1,000 percent innocent. the eagles have also issued a statement saying they are aware of the investigation. we are working to get more details on this today and we'll have more coverage on this developing news throughout the evening. it is friday afternoon. i'm brian taff. >> i'm monica malpass. sharrie is off today. we're following new developments in the murders of two philadelphia children who police say were killed by their own mother in florida. >> we have learned they were in the foster system until just a few weeks ago. tonight the day care they attended is planning a vigil for them. vernon odom outside that day care in fox chase with the details. >> reporter: good evening, brian and monica. at 7 o'clock tonight a candlelight vigil is planned here for those two, n-memory of those two children who were wiped out earlier this week. they were brought here for day care for several months. the workers tell me they were happy and well adjusted children. at least until they abruptly never returned, that was late last month.

this is 40-year-old sophia hines of frankford due in a florida courtroom this afternoon to face double murder charges. police are accusing her of suffocating two of that her children. police found them in the home of relatives wednesday. police say she has confessed to suffocating the children with a bed sheet. >> i'm -- i'm speechless on how a mother can do something like this to her two babies and i'm so disgusted. >> reporter: stephanie is a teacher at the fox chase day-care center where ariel and saint leo were cared for. "action news" has confirmed they were receiving extensive services through the city's department of human services and were coming here daily. a hearing master designated by family court determined name late april they could be placed back in the full custody of sophia hines and her husband of four months anthony singleton the biological father of saint leo. brian and monica, dhs is

prohibited by confidentiality laws they say to say any more but clearly that hearing master made a bad call in this case. live in fox chase, i'm vernon odom, channel6 "action news." >> thank you, vernon. time right now for a check of that accuweather forecast as we're about to embark on the weekend. >> meteorologist melissa magee in for adam joseph outside live outside and enjoying it. >> temperatures are responding nicely. we are in the 70's all across the delaware and lehigh valleys. 77 in the city, 76 in reading. at the coast in cape may 73, 78 for wilmington and millville. here's satellite6 along with action radar. we've got dry conditions, plenty of sunshine thanks to this dominating ridge of high pressure and it stays in control as we go through the rest of tonight. if you're out on the town here on this friday maybe dining alfresco 7:00 p.m. temperature 74, 72 at 8 o'clock tonight. it's clear at 9 p.m. and by 10:00 and 11 o'clock tonight

temperatures will be in there upper 60's underneath a mostly clear sky. it's nice and comfortable today with low humidity levels but things will be changing fairly quickly across our region as early as tomorrow. the storm prediction center has placed our region in a slight risk of finding some severe weather with strong showers and storms on the way. the biggest threat for our region wind, haily details coming up in just a little bit. monica back inside to you. >> thank you melissa. with severe weather possible tomorrow be sure to keep 6abc.com/weather opened on all your devices so you have the latest rely on the power of storm tracker6 live radar to help you plan your day and of course follow our team of meteorologists on facebook and twitter for the very latest updates. >> police in the logan section of philadelphia are looking for the suspects who broke into a home and terrorized the people end side. they gave usideo of yesterday's crime on west ruscomb street. police say two men tried to get into the china garden restaurant. they finally got into the apartment above that restaurant after prying the

bars off a second floor window. police say 33 woke up the people inside pulled guns on them and then threatened to kill them. then they took money, keys and electronics. the video also shows them leaving the apartment with bags of what they had stolen. >> a person of interis now in custody for yesterday's attack on the schuylkill river trail. a woman was slashed in the face going up these stairs to walnut street in center city at 3:00 p.m. the police have since received a number of tips that led them to a possible suspect. they're working to determine if they have the right man. in the meantime they are telling folks of course to stay alert while using the trail. >> don't want to discourage people from enjoying the trail whether they're exercising working out or just walking along a leisurely stroll. either way we want people to still come to that trail and enjoy themselves butter be careful out there. >> volunteers with the newly formed schuylkill river trail watch will begin their patrols earlier than planned in light of this attack. the victim is now recovering from a large cut across her

