with a black islamic flag. according to the a.p., both attacks were triggered by a movie produced in the united states that was anti-muslim, made by an anti-muslim extremist. "on the record" is tracking the breaking news stories and will bring you breaking developments throughout the hour. september e day none of us will forget. we will remember that day with you. and why won't president obama meet with netanyahu? but first, an urgent warning. it is about our nation's debt. as if the threat of going over the fiscal cliff isn't bad enough, it now gets worse. if congress doesn't reach a budget deal, moody's will cut its triple-a realitying by one notch, so can congress strike a deal? and avoid this downgrade? senator john thune is on the budget finance committee. nice to see you. >> nice to see you, greta. >> greta: so. moody's says they doll this. >> this is the latest warning we have gotten. obviously, this is not the first time that we have been warned. this is the most predictable crisis we have ever had. we know exactly how serious the situation is, the debt just crossed the $16 trillion mark. we are facing a fiscal cliff, come the first of next year, less than 4 months from now, at which time, the congressional budget office says if congress doesn't act, it could plunge us into a recession, likely will plunge us into a recession and could have unemployment above 9% before next year. >> greta: how you can let this happen? last year when the s&p downgraded it, it became more expensive foritous borrow money. each day, it gets worse. and yet, everybody remains out there campaigning, or doing anything but dealing with this very immediate problem. i don't get. do i my job. i show up here every night, 10:00. where is everybody? >> look, i think there is -- you know, this has to be addressed. we have been saying for some time that we need a plan. now, obviously, the republicans in congress, particularly the house of representatives have passed legislation that would avert the sequestration that would cut so dramatically, our military spending. they have also -- and so has the senate. republicans voted on a legislation to extend the tax rates, the other element in the fiscal cliff. there are steps being taken by those of us, at least to see this as a very, very serious issue to try to avert what could be a bad crisis, starting next year. but i think it will take presidential leader. the president of the united states has to put forward a plan. his budget, last year was so disregarded by congress it got defeated 97-0 in the united states senate t. wasn't a serious, meaningful attempt to get at this problem. the problem worsened by the day -- >> greta: for the life of me, where is he? i mean, i realize there is a log jam on capitol hill and the senate's run by the democrats and the house by the republicans. but there is a log jam, costing all of us money, every single day. where -- why -- why do you think -- he won't come here and talk to me? why isn't he here in washington, pounding the heads of the senate and pounding the heads in the house. >> a couple of things. i think the president wants to use the threat of defense cuts as leverage to get tax increases. for example, this sequestration transparency act, signed into law by the president on august 7 required him to submit to congress by september 6, a plan for implementation. >> greta: that didn't happen. >> it hasn't happened. i think they are trying to run out the clock and get as far into the year -- >> greta: i guess, that's what i find troubling. right now, as we sit, downgraded by s&p, it make its -- makes it more expense testify borrow money. i mean, every single day -- mean, somebody's got to care about this. >> well, they do. there are a lot of people in the congress who should care about this. i moeb, we are the ones entrusted with the responsibility to be stewards of the american people's tax dollars. but, you know, the united states senate for three years now and i have to say -- run by democrats -- has not produced a budget. it is 1231 days since the united states senate passed a budget -- >> greta: it's as though harry reid has a pocket veto. he put its in his pocket and stop its -- i don't know what is proposed in the house is a good idea or not. but his fail tower bring it on the floor and debate it in the senate, it stops everything. he's got a pocket veto -- he has a foot on the throat of our economy. >> well, at least when it comes to getting anything to the senate and the budget being point number 1. it starts there. that's the foundation. if you don't have a budget, you don't have a blueprint for anything else. the house republicans have led. they have now, two consecutive years, since they got the majority, passed a budget to lay out a plan to reform entitlements and the tax code and to address spending and debt in a way that will help grow the economy and create jobs for heme people in this country. we have not had that leadership in the president or with the and the president of the united states. this is a very serious issue. a fiscal crisis for the american people -- >> greta: i don't think -- i don't think they care. this would keep me up at night. if