be anchoring our special coverage of the dallas memorial of john f. kennedy. stay tuned as the events begin right at the top of the hour. thanks so much for watching, everyone. everyone. and have a good weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com you're with cnn. welcome to "around the world." i'm hal lal gorani. >> i'm michael holmes. we welcome our viewers from all around the world, a very important day in u.s. history. we are in fact, approaching the moment that assassin's bullet took the life of president john f. kennedy and shattered the nation 50 years. >> so it's an event that is still seared in the collective copeousness of this country. one of the darkest days really in this country's history. and people gathering in dallas to honor the slain president. you're looking at live pictures of dealey plaza, the scene of

the tragedy. >> the city's going to hold a moment of silence at the exact time of the assassination. today's event the first time dallas zillions officially commemorating jfk's death. the first time in 50 years. of course, the eternal flame continues to burn at his grave at the arlington national cemetery. i was the 5th president and one of its most beloved leaders. >> and one of its most popular. earlier his sister jean kennedy smith helped lay a wreath at her brother's grave, she is the last surviving sibling of president kennedy. president obama has ordered flags across the united states to fly at half-staff in honor of the late president. there you see it lowered at the who us. >> memorial ceremonies and moments of silence are being held literally from coast to coast. ♪ >> charismatic president was 1,000 days into his term, just

46 years old when he was gunned down while riding in that famous open top limousine. his wife by his side. >> we're going to bring you extensive coverage as we mentioned to our viewers in the u.s., also around the world as the nation honors john fits fitzgerald kennedy. let's go live now to dealey plaza in dallas. ed lafrd dare ra is there. what's the mood on this day? because dallas for so long fought against the notion that it was sort of that place where hate took -- killed basically president kennedy. what's the mood today on the 50th anniversary? >> well, you know, there are a lot of people here who just remember the day, quite frankly and lived in a way like no other people around the world lived. i've had had the chance to meet and speak with many people who were in this plaza 50 years ago. and witnessed thing themselves. and that is something that all of these people carry with them

and say it's one of those moments that you just simply, it's impossible to escape from. and to stop thinking about. so in many ways, this is a city that continues to live this story week in and week out in the 50 years since this tragedy took place on the streets here in dallas. so there are many. people who still remember just what the city has gone through in the struggles and trying to come to terms that the assassination of an american president took place on these streets and the baggage and burden that came with all of that. city leaders are hoping that this event will put a lot of that to rest, that they will show they are many coming here it honor the life and legacy of president john kennedy who is still considered one of the most popular presidents in the history of the united states. they're hoping that this event being done for the first time officially in the city will go a long way 0 kind of put that to rest and put that bad baggage behind them, if you will. >> and a lot is planned there,

too. the statue, tell us what's on the agenda. >> well, there will be a moment of silence. the program starts here in about half an hour. it's really a very simple program, a brief speech from the mayor of the city. there will also be excerpts of speeches from president kennedy written or read by the historian david mccullough. then it culminates with the unveiling after i new monument along the grassy knoll which will carry the last paragraph that president kennedy was supposed to give. there was a roomful of people waiting for him to give his speech. he was on his way there, but when the motorcade raced by, president kennedy had been wounded and the motorcade was racing to parkland hospital, not the trade mart where he was supposed to give that speech. the monument will carry the last

paragraph of the speech that he never gave for the new generation to read the words and inspiration of president kennedy. >> for viewers in the u.s. and elsewhere, it may be surprising for them to know, according to polls, that a majority of americans still believe in a are conspiracy is your rounding the assassination of john f. kennedy that day 50 years ago in dallas. what are people telling you about that? >> well, you know, it's interesting, i've lived in dallas a long time. i've always been struck by the fact that any time of year, there are always people here in dealey plaza looking at that spot on the road, looking up at the sixth floor window. on the grassy knoll every weekend, you will find conspiracy theorists who come here. up till this day, many theorists would ob their own moments of silence on this day, but they're not around here today.

