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Remembering 9/11; Three People Removed from Denver-Detroit Flight; Republican Party Showdown

Aired September 11, 2011 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: The tenth anniversary of 9/11, a full day of solemn remembrances.

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LEMON: That was cellist Yo-Yo Ma this morning at Ground Zero in Manhattan.

I'm Don Lemon. Thanks for joining us, everyone. I'm in Tampa, Florida, where preparations are under way for Monday's CNN Tea Party Republican debate.

We're going to begin with 9/11 observances around the country.

In New York, a tree filled plaza surrounds two large square fountains where the Twin Towers once stood. One by one, the names were read aloud of the people who died on his date exactly 10 years ago today.

Ceremonies at the Pentagon as well today. A hundred and eighty-four people died when American Airlines Flight 77 flew into the side of the building.

And in Shanksville, Pennsylvania --

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LEMON: There was also a ceremony at the site where United Airlines Flight 93 went down in a field.

We want to go to our chief White House correspondent right now, Jessica Yellin.

Jessica, a long and emotional day for everyone, including the president.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Don. This is a day that started before dusk for the president and still hasn't ended. He began at Ground Zero where he was with former President George Bush. You know, interesting to note, the last time the two men spoke was the night Osama bin Laden was killed.

Today, he got a look at the 9/11 Memorial. We're told that he was impressed with it, that he said he felt it meets the moment and he was moved by the serenity of today by the families and the gathering and the setting he saw there. The president in his only public remarks so far today read from Psalm 46. We're told he chose that psalm because it speaks in his view to persevering through difficult challenges and emerging stronger.

From that site, he went to Shanksville, with the first lady, where he visited the impact site of Flight 93. He walked through a new memorial there and laid a wreath at the site there, a very solemn moment.

But he also took quite a bit of time, Don, to shake hands with the crowd there. And this crowd was much more vocal than the crowd that he had seen at Ground Zero, at some points they were calling his name and even chanting "USA, USA" repeatedly.

Then his next stop at the Pentagon a few hours ago, where they sang "Amazing Grace," they laid another wreath, and then again he spent some time speaking with the families of those lost.

And this day of remembrance, it still is not over. You know, Don, for a president who really is known for his words, today has been so emotional not for what has been said but really for all of these images.

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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear. Even though the earth be removed, though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. There's a river whose stream shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the most high.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: And, again, to date, those are his only public remarks of the day, Psalm 46. We have yet to hear from him tonight, when he will be making remarks in his own words, Don.

LEMON: Jessica Yellin, thank you very much, Jessica. We appreciate it.

You know, they may be miles from any attack sites but cities and towns throughout the nation are recognizing this day in their own ways.

In Georgia, at the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, volunteers put up a flag for each life lost on September 11th. Nearly 3,000 people were killed that day. The flags will fly through Friday.

American flags are blowing in the breeze in Tempe, Arizona, in a park there at what's being called the Healing Field. Every victim of the 9/11 attacks is represented by a flag on an eight-foot tall poll, each with a card carrying the victim's names and a short biography. It is the eighth year in a row that volunteers have set up the flags.

You know, against the backdrop of this somber occasion, a hyperawareness of potential security threats. Well, today, incidents of two airline flights were suspicious enough to attract attention.

I want to go now to CNN's Brian Todd. He is in Washington with the very latest information.

So, Brian, let's begin with the Los Angeles to New York flight that triggered a scramble by F-16s. What happened?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, that was American Airlines Flight 34 from Los Angeles to JFK Airport in New York. A passenger alerted the crew to a security concern involving one person. The captain was alerted, investigated and chose not to declare a security threat, we're told.

No one on board requested military or law enforcement assistance, but out of an abundance of caution, authorities scrambled two F-16 fighter jets to shadow the plane until it landed safely at Kennedy Airport at about 4:10 p.m., a little less than two hours ago, 4:10 Eastern Time.

We're told law enforcement met the flight and is interviewing passengers.

Now, in that second incident, the flight crew on board Frontier Airlines Flight 623 from Denver to Detroit observed at least two men behaving suspiciously. We have a tower cam picture of the tarmac in Detroit. A frontier spokesman tells CNN this involved a man spending about 20 minutes in the bathroom in the back of the plane while another man waited in the forward galley, and then they alternated those positions and that got the crew suspicious.

They Frontier spokesman says the crew did not feel threatened. They checked out the plane and found there was nothing wrong. The plane with 116 passengers and four crew members aboard landed safely in Detroit.

