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9/11 Ceremony at Ground Zero; First Lady & Laura Bush at Pennsylvania Service; Natural Gas Blast Investigation; Pentagon Attack Remembered; 9/11 Families Split on Islamic Center

Aired September 11, 2010 - 11:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: We are coming up now on the top of the hour. Hello to you all. Well, once again welcome back to this CNN SATURDAY MORNING for this September the 11th. I am T.J. Holmes.

We'll be telling you plenty about the people who died on this day nine years ago. Taking a look at all the ceremonies and stopping for a moment just to remember and also to look forward on this day.

There are some other things we need to tell you about as well that are making headlines, including a public bus hijacking at Kansas City ending when the bus was engulfed in flames. We'll tell you about that.

Also Donald Trump's bid to diffuse the Ground Zero Islamic center controversy. That's not getting a lot of support right now. We'll tell you why his offer to buy the site was in fact rejected.

Also, the investigation is going on right now in San Bruno, California, this is just outside San Francisco trying to figure out exactly what caused the deadly pipeline explosion.

Getting to all of that in this hour.

But first, we begin the live pictures once again from New York City on this ninth anniversary of September 11th attacks; you still hear the names being read on this day. It is the time when they read all 2,752 names of the people who died at Ground Zero on this day nine years ago.

The ceremony started around 8:40 a.m. Eastern Time. And this was at a park, Zuccotti Park which is adjacent to the Ground Zero memorial site. This will continue until all of the names are read. They do this every single year.

So they will continue this until it is done.

Our national correspondent, Susan Candiotti is at today's ceremony. And how have things -- we see more and more people filing by you. But set the scene for us down there, Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think as things wind down or certainly as the city wakes up, you are seeing more and more people who are in this area, people who obviously have made a conscious decision to want to be as close as they can to the ceremony. And so you are seeing not only family members who attend the ceremony being here and some who are escorted in but other relatives who come from the area who come in on their own to attend the ceremony every year.

We're also hearing of course church bells ringing as they have throughout the morning during various points of the ceremony as well. And that kind of adds to the emotion of the moment.

We also talked to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly this morning. And he told me, New Yorkers, in particular, are very resilient. But every day, they feel the pain of what happened and every day, he also said, it's in the back of everyone's mind what happened on that fateful day.

And people here remain mindful that something might happen again, he said, in the future but he insisted that New Yorkers are ready for whatever might lie ahead. But certainly, this city has taken incredible steps over the years to increase security and that they continue to do so.

For the first time on this anniversary as well, family members who are inside Ground Zero are seeing the 9/11 memorial taking shape.

And what's significant about that is that for the first time, they are seeing real progress being made. For example: where the waterfalls will be, the outlines of where the pools will be, the reflecting pools that will stand in the footprint of each of the twin towers. They are seeing where the wall will be, where the names will be inscribed of everyone who was lost that particular day.

And they are being helped this day by people who are actually working to make that memorial come together to take place as it arises here. And it will open all the people who were involved with it say it will open on time next September 11th.

And it's also interesting, finally, T.J., to talk to some of the people that are walking around here. I was just speaking with a couple who are here from New Mexico on vacation. They watched the ceremony from their hotel room then they are walking the streets here.

One gentleman -- he was telling me that he was an air traffic controller who was on duty that day in New Mexico and helped to direct traffic down to the ground -- remember all the flights were grounded that day. And his wife who worked at a school across the street from the control tower, her -- her school was closed that day. And he said that her daughter joined the Army after that happened. So -- and he started to cry. The tears were streaming down her face as he remembered the events of 9/11.

So, a lot of emotions, a lot of compassion and people drawing strength from each other this day -- T.J.

HOLMES: Our Susan Candiotti for us. We appreciate you as always. Susan in New York for us. And also we're going to turn to the Pentagon now. The president, he was there this morning attending a 9/11 service at the Pentagon; that is where 184 people died in this attack. The ceremony was open only to family members of the victims. The president, as you see in the picture there, laid a wreath at the 9/11 memorial and reflected on the importance of this day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARRACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For a nation, this is a day of remembrance, the day of reflection and with God's grace, a day of unity and renewal. We gather to remember this sacred hour on hallowed ground that places where we feel such grief and where our healing goes on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Meanwhile, the First Lady, Michelle Obama and the former First Lady, Laura Bush, were both attending a service in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Yes, Shanksville, and that's -- they are not necessarily attacked on this day itself as a city but that is where one plane went down, United Flight 93.

