the reverend pinck nmp ey, cynthia hurd, cynthia singleton. the reverend daniels, the reverend middleton and suesey jackson. would you join us in a moment of silence. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. five-minute voting will continue. unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the the gentleman from from illinois, mr. shimkus to pass h.r. 805 as amended on which yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 805 a bill to prohibit the national telecommunications and national information from relinquishing until the controller general of the united states submits a report on the ncla with respect to such systems. the speaker pro tempore: will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for politica

the reverend pinck nmp ey, cynthia hurd, cynthia singleton. the reverend daniels, the reverend middleton and suesey jackson. would you join us in a moment of silence. >> harry reid called on south carolina to take down the confederate battle flag from statehouse grounds. his remarks are next. the lawmakers in south carolina debate whether to remove the flag. later, hillary clinton holds an event at a church in missouri. mr. reid: the nation's heart remains broken over the tragedy in charleston, south carolina. a man full of hate took the lives of nine worshipers. once again pain has been inflicted on americans. once again the people of a community as they struggle to reconnect to put the pieces of their lives back together. once again we're looking at our newspapers watching our tv screens and talking at our dinner tables about why why did this happen. as the painful details emerge, we can't turn away from the hard truth this tragedy lays bare. racism still exists in our society. we have to accept that reality. if we ever hope to change, mr. p

the reverend pinck nmp ey, cynthia hurd, cynthia singleton. the reverend daniels, the reverend middleton and suesey jackson. would you join us in a moment of silence.

cynthia herr, reverend singleton a local high school track coach, 49 year-old depayne middleton doctor admissions counselor and not pictured myra thompson 87 year-old suzy jackson and reverend daniel simmons, senior. >>> and, support is coming in from across the country. >> here in philadelphia, local show of solidarity with charleston by holding a vigil last night. fox 29's steve keeley joins us outside mother bethel ame church where this all happen. >> reporter: if you have never been to this place after i give you a history lesson, you want to come as soon as you can. i lived on this street a couple blocks and pass by this every day on the five years on the way to karate. it was founded by richard allen. maybe in the so familiar is he founded the african methodist episcopal church in this country and this place in 1791 lauren, the first piece of land owned by african americans in this country's history right here. it is full of history. they came here, from georgia methodist episcopal church because they protested segregation. is there now 2 million members of the ame church this wa

cynthia hurd sharonda singleton and several others. six women and three men ranging in age from 26 to 87. and this morning, tearful condolences from the state's governor. >> we woke up tad -- and the heart and soul of south carolina was broken. and so we have some grieving to do. and we've got some pain we have to go through. >> reporter: the national parks service says emanuel african myth mes defendant chuch /* /* methodist church is one of the oldest in the area. federal officials say they're investigating this as a possible hate crime. that would make it a federal offense. >> it's premature to determine which is the best venue state or federal to pursue this matter. first we must confirm that this individual is involved in it. we must confirm the nature of his involvement. we must confirm his motivations, his intentions. >> we come our father with heavy hearts today. >> reporter: in charleston washington and across the country, vigils moments of silence and prayers for the victims and their families. >> we need healing in this grea

state senator clementa pinckney and well known community leader, cynthia herr, 45 year-old cherrhonda singleton, local high school track coach, 49 year-old depain middleton doctor a admissions counselor not pictured myra thompson, ethel lance, 87 year-old sue jackson and reverend daniel simmons senior. >>> support is coming in from across the country. >> right here in philadelphia a local show of solidarity by holding a vigil last night. fox 29's steve keeley joins us live inside ame church where this vigil happened. >>> this first african methodist episcopal church in the country where richard allen founded ame church in 1791 right next door to the synagogue where you can see locks alarms, security, as we see jewish houses of worship happen targets of hatred, they have already done what all of the ame churches and all religious churches were doing almost immediately yesterday upon hearing about charleston. founded on peace, love togetherness houses of freedom, religion have to sadly be fortresses of safety in this modern world of unexplainable terror and hate. >> it does not feel well in our s

singleton. sister cynthia hurd myra thompson, sister susie jackson. ♪ lean on me and i won't let you fall ♪ >> thosenow jesus, we can look through the windows of our faith and we see hope and we see light. and we can hear your voice saying i'm with you. always. even to the end of the world. ♪ jesus say you can i won't let you fall ♪ >> if we are people of faith, we will join faith and begin to work together. to forge a new partnership. not them against us. but we are the children of god. who will be marching on to victory. >>> reacting there with love and unity. and the shootings in charleston have stirred up the debate on gun control in the united states. on cnn's state of the union with jake tapper charleston mayor joe riley weighed in on gun violence in the u.s. take a listen. >> the country is just having a very difficult time dealing with the proliferation of guns. and we have to use this most recent tragedy to keep us working on that. we have to do that. it is insane the number of guns, and the ease of getting guns in america. it's not -- it just doesn't fit with the other achievements of this