But we're told that at that point, law enforcement took three people into custody. Now, that, of course, differs a little bit, two people were acting suspiciously we're told but three taken into custody. They are being questioned now, we're told, by FBI, other federal officials and local law enforcement. The TSA has been checking out that aircraft according to the Frontier spokesman, Don.

So, a little bit of the jitters here on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 leading to some of these security measures.

LEMON: Understood, Brian Todd. Thank you very much for that.

You know, for many survivors of 9/11, the anniversary brings back a flood of sights and sounds from that day.

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BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I'm sitting here and I'm seeing the flames in front of me on this beautiful morning.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: That was our very own Barbara Starr. She was inside the Pentagon. She'll tell us what it was like when a plane going 500 miles an hour slammed into that building.

The CNN Election Express is here in Tampa. We're gearing up for Monday's big CNN Tea Party Republican debate, and we'll do a little debating of our own.

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LEMON: Monday CNN debate will give the Tea Party a front row seat to the Republican would-be nominees, but Tea Partiers -- well, they won't be the only people watching.

Let's talk about all of it with Lenny McAllister. He is a Republican analyst in Chicago and then L.Z. Granderson is a CNN contributor. He is going to join us a little bit. He is a senior writer at ESPN.com. And also joined here, right here in Tampa, is our senior political editor, Mr. Mark Preston.

OK. Mark, we're going to get to you. But I want to start with Lenny.

Lenny, you know, the Tea Party is co-hosting this debate. The audience will be full of Tea Party sympathizers. Will the candidates have to walk a fine line between appealing to the Tea Party and appealing to the rest of the Republican Party?

LENNY MCALLISTER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Not tomorrow. I think what they're going to be able to do is, remember, this is a primary. So, they're going to continue to lean to the right. They're going to continue to speak to the Tea Party members because they're the most likely to vote in these primaries and drive the primaries.

This is where the money is coming from. That is where the votes are coming from. And that's where the momentum is coming from. So, they continue to speak to the Tea Party.

Don't be surprised if nobody comes to the center, particularly somebody like a Mitt Romney who has to get Tea Party support. Do not be surprised if he goes straight after that audience, considering the Tea Party Express is there in Tampa tomorrow.

LEMON: Mark, do you agree? Because not only Tea Party members are going to be watching -- that's what I said when as introduced you guys. Are they just going to appeal to the Tea Party?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, I mean, that's certainly their target audience for tomorrow. But I think that Mitt Romney has to be very careful. We saw in last week's debate, he spoke highly of the Tea Party. He would not say he himself is a Tea Party member.

And also, Jon Huntsman is really going to try to portray himself as a middle of the road Republican.

LEMON: And here's what I want to say. And this popped into my head, all of the time that you and I have been here talking. So, there may be an opening now that Michele Bachmann is ranking lower in the polls. Sarah Palin is not in the race. And these are people who have appeal to the Tea Party.

Is there an opening for someone like a Romney? So maybe Lenny is right, maybe they're going to be trying to go after that audience, after those voters and trying to get what Michele Bachmann, you know, has lost, so to speak, and what Sarah Palin, who is not in the race has?

PRESTON: Yes. What we've seen, though, is that those people that Michele Bachmann had have moved to Rick Perry. And the big thing is going to be, as Lenny says, is Michele Bachmann trying to get those Tea Party supporters that propelled her candidacy over the summer to leave the Perry campaign and come back to her.

LEMON: Yes. Listen, we have LZ Granderson. I want to bring in LZ here.

LZ, what do you think? These candidates need to reach beyond just the Tea Party audience. Everyone here says, hey, listen, they're going after the Tea Party voters. That's their target audience.

But do you think even in this debate, LZ, that they need to go beyond that?

LZ GRANDERSOIN, CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR: Well, depends what the goal is, you know? If the goal is to simply win the GOP nomination then I don't think they need to reach beyond the Tea Party. But if the candidates are serious about being in the White House, they need to find a way in which they can still appeal to the right base without alienating too much in the middle because it's that middle that decided who got into the presidency in 2008. And in 2012, that's going to be the exact same scenario. The independents and moderates are going to decide.

LEMON: Listen, I know, LZ, that you have written about Huntsman. I thought it was a very interesting article, talking about Huntsman and maybe, you know, he should run as an independent. He may be better off as an independent. Huntsman, so far, and this is really low in the polls, he's not doing very well. Is this a do or die for him? After this, I mean, does maybe he stand a chance, maybe can he run as an independent. But this is kind of a do-or-die moment for him, I would think, LZ.