Our Sandra Endo is there for us. Sandra hello to you.

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, T.J., the memorial service for Flight 93 just finished up here and one by one, the names of the 40 victims on board were read and a bell tolled for each and each of their memories.

And as you mentioned, former First Lady Laura Bush, spoke to this crowd here, as well as First Lady Michelle Obama. And she talked about how future generations will come here to see the scar in the land healed and the memory of those 40 heroes remembered for their actions in the sky nine years ago today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ENDO (voice-over): Nine years ago, there was no response from United Flight 93; then, this ominous threat from a hijacker.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Ladies and gentlemen, here's the captain. Please sit down, keep remaining seating. We have a bomb on board."

ENDO: Now, an American flag flies in the breeze standing strong in a bale of hay, marking the crash site where passengers on Flight 93 fought for their lives, for the country, for freedom, overcoming the terrorists on board.

The notes and mementos at the temporary memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, have been gathered up making way for the construction of a permanent memorial to mark the resting ground for the everyday Americans who rose to meet the extraordinary circumstances on that flight.

Ken Knacky's (ph) brother, Joey was one of them.

KEN KNACKY, BROTHER KILLED ON FLIGHT 93: What's the common goal here is to see that the heroes of Flight 93 are honored and cherished and remembered for generations to come.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really funny. It's harder -- it's harder to leave here than it is to come here.

ENDO: The 2,000-acre memorial site is protected national parkland, expected to attract a quarter of a million visitors a year.

JEFF REINBOLD, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: We wanted to capture the setting for the site. So when you come here, it's not Manhattan, it's not the Pentagon. It is rural Pennsylvania.

ENDO: A special place where Gordon Felt visits often to remember his brother, Edward.

GORDON FELT, BROTHER KILLED ON FLIGHT 93: There's something about this site that just naturally gives someone comfort, and a sense of peace. This is a final resting place. This is where our loved ones lost their lives but it's a peaceful setting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ENDO: And right now, friends and family members are looking at that peaceful, resting ground, the field where the plane crashed is just beyond the stage there. And they are hoping that the first phase of this memorial, which broke ground nearly a year ago, will be ready by this time next year -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Sandra Endo for us this morning in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Sandra, we appreciate you as always.

We want to turn for a moment now to tell you an update about that Florida preacher who ignited that firestorm of controversy by threatening to burn copies of the Koran. Well, he is now saying he will not do that and he never will.

And not just postponing the event but cancelling it earlier this morning in an interview with NBC. Listen to what Reverend Terry Jones had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: You can guarantee us today that there will never be a burning of the Koran at your church?

REV. TERRY JONES, DOVE WORLD OUTREACH CENTER: I can absolutely guarantee you that, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, Jones says he is in New York there. He went to New York, says he was hoping to meet with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, that is the Muslim cleric who is spear-heading the Islamic center that's proposed to be near Ground Zero. But the imam says there is no meeting scheduled.

Well, from New York Police say they are keeping a close watch on Reverend Jones while he's in the city on this 9/11 anniversary.

Earlier here on CNN Saturday morning I talked to the Commissioner, Ray Kelly, asked if Jones' visit has raised some security concerns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMMISSIONER RAYMOND KELLY, NYPD: Well, it certainly was an unwise thing for him to do. We met him when he got off the plane last evening. We had an extensive discussion with him. We believe we know what his plans are, at least what he says his plans are. We're going to know where he is at all times. We will keep a close tab on him.

You know, it's difficult to say whether or not it has raised the -- the problem level here if you will. But we're going to keep a close tab on him today and tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, we are expecting to see some demonstrations today around that particular proposed mosque and Islamic center near Ground Zero. They are slated to have a couple of dueling protests actually today.

