Release

CBS NEWS AND STATIONS WILL DELIVER IN-DEPTH COVERAGE TO MARK THE 20th ANNIVERSARY OF SEPT. 11, 2001

CBS NEWS’ COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE AROUND THE 9/11 ANNIVERSARY WILL BE FEATURED ON ALL CBS NEWS BROADCASTS AND PLATFORMS, ON CBSN, PARAMOUNT + AND CBS OWNED STATIONS

CBS NEWS STUDIOS WILL PRESENT A DOCUMENTARY ON PARAMOUNT +, “THE 26th STREET GARAGE: THE FBI’S UNTOLD STORY OF 9/11,” STREAMING ON THURSDAY, SEPT. 9

CBS NEWS WILL PRESENT A TWO-HOUR PRIMETIME DOCUMENTARY SPECIAL ON FRIDAY, SEPT. 10 AT 8:00 PM, ET, GOING INSIDE THE CIA AND THE RACE AGAINST TIME TO GET OSAMA BIN LADEN

CBS STATIONS’ EXTENSIVE COVERAGE WILL INCLUDE LIVE WCBS-TV AND CBSN NEW YORK NEWSCASTS FROM GROUND ZERO ALL DAY FRIDAY, SEPT. 10, AND A ONE-HOUR SPECIAL THAT EVENING AT 7:00 PM, ET

NORAH O’DONNELL WILL ANCHOR A CBS NEWS SPECIAL REPORT, “9/11: 20 YEARS LATER,” FROM GROUND ZERO ON SATURDAY, SEPT. 11, BEGINNING AT 8:30 AM, ET

“60 MINUTES” ON SUNDAY, SEPT. 12 WILL FEATURE THE HEROISM OF 9/11, WITH FDNY FIREFIGHTERS REMEMBERING THEIR BRAVE COMRADES WHO DIED

CBS News and Stations will deliver in-depth, multiplatform coverage to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, with poignant reporting and storytelling on the day that forever changed America. Leading up to and on Sept. 11, CBS News anchors and correspondents will report from Ground Zero in New York City; the Pentagon; the site of the crash of Flight 93 near Shanksville, Penn.; and they will provide the latest reporting on Afghanistan, as chaos and conflict ensues there after the U.S. troop withdrawal. CBS News’ coverage will include unique insight from the team of CBS News journalists who reported on 9/11, as the country mourned and lived through the aftershock of the attacks, and extensively covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

CBS News broadcasts and platforms, including a CBS News Special Report on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 11; CBSN, CBS News’ 24/7 streaming news service; 60 MINUTES; the CBS EVENING NEWS with NORAH O’DONNELL; CBS MORNINGS; CBS THIS MORNING: SATURDAY; CBS SUNDAY MORNING; FACE THE NATION; the CBS WEEKEND NEWS; CBS News Radio; the CBS News Polling Unit; and CBS Newspath will deliver original reporting around the anniversary.

On Thursday, Sept. 9, Paramount+, the streaming service from ViacomCBS, will stream THE 26th STREET GARAGE: THE FBI’S UNTOLD STORY. Narrated by critically acclaimed actor Tom Selleck, who plays New York’s police commissioner on CBS’ long-running drama BLUE BLOODS, THE 26th STREET GARAGE: THE FBI’S UNTOLD STORY features the story of how, in the desperate moments after the 9/11 attacks, the FBI was forced to evacuate its New York headquarters, and with no resources transformed its parking garage into a new command center. There, the agents tackled disturbing questions, such as: Could the attacks have been prevented? But within hours, from the 26th Street garage, agents launched the FBI’s most complex and important investigation in U.S. history. In the days that followed, they rewrote the rules for counter-terrorism operations forever. This is a co-production with Efran Films, and the realization of a two-year effort by retired FBI special agent Anne Beagan and television veteran Craig Turk. 

On Friday, Sept. 10, CBS News will present a two-hour primetime documentary special, RACE AGAINST TIME: THE CIA AND 9/11, at 8:00 PM, ET, on the CBS Television Network. The special will feature interviews from the top officials and elite operatives inside the CIA, who give haunting first-person accounts of their efforts to warn the United States about the potential of a cataclysmic attack orchestrated by Osama bin Laden. Sept. 11, 2001 marked the greatest failure in the history of the nation’s premiere spy agency, but also sparked what became its greatest success, helping find Bin Laden. For the spies inside the CIA, it was a race against time to get Bin Laden, and that race began long before 9/11 and ended long after. Emerging from the top-secret corridors of Langley and covert operations in faraway places, they come to tell their story – many for the first time. Mitch Weitzner is the executive producer. Sasha Reuther is the senior producer. Josh Gaynor and Beein Gim are the producers. Danielle Levy and Emily Wichick are the coordinating producers. 

On Saturday, Sept. 11, CBS News and Stations will deliver comprehensive coverage of ceremonies across the nation marking the solemn day. CBS EVENING NEWS anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell will anchor a live CBS News Special Report, 9/11: 20 YEARS LATER, beginning at 8:30 AM, ET, from Ground Zero. She will be joined by CBS News chief political analyst and senior national correspondent John Dickerson in lower Manhattan; national security correspondent David Martin from the Pentagon; congressional correspondent Nikole Killion in Shanksville, Penn.; correspondent Mola Lenghi from a Midtown New York City fire station that suffered some of the greatest losses on 9/11; and senior foreign correspondent Charlie D’Agata reporting from South Asia on the latest Afghanistan news.