GRANDERSON: Well, I think he's already dead, actually.

LEMON: Wow.

GRANDERSON: If you consider the fact that he hasn't really tried to really -- well, he hasn't really tried to woo the Tea Party, right? He hasn't really try to woo the social conservatives in his base, or in the Republican base.

And so, I think in terms of Huntsman, the presidential candidate, I think that pretty much -- that ship is gone. But I still think he can be an attractive person as a V.P. to add to a ticket, say, like Rick Perry, someone who needs to communicate to the moderates that they're not going to go full crazy on them. Huntsman on that ticket can be appealing in that way.

And so, I still see some advantages for him staying in the conversation but not as a presidential candidate but maybe as a V.P. choice.

LEMON: All right. Mark, that's a pretty bold statement. He said he's done.

PRESTON: Yes. And a lot of people are saying that.

You know, I talked to the governor about this and I said what is your strategy going to be? I was with him in New Hampshire a couple of weeks ago. And he said, it's all about recognition right now. That's what these early polls are. What I need to do is get my name recognition up to 60 percent, 70 percent, and that's when he's going to start spending money and go on the air in New Hampshire. That is his make or break state.

But I think that's an interesting point. Does Huntsman stay in it to try to become a vice presidential nominee. I will tell you, he still thinks he can be president.

LEMON: I want to go to Lenny now.

Lenny, do you believe that? And is he the only one done? What about Michele Bachmann? What about the other folks in this debate or who are in this race now?

MCALLISTER: Well, here's the thing, Don. Michele Bachmann's people are down in Tampa right now. Those are not Jon Huntsman's people. So, he could still lay in the weeds a little bit, gather more name cache, have good points at these debates, seem like the sensible one in the room.

Think about it. The only two really sensible people worldly at the debates, Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman, both of them are very low in the polls. But Huntsman knows that he doesn't have the damage that Gingrich has to his reputation. If Huntsman can continue to move forward, hang around until the beginning of 2012, gather name cache, gather more money, then he can get past the real hard conservative primary states and start to make a real movement for himself if he can stay in this past the very beginning of 2012.

LEMON: All right. Lenny, LZ, Mark Preston, thank you very much. LZ and Mark are going to stick around. We'll be here live for a long time this evening. So, you make sure you stick with CNN.

Hey, you don't want to miss Monday night's Republican debate co-hosted by CNN and the Tea Party. It's at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. It's going to live from here in Tampa, the site of the 2012 Republican National Convention. That is the CNN/Tea Party Republican debate, Monday night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN. You know, lots of buzz out there on social media about the Tea Party debate, I'm online. I'm getting lots of your messages. I see them. Make sure you connect with me on Facebook, my blog CNN.com/Don, and also, at Twitter, Twitter @DonLemonCNN. I'm looking at all of them.

You know, for the first time during a 9/11 memorial service, the victim's friends and family had something tangible to touch, the name of their loved ones who perished at Ground Zero.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John F. Gamboa.

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GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: For generations, people will study the flight, the story of Flight 93. They will learn that individual choices make a difference, that love and sacrifice can triumph over evil and hate, and that what happened above this Pennsylvania field ranks among the most courageous acts in American history.

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LEMON: From Shanksville to the Pentagon, thousands remember the heroes of 9/11 today.

President Obama laid a wreath at the Pentagon memorial site. One hundred eighty-four people died when American Airlines Flight 77 flew into the side of the building.

Our very own Barbara Starr was in the building that Tuesday morning doing her job as a Pentagon correspondent when the plane hit. She recounts those horrifying moment, September 11th also just happens to be her birthday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: You were either here that day or you weren't. For the people who work in the building today who were there 10 years ago, I don't think you can ever forget. I'm sitting here, and I'm seeing the flames in front of me on this beautiful morning.

9/11 is my birthday. And I woke up that morning, looked out, the weather was beautiful. And I thought, hmm, how little time could I possibly spend at work? I'll put something nice on, I'll go out to dinner with friends, and it will be a nice birthday.

(voice-over): But then, New York.

(on camera): Ten years ago, this was the area where the Pentagon Press Corps was working. That morning, we'd been watching the attacks unfold in New York. I came out in this hallway and suddenly, there was a Pentagon policeman coming from that direction, running down this hallway yelling, "Get out, get out! Everybody get out! We've been hit! Get out."

(voice-over): American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon.