they're being cordoned off outside the security perimeter set up around the plaza. polls show a majority of americans, the last one i saw 60% believe there was a conspiracy that are lee harvey oswald did not act alone. a lot of that continues today. see it. i've been struck by the fact walking around here the last few days and the massive crowds turning out, spending a lot of time here. you still hear from a lot of people either selling books or selling pamphlets with all of those details, that continues today. >> ed, thanks very much live in dallas. we'll have a lot more coverage. there's a lot there we will broadcast, of course, on cnn, as well. musical tributes, speeches including a speech by david mccould you la. >>en at unveiling of that statue, as well. other news now, latvia dealing with a national tragedy at the moment. more than 45 people killed at

last count after a roof of a supermarket collapsed. >> those are dramatic images. searchers is expect to find more bodies buried under the rubble. several dozen people were hurt in the capital city of riga. >> the mayor tells cnn building materials stored on the roof could have been what made it cave in. this is lit via's deadliest accident since it won independence from the soviet union more than 25 years ago. the diplomatic machine is running full speed in geneva, switzerland. the third day of talks aimed at making a deal that would convince iran to put the brakes on its nuclear program. >> today iran's negotiator met with the european union policy chief, but the united states, russia, china france and britain all have delegate in jeev. even though it is late in the day in switzerland, the door to a deal is not closed yet. >>? >> take a look at this. we asked more than 800 americans this week if they support a deal

that would restrict iran's nuclear capability, not end it completely. this is key. in exchange for the sanctions on iran to loosen up a bit. you can see it there. michael and everyone else. a majority of people we asked did support that scenario. >> but it is the people at the negotiating table today who really matter if a deal is going to get done or not. jim chute know toe, our chief national correspondent is in geneva. what are you hearing about foreign leaders or at least secretaries of state headed to geneva. that's always a sign something cog happen. it's good they're still talking. >> no question. it's something we've been watching for as a sign there's forward progress. we now are hearing that the russian foreign minister sergey lavrov, his plane has landed at geneva. i've just been told that will secretary of state johnny kerry will likely come to geneva, as well. not confirmed yet, but he will likely join tomorrow.

doesn't mean a deal is set. but it is a risk they take by sticking their necks out showing up here in person and would be a sign that their deputies have moved the talks with the iranians forward to the point point where it's necessary for them to come, as well. some minor progress. at least a step forward. >> just a few weeks ago at the last round of talks, jim, as you know, it appears as though some sort of agreement was imminent. that the wasn't the case. so what is the sticking point? >> you're right to note that. last time a couple weeks ago, john kerry came. that's a bit of a warning sign. there is a sense on both sides, i'm speaking to iranian and western diplomats they are much closer than they have been at any time in these negotiations. one of the key sticking points and there has been more than one is how explicitly does the west, including the u.s. delineate iran's right to enrich. iran has been pushing for an

explicit delineation, something written down somewhere acknowledging that. u.s. officials have saided you what they're comfortable in doing is not denying iran has such a right but not specifically saying. the iranians can go home and claim they have the right and the west will not stand in the way of that. that's been arab. a lot of the day has been absent on working out the language that allows both sides to claim victory on that issue. >> jim sciutto, always it comes down to the language of how you word something. do you have the right to enrich or the right to a program. those are two different things. >> enriched to what will level. that's the big key. if you enrich to a level you can make weapons, nobody's going to go for that. you'll have nuclear power plants and medical. >> compare this scenario today to last year when nobody was even talking >> yeah. >> there you have it. now to this story and a quick break. when we come back, police say

three women held against their will for more than 30 years went through the years of physical and psychological abuse. >> they're calling it modern day slavery. we'll have more on then when we come back. also 50 years ago today, shots rang out in dallas killing a young president in his prime. >> we'll have continuing coverage of today's commemoration of jfk. stay with cnn. cs, you know. i got this. [thinking] is it that time? the son picks up the check? [thinking] i'm still working. he's retired. i hope he's saving. i hope he saved enough. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. whether you're just starting your 401(k) or you are ready for retirement, we'll help you get there. waiting for your wrinkle cream to work?