forehead. >> septa's days of tokens and paper tickets are finally coming to an end. the agency showed off its new key cards today which will replace the old system. those key cards will be available starting monday at 6:00 a.m. up to 10,000 riders will have the chance to bi-weekly and monthly passes at 12 stations and the septa sales office. now the passes work for subway lines, city and suburban bus routes and trolleys. regional rail and paratransit will be included later. all you have to do is put the card near the reader in addition to the upgrade, septa officials say these passes have a one other advantage over those tokens. >> if you if register your card, they'll have the ability to turn that card off and issue you a new one. >> and i know a lot of people have been happy to hear that. to help riders with the transition customer service ambassadors will be in septa stations to answer questions for you. septa officials say they hope to add more features to the system as the year goes on.

now, if your route is not part of the program you can pay the fare the same way you've always down the. we have a list of the stations where you can buy those passes at 6abc.com. brian and monica, i know a lot of riders happy to hear about that. >> absolutely. >> their pockets are going to get a little lighter. >> i was going say sounds good. alicia thanks very much. it is time to get a check of the "action news" traffic report. >> let's go live to many ma map in the action news traffic center to see how it's going. >> we wish these delays would get a little lighter but no it's friday afternoon in the summertime so it is very busy out there brian and monica and we have several complications as you try and get to your shore or poconos destination for the week. first is here on 95 in delco. these are the northbound lanes by 452. looks like a minor fender-bender mostly off to the left side but definitely attracting some attention and northbound is heavy from the state line as you head up toward the blue route. then things break up a little bit, you're moving okay past the airport but then once you get to the girard point double decker bridge you start to slow again through this point northbound at broad street up to the walt whitman bridge.

traffic across the walt crawls into new jersey, into the garden state onto 42 southbound whereby 130 we have not only an accident but also emergency construction. two separate problems knocking out the right lane on 42 southbound right in that spot where so many of you would be heading on a friday afternoon in the summertime. so you see those speeds coming across the walt whitman bridge off of the schuylkill expressway. just in the teens. 676 southbound also stacks with speeds like just 11 miles per hour as you come away from the atlantic avenue and head down toward 42 to do the merge there. it is a mess getting into new jersey across the walt whitman bridge this afternoon. you'll want to use the commodore that might be a bit better but that's going to be busy, too. ben franklin bridge is okay but once you get on 676 off of it it is jammed southbound as you can z now in gloucester city we've got some downed wires, a downed pole along 130 southbound approaching 42. the two right lanes out of commission there because of that downed pole so definitely heavy.

and problems in delaware as well. if you're headed southbound along 95 at 141 there's a crash taking out a lane. you hit some more slowing then southbound on highway one passing the christiana mall. if you're head towards the delaware beaches this afternoon you too are going to have company and if you're headed the other way on 95 northbound coming out of maryland, as you get past 896, there's a tractor-trailer fire. couple lanes blocked there with speeds like just 11 miles per hour coming away from the state line. we'll check it again, brian and monica, coming up in the next half hour. >> see you then, matt. thank you. still ahead while the world mourns muhammad ali the sports world has lost another legend. >> plus, for the first time in more than five decades, commercial flights are headed from the u.s. to cuba and today we found out which airlines will be allowed to make that trip. >> and it's a pop-up restaurant opening right in the middle of south street. we'll take you inside the one of a kind experience coming all the way from the west coast this weekend. >> all right. and here's another live look at the muhammad ali memorial right now and we will bring

you its eulogies live coming up next.

