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CNN Live Event/Special

America Under Attack:

Aired September 13, 2001 - 03:45   ET

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

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN ANCHOR: The disruption caused by the attacks has affected a number of events. The United Nations has postponed a World Children's Summit in New York City next week. A question mark hangs over the scheduled World Bank/IMF meeting in Washington. And Sweden has canceled a weekend summit of 14 heads of state.

Sports have also been affected. Major league baseball games were canceled Wednesday and will be Thursday, as well. While in Europe, we had cup football matches were called off as a sign of respect. Doubts also hang over the Ryder Cup, which is scheduled to get underway in England at the end of the month. Several golfers advocate that the event be postponed.

And for the most part, the U.S. government was open for business Wednesday, as Brooks Jackson tells us. For many government agencies, it was hardly business as usual.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKS JACKSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The mail was moving on the day after but more slowly. Planes were still grounded. The postal service scrambled to ship more mail by truck and train. It was like that throughout the federal government, which was struggling back to normal after being all but shut down Tuesday by the terrorist attack.

REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: The prayer will be offered today by our chaplain.

JACKSON: The House reconvened a day after the capital had been evacuated.

FATHER DANIEL COUGHLIN, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CHAPLAIN: We mourn our dead and reach out with prayer and acts of compassion to all those families splattered with blood.

JACKSON: The Senate reconvened also.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Senate will be in order.

JACKSON: But little business was done. The day was devoted mainly to denouncing terrorism. Several committee hearings were canceled. Outside Washington, the humdrum business of government ground on. Social Security offices were open mostly, although 43 in and around New York City were closed for the day. Federal storm trackers kept tab on Hurricane Erin in the Atlantic and Tropical Storm Felix, neither a threat to U.S. shores.

Agriculture Department officials continue to monitor western wildfires, two new fires, two old ones contained, a light day. Good thing because two teams were sent to deal with the unnatural flames in New York and Washington.

In Washington, where federal workers had been sent home the day before, about half showed up for work at the Department of Transportation, a typical agency. Many parents stayed home because schools were still paused.

(on camera): In the midst of all this, the postal service announced it would seek a three cent increase in the price of a first class postage stamp, big news in normal times, which these are not.

Brooks Jackson, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MANN: The International Space Station's three-man crew caught a frightening view of the destruction, smoke from the World Trade Center clearly visible from the space station, more than 200 miles in orbit. As the station passed over North America, the crew commander used a camcorder to film the aftermath.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CDR. FRANK CULBERTSON, INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (voice-over): We can see New York City and the smoke from the fires. Our prayers and thoughts go out to all the people there and just wanted the folks of New York to know that their city still looks very beautiful in outer space. I know it's very difficult for everybody in America right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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