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welcome back, everyone. today marks 50 years since president john f. kennedy was assassinated. take a look at the live pictures

of dealey plaza in dallas where he was gunned down. the city is holding its first official ceremony to mark the tragedy. >> it seems extraordinary, doesn't it. it starts at the bottom of the hour, about 15 minutes or so from now. of course, it is set to coincide with the time of day that jfk's motorcade passed through downtown dallas. crowds had filled the streets, of course, to see the president. today crowds are there to honor his legacy. >> it's interesting to see the historical footage and then today, dallas, the city will hold a moment of silence at the exact time of the assassination. military jets will fly over. and some of kennedy's speeches will be read, we'll bring you all of the key moments live. >> interesting. a gloomy day in dallas 50 years ago today, it was bright and sunny all right. a man and woman who police believe held several other women, three of them, in captivity in their home for decades are no longer in custody. they're out on bail.

>> well, and that has, by the way, we're going to ask our correspondent why that is. this is south london, a borough called lambeth. more shocking developments in this case are coming out. police say it looks like the victims were not just kept inside against their will but they were used as slaves. >> cnn's diana magna has been following this from london. she is at scotland yard. new details coming out. for example, the one woman 30 years old apparently had spent her entire life in of this house. first of all, why did the authorities allow the people accused of doing this to get out of jail? it is a point of law, isn't it? i don't think they've been charged yet, have they? >> it does seem surprising, michael. but i think it's because those two were arrest on suspicion of being involved in forced labor and human trafficking, but the police now don't seem to be able to quite put their finger on

what they should charge them with. under british law, you have to charge someone within 36 hours or release them on bail. they've been released on bail. the police are now saying they don't think this comes under a category of domestic slavery or of human trafficking. in fact, they're saying this is like something we've never seen before. we're trying to unravel what happened to these women over the last three decades. it wasn't sexual abuse but it was a very, very complex picture of emotional and psychological abuse that they went through. although they've let these two out on bail and they say there will weren't any other people involved, they didn't have any accomplices, they don't believe this to be part of a broader human trafficking ring, at the same time, they have their entire human traffic unit here at scott land yard, 37 officers working on the case. you get the feeling the police here don't know what they're dealing with and are working hard to try and work it out.

one of the big questions is the relationships between the three women and the captors. as you said, michael, the british woman, 30 years old, we believe from the freedom charity which orchestrated their release, may even have been born in captivity. apparently police say she wasn't related to the other two prisoners. could it be she'ses the daughter of these two cap tors? these are all unexplained questions. this is what the police did have to say about the relations between them all. >> that really is what i'm investigating at the moment, what the relationships between these people are. when i say relationships, i'm both looking at the relationships as in bee logical and i'm also looking at relationships how they interacted. clearly, the allegations are that people were being controlled subject of oh coercion, violence. and as you're aware, this goes back at least three decades. so there's a lot for us to

untangle. >> reporter: it's clear it's very difficult to get much detail owl of these highly traumatized women. >> all right, dianne na mag nay, thanks very much. more shocking details in na alleged slavery case in london. the cabin of an airplane might be losing its unique status. oh, no! >> we were talking about this yesterday. >> this is scary. are you going to be allowed to use your cell phone during the flight? heaven for bid. >> the jet calm could be drowned out by the sound of your fellow passengers yakking, it says talking in the prompter. i just edited on the fly. >> yapping. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] this is jim, a man who doesn't stand still. but jim has afib, atrial fibrillation -- an irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem.

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now commemorating and honoring the memory of john f. kennedy 50 years after his assassination. these are live images of dealey plaza in dallas, texas, where the president was shot 50 years ago today. for the first time since the assassination, the city is holding this official ceremony to honor him in his memory. >> hard to believe, isn't it? that memorial ceremony meant to start seven or eight minutes from now. that is the scheduled time anyway. set to coincide with the time of day jfk's motor said passed through downtown dallas. there's going to be a moment of