♪ ♪

>> ♪ >> another live look right now at the muhammad ali memorial under way in louisville kentucky that chief oren lion speaking right now. a few more speakers before we expect to join valerie jared who will be speaking on behalf of president obama and a number of other speakers coming up including muhammad ali's daughters. again we'll join that live very shortly. today democratic massachusetts senator elizabeth warren met privately with hillary clinton as the party continues to throw its support behind the presumptive nominee. clinton then continued her day in the nation's capitol with a speech to planned parenthood. she voiced her support for abortion rights and accused donald trump of trying to take america backwards. >> back to the days when abortion was illegal, women had far fewer options and life for too many women and girls was limited. well, donald, those days are

over. [cheers and applause] >> while nearly at the same time donald trump gave his own speech in washington to a group of evangelical christians. he criticized his democratic rival for her stances on domestic and foreign policy. >> she wants a 500 percent increase in syrian refugees to come into our country. no good. >> a handful of protestors disrupted that speech today but they were quickly removed by security. >> while the world remembers muhammad ali, the sports world lost another legend today, hockey icon gordie howe died at the age of 88. howe is nicknamed mr. hockey. his career was something that modern sports may never see againly he played his first nhl game in 1946 and played his last in 1980. along the way he set almost every scoring record possible even now only wayne gretzky has scored more goals in his career. his son mark played for the flyers.

>> six airlines want permission to fly from the united states to cuba and they'll be the first commercial flights to cuba in more than five decades. american frontier jest blue silver southwest and sun country all got approval from the department of transportation. together they'll fly 155 round trip flights each week flying from five american cities and nine cuban cities owner havana. havana routes will be announced later. none of these new flights at this point will leave from philadelphia. >> all right. check it out. this massive truck right here pulled into headhouse square in philadelphia this afternoon strategically stacked inside, a mobile pub. that's right. starting at midnight a crew will transform this scene from this to this. a street pub. good brews for a good cause. >> it's the world's biggest

pop-up pub we're calling it. it's only 400 feet of bar, over 50 taps. >> reporter: it is based offend bend oregon. every summer they bring the pub to the people. 400 feet of bar, 15 types of beer on tap all pop out of this massive truck. your entire mobile pub is inside this truck. >> this is the one stop shop believe it or not the world's biggest game of tetris lives in here. >> reporter: that mobile party or street pub as they call it will set up shop in headhouse square stretching across second street from south to lombard. this is their second year with philadelphia as one of the stops. here's a look at last year's event. local bands take the station, local restaurants serve up food and local charities benefit from the day long pub party. >> five dollars and every dollar that comes in goes to charity so we're supporting veteran community partnerships and headhouse district. last year we raised around $40,000 for them. >> reporter: beautiful. >> we're hoping to hit 60 this

year. >> reporter: that's right, every penny from every beer poured funnels right back to the community and for the south street headhouse district that money is coming in handy. >> we are doing a lot of improvements to the area. we're going to improve this plaza soon. we're going to really beautify this plaza right where this event is happening so this money really helps. >> reporter: the event runs from 2:00 to 10 o'clock tomorrow and there's also free fun and entertainment for all ages, even the kids. beer for a good cause. a lot of people getting on board with that one. >> nice. >> reporter: should be great monica. >> the children's hospital of philadelphia is kicking off another fundraiser to benefit pediatric cancer research. today marked the start of the 13th annual alex's lemonade stand at chop. the foundation was started by a little girl who lost her own battle with cancer in 2004 but since then her charity has raised more than $120 million. and this year children's hospital will host 29 of these lemon stands, lemonade stands at the hospital and its satellite offices.

the new jersey state american legion is continuing a long running tradition at the jersey shore. this is the group's 98th annual convention at the wildwood convention center. lieutenant governor kim guadagno spoke to the crowd today. she called for improved health and job services for the state's veterans. >> and speaking of the shore lots of folks heading down there and elsewhere this week hoping for good weather. >> of course. let's go over to melissa magee and see how lucky we're feeling. >> so far so good on this friday. a lot of folks already getting away. we'll show you the picture outside. sky6 live in hd down the snore cape may a lot of folks enjoying the beach, sand, the surf and sun as well. things will be changing abruptly as we head into our weekend. we'll talk about that in a moment. currently outside in philadelphia we're coming in at 77, same thing for allentown, the lehigh valley. at the coast in cape may 73 and 78 degrees there in wilmington. here's satellite6 along with action radar. we've got dry and quiet conditions. high pressure is dominating from new england all the way down across the midatlantic

