Remembering 25th Anniversary of September 11th Attacks – “The Sunday Political Brunch” – September 13, 2026

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – It’s hard to believe we are marking 25 years since the horrible terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. I’ve lived all over the country in my lifetime, but over the past 25 years, I've lived in California, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Florida. I have perspective from many viewpoints. Let’s “brunch” on that and more.

“Where Were You?” – We all remember where we were for major historic events. I can tell you in vivid detail where I was during President Kennedy’s assassination, his brother Bobby’s assassination, and that of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Add to that the first moon landing and the Shuttle Challenger disaster. Searing memories. But September 11^th was like no other. The day after, I told a co-worker, “I remember how much my parents always talked about the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, 18 years before I was born. Now, I get it. September 11^th was my era’s Pearl Harbor.”

“On the Air” – It was 5:46 am Pacific Time, and I was anchoring the KTVU-TV2 Morning News in the San Francisco market. In our earpieces, our producer said, “Toss to network in New York, a plane has just hit the World Trade Center.” With the flick of one button, we had the live picture from New York of the smoldering tower. With very little information to go on, I mentioned an incident in the early 1960s of a small private plane crashing into the Empire State Building. NYC is a busy airspace, so was this just a repeat accident? But at 6:03 am PDT, a jet aircraft hit the second twin tower, and we realized this was a deliberate attack. This was no accident.

“The Time-Line Stood Still” – We were in shock. Our jaws were on the floor. They teach us (or at least try) in journalism school not to get emotionally invested in stories. You’re there to report on the facts, opinions, and events. You’re not there to let your personal feelings get involved; you’re there to simply cover the news. To which I say, baloney! We’re human beings, not robots. By the time our newscast ended, both twin towers had collapsed, and a plane crashed into the Pentagon. As soon as our newscast ended, our News Director Andrew Finlayson called us into his office, where my co-anchor, Pam Cook, simply burst into tears and was inconsolable for several minutes. I, like I often do, just bottled up my emotions and bit my tongue.

“When the Dam Burst” – The 9-11 attacks happened on a Tuesday. I worked 12-to-16 hours a day for the next five days. I was outraged and hurt, but just bottled the emotion and focused on my job. Then on Sunday we attended worship services at Community Presbyterian Church in Danville, California, where we lived. Our then-Pastor Scott Farmer spoke of the attacks and how our faith responds. He then asked everyone who served in the military, past and present, to stand, and they were met with rousing applause. Then he asked anyone who ever served in law enforcement, fire, or emergency services to stand. Since I worked in a suburban Milwaukee police department as a civilian employee for four years, I proudly stood with others to applause. When I sat down, I burst into tears. It was maybe the best (and worst) cry I’ve ever had in my life.

“My Connections to Flight 93” – After the two planes hit the twin towers, another jet crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. And then came reports that a fourth hijacked plane mysteriously crashed in rural Pennsylvania. We would soon learn that United Flight 93 was on a nonstop route from Newark to San Francisco. Some of our fellow Bay Area residents were on board. The information was coming in dribs and drabs, but we soon found out the hijacked plane had turned around and was headed to Washington, DC, with the White House and U.S. Capitol as the likely targets. The plane had taken off late due to airport delays and was not in the air that long when passengers learned from family members via phone calls about the other three hijackings and crashes. It was then that passengers Mark Bingham, Tom Burnett, Todd Beamer, and Jeremy Glick plotted to retake the cockpit from the hijackers. In trying to keep control of the plane during the fist fight, the terrorists turned the plane upside down and crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all on board, but the brave passengers spared the nation a worse catastrophe.

“A Tribute to Those American Heroes” – Since Flight 93 was headed to San Francisco, I later had the occasion to interview several of the heroes’ family members. Tom Burnett’s wife, Deena, became a regular guest on our shows, and I interviewed her often. I also interviewed Alice Hoagland, a flight attendant and Mark Bingham's mother. At 6 feet two inches and 250 pounds of solid muscle, Mark was a tough college all-star rugby player at the University of California, Berkeley. I’m sure he fought like hell, taking out the hijackers. I also interviewed the late pilot’s mom after a local school was named in his honor. These were American heroes. Ordinary people called to do extraordinary things. I did not know Todd Beamer’s family, as they lived in the New York area. But he was the one who gave the famous command, “Let’s roll!” right before they busted down the cockpit door. It became the national rallying cry. Other passengers joined the fight, and even the flight attendants made scalding hot water to throw on the hijackers. In all, 33 passengers and 7 crew members died. But oh, their bravery will never be forgotten. Their names are on the National Park Service monument now up in Shanksville.