silence at the exact time the shots rang out. military jets will fly over. some of kennedy's speeches will be read. we will bring you all of the key moments live right here on cnn. >> right, including the unveiling of a new mon meant, as well. >> good news and bad news about cell phones during travel. >> soon you'll be able to make calls during the flight. >> we think it's the bad news. the guy, the lady behind you will be able to make calls, as well, which brings us to the whole row really. >> the fcc has drawn up a proposal to allow mobile services like calls and texts just like wi-fi when the plane is above 10,000 feet. during takeoff and landing you have to keep your plane in many airplane mode. we'll still have the tiny little interlude. >> get a nap then. this is how some passengers reacted to the news. we're not the only ones. >> i would allow the phone call

as long as it's short and to the point. >> it would be fine if i could talk but the problem is you might want to talk the entire flight about a loud voice about every single problem you have in your family, right? blah, blah, blah, blah. >> cnn he's alexandra field is at laguardia airport in new york. people kind of like their cell free zone. what's motivating the fcc here? >> this is something talked about before and it continues to be brought up as people become increasingly connected to cell phones and smartphones. we've asked frequent flyers here this morning their thoughts. there's almost universal support for the idea of being able to text in the air. however, when it comes to talk on the phone, there's a thought of being trapped next to someone chatting incessantly. if someone was going to have a phone call for a minute or two, that wouldn't be a big inconvenience but there is a big

concern some of your fellow passengers wouldn't be as courteous. >> imagine if you're objecting to the person next to you, the tone of their conversation. that could prompt a few arguments. they looked at lifting this ban a few years ago. what's changed? >> reporter: well, for one, we have seen that foreign airlines, some foreign airlines are allowing passengers to talk on board. so safety isn't as big of a concern as it used to be. these airlines have proven they can do this safely. the fcc threw this idea out there in 2004. there was loud vocal opposition from air travelers and also from the flight attendants union. just yed, the flight attendants union issued a statement registering their concern with this idea again. that much hasn't changed. >> we're going to need -- planes will have to be altered somehow with antenna. how soon could this all happen? >> okay. so the good news if you're against this plan, it won't affect your holiday travel.

at least that part of the stress can be eliminated. the fcc would still have to discuss this during a meeting in december. after that, there could be a common period, then the fcc would have to make a final decision. after that, it's up to airlines to decide whether or not to offer the service. if they chose to after you the service, they would have to fit their airplanes with antennas. not for this year's holiday season but we'll see in the coming years. >> alexandra field, thanks very much. people talking about quiet cars in transit, how you can't do that in a plane. you're absolutely confined. you can't get up and go to the bathroom, you can't walk up and down train erics. >> no smoking areas on planes. that never worked. >> i'd be interested in knowing generationally if there's a difference. i suspect there might it be there. >> we're old. when we come back, we're going to take you back -- there you go, pictures there live from dallas. that city's had to live with a dubious distinction for half a century now as the scene of a very dark day in american history. >> today for the first time, the city is commemorating president

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welcome back. live images there and also very historic i thinks as you eon the bomb right-hand side of your screen there of john f. kennedy 50 years ago today on his fateful visit to dallas. there you see on the left, the arlington national cemetery eternal flame and also there in the upper half of your screen, dallas today commemorating the legacy of jfk. >> a city for 50 years has tried to shake off the of reputation, if you like, of the city where jfk died, where he was killed and now for the first time actually marking this anniversary of his death. >> and shortlily there will be a ceremony. musicians from the dallas symphony orchestra will perform. we'll also hear spaechs and have a moment of silence marking the exact moment of the assassination. we will bring you all those events live on cnn. >> there's going to be a monument unveiled at the grassy

knoll. >> a new poll shows jfk is the most popular president of the last century. when you break down the numbers, the approval rating is even higher among americans who were alive during his presidency. >> those who have memories of the time. kennedy was very popular during his time in office. his average approval rating, according to gallup, was 70%. that's actually the highest in gallup's polling history. now, earlier this morning, the late president's younger sister laid a wreath at her brother's grave. >> jean kennedy smith is his last surviving sibling. she campaigned around the country for him in 1960, and in dallas, the city where he fell, a moment of silence as we mentioned is going to be held exactly 50 years after the assassination. >> we're going to bring that to you live. that's less than an hour from