Last night though, close to 2,000 supporters for that cultural center rallied for its construction. Similar demonstrations again, both for and against proposed for the mosque expected just about an hour or so from now. Actually about two hours I think the first one gets started around 1:00. But both of those, they could possibly overlap. Both are going to be happening down there near the site.

And it's being called now a pathetic public relations stunt. That's what an attorney representing the embattled building's owner calls Donald Trump's offer to buy the property. Listen now to the real estate mogul as he talked to our Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": So what exactly did you hope to achieve by -- by putting an offer on this property?

DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE MAGNATE: Well Anderson, if you had been in New York and maybe you are in New York and you see what's going on in terms of what is happening with people, the hatred the -- the whole situation is just ready to blow up. And it's only going to get worse.

And I read an article in one of the newspapers yesterday that they were putting a price tag of $18 million or $19 million on this building that they want to convert to a mosque. And I said, what's this all about? I thought they wanted to build a mosque. Now, I found out this man that has it to develop, he's a low- level real estate guy, without very much money and not enough money to build the mosque as we understand it. And I called him and I offered him the money that he paid for the facility, which is $4.8 million plus a 25 percent profit plus costs and lots of other things and this would solve a very, very nasty problem.

And he could go take the money and build it someplace else, but a little bit further away than this particular site.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: All right, well, 11 minutes past the hour now. We saw these pictures this week. They were just unbelievable. People can't believe how something like this could have happened.

A whole neighborhood, just about on fire; dozens of homes destroyed. We'll tell you what investigators are saying now about the natural gas blast that killed four people and wounded dozens at a San Francisco suburb.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Fourteen minutes past the hour now.

Four dead, dozens wounded and a suburban San Francisco neighborhood looks like it has been leveled. This was after suspected natural gas leaks sparked a massive explosion and fire on Thursday night. Now, everybody is asking, how in the world could something like this happen?

Our Dan Simon is on the ground for us in San Bruno. Hello to you once again. Are we getting any closer to answers to how something like this could happen?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, some people are speculating that perhaps, T.J., the age of that pipeline may have contributed to the accident. The truth is, we really don't know. We should tell you that residents still not allowed back in to that area, of course, a lot of frustration with that. But the main focus today is on, as you hit it, you know, what happened, what caused this pipeline to burst.

There is some speculation that people in that area had been complaining for three weeks. That is something that we've been hearing about as well. One neighbor saying that, you know, for several days, he detected the odor of gas. As a matter of fact, he says that PG&E, the utility, came out to investigate.

This guy's name is Tim Gutierrez. He appeared last night on "AC 360". Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: You said it smelled like gas in your neighborhood for several weeks before the blast. When did you first notice the smell? Did you know where it was coming from?

TIM GUTIERREZ, SAN BRUNO RESIDENT: Yes, I noticed it three weeks ago just previous to the stop sign before Sequoia. Every day after work on my motorcycle at the sewer you could smell that distinct smell of rotten eggs smell. And I had smelled it for a good three weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: Well, Pacific Gas and Electric is promising to investigate those reports but at this point is not confirming their crews even were in that area investigating that alleged gas leak.

We should tell you, T.J., about an hour and a half from now, there is going to be a news conference with California Senator, Barbara Boxer and the lieutenant governor of this state.

We are not quite sure what they are going to say but we are led to believe that the lieutenant governor, Abel Maldonado is a bit frustrated by what he heard the NTSB say yesterday -- the National Transportation Safety Board now taking the lead in this investigation. It said that it would take about 18 months -- could take up to 18 months to investigate this explosion and we're told that he is a bit frustrated by that timeline. He wants answers a lot sooner. And of course, the people who live in this area would like to know things a lot sooner as well -- T.J.

HOLMES: Dan, do we have any idea why we have been given that timeline? Is this kind of a standard timeline and the pace of how they work?

SIMON: Exactly. Any time you have an explosion or an incident of this magnitude, they like to give themselves a lot of leeway. And with all the interviews they had to do and looking at things piece by piece, they are estimating 18 months.

