The White House Blog

Today, we honor those who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001.

At 8:46 AM, the time that the first plane struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center, President Obama was joined by the Vice President, the First Lady, Dr. Biden, and White House staff on the South Lawn to observe a moment of silence.

Later that morning, the President, Defense Secretary Hagel, and other military officials attended the September 11th Observance ceremony at the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington. The President laid a wreath at the Zero Age Line and observed a moment of silence at 9:37 to honor the victims of the attack at the Pentagon.

President Obama then delivered remarks to families of the victims, also honoring the four Americans who lost their lives a year ago today in Benghazi.

They left this Earth. They slipped from our grasp.  But it was written, “What the heart has once owned and had, it shall never lose.”  What your families lost in the temporal, in the here and now, is now eternal. The pride that you carry in your hearts, the love that will never die, your loved ones’ everlasting place in America’s heart. 

President Obama, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, and General Dempsey attend the September 11th Observance Ceremony at the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, Sept. 11, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Read the President's full remarks from the September 11th Observance Ceremony

Later this afternoon, President Obama also participated in a service opportunity with Food & Friends, a Washington-area organization that provides freshly-prepared meals to people living with life-challenging illnesses.

Despite a packed G-20 schedule filled with meetings on economic issues and the situation in Syria, President Obama also took the time while in St. Petersburg to meet with representatives of Russia's civil society. He holds such meetings in nearly every country he visits, because, as he told these leaders, he believes that "a country's strength ultimately comes from its people and that as important as government is -- and laws -- what makes a country democratic and effective in delivering prosperity and security and hope to people is when they've got an active, thriving civil society." These engagements are an opportunity not only to hear candid views about the country in which these representatives live, but also about the United States.

The meeting in St. Petersburg was no exception. The President, National Security Advisor Susan Rice, and I met with a fascinating group of activists that included Boris Pustyntsev, Ivan Pavlov, Yevgeniya Chirikova, Yana Yakoleva, Dmitry Makarov, Igor Kochetkov, Yelena Milashina, Olga Lenkova, and Pavel Chikov. The group represented a broad cross-section of Russian NGOs and activists who work on issues such as human rights, the environment, media freedom, rights of business entrepreneurs, LGBT rights, and fighting corruption, racism, and discrimination.

President Barack Obama meets with civil society leaders at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, during the G20 Summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Sept. 6, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Our colleagues gave President Obama a strong sense of the challenges facing civil society leaders in Russia today, especially new laws that place restrictions on foreign-funded NGOs and discriminate against the LGBT community. Like others around the world, the President has been following with particular concern the increased climate of intolerance and violence that have accompanied the new law affecting the LGBT community, and he had the chance to hear from two courageous LGBT activists from St. Petersburg who described the challenging environment for their work. Participants urged him to keep human rights, including LGBT rights, on his agenda; to correct mischaracterizations of American policy and laws (especially the false analogy between Russia's "foreign agent" law and U.S. legislation on lobbying); to empower multilateral organizations to pressure the Russian government to meet its international commitments; and to stand up against discrimination and for freedom of assembly and expression.

The President learned not only about the situation in Russia but also how the Administration's policies on the environment, whistle-blower protections, and Syria affect the work of civil society activists in Russia. President Obama acknowledged the complexities of balancing national security and individual rights on a variety of issues, but he also expressed faith in the power of American democratic institutions, including a free press, to provide the proper context for resolving specific issues and ultimately to make the American system more democratic. President Obama gave particular attention to the role of civil society in making governments more representative and accountable. He noted his own background as a community organizer, highlighting the significant and important role civil society plays in bettering the lives of ordinary people.

President Obama carefully took notes and responded to all of the questions raised during the meeting. He was clearly energized intellectually and inspired. A meeting planned for forty minutes turned into almost an hour-and-a-half interactive discussion. The President pledged to consider every concrete proposal and later tasked me to follow up on some practical ideas proposed by our roundtable participants.

In the car ride to the Air Force One after the event, the President commented on the articulate, passionate, and practical presentations these leaders had made, and we had a very wide-ranging discussion about civil society in Russia, civil society and human rights around the world, and democracy more generally. After two long days at the G-20, I was struck by how invigorated the President seemed after the discussion.