region but you look off to the west right through areas in ohio, we've actually got this warm front draped across that region extending westward through the great lakes and if you look at that red watch box that is our tornado watch popping up across that region. we will be tracking that warm front as it lifts northward across our area as early as tomorrow. the call from accuweather for the rest of tonight, though, well, mostly clear and comfortable. enjoy it. 58 in philadelphia for the overnight low. 53 in lancaster. we'll drop down to 60 in dover. the overnight low in trenton at 53. here's future tracker six. we're timing out the moisture tomorrow. you could see 10:30 in the morning that warm front, the initial wave of energy moves on through so some showers and storms are likely early in the morning or by midday and as we go throughout the afternoon hours, the warmth will couldn't, the humidity will rise as well and that's going to fuel some strong showers and storms across the region. you could see that by 4:30 in the afternoon. not everyone will find the activity but they will be quite scattered in nature and where they hit they could be pretty powerful.

6:30 in the evening you see throws showers and thunderstorms extending from atlantic city over into dover which is why the storm prediction center has placed us in a slight risk of some severe weather. so here's the threat and this is what we're watching tomorrow for the storms. lightning, a high concern for that. downpours look to be high as well. strong winds with any one of those storms that moves on through. a low concern for large hail and tornadoes. i think the torn many tornado threat is mainly north of the delaware and lehigh valleys with something to keep in mind as we track the showers and thunderstorms moving on through. if you're trying to get away for the start of your weekend, if you're heading to the shore, the city, the poconos we've got you covered. tomorrow at the shore sun and clouds, evening storms are likely. late saturday night there could be those showers and thunderstorms, something to keep in mind. at the city tomorrow, it's steamy with those evening storms on the way. and as we get into the poconos 75 degrees for the high with those gusty storms on the way. here's the four day at 4:00 and you can see the concern tomorrow. it's hot. it's humid. a high up to 90 degrees with those afternoon showers and

storms, heat indices in the middle and upper 90's tomorrow. windy with the humidity lowering as the day progresses on sunday and at 88. breezy and cooler on monday, not bad, 80 and 80 as we get into tuesday, guys, so big concern as we get into saturday watching those showers and storms. the seconds half of the weekend looking okay. >> thanks good melissa. thank you. up next a retailer is planning to open up several new locations in philadelphia then of course means new jobs. >> good news. >> we have details on how you can get hired this weekend. >> coming up at 4:30 he's the pizza delivery driver who was kidnapped, robbed and shot on the job as police continue to look for his attackers, we are hearing from him for the first time. >> and this high school valedictorian has overcome a lot of obstacles in her lifetime. coming up in big talkers why her speech was so controversial and why there's one hurdle she says she has yet to cross.

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>> ♪ >> we are continuing to monitor the memorial service under way for muhammad ali today and of course we will bring you all of the eulogies coming up. we expect to hear from muhammad ali's daughters coming up shortly is. of course we will revisit this once that begins. we want to mention our coverage of this service continues right now on our web site and on social media at 6abc.com you'll find more details plus dozens of photos from along the procession route today and on our facebook wage we posted videos and heart felt tributes shared from this morning's motorcade and of course all of the other days events. we are still working right now to learn the name of the man who died in a shootout at hunting park. the shooting started about 10:30 last night on north ninth street. police say they found a 47-year-old man laying dead in the street. they found a gun under his body. overnight at a 27-year-old man showed up at the hospital with a gunshot ound to his left shoulder. police think he was in a gun fight with the victim. they're checking surveillance video right now for any clues. from our delaware news

