RETURNING TO THE SCENE

Tonight's broadcast will originate from Ground Zero. We'll look at this day around the country, and where we are five years after 9/11. Also tonight, we'll show, for the first time on network television, where all the artifacts from that day are kept. We will tour the hangar at JFK Airport where all the things we remember are being gently cared for. We have quite a broadcast planned -- from overview to microcosm -- and whatever happens in between.

RANDOM NOTES
I incorrectly labeled an Indian fable as a story from the Bible in an essay I wrote for MSNBC.com today, exposing more of my woeful lack of religious education than I'd like to. It has since been corrected. Thanks to those who wrote and apologies.

It was a brave and commendable decision by MSNBC to run the "Today" show from 9/11 uninterrupted. It's alarming to remember how little we knew early on. It's shocking to remember what Ron Insana looked like, dust-covered and still shaken, de-briefing our anchor trio on his experience in Lower Manhattan.  It's heartening to see, all over again, what a great job our folks did that day.

As I type this, the NYPD/FDNY band is playing on the plaza outside my office at 30 Rock. There's a sizable lunch hour crowd enjoying the music on this sparkling day, and allow me to repeat what you've already heard: today's weather is exactly the same as it was that day.

A co-worker came in my office this morning and reported that she inadvertently carried a bag onto a trans-continental flight last night containing all sorts of liquids, creams and gels. It attracted zero attention from the TSA. Because she's in the news business, she punctuated her story with a question, "Are we better off? You tell me."

Another co-worker, taking a commuter van pool to work this morning, got stuck in one of the city's tunnels for an hour... during which time she was highly anxious because of today's date. That's what it's like here today.

Hidden in today's news is the fact that the U.S. Marine Corps intel says our forces have lost control of Anbar province, politically if not militarily... and any prospect of security in the region is described as "dim."

Also in print: the Saturday Wall Street Journal was superb... including Paul Gigot's interview with President Bush. Today's New York Times is quite a piece of journalism as well... it includes a huge take-out on why, five years later, there's no place to mourn in Lower Manhattan. A Port Authority official just said on television, "We did have a bit of a delay." I'll say.

It's worth remembering: 27,000 flights will land and take off successfully in the United States today.  At this time five years ago, nothing was moving.

Vice President Cheney was briefly overcome during his remarks today -- Defense Secretary Rumsfeld seemed to be as well. It appeared to be a draining and tactile day for the President, who I'm sure will mention some of his encounters today with family members when he speaks later from the White House.

I'm off to the subway for a ride downtown to get in place for the compilation of the broadcast. Also, a reminder: we will anchor the President's address to the nation from that very same location at 9 p.m. ET tonight.