this were my job and i were senator harry reed and i was presenting the chance to have a debate in capitol hill, i know know -- i can't understand why he doesn't understand. >> i think there is a fundamental difference about how to solve this. i think the democrats -- they instinctively believe that the way we get out of this crisis is to raise taxes. i think they are going to do a lame-duck session after the session and there is a lot of leverage because you have the defense cuts on the first of next year, they can use that to get tax increases. now, those of us who happen to believe that the problem isn't that we tax too little but that we spend too much. those ofinous that school believe we have to get spending under control. but a lot of it comes down to the fundamental difference of opinion about how to solve this problem. >> greta: thank you. >> thanks. >> greta: is president obama snubbing bemplg min netanyahu? 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[ flo speaking japanese ] [ shouting in japanese ] we work wherever you work. now, that's progressive. call or click today. >> from the world trade center site, to the pentagon, to shanksville, pennsylvania, americans today, paying tribute to the victims of the september 11 terror attacks. we spoke with senator john mccain about his memories of 9/11 and the national security matters our nation still faces. >> greta: senator, nice to see you, sir. >> thank you, greta. >> greta: today, a very solemn day for america and actually for people around the world. where were you on 9/11? >> right here. right here where we are speaking. i saw it there. and then, of course... signal for us to evacuate the building took place. to this day, we will never know where the plane that crashed in pennsylvania was headed. and then everybody evacuated and we stood for a long time, outside of the capitol here, on the grounds here. and then, fortunately, there was a staffer of mine who had a apartment a couple of blocks away and we went there and spent time there until i could get to my residence. but it was -- i don't know an american who will ever forget where they were that day. the other day, my age, you always remember jack kennedy was shot. >> greta: my father would talk about pearl harbor. i thought, why are you talking about that old news? as a child. now, every 9/11 who, can forget the sight of those planes in the world trade center and everything that happened here in washington? >> it was the worst of times and the best of times because the best of times was what people did. those who went into the buildings, those that carried out and risked their lives to save that of others. so, those people, those first responders, who are the best of america. i am very pleased to note that we continue to honor them. >> greta: these are very turbulent times and have continued to be so, most notably in the middle east. prime minister netanyahu was hoping to get a red line to try to delineate when the action will be taken against iran and what. secretary of state clinton says there won't be red lines. today, netanyahu is reported to have says, said, those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before iran don't have a moral right to police a red light before israel. later today, a report that prime minister netanyahu will be here to speak before the u.n., wanted to come to washington to speej speak potopresident obama. it's reported that president obama says he has a tight schedule and can't meet with the prime minister. now what? >> there have been time where is we have rocky relationships between the united states and israel. in the reagan administration, secretary baker and other times. i am not sure this there has been rocky relations at a time when there is a threat to israel as serious as iran's nuclear capability would pose to israel. here's the dilemma that the israelis have. that they have a certain capability that is not as large as ours. we can allow the iranians to go further toward their progress than the israelis can. they can't depend on us, though, once it passes the capabilities that the israelis have. second of all, we all know that -- informs is not always exact in intelligence. in fact the the united states had an intelligence that the iranians had stopped in 2007. you might recall that. so the fact that we have not established a point where the iranians have reach aid certain capability, i.e., the capability in a short period of time, to put together a nuclear weapon, assemble it, then the israelis feel that with no red lines, then it could just progress on and on and on. and that has contributed to the understandable, in my view... i don't know if the word is irritation or anger or dissatisfaction, on the part of the prime minister of israel about the united states of america. >> greta: well, there are two problems. one is the frosty relationship that seemingly -- that the administration has with israel. that's number 1. number 2 is, you know, where is iran on getting a nuclear weapon? as you noted, we have had bad intelligence before. it is curious, though, iran doesn't want nu-- they don't want nuclear fuel from us at 20% enrichment, they want to do their own, so that makes this, of course, suspicious. but how close are they? how good is the intelligence? how much can we rely on it? >> i think it is very clear according to the iaea and our own intelligence estimates and all the nations that estimates that they are progressing fairly rapidly towards a point where they could assemble a nuclear weapon. >> greta: coming up, more with senator john mccain. he has a warning. senator mccain will tell you next. 11 years later, the visuals we do not forget, as we continue to remember the victims of 9/11. 