(on camera): By the time I made my way from my office, down there to this part of the hallway, it was full of people. We could smell the smoke. Hundreds of people coming into this hallway, coming down the stairs from the upper floors, coming up the stairs from the basement. The doors had closed shut due to the security alert. So, it took a few minutes for them to open them and for people to begin to make their way out to safety.

This entire side of the Pentagon was a wall of flame and black smoke. I remember seeing people coming out of the wreckage where the plane had hit, some covered in blood, trying to make their way to safety, hundreds of workers had gathered over here.

At one point, before a large number of police or fire personnel could even get here, they called for people who had any kind of emergency or medical training, and hundreds of military people came moving back in towards the wreckage to help in any way that they could.

That's what it was really all about here. On that day, in this place, for the U.S. military -- no retreat, no surrender.

(voice-over): Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Welcome back, everyone.

Here in Tampa, the Tea Party will take the political spotlight at Monday night's Republican debate, cosponsored by CNN.

Let's talk about it now with Alex Castellanos, Republican consultant and a CNN contributor. Dana Loesch, she is a talk radio host and co- founder of the St. Louis Tea Party, and also a CNN contributor.

And once again, LZ Granderson is in Michigan. He is a CNN contributor and senior writer at CNN.com.

I know it should be over here but the words are on this camera. All right. So, here we go.

We're in Florida, which is a must win state for the GOP, if they want to win the House. So, what do Republicans have to do?

I'm going to start with you, Alex. What do they have to do here in Florida?

ALEX CASTELLANOS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, here in Florida, the big issue is going to be Social Security, in addition, of course, to jobs and growth. There's a spat between Mitt Romney and Rick Perry on Social Security. Perry has kind of lost his campaign by firing a missile and hitting grandma's house. He said he might undo Social Security.

LEMON: Yes. Did you see the ad? I had a copy of the ad that they had sent out. But those two going against each other, and that's targeted. That's really targeted because they know that a lot of seniors live here and those are the voters that they're going after.

CASTELLANOS: Yes. Democrat or Republican, you still want to pay your rent every month and a lot of seniors in this state count on that.

You know, interesting, I saw the ad that Romney did. I guess it was a flier or a handout, it doesn't mention Ponzi scheme, that Rick Perry called Social Security a Ponzi scheme, because frankly, a lot of seniors think it is. They know there's no money there. They know Social Security is bankrupt.

The problem is Rick Perry went farther than that. He said, he implied he might undo Social Security if he could go back 70 years. He said it was a failure.

LEMON: It says "reckless and wrong on Social Security," it's talking about Rick Perry. And then Mitt Romney says, preserve and protect Social Security. Two candidates, they're saying this is a two- candidate race now, even though it's early on, Dana, and they're sending out material like this. Is that so?

DANA LOESCH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think it's a little premature at this point to immediately think that no one else is going to be in the running. And we still may see other candidates get involved. I know there's the big Palin question as to whether or not she's going to toss her hat in the ring.

But the last debate, it did kind of set it up to where -- the way it was structured, the questions fielded and the way that Perry and Romney specifically targeted each other, they've sort of set it up as to being a two-man race. But I think the debate tomorrow night is going to refrain that narrative.

LEMON: Yes. And I want to go to LZ, because, LZ, the last time we spoke. I mean, you said something very interesting. You said basically, for Huntsman, he said it's over.

CASTELLANOS: I disagree.

LEMON: LZ, these guys here are disagreeing with you. Do you think it's over just for Huntsman or anybody else you want to count out in this race?

GRANDERSON: I think it's over for Huntsman because he made his bed fairly early in the campaign by not trying to say the things or do the things to appease to the very social conservative base within the GOP. I think if he had at least been willing to play nice with them, then he could still be in the conversation. But I think, at the end of the day, people are going to look at his jobs towards what he said about science, and they're going to look at some of the things he said about the Tea Party in general and then not going to find him to be an appealing candidate at all for them. So, yes, I do think it's over for him.

LEMON: Yes. But only him?

GRANDERSON: Only him, yes. Only him.

I think everyone else is trying to appease the Tea Party. Even if they don't agree 100 percent, even Mitt Romney who, you know, flip- flops anyway. But even Mitt Romney is trying a little bit to be nicey nice to the Tea Party.

And I don't see Huntsman doing that, outside of saying he would not rule out being Michele Bachmann's V.P. candidate. He said it a couple of weeks ago. I think that's the only kind of, you know, gesture he made towards the Tea Party. And I think that's one of the reasons why he's so appealing to independents.

