The 25th anniversary of 9/11

The United States marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on September 11 with ceremonies at the World Trade Center site, the Pentagon and the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. President Trump led the Pentagon commemoration, telling attendees 'we will never, ever forget' and explicitly linking the post-9/11 'war on terror' to his ongoing conflict with Iran, vowing the country 'will never, ever have a nuclear weapon.' Vice President JD Vance joined all four living former presidents -- George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden -- and their spouses at the New York ceremony, where the nearly 3,000 names of the dead were read aloud over roughly four hours; a seventh commemorative bell was rung for the first time to honor the more than three times as many people who have since died from 9/11-related illnesses. 9/11 Families United chairperson Terry Strada used her remarks to criticize the lack of accountability for Saudi Arabia's alleged role, since most hijackers were Saudi nationals, though the 2004 9/11 Commission found no evidence the Saudi government or senior officials had funded al-Qaeda.

Commemorations extended internationally and into sports: a ceremony was held at Buckingham Palace attended by UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and US Ambassador Warren Stephens, while in Gander, Newfoundland -- which sheltered thousands of stranded passengers from 38 diverted flights in 2001 -- US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra's remarks drew both applause and a pointed rebuke from former Canadian PM Jean Chretien amid ongoing US-Canada trade tensions. Major League Baseball teams held tribute caps and moments of silence, with the Yankees and Mets honoring first responders at Yankee Stadium, while Boston College and Rutgers played a special commemorative college football game honoring alumni lost in the attacks, including Boston College's Welles Crowther, posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom days earlier.