Return to Transcripts main page
One World with Zain Asher
Nation Marks the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Terror Attacks; Awaiting Seventh Moment of Silence at Ground Zero; Trump Speaks at Pentagon Ceremony Honoring 9/11 Victims; Trump Tells Republicans to Vote and "Cheat Like Hell" in Midterms; How 9/11 Forced the Biggest Intelligence Overhaul in U.S. History; New Moment of Silence Honors Deaths From 9/11-related Illnesses. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired September 11, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: All right, coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. Bianna is off today. You are watching "One World".
Right, happening now. The names of nearly 3,000 victims are being read aloud at Ground Zero. It's been 25 years since the twin towers fell in New
York, the United States, and the world forever changed by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
At today's ceremony at Ground Zero, we've already witnessed six moments of silence, one for each of the horrific events of that tragic day. And for
the first time, there will actually be a seventh moment of silence this year. It will honor the thousands of people who died from diseases linked
to toxic ash exposure from the collapse of the twin towers.
Today's ceremony in New York has brought together all living Former U.S. Presidents and their wives as well, including George W. Bush, who was
president, of course, on that fateful day. A short time ago, there was also a ceremony at the Pentagon, where a hijacked plane crashed into the western
side of the building on 9/11 as the sun rose.
This morning, the American flag was unfurled to mark that solemn occasion. And we did just hear from the U.S. President, President Trump, who decided
not to attend the ceremony in New York because politicians are actually not permitted to speak at the Ground Zero event, instead he spoke at the
Pentagon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: 25 times we have gathered at this hallowed place and at Ground Zero in New York, and a
lonely field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In 25 years, a generation has passed since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.
Yet time has not dimmed the honor of that day when our country came face to face with true evil, with the events of that morning, 2,977 beautiful souls
were ripped from our world, and many more died in the weeks and years after.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: As America remembers the tragedy of 9/11, we also want to take you back to where it all began. CNN Jason Carroll walks us through the morning
of September 11th, minute by minute, and a warning for you of course, these images are very difficult to watch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BETTY ONG, FLIGHT ATTENDANT ON AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 11: Somebody stabbed in business class. I don't know. I think we are getting hijacked.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An emergency call from Betty Ong, a flight attendant on board American Airlines Flight 11, scheduled to
fly from Boston to Los Angeles. Ong is the first to alert ground operations. A plane has been hijacked.
ONG: Our number one has been stabbed, and our five has been stabbed.
CARROLL (voice-over): There are 76 passengers and 11 crew on board. 08:24 a.m. air controllers in Boston pick up the voice of the lead hijacker,
Mohammed Atta, from the cockpit as he makes an announcement to passengers.
MOHAMED ATTA, LEAD HIJACKER: Is that American 11 trying to call? We have some planes. Just stay quiet and we'll be OK.
CARROLL (voice-over): 08:42 a.m. United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston to Los Angeles, carrying 51 passengers and nine crew on board, is hijacked and
turns towards New York City.
[11:05:00]
08:46 a.m. The unimaginable happens to American Airlines Flight 11.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole outside of the building there was just a huge explosion - send every available ambulance, everything you got to World
Trade Center now.
CARROLL (voice-over): Smoke and flames shoot out from the building's 93rd and 99th floors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This just in, you are looking at obviously a very disturbing live shot there. That is the World Trade Center, and we have
unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center.
CARROLL (voice-over): America watches in horror, unsure if it's a tragic accident or something else.
JEANNE YURMAN, WITNESS: The side of the World Trade Center exploded right when I looked up, and at that point, debris started falling. I couldn't
believe what I was watching.
CARROLL (voice-over): 08:51 a.m. American Airlines Flight 77 from Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles becomes the third U.S. flight to be
hijacked. 64 are on board. Air traffic controllers spot United Flight 175 on an erratic course. Just a moment. We've got an explosion inside.
-- people running up the street --
CARROLL (voice-over): OK. 09:03 a.m. The South Tower of the World Trade Center has been hit. Both twin towers now burning. First responders from
across the city race downtown and into danger.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, playing. Get ready.
CARROLL (voice-over): 09:05 a.m. President George W. Bush is visiting second graders at a school in Florida, and is told by his chief of staff,
America is under attack. Frantic calls from inside the twin towers flood 9/11 dispatch, including one from Melissa Doi, a manager at a banking
software company trapped on the cell towers' 83rd floor.
