most powerful write politician from the south to not merely challenge the convention, that had crushed the dreams of so many, but to ultimately dismantle for good the structures of legal segregation. he is the only guy who could do it. aven avenue -- he knew there could be a cost. famously saying the democratic party may have lost the south for a generation. that's what his presidency was for. that's where he meets his moment. and possessed with an iron will, possessed with those skills that

he had honed so many years in congress, pushed and supported by a movement of those willing to sacrifice everything for their own liberation, president johnson fought for and argued and horse traded and bullied and persuaded until ultimately he signed the civil rights act into law. and he didn't stop there. even though his advise source again told him to wait. again told him, let the dust settle. let the country absorb this momentous decision, he shook them off. the meat in the coconut as

president johnson would put it was the voting right's act. so he fought for and passed that as well. immigration reform came shortly after, and then a fair housing act. and then a healthcare law that opponented described as socialized medicine that would curtail american's freedom, and could rob them of their dignity and secure if i in their golden year, which we now know as medicare. [ applause ] what president johnson understood was that equality required more than the absence of oppression. it required the presence of economic opportunity.

he couldn't be as eloquent as dr. king would be in describing that linkage as dr. king moved in to mobilizing sanitation workers, and the poor people's movement, but he understanding that connection because he lived it. desent job, desent wages, health care. those too were civil rights worth fighting for. an economy where hard work is rewarded and success is shared, that was his goal. and he new as someone who had seen the new deal transform the landscape of his texas childhood who has seen the difference that electricity had made because of the tennessee valley authority, the transformation concretely

day in and day out in the life of his own family. he understand that government had a role to play in broadening prosperity for all of those who would strive for it. we want to open the gates to opportunity, president johnson said, but we're also going to give all of our people, black and white, the help they need to walk through those gates. now some of this sounds familiar, it's because today we remain locked in this same great debate about equality and opportunity and the role of government in ensuring each. as was true 50 years ago, there are those who dismiss the great society as a failed experiment

and an encroachment on liberty, who argument the government has become the true source that all that also us and that poverty is due to the moral a failings of those who suffer from it. there are also who argue, john, that nothing has changed. that racism is so embedded in our dna that there's no use trying politics. the game is rigged. but such theories ignore history. yes, it's true that despite laws like the civil rights act, and the voting rights act, and medicare, our society is still racked with division and

poverty. yes, race still colors our political debates, and there have been government programs that have fallen short. in a time when cynicism is too often passed off as wisdom, it's perhaps easy to conclude that there are limits to change, that we are trapped by our own history, and politics is a fool's fool'ser -- feel's erand, and we would be better off rolling back some of lbj's legacy, or at least not invest too much hope in our government. i reject such thing. [ applause ] >> not just because medicare --

[ applause ] >> not just because medicare and medicaid have lifted those who are suffering, i reject such cynicism because i have lived out the promise of lbj's efforts, because michelle has lived out the legacy of those efforts, because my daughters have lived out the legacy of those efforts, because we were in the position to take the baton that he handed to us. [ applause ] >> because -- [ applause ] >> because of the civil rights movement, because of the laws president johnson signed, new doors of opportunity and education swung open for everybody. not all at once, but -- but they

swung open. not just blacks and whites, but also women and latinos, and asians, and native americans, and gay americans, and americans with a disability, they swung open for you, and they swung open for me. [ applause ] >> and that's why i'm standing here today, because of those efforts, because of that legacy. [ applause ] >> and that means we have got a debt to pay. that means we can't afford to be cynical. half a century later, the laws lbj passed are now as fundamental to our consumption of ourselves and our democracy

as the constitution, and the bill of rights. they are our foundation, an essential piece of the american character. but we are here today because we know we cannot be complacent. for history travels not only forwards, history can travel backwards. history can travel sideways, and securing the gains this country has made requires the vigilance of its citizens. our rights, our freedoms, they are not given. they must be won. they must be nurtured through struggle and discipline and persistence, and faith. and one concern i have sometimes during moments, the celebration of the signing of the civil

rights act, the march on washington, from a distance sometimes these commemorations seem inevitable. they seem easy. all of the pain and difficulty and struggle and doubt, all of that's rubbed away. and we look at ourselves and say things are just too different now. we couldn't possibly do what was done then, his giants what they accomplished. and yet they were men and women too. it wasn't easy then. it wasn't certain then. still . . . the story of america is a story of progress. however slow, however

