dr. dr. jr. made that famous "i have a dream" speech 50 years ago. you can

dr. dr. jr. made that famous "i have a dream" speech 50 years ago. you can see umbrellas are out. the crowds number in the tens of thousands if not more gathering to make history today. some 50 years later. the choirs are singing. our mike viqueira is there, oprah winfrey will be starting the ceremonies in just a second. this is the lineup speaking today will be drking's family. presidents barack obama, bill clinton and jimmy carter as well as silver rights leader congressman john lewis. there will an number of bands and choirs performing in front of the crowd. joining us now from the lincoln memorial our mike viqueira. we have our dr. aubrey hendri hendrix{^l" ^}, and dr. williams of history and codirector of black studies. dr. hendrix, i want to start with you because you had a front-row seat to history last night. you were dining with a few important people. who might that have been. >> well, it was a large reception. i wasn't exactly dining with them. >> that's how we tell the story. >> janet lewis, a number of the king familie family, a number of religious leaders and it was a wonderful, best afire i've been to at the white house. >> one of the interesting things about working in washington as long as i did, there is a tendency when the audience watches the president, when they watch dr. king, they think they're watching someone who is larg

dr. dr. martin luther king jr. i have a dream speech with musical performances. >> in san francisco, plain clothe police will wear cameras during property certain. the project comes after questionable drug raids at residential hotels in 2011. the prosecution dropped dozens of cases after footage from the hotel security prompted allegations the officers lied of the circumstances of drug searches and arrests. police were also accused of stealing from suspects. the cameras will be warn on their chest. >> oakland police, the c.h.p., and the coast guard and other bay area agencies have joined forces to clean out the oakland estuary. dozens of officers gathered at jack london square boarding boats and will patrol the waters looking for abandoned or illegal boats and anything el in the estuary they deem "dangerous." >> mike nicco is ahead with the forecast. >> holiday coming up this weekend and putting summer to bed in most parts of the country but here it will get warmer in september and october. i will talk to you about

dr dr. martin luther king jr. at a church in the deep south. every sunday night al jazeera america presents gripping films from the world's top documentary directors. >> this is just the beginning of something much bigger. >> thank god i didn't have to suffer what he had to go through. >> this sunday, the premiere of "into eternity". >> i am now in this place where you should never come. >> how do you contain 100,000 years of nuclear danger? >> it is an invisible danger. >> al jazeera america presents "into eternity". premieres sunday night 9 eastern. mission. >> there's more to america, more stories, more voices, more points of view. now there's are news channel with more of what americans want to know. >> i'm ali velshi and this is "real money." this is "america tonight." sglovrjs our -- >> our news coverage reveal more of america's stories. >> coming up on al jazeera this evening, the lingering problems with nuclear power. every day radioactive wasted from power plants is isolated. the documentary" into eternity" covers the facilities. 100,000 years scientists say living there will need to know about. dangers. >> this is probably the only testimony of our time. >> you're now entering the repository with nuclear fuel from the 21st century. >> it must be stored in a safe praise. >> this place must not be disturbed. >> do not go there. >> you can't see it, smell it. >> don't such anything. >> go back up to the surface and take better care of our burled. world. >> reporter: one of those leaders is bob jackson. he heads the cease-fire in the neighborhood. recently they hosted a back to school picnic complete with barbecue and inflatable slide. he thinks they had yo they shoug camaraderie to bring peace within neighborhoods. >> brings you together to get to know your neighbor. it's hard to commit a crime against someone you know. >> my son is here. >> reporter: that kind of connection might have saved louise's son. anthony was gunned down leaving this barbershop. his assailants still have not been called. he was a high school star complete, the father of two young sons. brown is channeling her grief through charity work. >> we don't want them to grow up being another group or another generation of angry young black men or black boys because of what happened to their dad. >> reporter: these community groups say law enforcement alone can't end violence. they say it can only be accomplished through cooperation and compassion. ankle, chicago. >> a woman from new mexico is trying to help victims of domestic abuse in a very usual pay weigh. she's offering free tattoo removal. >> reporter: this is a conversation, a chat to change a life. from her office in albuquerque, new mexico, she's trying to help victims of domestic abuse. >> i think we need to recognize this is a form of branding. this is the super vicious. superficial. this is what is on top. we should be concerned about the acts and events that took place that cause this type of brands to take mace. there are so many horrific stories that are underneath. >> reporter: remove of the tattoo could take a while, months, years depending how big and how deep the tattoo has scarred. victorvictory are a's boyfriend demanded that she have a tootoo above her breast, an above her vagina. >> he said sit still and you're going to let meta too you. if you fight back it will get ugly. so i had to sit there and endure it. >> reporter: dawn stepped in because of the abusive relationship she herself suffered, the pain she endured, the tattoos she accepted. she learned tattoo removal. >> i realized there was this elevation or enlightenment taking place in myself that became this very important purpose to remove this person's name who caused so much harm to my life. i became very excited watching it as the tattoo slowly disappeared, and then one day to have it removed, it felt like final closure. it felt like i had made it past this person was no longer affecting my life. >> reporter: dawn has helped dozens of women here but believes it's a national problem with hundreds if not thousands of victims. she want take away the psychological pain or emotional scars but she can we move a painful reminder of painful times. al jazeera albuquerque, new mexico. >> we have your sports headlines and it's all about the little league world series. >> reporter: you got to love it. the champion was crowned at the 67th world series. they came from chula sees at a, california, came up short. it's back-to-back championship for the japanese, they went on to win it 6-4. >>> tiger woods in contention at the barclays, but at number 15 today, tiger goes down with back spasms. if you've ever had back pain you know that awful feeling. he gut it out at 10 under par one shot back from your leader, adam scott. >>> the new york jets had major issues with their quarterback position. knocked out and he had to leave the ballgame with an injured shoulder. sÁnchez is expected to have an mri today. and smith played like a rookie after tossing three interceptions. a lot of pain right there. >> al jazeera, protecting san francisco's vital infrastructure from fires at yosemite national park. >> welcome back to al jazeera.i. here is a look at your headlines at this power. the united nations said there is an agreement with syria to let inspectors in to the sites of the leamed chemical attacks on the outskirts of damascus. there is very little doubt that chemical weapons were used. >>> hosni mubarak was in court for the killing of protesters. >>> in california, the wildfire in yosemite national park has grown another seven miles. >>> the wildfires in california are so huge and volatile they have created their own weather appearance. the flames moving into yosemite national park on the eastern side of the state. it's almost 180 miles in san francisco where a state of emergency is in effect. the concern there is the bay area's water and power supply. ashley jennings explains. >> reporter: the flames spread to a corner of yosemite national park, far enough away from occurrer tourists but a few miles from this reservoir. >> reporter: the threat in the northwest to the water shed that provides water to san francisco as well as infrastructure in that area. we're very hard to protect. >> reporter: from the cockpit of a national guard aircraft. to black hawk helicopters, air assaults are backing up the front lines on the ground. >> the concern is that it's tartinstarting to back down in s where there could be some big runs. >> reporter: firefighters are battling the braise and more are arriving daily. >> it sucks the air out and then you have a wind coming from nowhere. it's not windy out here. it's the fire sucking all the oxygen so it can breathe. >> reporter: homeowners are on edge leaving when the flames are too close and coming back when there is no danger. >> twice we would leave and then we would pack up and go back home again. >> reporter: it's one of the largest in california history. it's smoke has drifted into reno nevada prompting the cancellation of outdoor events. >> the syrian government said it has reached an agreement with u.n. inspectors to let them examine the site of wednesday alleged chemical attacks. bashir al-assad denies its regime is behind the attacks. we have a warning but the images in this report are disturbing. >> reporter: the rocket shoots sky ward. al jazeera cannot independently verify these pictures that were up loaded from youtube but it's apparent that it's the area near wher the attack that killed hundreds of men, women and children. the government had agreed to allow the u.n. chemical weapons inspectors access to the sites. but global leaders already are calling for some sort of response. u.s. president barack obama has been meeting with his visors. >> president obama has asked the defense department to prepare options for all contingencies. we've done that, and again we are prepared to exercise whatever option if he decides to employ one of those options. >> reporter: obama has said that any use of chemical weapons in syria would constitute the crossing of a red line but washington said it still needs proof that chemical weapons were used in this recent attack. >> reporter: during a phone call with british prime minister david cameron and the united states agree that it merits a serious response. >> i think we need to be careful about airstrikes and the ramifications because of the access between syria and iran and hezbollah, and probably also russia as well. because these entities will have to try to control the aftermath of an u.s. strike on syria. indeed, bashir's threats to the rest of the region can be met through both state and non-state reactions. >> reporter: u.s. secretary of state john kerry has been talking with his counterparts in saudi arabia, jordan, turkey, rallying support. the russian foreign ministry said that moscow was satisfied with the construction approach of the syrian approach of the u.n. mission but also said that they paid serious attention to the remarks that the u.s. secretary made and said moscow was alarmed by demands by paris, and other capitols while ignoring what it describe many facts showing the attacks were provocation from the opposition. >> reporter: in an interview on lebanese television, the syrian minister said that the syrian government is not to blame. >> we said it once, twice, we have never used chemical weapons in any shape or form. >> reporter: a senior official in washington said any decision by the syrian government to open the site to u.n. inspectors was too late to be credible. al jazeera. >> just across syria's border people in the lebanese city of tripoli are protesting a double bombing there. the attack targeted two of the city's mosques during friday prayers. security officials say 47 people were killed. the attack marks the deadliest fall out from syria's civil war to hit lebanon. >>> various sites throughout t e area during a month long wave of killing, the area's worth period of blood she had since 2008. >>> two trials got under way if cry row. one more hosni mubarak who is accused of killing protesters in 2011. in another courtroom across town a hearing. >> reporter: a day of protests and trials in egypt. two of the largest protests took place outside of cairo. one in the port city o city of alexandria and the other in sinai. now all of this is taking place as there is an increasing crackdown on the muslim brotherhood. more arrests on sunday, including the arrest of more muslim brotherhood former members of parliament and son of a prominent muslim brotherhood leader. now that is also happening at the same time as two trials took place in cairo. one end of town it was the trial of senior members of the muslim brotherhood. and another area of cairo, the retrial of former president hosni mubarak as well as his sons and former interior minister took place. we have details on all those trials. >> reporter: released from prison but back behind bars just days after being transferred from jail to house arrest in a military hospital, hosni mubarak appears in court. only charges oon charges of come killing of protesters in 2011 revolution. muslim brotherhood barak's lawyer says the charges against other defendants are similar to his client, and that it was mohamed morsi responsible for civilian deaths, not mubarak. thand in central cairo the trial began of morsi's former completion in the muslim brotherhood, including the organization's leader and two of his deputies. but here it was empty be announcing that the accused would not appear because of security reasons. the egyptian media has label this as the trial of two regimes, equating the trial of the deposed dictator with that of the muslim brotherhood. a comparison and resented by the defendants' lawyers who insist the motive for proper cushion is purely political. >> all of these are political trials, trials just dressed in legal clothes. >> reporter: this case is also adjourned until the end of october. the prosecution has made clear that it's not just individuals but an organize that is on trial. mike hanna, al jazeera, cairo. >> at least one person is dead and dozens injured after a bomb ripped through a military bus in yemen. the explosion happened in the capital city of sanaa. so far no one has claimed responsibility for the attack. >>> and influential voice in the african-american community is now calling hillary clinton a war criminal. dr cornell west made the remarks on talk al jazeera. david schuster is the host. >> dr. cornell west has repeatedly called president obama a war criminal because of the administration's use of drone strikes, and then later we shifted to other topics, including the 2016 campaign and asked dr. west about hillary clinton. >> would hillary clinton be a good president? >> in some ways i would think hillary clinton as i do with barack obama, they're both brilliant. they're both charismatic. they would be head of an empire and both involved with war crimes. of course hillary was right there-- >> is dr. car nell west calling hillary clinton-- >> absolutely. very much. how could she be secretary of state, the same way henry kissinger was. >> that's quite a bit different than-- >> anything that mosts and breathes, that's genocidal, she never said that but she's making additions connec connect--those decisions connected with those drones that are dropped on hundreds of people. >> reporter: she's ma