MELISSA DOI, TRAPPED ON TWIN TOWER FLOOR 83: We're on the floor and we can't breathe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm.
DOI: Please God.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're doing a good job, ma'am, you're doing a good job.
DOI: It's so hot, I'm burning up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey Melissa. Oh my God.
CARROLL (voice-over): 09:28 a.m. a fourth aircraft is hijacked. United Flight 93 from New York to San Francisco with 33 passengers and seven crew
members on board. 09:37 a.m. an explosion is reported at the Pentagon near Washington D.C.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a large fire at the Pentagon. The Pentagon is being evacuated as we speak.
CARROLL (voice-over): American Airlines Flight 77, which had taken off from Washington Dulles, bound for Los Angeles, carrying 53 passengers, six crew,
has crashed into the building's west side.
CARROLL: It was like a cruise missile with wings went right there and slammed right into the Pentagon.
CARROLL (voice-over): Back in New York, the twin towers continue to burn in front of horrified onlookers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can see the people jumping out the window. They're jumping out the window right now. Oh my God!
CARROLL (voice-over): 09:55 a.m. passengers on board United Flight 93 have decided to try to take back the aircraft. An air phone operator on the line
with passenger Todd Beamer later recounted his rallying cry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He turned to talk to someone else while the phone was still open, and he said, you ready? They must have responded to him. He
said, OK, let's roll.
CARROLL (voice-over): 09:59 a.m.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is about as frightening a scene as you will ever see.
CARROLL (voice-over): The collapse of the South Tower of the World Trade Center shakes the ground and the nation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was one of the most horrific sights I've ever seen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The explosion shook the house clear over here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now we are getting a confirmation from United Airlines that its flight United 93 on the way to San Francisco has crashed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We looked up and we saw this huge airplane. It just looked like a big silver bomb.
CARROLL (voice-over): The passengers are later credited with taking down the hijackers before the aircraft could hit its intended target, either the
nation's capital building or the White House. 10:28 a.m. the North Tower, the first tower to hit that morning, also collapses.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's beyond words. It's horrifying. It's the worst thing that's ever happened. It's the most tragic thing that has happened to
America by far.
CARROLL (voice-over): The World Trade Center is reduced to rubble, and much of downtown New York City is covered in debris and ash.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is just one of those awful moments that you need to look at for a minute or two to absorb exactly what has happened.
[11:10:00]
CARROLL (voice-over): 2,977 lives have been lost.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Terrifying, reliving that 25 years on in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the National Park Service held a memorial for those who lost their lives on
Flight 93. What Jason Carroll was just mentioning there, the hijacked plane that ended up crash landing on 9/11. The bells rang out at the ceremony,
and the names of the victims of Flight 93 were read aloud.
The reef was also presented in memory of the 40 passengers and crew who died in 9/11 on that fateful day 25 years ago. They fought the hijackers
and prevented the plane from hitting its intended target, either the White House or Congress. CNN's Danny Freeman joins us live now from Shanksville,
Pennsylvania.
Danny, I mean, Shanksville is a really small town in Pennsylvania, and you know what happened there is quite unusual in the 9/11 story because the
flight, the plane didn't actually reach its intended target. We still don't necessarily know what the intended target actually was, but we believe it
was either the White House or Congress.
So, I imagine this day, just in terms of commemorating what happened and remembering, yes, there's a solemnity to it, and yes, there's obviously
sadness. But I also imagine there is a sense of pride, given the heroism of the passengers on board that flight.
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think that's absolutely right, Zain. Listen, at this particular site where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed
down 25 years ago to the day, just in the field behind me, there's a tremendous number of emotions, incredible sadness, as you noted, a lot of
reflection.
But to your point, there is a great, great sense of gratitude to those 40 crew members and passengers who were heroic in their actions that day, they
staged a revolt and ultimately prevented one of the terror attacks from happening. I'll talk a little bit more about the story in a second, but let
me just tell you what we've already seen this morning.
The morning observance and ceremony just wrapped up. That's why there's a lot of activity behinds me. Folks are coming now from where there were the
bells of remembrance, where there were the readings of the names, and now they're entering the visitor center and museum behind me.
