in atlanta welcome to all you watching us here in the united states, canada and around the world. this is cnn newsroom . i m kim brunhubar. plenty of americans remember exactly where they were on 9/11. in the coming hours those memories and emotions will come flooding back as the u.s. marks the 20th anniversary of the attacks. where the twin towers once stood are now two beams of white light. this anniversary comes he at the very moment the u.s. has left afghanistan, ending the 20 year war that was triggered that day. nearly 3,000 people died on 9/11 at the world trade center, at the u.s. pentagon and in a feel in shanksville, pennsylvania
in freedom and democracy. they failed to drive our nations apart or to cause us to abandon our values or to live in permanent fear. the fact that we re coming together today in faith and resolve demonstrates the failure of terrorism and the strength of the bonds between us. with us today, joe biden and jill biden will visit three sites of attacks. in new york there s a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. local time the moment the first plane struck the world trade center. then the name of each victim will be read. at the pentagon a flag will be unfurled on the west side of the building where american airlines flight 77 hit and near shanksville, pennsylvania a private observance at the at the site where united airlines flight 93 crashed.
terror attacks. the display is one of the many ways america is remembering victims on this 20th anniversary. nearly 3,000 people lost their lives. more observances will be getting under way in the next few hours. joe biden will participate in ceremonies where all the hijacked planes crashed. in new york city at a field in shanksville, pennsylvania and fence. on the eve of the anniversary the president called for unity. new york police department is honoring the women who rushed to ground zero in the wake of the attacks. it released a video featuring their contributions and the sacrifices they made. that s why we joined the police department. we go. there s a fire, a shooting. that s what we do. we go in. we go. we. we do what we re supposed to do. we go and save people. it s heavy. it s heavy because the officers really depend on us.
afghanistan including pentagon spending as well as state department so when you think of it that way throughout the last 20 years it is shocking last 20 years it is shocking but is not surprising (patriotic drum music) - [narrator] it was a day that changed the world forever. on the morning of september 11th, 2001. 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners. they flew them into the world trade center, the pentagon and a field in shanksville, pennsylvania. nearly 3,000 people were killed that day. it was an attack that would reshape national security and foreign policy in the united states for decades to come. now, 20 years and countless stories later, this is a story that has never been told. on that day, near the south tower at one world financial.
et cetera , my ears perked up that this problem once it makes landfall is far from over. no kidding. kerry, thanks very much. we ll be seeing you a lot. al, we ll be seeing you a lot. you can see al on the today show tomorrow morning. stay with msnbc for live coverage of hurricane florence all week. i m heading down to north carolina tonight. i ll be live on location in the storm s path with the very latest. coming up next, we remember 9/11. 17 years ago this morning we experienced the worst terror attack on u.s. soil ever. nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in new york and at the pentagon and in shanksville, pennsylvania. fbi director christopher wray is out this morning talking about how terror has changed since then and how america is fighting it now. joshua iusa poptene. anthony portillo. james edward patorte.