dr. martin king jr. that's when dr. king delivered his historic i have a dream speech. >>> the u.s. postal service commemorated the anniversary of the march by releasing a new postage sample. actress gabrielle union attended the release. >>> officials with the ride sharing company say it is money was raised as an investment by google ventures and tpg. they say it'll be used to expand to the new markets and begin new marketing efforts. uber has added new board members from both google and tpg. >>> singer linda rondstand has been diagnosed with parkinson's department. she received the diagnosis eight months ago after going to her doctor to find out why she was having trouble singing. she is 67 years old and worried that she will never be able to sing again. >>> this fire is burning within 5 miles of a major bay area water supply. we will break down what's being done to make sure the water is safe to drink. >>> then unions say b.a.r.t. won't return to the bargaining table. >> the workers seem like they're not happy, i think there should be negotiations. >> we're hours away from the wee

dr. martin luther king jr. delivered the historic speech. organizers expect thousands to turnout to show that dr. king's dream still lives on. a day will begin with prayer at the shiloh baptist church. >> we were behind where dr. king's shoulder is, we were close enough to be able to hear all the speeches. >> lynn was just 16 when she attended the 1963 march on washington, dc, and hopes today's speeches inspire younger generations to keep fighting for justice. >> what is disturbing is to see that even with the black president we still have a long way to go. >> congressman john lewis a young student agoer and a line still resonates. >> "let freedom ring." people across america if their hearts believe freedom should ring for everyone. >> this afternoon, bells from church towers this washington to government buildings an the world will ring in honor of the famous phrase "let freedom read." >> thank you very much. stay with abc7 news and we have continuing cork on the march on washington the 50th anniversary when president obama speaks from the steps today of the memorial we will carry a special report expected some time after our 11 a.m. news and you can get updates throughout the day on twitter@abcnewsbayarea.

dr. king's footsteps. >> august 28th, 1963, dr. martin luther king, jr., and thousands of others marched on washington for jobs and freedom. congressman john lewis was the youngest speaker. and now 50 years later i am the youngest speaker. >> you go youngest speaker ashawn johnson. he'll be here in nerdland when we come back. more at the top of the hour. [ male announcer ] this is brad. his day of coaching begins with knee pain, when... [ man ] hey, brad, want to trade the all-day relief of two aleve for six tylenol? what's the catch? there's no catch. you want me to give up my two aleve for six tylenol? no. for my knee pain, nothing beats my aleve. pcentury link provides reliable yit services like multi-layered security solution to keep your information safe & secure. century link. your link with what's next. >>> welcome back. i'm melissa harris-perry. we're live this morning from washington, d.c. where thousands gathered yesterday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march on washington for jobs and freedom. perhaps one of the most notably moment was the keynote address given by msnbc's own reverend al sharpton. take a look. >> we had id when we vod for johnson. we had id when we voted for nixon, those that succeeded him, carter, reagan, bush, clinton, bush again. why when we get to obama do we need some special id? we need to teach our young folk no matter how much money they give you, don't disrespect your women. no matter how much they promise you, make it clear rosa parks wasn't no who'. a dreamer called john in the bible, john looked up said i see a new heaven. i see a new earth. all things are passed away. i come to tell you, i know why there's screeching and hollering and talking crazy because all america has passed away. they will romanticize his speech. the genius of his speech was not just the poetry of his words. the genius of his speech was blood shed in birmingham, medgar evers hadn't been killed, james farmer, one of his co-leaders in jail he didn't stand here and discuss the pain. he didn't stand here and express the anger. he sat in the face of those that wanted him dead, that no matter what you do, i can dream above what you do. >> with his speech reverend sharpton not only helped to both invoke and celebrate the memory of one drrtin luther king, jr., whose i have a dream speech was the culmination of the march on jobs and freedom, the civil rights movement, he also framed a way for us to look forward because the struggle continues. i'm honored to welcome martin luther king iii, oldest son of martin luther king, jr., and coretta scott king. thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> people often talk about you as the son of martin luther king, jr., you're will the son of coretta scott king, which means you're the son of the woman who carried on the work after your father's death. what did she teach you about how to move the legacy forward? >> i would have to say first and foremost mom and dad taught us to have a love of our selves, to have a love of our community -- excuse me, to have a love of our family, love of our community, love of god. love of self, love of family, love of community, and love of god. all those things are very important because of the mission, because dad did what he did as a christian mi

dr. martin luther king's "i have a dream" speech from those same steps. here's danielle nottingham. >> reporter: members of the king family and three u.s. presidents helped ring a bell marking the hour dr. martin luther king, jr. delivered his landmark speech. >> i have a dream today! >> reporter: president obama stood in the same spot where dr addressed a crowd of 250,000 in 1963. >> because they marched city councils changed and state legislatures changed and congress changed and, yes, eventually the white house changed. >> reporter: those here 50 years ago echoed calls to keep king's dream alive. >> we must never, ever give up. we must never, ever give in. we must keep the faith and keep our eyes on the prize. >> reporter: tens of thousands joined together in the rain for speeches, music and dance on the national mall. many weren't alive when king gave voice to the struggle for racial equality and others are civil rights veterans. this person helped organize the lunch counter sit-ins in mississippi. >> i had my arm in dr. king's and that was special. >> reporter: hundreds commemorated the 1963 march for jobs and freedom with a march through the streets of washington. >> this march and that speech changed america. >> reporter: a half century later, it was a day to reflect on how far the country has come and renew dr. king'