In addition to coverage of the memorials taking place across the country, the CBS News Special Report will feature conversations with survivors, heroes and family members of those who died. Mark Tillman, who piloted President Bush on Air Force One on 9/11, will be interviewed on the special. CBS News national security contributor and host of the INTELLIGENCE MATTERS podcast Michael Morell will provide analysis; Morell is the former CIA acting and deputy director and intelligence briefer to President George W. Bush.

CBS News’ division-wide coverage will also feature reporting from CBS News senior foreign correspondent Holly Williams in Saudi Arabia; CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett, who was traveling with President Bush that day; FACE THE NATION moderator Margaret Brennan; chief justice and homeland security correspondent Jeff Pegues; and CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes, who will also contribute to the Network’s coverage on all platforms.

Senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge will report from Guantanamo Bay, where hearings will be underway for some of the suspected masterminds behind the attacks on 9/11. Additionally, Herridge will also speak with retired FBI agent Danny Gonzalez, who was a central figure in the bureau’s “Operation Encore” efforts to understand the Saudi links to the 9/11 attacks, for his first television interview. The still-secret FBI probe is at the heart of the 9/11 families lawsuit against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Herridge also interviewed retired FBI agent Ken Williams, who wrote the “Phoenix Memo” that warned, two months before 9/11, of potential terrorists flight training in the United States. This exclusive will be broadcast on the CBS EVENING NEWS with NORAH O’DONNELL and CBS MORNINGS.

A new CBS News poll will show how the nation sees the lasting effects of 9/11 across so many aspects of American life today and Americans’ assessment of the war on terror. The CBS News Polling Unit will also offer historical context from two decades of CBS News polling since the attacks.

CBSN will begin its special coverage by airing segments in each of CBSN’s dayparts ahead of the anniversary. On Saturday, Sept. 11, CBSN will simulcast the Network’s special report at 8:30 AM, ET, followed by CBSN anchor Lana Zak anchoring the day’s continuing coverage. CBSN will also offer a second live stream of 9/11 footage from 20 years ago. Additionally, beginning at 8:25 AM, ET, CBSN New York will begin their 9/11 special report with carrying the ceremony of the reading of the names of the victims in entirety. CBSN will also stream the Network’s primetime documentary, RACE AGAINST TIME: THE CIA AND 9/11, on Saturday. CBSN is available at cbsnews.com and on the CBS News app for mobile and connected TV devices.

On Sunday, Sept. 12, 60 MINUTES’ 54th season premiere will be dedicated to the heroism of 9/11. In this moving hour, many of the FDNY brass who were at Ground Zero describe to Scott Pelley the bravery that led 343 of their comrades to their deaths 20 years ago.

On Friday, Sept. 10, WCBS-TV in New York City will originate all of its newscasts from a location near Ground Zero, with coverage also streaming live on CBSN New York. That evening, WCBS will present a one-hour special, NEVER FORGOTTEN 9/11: 20 YEARS LATER, at 7:00 PM, ET, on WCBS and CBSN New York; and at 8:00 PM, ET, on WLNY-TV.

WCBS-TV in New York City will offer comprehensive coverage including a live special report on Saturday, Sept. 11 beginning at 8:25 AM, ET, anchored by Chris Wragge and Mary Calvi from Ground Zero. The special will include coverage of the reading of victims’ names at the World Trade Center’s memorial plaza and interviews with survivors, victims’ family members and New York officials. WCBS-TV, in addition to CBS owned stations in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Baltimore, San Francisco, Sacramento, and more, will air reports around the 20th anniversary to capture the emotion and long-lasting impact of 9/11.

Additional coverage plans from CBS News and Stations are below:

  • In the days leading up to the anniversary, CBS MORNINGS co-host Tony Dokoupil will profile Joe and Chuck Downey, brothers and senior members of the FDNY. Their father, the late Ray Downey, was one of the first firefighters to enter the World Trade Center on 9/11. Co-host Gayle King will sit down with a group who wrote “Legacy Letters” to the fathers they lost in the attacks. They’ll read their letters and reflect on the past 20 years coming into adulthood without their dads. Michael Morell will appear live to talk about the nation’s national security and the continued threat of the Taliban ahead of 9/11. Catherine Herridge will report from Guantanamo Bay, and Holly Williams will report from Saudi Arabia to take a look at how the country has tried to stamp out extremism in the wake of 9/11 and portray itself as a victim of terrorism.