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[ all screaming ] watch the elbows ladies. >> greta: once again, senator john mccabe. sequestration, deeply troubling -- at least to me -- when was budget deal was cut, there was a super committee created. they didn't come up with a deal in november of last year, so automatically go to sequestration. nobody's done anything about it. members of congress and the president have not been handcuffed where they couldn't do anything about it. now we are in a draconian situation. >> that's the best short description that i have heard. what we're facing is draconian measures that will cut defense spending by half a trillion dollars on top of $460 billion of cuts, which have already been mandated, which the secretary of defense and our uniformed chiefs have said will devastate our national security. in fact, a marine deputy commandante said we couldn't respond to a crisis after these kinds of draconian measures are taken. i support further cuts in defense. but they have to be done with a scalpel and not with a meat ax. >> greta: whose fault is it that it is not ben being done today? whose fault it? because, you know what? no one seems to be working on it, today. >> if, actually, someone's working hard. but we haven't had much success. i will take the blame for t. you want to blame somebody? blame me. i am ranking -- >> greta: no. >> i am sure this is the committee. >> greta: but senator graham and a few people. but the bottom line, no progress since november. >> we need the president of the united states to call us over and say, okay. we need to fix this and how can we do that -- >> greta: why isn't he doing that? >> i don't know he's not doing it. maybe he's not as concerned as the secretary of defense and the uniformed service chiefs are. i don't know. but i know this: that if he called us over in the face of what is going to happen to our nation's security, that i think all of us would be willing to cut some kind of a deal and by the way, there will be a loss of a million jobs, $1 trillion and layoffs that would have to be made that would be huge in magnitude. as i say, loss of a million jobs. >> greta: the thing that is particularly... bothersome, i think is how the american people have been played on this. because in the event no agreement was met last november and none was -- even though something could have been done since then, the cuts don't go into effect until after the election in january. that was thereabouts. that was deliberate so 91 no one had to make the hard decisions now, facing the leaghtorrate. >> that's why the american people are cynical about us. that's why the approval rating is 10 or 11%, or whatever it is. i haven't met anybody in the category that approve of us. i would like to ask them what they like about us. so, yes, we have not been what the american people expectitous do. but i do believe that the president, as commandener chief -- that's his title -- and responsible for our national security does -- should -- must play a leadership role and sit down with us and get this resolved. these defense -- industries have to make plans. our pentagon has to make plans. as we get closer and close tort first of january, they're basically in a quandary. >> greta: what do you think the president would say if i asked him why isn't someone working on it? i realize you are -- but why aren't they working on it now? >> i don't know the answer to that. except to say that i believe that the president is want carrying out his responsibilities as commander in chief. if the sequestration has the effect that the secretary of defense and the chandler and the joint chiefs of staff and the uniformed chiefs have said it will -- i believe them. >> greta: there is so much more from senator mccain, including his views on the crisis in the sudan. go to gretawire for the complete interview. coming up, we are continuing to follow the breaking news. americansurn attack in the middle-east. the breaking news and congressman allen west is here, [ female announcer ] they can be enlightening. hey, bro. or engaging. conversations help us learn and grow. at wells fargo, we believe you can never underestimate the power of a conversation. it's this exchange of ideas that helps you move ahead with confidence. so when the conversation turns to your financial goals... turn to us. if you need anything else, let me know. 