dr. king were alive today, i believe he would be broken hearted about what has happened to the traditional family, and not only among blacks. >> we feel the spirit of dr. martin luther king jr. who would challenge us to honor the sacred charters of our liberty. >> i believe that gun appreciation day honors the legacy of dr. martin luther king. >> i'm not asking you for a sort of definitive historical account of who would not be in the graces of the departed. but it is now a game in american politics to appropriate the legacy of your father for these different political lines. >> actually, it is. that is good and bad. >> how is it good? >> it's good because everyone can sort of immerse themselves and say we do believe in dr. king. now, it's upon others of us, must challenge them to enforce what dad wanted to happen, and not to try to say, well, dr. king fits -- dr. king is against affirmative action, that just is not true. even though he wanted to see the day when his children would be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. reality is, i as an older person am judged by the content of my character. trayvon martin was profiled and tragically lost his life. masses of young black people are not looked at by the content of their character yet, we have to work on that abo

dr. martin luther king jr. inspired a nation with his now iconic "i have a dream" speech. coming up, how thousands commemorated the anniversary and honored dr. king with their own march on washington. >> 50 years ago, u.s. civil rights leader dr. martin luther king jr. gave his famous "i have a dream" each of the march on washington. today, thousands returned to the national mall to celebrate that anniversary. >> it was a very exciting day on the mall, despite a bit of rain. people came from all over the country to reflect on dr. king's legacy and take stock of what still needs to be done to make his dream a reality. on a rainy afternoon, 50 years later, dr. martin luther king's famous words still echo through the steps of the lincoln memorial. >> i have a dream. >> for michael howard andrea miller, who traveled from california for the 50th anniversary of the march on washington, the dream is still very much alive. >> it was a dream to think i would live to see a black president. or even a dream to believe that there would be there or better treatment for african-americans. >> u.s. president barack obama, along with former u.s. presidents bill clinton and jimmy carter, joined the civil rights leaders and the king family to ce

dr. king's family. >>> 50 years after dr. martin luther king, jr. shared his dream a bay area man remains dedicated to making sure everyone is treated equal. i had a chance to sit down with cecil williams as he reflected on the march on washington. >> i have a dream today. >> reporter: those are words forever end grained in our country's history, martin luther king, jr. august 28, 1963, in front of a quarter of a million people at the lincoln memorial inspired a nation. >> i knew that this man was going to do something magnificent. and that's exactly what he did. >> reporter: cecil williams was there. >> i was just taken back because i never seen that many people come together and for a cause that touched my life because of the pigmentation of my skin there were people who said, you can't do it. you're black. no matter what you've accomplished, you still can't -- you still cannot be the kind of person that we are. >> reporter: listening to drngthened his courage. >> as martin ended his song -- his speech, i began to say, you know, i'm going to do more. >> reporter: that's when williams came to san francisco and committed himself to the civil rights movement. he became the pastor of glide memorial church a 10,000-member congregation open to anyone. >> my dream was to have a church that would be totally integrated. the time has come for us to stand up and become human and become the people who are working together to eradicate racism and all the otherrisms"." >> reporter: 50 years after the speech, williams says we have made progress but still have much work to do. >> all of us can do it if we in fact make a commitment to say to people, we are sure that the time has come for all of us to make america what it should be and can be and will be but we all have to participate. >> reporter: and that starts with love. >> people when they really love, when they really love, are courageous and they never walk back. they walk forward.

dr. martin luther king jr. his speech that changed history. i'll talk to dr. maya angeluo ahead. how can i help you? oh, you're real? you know i'm real! at discover, we're always here to talk. good, 'cause i don't have time for machines. some companies just don't appreciate the power of conversation! you know, i like you! i like you too! at discover, we treat you like you'd treat you. get the it card and talk to a real person. >>> haerey, welcome back. keeping them honest tonight. we've been reporting on the kid's wish network, a charity we with the "tampa bay times" and more have identified as the absolute worst charity, the rock bottom when it comes to how little out of each dollar raised helping the sick children it claims to be raising money for. while they were reporting the story, drew griffin and others tried to get an interview with the people that run the network. they didn't want to talk to us. they hid in the offices and lied about being there. now that the report has aired, however, they have a lot to say about us. they posted a letter on their website bashing our reporting and a source. we stand by our investigation and drew will join me in a minute. first, here is a quick recap of what we found. >> hi, drew griffin with cnn. >> hey, drew, nice to see you. >> nice to see you, can we just ask you some questions about the ratings that have come out -- >> no, i'm sorry, there is so many misleading reports, we asked our attorneys to look into everything and i'm not going to be doing any interviews, thank you. >> reporter: it is perhaps with good reason she and the kids wish network don't wish to answer any questions because they all involve how this tiny charity with a sympathetic name has taken in $127 million of your donations over the last ten years. yet, according to the charity's own tax filings, it has used less than 3% of that money to fulfill the wishes of sick children. you heard right, less than 3%. >> that's not true. we're -- >> reporter: that's what is on the tax return. >> we're very proud of the good work kids wish network has done over the last 15 years. we've helped hundreds of thousands of children, and that's what we're going to continue to do. >> reporter: year after year kids wish network continues to collect millions of dollars in donations, $22.8 million in one year according to the most recent tax filing. she spent six months as a wish coordinator with kids wish network. how did you do that? you just dipped into the funds that everybody had donated to kids wish network and made it happen, right? >> nope. i would call and i would get people to grant me parts of the wish. >> reporter: she says she would call hotels, airlines, amusement parks, get freebies and rental cars and meals donated while at the same time, at another desk at this same building, someone else was also making calls to get money to pay for the wish. >> we would have one person call to get the actual services donated, while another person is calling to get the money donated for things that i was already getting for free. >> reporter: so if you have this entire wish, let's say, a trip to disneyland or disneyworld donated, where was this money going? >> that i don't know. i have no idea where that money would go. >> reporter: it turns out, now we do. records reviewed by cnn, the "tampa bay times" and center for investigative reporting show of the $127 million raised in the past ten years, $109 million was paid right back to professional fundraisers. an attorney for the charity told cnn there was nothing illegal, unethical or i'm moral. >> i tweeted asking why they refused to do an on camera interview. we'll do it live so it's unedited, whatever. they always declined. in response on twitter they accused us of doing unfair. they said we trusted at anderson cooper commitment to fair and balanced reporting, that wasn't the case and attached a link and much of it was devoted to trying to discredit the woman in drew's story, she was fired from the charity, right, drew? >> reporter: right. she says 45 minutes after she complained to the bored of directors of this charity about irregularities on their tax returns, anderson, she was fired. the charity says they were planning on firing her anyway because they say she stole confidential documents. she denies that. they actually convinced the fbi to investigate her. >> by the way, why a charity has confidential, you know, propry terry document ps the world can't see, i don't quite understand. anyway, the fbi investigated after showing up at this woman's house, they didn't find anything, right? >> no, the case was closed by the fbi. the computers the fbi took in a raid, anderson, were given back to dubay. the sheriff's office in florida investigated and found there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing and it's important to note that none of the financial information we use in our reporting came from dubay. the "tampa bay times," we used one thing, the charity's own tax returns to determine less than 3% of the kids wish network's cash goes to kids. >> also, i saw them say well, you know, there was a confidential yalty agreement with the employee. why does the charity have confidentiality agreements? are they, the cia? i never signed one with cnn. it's ridiculous. speaking of the 3% number, that was another thing in the response they talked about that they said was unfair, they called it the big lie saying our reporting is flawed and skewed when it comes to the numbers to that 3%. explain that. >> yeah, they are basically saying we got the math wrong, and that they really spent or spend 56% of their total revenue on program services. let me tell you how that works. program services they include gifts in kind, the gifts donated to them that they in essence are regifting. they also include donations that are really hard to trade like gift in kind medicine sent to africa. they even include as part of program services tell marketers telling you about the programs during the sales pitch. telemarketer explaining to you how good kids wish network is, that is a program service. that's not how we look at it or charity ratings services and watchdog groups look at it. it's very simple. how much cash does this group take in in actual donations, and how much cash does this group actually use to fulfill the wishes of six sick children, our math is correct. in the last ten years, it's about 2.5% of every dollar actually donated to fulfill a wish, and last year, anderson, in the last reporting year, it was even worse, 1.29 cents of every dollar. that is the math. >> that's -- i mean, it's just unbelievable that is what they define as program services. tell marketers, if someone called you up and said we would like you to donate money and the vast majority of the money we'll spend on telemarketers so we can get more money and get the name of our organization better known, you wouldn't donate money. they are not saying that. i mean, i want to show a picture. this is anna lanzatella, the woman you were trying to get the interview with, she was hiding in the office. someone said she wasn't there and you wait twod hours and got her as she was coming out to her car, running away to her car and we would love to have her, if you're watching, anna, we would love to have an interview with you, no shouting, no yelling, jus some questions. you have a lot of questions that really, you know, a lot of people donated money to you, more than $100 million over the years as drew said. you got a lot of nerve, we would like to ask you questions live on tv, no editing. you can see the numbers for yourselves. all the tax returns are online. we're putting them online. go to cnn.com/ac 360 and if you got a tip for drew or the cnn investigative team go to cnn slash investigate. drew, again, appreciate the great reporting and david, as well. we'll continue to follow the charity. >>> up next, an inspiring discussion with maya angelou on the 50th anniversary of the march on washington. "stubborn love" by the lumineers did you i did. email? so what did you think of the house? did you see the school ratings? oh, you're right. hey babe, i got to go. bye daddy! have a good day at school, ok? ...but what about when my parents visit? ok. i just love this one... and it's next to a park. i love it. i love it too. here's our new house... daddy! you're not just looking for a house. you're looking for a place for your life to happen. history today. president obama stood where 50 years ago martin luther king jr. gave the famous i have a dream speech. the first african american president celebrating his legacy for all those who fought and gave their rights for civil rights. >> because they marched america became more free and fair not just for african americans but women, latinos, asians, catholics, jus, muslims, for gays, americans with disabilities. america changed for you and for me. >> for so many who knew dr. king and fought so long to make his dream a reality, today was very emotional, obviously. it was for maya angelou, poet, civil rights activist. i spoke to her earlier. for you on this day, what does dr. king's dream mean to you? was the significance of today? >> i think that at once i'm delighted that he had the dream. i'm delighted that if he awakened right now, he could also say, ah, some of my dream has come to pass and see that their african american family in the white house, a man and -- a man and a woman and their children and a grandmother, a black grandmother in the white house, my goodness. at the same time, i think he would be disappointed to hear we have not come any further. so my hope is that the dream, we can awaken from the dream and find that some of the elements of the dream have come to pass. >> one of the main messages of the organizers of the march 50 years ago was economic equality. that often gets lost in the retelling of this and a. phillip randolph says freed

