Updated September 11, 2026, 8:46 AM EDT By NBC News America marks 25 years since the historic attacks. What to know: Ceremonies are planned in lower Manhattan, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to commemorate the 3,000 lives lost in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. This year's ceremony will include a moment of silence for those who have died of illnesses in the aftermath of the attacks. Today and NBC News will carry special coverage of the ceremonies throughout the day. 9m ago / 8:46 AM EDTVice President JD Vance arrives at Manhattan ceremonyVice President JD Vance was seen at the ceremony greeting former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who had been speaking with former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also approached the group of four to chat. Also attending the ceremony are Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York Attorney General Letitia James, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. 11m ago / 8:43 AM EDTNYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Mayor Bill de Blasio attend Manhattan ceremonyNew York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was seen earlier in the crowd at the memorial ceremony talking with former Mayor Bill de Blasio. Ceremonies to honor the 3,000 lives lost are planned in lower Manhattan, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa.15m ago / 8:39 AM EDTBarack and Michelle Obama share statement remembering 9/11Former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama shared a statement remembering Sept. 11, 2001. The former president is set to appear at the Ground Zero ceremony today. "If you were young in 2001, or weren’t even born yet, it can be hard to imagine what 9/11 felt like. The shock of that beautiful, cloudless morning. The heartbreak of the families whose loved ones were taken with such swiftness and cruelty. The realization that the forces of malevolence and violence were closer, and the future less certain, than we knew," the statement began. "But in the days that followed, we felt something else, too," it continued. "Pride in the rescue workers who had rushed to the scene, and the passengers who had stormed the cockpit. Admiration for the men and women who left behind lives of comfort to serve their country. A deep resolve that nothing would break the will of a truly United States of America." The statement went on to say that the Obamas are "remembering those we lost that day and those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the wars that followed." It also offered prayers for the families who lost loved ones that day. "And we hope Americans everywhere remember the true lesson of 9/11: that we can survive even our darkest days as long as we move forward as one nation and one people."31m ago / 8:23 AM EDTU.S. marking 25 years since 9/11 with ceremonies in New York and WashingtonAll four living former U.S. presidents will be at Ground Zero today to honor the lives lost on 9/11 and to remember the tragedy that struck the country 25 years ago. Vice President J.D. Vance will also be at Ground Zero, and President Trump will be marking the anniversary in Washington at the Pentagon. Nearly 3,000 victims will be remembered today. Also to be honored are those who have died since 9/11 after inhaling the toxic debris at Ground Zero that day. More than 9,000 deaths due to cancer and respiratory disease are linked to 9/11. 43m ago / 8:11 AM EDTPentagon tributes already underwayEvents at the Pentagon today began at sunrise, with the unrolling of an American flag on the side of the building — just like when the building was attacked 25 years ago. A series of tributes is expected, including a moment of silence at 9:37 a.m., which is the moment the Pentagon was struck a quarter-century ago. The names of the 9/11 victims will also be read. President Trump is also expected to speak at the event. 54m ago / 8:00 AM EDT Melania Trump shares message of remembrance on social media First Lady Melania Trump shared a message to honor those who lost loved ones on Sept. 11, 2001. "To those who lost loved ones, dreams, and hope on September 11, I know today marks only one day in an immeasurable void," she wrote on X. "September 11 froze time and left profound grief. Yet the depth of your loss speaks to the depth of the love that came before it."The First Lady added: "May you find light in the love you shared—and strength in the memories that time can never take away."2h ago / 7:43 AM EDTMayor Mamdani urges New Yorkers to uniteNew York Mayor Zohran Mamdani called 9/11 a day of "immeasurable loss," and spoke of the "universes gone in an instant," referring to the dead. In a video address posted online, he urged New Yorkers to "build a city worthy of their courage."Mamdani praised those who, after the tragedy, rushed to save lives, donated blood, and opened their homes to strangers. "We have a sacred obligation to those who were stolen from us to care for one another," he added.2h ago / 7:26 AM EDTSole 9/11 'triple survivor' reflects on attack 25 years laterDr. Gordon Huie is the only recorded “triple survivor” of 9/11 — losing his sister after barely making it out of the World Trade Center himself. Huie speaks with NBC News to recount that harrowing day, not only as a survivor but also as a doctor treating patients at Ground Zero.2h ago / 7:03 AM EDTFrench president pays tribute on anniversary French President Emmanuel Macron said September 11, 2001, "remains etched in the world’s memory," as he shared his country's condolences on Friday."We do not forget the lives cut short, nor the courage of those who risked everything to bring aid," he wrote in a post on X. "To the victims, the families, the American people, I express France’s tribute and its brotherhood."3h ago / 6:39 AM EDTU.K. stands with U.S. 'in memory of those we lost,' says prime minister Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham offered his condolences on Friday, noting that "time may pass, but I know the grief is still felt just as deeply today."He also paid his respects to the 67 Britons killed, stating that "terror still knocks on the door of democracy, but the United Kingdom and the United States stand together in memory of those we lost, and in defense of the values we cherish."3h ago / 6:20 AM EDTSons of 9/11 firefighter grew up to carry on their father's legacyTwenty-five years after losing their father — FDNY firefighter Frank Palombo — on 9/11, the Palombo family reflects on grief, community support and a legacy carried forward. 3h ago / 5:57 AM EDTA ceremony to honor victims of 9/11 and the World Trade Center bombing of 1993The National September 11 Memorial and Museum commemoration at Ground Zero in New York this morning will center on the victims of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, as well as the World Trade Center bombing in 1993. During the ceremony, the names of all 2,983 fallen will all be read by family members of victims. Each year since 2001, six moments of silence were observed at the times each of the World Trade Center towers was struck and fell, the times corresponding to the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93. This year, a seventh moment of silence will honor the thousands of people who have died from 9/11-related illnesses or injuries in the years since the attacks.While former presidents, members of Congress, current White House officials will attend, political figures are traditionally asked not to make any speeches at the ceremony.3h ago / 5:57 AM EDTHillary Clinton warns the U.S. has let its guard down on terrorismFormer Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Thursday that the Trump administration isn’t doing enough to monitor and thwart terrorists who still pose a threat to the U.S., 25 years after the 9/11 attacks.“I worry a lot that we’ve let down our guard on counterterrorism, and I don’t say this to scare anybody or to exaggerate, but I think we are not paying enough attention to resurgent terrorist actions,” Clinton said in an interview with NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell at the VOICES 25th Anniversary Symposium, an event reflecting on the attacks.Clinton, who was a U.S. senator from New York on 9/11, said that there have been many “close calls” with terrorist plots in the ensuing quarter century and some that succeeded.“The threat did not go away — it receded — but it is still there, and there are still many thousands of extremists in the world who wish us a great deal of ill,” she said. Clinton argued that the U.S. needs to overcome its internal divisions and confront threats from both nation-state adversaries, like Russia, China and Iran, and nonstate adversaries, like terrorist groups.For more, read the full story here. 3h ago / 5:57 AM EDTA massive American flag will be unfurled from the PentagonThe Pentagon, where 184 people were killed when the defense building was attacked, will stage the first official ceremony of the day with a large American flag being unfurled against the side of the building at 6:46 a.m. The tradition began when a group of first responders and soldiers unfurled a massive American flag in the same fashion on Sept. 12, 2001. 0NBC NewsNBC News