But (AUDIO GAP) that is not going to be acceptable; they would like to have answers today. Whether or not it will take 18 months, we will just have to wait and see. But you would think that that timeline could be accelerated by a lot -- T.J.

HOLMES: Dan Simon for us. We appreciate you reporting from San Bruno. Thanks so much.

We turn now to some weather and another fire folks are keeping an eye on, this one in Colorado. Reynolds, we are waiting to see if possibly they are going to get some relief. This is in Boulder, Colorado. You are seeing here. But fires that have been raging; you see a home on fire there in particular.

My goodness, Reynolds, people are wondering if they can get some help. This is in the mountains surrounding Boulder. Rain, is that a possibility?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know I don't think we are going to see anything in terms of rain. What has really been working against the firefighters and certainly it could (INAUDIBLE) the fire have been a couple things -- very, very low humidity and very strong winds. Now, just yesterday, they saw a resurgence of more of the moisture. The humidity levels have been going up a little bit. The wind has dropped down a little bit.

We may see some changes. The wind may be intensifying in the coming days and here is the reason why. We have this area of low pressure. That big dome is going to -- there's kind of a compressing effect in the atmosphere, kind of calms down the wind.

However, this area of low pressure that we have right here is going to pull its way to parts of the northeast as it gets a little bit farther to the northeast. It's getting ready for that high. That could give us some stronger winds out of the southeast which could help fan those flames a bit. But still, the humidity may stay somewhat, at least 120 percent over the next couple of days.

Where we don't have humidity, we have the opposite, plenty of moisture and lots of humidity in parts of the Great Lakes. It's trending southward into the Ohio Valley, into the Tennessee Valley, even in along parts of the Gulf Coast. Good chance of thunderstorms there today.

But for all the memorial services in the east from New York, southward to, say, Washington, D.C. then back over to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, should be pretty nice but into the afternoon, Pennsylvania, you may get those showers if that storm system drives its way to the east and still relatively dry out towards the west.

That's a quick snapshot on your forecast. We have a lot more to talk about coming up, including the tropics. Things could be pretty interesting. We see a new wave coming off the African coast plus we have Igor, a storm which might develop into a major hurricane in the coming days. We will talk more about that T.J.

Let's kick it back to you.

HOLMES: All right. Reynolds, appreciate you, buddy. We'll talk to you again here shortly.

We have been asking for your comments and we are going to be sharing some of them. Everyone has a story about 9/11, where you were, you remember exactly what you were doing when you heard about it. We have been asking you to share some of your thoughts, feelings and memories on this 9/11 anniversary as we go to break watching a live picture here of the names of the 2,752 people killed on that day at Ground Zero being read at the memorial.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Twenty-four minutes past the hour now; taking a look at some of the stories making headlines. That Florida minister, Terry Jones, he is now saying he will not be burning any Korans today or in the future. He is in New York right now. He is trying to set up a meeting with the imam in charge of that planned Islamic center near Ground Zero. The Koran-burning plans, of course, set off a firestorm of condemnation around the world. President Obama and U.S. military leaders weighed in saying the event would endanger the lives of American troops abroad.

Turn to Kansas City, Kansas now while police are trying to find this one out -- why a man hijacked a bus. Steven Donald is his name; he's accused of grabbing the bus driver and throwing her off the vehicle and then taking off with police in pursuit. You see the dash cam here now, the bus caught on fire before that chase ended.

And in Syracuse, New York, a double-decker bus hit a railway bridge this morning. Four people were killed. 18 others were taken to hospitals. Some of them were in critical condition. The bus was on its way from Allentown, Pennsylvania, to Toronto.

Of course, today, we are taking the time out and taking plenty of time this morning. You saw all of the memorial services we were bringing you here, live this morning, this ninth anniversary of the September 11th attacks. And CNN Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, was in the Pentagon that day when this happened.

And good morning to you once again; I'll ask you -- I know you have some reporting to do here, Barbara, but when these days come up for you on these 9/11 anniversaries, what are these like for you?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: You know, T.J., every year, I have said this to my friends, colleagues, every year, I think, oh, all right, another 9/11 anniversary, the years go by, it is fine, no problem. But of course, you start seeing the families. You see their remarks about their loved ones. You see the remembrances.