dr. martin luther king jr. next weekend many people will begin commemorating the 50th anniversary of the march on washington, and dr. king's famous speech "i have a dream." today in "beyond a dream" we look at the impact king's dream and life still has on the world. on the campus of morehouse college in atlanta, students are reminded of drmartin luther king jr.'s legacy. he completed his under graduate degree at morehouse. students there are mindful of king's belief that education is a vital tool to escape poverty. former president of morehouse, dr. robert franklin, talked to me about the impact of king's dream on the school's campus and the nation. >> we hope that every man of morehouse who graduates and becomes a morehouse man will take with him those virtues that we seek to instill, commitment to academic excellence, to community service, to ethical leadership. we often talk about the 5 wells that these men are well read, well spoken, well traveled, well dressed, and well balanced. >> you're actually meeting with people where their hearts and minds are, and you're touching them, touching their needs, so you can change the world. >> that's right. i think that's the vision and inspiration martin luther king brought to montgomery, alabama, and it's something that our world desperately needs today. we like to say morehou

dr. martin luther king jr.'s speech i have a treatment people marching say dr. king's message is just as important now as it was then. >> i have a dream that one day. >> yes. >> this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed. >> reverend martin luther king jr. delivered those words before a crud of 250,000. that was 50 years ago tomorrow. the anniversary is on the minds of many. >> we have been talking about it for months now. >> at the lincoln memorial today, preparations are underway for tomorrow's event. tens of thousands are expected to attend. there is a lot of setup and security. first everyone's mind is dr. king's message. >> how peaceful it was and how everybody got along together and they sang together. they prayed together and there was just a feeling of togetherness that sometimes we don't experience today. >> i see that we're trying to do the same thing now, so it has a great significance to me in terms of freedom. >> speakers ranging from president obama to oprah winfrey are expected to address the crowd from the lincoln memorial steps in the same spot where dr. king stood. president obama will offer husband personal reflectionest on the self-rights movement, and the challenges that demand attention that will affect the next generation. >>> new information on the breaking news in fairfield. the 7 alarm fire burning through homes, grass and trees right up against interstate 80. >>> a high school student on the eve of the first day of his senior year dies in a violent crash. as investigators work to find out what caused the tragedy, we look at what teens are doing behind the wheel.

dr. martin luther king's, jr. unmatched delivery and his timeless words as we well know made history. still to come, the man we just introduced you to, clarence jones shares a little known fact about dr. king's iconic speech. hot it all came together is coming up next. ç] ♪ >>> exactly 50 years ago this evening, not far from here, washington's famed willard hotel, a young black preacher sat trying to write a speech. the words didn't come to him that night, instead it wasn't until the next afternoon as he stood before hundreds of thousands of people on the great mall that the preacher found a way to tell america about his dream. today i met drer, a counselor, sometimes a cure your, and i asked him how martin luther k g king, jr. found those mighty words. >> i would like you to bring me back to august 27th, '50 years ago at the willard hotel. >> dr. king was in the hotel in a suite working on the speech with his wife. he had given considerable thought about the direction or -- not specifically the exact words, but the direction, the -- >> you had taken some notes for him? >> well, i had taken some notes. the notes which i had taken were really notes which incorporated previous discussions we had had. i already had written down in long hand some suggested paragraphs, textual words that he might consider using. what i wrote was not some clarence jones creativity i wrote a summary -- i put it in a way that could be used in a speech. he says clarence. thank you very much. i'll take the notes, and i'm going upstairs and counsel with the lord to finish my speech in the room with my wife. so the next day i'm standing 50 feet behind