. >> clementa pinckney tywanza sanders, cynthia hurd the reverend singleton, ethel lance, daniel simmonshe reverend drrev doctor will you join us in a moment of silence? we'll be right back. ugh! heartburn! no one burns on my watch! try alka-seltzer heartburn reliefchews. they work fast and don't taste chalky. mmm...amazing. i have heartburn. alka-seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief. song: rachel platten "fight song" ♪ two million, four hundred thirty-four thousand three hundred eleven people in this city. and only one me. ♪ i'll take those odds. ♪ be unstoppable. the all-new 2015 ford edge. what about a "win-win-win"? pick up the limited edition metallic droid turbo by motorola. water-repellent. up to 48-hour battery life. that's your first "win." plus, it's only on verizon. the #1 network. there's your next "win." now for final "win." get $250 when you trade in any smartphone. and get 10 gigs of data for $80 a month and $15 per line. the win-win-win. hurry in, offer ends june 30th. and save without settling. only on verizon. take zzzquil and sleep like... you haven't seen y

it was in his sanctuary, our sanctuary, that god took his hand and the hands of cynthia heard, reverend sharon singleton, reverend daniel simmons, ethel lance and susie jackson. god took their hands as a reward of a lifetime for service to his glory. i say that mother emanuel was our sanctuary because it is literally the oldest and greatest mother church for christianity as practiced by african-americans in south carolina and throughout the south. moreover, people of all races organization and commemorate and where we relax our souls. senator from berkeley, to listen for god. mother emanuel, yes is a church for all of us and it belongs to all of us. so when evil walks inside our sanctuary and takes a seat, listens to do the word of god and then proceeds to violently violate our refuge one might ask where is god? where is god when people are gathering in his house and then evil massacres in a place where people should feel safe? where is god when in a city rich of history but also steeped in racial division, a coward steps into god's house and in flames racial tension by killing murdering, nine black wor

singleton. reverend depayne middleton doctor. cynthia hurd. myra thompson. ethel lance.verend daniel simmons, sr.fl% and susie jackson.gn reverend clementa pickney was the pastor, and elaine quijano has more about him. >> reveled clementa pinckney was named pastor of the emanuel african methodist episcopal church in 2010. the 41-year-old was married and had two young daughters. marvin stewart was÷ñ a lifelong member of pinckney's congregation. >> his sermons generally would always tie into respecting each other, getting along. >> reporter: pinckney was also a state senator who became the youngest member of the south carolina statehouse when he was elected at age 23. his friends said he often drove home from the state capitale,kñ in columbia to attend wednesday bible studies. it was in the capital where he spoke passionately about the death of walter scott, an9@ while police officer last april in neighboring north charleston. last month pinckney spoke in support of police body cameras. >> it is my hopeu=p that as south carolina senators, that we will stand up for what is

singleton. tywanza sanders, sister cynthia hurd myra thompson sister ethel lance, sister susie jackson. the freshness of death, comes like a thief in the night. but i declare that jesus said it a long time ago. he said i am the resurrection. and the life. come now. the altar is open. bring your burdens to the lord and leave them there. whether you're praying for yourself or the nine families. realizing that earth has no sorrow. that heaven cannot heal. come. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ll go right back inside mother emanuel ame church. stay with us. >> the ushers will direct you. it's got the spring and bounce of a traditional mattress. you sink into it, but you can still move it around. now that i have a tempur-flex, i can finally get a good night's sleep. when i flop down on the bed, and it's just like, 'ah, this is perfect.' wherever you put your body it just supports you. like little support elfs are just holding you. i can sleep now! through the night! (vo) change your sleep. change your life. change to tempur-pedic. benny's the oldest dog in the shelter. he needed help all day so i adopted him. when