And working at the Pentagon every day, you see the price that the military has paid and you really can't help but really be drawn back to that day, which is a day that I have moments of total clarity about and moments when I don't exactly remember everything that happened, because it was all happening so fast.

My first realization inside the Pentagon that morning, that the building was under attack, was a Pentagon -- I did not feel the plane hit but suddenly -- we knew about New York. A Pentagon policeman came running down the hallway at the top of his lungs yelling, "Get out, get out, get out, we've been hit. Get out now." And instantly, that Pentagon hallway was full of people that understood what was happening and were getting out as fast as they could -- T.J.

HOLMES: Barbara, also, it is amazing to think here we are nine years later. You have young men and women who were, as we discussed earlier today, it's amazing to think about, were kids, were in middle school and whatnot, who had no idea what they would be doing down the road going into the military and now being a part of the country's response to what happened nine years ago.

STARR: And you know maybe that is one of the measures of time passing, the torch passing, a new generation as we've discussed. You go to the war zone now in Afghanistan, in Iraq, you look at the military serving the world and serving the country and so many of them are, by our measures, so very young, in their early 20s.

Nine years ago, next year, ten years on, they were very young children when all of this happened and yet they grew up in the 9/11 generation. It is what they know. It is what they learned in school. And they make the decision to serve the country. We meet so many of them now.

You have to wonder, where will it be 15 years on? Who can say? Indeed, I think we are seeing a very significant passing of time, not a passing of concern, however.

HOLMES: The impact of today having an impact overseas, in particular Afghanistan today?

STARR: Well, you know, nine years in now, what you find commanders telling you is, ok, now we have 100,000 troops on the ground and they believe and hope that they are going to start making real progress in the war. You ask yourself, huh, eight, nine years on, why wasn't this done before?

Of course, it comes back to what Defense Secretary Gates has said. The country decided years ago to make a decision. The leadership decided; the Bush administration, perhaps, to focus on the war in Iraq. For so many years, that took precedence. Afghanistan took a bit of a back seat and of course the insurgency grew. The Taliban strength grew and the U.S. found itself a couple years ago realizing that it had to make a renewed commitment to the war in Afghanistan.

Now, 100,000 troops on the ground and General David Petraeus has to show progress of some sort by the end of the year. That is what they are working on, progress in security and progress in the government and people of Afghanistan being able to begin to step forward and run the country on their own -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Barbara Starr, we appreciate you and appreciate you sharing some of those personal reflections this morning. We know you weren't here to report about you, necessarily. But I wanted to ask and we appreciate you sharing that with us. Thanks so much Barbara.

STARR: Thank you.

HOLMES: And on this anniversary, we are hearing your thoughts out there, your memories. Everybody remembers, Josh Levs, where they were and how they heard it and when they heard it. You are sharing some of the stuff you have been receiving.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Everyone has a story. You were just talking about some young people. We are going to hear from some of them now as well, throughout the morning. Throughout all the ceremonies, we have been showing you, I've been interacting with you online and pulling together some things that you have been writing to us about where you were, about what it means to you.

I want to share some of these quotes now. We're going to start with Deedra Stoddard Palmer, who wrote us this: "It opened up my mind to the world around me. I was 25. Still, it breaks my heart and I cry like it was yesterday." The next now from Jonathan Cohen, who writes, "To the 2,800 plus, I remember. To those in the Pentagon, I remember. To the flight crews and passengers, I remember. To the uniformed workers and armed forces, I remember."

This one is from Ghazal Omid, who says, "For the first seven years after, I couldn't even look at the images. I am a Muslim, and for me this was the hardest day of my life."

Now we're going to hear from a 12-year-old. This is Kristina Marie Forsha, who wrote, "I was 12. I remember my mom running into my room to wake me up and tell me to look at the news. I understood the severity. My dad rushed home from work, and my grandma and uncle came so we could all hold hands and pray for all the people who died and the people who lost friends and family."

Two more here. This one is from Melissa McCauley, who says, "It taught me that I had to stop going through life with blinders on. It has made me more aware of how evil can be all around us. God bless the United States."

