NYC Observes Moment of Silence

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.”

Two-ton memorial forged from World Trade Center steel

(NEWSER) - A 14-foot-high cross forged from World Trade Center steel was dedicated yesterday in a moving ceremony near the spot where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a Pennsylvania field. The 2-ton memorial was erected next to the Shanksville firehouse on a base shaped like the Pentagon. Flight 93 went down as passengers rushed the cockpit to prevent hijackers from flying it into its intended target in Washington, D.C. More»

Damages determined for 9/11 attacks

(NEWSER) - Somebody tell al-Qaeda to get out its checkbook. A federal judge yesterday ruled that the terrorist organization owes $9.3 billion for the damage caused to businesses and properties in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, reports the AP . Several insurance companies started their suit in 2003 versus a variety of defendants, seeking compensation for the attack on the World Trade Center. The judge determined actual damages, then tripled them for punitive compensation. More»

Obamas pay respects in Shanksville

(NEWSER) - President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, placed a wreath at the Flight 93 National Memorial today, arriving at the site to pay respects to the 40 passengers and crew who died a decade ago. The Obamas visited the Wall of Names. Each of the 40 marble slabs is inscribed with the name of someone killed in the crash of United Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001. More»

Services in short supply ahead of new memorial's opening

(NEWSER) - Residents near where Flight 93 crashed in southwestern Pennsylvania once feared that souvenir hawkers and fast-food entrepreneurs would try to cash in on the 9/11 memorial. The opposite has been the case, the Wall Street Journal finds. The memorial, which opens next month, is expected to draw nearly a quarter of a million visitors a year, but the area is underserved by businesses, meaning travelers will have a hard time finding a meal or a place to stay anywhere near the site—especially if they come by the busload. More»