sharonda coleman-singleton and tywanza sanders and cynthia hurd was a 54-year-old branch manager at stn drews library, which will be renamed. >> she left home to go to church and not hearing from her for so many hours. >> confirmed dead 87-year-old susie jackson, 70-year-old ethal lance, 74-year-old daniel some simmons who died after wing taken to the hospital. a community is coming together to remember nine lives tragically taken in their place of worship. >> craig melvin joins me now. you grew up not far from here. you know this church well. >> mother emanuel, the folks here love that church and elementary field trip was my first trip there. we went to the open air slave market here in charleston and that was the final stop. it is that significant to the people of charleston the people of south carolina. >> thank you so much for sharing the story. >>> among those who knew pastor cle men toollie men to pink knee. >> there is something the death happen income a place which we seek solace and we seek peace. in a place of worship. i've had to make statements like this too many times, onc

daniel simmons, the reverend sharonda singleton, sister cynthia hurd myra thompson, sisterette -- sister won't let you fall ♪ >> those of us who know jesus, we can look through the windows of our faith and we see hope and we see light and we can hear your voice saying i'm with you. always, even to the end of the world. ♪ i won't let you fall ♪ >> if we are people of faith, we will join hands and begin to work together to forge a new partnership, not them against us but we are the children of god who will be marching on to victory. >> for members of the emanuel ame church this week has been unimaginable and filled with complete heartbreak and devastation. my next guest was actually at that church the day of the attack at the church's senior citizens meeting before that bible study and the shooter attended that bible study before opening fire. but felicia breeland was not there during the bible study this time. she's joining me right now on the phone. so miss breeland you attended the church services today. when we talked on the phone the day after the shooting you had expressed wanting to

. >> clementa pinckney, tywanza sanders, cynthia hurd, the reverend sharonda singleton, ethel lance, susie jackson, daniel simmons, sr., the rev depayne middleton-doctor. will you join us in a moment of silence? we'll be right back. ♪ i built my business with passion. but i keep it growing by making every dollar count. that's why i have the spark cash card from capital one. i earn unlimited 2% cash back on everything i buy for my studio. ♪ and that unlimited 2% cash back from spark means thousands of dollars each year going back into my business... that's huge for my bottom line. what's in your wallet? you probably know xerox as the company that's all about printing. but did you know we also support hospitals using electronic health records for more than 30 million patients? or that our software helps over 20 million smartphone users remotely configure e-mail every month? or how about processing nearly $5 billion in electronic toll payments a year? in fact, today's xerox is working in surprising ways to help companies simplify the way work gets done and life gets lived. with xerox, y

all of the victims have now been identified cynthia hurd tywanza sanders, sharonda singleton, susy jackson, referee middleton, and state senator clem pinckney, his desk in the senate is draped in black. cnn is on the ground in washington while we're, all chasing down leads to bring you the latest on the massacre and the investigation. let's start half a block away from the church. that's where we find our own martin savidge. some family members gives's idea how truly awful last night ace shooting was. >> you know this is a community that is the overriding emotion is grief. people are in absolute shock, but for law enforcement, there's also relief because they were greatly fearing that any person who could go into a house of god and murder people could do just about anything. they were afraid for what might come next. that was stop thanks to a husband and wife in north carolina, who saw something wrong. 21-year-old dylann roof is in custody, caught armed with a gun. >> a terrible human being, who would go into a place of worship where people were praying and kill them, is now in custody. >>

reverend clementa pinckney and rhonda singleton and others were cynthia herd and reverend depain middleton and susie jackson and daniel simmons and my ra thompson. people all over the country are feeling this tragedy and it is true in our region, the methodist episcopal church was founded in our area. vernon odom is in washington square at mother bethel church. >> mother bethel inspired the creation of the methodist church in charleston and other churches in the south. the pastor here knew reverend pinckney well. but first we hear from the cousin of reverend pinckney who lives here in the philadelphia suburbs. >> we are shocked and feeling sadness for our family and the commune of a great guy that really cared about number one he was a great father and husband. >> anthony stevenson is the cousin of slain charleston pastor pinckney. he doubled as a lawmakerer in south carolina and told his cousin how proud he was of putting through ground breaking legislation for law enforcement. >> one thing he talked about as a state senator was a bill to push through with the body camera for police to ha

