All articles tagged with #911
The CIA has restored a Soviet-era Mi-17 helicopter used to insert the first U.S. intelligence team into Afghanistan in September 2001. The aircraft, which flew over 300 missions until 2012, is now displayed at Langley, Virginia, marking the 25th anniversary of the post-9/11 intervention.
A BuzzFeed piece compiles 911 dispatchers’ insights on the red flags that indicate a call is far more serious than it first seems, including cues like a barking dog during a threat, open-line calls, hushed or coded speech, unusual routine disruptions, and background signals that help link cases and trigger urgent responses after cross-checking caller history and location data.
The FBI, led by Kash Patel, briefly paused some intelligence-sharing with Canada's RCMP after Canada’s CBC broadcaster reminded journalists to attribute the term 'terrorism' to experts when describing 9/11; the pause was short-lived, other U.S. agencies continued cooperation, and CBC updated its language guidance as officials signaled a normalization of relations ahead of the anniversary.
President Trump said he would consider releasing classified documents related to the 9/11 attacks in response to pleas from victims’ families to clarify Saudi Arabia’s role, as legal and investigative actions—including a forthcoming Manhattan appeals case about Omar al‑Bayoumi—continue to unfold. The 9/11 Commission found no definitive evidence that the Saudi government orchestrated the attacks, though it noted private funding sources, fueling renewed calls for declassification and accountability.
Newly released New York City records show the Ground Zero dust was a toxic mix including asbestos and heavy metals that lingered and is linked to long‑term illnesses—from respiratory problems to cancers. Health officials say exposure can affect multiple body systems, with monitoring through the World Trade Center Health Program to diagnose and treat conditions such as mesothelioma, leukemia, and bladder cancer. Survivors recall ongoing health battles and doctors warn of lasting risks, fueling calls for accountability and stronger protections for workers in future disasters.
On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the CIA released 71 Presidential Daily Briefs, including a September 1998 memo warning that Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda could strike the U.S. with an explosive-packed airplane in a U.S. city, highlighting long-standing intelligence about possible attacks before 9/11.
The CIA released 71 presidential daily briefs from 1998 to Sept. 12, 2001, showing U.S. intelligence tracked Osama bin Laden, his network and financing, with warnings of possible attacks on the U.S.—including hijackings and attempts to obtain weapons—yet they do not reveal a specific plot time or evidence of foreknowledge or conspiracy; some briefs had been public before, but this release presents the briefs in full words from the briefer's notes.
Americans nationwide marked the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with remembrance ceremonies at the World Trade Center site in New York, at the Pentagon where President Trump spoke, and at the Flight 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania, honoring the victims of the attacks.
Former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani said at the 9/11 memorial that during his handshake with Mayor Zohran Mamdani he told Mamdani, “I pray for you,” and noted that both facing each other could have made the moment a distraction. Giuliani had previously opposed Mamdani’s attendance, which Mamdani defended by saying he attended to honor victims and first responders.
Seaside held a 25th-anniversary memorial for the September 11 attacks, honoring victims and discussing the event's enduring influence on individuals and the nation. Police Chief Nick Borges shared how the day redirected his career, while former CIA Director Leon Panetta recalled the initial shock and later pursuit of justice, underscoring the need to teach younger generations about first responders' sacrifices and to never forget.
Den of Geek argues that Spike Lee’s 25th Hour functions as the definitive cinematic snapshot of the nation’s mood in the immediate wake of 9/11, opening with Ground Zero’s haunting imagery and Terence Blanchard’s sweeping score, tracing Monty Brogan’s final 24 hours in a grieving New York, and showing how the city’s collective memory and resilience shape the era’s cinema far more than any single blockbuster.
Rolling Stone’s Katherine Eban argues that post-9/11 air safety claims were false, pointing to 170,000 pages of NYC air‑quality documents showing asbestos and toxic debris near Ground Zero and a 2003 EPA inspector general report that data wasn’t enough to declare the air safe; she calls for accountability as more documents are released and recalls her own reporting from Ground Zero to underscore the ongoing questions about government transparency.
LA Times critics curate nine films that capture the era’s lingering anxiety after 9/11, from direct depictions like United 93 and Zero Dark Thirty to oblique trauma dramas such as Donnie Darko, 25th Hour, Munich, The Dark Knight, The Hurt Locker, Man on Wire and Margaret, arguing that post-9/11 cinema is defined by psychological unease and moral ambiguity rather than literal retellings.
Budweiser aired a single, solemn 2002 Super Bowl commercial with no voiceover or jingle, showing a team of Clydesdales bowing toward the site of the World Trade Center as the screen read “We’ll never forget.” Filmed in New York with government clearance, it required approval from Congress and Mayor Giuliani, and featured a Clydesdale named Ringo. The ad aired less than five months after 9/11 and was pulled after that one airing, reportedly to keep the moment as a tribute rather than a commercial. A refreshed version marked the 20th anniversary in 2021, but the original remains a remembered one-off moment in advertising history.
Colorado photographer Michael Rieger, a FEMA disaster photographer, captured the first widely seen images from Ground Zero after 9/11; his work is now showcased at the CU Denver Experience Gallery in Remember the Love: Resilience After 9/11, with the editing computer now in the Smithsonian Institution.