That's up on a hill overlooking that crash site. It was a very solemn but beautiful ceremony honoring all of these people who were killed that day,
but really the emphasis of the memorial today was about the next generation and making sure that they never forget the story of these heroes.
And that story, Zain, that flight, United Flight 93, took off from New York, New Jersey, on September 11th. It was heading for San Francisco when
it was hijacked. What is interesting about this particular flight, though, is that not soon after the plane took off, the other planes hit the twin
towers.
And what that means is essentially these passengers and crew members were able to call back to loved ones or 9/11 and realize, oh, this flight that
had just been hijacked is actually a part of a larger attack. And then Zain, they actually took a vote to decide to ultimately storm the cockpit
and try to prevent that plane from going into any other buildings, like you said, likely the U.S. capital.
The hijackers ultimately, because of this fighting back, decided to crash the plane into this field behind me. And Zain, I just want you to listen to
how one of the brothers of one of the passengers of that flight, Edward Porter Felt, was the passenger. His brother Gordon reflected on the
importance of remembering this moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDWARD P. FELT, BROTHER OF FLIGHT 93 PASSENGER: We won't be here to tell the story. Eventually, we'll do it as long as we can, but at some point,
we've got to hand it off to the next generation. And we want to make sure that we've got the story, we've got the site, we've got the setting in
place, so that the story of heroism, of resiliency, of the collective actions and those individuals will be remembered in perpetuity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREEMAN: And Zain, there are going to be more activities this afternoon. We're going to hear from Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and then the
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum again, as we remember those 40 lives lost on Flight 93.
ASHER: I mean, it's so just thinking about what those passengers went through on that United Flight 93. You talk about the vote that they had,
and just you know, obviously we can't know what fully took place, but you know, you imagine that it was scenes of pure chaos, utterly terrifying,
unlike anything that anyone I know would have ever experienced, and ultimately deciding to really try to save, prevent rather more lives being
lost.
[11:15:00]
Danny Freeman, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right. As we go to break here, remember the victims of the September 11th attacks. One tribute
was in the skies above Manhattan on Wednesday. This drone shows actually recreated the twin towers. It used exactly 2,977 drones, one for each
person killed that day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, let's take a look and see how oil prices are faring, still obviously hovering around the $100 a barrel mark. Brent crude at $104
a barrel. WTI, that's the U.S. benchmark, slightly only slightly below $100 a barrel right now. Anna Stewart joins us live now.
She's been tracking oil prices. Yes, having a slightly better day, just in terms of easing prices, but overall, extremely elevated, especially when
you consider, you know, Houthi rebels essentially attacking energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, and then on top of that, attacks on
shipping in the strait as well. Walk us through that, Anna.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, so we're seeing a slight reduction in prices today, and that's based on maybe two. Do we call it good news
anymore? I just don't even know. News of on Monday a meeting with Gulf foreign ministers, which will perhaps lead to some sort of resolution with
the Strait of Hormuz, or at least some sort of plan of action as to how it could maybe one day be reopened.
I think the fact that there are diplomatic talks planned for Monday has eased a little bit of pressure. There's also the fact that Houthi rebels,
while they have massively increased their hold on the chokehold that is the Bab al-Mandab Strait. They have said they've released a statement in the
last 24 hours saying that the Yemeni armed forces affirm that maritime navigation is safe for all companies except for Saudi vessels.
So perhaps that's why we've seen an ever so slight pullback in terms of the oil price. However, you make the very good point, their high is above $100
a barrel this week. It's already up 15 percent even with a sort of slight decrease in prices today. And since the war began in Iran, oil prices are
elevated by 60 percent, six zero.
So significant increases. And I think, as you said, this week we've seen such a lot of escalation in terms of the number of actual attacks on
tankers, not only in the Strait of Hormuz but in the Gulf area. We've also, of course, seen Houthi rebels attack refiners in Saudi Arabia.
[11:20:00]
We've seen Houthi rebels take a much stronger, significant position along the Red Sea coast, and of course on that strategic island right in the
middle of the Bab al-Mandab Strait. So, as a combination of all that, we are seeing a very elevated oil price, and traders, and I say this again and
again, really at this point, pricing in a prolonged conflict.