room police found a man's body near the amtrak line this morning in wilmington. they say he was laying in the weeds near lower b street. they tell us he was in his 50's but have not yet told us his name. they have also not said what happened to him or if they consider this death suspicious. >> a new target store is bringing dozens of new jobs to center city today and potential employees got their first chance to get hired. target hosted this job fair at the son nest at a hotel on market street today. the retailer is looking for 70 employees for the new store on chestnut street scheduled to open july 20. target is also planning four other new locations in our area and the company will hold another job fair tomorrow from 9:00 until 3:30. now here's a look at the day's closing numbers for you on wall street and all the indices appear to be down. 17,865 your number as the dow closed today. nasdaq lost ground today 64 points.

the s & p down 19 and four. >> packed house cents heart felt congratulations today to a talented group of graduates. the action cam was in know north philadelphia as th as, the seniors wore plenty of smiles as well. meanwhile some significantly younger students got a big boost today toward earning those diplomas years down the line. clifford the big red dog was on hand at louis elkins a-the fundamental school board received back packs with books from scholastic they gotten books. the goal is to make sure they come back in the fall with their reading skills intact. >> absolutely. they call it the summer slide when you don't read all year or all summer. the pizza delivery driver attacked and shot earlier this week talks about what happened to him. you'll hear from the man who

can't believe he's even still alive next. >> plus, a courageous texas teen uses her value dick corian speech to reveal a secret she's kept for seven years and it brought the audience to their feet with a standing ovation. her viral announcement coming up in big talkers. >> ♪

>> ♪ >> "action news" continues with meteorologist adam joseph, alicia vitarelli, sharrie williams and brian

taff. >> ♪ >> good afternoon. sharrie is off, i'm monica malpass. a philadelphia pizza delivery driver attacked and shot execution style is beyond thankful that he's just alive tonight. >> doctors told him his survival is a miracle. "action news" reporter trish hartman talked to the driver and joins us live outside southwest detectives with the incredible details here. trish. >> reporter: well, brian, monica, the victim of that shooting robbery and kidnapping says he thanks god that he's not just alive but also walking and talking after doctors removed a bullet from his brain less than a week ago. >> they told me i have to change my flame to miracle that's what he told me because 33 say a lot of people come to the same situation but you can't find nobody survive. >> reporter: 34-year-old gafaru surah says doctors couldn't really explain to him why he's still alive. he was shot in the head monday night while delivering pizza in southwest philadelphia. >> when my brother came to the

hospital, i told my brother to take care of my daughter back >> reporter: police say it all happened around 10:15 p.m. when -- >> ♪ ll the greatest of all time. i'm so mean, i make medicine sick. i'm handsome, i'm fast, i'm pretty and can't possibly be beat. >> muhammad ali with an eighth-round knockout, recaptures the heavyweight championship of the world. muhammad ali, the greatest of all time. now reporting george stephanopoulos. today, we celebrate muhammad ali, a boxing champ who revolutionized the sport and transcended the ring and eventually loved all over the

world. today a final far farewell. a huge sendoff in houseville. the procession began this morning, carried his coughin past his childhood home to his final resting place. we'll take you inside the public farewell in just a moment. free tickets were given out and are so prized being scalped for high prices. leaders of all the major religions including ali's islamic faith are speaking today. we'll hear from his wife lonnie and some of his children. abc's ryan smith has been there all week. he's right outside the hall today. ryan? >> reporter: george, outside the mood was jubilant as the procession went through the streets of louisville and took muhammad ali to his final resting place. inside, the mood once solemn and

inspirational and so many different races and religions brought under one roof just as muhammad ali wanted it. the spirit inside there is to live as ali did. everyone sharing from religious chants. but this is how muhammad ali wanted it. he wanted the world to see the different range of races and religions. george. >> okay, ryan. abc's byron pitts just a few feet from the mum ali center. this is the sendoff that muhammad ali wanted and a city that embraced him dearly. >> george, you're right. in the south, they say we have been having church. the mood here as ryan said is more like a family reunion than a funeral. according to his family and friends, mum ali had two dreams of his life -- win the heavy weight champion of the world and work his way to heaven.

