September 26, 2001 Diary: America Responds

click for more

Trucks pose 'clear and present danger'
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft warned Tuesday there was a "clear and present danger" of additional terrorist attacks that could include trucks carrying hazardous chemicals. About 20 people have been charged with trying to obtain fraudulent licenses to drive tankers, officials said.

Consumer confidence plunges
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Consumer confidence plunged in September to its lowest level in six years as the terrorist attacks added to Americans' concerns about the already frail U.S. economy, the Conference Board said Tuesday.

Nuclear plant security hits unprecedented levels
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
For decades, security at the nation's nuclear power reactors has focused on commando raids, internal sabotage or possibly a truck bomb. Since the World Trade Center attack, the plants have been put on unprecedented alert.

Long struggle ahead
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
The Pentagon ordered 2,000 more reservists to duty Tuesday as President Bush weighed putting more armed guards on airliners and strengthening cockpit doors against potential hijackers. In a diplomatic victory for the United States, Saudi Arabia cut ties to the terrorist-harboring Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Threat centers U.S. efforts
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
By Jim Hoagland
Washington Post Writers Group

To defeat terrorism with a global reach, President Bush and his congressional allies must go against the tide of recent history and their own instincts. They will have to return government closer to the center of American life, not whittle away further at its powers and funding.

Stocks end session with small gain
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Stock prices fluctuated but still showed signs of stability Tuesday as investors looked for bargains after last week's precipitous drop. The major indexes closed modestly higher, having withstood waves of profit-taking from Monday's big rally. Analysts noted that just holding steady was good, given stocks' recent volatility.

Virginia man with link to hijacker ordered held without bond
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
(Updated Wednesday at 12:51 p.m.) A Virginia man whose name and phone number were found in a car registered to one of the 19 suspected hijackers was ordered held without bond Wednesday. A prosecutor described him as an essential witness and "he may be more."

FAA fines few airlines for security lapses
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Federal inspectors who uncovered lapses in airport security over the last decade proposed fines in just one-quarter of the cases, a record critics say underscores weaknesses in oversight of the system that protects the nation's air travelers.

Last of standing ruins removed
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Workers Tuesday began removing the last standing piece of the World Trade Center towers — a seven-story twisted metal ruin that has come to symbolize the terrorist attacks — and saving it for possible use in a memorial.

Officials across Europe freeze terrorist assets
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Already under pressure to purge bank vaults of deposits from dictators and criminals, European officials said Tuesday they were stepping up efforts to cut off money supplies to terrorists as part of the international response to the attacks in the United States.

Mideastern-looking passengers cite discrimination
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Vahid "Tony" Zohrehvandi was seated on an American Airlines flight last Friday when he suddenly was ordered off the plane. He says the reason he was given: The pilot was uncomfortable with him as a passenger.

Confront terrorism without war, speaker urges
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
By Mindie Paget

Many people have said America will never be the same after the devastating Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. It shouldn't be the same, said Douglas Kellner, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, during a lecture Tuesday at Kansas University.

Salt Lake security on alert
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Alert to the threat of bioterrorism, Olympic security officers will be monitoring the state's airspace and water treatment systems during the Winter Games. But carrying out a biological attack will not be easy, according to scientists familiar with chemical and biological weapons.

Bush considers tougher airport security measures
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
(Updated Wednesday at 12:51 p.m.) President Bush plans to push for sweeping changes in airport security, including armed officers on almost every flight, as the Justice Department warns that terrorists may be plotting more destruction.

Military campaign renamed
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Moving Tuesday to avoid alienating its Islamic partners, the Pentagon changed the code name of the coming military campaign to "Operation Enduring Freedom." Defense commanders stepped up preparations for war, calling another 2,000 reservists to active duty, bringing the total to about 14,000.

Civility still a core value on campus
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
By Gene A. Budig

The job of being a college or university president in the United States became far more difficult on Sept. 11, 2001. It was on that day, the most deadly on our soil since the Civil War, that a band of terrorists leveled the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York and inflicted heavy damage on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

Music helps interpret events
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
By E.R. Shipp
New York Daily News

At times of great crisis, we turn to touchstones: rituals, icons (from Muhammad Ali to Walter Cronkite), historic comparisons (Vietnam and World War II) and, more than anything else, popular culture. We do this to articulate what it all means.

Laws guide attack response
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
By Mike Hoeflich

I was sitting in my office on the morning of Sept. 11 when a colleague rushed in to tell me of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Like the rest of America and most of the world I have spent the time since trying to understand what happened and why it happened and what can be done about it.

Conflict to be costly for global economy
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Rarely in the history of conflict have such high costs added up so quickly. Just two weeks after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., airlines plan more than 80,000 layoffs, the world appears poised for recession and some congressional estimates say the United States could need an additional $100 billion for the war against terror and related costs.

6News report: More countries joining fight against terrorism
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Josh Garber reports on the meetings between world leaders to discuss the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Crews work through night to demolish rest of Trade Center
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
(Web Posted Wednesday at 7:47 a.m.) Emergency crews worked through the night to dismantle a seven-story fragment of metal facade, all that remained standing of the World Trade Center and one of the most photographed scenes of the destruction.

Stocks fall amid nervous profit-taking
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
(Updated Wednesday at 3:53 p.m.) Stocks fell back Wednesday as investors, wary about the economy and awaiting the U.S. response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, collected profits after Wall Street's two-day advance.

World briefs
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
• Washington, D.C.: Mail returning to jetliners
• Washington, D.C.: Red Cross announces grants
• New York City: Humorous paper returns 

6News report: More help from KU students
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Kim Hall reports on the KU greek community trying to raise money for the rescue effort in New York City.

6News report: Afghan problems mounting
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Josh Garber reports on the increasing problems in Afghanistan.

6News report: More attacks possible
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Josh Garber reports on the possibility of more terrorist attacks.

Sense of humanity
Wednesday, September 26, 2001