I think actually this week, not necessarily helped by President Trump, who said, rightly or wrongly, that this is all about the U.S. midterms and that
prices will ease after the midterms. That's some way away for some traders who hoped that you know there may be a resolution more quickly than that.
ASHER: All right, Anna Stewart, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, the U.S. President is urging Republican voters to cheat like hell in
the November elections and to vote whether they're registered or not. Donald Trump took the stage for the second night in a row at the midterm
convention in Dallas, calling himself the greatest president in the history of the United States.
Trump again urged supporters to pretend he's on the ballot and warned them that they will go to hell actually if they don't vote. The president also
doubled down on his pledge from the night before to pay every American adult $5,000 if Republicans can win both chambers of Congress.
But he still didn't provide any details on how exactly he plans to do that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If we win the midterms, we will, on the other hand, provide a let's call it Trump dividend, $5,000 for every adult citizen in our country, and
we can do that because our country has never done better. We're taking in trillions, trillions of dollars. There's never been any country, not even
close, that's come anywhere near.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Kristen Holmes joins us live now from the White House. I mean, so we had headlines galore at this convention. I mean, first of all, it was
the $5,000 payment, or should I say, bribery to Americans if Republicans can win the midterms. And then you had the president essentially creating
his own pledge of allegiance, saying to the audience of 20,000, I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States that loves us so
much he can't even breathe, that I would go out with my family and friends.
I'll do it anyway. I don't care if I'm registered or not, and I'm going to try to cheat like hell, like they do. What did he mean by that?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: This is just President Trump's personality. He essentially is saying that do whatever
you can to vote. He obviously had the crowd there riling them up. They were laughing. But really, this shows a larger picture here, which is just how
deeply concerned Republicans and this White House in particular are about the midterm elections, and we should be clear on something.
It is true, in the past, as President Trump is on the ballot, he can drive voter turnout for Republicans. He can get his base to the polls, and I
spoke to a number of Republicans who say that is something that he has the unique capability to do to really energize these Republicans.
So clearly, he is trying to take that energy and transfer it to the midterms by having this midterm convention, by telling everyone they're
going to go to hell if they don't vote for him, by trying to double down now, as you said, on this $5,000 that really has no real details as to how
this would work.
And I will note, he was asked specifically by a Fox News host and friend of his, Laura Ingraham. Why, if you can do this, why would you wait until
after the midterms? And he didn't really give a solid answer on that. It was kind of like Democrats won't like it; they won't want to do it.
But the reason is clear because he is trying to say you have to go out and vote, and then you'll get the $5,000. It is such a bad climate for
Republicans here in the U.S. right now, and that's in part because of President Trump's own unpopularity. It is lower than we have seen at other
president from other presidents at this time.
And coming into a midterm election, a lot of that is about the war in Iran. People feeling that not only did they not sign up for this war, it wasn't
something they wanted to be a part of, but also that it is skyrocketing prices. It is making it unaffordable to live in the United States. Gas is
off the charts.
So, they have a lot of headwinds that they're dealing with going in. The one thing that President Trump can provide, this is of course, if it works
the way it has in the past, is this ability to potentially drive out the voters to the polls? But we're just not going to know if he was successful
or not until 54 days from now.
ASHER: Right, Kristen Holmes is live for us there. Thank you so much for that. All right, still ahead on "One World", we are remembering a day that
changed America forever. A look at 9/11 memorial events ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:25:00]
ASHER: A day of remembrance in the U.S., the country marking 25 years since terror attacks here in New York, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon killed
nearly 3,000 people. A somber crowd gathered in Lower Manhattan, where the twin towers once stood, together with officials, dignitaries, and former
living presidents and first ladies, they came to pay their respects to the lives lost.
Family members read the names of those who died in the attacks on a day that changed America forever. CNN's Leigh Waldman joins us live now for
more on today's ceremonies. And I think one thing that is important to note is that this year there has been now a seventh moment of silence added to
commemorate the fact that it wasn't just the 3,000 people who died in the twin towers and the attacks that need to be honest.
But those who have lost their lives ever since because of the health- related effects of the collapse of the twin towers, especially in Lower Manhattan. Walk us through that, Leigh.
LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Zain, it's good to be with you, and I'm so glad that you pointed that out and mentioned that. Just a few days ago,
the New York City Mayor's Office released a trove of 170,000 documents detailing what then government officials knew about the toxicity of the air
and the dust around the ground zero point around the fall of those World Trade Center towers that led to these 9/11 related illnesses and deaths of
so many people.
Thousands of people have died in the years following 9/11 because of these related attacks. Officials knew, and there were memos that were sent out
with messages that contradicted what they were saying publicly to the people who were responding. We've heard from first responders, FDNY,
specifically talking about how they were appalled that they were sent in to this area while officials knew how toxic the air and dust was to their
health and safety.
[11:30:00]
We've heard from family members of those victims who died, whose names are being read today. Some sharing the heartbreaking fact that they had family
members who died in those attacks, and now family members who have died in the years after. That's why that seventh moment of silence is so important.
We know that there are a memorial and museum in place at Ground Zero. They are expanding to have a new exhibit unveiled honoring those losses as well.
That will be unveiled tomorrow. So, anyone who is coming to visit, pay their respects. That's something that they should read about and learn more
about because it's a very real reality for so many people in the city here.
We've heard from other members of families who are calling on the Trump Administration in a very unexpected turn of events to release the
transcripts, the files that they believe hold evidence that the Saudi Arabia's alleged support of these attacks. We've heard that from two
different family members at this point.
25 years since these attacks, Zain, and the air around New York feels heavy today. We spoke with a firefighter, Joe Esposito, who was working on 9/11.
His brother, his cousin, they didn't return home. Neither did 341 other FDNY members on that day, and he says it's not just these anniversaries
that are solemn for their families.
It's all of the missed holidays, birthdays, regular family dinners where they look over and there's still an empty seat at the table. Well, this is
heavy, and what we remember on this day, they hold every single day, Zain.
ASHER: Yeah, so important that you mention that because the 3000 lives that were lost, those aren't just statistics, right? They're not just numbers.
Those are real family members who still continue to grieve a quarter of a century on. Leigh Waldman, live for us there.
Thank you so much. All right, September 11th did not just shock the entire nation, it exposed massive fatal cracks in how U.S. intelligence shared
information, that catastrophic failure triggered the largest intelligence overhaul in American history. For more on this, I want to bring in Former
Assistant Secretary to the Department of Homeland Security, CNN's National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem.
And it's so good to have you join us on this specific topic because the Department of Homeland Security was, of course, created in the wake of
9/11. Prior to that, America really focused on, you know, fighting wars overseas, perhaps. But then, after 9/11, there was much more attention,
just in terms of protecting the homeland.
We remember the establishment of the Patriot Act, what that meant for security and intelligence sharing. Just walk us through how it changed
America from that perspective, Juliette.
JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yeah, I think it's a great way to put it that there was sort of two big changes. So, one was
there was intelligence that if the pieces had been put together might have been able to stop or thwart 9/11 or at least pieces of it, and this is what
the 9/11 Commission called the failure of imagination.
Right, that people were seeing different intelligence streams, but could not get their head around. Wow, something really bad could happen. So, you
had the creation of the Director of National Intelligence, some overseeing body that was going to try to help combine everything from the CIA to Coast
Guard Intelligence to defense intelligence.
I think the jury's out on that success, and we've seen a little bit of politics going into the ODNI position. Secondly, though, as you said, you
know, look, there was now a focus on the homeland and this apparatus, for better or for worse, local, state, and federal sharing of intelligence
information about the threat environment began to, you know, really began after 9/11.
And then there were laws passed to support greater surveillance. And so, and this focus on the home land is really one of the greatest or biggest
and sustaining legacies of 9/11.
ASHER: Yeah, and I'm so glad you brought up how surveillance became greater and broader in the U.S. because that was a topic of massive political
debate.
KAYYEM: Yeah.
ASHER: This idea of you know is greater surveillance, you know, and the security that provides worth, you know, sacrificing privacy for? Just talk
us through that, because not everybody was on the same page when it came to that, Juliette.
KAYYEM: No, it is true. The Patriot Act after 9/11 there was complete unanimity. I mean, you know, everyone supported America at that time.
Remember, the patriot comes a couple of weeks later. That's when you start to see the fissures where people are saying, wait, we're going to hand all
this power over to the government, which is about to start one war in Afghanistan and then eventually another war without many checks it's
surveillance.