incomplete, however harshly challenged at each point on our journey, however flawed our lead leaders, however many times we have to take a quarter of a loaf or half a loaf, the story of america is the story of progress. and that's true because of men like president lyndon banes johnson. [ applause ] >> in so many ways he embodied america, with all of our gifts and all of our flaws, in all of our restlessness, and all of our big dreams. this man, born in to poverty,

weaned in a world full of racial hatred, somehow found within himself the ability to connect his experience with the brown child in a small texas town. the white child in appalachia, the black child in watts. as powerful as he became in that oval office, he understood them. he understood what it meant to be on the outside. and he believed that their plight was his plight too. that his freedom ultimately was wrapped up in theirs. and that making their lives better was what the hell the presidency was for. [ applause ]

>> and those children were on his mind when he strode to the podium that night in the house chamber, when he called for the vote on the civil rights law. it never occurred to me, he said, in my fondest dreams that i might have the chance to help the sons and daughters of those students that he taught so many years ago, and help people all over this country, but now i do have that chance, and i'll let you in on a secret. i mean to use it. [ applause ] >> and i hope that you will use it with me. [ applause ]

>> that was lbj's greatness. that's why we remember him. and if there is one thing that he in this year's anniversary should teach us, if there's one lesson i hope malia and sasha and young people learn today is with enough effort, empathy, perseverance and courage, people who love their country can change it. in his final year, president johnson stood on this stage racked with pain, battered by the controversies of vietnam. looking far older than his 64 years. and he delivered what would be his final public speech.

we have proved that great progress is possible, he said. we know how much still remains to be done. and if our efforts continue, if our will is strong, and if our hearts are right, and if courage remains our constant companion, then my fellow americans, i am confident we shall overcome. [ applause ] >> we shall overcome. we. the citizens of the united states. like dr. king, like abraham lincoln, like countless citizens who have driven this country

forward, president johnson knew that ours in the end is a story of optimism, a story of achievement, and constant striving that is unique upon this earth. he knew because he had lived that story. the believed that together we can build an america that is more fair, more equal, and more free than the one we inherited. he believed we make our own destiny. and in part because of him, we must believe it as well. thank you. god bless you. god bless the united states of america. [ applause ] >> you have been listening to the president of the united states, president obama. he is speak about the lbj library in austin, texas. he is joined by many of the titansover the civil rights movement, that is john lewis shaking his hand right now. he also referenced andy young,

and also julian bond who was one of the younger students during the civil rights movement, but is now teaching at the university of virginia in charlottesville. they are looking back at a moment in history when president johnson signed the civil rights act into law. mike viqueira is at the house with, and mike as you listen to the president describe the civil rights act of 1964, you couldn't help but think about the health care legislation of 2014. >> yeah, that was on the president's mind obviously. what can you say about a speech like that? here is president obama, the first african american president, and mrs. obama the e

deant -- desendants. and then upon ascending the president he did a 180 and became a hero, an icon, alongside some of those giants that you just mentioned in attendance. putting his pen to the civil rights act in june of 1964, and as the president noted, it can't stop there. the voting rights act as well, medicare, food stamps, that lbj pushed through. and certainly we're seeing a rehabilitation of his image some 50 years later, because it has been so dominated by the war in vietnam. clearly the president there as you mentioned del, talking about medicare in a way that lead one to believe he may have been talking to what folks refer to

as obamacare. of course he was talking about medicare and the statements and the opposition to that way back in the mid-1960s. the president also talking about the cynicism that has overcome this country, and saying it wasn't easy for lbj either. he had even higher hurdles to overcome when pushing through this historic legislation and called for a new dedication today not to give up but keep pushing for some of the causes that he championed. >> mike thank you very much. the president remicceding that 1964 was different, and america was very divided along the lines of race, class and gender. and there were no african

american broadcasters back then. this one included. we'll be right back. ♪

we want to get you caught up now on the day's other news, the search for the missing malaysia airliner growing smaller and

more precise. officials are now hearing more pings. today's pings are in the same location as those that were heard yesterday. officials continue their search saying they are now optimistic. the trial of our three colleagues in cairo has been adjourned again until april 22nd. peter greste, mohammed fahmy, and baher mohamed, were denied bail once again. they have been behind bars for 103 days, all falsely accused of providing a platform for the muslim brotherhood. some of the evidence already being dismissed by the judge as irrelevant. a fourth journalist of our arabic channel has been held without trial since last august. he has been on a hunger strike now for 80 days, and his health is deteriorating. we continue to demand the

