US remembers 9/11 as pandemic changes tribute traditions

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans are commemorating 9/11 with tributes that have been altered by coronavirus precautions and woven into the presidential campaign, drawing both President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden to pay respects at the same memorial without crossing paths.

In New York, victims' relatives began gathering Friday morning for split-screen remembrances, one at the Sept. 11 memorial plaza at the World Trade Center and another on a nearby corner, set up by a separate 9/11-related organization.

The Stephen Siller Tunnels to Towers Foundation objected to the memorial’s decision to forgo a longstanding tradition of having relatives read the names of the dead, often adding poignant tributes. Memorial leaders said the change for the 19th anniversary of the attacks was a coronavirus-safety precaution.

Kathy Swift arrived early at the alternative ceremony, wearing a T-shirt honoring her slain brother, Thomas Swift, who worked in finance.

“We still have to remember,” said Swift, 61. “The whole country’s going downhill. It’s one thing after another, and now with the COVID. I’m glad they’re still having this, though.”

Trump and Biden are both headed — at different times — to the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Trump is speaking at the morning ceremony, the White House said. Biden plans to pay respects there in the afternoon after attending the observance at the 9/11 memorial in New York.

Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence is also due at ground zero — and then at the Tunnel to Towers Foundation ceremony, where he and his wife, Karen, are to read Bible passages.

In short, the anniversary of 9/11 is a complicated occasion in a maelstrom of a year, as the U.S. grapples with a health crisis, searches its soul over racial injustice and prepares to choose a leader to chart a path forward.

Still, 9/11 families say it’s important for the nation to pause and remember the hijacked-plane attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people at the trade center, at the Pentagon in Washington and near Shanksville on Sept. 11, 2001, shaping American policy, perceptions of safety and daily life in places from airports to office buildings.

Friday will mark Trump’s second time observing the 9/11 anniversary at the Flight 93 memorial, where he made remarks in 2018. Biden spoke at the memorial’s dedication in 2011, when he was vice president.

The ground zero ceremony in New York has a longstanding custom of not allowing politicians to speak, though they can attend. Biden did so as vice president in 2010, and Trump as a candidate in 2016.

Although the candidates will be focused on the commemorations, the political significance of their focus on Shanksville is hard to ignore: Pennsylvania is a must-win state for both. Trump won it by less than a percentage point in 2016.

Around the country, some communities have canceled 9/11 commemorations because of the pandemic, while others are going ahead, sometimes with modifications.

The Pentagon’s observance will be so restricted that not even victims' families can attend, though small groups can visit the memorial there later in the day.

At the New York memorial, thousands of family members are still invited. But they’ll hear a recording of the names from speakers spread around the vast plaza, a plan that memorial leaders felt would avoid close contact at a stage but still allow families to remember their loved ones at the place where they died.

But some victims' relatives felt the change robbed the observance of its emotional impact. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation arranged its own, simultaneous ceremony a few blocks away, saying there’s no reason that people can’t recite names while keeping a safe distance.

The two organizations also tussled over the Tribute in Light, a pair of powerful beams that shine into the night sky near the trade center and evoke its fallen twin towers. The 9/11 memorial initially canceled the display, citing virus-safety concerns for the installation crew. After the Tunnel to Towers Foundation vowed to put up the lights instead, the memorial changed course with help from its chairman, former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Tunnel to Towers, meanwhile, arranged to display single beams for the first time at the Shanksville memorial and the Pentagon.

Over the years, the anniversary also has become a day for volunteering. Because of the pandemic, the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance organization is encouraging people this year to make donations or take other actions that can be accomplished at home.

8:46 a.m.

NEW YORK — The chime of a bell at the World Trade Center memorial plaza has signaled the start of commemorations of the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

New York is observing a citywide moment of silence to mark the moment a hijacked plane struck the Trade Center’s north tower.

Five more moments of silence will follow in the ceremony. They recognize the moments when other aircraft struck the second tower, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field, and when each Trade Center tower collapsed.

A dispute over coronavirus precautions means there are two commemorations in New York Friday.

At the official ceremony on the memorial plaza, organizers concerned about bringing too many people together are playing a recording of people reading the names of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks.

At a simultaneous ceremony up the street, loved ones will continue the tradition of having those names read in person.

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8:25 a.m.

WASHINGTON — Vowing to never forget the nearly 3,000 people who died on 9/11, President Donald Trump headed on Friday to Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

His Democratic challenger Joe Biden was traveling to New York, saying that he will be taking a break from politics to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Trump tweeted that the United States is honoring a commitment made in 2001 to always remember the nearly 3,000 “innocent Americans who were senselessly killed.”

Biden told reporters before boarding a plane in Wilmington, Delaware, headed for New York that his campaign has taken its advertising down and won’t be holding any press conferences. The former vice president plans to visit Shanksville later in the afternoon.

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8:25 a.m.

NEW YORK — Kathy Swift, 61, arrived early to the Tunnel to Towers ceremony.

Swift, of Jersey City, wore a T-shirt honoring her brother Thomas Swift, who was 30 and working for Morgan Stanley when he died in the South Tower.

A dispute over coronavirus-safety precautions is leading to two simultaneous remembrances Friday, one at the Sept. 11 memorial plaza at the World Trade Center and another on a nearby corner, held by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Another brother, Patrick Swift, will be among the readers.

“We’ve still gotta come,” Kathy Swift said. “We still have to remember ... The whole country’s going downhill. It’s one thing after another, and now with the COVID. I’m glad they’re still having this, though, Tunnel to Towers."

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1:30 a.m.

On the anniversary of 9/11, Bernard Kerik, Former NYPD Commissioner and a member of the Advisory Board of Donald J. Trump For President Inc., issued the following statement on behalf of the Campaign:

“Today we honor the memories of the nearly 3,000 Americans who perished on September 11, 2001 at the hands of radical Islamic terrorists. Those Americans will be forever remembered. Nor shall we forget the extraordinary heroism of our first responders and the ordinary Americans who gave everything to save others on that terrible day. We are also eternally grateful to the brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives in defense of our freedom and flag since then.”

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1 a.m.

Americans are set to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks with tributes altered by the coronavirus.

President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden both plan to visit the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania Friday, though not at the same time.

In New York, a dispute over coronavirus precautions is leading to separate remembrances.

The National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum cancelled its tradition of having relatives read the names of the dead aloud. It will offer a recording instead to those gathered at the World Trade Center site.

Some victims’ relatives felt the change robbed the observance of its emotional impact. A different 9/11 group, the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, set up a simultaneous ceremony.

Vice President Mike Pence plans to attend both events. Biden will also attend the main New York observance before heading to Pennsylvania.