state senator clementa pinckney sharonda singleton, cynthia hurd.t bible study time. that was about 8:00 p.m. he stayed for about an hour until he started to open fire around 9:00 p.m. as you can tell, the city is in mourning. minutes ago, hundreds attended a prayer service to remember the victims. here's what south carolina congressman jim clyburn told those mourners. >> this church our church is built upon a rock. and no messenger, no act will ever destroy the foundation of this church. >> nbc's dave wagner is joining me now with the very latest. let's talk about the suspect and the swift speed at which investigators were able to track this person down in a matter of 15 hours. >> yeah, thomas, first of all, i apologize for my voice, i'm losing it just a little bit here. you're right. the speed with which they were able to track down this suspect is really remarkable. they specifically said the person they were looking for was 21 years old. that was a clear indication they knew who they were looking for. they have surveillance video. it was easier

cynthia heard. suzie jackson. ethel lance. de payne middleton. tawanza sanders. daniel simmons. sharonda singleton. myra thompson.. decent people. god fearing people. [applause] >> al jazeera america let the people decide. the greek prime minister announces a referendum on his bailout deal. hello i'm darren jordan, you're watching al jazeera america live from doha. the president says his once peaceful country is now a country. united in grief in kuwait. shia and sunni together. grieve together in

cynthia heard. suzie jackson. ethel lance. de payne middleton. tawanza sanders. daniel simmons. sharonda singleton. myra thompson.. decent people. god fearing people. [applause] >> explorer and environmentalist jean-michel cousteau. >> we are visitors and we need to respect that. >> surprising secrets of the ocean. >> if it wasn't for the ocean, we would have a lot of problems today. >> and the harsh reality facing our planet. >> enough is enough. >> i lived that character. >> we will be able to see change. for your apple and android mobile device. download it now >>> welcome back. as charleston buries victims of last week's massacre, many are urging a new push to appreciate the wounds of the past. we traveled to charleston to meet with black and white residents, descendants of slaves and slave owners. they reveal the costs and consequences of failing to acknowledge that city's terrible legacy of slavery. here. i find these things. you'd never know that these are the fingerprints of the slave that made that particular brick. so i go around the city and look for those fingerprints and i found these fingerprints ri

cynthia heard. suzie jackson. ethel lance. de payne middleton. tawanza sanders. daniel simmons. sharonda singleton. myra thompson.. decent people. god fearing people. [applause] >>> welcome back. as charleston buries victims of last week's massacre, many are urging a new push to appreciate the wounds of the past. we traveled to charleston to meet with black and white residents, descendants of slaves and slave owners. they reveal the costs and consequences of failing to acknowledge that city's terrible legacy of slavery. >> i found fingerprints right here. i find these things. you'd never know that these are the fingerprints of the slave that made that particular brick. so i go around the city and look for those fingerprints and i found these fingerprints right here. >>reporter: joe who works at charleston's slave mart museum scours the wall of of his city for signs of a hidden past >> that's an indication that it was a female or a child. small fingerprints. making these bricks. >>reporter: there's no reference of this place even being built by slaves. you never know. >> yeah. >>reporter: charleston is a city that

singleton was a speech therapist at a local high school. cynthia hurd worked in the public library system 31 years as a librarian. middleton-doctor was a church leader lost. both were long-time members of the church. daniel simmons was a retired pastor who attended every sunday. thompson was teaching the bible study. we told you about the youngest victim sanders. he was committed to his church committed to his family and was so generous. >> i've been praying, he really loves his family. he talks about his mom every day. anything you asked him to do he would do. if you met him, you knew you had had a a good friend on your side regardless of anything. he made you smile even when you didn't want to smile. he was happy all the time, always smiling. >> when you hear about these nine people who were killed these nine caring people, it's so hard not to be angry. president obama made a statement from the white house. he noted how many statements he's had to make after mass killings. e he said he is angry and he used the statement as a chance to talk about

are 26-year-old tywanza is around, recent college graduate, 54-year-old cynthia hurd, a librarian, 45- year-old sharonda singleton, mother of three and track coach, 87-year-old susie jackson, long time church member, also sang in the choir, 59-year-old myra thompson, wife of a church vicker and 74-year- old daniel simmons, a retired pastor from another church and we know last night's shooting is spotlighting racial tensions that sadly still exist in 2015. >> bruce johnson has more from the metropolitan ame church in downtown d.c. >> reporter: it's the historic metropolitan ame church in downtown washington, the cathedral almost as old, the congregation found in 1838. frederick douglass' funeral was held her, the d.c. funeral for rosa parks and martin luther king king spoke here, same with barack obama. the pastor of this historic congregation for about a year, reverend william lamar. what are you saying to your parishioners today about this? >> i'm saying we cannot repeat the language that this is a surprise. this is not a surprise. this has happened in this nation and it will continue to happen. it's rosewood, t