immediate release of all of our staff. ♪ another major story we are following at this hour as wall street what goes up must come down. the market now down close to 200 points. tech shares are in reverse pulling the overall market lower. the head of the international monetary fund saying that russians actions in ukraine are hurting its economy, and warning the fallout could spread around the world. in an interview, the director saying a flight of capital from russia could derail the global recovery from the great recession. >> it's clear that geopolitical sanctions in that part of the world or anywhere for that matter are not helping growth, are usually creating enough uncertainty that people who were

going to invest are going to wait. where people who were going to create jobs are going to hold off. >> you can hear more of that interview tonight at 7:00 eastern time as always right here on al jazeera america. the masters is underway with adam scott leading the field at 4 under par. but there is one big name that will be missing this year. >> reporter: every april, one tournament catches the attention of golf fans from around the world, augusta, georgia. for the last 20 years tiger woods as wowed the crowds and taken home four green jackets in the process, but a back injury had sidelined him this year. >> when tiger is in the hunt, you look at maybe between 60 to 100% doubling your ratings, so that's a big thing. >> ticket prices are down 66%

from last year's masters. nike indicated that during the 2013 masters, their coverage provided them with three times more air time than rory maccel roi, and that could translate to a loss of 3 to $4 million. phil mickelson could tie wood and arnold palmer with four wins, but the value of having tiger woods in the field cannot be denied. >> it is up believable what has happened with this game. he has brought increased ratings, sponsors, interest, and we have all benefited, but nobody has more than i have. and that's why we miss him so much. >> the tiger effect on golf has

been huge since the mid-90s and up until now. i think any sport benefits from a dominant player like that. having tiger in a tournament creates more buzz, more atmosphere, you know where he is on the coarse because of the crowds that follow him. >> he is a super star personality. i think he is very comfortable with the attention. he really embraces the spot light. i do think there is going to be a post generation of guys inspired by tiger who are really going to catch our imagination. and i think rory is the first. >> i don't know why phil mickelson isn't everybody's main

choice, if he wins this time, he'll have tied tiger in masters, which is amazing. so i think with his success, and how well he likes it, i think he is the favorite. beyond that there are a lot of guys that can do it. ♪ if you are headed to the masters this weekend or watching, get ready for bright blue beautiful skies. high-pressure in control here across the east coast. we have a couple of showers across the north central plains pushing its way in to the west very well defined by the clouds. this will be pushing to the east through the course of the night. we could see showers in the east coast. by later tonight they will climb to a high of 66 degrees.

on monday you'll reach a high of 74 very comfortable throughout the day. across the southeast beautiful as well. yesterday they climbed to a high of 71 in minneapolis, today only 61, so a little bit cooler. a little bit cooler in los angeles as well. on tuesday they climbed to a high of 90 degrees. no wet weather on the way. >> thank you very much. and thank you for watching al jazeera america. i'm del walters in new york. there's more news in just a moment, but remember you can check us out 24 hours a day by going to aljazeera.com. .. .

.. . >> i'm actually y quququite ner. >> as u.s. forces prepare to leave afghanistan, fault lines brings you an eye opening look at what life is really like under the taliban. from girls attending school, to enforcing sharia law. >> they rely on the local population, and so they need to win the hearts and minds of locals to be able to fight. >> then immediately after, an american tonight special edition, >> explain how you were able to get access to the taliban. >> fault lines: this is taliban country then, an american tonight special edition only on al jazeera america al jazeera america. we open up your world. >> here on america tonight, an opportunity for all of america to be heard. >> our shows explore the issues that shape our lives. >> new questions are raised about the american intervention. >> from unexpected viewpoints to live changing innovations,

dollars and cents to powerful storytelling. >> we are at a tipping point in america's history! >> al jazeera america. there's more to it. >> hello, and welcome to the news hour. with the word's top stories from al jazeera in doha. 12,000 u.n. peace keepers will be sent to the central african republic, france said this could be a turning point. we are facing boundaries so it is a long term endeavor unfortunately. >> standing their ground pro russian protestors rejecting amnesty, despite the at