dr. martin luther king jr. his extraordinary speech 50 years ago. i'll talk to dr. mia angelou ahead. cashback concierge, here. what is a cashback concierge? well there's lots of ways you can get cash back. i'm here to help you get the most out of your cash rewards. it's personalized, and it's free. i want that. we have a concierge! at discover, we treat you like you'd treat you. get the it card with cashback concierge. ♪ [ male announcer ] bob's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. >>> welcome back. keeping them honest tonight, for the past two nights we've been reporting on a charity called the kid's wish network, a charity that we, along with the tampa bay times and the center for investigative reporting, have identified as the absolute worst charity, the rock bottom when it comes to how little out of each dollar raised it actually spends helping the sick children it claims to be raising money for. now, while they were reporting the story, correspondent drew griffin tried to get an interview with the folks who run kids wish network. they didn't want to talk to us. now that the report has aired, they have a lot to say about us. they post a letter on their website, bashing our reporting, specifically one of our sources. now, we stand by our investigation. drew is going to join me in a moment. but first, here is a recap of what we found. >> reporter: hi. drew griffin with cnn. >> hi, drew, nice to see you. >> reporter: can we just ask you some questions about all the ratings that have come out? >> no, i'm sorry. there's been so many misleading reports that have been made that we have asked our attorneys to take a look into everything and i'm not going to be doing any interviews. >> reporter: it is perhaps with good reason that the kids wish network don't wish to answer any of our questions. because they all involve how this tiny charity with a sympathetic name has taken in $127 million of your donations over the last ten years. yet according to the charity's own tax filings, it has used less than 3% of that money to fulfill the wishes of sick children. you heard right, less than 3%. >> that's not true. >> reporter: that's what is on the tax returns. >> we're very proud of the work we have done over the last 15 years. we've helped hundreds of thousands of children, and that's what we're going to continue to do. >> reporter: year after year, kids wish network collects millions in donations. $22.8 million in one year, according to its most recent tax filing. this woman spent six months as a coordinator. how did you do that, you just dipped into the funds that everybody had donated to kids wish network and made it happen, right? >> nope. i would call and i would get people to grant me parts of the wish. >> reporter: she would call hotels, airlines, amusement parks, get rental cars and meals all donated. while at the same time, at another desk in this same building, someone else was also making calls to get money to pay for the wish. >> we would have one person call to get the actual services donated while another person is calling to get money donated for things i was getting for free. >> reporter: so if you have this entire wish let's say, a trip to disneyland or disney world donat donated, where was this money going? >> that i don't know. i have no idea. >> reporter: it turns out now we do. records reviewed by cnn, the tampa bay times and the center for investigative reporting show of the $127 million raised in the past ten years, $109 million was paid right back to professional fund-raisers. an attorney for the charity told cnn there was nothing illegal, unethical or immoral about the charity's fund-raising methods. >> so drew griffin joins me now. i tweeted the kids wish network last night asking why they refused to do an on-camera interview. they have always declined. in response on twitter, they accused us of doing an unfair and misleading story. they sent out a tweet saying, we trusted anderson cooper a commitment to fair and balance reporting. unfortunately that wasn't the case. then they attach a link to a six-page response on their website and much of it was trying to discredit the woman in drew's story. she was fired from the charity right, drew? >> reporter: right. she says 45 minutes after she complained to the board of directors of this charity about irregularities on their tax returns, she was fired. the charity says they were planning on firing her any way, because they say she stole confidential documents. she denies that. they convinced the fbi to investigate her. >> by the way, why a charity has confidential proprietary documents that the world can't see, i don't understand. but any way, the fbi investigated after showing up at this woman's house. they didn't find anything, right? >> reporter: the case was closed by the fbi. the computers that the fbi took in a raid, anderson, were given back to her. the county sheriff's office in florida also investigated and found there's no evidence of criminal wrong doing. it's important to note that none of the financial information we used in our reporting came from her. cnn, the tampa bay times, center for investigative reporting, we all used one thing, the charity's own tax returns to determine less than 3% of the kids wish network cash goes to kids. >> also, i saw them say, there was a confidentiality agreement with this employee. why does a charity have confidentiality agreements, what are they, the cia? i never signed a confidentiality agreement with cnn. it's ridiculous. speaking of that 3% number, because that was another thing in their response that they said was unfair, they called it the big lie, saying our reporting is lied and skewed when it comes to that 3%. >> reporter: they're basically saying we got the math wrong and they really spent or spend 56% of their total revenue on program services. let me tell you how that works. program services, they include gifts in kind, the gifts donated to them that they in essence are regifting. they include donations that are hard to trace, like gift in kind medicines sent to africa. they each include as part of program services telemarketers telling you about the programs during the sales pitch. telemarketer explaining how good kids wish network is. that is a program service. that's not how we look at it or charity rating services look at it. it's very simple. how much does this group take in, in cash and how much cash does this group use to fulfill the wishes of sick children. our math is direct. in the last ten years, it's about 2.5% of every dollar donated to fulfill a wish. and last year, anderson, the last reporting year, it was even worse, 1.29 cents of every dollar. that is the math. >> that's just unbelievable that's what they define as program services, telemarketers. if somebody called you up and said we would like you to donate money and the vast majority of money we're going to spend on telemarketers so we can get more money and get the name of our organization better known, you wouldn't donate money. they eastern n they are not saying that. this is anna, the woman you were trying to get the interview with, who was hiding in the office. you asked if she was there, they said no, she was not there. you waited two hours and got her as she was coming out to her car. and we would love to have her -- if you're watching, anna, we would love to have an interview with you. no shouting, no yelling, just some questions. you have a lot of questions that a lot of people donated money to you, more than $100 million over the years. you've got a lot of nerve. we would love to ask you some questions live on tv, no editing. we'll give you as long as you want. all the tax returns, all the tax returns are online. we're putting them online. just go to cnn.com/ac360. drew, again, great reporting. we'll continue to follow this charity. >>> coming up next, a discussion with maya angelou on the 50th anniversary of the march on washington. and didn't know where to start. a contractor before at angie's list, you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare written by people just like you. no company can pay to be on angie's list, so you can trust what you're reading. angie's list is like having thousands of close neighbors, where i can go ask for personal recommendations. that's the idea. before you have any work done, check angie's list. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. i love you, angie. sorry, honey. she loves a lot of it's what you love about her. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial. >>> an extraordinary moment in history today. president obama stood where 50 years ago martin luther king jr. gave his famous i have a dream speech. the president celebrating his legacy and all who fought and even gave their lives for civil rights. >> because they marched, america became more free and more fair. not just for african-americans, but for women and latinos, asians and native americans. for catholics, jews and muslims. for gays, for americans with disabilities. america changed for you and for me. >> for so many who knew drking and fought so long to make his dream a reality. i spoke to maya angelou earlier. for you on this day, what does dr. king's dream mean today? what do you think marks the significance today? >> well, i think that at once i'm delighted that he had the dream. i'm delighted that if he awakened right now, he could also say, ahh, some of my dream has come to pass and see that the african-american family in the white house. a man and a woman and their children, and a grandmother, a black grand mother in the white house. my goodness. at the same time i think he would be disappointed to hear that we have not come any farther. so my hope is that the dream, we can awaken from the dream and find that some of the elements of the dream have come to pass. >> one of the main messages of the organizers of the march 50 years ago was economic equality. that off gets lost in the retelling of this. a. phillip randolph said freedom to use public accommodations would mean little to those who can't afford

dr. martin luther king, jr.'s 1963 march for civil rights. that's when dr. king delivered his historic "i have a dream" speech. >> this is a big moment for us, because we have been teaching her about who martin luther king is and his speech. >> this is a part of our history. it's amazing. it's so profound when you get close to it, actually gave me chills. >> on wednesday, the actual anniversary of drpeech and march, president obama and former presidents carter and clinton plan to speak from the same spot where dr. king did 50 years ago. >>> after weeks of controversy, san diego mayor bob filner just announced he will step down. the san diego city council accepted filner's resignation late this afternoon. now, it comes after several women came forward accusing filner of sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior. the city council announced it's accepting a settlement in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former aid. the 70-year-old filner apologized today for his actions. his last day in office is august 30th. >>> after 13 years on the job, the head of microsoft is stepping down. ceo steve balmer announced today he plans to retire in the upcoming year. the 57-year-old took over microsoft in 2000 from founder bill gates, but microsoft has struggled under balmer. in fact, the company lost more than half its market value. microsoft says it's forming a search committee, whi

dr. martin luther king jr. delivered his historic speech. >> i have a dream today. >> reporter: organizers expect thousands to turn out to show that dr. king's dream still lives on. a day that will begin with prayer at the historic shiloh baptist church, before another march to the national mall. >> we were over behind where dr shoulder was. we were close enough to be able to hear all of the speeches. >> reporter: lynn french was just 16 years old when she attended the march on washington. she hopes today's speeches inspire younger generations to keep fighting for justice. >> what's disturbing is, to see that even with a black president, we still have a long way to go. >> reporter: congressman john lewis was there, too, then a young student organizer. one line from dr. king's speech still resonates today. >> let freedom reign. and i think people all across america, in our hearts, believe that freedom should reign for everybody. >> reporter: tahman bradley, abc news, washington. >>> and this leads us to our facebook question of the day. we want to know, what cause would you march for today? we look forward to seeing your comments at atmfans.com. >> and be sure to join abc news for live coverage as president on obama honors the 50-year anniversary. our coverage here begins at 2:30 eastern. >>> it's a virus tha