cynthia hurd, suzy jackson depayne middleton, sanders daniel l. simmons, sharonda coleman singletonnd myra thompson. good people. decent people. god-fearing people. [applause] people so full of life and so full of kindness, people who ran the race, persevered. people of great faith. to the families of the fallen, the nation shares in your grief. our pain cuts that much deeper because it happened in a church. the church is and always has been the center of african-american life. [applause] a place to call our own in a too often hostile world. a sanctuary from so many hardships. over the course of centuries black churches served as hush harbors were slaves could worship in safety. praise houses where they could gather and shout "hallelujah." [laughter] rest stops for the weary along the underground railroad. bunkers for the foot soldiers of the civil rights movement. they have been and continue to be community centers where we organize for jobs and justice, places of scholarship and network, places where children are loved and fed and kept out of harm's and told they are beautiful and

cynthia heard, suzie jackson, ethel lance, tawanza sanders, daniel l. simmons. sharonda singleton. myra thompson. good people. decent people. god-fearing people. [applause] >> people so full of life and so full of kindness people who ran the race who persevere. people of great faith. to the families of the fallen the nation shares in your grief. a pain cut that much deeper because it happened in a church. the church is and always has been the center of african-american life. [applause] >> a place to call their own in a too often hostile world, a sanctuary for so many hardships. over the the course of

cynthia hurd susie jackson, ethel lance, depayne middleton, tawanda sanders, daniel l. simmons, sharhonda singletondecent people. god fearing people. people so full of life and so full of kindness people who ran the race who persevered people of great faith. to the families of the fallen the nation shares in your grief. our pain cuts that much deeper because it happened in a church. the church is and always has been the center of african-american life a place to call our own in a too often hostile world, a sanctuary from so many hardships. over the course of centuries, black churches served as hush harbors where slaves could worship in safety. praise houses where their free descendants could gather and shout hallelujah. regs stops along the underground railroad bunkers for the foot soldiers of the civil rights movement. they have been and continue to be community centers where we organize for jobs and justice, places of scholarship and network, places where children are loved and fed and kept out of harm's way. and told that they are beautiful and smart and taught that they matter. that's what happ

singleton was a pastor at the church. a speech therapist and track and field coach. cynthia hurd worked in the charleston public library system 31 years in the system. one time manager for the busiest branches. depayne middleton-doctor was another church minister. susie jackson was at bible study with her cousin ethel lance. both long-time members of emanuel ame. daniel simmons a retired pastor. so many church leaders lost. he attended service every sunday and bible study every wednesday. myra thompson was teaching bible study when the gunman opened fire. tywanza sanders was committed to the church and friends say he was so generous. >> he really loves his family. his mom, dearly. he talked about his mom every day. he saw his mom all the time. anything you asked him to do he would do. if you met him you knew you had a god friend on your side, regardless of anything. he made you smile even when you didn't want to smile. happy all the time. always smiling. >> nine lives, nine family members. nine people who were leaders in this community. so much loss. president obama became e

[video clip] >> cynthia hurd, sharon a singleton, meera thompson, the reverend daniel simmons senior susie jackson. would you join me in joining us in a moment of silence? [end video clip] host: a moment of silence including the two sisters from dr. line and members of the black caucus for a moment of silence. the president headed to south carolina on writing. he will be giving the eulogy. this is prompting reflection from obama. many members will be heading down to south carolina or that. here are several headlines from this morning. they say they will stop making can federate why and then you have flag ban gaining grounds. he orders the emblem. also this morning here is from the post carrier out of south carolina. a new flag debate on pearls passion. this calls for his removal. he is the son of the late senator. he decries the racist emblem. this is what paul thurmond had say. this is what he had to say. [video clip] >> it is my understanding that the rivals of the that he was leaving focus on the book of mark. chapter four versus four through eight. this discusses a farmer who was