And then finally from Todd Rogers, "I woke up to a DJ talking about the World Trade Center in the past tense. An icy chill shot through my spine. I don't remember my fit hitting the ground before I was in the living room, where my friend had a sickly ashen expression. I turned toward the TV and saw the second tower fall, reached out my hands as if I could catch it."

Now, this is some of what you're saying. I'll tell you something. I, for the first time, and probably you, too, am now hearing from a group of students who were at a high school inside Shanksville, Pennsylvania. This is a school that is physically right near where the plane crashed.

Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I remember watching the TV and watching the World Trade Towers being hit, and thinking, this can't be happening here. This is America. This happens in other places. We're untouchable. And just that sense of security kind of being rocked.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When it happened, it was a big fireball, stripped the building. It scared me to see my classmates underneath desks and taking cover like, what's going to fall from the sky next?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: That was put together by the National Park Service. A group of young people who were right there talked about that fireball, what they saw, what they experienced.

We certainly want to hear everyone's memories, everyone's thoughts on this anniversary. Here's how you can weigh in. You have my Facebook and Twitter pages, JoshLevsCNN. They have been busy this morning throughout the hours that we've been showing you. Ever since early this morning we have been showing you the memorials and all the ceremonies going on. So I would encourage you to take a look at that.

And T.J., I'll be back next hour. We're going to be taking a look at what is happening at Ground Zero and at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, the designs of these memorials, what they are meant represent, and how in each place there is something unique designed to literally remember every single person who was killed on 9/11.

HOLMES: And Josh, thank you for teeing up this tease perfectly for me, because coming up, we're going to be talking about one of those memorials. This one is going to be at Ground Zero. I actually talked this morning to the director of that memorial and museum that's going to be built there. You'll hear from her in just a moment, as we go to break with these live pictures of people reading the 2,752 names of those killed at Ground Zero on this day nine years ago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, a lot of people are asking, here we are now nine years after the 9/11 attack, the nine-year anniversary, and still, the memorial and museum not ready to go yet. They are not ready to roll.

Well, a memorial is about to open next year, so a year from today, scheduled to open. That's going to be the 10-year anniversary of the attacks. Then a museum is scheduled to open the following year.

I asked some questions to the facility's director, Alice Greenwald, this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALICE GREENWALD, DIRECTOR, 9/11 MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM: A lot has happened in nine years. And when you think about the other memorials that have been built in the last 50 years, most of them have been opened decades after the events they commemorate. The World War II Memorial in Washington, for example, only opened about six years ago, 60 years after the events. The Holocaust Museum in Washington, the same, 30 years after the event.

HOLMES: And I assume you certainly this is one we really, really want to make sure we get it right. So we think next year, we have pretty good confidence, we have a hard opening date for the Ground Zero, the 9/11 Memorial?

GREENWALD: We have a hard opening date for the memorial, which will open on the tenth anniversary of the attack, September 11, 2011. The museum will open one year later, 2012.

HOLMES: Now this is not just going to, I need to remind people of this, we think about September 11th but you're also making sure the victims of the other, the 1993 World Trade Center attack are also remembered. Why was it important to make sure they were in here as well?

GREENWALD: Well, absolutely. You know, ground zero, as we know it, the World Trade Center site, was the site of a terrorist attack in 1993. And we don't want to forget those victims as we commemorate the nearly 3,000 victims of the 9/11 attacks, not only in New York, but at the Pentagon, and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

HOLMES: Ma'am, I thought one part of the plans that I just found so fascinating are that the footprints of the twin towers are going to be used for huge pools. Why was it important to make sure -- you can't help, that's such a powerful image. I can't imagine going by there and I certainly will and we all will. Why was it important to make sure those footprints were actually used?

GREENWALD: Well, that design, the winning design of an international competition, was called Reflecting Absence. And it was the brilliant plan of a young architect by the name of Michael Arad who worked with Peter Walker Partners on the landscape architecture.

