This Day Is Stained by Shame

Moment of silence at 8:46, moment first plane hit

(NEWSER) - President Obama opened a sun-splashed day of solemn remembrance today by honoring the 9/11 dead with a visit to ground zero, bowing his head at the cascading pools of the North Memorial Pond created in the footprint of the demolished north tower of the World Trade Center. Obama, hand in hand with wife Michelle, walked with former President George W. Bush and wife Laura to the memorial pool. They ran their hands over the bronze panels bearing the names of those lost in the attacks. Mayor Michael Bloomberg led a moment of silence beginning at 8:46am, the moment the first plane hit. Obama then read Psalm 46, and the names of the victims were read. Click through the gallery for images; MSNBC has live coverage of the ceremony at Ground Zero here . More»

Just 500 refused settlement offer

(AP) - More than 10,000 people have joined a legal settlement that will pay hundreds of millions of dollars to Ground Zero workers exposed to toxic World Trade Center dust. The near-universal acceptance of the deal was announced by a court today. It will mean an end to most litigation over New York City's failure to provide protective equipment to construction workers, police, and firefighters who cleared rubble. More»

President, VP, and First Lady mark 9/11 anniversary

(NEWSER) - President Obama laid a wreath at the Pentagon; Michelle Obama joined Laura Bush at the Flight 93 crash site; Vice President Biden went to Ground Zero. Their comments on the 9/11 anniversary, via the Wall Street Journal and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette :

• President Obama: Americans “are not—and never will be—at war with Islam. It was not a religion that attacked us that September day. It was al-Qaeda, a sorry band of men which perverts religion,” he said, adding that the best way to honor the victims is to “stay true to our traditions here at home as a diverse and tolerant nation.”

It's too soon for some families to think about memorial

(NEWSER) - The Ground Zero mosque is getting all the attention, but it’s far from the only controversial building with a planned location near the World Trade Center site. Victims’ families are being asked to donate photos and mementos to the 9/11 museum being built underground in the Trade Center's foundation pit and scheduled to open in two years—and while many are complying, some denounce the museum as bringing too much attention to the terrorists. Others aren’t happy that unidentified remains will be kept in a "memorial wall" there. More»

Fears sum won't be enough, and lawyers get too much

(NEWSER) - A federal judge put the kibosh today on New York City’s deal to set aside as much as $657 million for 10,000 workers sickened by toxic debris at the World Trade Center site. Alvin Hellerstein thinks it’s not enough money, would leave out other first responders to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks—and that lawyers are getting too much of it, the Daily News reports. More»