addie mae, denise, cynthia, and carole.ize the role of these girls would play in the struggle for civil rights. on a sunday morning in september of 1963, a group of men with monstrous designs inspired to place more than a dozen sticks of dynamite beneath the 16th st. baptist church in birmingham, alabama. shortly after 10 a.m., the dynamite blew, killing the girls and injuring many others and breaking the heart across our country. the force of the explosion ripped through the church, blasting debris over the pews and the culprit -- pulprit, even question cars parked nearby. -- even question cars parked nearby. nearly every stained last window blew out safer one. the window that showed christ leading a group of children, but with his face missing. the symbolism was potent. after all the tragedy of september 15, the latest environment acts, some felt that god had abandoned them. they had given up hope. yet as scripture assures us, the lord did not abandon his flock. today we know the bombing at the 16th st. baptist church was

addie mae collins, denise mcnair, carole robertson, cynthia wesley.he four little girls died in the sacred walls of the 16th street baptist church 50 years ago this week as they were preparing for sunday school. they died at the hands of a system that remained silent about blatant violent acts of hatred. later, we remain silent no more. today, they will finally be recognized as agents of change who lost their lives and it was pivotal in the struggle for equality. bestowrican people will the highest civilian honor that congress can bestow upon these four little girls in recognition that out of this tragedy came a movement that inspired our nation and impacted the world. the senseless deaths of the four little girls serves as a catalyst for legislative change. 50 years later, we finally honor their life and legacy. justice delayed, but not denied. god is good. [applause] i believe it is the fitting that we would honor for little girls from birmingham under the watchful eye of another alabama daughter, rosa parks. [applause] was parks, whose statue dedic

given posthumously to addie mae collins, carole robertson, cynthia wesley and denise mcnair. their deaths helped spur the passage of the civil rights act of 1964 and the voting rights act a year later. alabama congresswoman terri sewell paid tribute. >> the names of the four little girls will never appear on the wall here in congress. but their legacy truly paved the way for me and so many others to serve here in congress. i know that the journey that i now take, as alabama's first black congresswoman, would not be possible had it not been for the journey of addie, carole, denise, and cynthia. >> ifill: past recipients of the medal include other civil rights figures, as well as the wright brothers, mother teresa, and bob hope. >> woodruff: and online, you may have noticed a different look to our rundown. we've launched a new initiative to track the most important stories of the day, as they evolve. you can find this new blog on our home page.

i called,addie! she didn't answer me.ht the girls had ran on the other side of the church were the sunday school area was. all of a sudden i heard a voice outside saying, somebody bombed the 16th street church. it was so clear to me as though this person was right there, but .hey were outside there was a whole. all of the debris came rushing in. i was hit in my face with glass and also in both eyes. came, his name was samuel rutledge, he came in and inked me up and carried me the indolence was out there ambulance wasthe out there waiting. they rushed me to the hospital. there, my sister and i asked her, where is addie? she said addie hurt her back but would be here tomorrow to see me. to the rushed me on up operating room and operated on both of my eyes and took the glass from my face. i had glass in my chest and stomach. they operated on me. when i went back to the room -- and i stayed there in the hospital for about two and a half months. when they took the bandages off my eyes, the doctor asked me what i could see out

, as alabama's first black congress woman would not be possible had it not been for the journey of addie, carol, denise and cynthia. >> >> ifill: past recipients of the medal include rosa parks, reverend martin luther king, jr., and his wife, coretta scott king. still ahead on the newshour, three takes on syria, from republican senator susan collins, syrian americans with family impacted by war, and former u.n. weapons inspector, charles duelfer; plus, margaret warner in egypt; jeffrey brown on the photography of war; and shields and brooks preview president obama's address to the nation.

, as alabama's first black congresswoman, would not be possible had it not been for the journey of addie, carole, denise, and cynthia. >> ifill: past recipients of the medal include other civil rights figures, as well as the wright brothers, mother teresa, and bob hope. >> woodruff: and online, you may have noticed a different look to our rundown. we've launched a new initiative to track the most important stories of the day, as they evolve. you can find this new blog on our home page. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. >> ifill: and that's the newshour for tonight.