The vision was that the World Trade Center site in its heyday was identified by the immense verticality, of those buildings, the sheer height of them. And the pools are really the inverted vertical, the waterfalls drop 30 feet to a reflecting pool. And then the water drops again into a void and disappears.

So we have the absence of what was here. And in the contemplation of the absence we remember those who are gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, we haven't seen it in the headlines as much as of late, but remember the Gulf oil disaster that dominated headlines for months? Well, there is an update for you. There is still work going on, on that well. We'll tell you the update after the break.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Taking a look at some of the stories making headlines this morning.

More work this weekend at the site of that capped oil well that caused the massive leak in the Gulf of Mexico. After installing what they called a lockdown sleeve, BP now plans to start the relief well drilling operations. The relief well, of course, the final step in killing that well.

Also, Iran says it's canceled plans to release American hiker Sarah Shourd because of judicial complications. She was supposed to be released today. She and two other Americans have been held captive in Iran for more than a year now.

Also, investigators trying to find out what caused a gas line to rupture, setting off an explosion and massive fire in San Bruno, California. The fire killed four people including a mother and her 13-year-old daughter. Thirty-seven homes were destroyed. Bring you to Reynolds Wolf now.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: And I think I see her over there, Fredricka Whitfield. There she is. You'll see her in just a moment. Of course she's going to be coming your way at the top of the hour.

We'll check in with her in just a moment. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, the NEWSROOM continues.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: If only you could hear the stuff we talk about before we hit the air, like your road trip.

HOLMES: We should continue that here? The road trip, yes, on the CNN Election Express.

WHITFIELD: Yes, excellent.

HOLMES: Back from that trip. Good to be back here with you guys.

WHITFIELD: Got a little sun tan while you were outside doing all the stand-ups.

HOLMES: Standing outside for seven hours a day would do that to you.

WHITFIELD: Yes. But it was nice to talk to people and get a pulse of what people are thinking.

HOLMES: It is. It can be disheartening and discouraging sometimes, because people are so turned off by the process, I think is what it is.

WHITFIELD: But for the most part, you got a feeling from people that they are taking these elections serious enough that they will go to the polls? Because voter apathy, that is something that is always potentially a problem.

HOLMES: They are. But listen to this. Some of them there said, "Yes, I just vote against the incumbent because I want somebody else to get a chance to be corrupt."

WHITFIELD: Oh gosh.

HOLMES: That still doesn't -- "I'm going to go vote, but, yes, I don't really feel good about anybody I'm voting for" kind of a thing. People just don't --

WHITFIELD: Well, that is discouraging.

HOLMES: It is. But still -- WHITFIELD: OK. There's hope. We've got 50-something days still yet to go.

HOLMES: Yes. Americans are resilient.

WHITFIELD: Minds can be changed.

HOLMES: Hey, don't worry about D.C. They'll take care of themselves a lot of times.

WHITFIELD: Right. Yes.

HOLMES: But hello to you.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Well, that's right. Beginning noon Eastern hour, speaking of resilience, our legal guys are going to joining us, talking about a number of cases that have stemmed from 9/11, including first responders, who are still waiting for Congress to step in and help with their medical problems.

And, of course, we're also going to discuss the fate of the Guantanamo Bay detention center, which, as a reminder, opened soon after 9/11. So, it too is looking at a nine-year marker date just as the nation pays homage to those lives lost on 9/11, on this day.

And then at 2:00 Eastern Time, we're going to have an interesting roundtable discussion about -- well, before that, let's also talk about this young lady here. Her family thought that she might be released. She's one of the hikers they held in Iran. Up until last night, Iran says, no, not going to happen.

We'll update you on the status of those three American hikers that are still being held in Iran and when they might be released and returned home.

Now can we talk about Guantanamo? That's going to be one of the legal cases that we're also going to be discussing.

And then also, at the 2:00 Eastern Time, a roundtable discussion. That's what I was saying, a roundtable discussion we're going to have with some remarkable players who will talk about the tolerance, or perhaps lack thereof, particularly as we have been discovering the growing phenomenon of Islamaphobia.

It's going to be a spirited conversation.

And then 4:00 Eastern Time, U.N. Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie. She'll be talking to our Dr. Sanjay Gupta while in Pakistan, talking about the many victims there of the floods that have continued to ravage that area.