LEMON: Yes. Alex wants to jump in. Go ahead.

CASTELLANOS: Well, I would just say that it's awfully early. And if Huntsman could take the part of his campaign, it's called the super PAC, the part that can raise unlimited money and go on Boston TV for a couple of million dollars for 30 days, he could move from 1 percent to 12 percent, 15 percent.

And he's got a message. His message is, look, I'm going to transform Washington so we can get this economy going again, because our biggest competitor in the world is China, and I know them because I've been there and I know how to grow this economy.

He's got a slot in this race. He could try to fulfill. I do agree time is running out, he's going to have to do something soon.

LEMON: As I listen to Republican consultants and pundits here, they say that Huntsman seemed like, in the last debate, the adult in the room really, but nobody's listening. Why isn't anybody listening if he's the adult in the room?

LOESCH: I don't know of any grassroots that identify with Jon Huntsman. And I actually -- I disagree with Alex. I think his campaign is over. And I don't know why he's still on stage, frankly at debates.

LEMON: Really?

(LAUGHTER)

LOESCH: He's trying to --

LEMON: That's pretty harsh. You don't know why he's still on stage. I mean, I'm sure his people are watching this going, why is she saying that? LOESCH: I'll get the hate mail later. I'll put it all in my spam folder.

But, no, I think that this is -- he's one of the most moderate people in the primary and I think if we're going to go from moderate, I think Romney kind of has the patent on this in this particular primary.

LEMON: So, moderation doesn't appeal to anyone? You have to be either in one place -- I hate to say extreme, because I think the Tea Partiers hate that.

LOESCH: There are certain issues on which Huntsman stand, especially when you look at energy and things of that nature, and climate change and global warming and being supportive of certain EPA policies that are job killing and you can't hold a certain position on that issue while at the same time say that you're really serious about growing jobs. I mean, even the president kind of went against Huntsman on that.

CASTELLANOS: Romney and Perry a suicide murder pact and no one left at the end of the day.

LOESCH: Herman Cain maybe? Bachmann?

LEMON: Yes. Hey, listen, LZ, I'm up against the clock. Here's the thing that I think is different here. Even if you say it's over, if they're not polling well, Bachmann still has money, Huntsman still has money, they still have money.

If you don't have money you have to get out of the race, right? But they still have money. So they could still go. Maybe that's why he's still up on the stage.

CASTELLANOS: The Beatles were wrong. Money can buy love.

LOESCH: Absolutely can.

(LAUGHTER)

GRANDERSON: Well, it's good to have money but also good to have people who actually go in and vote for you. And I don't think that he has anybody in the GOP who really feels fired up about him, money or no money.

LOESCH: I would agree with that. You have to have people to come and vote for you.

LEMON: All right. Wow, you guys are harsh.

Thank you. See you around. We're not going anywhere. They'll be back with us.

You know, you don't miss Monday night's Republican debate where all those people are going to be on the stage. These guys, some of them say they don't know why they are still there. CNN is going to host it. It's a CNN Tea Party debate. It's at 8:00 p.m. It will live from here in Tampa, site of the 2012 Republican National Convention. CNN/Tea Party debate, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, only her on CNN.

Ahead, at least one more member of the Gadhafi family has slipped across the Libyan border. They're fleeing as rebels try to cut off supplies to one of Gadhafi's last stronghold.

And in Texas, adding insult to injury, a new crop of wildfires has flared up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The war in Afghanistan began less than a month after the 9/11 attacks.

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LEMON: In that country today, servicemen and women marked the tenth anniversary of the event that led our country to launch a war against the Taliban.

This was the scene at Bagram Airbase outside Kabul.

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LEMON: While soldiers paused to reflect at one base, at another, there was a reminder that the battle is not over.

CNN's Richelle Carey is in the studio with that and the day's other top stories.

Hello, Richelle.

RICHELLE CAREY, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Don, thank you.

On the eve of the anniversary, the Taliban showed it can still launch a dangerous attack -- a suicide attack overnight on a coalition base in Afghanistan, left two civilians dead and as many as 77 NATO personnel wounded. Most of the injured are Americans, but none of the injuries are expected to be life-threatening. Militants used a truck loaded with explosives to carry out that suicide attack.

The Swedish security service says that it arrested four people overnight suspected of plotting a terror attack of the country's second largest city. Police are holding the four for probable cause of preparing attacks. The head of the security service warned last week that Islamic terrorism is the country's biggest threat.