dr. martin luther king jr.'s i have a dream speech, people forget that dr. king was not only a civil rights activist, he also was a labor leader and one of the purposes, one of the stated goals of the march on washington was to increase the minimum wage from $1.15 to $2 an hour which is the modern day equivalent of the $15 an hour that these fast food workers are actually demanding. one other thing i want to underscore here, they're not just asking for an increase in the minimum wage, they're also asking for the right to unionize which i think is even more critical here. asking for the minimum wage, very important, but that's like asking for the fish. being a union member gives you the ability to learn how to fish so you can advocate for yourself for the safety and the wages that you need in your job. >> yeah, krystal. i'm totally with you. i totally support this movement of the least fortunate among us to make more. over the last 40 years workers' income vis-a-vis their boss's income has gone from a differential of 20-1 to 267-1. before the recession it was 360-1. part of that inequality is because the power of unions has been beaten back by the conservatives over the last 40 years and they're not able to provide the balance that they used to be able to. and the idea that raising the minimum wage will cost jobs is not borne out by the data. >> i think it's to your point bigger than the minimum wage. this is about making enough to live. it reminds me having spent time recently in beijing, this is what democracy is about. it's these demonstrations and these protests that in many cases encourage corporations to change. just to put this in perspective, if you're paying $7.35 which is what they pay in the state of missouri, if they work 20, 25 hours a week, which is the average in that state, they are bringing home about $10,000 a year. i mean, people deserve higher paying jobs. i think this speaks to a much bigger problem. it's jobs across the board where people aren't getting paid enough to live. >> right. yeah. i think part of this is, you know, the focus on what's mcdonald's paying, what's wendy's paying, the focus is where is the minimum wage? where is the federal minimum wage? where is the state minimum wage? president obama called for an increase in minimum wage. nobody thinks that's going anywhere. if these strikes start to gain steam, if they exert the pressure that forces some of these companies to rethink their own practices, will it change the political posture these companies have. right now any time a minimum wage increase comes on the agenda, corporate america is opposed to it. if they face protests bigger than this, will corporate america say maybe it would be better if we did this across the board. i wonder if that changes the political calculation at all? >> such a great point, steve. >>> up next, something you don't know about msnbc's tamron hall and how she was inspired to launch her new project. the busy lady takes her first spin in "the cycle." [ dad ] 0% . done and done. [ dad ] in that driveway, is a german-engineered piece of awesome. that i got for 0% apr. good one, dad. thank you, dalton. [ male announcer ] it's the car you won't stop talking about. ever. hurry in to the volkswagen best. thing. ever. event. and get 0% apr for 60 months, now until september 3rd. that's the power of german engineering. yeah? then how'd i get this... [ voice of dennis ] ...safe driving bonus check? every six months without an accident, allstate sends a check. silence. are you in good hands? >>> trust me, you don't want testimony ron hall on your case. ari is guilty of social crimes. if you have committed murder, you don't want tam on your trail. "deadline crime with tamron hall" she's working with homicide detectives, prosecutors to get to the bottom of stories of murder. >> you have a murdered wife and a husband saying, we had issues and i had a girlfriend. >> he was definitely a suspect. >> he admitted to the police that he ended the affair months earlier after a confrontation with ruth who caught bernie and his miss stress together having dinner together. >> so ruth knew when she walked over to that table who you were sitting there with? >> no, i didn't tell her. my friend and ruth met for the first time and it was very awkward. >> to say the least, i would imagine. >> in fact, that's exactly what happened. when ruth came over to the table i said, well, this is awkward. >> awkward, indeed. it's an honor to have my friend and colleague tamron hall at the table. she's the host of "news nation." her new show "deadline crime" starts on sunday. this is not a side gig for you. this is personal for you. your sister was murdered about ten years ago and it was never solved. >> no. her death, she was found in the backyard of her home in the pool, in her swimming pool, face down. her hair had been pulled from the back of her head. her nails had been literally ripped off of her so it indicated she had fought back in some way and it's been unsolved. it's one of many. when i started the conversation with the president of discovery communications, i didn't go in thinking, okay, i want a crime show. it was the furthest thing from my mind. you know when you sit down and talk to someone, part of that is telling your story, and this is a major part of my family's story. my father passed away a few years later. my mother has always said she felt he gave up, he had a broken heart, because a dad's job, you know being a father, you know as well-being close to your dad, is to protect your daughter. that's your number one, you know, job. and there is great pain there. i have two nephews. my sister had two children. her son now is married. he has a child of his own. leroy asks, his son asks, when will i meet my grand mom. the answer is, well, she's in heaven. so our story sadly, you know, is not unique. and we cover a lot of these stories from the victims' family's perspective, from survivors, and we also have a couple of cases. listen, i interviewed a guy who is in jail the rest of his life and right now there are organizations who believe that he is innocent and they're fighting to get him out. so it's not just about murder. it's the mini complexity of our judicial system. had someone ask me the other day, do i believe justice is fair in america? when i was in chicago i interviewed a man who was on death row for 25 years. he has the mental capacity of an eight-year-old. i sat and cried with him after he was out of jail. after that i said there's no way it's fair. this man should never have spent 25 years behind bars on death row. >> it gives me chills to your point. there's so many people out there who can relate. 40% of homicides in the u.s. are a mystery. i'm curious what you learned about the mind of a criminal. how often do you hear about a terrible story and people that knew the person would say, they were genuine. there's no way this person could have done something so horrible. is it one event in a person's life? is it a mix of it all? >> it's a mix of it all. we have one case we'reall. the premiere episode -- it's interesting, where the person who ultimately is convicted of this crime, the family is heartbroken. they cannot imagine it. they can't visualize this individual would do it. when we talk about women, for example, we look at assaults. one of our stories focuses on a survivor, remember these movies, the burning bed or sleeping with -- we are more likely to be attacked by someone we know. the notion of being the guy under the car is more myth -- it's someone you loved and thought loved you. >> 40% go unsolved. how many of these cases do the detectives think they know who did it? they're pretty sure it's so-and-so, but they can't prove it. >> with the case with my sister, the police officers i talk to that morning said, we know who did it. as it progressed, he said but we cannot prove it. that taught me a lot. you know, people believe that csi, dna solves all things, just give them a lie detector test. it doesn't happen like that. there are cases where the cops are wrong. i don't know if it's always malice, it's that they believe they get stuck on one person and people end up behind bars. there's the case we cover, the guy is a police officer, and he finds himself in the mid of this incredible situation. >> and when the gun debate with us going on. i talked a lot about how women are twice as likely to be shot and killed by an intimate partner than by any stranger with any weapon at all. we as a society love to traipse through these stories of murder. why do we love walking through the stories so much? >> i think we fancy ourselves as attorneys, investigators, and there's also that what if it were me factor. you don't imagine yourself as the person convicted of a crime, but you wonder, do i know someone capable of doing this. we see situations all the time where someone is attacked and you say to yourself, wow, could that happen to me? so i think some of tess -- i think in the modern culture of crime television, with discovery i.d., i think people at home sit back, like my mother, did he do it? oh, he did it. and listen, let's face it, many of us will eventually serve on a jury. imagine yourself in that situation. >> congratulations. this show looks awesome. we'll all by watching, sunday september 1st when your show "i.d. deadline crime" premieres. >>> something that abby noticed was glaringly absent from wen's mar on washington -- the gop. getting the right nutrition during your busy day can be a challenge. take control of your nutrition with each delicious bar provides boost bars are perfect with a meal or as a nutritious snack. plus, they are available in chocolate and peanut butter chocolate flavors. a great-tasting way to get the nutrition you need. brand power. helping you buy better. >>> a half century ago martin luther king junior delivered his call for justice, and yesterday tens of thousands gathered from around those very same steps to pay tribute to the man who envisioned a world where all could -- it was a day of unity, remembrance and reflection. it also served to remind us of the collection and quint essentially journey we have taken over the last 50 years. it was amazing to see a multiracial coalition. activists actors lawmakers and former presidents who addressed the crowd, not one of them was a republican, not one. this wasn't because they weren't invited. according to event organizes, top republicans were invited, but all declined due to scheduling or health issues. there you had it. in the shadow of one of the great republicans, the man who championed the end of slavery, the man who signed and issued the emancipation proclamation, virtually no one from the party that lincoln managed to establish attended. they wouldn't take the opportunity to recognize the importance of this anniversary? while i can understand some of the political realities facing republicans, it still seems incredibly short-psyched that we aren't more willing to put those differences aside to address our deep passion for equality. while more than 100 republicans did gather for a luncheon to pay tribute to drking, wouldn't a strong bipartisan showing at the 50th anniversary have been a step toward healing a great divide? after i watches presidents obama, clinton and carter stand at the top of the steps, it seemed to me republicans missed a real opportunity. from an electoral point of view, that's just bad politics. but more importantly it's the right thing to do. no surprise in 2012 mitt romney was only able to garner 6% of the vote. 6%, in a country where more minorities are born -- that's totally unsustainable strategy for a party that is seeking to attract the support of minority groups. republicans need to be finding way toss broaden their appeal, not reaffirm their -- at the core rpg will always have a winning message, a message based on personal responsibility, liberty, family values, economic freedom and opportunities. however, as the old saying goes, 90% of success in life is just showing up. until then we'll never be heard. dwight eisenhower, even richard nixon, ronald reagan and

jr. esquire. they call the generation of dr. king the messes generation and those out here now joshua. but if joshua does not fight the fight of moses they are not joshua. we saw drking and the dream cross the red sea of apartheid and segregation. but we have to cross the jordan of unequal economic path. we have to cross the jordan of continued discrimination and massive incarceration. we've got keep on fighting and we got vindicate and stand up and substantiate that the dream was not for one generation, the dream goes on until the dream is achieved. lastly we made it this far not because of what we had in our pocket but what we had in our hearts. not because of what we owned but because of who owned us. we thank a mighty god for giving us a martin luther king. we thank the mighty god that brought us a long way. he brought us from disgrace to amazing grace. he brought us from the butler to the president. he brought us from beulah to oprah. he brought us a mighty long way. we thank god for the dream. we'll keep on fighting until the dream is a reality. thank you and god bless. >> ladies and gentlemen please welcome randy jsh >> reverend sharpton as rain don't fall

dr. martin luther king jr. delivered the historic speech. organizers expect throughs to town out to show that dr. king's dream still lives on. a day that will begin with prayer at the historic shiloh baptist church to another march at the mall. >> we were over behind where drng's shoulder was and we could hear all the speeches. >> lynn was 16 years old when she attended the 1963 march on washington and she hopes today's speeches inspire younger generations to keep fighting for justice of the. >> what is disturbing is to see with a black president we still have a long way to go. >> congressman lewis was there a young student organizers. a line from the speech still resonates today. "let freedom ring." people all across america if their hearts believe that freedom should ring. sell bright -- celebrate today. >> president obama speaks from the steps of the lincoln memorial abc7 news will carry a special report and that is expected some time after our 11:00 average news and you can get updates throughout the day on twitter. >> great educational lesson with lots of kids going back-to-school today. >> ever wonder what the united states would be like if he was still here or if he lived longer? what would be different? >> interesting. >> now a look outside, back t