the road to heaven cut through louisville. >> cut through louisville today. inside that hall right now we'll see am bar doz shabazz, the eldest daughter of the late malcolm x. she's finishing a poetry read. >> -- no matter how magnificent you are and indeed those that were with him, indeed his family members sustained that. his nine children. i will name them. maryum, rasheda, mia, hana, laila and asaad. as well as their mothers and the third-generation grandchildren who accompany them. [ applause ] >> to his only brother, to his

extraordinary example of a best friend. and to his sister-in law, maril marilyn, for all the grief that i'm depleted by and others are feeling by his transition there's none comparable to yours and i know that. on this day and those to come, as you redefine your waking days with life without him here present very different. photos, memories, all the things that we have on him that keep him going. he touched you differently and that has to be honored and

recognized. never forsaken. [ applause ] >> just know that you're in the descent about the seed is in you to cultivate that responsibly as well. this moment is very meaningful for me. to have been amongst those chosen and blessed by muhammad ali himself and affirmed by his wife lonnie to take part by sharing a prose, a statement during this home-going ceremony. while he and i had a treasured relationship, the genesis of this love is the simple love of my father, muhammad ali was the

last of a fraternity amazing man bequeathed to me directly by my dad. somewhere between me turning 18, 19 or 20, they all seem to find me somehow guided by an oath, a promise to my dad, long after him leaving this earth to search for me and they did, each one remaining in my life until joining the rest of the heaves.s this included muhammad ali. whom dad loved as a little brother, 16 years his junior and his entrusted friend, there was a double take when i came upon him a once childhood and now looking right into his face and you now how he is, he gives you that -- is that you?

from the very moment we found one another it was as if no time had passed at all despite the presumptions of divisions, despite all the organized distancing. we dove right into the stated and dually-acknowledged spaces we could explore and cover privately. we cried out loud. his belt, his grief, for having not spoken to my dad before he left and then just as loudly we would laugh about the best of stories and some that can't be repeated. he was really funny. what was significant as brothers for my father and ali, was their ability to discuss openly anything, all facets of life namely the true meaning as men

with great responsibilities bestowed to them of how to make an e quitable difference in the lives of others. a unifying topic was faith. faith, respect for faith, all faiths. even if belonging to one specific religion or none, the root of such being the gift of faith itself. so, in his own words, he wrote, we all have the same god, we just serve him differently. rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, oceans, all have different names, but they all contain water. so do we religions have different names but yet they all contain truth, truth expressed in different ways and forms and times.

it doesn't matter whether you're a muslim or a christian or a jew, when you believe in god you should believe all people are part of one family. [ applause ] >> for if you love god you can't just love only some of his children. his words and certainly ideals shared by both men, love is a mighty thing, devotion is a mighty thing and truth always reigns. having muhammad ali in my life somehow sustained my dad's breath for me a little bit longer, 51 years longer, until now.

i'm forever grateful that our union on this earth together allowed for me a continuum of a shared understanding, preserved confidentialities and the comfort of living in his hometown of louisville, kentucky, for the past six years. [ applause ] was not a plan, an mostly for the gift of knowing and loving his wife and children forever forward as my own family know that. as the last of the fraternity reaches the heavens my heart is rendered ever longly for that tribe, tribe of purpose, tribe

of significance, tribe of confidence, tribe of character. of duty, of faith, of service, we must make sure that the principle of men and women like muhammad ali and others who dedicated their very being to assure to recognize your own glory is sustained and passed on like that olympic torch. my dad would often state when concluding or parting from another, may we meet again in the light of understanding and i say to you with the light of that compass by any means necessary. [ applause ] >> ambassador shabazz, the daughter of malcolm x, speaking