now. as we said first time dallas has officially commemorated jfk's death. let's talk a bit more with cnn's chief national correspondent john king along winning historian david kaiser who wrote the book "the road to dallas, the assassination of john f kennedy." let's start with you, david. it's fascinating looking at poll numbers and the popularity of the president. i suppose when is a life is taken that way in the consciousness of many people, you can basically rewrite how you thought or wanted the story to go. and you know, sort of change it along to suit your own thoughts. you know what i mean? >> well, certainly. but i was interested in the figures for people like myself who actually do remember him. i think many of us think of him first of all as the greatest politician of his generation, the gi or greatest generation and secondly, as eletic of a very different america, an

america of which younger americans today have no idea when there was a general consensus, a belief in the united states, a belief in the purposes of the united states at home and abroad. and in which kennedy was leading a great effort not only to bring peace to the world but to inspire the whole world with the american way of life. and to make american life fairer and more inclusive and more bountiful at home. and those were not just words for him and his contemporaries. they took all that will very seriously. and in the three years had he and particularly in his last year in office, he made some spectacular progress towards those goals. >> john king is in dallas, of course, he's going to be anchoring our special coverage alongside our team there on the ground. but dallas, you know, for a long time fought against this notion and understandably so that it was the city that killed jp fk. trying to move on, for instance, there was an x marking the spot

of where john f. kennedy took that bullet that eventually killed him. that has been taken out. and sort of. >> paved over. >> paved over. so what about now? why has it taken dallas this long? >> well. >> part of that is the political leadership. michael, and part of it is the passing of time. this is a replica of the dallas morning news 50 years ago tomorrow. dallas was called the city of hate for some time. there was a big debate in the white house whether president kennedy should come to texas but especially to dallas during that trip 50 years ago. but the political leadership in the city has decided now is the time to reflect and remember on then 50th anniversary. you see here in dealey plaza, 5,000 people are allowed in with tickets. there's a huge media gathering from all over the world. 50 years ago at this moment, the president was at love field.

he had landed a shot flight from fort worth. about an hour fll now is when the tragedy happened here in dealey plaza. the city hopes this is part of the turning of the page, a new monument as michael mentioned at the top will be unveiled. at the foot of the monument, a paragraph from the speech the president was supposed to deliver that day. he was on his way to a luncheon at the dallas trade marred when oswald shot him from the school depository. the city hopes to mark the anniversary in a somber and appropriate way. it is an attempt at a bit of a page turning >> david, jfk had his flaws. personally and politically at times. people have largely forgiven that, haven't they? >> well, i guess that's true. now, again, one reason that i look back nos tal i cannily at that era was that at that time and for sometimeefore that in american life, the basic is

observed by the media was that leaders' personal lives were their own business and that allowed them to function as leaders and to follow their inclination nz on their own time. and it certainly did not prevent people like kennedy or franklin roosevelt or many others i could mention, any extramarital affairs for instance. it did not prevent them from functioning very effectively. it certainly didn't prevent him from functioning very effectively. kennedy was a remarkable man in that he was totally involved in any moment he happened to be in. and if you were in the room along with him and many, many people testified to this, he made you feel like you were the only person in the world. i have to come to believe that was the way he was. that if he was in a meeting talking about the possibility of soviet missiles in cuba, he was totally focused on that. if he was with a young woman for an hour, he was totally focused on her.

if he was with his children, he was certainly totally focused on them. that was him. but he was a brilliant politician and in my opinion, a very fine diplomat and president. >> historian david kaiser thanks so much. also, john king in dallas and john we've got plenty more to talk about with you too a little later as we continue our coverage from there and elsewhere around the nation. >> now to this story. an elderly american war veteran being held in north korea. there is word that the north might have gotten the wrong man. we'll explain next. [ male announcer ] this is pam.

