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Aviation Security: TSA and Airport Stakeholders Have Enhanced Airport Public Area Security, but a Plan Is Needed for Future Collaboration

Airport public areas, like ticket counters and baggage claims, are vulnerable to attack because people can enter them without screening. For example, in 2013, a TSA officer was killed at a security checkpoint in Los Angeles. In 2017, 5 people were killed at a Florida baggage claim. These attacks prompted new laws and security improvements. More.

Rescue and Recovery Dogs of 9/11 Honored in Museum Exhibition

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, hundreds of dogs served a harrowing and crucial role in the search for survivors, and for victims’ remains. Now these four-legged heroes and their teams are getting their do in an exhibition at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. “K-9 Courage,” a show of photographs and artifacts on view through summer 2021, vividly tells the story of these trained sniffers. More.

Aviation Security: Federal Air Marshal Service Has Taken Steps to Address Workforce Issues, but Additional Actions Needed

The Federal Air Marshal Service deploys air marshals to help ensure the security of, and to prevent threats to, civil aviation. We assessed several air marshal workforce issues. Among other things, air marshals have expressed concerns about schedule unpredictability and sleep deprivation. The Service has guidelines for shift lengths and rest periods but doesn’t monitor if they are followed. More.

Start of Sept. 11 Trial in Doubt After Defense Lawyer Asks to Quit Case

A long-serving capital defense lawyer for one of the five men accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks asked the judge on Tuesday to be excused from the case, citing his health and other issues, casting doubt on whether the trial can begin as scheduled next year. More.

De Blasio signs bill to expand 9/11, line-of-duty survivor benefits

Government-funded health care is being extended to the families of all New York City municipal workers — not just uniformed personnel like cops and firefighters — who die in the line of duty or from 9/11-related illnesses. Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, signed the legislation, known as Introduction 1785, at City Hall Tuesday afternoon to cover the workers’ family members, such as spouses, domestic partners and dependent children. More.

With a Year Until Guantánamo’s 9/11 Trial, the Military Has a Long To-Do List

After a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck in the Caribbean, the Navy captain in charge of this remote Pentagon outpost declared a tsunami warning. Word reached the base school and boats on the bay but never got to the war court, where pretrial hearings were underway in the case of the five men accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. More.

9/11 Study Shows PTSD Tied to Earlier Death

Survivors of the 2001 terrorist attack on New York City's World Trade Center who developed PTSD have a lasting risk of premature death, a new study finds. The study of nearly 64,000 emergency responders and civilians found that the longer the post-traumatic stress disorder lingered, the more likely they were to die early from any cause. More.

Friends of Flight 93 announces new leadership

The former senior executive director of the Pentagon Memorial Fund was appointed executive director of the Friends of the Flight 93 National Memorial. Officials said Andrew Ammerman, who served as senior executive director of the Pentagon Memorial Fund for more than 13 years, will assume the post as new leadership begins work with the volunteer organization that supports the national memorial in Somerset County. More.