of fraternity muhammad ali shared with her father. saying we all live under the same god. up next, we'll hear from valerie jarrett the senior adviser to president obama, president obama wanted to be there today but he could not. his daughter malia is graduating from high school. said he had to do his dad duty. good afternoon. on behalf of president obama and mrs. obama, i wish to express to you their deepest regret that they couldn't be there as we celebrate the extraordinary life of muhammad ali. i first met muhammad ali over 45 years ago through his friendship with my uncle and he my uncle

would be so touch that his son gene is a pallbearer here today. because of my family connection, the president and first lady asked me if i would read this tribute to you, penned by president obama. it was 1980 and an epic career was in its twilight, everybody knew it. probably including the champ himself. ali went into one of his final fights, an underdog, all the smart money was on the new champ, larry holmes and in the end, the oddsmakers were right. a few hours later, at 4:00 a.m. after the loss, after the fans had gone home and the sports writers were writing their final take, a sportswriter asked a

restroom attendant if he'd bet on the fight. the man, black and getting on in years, said he put his money on ali. the writer asked, why? why, the man said. why? because he's muhammad ali. that's why. he said mister, i'm 72 years old and i owe the man for giving me my dignity. [ applause ] to lonnie and the ali family, president clinton and an arena full of distinguished guests you're amazing. the man we celebrate today is just not a boxer or a poet or an

age day or the or a man of peace, he was not just a muslim or a black man or a louisville kid, though i know you wished that was it, this louisville is city. he wasn't just the greatest of all time, he was muhammad ali. the whole far greater than the sum of the parts. he was bigger and more original and influential than anyone of his era. you couldn't have made him up. and yes, he was pretty, too. he had fans in every city, every village, every ghetto on the planet. the beatles, british invasion took a detour to come to him.

it seems sometimes that the champ was simply too big for america. but i actually think that the world flocked to him in wonder precisely because as he once put it, muhammad ali was america. brash, defiant, pioneering, joyful. never tired, always gamed to test the odds. he was our most basic freedoms, religi religion, speech, spirit. he embodied our ability to invent ourselves. his life spoke to the discrimination and the journey he traveled helped to shock our consciousness and lead us on a path to salvation and like

america, he was always very much a work in progress. we do him a disservice to gauze up his story, to sand down his rough edges to talk only of floating like butterflies and stinging lie bees. muhammad ali was a radical, a loud and a proud and unabashedly black voice in a jim crow world. his jabs knocked some sense into us. yes, they did. pushing us to expand our imagination and bring others into our understanding. now there were times when he swung a bit wildly, that's right. wound up and accidentally may have wronged the wrong opponent as he was the first to admit. through his triumphs and

failures, ali seemed to achieve the sort of enlightment and inner peace that we all striving towards. in the '60s when other young men his age were living the country to avoid war or jail, he was asked why he didn't join them, he got angry, he said he'd never leave his people in his words are here, the millions struggling for freedom and justice and equality and i can do a lot of help in jail or not. right here in america. he'd have everything stripped from him, his titles, his standings, his money, his passion, very nearly his freedom. but ali still chose america. i imagine he knew that only here in this country could he win it

all back. so, he chose to help perfect an union a descend about of slaves could become the king of the world. and in the process, in the process, lend some dignity to all of us. maids, porters, students, and elderly bathroom attendant and help inspire a young mixed kid with a funny name to haveudacit anything, even the president of the united states! muhammad ali was america. muhammad ali will always be america. what a man.

what a spirit. what a joyous, mightiful champion. god bless the greatness of ali. god bless his family. and god bless this nation we love. thank you very much. [ applause ] >> president obama on the radical muhammad ali who inspired him. now, the eulogies. led off by muhammad ali's wife, lonnie ali, married for the last 30 years, he called her the boss because she did so much to organize his life. they actually met when he was just 6 years old. take a look at this picture, he was 21. at 17, she said she knew she was going to marry muhammad. lonnie ali.