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dozens of people killed after an oil pipeline exploded in china. this happened in the eastern part of the country in a city that is a major oil hub. >> now, explosion blasted a big hole in the road above it and an ignited a fire that took hours to bring under control. thities say at least 35 people were killed. and government officials say a leak in the pipeline triggered the blast. >> an update too on that state senator who was stabbed earlier this week. creigh deeds has now been released from the hospital in charlottesville, virginia, on tuesday you might remember his son gus stabbed him more than ten times in the head and neck before committing suicide. shooting himself. >> right, pel well, this is such a tragic story. gus deeds, the son was reportedly supposed to get an emergency mental health evaluation the day before the stabbing but was turned away

from the hospital because there wasn't any room. creigh deeds tweeting out a short time ago, i am alive so must live. some wounds won't heal. >> very sad story. reuters is reporting that an elderly american veteran being held in north korea might be the victim of mistaken identity. >> this is just remarkable. merrill e. newman is the man missing. he's 58 years old and went to north korea but the north might have the meant to grab merrill h. newman who was awarded the silver star for his service in the korean war. >> unbelievable. either way merrill e. newman also a veteran of the conflict has still not been heard of. here's cnn's brian todd with the latest. >> he's an 85-year-old retired tech company executive from palo alto, california, a long-time red cross volunteer who had been looking forward to a trip to north korea with a friend. but merrill newman is now a captive inial oppressive corrupt and has been for nearly a month.

according to his son, he was near the end of an organized heavily monitored tour of north korea when the subject of his status as a u.s. soldier in the korean war came up at a meeting with north korean officials. >> the war cas discussed and my dad's role in the service. the meeting concluded. i understand that my dad was a bit bothered. >> the next day, his son says is, five minutes before his flight was to depart from the pyongyang, merrill newman was pulled off the apple. his family hasn't heard from or about him since. what could have provoked the north koreans to do that? kgs analyst jonathan pollack said newman could have said something even unwittingly that set them off. >> he might have said something disparaging about the north, about the history of the war because again, as the north koreans would have it this was a war of national liberation. they have all kinds of laws they can trot out for the occasion. with the north korea, all prices are subject to changeout notice.

>> secretary of state john kerry calls the detention disturbing. former u.n. ambassador bill richardson is working his contacts to try to wip his release. merrill newman has a heart condition. kenneth bae, another american being detain independence north korea has diabetes and other illnesses. pollack has a warning >> the possibility that one or two americans might die while being held unreasonably in captivity by north korea is a scenario that i would think that the north koreaages would find deeply troubling. >> he said if that happens, the north koreans could lose a chance at net renewed contact or cultural engs changes with the u.s. which they want. and he says humanitarian groups that do so much to help the starving sick people in north korea, may cut that off. brian todd, washington. >> bizarre story. 85 years old. >> they will still haven't heard from him. we'll continue to follow that story. all right. this is, of course, the 50th

industry of jfk's an sass nation and conspiracy theories are still very popular. >> hear from one of the emergency room doctors who tried to save the president. stay with us. farmer: hello, i'm an idaho potato farmer. and our giant idaho potato truck is still missing. so my dog and i we're going to go find it. it's out there somewhere spreading the good word about idaho potatoes and raising money for meals on wheels. but we'd really like our truck back, so if you see it, let us know, would you? thanks. what?

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we'll even send you this free calculator. call: now. why wait? right around now, 50 years ago, president john f. kennedy was starting his final journey. in an open air limousine, driving through the streets of dallas. >> when you watch these images you think to yourself how different things are today. imagine a president in an open top limousine. that was the day 50 years ago that a beloved president was gunned down, but there are still many questions about who was behind it, at least among many americans still asking these questions. >> yeah, because take a look at that. a gallup poll recently showed 61% of americans, 61% still believe the assassination was a

conspiracy. ed lavandera looks now at some of the theories. >> 50 years later, people still come every day. point to the sixth floor window, stand on the grassy knoll imagining what that day was like. president john f. kennedy and first lady jacqueline kennedy driving by, smiling. they looked down from the school book depository building imagining what lee harvey oswald saw the moment gunfire exploded, the piercing echoes through dealey plaza. >> the flash apparently official. president kennedy died at 1:00 p.m. central standard time. >> does it amaze me that will people come to dealey plaza 24/7 scratching their heads and pointing and walking around? no, not at all. the kennedy assassination story is modern folklore now. people aren't satisfied with the official story that one man did all that damage not only to a person but to a country and to the world.