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what happened? it seems like a lot of things happened? >> i think it has been leading up to this. over the weekend, you saw al qaeda in iraq, they're back. you saw an incredible amount of attacks. al qaeda in north africa is very active and sifting to algeria and in the aircrafts rainian peninsula and in somalia. we continue to talk about how we decimated this group this, hoargz, they are still there. and when you talk about the fact that you ended the war in iraq, there is only two ways to end a war uwin or you lose. by packing up and leaving, that's not a means to end anything. mast, you embolden your enemies. >> greta: thank you, congressman. >> thank you. >> greta: the day none of us forgets. remembering september 11, a day that forever changed our nation. 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[ female announcer ] urina cat chow complete. and for a delicious way to help maintain a healthy weight, try new purina cat chow healthy weight. but thanks to hotwire, this year we got to take an extra trip. because they get us ridiculously low prices on really nice hotels and car rentals. so we hit boston in the spring-- even caught a game. and with the money we saved, we took a trip to san francisco. you see, hotwire checks the competitions' rates every day so they can guarantee their low prices. so, where to next? how about there? ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e... ♪ hotwire.com >> greta: today, the nation pausing to remember the nearly 3,000 victims of the september 11 terror attacks. 11 years ago, we watched the worst terror attack on u.s. soil unfold on live tv. we warn you, the video we are about to show you is deeply disturbing. >> holy shit. holy shit. come on! >> let's go to the trade center. >> we have a very tragic alert for you right now. an incredzible plane crash into the world trade center here at the lower tip of manhattan. >> it's believed a 737 has crashed into this, speculation at this point, but three floors taken out, crashed into the side of the building. joining us, one of the producers of fox report, on the scene. owen, what do you know? what have you seen? >> reporter: i'm on the roof of my building, five blocks south of the world trade center. i am looking at the world trade center. there is a massive, gaping hole on the second tower. it is about... about... 15 stories from the roof. it is -- it is just unbelievable to look at. you can see it right now. you with see -- you can see the emergency vehicles tearing toward the scene. there are tones of people on the streets, there are paper, things flute fluttering out. i can't see any evidence of what could have crashed. i can just see this massive, gaping hole with tons of debris. >> all we can do is stare aghast at the pictures at this point. you are looking at the north building of the twin towers of the world trade center, in manhattan. these are coming to you leave now. debris raining down from 110 floors up. as you can see, this is a clear blue sky day in manhattan. if this was an accident, it would be a needle in a haystack kind of accident. >> there was ooh one. we just saw -- we just saw another one. we just saw another one, apparently go -- another plane just flew into the second tower. this raises -- this has to be deliberate, folks. we just saw on live television as a second plane flew into the second tower of the world trade center. now, given what has been going on around the world... ummm: some of the key suspects come to mind, osama bin laden. who knows -- who knows what. eric, i know you have a lot of sources at the fbi and other agencies like that. what can you tell us? >> reporter: i apologize for being out of breath. i was walking down fifth avenue, which is close to our studios and i heard a -- a jet -- perhaps a 737 or a small air bus, flying low, unusually low over fifth avenue, make egg right. i am not going to say -- i don't know -- i don't have any reports on what type of plane hit the world trade center. but people looked up and it made a right toward the building. >> nice and orderly, nice and orderly. >> it is a tragedy. it is abhorrent. it is disgusting. bru, you know -- but, i am wondering, are these pilots terrorists themselves? are there terrorists in the cockpit who are holding guns to a pilot's head? did they -- >> i can't imagine -- >> you can speculate completely about how this happens because, obviously, it takes a lot of training and expertise to fly a complicated, sophisticated aircraft, whether it's a boeing 737 or a smaller air bus, these are not cessnas or pipers. have you to raise the wonder and the possibility of the type of scenario that was going on in the cockpit. >> wendell is at the white house, sarasota, traveling with the president. wendell, what's the reaction from the president? >> reporter: [silence] john, the president is here promoting a reading initiative on the second day of a two-day trip to florida. he just finished reading to children at the emma booker elementary school and was asked about the incident. he said he was aware of it and that he would have something to say about it later. [sirens] let's bring in david lee miller. he has an eyewitness with him. david lee, what can you tell us? i'm a few blocks from the world trade center. all the roadways are cut off. the only way to get here is on foot, right now. the scene is