peace be upon you. i said something to matt lauer yesterday that i firmly believe muhammad had something to do with all of this. and i think we are right. thank you all for being here to share in this final farewell to muhammad. on behalf of the ali family, let me first recognize our principal sell brant imam zaid shakir and dr. timothy gee gnat owe. we thank you for your dedication to helping us to fulfill muhammad's desire that the ceremonies of this past week

reflect the traditions of his islamic faith. and as a family we thank the millions of people who through the miracle of social media inspired by their love of muhammad have reached out to us with their prayers. the messages have come in every language, from every corner of the globe. from wherever you are watching know that we have been humbled by your heartfelt expressions of love, it's only fitting that we gather in a city to which muhammad always returned after his great triumphs. a city that has grown as muhammad has grown. muhammad never stopped loving louisville. and we know that louisville loves muhammad. [ cheers and applause ]

we can't forget a louisville police officer, joe e. martin who embraced a young 12-year-old boy in distress when his bicycle was stolen. joe martin handed young cassius clay the keys to a future in boxing he could scarcely could have imagined. america must never forget that when a cop and an inner city kid talk to each other then miracles can happen. [ applause ] >> some years ago during his

long struggle with parkinson's that included a meeting with his closest advisers, muhammad and ever indicated when the end came to him, he wanted to use his life and death as a teaching moment for young people, for the country and for the world. he wanted us to remind people who are suffering that he had seen the face of injustice, that he grew up in a segregation and during his early life he wasn't free to be who he wanted to be but he never became inbitter enough -- it was a time it was a time when a young black boy his age could be hung from a tree, in mississippi, in 1955, till's killers went free. a time when muhammad's friends,

men he admired like brother malcolm, dr. king were gunned down and nelson mandela imprisoned for what they believed in. for his part, muhammad faced federal prosecution, he was stripped of his title and his license to box and he was sentenced to prison but he would not be intimidated as to abandoned his principles and values. muhammad wants young people of every background to see his life as proof that adversity can make you stronger. it cannot rob you of the power to dream and to reach your dreams, this is why we built the muhammad ali center and that's the essence of the ali center message.

muhammad wants us to see the face of his religion, true islam, as the faith of love. his religion caused him to turn away from war and violence, for his religion he was prepared to sacrifice all that he had and all that he was to protect his soul and follow the teachings of prophet muhammad. peace be upon you. so even in death, muhammad has something to say. he's saying that his faith required that he take the more difficult road, it's far more difficult to be -- to sacrifice one self in the name of peace than to take up arms in the pursuit of violence. [ applause ] you know all of his life, muhammad was fascinated by

travel. he was childlike in his encounter with new surroundings and new people. he took his world championship fights to the ends of the earth. from the south pacific to europe to the congo. and of course with muhammad he believed it was his duty to let everyone see him in person, because after all, he was the greatest of all time. [ applause ] the boy from grand avenue in louisville, kentucky, grew in wisdom from his journeys. he discovered something new that the world really wasn't black and white at all. it was filled with many shades of rich colors, languages and religions. and as he moved with ease around the world the rich and powerful was drawn to him but he drawn to the poor and the forgotten.

muhammad fell in love with the masses and they fall in love with him. in the diversity of men and their faiths, muhammad saw the presence of god, he was captivated by the work of the dalai lama who gave their lives to protect the poor. when his mother died, he wanted different religions represented. he wanted the same.

you know as i reflect on the life of my husband it's easy to see his most obvious talents. his ma jes try in the ring as he danced under those lights enshrined him as a champion for the ages. less obvious was his extraordinary sense of timing, his knack of being in the right place at the right time, seemed to be ordained by a higher power. he was born into a family with two parents that nurtured and encouraged him. he was placed on the path of his dreams by a white cop and he had teachers who understood his dreams and wanted him to succeed. the olympic gold medal came and the world started to take notice.