addie mae's sister was standing with the girls when the bomb went off. >> addie reached out and saidhe bomb went off. i heard this loud sound. boom. >> the death of these little children may lead our suffering from the low road of mans inhumanity to man. to the high road of peace and brotherhood. >> a sculpture dedicated to the girls now stands across from the church. the attorney who prosecuted the last two bombings says it is a reminder that the nation must not make the same mistakes of the past. >>> funding for the federal government runs out at the end of the september. that means congress has less than two weeks oncoming up with a bill. if the government does shut down, many core functions including military actions would stop. >> anything that is tied to me they feel obliged to oppose. and i have a message for them, that's not what the voters put you in office for. >>> is scheduled to open to traffic later this year. tom vacar was in the tunnel and found only a few by important steps remain before this transportation milestone is complete. >> reporter: the long awaited caldecut

in a ceremony at the capitol, the congressional gold medal was given posthumously to addie mae collins, carole robertson, cynthia wesley and denise mcnair. their deaths helped spur the passage of the civil rights act of 1964 and the voting rights act a year later. alabama congresswoman terri sewell paid tribute. >> the names of the four little girls will never appear on the wall here in congress. but their legacy truly paved the way for me and so many others to serve here in congress. i know that the journey that i now take, as alabama's first black congresswoman, would not be possible had it not been for the journey of addie, carole, denise, and cynthia. >> ifill: past recipients of the medal include other civil rights figures, as well as the wright brothers, mother teresa, and bob hope. >> woodruff: and online, you may have noticed a different look to our rundown. we've launched a new initiative to track the most important stories of the day, as they evolve. you can find this new blog on our home page. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. >> ifill: and that's the n

will the family of addie mae collins stand. we remember addie mae collins.ris wesley stand. we remember cynthia morris wesley. [bell tolls] will the family of carol roberts on stand. robertson. carol [bell tolls] will the family of the nice mcnair stand. -- will the family of denise mcnair stand. we remember denise mcnair. [bell tolls] gill the family of virtua ware stand. we remember virgil ware. [bell tolls] and will the family of johnny robertson stand. we remember johnny robertson. [bell tolls] let us never forget their lives, their legacy, and the lessons that we have learned in these past 50 years. we are prepared to believe now, and i will ask that we all stand as we prepare to sing the hymn of the movement, "we shall overcome." i will ask elder king to come up here please. amen. congresswoman sewell, if you will come. the governor and his wife, the attorney general and his wife, will you please come. the mayor and his wife, would you please come. come on off. up.ome on we're going to grab one , and there iss only one person that can lead us in this h

addie mae collins, >> reporter: a bronze sculpture memorializing the deadly bombing was unveiled at a park yesterday in bermingham. the work to fit them. >> this monument is not just a local monument or a national, it is a world monument. it changed millions of hearts and minds for love and hate, for love and reconciliation instead of prejudice and hate. >> reporter: the sculpture lives in a nearby mountain brook, alabama, at the time of the bombing. >>> the syrian leader says his country will comply with a u.s. russian deal to hand over the chemical weapon, cbs reporter tells us, secretary of state john kerry is sending a message. if they do not comply, the u.s. will react. >> kerry is warning syria there will be consequences if the country does not comply with an international deal to get rid of the chemical weapon. >> the threat, of course, is really. the regime and those taking part is that president barack obama and the united states are committed to achieve this goal. >> reporter: kerry went to israel to discus the developments with the prime minister. they strapped the importan

donde se encuentra nuestra compaÑera addis que estuvo pendiente de todo buenos dÍas addis, cÓmo estÁsueron testigos previos a los momentos para el civil, asÍ el arribo de la nerviosa sherlyn. >>> ay nanita. ♪. ♪. >>> vean nada mÁs a la hermosa novia, el blanco de su vaporoso vestido de rafael novias competiÁ con su gran sonrisa, ya que hablamos de colores, las invitadas hacÍan juego con el mar azul. la mamÁ de la actriz no contenÍa la emociÓn, las lÁgrimas brotaron no fue la Única el novio al estar frente a frente a su amada, no pudo mÁs, y el amor inundÓ su mirada conmoviendonos a todos, no cabÍa duda el sentimiento estaba en el aire. >>> estoy feliz de tenerte aquÍ es muy de casa hace rato veÍa, no es un tema de lo medios es un tema de casa. >>> gracias por invitar a "despierta amÉrica", que ve casarse a a una de sus chicas . >>> las adoro. mil veces. >>> saludos a los paparrines. >>> mandenos buenas vibras. empieza una etapa importante para nosotros queremos que nos manden la buena vibra. >>> se dio de una forma maravilla, esta princesa. >>> sÍ este tipo de cosas, estÁn los peces a