  • On Saturday, Sept. 11, CBS THIS MORNING: SATURDAY will have full coverage from the sites of the three attacks on the anniversary. Co-host Jeff Glor will speak with two brothers who decided to fulfill a life-long dream of resurrecting Feltman’s hotdogs, a pledge they made with their fallen brother before he was killed on 9/11. Glor will speak to the surviving brothers about how they are honoring their brother’s memory and join them for an emotional return visit to the WTC site. Catherine Herridge will speak with Gen. Raymond Thomas, who was on the call with the White House situation room when the Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden, about the fallout of 9/11. CBS News senior culture correspondent Anthony Mason will speak with acclaimed musician Elvis Perkins, who lost his mother in the 9/11 attacks, about how she inspired his breakthrough 2007 album, Ash Wednesday. Perkins will perform songs from that album for “Saturday Sessions” in tribute.

  • Throughout the week, the CBS EVENING NEWS WITH NORAH O’DONNELL (6:30-7:00 PM, ET) will cover the 20th anniversary with compelling reports and news-making interviews. Former National Security Adviser and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will join Norah O’Donnell on Friday, Sept. 10, to reflect on 9/11 20 years later and discuss how threats have evolved with time. O’Donnell will also interview Air National Guard fighter pilots who were activated to secure the skies on 9/11. The broadcast will also feature Catherine Herridge reporting on victims’ families’ fight to unseal federal documents on how much the Saudi government knew about the attacks; CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook looking at how many first responders are still coping with the trauma of that day; Jeff Pegues speaking with secret service agents who were with President George Bush during the attacks; and Holly Williams’ reporting from Saudi Arabia.

  • CBS SUNDAY MORNING (9:00 AM, ET) on Sunday, Sept. 5 will feature Martha Teichner’s report on the legacy of the 9/11 attacks and the impact it had on those who lived through it. Plus, John Dickerson will talk with Associated Press photographer and Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Drew, who captured an image of a man falling to his death on 9/11 that has become known as “The Falling Man.” On Sunday, Sept. 12, CBS SUNDAY MORNING will feature Luke Burbank’s interview with Wilma Melville, an 88-year-old grandmother who has built a multimillion-dollar facility that turns rescue dogs into elite search and rescue canines. Lee Cowan looks at what’s become of “Ground Zero” 20 years later. Also, John Dickerson sits down with journalist Chris Wallace about Wallace’s new book about the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

  • FACE THE NATION (10:30 AM, ET) on Sunday, Sept. 5 will feature guest moderator Weijia Jiang’s interviews on the continuing fallout of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, as the 20-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches. David Martin, who was at the Pentagon on 9/11 and has covered the invasion of Afghanistan and the war in Iraq since both wars began, will contribute a “Reporter’s Notebook” to offer context and perspective. On Sunday, Sept. 12, FACE THE NATION moderator Margaret Brennan will continue CBS News’ coverage of the 9/11 anniversary with interviews and original reporting.

  • On the CBS WEEKEND NEWS, David Martin will share stories of survival and heroism at the Pentagon on 9/11. Martin will speak to three people who were at the Pentagon, including a survivor and the first responder who rescued her. CBS WEEKEND NEWS will also feature Catherine Herridge’s interview with Gen. Thomas.

  • CBS News’ INTELLIGENCE MATTERS host Michael Morell will continue the podcast’s “Remembering 9/11” special limited series, featuring current and former senior U.S. officials who had notable proximity to the tragic events of the day and its immediate aftermath. Morell, who served as President George W. Bush’s daily intelligence briefer and was traveling with the president on the day the planes hit the towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pa., is sharing personal reflections and new details about the CIA’s race to provide answers and protect the country from further terror attacks. The podcast is available on all podcasting platforms. Click here to listen.

  • CBS Newspath, CBS News’ news gathering organization providing news and information to 200+ affiliates nationwide and to broadcasters around the world, will deliver a series of stories and live coverage to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks from Michael George, Skyler Henry, Elise Preston, Natalie Brand and Bradley Blackburn. CBS Newspath will cover the remembrances in New York, Washington and Shanksville; the latest on the troop withdrawal in Afghanistan; plus moving stories that honor the victims and feature survivors and first responders.

  • CBS News Radio will provide stations a five-part series for the week of Sept. 6, CBS NEWS SPECIAL SERIES, 20 YEARS LATER, AMERICA REMEMBERS 9/11. The series recounts where we are today and how one day changed the security, travel, education and the lives of so many Americans. On Saturday, Sept. 11, CBS News Radio’s Steve Kathan will anchor wall-to-wall coverage from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM, ET from New York. Stacy Lyn will anchor reports live from Washington, D.C. from 7:20 AM to 12:50 PM, ET. Coverage will also feature short-form special reports, live reports and interviews from CBS News correspondents, experts and newsmakers retelling the events of 20 years ago including George W. Bush’s chief of staff Andrew Card; Condoleezza Rice; Michael Morell; Major Garrett; and former White House correspondent Ann Compton, who was the radio pool reporter on Air Force One that day. Additionally, CBS News Radio White House correspondent Steven Portnoy will be following President Joe Biden; Jim Krasula will be in Shanksville; Cami McCormick will be at the Pentagon; and Matt Pieper will be at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. CBS News Radio will also feature coverage and analysis from Charlie D’Agata and CBS News military consultant Jeff McCausland.

* * *

Press Contacts:

Lance Frank: frankl@cbsnews.com

Hugo Rojo: rojoh@cbsnews.com