of comfort on a day of profound pain. We did it again. Verizon has been named americas most reliable network by rootmetrics. 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Former president Barack Obama issued a Statement Today that reads in part, one thing that became clear on 9 11 and has been clear ever since is that america has always been home to heroes who run towards danger in order to do what is right. And this statement from first lady jill biden. It reads in part, as we remember those we lost because of the September 11th attacks, and contemplate our changed world since, may we honor their lives and legacies by reaching out for each other again in unity, recognizing that our similarities are infinite and our differences precious. Powerful words on a day to reflect and remember. That is going to do it for me on this edition of Alex Witt reports. My Friend Yasmin Vossoughian continues our coverage. Good afternoon, everybody. Im Yasmin Voe Tugan with a lot to covering this afternoon as the country is marking the 20th Anniversary of 9 11. The president is doing so by visiting three sacred sites, Ground Zero, shanksville, pennsylvania with a visit to the pentagon coming up soon as well. Former President Donald Trump skipping the Ground Zero ceremony but has now made his way to new York City for unannounced visits to meet with Police Officers and firefighters. This is only coming though after the former president used the occasion of 9 11 to launch a Video Attack on his successor on the day other former president s used for somber reflection. Were going to get to more on that ahead. Plus, new unhinged reactions from the right to President Bidens new Vaccine Mandates. And the latest outraged response to the texas governors comments about rape while defending his states Abortion Law. Plus, a look at what it is like to be muslim in american since 9 11. Who has experienced islamophobia since 9 11 . At one point a Guidance Counsellor said to my face, we dont we dont want your kind here. You have to leave. I was there to ask whether i should be in a. P. Chemistry. More of that emotional discussion