>> the official story, of course, is that lee harvey reoswald acted alone. >> could he have survive this had first wound? >> ronald jones was one of the emergency room doctors who tried to save president kennedy and vividly remember the chaotic moments in the packed operating room of parkland hospital. >> we knew we were working on the president. we were anxious, we were excited, we were doing what we would do in the care of a normal trauma patient and yet, here was the president of the united states, nobody knew he was dead. >> dr. jones says the first thing he noticed was a wound on the president's neck. >> initial impression was that this is an entrance wound and this is an exit wound up here. we had no information as to how he was shot with what was he shot. who shot him, we had no information whatsoever. we had not seen the accept pruder film. >> later on the warren commission report would determine that neck wound was where the so-called magic bullet exited his body before

strikinging texas governor john connolly. >> this could have been an entrance or exit wound. i don't know if anything will ever come up. nothing has surfaced yet that would indicate that there was a second shooter. certainly that possibility exists. but right now, i would accept the warren commission report. >> it's a fairy tale. it didn't happen. no bullet went through both men. >> to conspiracy thoerts like robert grodin, the single bullet story is one of the problems with the official story. >> so you. you the that down there, the x in the middle of the road? >> yeah, i put that down there 19 years ago. >> he grew up in new york and moved to dallas almost 20 years ago, proving the kennedy assassination conspiracy is his life's mission. you can find him on the grassy knoll every weekend arguing his case into do people come out here and say, man, you're just crazy? >> >> nobody says that.

>> nobody. >> nobody. i believe i guess there reinforce an amalgamation and elements within the cia. >> so the cia and the mob working together is the theory that -- >> yeah. >> most people that really know the case are somewhere in that ballpark. >> that is the legacy that still hangs over dealey plaza, one of the most tragic events of the 20th century. still shrouded for many in mystery. ed lavandera, cnn, dallas. >> and we will be taking you live to dallas as the city honors president john f. kennedy on this 50th anniversary of his assassination. stay with us. we'll be right back. [ lane ] are you growing old waiting for your wrinkle cream to work? neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair has the fastest retinol formula. to visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles in just one week. neutrogena®.

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well, we are now minutes away from the exact time president john f. kennedy was killed 50 years ago today. the exact time he was pronounced dead. take a look at these live pictures of dealey plaza in dallas where he was gunned down. as we were mentioning, michael, the city is holding its first official ceremony to mark the tragedy since the assassination. >> it seems extraordinary. there's going to be a moment of silence. you're going to have military jets flying over.

some of the president's speeches are going to be read. and there is going to be a new jfk monument that's going to be unveiled. it's actually located on the grassy knoll on street side there. the inscription on it is actually the final part of the speech that will jfk was on his way to deliver at the dallas trade mart on that day. >> kennedy was the nation's 35th president. this week has given us all an opportunity really to revisit history to revisit the legacy of john f. kennedy. what would the u.s. have been like had this assassination not happened? these important pieces of legislation, the voting rights act, civil rights act. >> he was moving toward detente with the china. >> so many things would have potentially been different either way. it's been an opportunity for all of us here in the u.s. and around the world to revisit this morn moment. >> a lot of interest around the world indeed.

thanks for your company here on "around the world." we're going to land it off to wolf blitzer for now though. wolf blitzer for now though. thank you. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com i'm wolf blitzer in washington. i want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. it was 50 years ago during this exact an hour a beloved american president cut down in his prime leaving a nation shocked and grief stricken. in dallas this hour, a solemn ceremony marks the 50th anniversary of president john f. kennedy's assassination. the images are etched in our collective memories. the president and the first lady in the open top limousine. the motorcade making its way toward dealey plaza. no signs of the tragedy about to unfold. today, the crowd gathered in dealey plaza. it will pause for a moment of silence at 12:30 p.m..local time, that's 1:30 p.m. eastern the moment the shots rang