absolutely an horrific one. have you people streaming out of the area. have you people in tears and shock. people working in the nearby buildings that cannot believe what has happened. many of them remember the terrorist attack years ago on the world trade center and may be of them, this is just an ugly reminder of that, but the details are not certain. as i was walking downtown, making my way to the world trade center, i stopped to speep speak to sylvia fuentes, she works in lower manhattan, she used to work in the trade center. i will hand her the telephone. she will describe for us what she saw this morning as she was arriving at work. >> i heard a loud rumbling. when i walked out on tothe street, i looked out and there was an airplane going into the world trade center. flames were coming out and smoke was just billowing in the air. and tons of people were running down folsom street, running each other over. i made my way back to my office on water street. when i got upstairs, i looked out my window to see what was going on and the second world trade center just went into flames. just from one minute to the next. >> sylvia, thanks for that eyewitness report. when we saw that second plane slam into the second tower, intentionally, quite clearly, have you to believe this is a terrorist attack. harvey kushner is on the line with us, a frequent guest of ours and a terrorism expert. harvey, is it too early to speculate about suspects? >> one thinks only that this could be the most horrifically planned incident in the anales of terrorism against the united states. think about it. i mean, you look outside, fox studios, look how clear it is. how could you miss the trade towers? not just one, but two planes? >> well, and it brings to mind, you know, everybody hates those metal detectors at airports and everybody makes passing through them almost a joke these days. but clearly... it seems that something is going to change if you can make this kind of statement and kill as many people as are likely to be dead in this kind of scenario. >> you know, jon, we are talking about terrorism, no matter how this turns out, this is going to be a day that is going to live in infamy. and you know, it is going to cause changes in terms of, if it turns out terrorism nterms of security like this country has never seen before. >> president bush is about to speak. he's in florida. that was what was supposed to be a joyous event at an elementary school. let's listen in. >> today, we have had a national tragedy. two airplanes have crashed into the world trade center. in an apparent terrorist attack on our country. i have spoken to the vice-president, to the governor of new york, to the director of the fbi. and i have ordered that the full resources. federal government go to help the victims and their families and to conduct a full-scale investigation to hunt down and to find those folks who committed this act. terrorism against our nation will not stand. now, if you join me in a moment of silence. may god bless the victims, their families and america. thank you very much. >> we are going to be looking at an enormous death toll, 50,000 people work in those two buildings. john fund from the wall street journal is on the phone with us. john, were you in the area when the planes hit? >> i was across the street in my office building. >> what did you see? what did you hear? >> i heard an incredible sonic boom and i looked up and there was already much smoke and flames pouring out of the building and then a second sonic boom, which would have been the second tower and the second plane. >> what about injuries, jon? can you tell us? >> the most terrible and heart-wrerving thing, about 15 minutes ago, bodies started drop from this top floors of the tower closest to the highway. about at least five or six. and it was -- it was absolutely terrible. obviously, they had two choices, to be burned into flames or to leap and end it all. it was quite tragic. >> let me bring you to the conversation, my colleague -- >> yes. what can you tell us? >> i just want to give you some late-breaking information. perhaps one of the things that is the greatsest fear is that there is yet another terror attack, since those two plane crashes happened within 20 minutes of each other, all of manhattan has been sealed off. this is probably unprecedented, of course, all of this is unprecedented in this dastardly, dastardly occasion. but manhattan has been sealed off. the hudson river bridges and the tunnels have been sealed. clearly, there is an attempt right now to thwart any further act of terrorism, act of violence, against the people of manhattan. so manhattan is in a lockdown. we are hearing right now of another explosion that has taken place at the pentagon. we have the heart of the financial district of america being attacked. now we understand that there is an explosion, there has been an explosion in the pentagon. the heart ofcommand center of td states of america, john. it can't get much worse than this -- let's hope. >> you gotta believe it has happened again. another large airliner, perhaps hijacked, perhaps part of some... widespread plan... apparently slamming into at least