[11:35:00]
It's what we call the fusion of intelligence, which can undermine people's sense of privacy. So, really, the Patriot Act became the moment when you
started to see some of the more traditional national security debates, and those continue today. I think, look, I mean, technology was so different
then.
I mean, I on 9/11, I'm on a train. I don't, you know, I didn't -- there were no smartphones, right? So even then, when they -- when there was a
greater focus on using technology for privacy, it looks quaint now compared to things like FLoC or AI or other domestic surveillance tools, which are
being used in the home land.
And as we're seeing more recently, being used for domestic political purposes against left wing groups or groups that the president doesn't
like. So, we've seen sort of a turnaround in terms of the debates about domestic surveillance and a lot more pushback on it.
ASHER: And also, you know, domestic surveillance back then. Just to talk about how it was used differently, just in terms of targeting certain
groups, I think that a lot of Muslim Americans felt as though at that particular time the counterterrorism efforts affected them
disproportionately compared to other Americans.
Whether it's increased sort of screening at airports.
KAYYEM: Yes.
ASHER: Whether it was being singled out in other ways. Just talk to us about that.
KAYYEM: Yeah.
ASHER: Because there did seem to be this overreach in terms of targeting Muslim Americans back then.
KAYYEM: That's exactly right. So about 1,800 Muslim men were detained for some period of time after in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, so it wasn't
long detentions, but some were a couple days as America just sort of swept up. OK, who -- what is this population? Is it tied to this foreign
terrorist group that remember -- people can't remember this?
No one knew. I mean, the average American did not know about Bin Laden or Al-Qaeda, and so the that population was disproportionately impacted, as
well as on surveillance. And then, as you said, where they touched the government, like entering an airplane, that you just you were more likely
to be detained.
I will say at that time, though, President Bush did a lot to curb some of the worst excesses of what a country does sometimes, and when it turns on
its own, he was, you know, he went to a mosque that first week. He talked about Islam as an integral part of the United States in terms of the
immigrant experience.
That what you're seeing today, so once again, sort of going forward 25 years later, is two things. One is an Islamic and Arab and Muslim American
community with much greater political influence than they had on September 11th, and New York City Mayor Mamdani is a perfect example of that.
So, you've seen the growth of the sort of coming to the table of the Muslim and Arab American community. At the same time, you are seeing an
Islamophobia that wasn't even -- didn't even you know was not a part of the 9/11 narrative in terms of some of the public discourse, and that is
shameful.
Some of the things that we saw from the so-called 9/11 family members, you know, challenging Mamdani and Islam, is just you know is I would say
undermines the memory of the people who died because that is not what 9/11 was about.
ASHER: Absolutely, and just in terms of I mean, we talked about how it changed America, 9/11, but how did it change the world?
KAYYEM: Yeah.
ASHER: I mean, you had this war in Iraq that you know the U.N. Security Council did not authorize; it was illegal from that perspective.
KAYYEM: Right.
ASHER: And then you the accusations of weapons of mass destruction, which were proven to be false, and then you know the tortures at places like Abu
Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay.
KAYYEM: Yeah.
ASHER: This, I mean, you know, I think that from the perspective of how America was viewed after 9/11 and after the Iraq War, this idea that
America was the sort of standard bearer in terms of having the democratic moral high ground in the world that completely changed.
KAYYEM: Yeah. It completely changed. Was sort of right-side -- right size during the President Obama's eight years. The reason you know he wins the
Nobel Peace Prize. He had been president for five minutes, right? But I think part of it was the world wanted to welcome the United States back,
and that world of sort of NATO alliance.
You know, 9/11 was the first time Article Five was invoked, in which NATO members said, you know, it was like we were attacked and supported us in
the war. That falls apart in Iraq, is sort of redeemed. But I think now, once again, fast forwarding, you have a president challenging war
annexation against NATO members.
[11:40:00]
You have the legacy of Abu Ghraib and some of the excesses that had gone on during the Bush Administration. And then honestly, I mean, I just have to
say, I think Gaza and Israel, and what's happening in Iran. I think because the Middle East is a place where America cannot assert sort of righteous
indignation as we did after 9/11.
Rightfully so, we start a war in Iran under pretenses that are not at all clear. We're not winning it. The United States is not winning it, and then
you have the legacy of Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, which are also a huge political debate here in the country about what the United
States is supporting the kind of conduct.
