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Remembrances of terror victims amid airport scares

SUMMARY:

Three months after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, people around the nation took part in events Tuesday morning to honor the victims. Commemorations were held at the site of the World Trade Center, the White House, the Pentagon and the Justice Department.

Orbiting American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts on the space station shared their thoughts of the attacks. The astronauts on the shuttle Endeavour carried more than 6,000 American flags into space for the ceremony. The flags will be presented to victims' families when the shuttle returns to Earth. (Full story)

Delta Airlines Monday night evacuated two terminals and four planes at JFK International Airport after a passenger found a four-to-five-inch knife beyond security checkpoints at the airport. Delta said security personnel removed passengers from four international flights and evacuated two terminals following the discovery.

Officials at Dulles International Airport in suburban Washington cleared hundreds of passengers and employees from its main terminal Monday evening after a screening device briefly stopped operating. To make sure no weapons had passed through during that span, officials cleared part of the terminal and four mobile lounges that transport passengers to a nearby terminal. Another airport employee said the machine was "unplugged," but declined further comment. (Full story)

UPDATE:

Johnny Micheal "Mike" Spann, who was killed November 25 during a Taliban prison uprising in northern Afghanistan, was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. (Full story)

Three U.S. casualties of friendly fire -- Master Sgt. Jefferson Donald Davis, 39, of Watauga, Tennessee; Staff Sgt. Brian Cody Prosser, 28, of Frazier Park, California; and Sgt. 1st Class Daniel H. Petithory, 32, of Cheshire, Massachusetts -- were remembered at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where they had been stationed. Petithory's body was expected to arrive in the United States on Monday.

President Bush has asked all radio stations to play "The Star-Spangled Banner" Tuesday to mark the three-month anniversary of the September 11 attacks, according to Variety. (Full story)

Near the rubble of the World Trade Center, 18-month-old Laura Lehrfeld lit the first candle of a menorah. A similar ceremony will take place each of the next seven nights of Hanukkah. Laura's father, Eric Lehrfeld, was at a breakfast conference at the top of Tower 1 when a hijacked airliner struck the building.

From a Christmas tree at the site to the 81-foot spruce in New York's Rockefeller Center to homes, shops and offices across the country, the red and green of Christmas have been joined this year by white and blue.

"People are wrapping their presents in it, decorating their homes," said Deidre Parkes, spokeswoman for Hallmark Cards Inc. "You're just going to see a lot of red, white and blue this holiday season."

New York merchants who have also been pummeled by the overall consumer spending slowdown are turning more to residents of the city's five boroughs who are expected to spend the holiday season close to home. And they're courting daytrippers from suburbs including New Jersey and Connecticut.

Meanwhile in the anthrax investigation, test results on the Leahy letter confirm what investigators had been expecting and what preliminary tests had indicated. Sources said the letter and envelope have been transferred to labs at FBI headquarters for further analysis following their decontamination at a U.S. military lab at Fort Detrick, Maryland. (Full story)

•  Summary   •  Update   •  Key questions   •  Who's who   •  Victims   •  Impact

REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS   •  Emergency information   •  Partial list of victims   •  Victims story archives   •  Latest news

CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

KEY QUESTIONS:

What order did President Bush give that allows for the detention of terrorism suspects? Click here for more

Could the detainees be held for years? Click here to learn more on one case

Learn about one tool the FBI may be using to investigate suspects.

What is the government doing to fortify homeland defense? Click here for more

What are tips to know in the wake of the attacks? Click here for more

WHO'S WHO:

George W. Bush: U.S. president Click here for more.

Laura Bush: First lady of the United States, she has become more visible since the terrorist attacks, making public appearances urging parents and teachers to help reassure children that everything is being done to try to keep them safe. Click here for more

Tom Ridge: Director of the U.S. Office of Homeland Security, a new Cabinet-level position Click here for more

Richard Clarke: Head of efforts to safeguard information systems for the Office of Homeland Security Click here for more

Wayne Downing: Retired Army general tapped as deputy national security adviser Click here for more

Joe Allbaugh:The chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Click here for more

Dr. David Satcher: Surgeon General of the United States

Dr. Jeffrey P. Koplan: Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Click here for more

Rudy Giuliani: Mayor of New York Click here for more

Michael Bloomberg: Mayor-elect of New York

Anthony A. Williams: Mayor of Washington

Dr. Ivan Walks: Director of the Department of Health for the District of Columbia

Paul O'Neill: Treasury secretary

Norman Y. Mineta:Transportation secretary

Jane Garvey: FAA administrator

VICTIMS:

The latest figures provided by federal and local officials give the following numbers of people dead or missing from the September 11 attacks.

WORLD TRADE CENTER: According to New York City officials, the death toll is 3,040. That figure includes 2,545 people who are missing and presumed dead, including the 157 on the two hijacked planes; 487 bodies have been identified.

PENTAGON: 64 dead on hijacked plane; another 125 missing and presumed dead

PENNSYLVANIA: 44 confirmed dead on hijacked plane

IMPACT:

The attacks of September 11 have sparked new debate about balancing the protection of U.S. citizens with the protection of the civil rights of those suspected of terrorism.

While the United States is proud of the freedoms and the legal rights guaranteed by the Constitution, authorities and many citizens have argued those people who seek to destroy America do not deserve such protections while they represent an ongoing threat to the country.

While those arguments continue, so do the threats against U.S. interests. Security remains high at airports, certain industries and many government facilities.