bound together by a common commitment to god cynthia hurd, susie jackson, ethel lance, the middleton doctor, tywanza sanders, danielle simmons, sharonda singletoneople. [applause] people so full of life and so full of kindness, people who ran the race, who persevered, people of great faith. to the families of the fallen, the nation shares in your grief. our pain cuts that much deeper because it happened in a church. the church is and always has been the center of african-american life. [applause] a place to call out own in an too-often hostile world. a sanctuary from so many hardships. houses where the free could gather together and shout hallelujah. restaurants along the underground railroad. bunkers for the foot soldiers of civil rights. -- rest stops along the underground railroad. we continue to organize for jobs and justice. places of scholarship and networking. places where children are loved and fed and kept out of harms way and told that they are beautiful and smart and taught that they matter. [applause] that is what happens in church. that is what the black church means. our beating heart. the place where our dignity as a people is in

senator clementa pinckney, well known beloved community leader, cynthia heard a 31 year-old library worker, 45 year-old rhonda singletonlocal track coach, 49 year-old depayne middleton doctor, an admissions counselor at southern wesleyan university. not pictured myra thompson, 70 year-old ethel lance reverend daniel simmons, senior, age 74. eighty-seven year-old sue jackson. >> eighty-seven years old, my goodness. >> support is coming from all over the country, in fact, all around the world. >> here in philadelphia locals showed solidarity with charleston having a vigil last night. lets get to steve keeley outside historic moth he will bethel church steve. >> those who tune into jon stewart and daily show get a funny take on the day's news. they didn't get a single joke. stewart came out and said i have nothing other than just sadness and that kind of said it all for the whole country yesterday. we're here at the first african methodist episcopal church in the country. you can see that artist rendering of the richard allen, a lot of people know richard allen housing project homes in philadelphia many don't know he is f

cynthia hurd. susie jackson. ethel lance. depayne middleton-doctor. tywanza sanders. daniel l. simmons. sharonda coleman-singleton.eople. >> reporter: and in the end, a rare turn. ♪ amazing grace ♪ [ applause ] >> reporter: a president leading a grateful community in song. we watched as they began to stand, realizing he was going to sing "amazing grace." ♪ that saved a wretch like me ♪ >>> it was a p >> a live picture from san francisco where a pride march about to get under way holds special significance. >> the u.s. supreme court hands down a landmark decision establishing a constitutional right for same-sex couples to get married. good evening everybody. >> today's decision may prove to be as significant captain as the roe vs. wade abortion ruling. or the the brown versus board of education ruling that granted racial equality in the schools. [ cheering ] >> that was the reaction outside san francisco city hall where the first same sex marriage licenses were granted 11 years ago. and in moments of this morning's 7:00 ruling this giant rainbow banner was unfurled hailing the decision as a victory for all of ameri

cynthia hurd, susie jackson, ethel lance, depayne middleton-doctor tywanza sanders, daniel l. simmons sharonda singletone families of the fallen the nation shares in your grief. our pain cuts that much deeper because it happened in a church. the church is and always has been the center of african-american life. a place to call our own in a too often hostile world. a sanctuary from so many hardships. over the course of

reverend coleman singleton, cynthia herd, tywanda sanders, ethel lance, reverend daniel simmons, reverend middleton doctor, along with pastor pinckney were all leaders of our community and their church. one served the youth as a high school track coach. one a lifelong librarian. one a recent college graduate with a bright future ahead of him. much served their church. each had a clear love of god and love for their fellow man as followers of jesus christ. the lost of reverend senator pinckney has been personal as he was a fellow state legislator. i was honored to host the senator, his wife, and daughters when they visited the capitol a few years ago. he grew up in richland as a lifelong friend of my former chief of staff. the murderer tried to divide our citizens but he failed as south carolinians have unified in love, prayer, and respect. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one min

the ore victim cynthia hurd depayne middleton, susie jackson, a want sa sanders, sharonda singleton,been told at least the president's speech will not be everoverly political he won't be using a teleprompter but he is going to talk about two topic, race and guns. >> yeah. and those two things are deeply and profoundly connected. i mean it's interesting we're talking about the flag so much and obviously that has become a critical part of this discourse, is that confederate battle flag. but also every time i hear you say, every time i hear any of us say, you know on calhoun street on calhoun street. calhoun is the gra it successionist and calhoun and others who served in that u.s. senate but then became part of an american confederacy, a movement away a succession away from our nation. the recognition that the flag came down is not enough but we have a deeply embedded set of questions. the questions include when we talk about guns and right to self-defense, that that right to self-defense is always been a racialized one in this country, that even now when we look at the deaths of unarm