And I think you're seeing Europe pull away from that. We saw it with the with Great Britain and their vote and the European allies' decisions
regarding Israel and Israeli businesses in the last couple days. So, I think there's a through line on all of this, and --
ASHER: Of course.
KAYYEM: You know, even an American like me, I wonder, you know, what the next chapter is, because it's hard to tell right now.
ASHER: You're right about the through line because you know you can sort of trace the destabilization in the Middle East, you know, all the way back
and the power vacuum after the Iraq War and that sort of thing, and how we sort of get from that to the Middle East that we see today.
KAYYEM: Yeah.
ASHER: Juliette Kayyem, we have to leave it there. Thank you. Thank you so much for that.
KAYYEM: Thank you.
ASHER: Of course. We'll be right back with more after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: As Queen Consort of Nigeria's Warri Kingdom, Olori Atuwatse III says the crown comes with more than privilege, it comes with responsibility. As
CNN's Larry Madowo tells us in this month's "African Voices" Change Maker. She uses her platform to invest in education, empower African leaders, and
create opportunities for women and young people.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OLORI ATUWATSE III, QUEEN CONSORT, WARRI KINGDOM: When I became Queen Consort, the first thing or the first responsibility that I felt to have
was let us build people that will build the community. I worked as a lawyer briefly in my private life, but then I was very much involved in
philanthropy work. So, becoming queen just became I just amplified that.
[11:45:00]
I have a foundation called the Royal Iwere Foundation, which is the humanitarian arm of the kingdom or the monarchy as you know it, and we
focus on education because it's absolutely important empowerment and the environment. So those are three pillars. We believe that every initiative
that we run through the foundation is focused on reengineering mindsets, giving access to greater opportunities, allowing the people to know that
they have agency, in forming the kind of future that they hope for.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You have also endowed $1 million to Elevate Africa.
ATUWATSE III: Yes.
MADOWO: To support entrepreneurs.
ATUWATSE III: Yeah.
MADOWO: Do us in the community across the continent. What is the thinking around this?
ATUWATSE III: So, the $1 million was actually for the Elevate Africa Fellowship.
MADOWO: For the fellowship?
ATUWATSE III: Yes, for the fellowship that we run, and it's a nine-month long fellowship where we take on African leaders in their mid-career space
and the mid-career level. So those that are transitioning from you know just starting up to that place of real governance, and we're training them
to be pioneers of change.
It spanned across, I think, about 10 or so sectors, healthcare, climate, environment, gender, and really the work that we do at Elevate Africa is
very similar to the work that we do here. We don't believe that Africa is a problem to be solved. No, we believe that Africa is rich.
Africa is resilient, and African excellence needs to be amplified.
MADOWO: A lot of royals focus on the pomp and the circumstance, the glamor of the position.
ATUWATSE III: Yeah.
MADOWO: Your focus has been on service and impact.
ATUWATSE III: Yeah.
MADOWO: Was that a deliberate choice?
ATUWATSE III: I think I've always lived my life with purpose, and I think purpose isn't something to be chased. It's something to be stewarded. And
so, with that, when my husband obviously became king and I his queen consort, I didn't embrace it with glamor.
What I felt was weight, what I felt was responsibility, a responsibility to use this platform of privilege, as I call it, to serve to the betterment of
the people that I've been called to. For me, that that is what is most important, and at the heart of what I do, as we know, is the women and the
youth, because they are our tomorrow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:50:00]
ASHER: Cuba continues to struggle with a worsening energy crisis as a result of the U.S. oil blockade. CNN's Patrick Oppmann reports from Havana.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: This is one of the issues that a lot of intersections, their traffic lights are no longer on anymore, and so
it becomes very dangerous to drive at night.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Here's what Cuba looks like as the island's failing energy infrastructure nears total collapse. Aging power plants with no
access to fuel, as a U.S. oil blockade turns the lights off longer and longer. Cubans have lived with power cuts most of their lives, but this is
the worst they can ever remember it.