Another son of Moammar Gadhafi has fled Libya. An official in Niger tells CNN that Saadi Gadhafi has arrived in his country, along with eight former officials. The fleeing Libyans were accepted on humanitarian grounds at the same time fighters loyal to the new Libyan government are trying to stamp out the last pockets of pro-Gadhafi resistance. Government forces are regrouping outside Bani Walid while trying to cut off supplies to Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte.

And at least two dozen new wildfires have erupted in Texas. We're keeping count. That is nearly 180 in just the last week. The fires have destroyed more than 1,000 homes across the state. Texas is experiencing its driest weather since 1895.

President Obama traveled to all three locations devastated by the terror attacks 10 years ago today. This afternoon, he attended a remembrance at the Pentagon, where 184 victims died and earlier, he walked the fields of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, remembering the 40 lost there.

And the president began his day at the ceremony at Ground Zero, where 2,753 people were killed.

Tonight, the president will speak during a concert for hope at the Kennedy Center.

Let's go back to you, Don Lemon, now in Tampa.

LEMON: All right. Richelle Carey, we'll see you a little bit later on. Thank you so much.

CAREY: You bet.

LEMON: Proof today the brotherhood of firefighters spans the globe. Firefighters in Australia paid tribute to the firefighters who lost their lives at Ground Zero.

And see Asia's spiritual and sentimental tributes to the victims of 9/11. We're doing a little globe trekking when we come back here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: There's no doubt terrorists were targeting America 10 years ago, but today, it's the world that is mourning all who were lost on September 11th, 2001. Pope Benedict XVI offered a prayer in memory of the victims during a service in Ancona, Italy. His was one of many tributes from South America, to Asia, and even beyond.

CNN's international editor, Azadeh Ansari, here to tell us about all of them.

Azadeh, the French have built an amazing memorial and built it near their icon, the Eiffel Tower. Tell us about it.

AZADEH ANSARI, INTERNATIONAL DESK EDITOR: Hi, Don.

They have and it's actually it's their replicas of the World Trade Center, the two towers, they built -- two large scaffolding that they have and it's wrapped in white cloth with the names of the victims right on it and at the top it says "September 11th, the French will never forget," as you can see here. And this is at the plaza at Trocadero, which is across the way. It's the same as the plaza across the way from the Eiffel Tower. You can have a nice view there of one of the towers that they have. And there were about hundreds people, they gathered at this memorial service, and it's one of the largest that were held around the world. And we'll get to a few others in a second.

LEMON: Yes. It's interesting to see those. I mean, to see beyond the United States what people are doing, the folks here who are in studio with me or in the set with me are looking at these pictures. It's quite amazing.

You know, Azadeh, water was a powerful theme at Ground Zero, at the memorial. And we're seeing the Chinese use water to remember this anniversary as well.

ANSARI: Right. So, the memorial service that took place in Beijing happened in front of the U.S. embassy. And it was led by Gary Locke, the U.S. ambassador to China. And as you can see here, he's there with some kids and they're letting, they're like paper lanterns that they're setting afloat as a symbol of peace and hope and they're kind of in the shape of water lilies, if you can get a close look there -- very colorful and more of a peaceful memorial there in China, in Beijing.

LEMON: Yes. You know, after the United States, Azadeh, the United Kingdom lost most victims on 9/11, British citizens killed at the World Trade Center were many. They were numerous. How did the U.K. recognize this day?

ANSARI: Well, I also want to mention, Don, that citizens, 90 countries lost citizens in these attacks. And you're absolutely right, the U.K. having lost the most.

Now, these remembrances were led by Prince Charles here, you can see him laying a wreath here and Prime Minister David Cameron, and the thing is that they had, the victims -- the families of the victims walk up, mention the name of their loved ones, and the lost loved ones and they went ahead and placed a long white stem rose on the memorial garden that's been created here for them, and each rose had a black and white picture attached to it of the family's member that had fallen. So --

LEMON: And, Azadeh, I understand firefighters around the world are also paying tribute.

ANSARI: Yes. That's right. So, in Sydney, this is probably one of the more symbolic memorials that we've seen. And you can see -- this is video from News 9, one of our affiliates. And we had a group of firefighters in Sydney rushed up to the Sydney Tower, and what they did, once they got up there, they overlooked the city -- and one of them, he has a very emotional response to this, a moment of silence and the whole gesture there was to symbolize the rush that the firefighters made up the towers to save the lives of hundreds upon hundreds of people of the day of the attacks.