Who are they specifically? What are their life stories? A revealing conversation between Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Angelina Jolie. All coming up 4:00 Eastern Time. And, of course, there's so much more, but you've got to tune in, in order to see the rest. That's just a little taste, a little sample.

HOLMES: And that hiker story really -- you know, there was so much hope that maybe she was going to be able to get out of there. Now also concerns that she might have some health problems --

WHITFIELD: Right.

HOLMES: -- now as well.

WHITFIELD: I know, which really might be a bit revealing as to why she would have been the first of the three, as opposed to all three of them being released at once. That was kind of the feeling, that maybe there were some health concerns, maybe that's why. But now Iran is saying there is a processing problem. They have to go back and look at whatever this process is, whatever the hang-up is.

We're going to try and discover and dig a little deeper later on in the day on that.

HOLMES: Are you going to mention this Koran-burning guy during your hour at all, Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Well, the conversation will be mentioned. I talked to some very interesting journalists who are here in the United States visiting here from abroad -- Israel, South Africa, Sweden. Their newsrooms have been dealing with the same dilemma as CNN and other networks here in terms of how much air time to give the pastor, if that threat were to carry out, do you show the images?

It's an intriguing conversation that you're going to see at 4:00 Eastern Time -- thanks for reminding me of that -- as it pertains to this pastor. But other than that, I think a lot has been said, a lot has been voiced about it, so this, perhaps, conversation will be a little bit more unique than what you have heard.

HOLMES: Let's move beyond now.

WHITFIELD: We're moving forward.

HOLMES: All right. Fredricka, thank you so much. We're going to see you here in just a second.

WHITFIELD: OK.

HOLMES: All right.

Well, the 9/11 families, many of them are deeply divided on the fate of that proposed Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero. And we'll let you hear why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Just a couple of minutes to the top of the hour on this ninth anniversary of 9/11.

As you know, a debate is raging on over plans to build an Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero. The issue is especially emotional for the 9/11 families, many of whom view this controversy from very different perspectives.

CNN Senior Correspondent Allan Chernoff reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALEEN TALLON, SISTER OF 9/11 VICTIM: It's not a small mosque. It's not far from the site. It's right on top of where they were murdered.

ROBERT NELSON, BROTHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: But in my mind, this mosque is actually a good thing. I mean, we cannot fight all billion Muslims in the world.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Robert Nelson and Rosaleen Tallon share a deep pain here at the World Trade Center site, where both lost a brother in the attack nine years ago. Yet they split sharply over the planned Islamic community center that would include a mosque two blocks from here.

Robert lost his brother David, who worked in Tower One, yet he argues Muslims should be able to build a community center here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have we forgotten what happened at 9/11?

CHERNOFF: He fears opponents of the plan, including many 9/11 families, are threatening the civil rights of Muslims.

NELSON: They are being hounded out. They're being shouted down. And that's just not what America should stand for.

TALLON: Imagine -- but imagine -- I would shout from the top of any tower to protect my city. I want to make sure that $100 million isn't coming from Saudi Arabia or coming from the very hands that funded the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

CHERNOFF: Rosaleen Tallon lost her brother Sean (ph), a firefighter who was based across the street in this firehouse. She says she knows Sean (ph) would want her to speak out to defend the area that, in effect, became his gravesite, and she emphatically states she is doing so without any bias against Muslims.

TALLON: It's not against the Muslim people, but it's a sensitivity that putting a mosque here, where perhaps there may be some people sympathetic to what the terrorists did that day, that is not acceptable to me.

CHERNOFF (on camera): So when you hear them say, well, this is a community center, it's open to everybody, that doesn't do it for you?

TALLON: At the end of the day though, it's an Islamic cultural center with a mosque. It's a big center, and it will bring lots and lots of Muslim people gathered here so close to Ground Zero.

CHERNOFF (voice-over): Americans who have shared unimaginable pain, who have cried on others' shoulders, now, in some cases, are at odds over the nation's latest controversy, an Islamic center near the site of their tragic loss.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)