Summary

This "ABC News Special Report" presents coverage of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and their aftermath, as aired on ABC affiliate KABC-TV (Los Angeles). This coverage begins at 10:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 12. Seated next to anchor Peter Jennings, correspondent John Miller says that earlier reports on the status of One Liberty Plaza were incorrect; the building has not collapsed. Aerial photographs of lower Manhattan, taken from the IKONOS satellite, and similar shots of the Pentagon are shown onscreen. Dr. Alain Fedida then fills Jennings in on the medical preparations for survivors of the attack. Senator Joe Biden (D-Del.) characterizes the attacks as an act of war. Next, Terry Moran reports on a candlelight vigil being held in front of the White House. Reporter Brian Ross then presents a prerecorded segment on the FBI investigation in Vero Beach, Florida, where suspected terrorists were renting homes. Jennings interviews World Trade Center survivor Stephanie Brown. Next, Chris Cuomo presents a prerecorded segment on what New Yorkers have been doing since the attacks, and Diane Sawyer tells the stories of five survivors of the New York attacks. After this, Jennings reports that the Empire State Building has been declared safe after a bomb threat earlier in the evening. Martha Raddatz then reports on the extensive military mobilization in the aftermath of the hijackings. After this, Judy Muller presents a prerecorded segment on the upcoming Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games and the challenge of providing comprehensive security for such an event. At the Capitol, Linda Douglass describes the feelings brewing among U.S. legislators over the attacks and the preliminary funding proposed in Congress for responding to them. Raddatz reports from the State Department on the support the U.S. government hopes to elicit from other nations, including Pakistan. A compilation of attack footage is shown as the soundtrack plays "Amazing Grace." This coverage ends with live footage of clean-up work at the attack area in New York.