denise mcnair, carole robertson, addie mae collins and cynthia wesley, four little girls all under the age of 15 were killed. former secretary of state condoleezza rice, a birmingham native was a friend of denise mcnair. >> i said to my parents as the events were unfolding on television, why do they hate us so much? and i remember my father simply saying, they are hateful men, they are just hateful men. >> the horrific attack shocked the nation making america take a deep look at racial inequality and injustice. >> it also strengthened the civil rights movement and helped influence the passage of the landmark civil right bill of 1964. but today in birmingham, they came to remember. >> in looking forward, it is truly that we honor their sacrifice if we remember that equality and justice for all written in the constitution is actually not just a piece of paper, but something that each and every one of us must live each and every day. >> four lives cut short, four little girls whose untimely death helped change the course of a nation. for cbs news, natalie tejada, birmingham, alabama. >> g

in a capitol ceremony, the congressional gold medal was given posthumously to addie mae collins, carole robertson, cynthia wesley, and denise mcnair. their deaths helped spur the passage of the civil rights act of 1964 and the voting rights act a year later. alabama congresswoman terri sewell paid tribute today. >> the names of the four little girls will never appear on the wall here in congress, their legacy truly paved the way for me and so many others to serve here in congress. i know that the journey that i now take, as alabama's first black congress woman would not be possible had it not been for the journey of addie, carol, denise and cynthia. >> >> ifill: past recipients of the medal include rosa parks, reverend martin luther king, jr., and his wife, coretta scott king. still ahead on the newshour, three takes on syria, from republican senator susan collins, syrian americans with family impacted by war, and former u.n. weapons inspector, charles duelfer; plus, margaret warner in egypt; jeffrey brown on the photography of war; and shields and brooks preview president obama's addre

addie mae collins, carole robertson, and cynthia wesley, who were all 14.ise mcnair, who was just 11. >> i knew so clearly that it could have very easily have been me. >> freeman hrabowski is the president of the university of maryland, baltimore county. he had lived in birmingham and was 12 that year. he had also marched and been arrested in may. >> it was like war, because the point was, if a church can be bombed and little girls killed, no one's safe anywhere. >> in the aftermath of the bombing, blacks and whites clashed in the streets. and before the day was over, two young black men had been shot to death. the bombing shocked people outside birmingham, especially because it had happened amid optimism after the successful march on washington, less than three weeks earlier. >> that exercise of true democracy that had just transpired was really shattered by this explosion in birmingham. and for many in the nation, it awoke them to just how difficult this task was going to be. >> but it also galvanized people in the north and the south to lobby even harder

denise mcnair, carol robertson, addie mae collins, and cynthia wesley, four little girls, all under thege of 15, were killed. former secretary of state condoleezza rice, a birmingham native, was a friend of denise mcnair. >> i said to my parents as the events were unfolding on television, why do they hate us so much. and i remember my father simply saying they're hateful men, they're just hateful men. >> reporter: the horrific attack shocked the nation, making america take a deep look at racial inequality and injustice. it also helped strengthen the civil rights movement and helped influence the pass alk age of t civil rights in 1964. but in birmingham they came to remember. >> in looking forward it is truly that we honor their sacrifice if we remember that equality and justice for all written in the constitution is actually not just a piece of paper but something that each and every one of us must live each and every day. >> reporter: four lives cut short, four little girls whose untimely deaths helped change the nation. the course of a nation. for cbs news, natalie ta he da, birmingha

instead, denise mcnair, carol robertson, addie mae collins and sip thee ya wesley were killed 50 years ago today in one of the worst acts of violence during the civil rights movement. they died on a sunday morning, the church they attended, the 16th street baptist church in birmingham, alabama, was bombed. this recollection is from a new documentary called preserving justice. >> my teacher, ms. wesley, her daughter was one of the ones killed in that church bombings, cynthia wesley, and i could remember seeing her standing on the stoop outside the emergency room crying. >> this man survived those very dangerous times, even though he was a civil rights attorney who worked with rosa parks and dr. martin luther king jr. his name was demetrius newton and he was interviewed for the same documentary. >> i saw two white police officers manhandle a young blind girl that i knew and i think it was the catalyst that perhaps led me to choose a career. >> later, newton became the first african-american to serve as president pro tem of the alabama house. he died age of 85 earlier this week. 50 years

carroll robinson, cynthia wesley, denise mcnair, addy mae collins was killed.er survived. >> i heard this loud sound, boom. and then it came in. >> reporter: the death of four girls simblized a terrible reality in birmingham. violence against those who fought for equal rights was common. >> what murdered these four girls? the apathy and the complacency of many a negro who will sit down on their stools and do nothing and not engage in creative protest to get rid of this evil system. >> reporter: during the next two years, the nation saw the passage of key civil rights bills, and the end of segregation. a legacy of the four little girls lost. >> i've always been really touched by what happened here. once i became a parent, everything is just elevated. >> reporter: the same sunday school sermon planned for 50 years ago was given this morning. later, former secretary of state condoleezza rice, a birmingham native who was friends with denise mcnair spoke. >> it was terrifying for a child of 8, but i think really it must have been much more terrifying for the parents