LEMON: Azadeh Ansari, remembrances around the world, thank you very much. We appreciate it. We're going to lighten the mood right now because it's been a very tough day, a very emotional day for everyone. Football fever in the air. It's the first Sunday action in the NFL season. But one very important quarterback, MIA, is missing. And college players who thought they signed up to just play football, but quickly discovered after 9/11, they were committed to a whole lot more.

We're going to talk all about it with "Sports Illustrated's" Jon Wertheim in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, let's take a breath here. It's been a very heavy day, and lighten the mood a little.

Pro football is back but one of its biggest stars is missing.

Joining us to talk about it, Jon Wertheim, "Sport Illustrated" there -- this week's cover, you see it. It's focusing on college football.

So, John, the NFL has a spotlight on the opening day of the regular season. What's the latest, this is the story everybody's talking about, on the Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. He just had his third neck surgery in 19 months. Is he expected to be back this season?

JON WERTHEIM, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Well, as of now, he's out two to three months. But remember, we're talking about a compressed season. Even that's two-thirds, almost three-fourths of the football. So, you know, boy, the Colts played today with a back up, did not look like the Colts were used to seeing, which used to be the sort of dynastic franchise.

And, you know, Peyton Manning, 35, and neck injury, nothing to joke about. You know, this could be a rough year for Indianapolis. And we'll see what happens to Peyton Manning. But this year is looking pretty grim.

LEMON: You know, is this something that could have been caught sooner -- especially with, you know, you said it was a condensed season. Could it have been caught sooner?

WERTHEIM: Well, the Colts have been very sort of cloak and dagger about this. Remember, too, we had this lockout, so we didn't have the usually interaction between players and teams. Peyton Manning had surgery earlier. He goes to camp and supposedly threw the ball a little bit in earlier in noncontact drills. And it just -- you know, he could tell from the arm and shoulder that it just wasn't right, and underwent surgery on Thursday.

You know, for all intents, this is really looking to be pretty much a wash for this season for the Indianapolis Colts.

LEMON: Oh, yikes! As you mentioned they got trounced today by the Houston Texans 34-7. I mean, how would you compare Manning's importance to the Colts compared to other quarterbacks and their teams? WERTHEIM: Well, this guy's been the Colts' quarterback for more than a decade now, obviously, one of great, all-time quarterbacks. And, you know, everything runs through Peyton Manning. Tom Brady was injured a few years ago, earlier in the season. That's sort of the an easy comparison, the Patriots survived.

But, you know, this is really the seminal player on the team. And we talked last year with Michael Vick about how important the quarterback position is, all you need to do is look at the score, look how his backup, Kerry Collins, performed today and you see how important Peyton Manning is to that team.

LEMON: OK. So, listen, I'm going to turn to tennis real quick as I watching -- I've been watching since I've been here. Serena Williams is doing great. Any surprise there? She won.

WERTHEIM: No, no. She lost. Big upset.

LEMON: I thought -- oh, she defeated -- I thought Serena Williams defeated? Oh, I got it wrong.

WERTHEIM: No. Serena Williams, sort of out-Serena.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: That's a surprise to me.

WERTHEIM: Huge surprise. Huge surprise.

LEMON: That was a huge surprise to me.

Real quickly, let's talk about Rafael Nadal. He plays Novak Djokovic -- I never get his name right -- on Monday in the men's final. No surprise there?

WERTHEIM: Well, it's no surprise those two are meeting in the final, number one and number two. And we'll see how it goes. Djokovic owned Nadal this year, beaten him five times on different surfaces, beat him in the Wimbledon Finals -- and big chance of revenge for Nadal.

In the other hand, if Djokovic wins this, this will be his third major of the year and we'll really have to talk about this as one of the great seasons in men's tennis history. It should be a good one tomorrow.

LEMON: All right. Listen, finally, there's been a lot of buzz about these new uniforms that college teams have broken out. The uniforms Georgia wore in the opener, are being called Power Rangers. Is it all about the money in attracting, you know, young recruits with these uniforms? How do you like them?

WERTHEIM: But they look good on you. No. I think -- you said it.

(LAUGHTER)

WERTHEIM: A lot of people think this was a merchandizing play, but I think some of this is -- well, hey, the 17-year-old kids, appeal to them in a new way, dress in crazy uniforms. Maryland's mimicking the state flag. It's another sort of avenue of commerce, and it's sort of a fun conversation.