and sha ronronda singleton, a mother of three. cynthiashe loved her congregation. tywanza sanders recently graduated from allen university. 87-year-old susie jackson was a long-time church member. ethel lance and 74-year-old daniel simmons who died at the hospital. lives ordinary and extraordinary, jose. you can't really tell, because of the traffic here in downtown charleston, but the memorial, the makeshift memorial that's in front of the emanuel ame continues to grow. we've seen a lot of folks stopping by and placing flowers in front of the church there. another vigil is set for tonight, a worship service that has been hosted by the city of charleston. that's going to be happening at 6:00 this evening. jose? >> you know just -- i was struck by your comments from heartbreak to healing. such a difficult thing to do. so much pain. i was so moved, craig, and i know you're from that state. i was so moved by the three children of one of the victims who talked about their mom and said they have forgiven the assassin. what an extraordinary hea

cynthia right there. >> forty-five year-old reverend rhonda singleton a local high school track coach. forty-nine year-old, depayne middleton doctor, an admissions counselor of southern wesleyan university. >> not pictured 59 year-old myra thompson, 07 year-old ethel lance, reverend daniel simmons, senior, who tried to talk the gun man out of continuing to shoot. but he reloaded and shot reverend simmons. >> and 74. look at this, susan jackson, just at a bible class on a wednesday night, 87 years old. you know, there has been talk back and forth should we call him a terrorist. i think daily news got this right. this little twit, 21 year-old is a ter wrist. >> really, getting back to the, victim and people and families whose lives were affected, support for charleston is coming across the country and across the world. >> really ame church community is worldwide. here in philadelphia, a lot of people showed their solidarity last night at a vigil. steve keeley, outside mother bethel ame church. >> people from around the worldcom here all the time, this is one of the big stops on the histo

singleton, who was a reverend at the church and mother of three. tywanza sanders, a barber who had recently graduated from university. krint -- cynthia hurd. her brother says the last 24 hours have been devastating. >> we all were agonizing and not hearing from her for so many hours. >> also confirmed dead -- a community is coming together to remember nine lives tragically taken in their place of worship. jtsds . >> people around the country are joining their sadness. we understand that president obama had a personal connection to the shooting. >> yeah he did. the reverend pinckney who was killed was a very early supporter of the president obama. he says he and michelle obama connected with reverend pinckney in 2007. they had a fairically close relationship the president speaking out now about this tragically in light of gun control on capitol hill. it's not at all clear that anything will get done this time. vigils are being held all over the country demand washington where democrats and republicans paused to play together. >> anyone who would do something so unspeakable is pure evil. >> pleased that the justice department will be treatin

cynthia hurd suzie jackson,een lance, depayne middleton-doctor tywanza sanders, daniel l. simmons, sharonda coleman-singleton myra thompson. good people decent people god-fearing people. people so full of life and so full of kindness people who ran the race. ran the race and persevered. people of great faith. to the families of the fallen the nation shares in your grief. our pain cuts that much deeper because it happened in a church. the church is and always has been the center of african-american life. a place to call our own in a too often hostile world. a sanctuary from so many hardships. over the course of centuries, black churches

sharonda coleman-singleton, 45 was a rev rant, mom of three, speech therapist and high school track and field coach. tywanza sanders, a 26-year-old barber and cynthiaurd was a 54-year-old branch manager at st. andrew's library in charleston which will now be renamed in her honor. her brother says the last 24 hours have been devastating. >> we all were agonizing knowing that she left home to go to church and not hearing from her for so many hours. >> reporter: also confirmed dead 87-year-old susie jackson, 70-year-old ethel lance, 50-year-old myra thompson and 74-year-old daniel simmons who died after being taken to the hospital. tonight, a community is coming together to remember nine lives tragically taken in their place of worship. >> craig melvin joins me now. you grew up not far from here. you know this church well. >> reporter: mother emanuel, the folks here love that church and elementary field trip was my first trip there. we went to fort sumter the other air market here in charleston and that was the final stop. it is that significant to the people of charleston, the people of south carolina. >> the fabric of this place. thank you so much f