if you could have been a magic it could happen to addie. i . think. everybody. did you know the price is the only industry specifically mention in the constitution. that's because a free and open press is critical to our democracy shrek. will. never go on i'm sorry and on this show we reveal the picture of what's actually going on and we go beyond identifying a problem. rational debate and real discussion critical issues facing america among them are you ready to join the movement and welcome the big. m to our been in washington d.c. and here's what's coming up tonight on the big picture international back in january of two thousand and nine republican lawmakers and strategists got together and planned to sabotage the obama presidency at every possible chance using taliban like tactics that why senator ted cruz is standing up in the senate at this very moment acting like a suicide bomber to his own party while doing everything in ghana to fund obamacare also california has passed a new law that lets teenagers wipe their digital footprint from the internet by del

. >> 14-year-old addie may collins and the youngest 11-year-old denise mcnair all died. i.t.ld take four years for the fbi to discover that four members of the local can you clerk will unlock the machine. pgkukluxklanwere responsible. >> i was kind of numb. disbelief. just felt like pinching myself, saying you're not here, you're not here, you're not here. get up and go out the door and go home. >> the accessibility street bombings only increased racial tension in greated birmingham. the killing shocked the nation and helped galvanize the situation of civil rights across the country. a year later in 1964 president lyndon johnson signed the civil rights act. lisa mcnair never met her older sister. >> it was the first memory i recalled, myster was killed by white people who didn't like black people. you carry that around always wondering why. >> a mark on history still not forgotten. ray lynn johnson, al jazeera. >> an unprecedented amount of sellouts, threatening america's most valued treasure in future generations to come. five years later, what americans have learned from th

. >> 14-year-old addy may colins, carol robinson, cynthia morse and denise mcmayer all died. four members of the local kkk were responsible. for maxine, denise's mother the memories of burying her child are fresh. >> i was just kind of numb. this belief just felt like pinching myself saying, "you're not here, you're not here." get up and go out the door and go home. >> the 16th street bombings increased racial tension in segregated birmingham. the killing shocked the nation and held galvanised support for civil rights around the country. dr martin loouther king junior spoke at some of the funerals. lisa mcnair never met her older sister. >> my first memory is my sister was killed by white people. you carry that around wondering why. >> four lives lost. the result of racial hatred and a mark on history not forgotten. >> when we come back nearly four months after a portion of the collapse, the washington state bridge reopens. still to come - an election battle for a country with a bloody path. why going to polls may not bring change to roou wandans. >> welcome back to al jazeer

gerri: in addis boehner is headed to the lectern he said something that is news breaking we welcome backng at the list of things that will be cut and it just doesn't sound that important to especially if you consider that service members it is one idea both the house in the senate can sign onto. is cutting government that bad of idea? >> it is never a good a deal because we rely on foreigners to invest in one of the reasons why our interest rates are so low apart from the fed of course, that the chinese are big buyers of the bond and the dysfunction in washington makes us look like we are italy. it drives to the confidence factor and if the politicians keep this up there lapierre of fairly day minimus app economic event even if only two or three days. gerri: i don't fade we will be mistaken for greece for other countries but is a shot down a bad thing? what is a lesson learned from the last time? >> 86 was a different context we had credit growth and a roaring bull market that was moving at a quick pace. every time we had a speed bump greenspan was there to guarantee that prices would go

i said, jesus, real fast, then i say, addy, addy, but she never did answer.ll feel some of the hate, you know. for instance, people closing doors up in my face. you know, i just can feel it. >> reporter: now, for those who lived in birmingham at time of the bombing, these four girls not only represented tragic loss, they also represented a terrifying way of life here in which violence against those who stood for equal rights was all too common. alex? >> and sarah, what about attorney general eric holder and former secretary of state condoleezza rice? expected to speak today. can you talk about that? >> reporter: of course, yes. both are expected to talk today. eric holder at both a panel discussion and at a public memory service. condoleezza rice will also participate in that panel discussion. she, if you didn't know, is a birmingham native and actually knew one of the little girls. used to play dolls with her, who was killed in this bombing. she talks about how if you lived here, furp part of this community, you did always know someone who was affected by th