dr. martin luther king, jr., ladies and gentlemen, martin luther king iii. five decades ago, my father dr. martin luther king, jr., stood upon this hallowed spot. and the spirit of god spoke through him and summoned the nation to repent and to redress the shameful sins long visited upon its african american brothers and sisters. 50 years ago, he delivered a sermon on this mountain which crystalized like never before the painful pilgrimmage and aspirations of african americans yearning to breathe ree in our own homeland. with martin luther king's lamenting were not an eye spiring diatribe of true conditions of the day. no, indeed, his words are etched in eternity and echo through the ages to us today were a tribute to the tenacity of an intrepid people who though oppressed refused to remain in bondage. those words of martin luther king, jr., were a clarion call to all people of good will to rise up together, to make this nation live out the true meaning of its creed and to perfect within us a more perfect union. and so i stand here today in this sacred place in my father's footsteps. i am humbled by the heavy hand of history. but more than that, i am -- i, like you, continue to feel his presence. i, like you, continue to hear his voice crying out in the wilderness. the admonition is clear. this is not the time for nostalgic commemoration nor is this the time for self-congrat la tri celebration. the time is not done. the journey is not complete. we can and we must do more. the vision preached by my father a half century ago was that his four little children would one day live in a nation where they would not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. however, sadly the tears of tray von martin ds mother and father remind us that far too frequently the color of one's skill remains a license to profile, to arrest, and to even murder with no regard for the ontent of one's character. regressive stand your ground laws must be repealed. federal anti-profiling legislation must be enacted. comprehensive immigration reform must be adopted to end the harassment of our brown brothers and sisters and to provide a fath to citizenship to them today just as was done for the millions who passed through ellis island's splendgid gates yesterday. 50 years ago, my father and sister said we cannot rest and be satisfied as long as black folk in mississippi could not vote. and those in new york believed that they had nothing for which to vote. today the united states supreme court, having recently eviscerating the voting rights act and with numerous states clamoring to legislatively codify voting suppression measures, not only must we not be satisfied but we must fight back boldly. too many of our unknown heroes and she ros fought, bled and died for us to have the precious rights of vote. for us to now sit back and timidly allow our franchise to be taken away or diminished, we must not rest until the congress of the united states restores the voting rights act protections discard bid a supreme court blind to the blatant tests of the black folks. paramount to martin luther king jr.'s fervent dream was the commitment that african americans gain full economic opportunity and not be confined to basic mobility forward from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. today, with 12% unemployment rates in the african american community and 38% of all children of color in this country living below the level of poverty, we know that the dream is far from being realized. with the once mighty city of detroit in the throws of bankruptcy and countless other cities teetering on the brink, there is a fierce urgency to act now. if the big auto makers and major financial institutions were too big and too important to fail, why is not the same true of the major urban centers which are populated by millions of poor blacks and brown and white hung erling for nothing more than a decent job to provide for themselves and their families? why shouldn't his torically black colleges and universities desperate for stability, be given the assistance which will enable them to continue their noble mission of educating both the best, brightest, as well as the least of these. as we struggle to recover from the worst economic calamity since the greaped, america needs a new marshall plan for our city to provide jobs, infrastructure improvements, and a true lasting stimulus to the economy. while we are inspired today by the majesty of power of my father's extra dation of yesterday year we must be mindful of this imperative of love. he thought the -- sought the beloved community where we could live together with peace and equality. we must embrace that love and cease the violence. no more senseless newtown or columbines, no more daily killings of our young people by our young people on the streets of chicago and countless neighborhoods across the country. we need more gun control but we also need more love. yes, we all need love for each other, blarks white, and yellow, red and brown, gay and straight, christians muslims and jews. and all of god's children loving one another. we must embrace love and hold on to that powerful spiritual which inspired my father's generation and inspires us still today. we aren't going to let nobody turn us around. we aren't going to let nobody turn us around. we are going to keep walking. we're going to keep on talking. we're going to keep on voting. we're going to keep on job building. we're going to keep on educating. we're going to keep on mentoring. we're going to keep on community building. we're going to keep on ending violence. we're going to keep on creating peace. we aren't going to let nobody turn us around. we are going to keep marching down to freedom land. so when i stand in your presence today and reflect on the fact that my beloved sister yolanda denees niece did not live to see the full realization of the heartfelt dream held by our father for his four children, i am sad but not entirely sad for i am reminded that he knew that the arc of the moral universe is long but it does stand toward justice. so another yolanda, our daughter, you saw her come out here with me, our daughter has been sent by god into this world and the dream will live on through her. thus i know that daddy is smiling up above knowing that your presence here today will assure the fulfillment of his dream in the lifetime of yol anda renay king. i can almost hear my father humming that anthem of the movement, people get ready there's a train coming. people get ready, there's a train coming. a train that takes us to a land where we have decent houses and not false house, a land that has schools that teach our children and do not defeat our children, a land where we have enterprising entrepreneurs and not incarcerated inmates, a land where we have fathers who create stable families and do not merely procreate innocent babies. yes, the train to the freedom land 50 years ago martin luther king jr. boldly ignited a mighty torch to guide our freedom led to us to our freedom train land here, and we are today standing in the midst of that eternal flame. if we could all but catch a flicker from that ferocious flame of freedom we could each light a small candle of courage and in our own voice cry out, this little light of mine. i'm going to let it shine. if we each let our own little light shine, then we shall truly overcome. yes, if we each do our own small part in our home, in our churches, in our schools, on our jobs, in our organizations, in every aspect of our lives to advance the cause of freedom, then surely a change is going to come and take it from me some day we will all be free. and on that triumph fant day we will offer up our praise to the god of our weary years, the god of our silenced tears who has brought us thus far on the way who has led us into our light. and together we as the people, we as a nation, and indeed we as the world will proclaim in une son mine ice have seen the glory of the coming of the lord. glory, glory halleluja glory, glory halleluja glory, glory halleluja his truth is marching on. god bless you. >> next, distinguished theellogen and international speaker and chairman of the board of the national action network, reverend dr. franklin ichardson. >> good afternoon. it is my privilege to bring greetings on behalf of the board of directors of the national action network, more than 72 chapters in 60 cities across america. on behalf of the staff and the many members of the national action network i greet you today as chairman. and to celebrate this high moment we have come here today to culminate a long journey that began 200 years ago, the moment an african american enslaved african rejected slavery. 50 years ago we came to a high moment and in the past 50 years we've had tremendous achievement, we've had tremendous accomplishments. and it is that achievement that makes us believers in the future. in every generation we have had great voices and great leaders. today it is my privilege to present our keynote speaker, the one who has become the voice of this era. for the last 40 years the reverend al sharpten has been evolving as a great and stirring leader shaped by these times to lead us into this era. he has

dr. mort inluther king jr. the queen of southern cooking has a 73% favorability rating while mlk has a 59% favorable opinion. that's compounding. >>> and speaking of dr. king, later this month marks the 50th anniversary of his i have a dream speech. president obama will mark the occasion with remarks on the steps of the lincoln memorial. and that's your morning dish of scrambled politics. now for a look at the weather, here is bill karins with the national forecast. good morning, bill. >> i wish i was around for that. >> for? >> 50 years ago. >> a little history. look at our new history today. >> okay. >> that's a very positive way to think about it. >>> as far as the weather, missouri just got nailed again with incredible flooding. we had a big fire in areas of california that we showed you. en into ohio we had severe storms. we're doing it all over again. this radar is just lit up. the yellow is heavy rain. reds, torrential rains. these are thunderstorms moving from oklahoma city northward to witch that. i-35 is not advised to travel out of right now if you don't have to. i-44 is next. we're starting to watch the heavy rain shifting to the east a l

dr. martin luther king jr. >>> a day of celebration and tonight a call to action. good evening. i'm doreen gentzler. >> i'm jim vance. 50 years after dr. martin luther king jr. told us his dream for america, we are reminded of how far we have come and how far we still have to go. just as 50 years ago today started with a march. thousands of people walking, some hand in hand, demanding jobs and justice. >> on the steps of the lincoln memorial where drking gave his most famous speech, we heard from congressman john lewis, the last surviving speaker from the 1963 event. members of the king family and former presidents bill clinton and jimmy carter also addressed the crowd. >> bells rang across this country at 3:00 this afternoon. 50 years after dr. king called upon america to let freedom ring. president obama honored those who marched for all that we have today but he also said the march isn't over. >> the universe may bend toward justice but it doesn't bend on its own. to secure the gains this country has made requires constant vigilance not complacency. whether by challenging those who erect new barriers to the vote or ensuring that the scales of justice work equally for all in the criminal justice system is not simply a pipeline from under funded schools to over crowded jails. it requires vigilance. tonight we have new reaction to the president's speech and all of the day's events. we'll go to the martin luther king memorial now w

dr. king almost didn't say those words. it was a woman on stage who helped him make history. . martin luther king jr. gave . >> i have a dream. >> reporter: dr. clarence jones stood 50 feet behind and remembers vividly how martin luther king, jr. gave the speech of his life august 28th, 1963. >> it is as if there was some cosmic force that came down and took over this physical form of a body. >> reporter: today drteaches at university of san francisco. he wrote a book about being king's political advisor, lawyer and speechwriter. in 1960 king visited jones at his home near l.a. and asked him to join his legal team. jones' wife viewed king as a superstar. >> an almalgamation of george clooney, michael jackson, denzel washington, matt damon all combined. >> reporter: but jones didn't want to move to alabama from california and refused the request of cheng. >> she turned to me and she said -- king. >> she turned to me and she said what do you think you are doing that's so important that you can't help this man that came all this distance to ask for your help? >> i have a dream. >> reporter: but then jones heard king's powerful preaching in person and agreed to move. in 1963 jones wrote the first seven paragraphs of king's famous speech at the lincoln memorial before a record crowd of a quarter million people and broadcast live on tv. when dr. jones drafted the original i have a dream speech, dr. k