we have learned that the library where cynthia hurd worked will be renamed in her honor. just hours after the children of sharon singleton learned what happened, they spoke of forgiveness. >> we forgive, that's one thing we'll do. we forgive right now. for everything that's happened. she's the best mom i ever could have asked for. and -- honestly, it's going to be tough, but i know we'll get through it as a family. >> singleton was a speech therapist at goose creek high school in suburban charlotte. >>> the anguish in the charleston community are palpable. people are coming together though. chris lawrence is there in charleston and he spoke to several people who said they won't let the shooting divide them. >> well, i woke up this morning and i could feel the pain and the grief in this city. >> it feels like family died. i feel like i'm at an actual funeral. >> tomorrow the city of charleston will hold a memorial at the college of charleston arena. here in our area, you can join those mourning and praying. today at noon a prayer service will be held at the metropolitan ame church. tonight at 7:00, you can join members of

cynthia hurd, susie jackson ethel lance, dueepayne middleton. tywanza sanders, danielle l. simmons, sharonda coleman singleton and myra thompson good people decent people god-fearing people. people so full of life and so full of kindness people who ran the race, persevered. people of great faith. to the families of the fallin, the nation shares in your grief. our pain cuts that much deeper because it happened in a church. the church is and always has been the center of african-american life. a place to call our own in a too often hostile world. a sanctuary from so many hardships. over the course of centuries, black churches served as hush harbors where slaves could worship in safety. praise houses where the free descendants could gather and shout alleluia! . rest stops for the weary along the underground railroad beng bunkers for the foot soldiers of the civil rights movement. they have been and continue to be community centers where we organize for jobs and justice. places of scholarship and network, places where children are loved and fed and kept out of harm's way and told that they are beautiful and smart

cynthia hurd worked decades as a librarian. that workplace will be renamed in her honor. sharonda singleton coached at a local high school and the youngest to die, 26-year-old tywanza sanders. athena jones is in front of the historic church with a memorial is rising. >> reporter: good morning, carol. there has been an outpouring of grief and also sympathy and words of comfort for the victims, for their families and for the entire community. you can see behind me we're right outside emanuel ame. there is a growing makeshift memorial signs, cards, flowers, stuffed animals. there's a sign that reads, mother emanuel, jesus is your super hero. last night we went to a prayer service tt a church just behind mother emanuel. this is an area of many churches. it was several presbyterian congregations coming together. afterwards they walked over here to lay down flowers outside of this church. we're also hearing from the survivors, from the family members of victims like chris singleton, whose marry sharonda singleton, died on wednesday night. she was just 45 years old. let's listen to what he had to

bound together by a common commitment to god cynthia hurd, susie jackson ethel lance, the middleton doctor, tywanza sanders danielle simmons, sharonda singletonle. [applause] >> people so full of life and so full of kindness, people who ran the race who persevered, people of great faith. to the families of the fallen, the nation shares in your grief. our pain cuts that much deeper because it happened in a church. >> you're right. amen. amen. >> the church is and always has been the center of african-american life. >> that's right. [applause] president obama: a place to call out own in an too-often hostile world. a sanctuary from so many hardships. houses where the free couldn't gather together and shout -- could gather together and shout hallelujah. restaurants along the underground railroad. bunkers for the foot soldiers of civil rights. -- rest stops along the underground railroad. we continue to organize for jobs and justice. places of scholarship and networking. places where children are

cynthia hurd found that grace. susie jackson found that grace. ethel lance found that grace. depayne doctor found that grace. tywanza sanders found that grace. daniel simmons found that grace. sharonda singletona thompson found that grace. they passed it on to us. may we find ourselves worthy of that precious and extraordinary gift. as all of our lives into her-- our lives endure. may grace lead them home. may god continue to shed his grace on the united states of america. ♪ [organ music] ♪ >> we will have a prayer of comfort and then the funeral home gives us direction and we will be on our way. i want to thank you, mr. president, for a powerful message. [cheers] ♪ >> that's right, a powerful message. let the church say "amen." >> amen. >> join me in prayer. when i come to the end of my journey, carrying the staff and the cross a reduction, -- of redemption, he will understand, and say well done. by the grace of glory a ruler and redeemer. -- our ruler and redeemer. bless and comfort us as we leave this place. we mourn today the tragic death of clementa pinckney. we also celebrated his exemplary spiritual life of service. this grieving passing will be rejoice for, because he is your child. h