denise mcnair, carl robertson, addie may collins and cynthia wesley.ing jr., and it was the headquarters of the children's crusade when young marchers demonstrated in the streets, braving the dogs and fire hoses. but on september 15th, 1963, the church was targeted by the kkk, a bomb exploded in the basement near a room full of children. the bombing just a few weeks after the march on washington shocked a nation and left an indelible mark on everyone who lived through it. i recently talked about that with condoleezza rice who as a child in birmingham at the time of the bombing >> my dad's church was only about two miles from 16th street baptist church. so it was like the ground shook. and for kids in birmingham of my age, i was 8, it was how could these people hate us so much? >> condoleezza rice on one side. knows that it wasn't for the sacrifice of little girls like her and others, white and black, goodman, cheney and southwesterner, if they had not shed blood, she won't have been secretary of state. president barack obama won't have been in the whit

in the basement preparing for youth service. 11-year-old denise mcnear had just asked 14-year-old addyay collins to help her tie her belt when a box of dynamite went off under the church steps, blowing a hole in the church's rear wall and destroying all but one of the stained glass windows. it was the fourth bombing in birmingham in four weeks. it was meant to send a message. birmingham city schools had been integrated by national guards men just a few days earlier. only a week before the church bombing, governor george wallace said "new york times" in the alabama could stop integration with a few, quote, first class funerals, unquote. the governor tried to walk that back after the bombing by adding to the reward for the killers. martin luther king told him in a telegram that, quote, the blood of four little children is on your hands. your irresponsible and misguided actions have created in birmingham and alabama the atmosphere that has induced continued violence and now murder. y justice came slowly with the last bomber not being convicted until 2002. these murders were part of a nexu

denise mcnair, age 11, karol robertson, age 14, addie mae collins, age 14, and cynthia wesley, age 14. they're at peace now but because of them the civil rights movement really got energize and we thank you all posthumously for your wonderful, wonderful contributions. >> you're up. well done, bob. >> all right. it's time for greg's "nothing to see here" news. these are news stories that the media ignores. global warming. yes, it's finally dead. according to a new study there's been a 60% increase amount of ocean covered with ice since last year. a million square miles more ice. a leaked report has led scientist scientists to the fact that the country will be cooling until the middle of the century so all reports have been wrong. >> before we go, tomorrow's 9/11 folks, very important day in a lot of our livens, but also 2 million bikers tomorrow will ride on d.c. they weren't allowed a permit -- that's very interesting. the way i understand it the million muslim march permit was allowed but they will ride. >> 2 million bikers? >> whatever it is. anyway, 9/11 tomorrow. thanks for watchi

isolate those who act out of hate, and to make real a brighter future and the more just world that addieost , itn, it is heartbreaking is heartbreaking for me to look at photographs of these little heroine as i have so many times over the years and see how innocent and how full of hope and use they were when they were taken from us and denied the chance to become the remarkable women they might have been. our nation lost something precious on that sunday. earlier this summer, i was honored to stand with president obama -- and let's think about that -- president barack obama. [applause] >> the 50th anniversary of the 16th street baptist church bombing. you can keep watching coverage on our companion network, c- span3 until 6:00 p.m.. you can catch a streaming online. now some news surrounding the obama administration and the president must possible choice of larry summers, the president of harvard university, for the chair of the federal reserve. a letter was sent from larry summers to the president. he withdrew from consideration as the fed chairman says i have reluctantly concluded any

later on in that segment, he talked about how adults, even all of us grown-ups, how addi addicted weyou're driving and all of the sudden you start feeling alone and lonely and thinking about how sad your life is. what do you do? let me see if i got a facebook post or someone tweeted me. he really touched on something that we as grown-ups can't quite get away from our devices and we're looking at our kids who seem to be addicted to these devices too. and what are the consequences? besides the fact they're more distracted, potentially. but in this report we're talking about, perhaps they're even posting things they wouldn't be posting if they weren't so addicted to mare smart phones in the first place. >> exactly. you have an 11-year-old daughter. >> i do. she has a smart phone. although, it's an account i protect and monitor very carefully. the point that louis c.k. was making about that consistency that these smart phones are in our lives constantly, it's bad. i've had the experience of being out to lunch with my wife and my daughter and looking around a restaurant and seeing not jus

aeg's position is he was a drug addi addict. was going to get this one way or another. he was addicted to propofol years before we came into the picture. >> lisa bloom, thank you for your insight and analysis. >>> up next, our coverage continues of the looming government shutdown, a big vote is scheduled to happen in just a bit on capitol hill. we'll go live to capitol hill for the very latest straight ahead. we've been bringing people together. today, we'd like people to come together on something that concerns all of us. obesity. and as the nation's leading beverage company, we can play an important role. that includes continually providing more options. giving people easy ways to help make informed choices. and offering portion controlled versions of our most popular drinks. it also means working with our industry to voluntarily change what's offered in schools. but beating obesity will take continued action by all of us, based on one simple common sense fact... all calories count. and if you eat and drink more calories than