I thank our Russian participants for such a stimulating session and, like the President, applaud their courageous and important efforts in Russia.

Michael McFaul is Ambassador of the United States of America to the Russian Federation

This morning, President Obama, Vice President Biden, the First Lady, and Dr. Biden will join White House staff on the South Lawn of the White House for a moment of silence at 8:46 AM ET – the time that the first airplane struck the World Trade Center.

Please join us in observing a moment of silence to mark the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks from wherever you are.

Later today, the President will participate in service projects to commemorate the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance. Find out how you can get involved in a service project here.

Update: This live event has concluded. You can watch the full video below.

Tonight at 9:00 PM ET, President Obama will address the nation from the East Room of the White House.

The President will be speaking about the United States' response to the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons that killed more than 1,400 civilians — including more than 400 children.

You can watch the President's speech live below or on WhiteHouse.gov/Syria.

For more information:

• Explore WhiteHouse.gov/Syria to learn more about President Obama's response to the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons in Syria and get the latest news from the White House about the situation.

Tomorrow evening, the President will address the nation about the United States’ response to the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons on August 21 that killed more than 1,400 civilians -- including more than 400 children. Today, National Security Advisor Susan Rice spoke from the New America Foundation to explain why Syria’s use of chemical weapons is a serious threat to our national security, and why it is in our national interest to undertake limited military action to deter future use.

Ambassador Rice laid out the case for the damage that would be done to our national security and that of our partners and allies should we fail to respond to enforce the longstanding international norm against the use of chemical weapons. She also described the intensive diplomatic and other efforts we have undertaken before choosing military action.

Watch her full remarks here:

Earlier today, I joined Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton for an event here at the White House to discuss efforts to combat wildlife trafficking.

Wildlife trafficking is a growing crisis. Since 2007, the trade has doubled in size and is now one of the most lucrative types of transnational organized crime in the world. Billions of dollars are made every year off the trade of illegal animal goods, and animal populations are being decimated in the process, while criminal syndicates and terrorist groups profit. As the trade grows, poachers are using increasingly powerful and sophisticated weapons, and traffickers are exploiting porous borders, corrupt officials, and weak institutions to profit from protected animals. At the same time, local economies that depend on wildlife tourism are being threatened.

At this afternoon’s event, we discussed the Administration’s efforts to counter wildlife trafficking as well as opportunities for public-private collaboration. Secretary Jewell also announced the members of the Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking, which was formed in response to the President's Executive Order of July 1 that charted a path forward to increase U.S. efforts to counter poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. The Advisory Council, comprised of private-sector leaders, nonprofit organizations, and former government officials, will make recommendations to the Administration on wildlife trafficking and provide it with ongoing advice and assistance.

In honor of Connected Educator Month this October, the White House will host a “Champions of Change” event to celebrate local leaders in education, whose creative approaches in using technology to enhance learning serve as examples of what we should strive for in every classroom, for every child. These leaders will be invited to the White House to celebrate their accomplishments and showcase their actions to support more connected schools and students.

This past June, President Obama launched the ConnectED Initiative, a bold effort to connect 99% of America’s students to high-speed wireless internet in five years, calling on the FCC to modernize its existing E-Rate program to meet this goal. As part of the initiative, the President challenged the federal government as well as states, districts, schools and communities to help prepare all teachers to thrive in a connected classroom and leverage technology to re-imagine learning.

Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria: Saturday morning, President Obama laid out the case for a targeted military action against Syrian regime targets as a result of the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons that killed over one thousand people--including hundreds of children.

“After careful deliberation, I have decided that the United States should take military action against Syrian regime targets,” the President said.

I've long believed that our power is rooted not just in our military might, but in our example as a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. And that’s why I've made a second decision: I will seek authorization for the use of force from the American people's representatives in Congress.

On Tuesday, President Obama and the Vice President sat down with a group of bipartisan Congressional lawmakers to discuss the situation in Syria. “I've made a decision that America should take action,” President Obama said. “But I also believe that we will be much more effective, we will be stronger, if we take action together as one nation.”

On Friday, United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations Samantha Power spoke about the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons against Syrian and the need for an international response.

Learn more about President Obama's response and get the latest news from the White House about the situation in Syria here.