“Congress Sings ‘God Bless America’” – Five years ago I spoke with U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R) West Virginia on the 20^th anniversary. On September 11, 2001, she was a freshman, serving in her ninth month in the U.S. House. She fled her office to a secure shelter. Later, she would defiantly return to the Capitol in a bipartisan group on the Capitol steps. “We were called to come to the Capitol, I think at 7 o’clock that evening. And I must admit, I thought to myself, ‘Are we setting ourselves up for something that’s an unsafe situation?’ But I decided in my great wisdom that I would never regret to go to the Capitol that day. And the Speaker and the Majority Leader of the Senate spoke, and we just started spontaneously singing, ‘God Bless America.’ It was a very powerful moment, very uplifting. I think we wanted the country to see that we’re going to face this challenge. We’re going to be strong and care for each other… it was a great moment for the country to see us all there.”

“Will Afghanistan Return to Pre-911 Levels?” – There are many critics of the 2021 U.S. pullout from Afghanistan from both sides of the aisle. Some believe the Taliban will create a safe-haven for terrorists as it did for Al-Qaeda before, during, and after the 9-11 attacks. Will history repeat itself?“We're going back to pre-9/11 right now, but it's worse. It's worse because now they're fully armed with our weapons, our helicopters and pallets of our cash,” said Rep. Michael McCaul (R) Texas, the Ranking Member on the House Intelligence Committee. Democrats say much of the equipment left behind was disabled and software was wiped clean. So far, a repeat attack has not happened, but I worry.

“The Political Week in Headlines” – The Iran War escalated even more this week, with the U.S. saying it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers. In turn, Houthi rebels who support Iran claim they have taken control of a major Gulf oil shipping site in Yemen. Financial markets were not happy with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping more than 300 points Thursday. The average price of a barrel of oil is $103, up $12 from last week. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $4.22, up seven cents over last week. But where I live in Florida, gas has risen 30 cents in the last week, and diesel is now at an all-time U.S. high.

“GOP Midterm Convention” – President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and hundreds of other elected leaders and thousands of state delegates held a Midterm Republican National Convention in Dallas last week. That has never been done before. It’s a pep rally to try to convince Americans to vote Republican in the midterms, but given the gas prices alone, that may be a tough sell just seven weeks before Election Day. Democrats need to gain four seats to control the U.S. Senate and five to take control of the House. It’s within their reach.

“The $5,000 Pitch” – In a last-ditch appeal to voters, President Trump is promising a $5,000 check for every adult American if they keep a Republican majority in both Houses of Congress. He said, “If the Republicans win, you win with us, and you get $5,000.” He added, “It will be called the Trump Dividend.” Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are skeptical. Rep. Robert Garcia (D) California said, "Donald Trump is a known liar. This is the biggest liar to ever serve in government. Period." But Rep. Jim Walberg (R) Michigan said, “If it can be done, the American taxpayer deserves the benefit of having more in their pocket than the government." The estimated cost is $1.23 trillion, with the deficit already above $40 trillion.

What are your thoughts post 9-11 on this 25^th anniversary? And how about these proposed $5,000 checks? Just click the comment button and let us know!

Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is a South Florida-based political writer and analyst who has covered news and politics nationwide for the past 50 years. He is a multiple award winner, including two prestigious Edward R. Murrow Awards. For ten years, he was the Chief Political Reporter for seven Nexstar Media TV stations, covering the Washington DC media market, West Virginia, and its five neighboring states. Curtis is a former Congressional Fellow who worked in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Over the years, he has been a contributing writer and analyst at Patch.com. His commentary and analysis air every Friday at 1:45 p.m. ET on the 22-station West Virginia Metro News Radio Network. www.WVMetroNews.com.

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