You'll note which are using them and which aren't. But, no, it gave us something extra to talk about the first game of the college football season, I'll say that.

LEMON: Yes. And you see the name there's. One had Chick-fil-A, another I can't make out what it is.

But, Jon, I want you to stick around. I want to talk with you after the break about the piece that you just did. I guy whose played in the Army/Navy game shortly after the 9/11 attacks and how it impacted them and their military careers.

So, stick around. We'll be right back with Jon Wertheim.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Our attention is focused today on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Jon Wertheim of "Sports Illustrated" is with us again.

And, Jon, you just finished a remarkable piece in which you talked with some of the guys who played in the Army/Navy game a few weeks after the 9/11 attacks. Those guys had signed up in a time of peace, but they graduated in a time of war.

WERTHEIM: Yes. Exactly. It's the fall of 2001. And these are college football players. And all of a sudden, the attacks happen and suddenly their reality is completely changed. They realize once they get out of the academies, they're going off and fight, and that story was just remarkable.

We talk lately about scandals in college sports. And, boy, if you want something to offset that, if you want to sort of all the Altoids, for all that's right about college sports, spend time around Army/Navy. These guys played the game in the fall of 2001. A few of them a few months later go off in combat. And it was just remarkable talking to those guys 10 years later.

LEMON: Did they realize immediately how their lives and careers would be affected by these attacks?

WERTHEIM: Two men, absolutely immediately. I mean, they sort of realized what they signed up for on 9/11. They said there were even reports there would be additional attacks at the service academies. They knew what the deal was and they, you know, again, after getting out of the academies, many of them were marines. They fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, and some of them were honestly killed in combat. Others won Silver Stars and Purple Hearts.

And, you know, you think about the way that 9/11 affected all of us, but for these guys who were, you know, some of them freshmen and sophomores in college, you think about the profound impact that had and what they did subsequent. And it was really, I mean, honestly, it was an honor to report that story.

LEMON: The Army/Navy game, John, was played before a packed stadium in Philadelphia, including President Bush. What did they say about the president being there? He spoke to them in their locker rooms, right?

WERTHEIM: Yes. He spoke to them as he does every year. General Schwarzkopf was there and John McCain. And they said, you know, to start with, it was sort of a tense atmosphere, because remember, in the fall of 2001, when everything was sort of thought of as a target, they were nervous just playing the game. The teams weren't particularly good. And yet they sold out the game. Flybys -- I mean, a lot of pomp and circumstance in this game.

A lot of players sort of said, you know, it didn't even matter who won. This is as an event, it was something I'll never forget. And I think when you sort of look back at put it in the context of the Army/Navy game 2001, it really was a special sports moment.

LEMON: Yes. The two teams won only three games combined that season but they said they were treated differently when they played on the road than they had been in the past.

WERTHEIM: Yes. I'm glad you brought that up. They said exactly the same thing, that when they traveled, you know, they used to be booed, and they would be razzled when they got off on the team bus. And they said every visiting game, standing ovations, other team's fans meeting them, applauding them when they got off the bus. They said the reception they got that season when they played on the road really sort of validated what they did. And they, again, as you said, didn't win many games but they really got an interesting treatment as a visiting team that season.

LEMON: I understand that two Navy players from that game were later killed in action, along with a player who graduated just a year before?

WERTHEIM: Yes, exactly. And the three circumstances were sort of remarkably different and yet remarkably similar. But -- I mean, you're right, that they had teammates, these players did, that were mortally wounded in combat. And, again, it just sort of adds another layer to this. These are really exceptional college athletes and I just couldn't help reporting this story against this context we have today, against the backdrop of scandals and tattoos and boosters.

This is everything right about college sports. And these guys, 10 years later, it was still just remarkable to talk to them.

LEMON: As you had been watching, Jon, the events all day, you know, from tennis, to football, and what-have-you, are you -- anything stand out about how they, you know, talked about 9/11 or how they memorialized 9/11 at any of these events?

WERTHEIM: You know, it's funny because some said, if you compare sports to war, you're showing you don't know much about either one. And yet at the same time, there's no doubt sports has a connective tissue, this rare event, where 75,000, 80,000 of us join each other in a single place. I think sports have really played a big role in this healing process.

On the other hand, sports had never seemed less consequential. It's never seen sort of moral relevance at hitting balls every nets or passing pig skins. So, it's sort of this weird balance of they help us heal and at the same time they seem sort of frivolous.