the area around the pentagon. [sirens] >> they have not struck at america. they have struck at some individual places in america. but... this country will go on. >> want to go to our washington managing editor brit hume from the nation's capitol. this raises all kinds of questions about america's response and that response is not going to be immediately, is it. >> whether it is immediate, we are seeing a series of evacuations from various buildings around washington. i think it is important to say that we don't know and have no reason to believe that the white house, for example, was facing any immediate or imminent threat. the same is true on capitol hill, where it appears they will be evacuates up here, soon. nothing has happened to either of those places. this of course, john, this is a day where we can say that things will not again be the same in the united states of america. this is the kind of terrorist ax tack that is the nightmare that experts and others have warned about. but some of us may have thought really could not happen on such a scale. this is quite remarkable. >> as we watch these pictures, the world trade center, 110 stories, literally starting to fall. >> the whole tower! holy crap! they knocked the whole freaking thing down. >> i hope i live. it's coming down on me. here it comes. getting behind the car. i had to go find some people who need help. i don't think i'm one of them. you okay, sir? okay. >> he was inside the building. >> you were inside the world trade center. >> inside the building. >> doing what. >>? getting ready to go upstairs and the floor gave way. the whole building collapsed on us. >> how did you get out? >> just found our way out. tunneled through. walk toward the light. >> walk towards the light. that's all we did. >> hello? >> david lee, what can you tell us? >> reporter: jon, the scene is horrific. one of the two towers literally collapsed. i was making my way to the foot of the world trade center, suddenly, talking to an officer, questioning me about my press credentials, we heard a very loud blast and explosion. we looked up and the building literally began to collapse before us. there was debris, falling, i'd say, at least three history quarters the height of the building. people in the entire perimeter began literally, including myself -- that's where i am out of breath -- to run for our lives. >> those steel girders, strong as they are, had a lot of weight to support and apparently, i am just -- i am not a structural engineer, but i am just guessing now that they gave way. the loss of life here is going to be enormous. >> god help those who are there and the victims and their families and all the souls that are lost today. >> you can tell me what you saw, what you heard? you all right? look at this guy, unbelievable. this poor woman. wow. >> united 93, cleveland. united 93, do you still hear cleveland? united 93, united niner-three. >> this united airlines flight 93 crashed -- >> from the size of the impact crater, it would appear the angle of attack had to be nearly straight in. >> i think the pilot downed the plane in a remote area because there wasn't very many houses over there where it went down. i don't know, it's really... the whole thing is just unbelievable. >> this is clearly a national catastrophe. there will be some response from the white house. let's go to wendell goaler, traveling with the president in sarso the aflorida, and find out the latest there. wendell? >> reporter: the president left sarasota, florida, and air force one took off a short while ago to convene a meeting of the national security advisers, the vice-president, the heads of the cia, national security agency and fbi and new york governor pataki. after the attacks on the twin towers in new york, he was briefed by his national security adviser, condoleezza rice, who phoned him after the first attack. mr. bush was reading to some children when the second attack occurred. chief of staff interrupted him, told him about the attack, it was clear we were dealing with terrorists. >> i want to bring into the conversation, general haig, it is former secretary of state. general haig, at a time like this, how does america respond prudently, with the proper amount of caution and yet with whatever force needs to be applied. >> we have to know the full limes of this tragedy and it's unprecedented, of course. but we have to stay above all, united and calm and ready to take resolute action, which sometimes we have failed to do in the recent past. when perpetrators are uncovered -- and we have many, many indicators of precisely who they are. this is too broad-based a terrorist act to be a few crazies. this is a terrorist movement. we know where they are located today. obviously, as a nation, we are going to have to take action against them. >> there it goes, there it goes, there it go goes. >> we do need to put it down now. >> here we go. >> america, offer a prayer. >> greta: our thoughts and prayers remain with the victims and their families. good night from washington, good night from washington, d.c., see you tomorrow why let constipation slow you down? 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