OPPMANN: We stopped here because I'm actually shocked to see this. This is a Venice Central Park. We're surrounded on all sides by hotels. They're all
in total darkness. We've arrived at where there's a blackout. You can actually look up and see the stars. Taxi, taxi, taxi.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Taxi driver Yasmani (ph) tells me there are few tourists to drive and blackouts every night, all night. How do I pass the
time? I play dominoes or sit on our porch and fan my daughter so she can sleep and go to school the next day. Power is off now in most of Cuba most
of the time these days.
And Havana, a city famous for its nightlife, has become a city of shadows. As we drive around in the dark, the only large gathering of people we see
are Cubans waiting in a bread line that is fast being depleted. Well, the other thing here now is that life has just become more and more
unaffordable.
OPPMANN: So, if there's any food product that's on sale, people immediately get in line and try to get it because it is going to run out.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Anger boils over in the nighttime heat. You wait for them to put the light on, he says, and for them to take it away. There's
nothing else to do. It's criminal to go to sleep without power and then wake up without power. It's too much. Even if their leadership blames a
crisis on the U.S. pressure campaign, many Cubans tell me they are furious at how the government distributes the little power there is.
OPPMANN: So, you can see we're kind of at the edge of where there's power, and then you look over here, and the power cuts out. This is what they call
circuits, and so some people's power will be on, and then you can almost look across the street, and the power will be off. And the frustrating
thing is that it's not divided equally.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Cuban officials say they've been forced to prioritize power for certain areas and industries as the U.S. wages what they call an
economic war against their country. But as the U.S.-Cuba stalemate drags on, and negotiations are at a standstill, regular people say they're the
ones paying the price.
A few blocks further on, we find residents playing dominoes under light provided from batteries. Blackouts now last more than 24 hours in this
neighborhood, they tell us. Every day we are too tired, she says, to go to work to take kids to school. We are all exhausted.
Life feels like it has ground to a halt, increasingly unlivable. But there's nothing left for people to do other than fan themselves as they
face another long night in the dark. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: And one of the most famous historical art works is back in England. Temporarily, the Bayeux Tapestry tells the story of the Norman Conquest.
CNN's Isa Soares reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a medieval thriller crafted in the medium of its time, an embroidery that has regaled people
for nearly 1000 years. The Bayeux Tapestry, on a historic loan from France, just debuted at the British Museum in London, delighting fans born
centuries after the epic events on the ancient cloth.
PAULINE GAIREY, MUSEUM VISITOR: It's just magical, isn't it? So, I studied it at school. Obviously, it's a few years ago, but it's just so wonderful
to have it visible in the UK.
SOARES (voice-over): It's already the British Museum's best-selling exhibition. The first round of tickets for the 10-month show sold out
quickly, with another batch due to release in October. In its 950 years, the tapestry has rarely left Normandy, and this is the first time it has
been on loan anywhere in the world.
King Charles, Queen Camilla, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte got an early look at
its temporary London home, an arrangement that took decades to negotiate. Some visitors say they appreciate the effort to bring it closer to them,
and it's rekindled their interest in history.
RICHARD SAMUEL, MUSEUM VISITOR: The color is still so vivid. I know it's been fiddled around with in places, but it's amazing it survived so well
and so long.
[11:55:00]
SOARES (voice-over): The tapestry spans nearly 70 meters long or 230 feet, and depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066, while offering a rare
glimpse of 11th-century life. Historians believe it was originally created in England, sewn by English seamstresses, and later sent to France.
But moving the delicate masterpiece has been a battle of its own. It traveled under police escort from France to the UK inside an air-
conditioned anti-vibration crate, and is insured for more than a billion dollars.
MILLIE HORTON-INSCH, BAYEUX TAPESTRY EXHIBITION PROJECT CURATOR: Everyone was, you know, thrilled when it arrived that it seemed to have borne the
journey incredibly well and appears happy to be back in the UK, and it was absolutely incredible.
It was one of the most memorable parts of this exhibition for me, watching my colleagues unpack it across many hours and realize how well it had
fared.
SOARES (voice-over): It's an exciting time for history buffs. So much so, a pub near the museum has a copycat tribute called the Beer Tapestry that
chronicles the history of beer in Britain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just really wanted to get involved with it because you know it's such an exciting thing.
SOARES (voice-over): A very British welcome for a piece of history with ties to both France and the UK, with the real deal residing just across the
street, and once again telling its timeless tale to a new audience. Isa Soares, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, stay with CNN. I'll have more "One World" after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