dr. martin luther king jr. >> schieffer: and we're back now to talk some more about dr. king's legacy and the 50th anniversary of the march. there that day, joining us now, marian wright edelman, the founder and president of the children's defense fund. she started her career as a lawyer for the n.a.a.c.p. in mississippi. also here, taylor branch, the historian who has, of course, written four books on dr rights era. his later "the king years" recently out in paperback. and our friend, ben jealous, the professional of the n.a.a.c.p. i want to start with you, marian. when you were there, did you realize at the time the effect that dr. king's speech was going to have? >> yes. and i realized as one of my own-- the hundreds of thousands property we were a transforming element of nonviolent witness that was unprecedented in our history, as you indicated, people expecting violence. here you had a huge, multiracial, multifaith, multigenerational-- i was 24 at the time-- witness -- >> what did you feel like? were you excited? >> i was exhilarated. i felt empowered. i felt connected. it's always good to know that you're not alone and there are all these people coming out saying, "we're committed to making america, america." it strengthened me as i was being trained to go down to mississippi and practice law. a great day. >> schieffer: taylor, you've written all these books about the civil right

dr. king, i am john robert lewis. i said my whole name. when i met dr. martin luther king jr., it changed my life. >> congressman john lewis on race in america then and now when we come back. [ male announcer ] if she keeps serving up sneezes... [ sneezing ] she may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec®. powerful allergy relief for adults and kids six years and older. zyrtec®. love the air. and kids six years and older. every day we're working to and to keep our commitments. and we've made a big commitment to america. bp supports nearly 250,000 jobs here. through all of our energy operations, we invest more in the u.s. than any other place in the world. in fact, we've invested over $55 billion here in the last five years - making bp america's largest energy investor. our commitment has never been stronger. this man is about to be the millionth customer. would you mind if i go ahead of you? instead we had someone go ahead of him and win fifty thousand dollars. congratulations you are our one millionth customer. nobody likes to miss out. that's why ally treats all their customers the same. whether you're the first or the millionth. if your bank doesn't think you're special anymore, you need an ally. ally bank. your money needs an ally. plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day women's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day women's 50+. >>> they come from the north, the south, the east and west. they come united in one cause, that today's gathering is the largest in washington's history. >> wednesday is the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march on washington. thousands will commemorate the event with a march for jobs and justice beginning at the labor department with a call for more government action to address high unemployment. then a stop at the justice department urging a federal civil rights suit against george zimmerman, who was acquitted of the killing of trayvon martin. the march will pass the washington monument and the world war ii memorial before ending at the lincoln memorial with speeches by presidents obama, bill clinton and jimmy carter. thousands gathered saturday to mark the anniversary. the only surviving keynote speaker of the original march, congressman john lewis, spoke at that event. >> i stood right here in this spot. >> he's just written a graphic novel to coincide with this week's event. candy spoke with john lewis. >> why the graphic novel? >> well, i felt strongly that we needed to do something, to write something, to put it down, to pel the stoell the story for an generation, for children, and for people not so young. >> what do you think they don't know about it now? >> i wanted young people to understand what it was all about, that we accepted the way of peace, the way of love, the way of nonviolence. that we were beaten and arrested and went to jail and we didn't become bitter or hostile. that we never gave up because we wanted to be what dr to play something for you that president obama said. this was in the wake of the trayvon martin case and the jury verdict. >> we need to spend some time thinking about how do we bolster and reinforce our african-american boys. is there more that we can do to give them a sense that their country cares about them and values them and is willing to invest in them. >> what is it the president is talking about? >> we needed a president, a man like barack obama, to say that. and maybe, just give these young men, not just african-american, but all young men a greater sense of hope, to instill in them some values. during the height of the civil rights movement, we grew up, we had something to stand up for. we had something to believe in. i grew up, i literally grew up on lunch counter stools and going on the freedom ride, i participated in a march. >> a feeling of purpose you're talking about. >> you had a sense of purpose. you had goals that we wanted to desegregate the lunch counters, the re

dr. martin luther king jr. we talk this evening to congressman johning with, who was there with dr. king. >> we made a lot of progress. back in 1963, charlie, let me tell you, i saw those signs that said white waiting, colored waiting, those signs are gone. we passed the civil rights bill. we passed the voting right act, the fair housing act. and when people say to me nothing has checked. i say come and walk in my scooz. >> we talk with jonathan rider, isabelle wilkerson, and clarence jones. >> the march was nmy view, the culmination of 100 years of frustration and despair. 1963 began with the centennial, the 100th anniversary of the emancipation proclamation. and that means that when these people came together, those quarter of a million people came together, they were in some ways representing all the hopes and dreams that had idea yt to be fulfull fulfilled. >> rose: the 50th anniversary of the march on washington next. captioning sponsored by rose communications from our studios in new york city, this is charlie rose. >> rose: we begin with john lewis. he is a congressman from georgia, a democrat. he was one of the big six leaders of the civil rights movement and chairman of the student nonviolent committee. this year, 2013, marks the 50th anniversary of the historic march on washington. on that day in august, lewis was one of only 10 speakers who took to the steps of the lincoln memorial. he was just 23 years old. john lewis remains the last speaker still living. he has now told his story in a graphic novel. it is called "march, book one." i am pleased to have john lewis back at this table. welcome. >> thank you very much. good to see you, my friend, my brother. thank you for having me. >> rose: good. take me back. take me back to august 28, 1963, 50 years ago. >> well, 50 years ago i was only 23 years old, as you stated. it was an unbelievable day. on that day, 10 of us went up on capitol hill. we met with the leadership of the house and the senate, both democrats and republicans. then we came out of the senate building on constitution avenue. we start walking, and we look toward union station. we saw hundreds and thousands of people walking. we were supposed to be the leaders of the march, the people already marching -- >> people were flowing in from around the country, on the train, getting off, to be part of the audience. >> they were coming. by train. by bus. by car. by plane. they were there. and they literally pushed us along the way. it was almost like there go my people. let me catch up with them. does and that's what we did. they pushed us toward the washington monument otoward the lincoln memorial. >> rose: the point of the march on washington was for what? >> it was called the march for jobs and freedom. we were there to petition members of the congress and the president of the united states to pass a strong civil rights bill. we didn't have a particular bill in mind, but a strong bill. now, if-- president kennedy, in june of 1963, he didn't like the idea of a march. he said in effect, if you bring all these people to washington won't there be violence and chaos and disorder and we'll never get a civil rights bill through the congress. a. phillip randolph, he had been seeking a march back curing the days of roosevelt and truman. so he said in his baritone voice, "mr. president, this will be an orderly, peaceful, nonviolent protest. of we came out of meet with president kennedy, and said to the press we had a productive meeting with the president. and that day, i'll tell you, our work paid off. people came from all over america. some americans living abroad flew home to participate in the march. people came from almost every state, people from idaho, wyoming, montana, church groups, labor groups, student groups, just plain, everyday individuals. >> rose: and what did your heart say to you when you heard martin luther king say, "i have a dream?" >> when martin luther king jr. got to that place in that speech and said, "i have a dream today, a dream deeply rooted in the american dream," i knew he was preaching and he was really preaching. he knew it himself. he turned those marble steps of the lincoln memorial into a modern day pulpit and the crowds were with him. jackson did a song how we got over, how we got over, and the whole place just rocked and rocked. >> rose: let me give you some timeline. april 16, dr. king writes his famous letters from a birmingham jail, and responded to white alabama ministers who urged him to end the demonstration. on june 12 medgar edgars was assassinated. what did you end that day with that you might not have had before? >> on that day, when the march was all over, and because of the speech of dr. king and others, it was a great deal of unity in america, a sense of hope, a sense of optimism. people came together and said to the president and said to members of congress, "america would never, ever be the same." we got down to the white house after the march was all over, president kennedy stood in the door of the oval office and he greeted each one of us. hhe was like a beaming proud father. he was just smiling. and he said, ," you did a good job. you did a good job." and when he got to dr. king he said, "and you had a dream." there was so much hope, so much optimism. >> rose: that was all 28. on september 15, the baptist church in birmingham is bombed, and fo

dr. martin luther king jr's i have a dream speech. which was delivered on the steps of the lincoln memorial. but there was another message from dr. king that historians agree set in motion a revolutionary movement, one which lead to the march on washington. tonight the story of the letter from a birmingham jail. >> when you were coming to birmingham in 1963, you were coming to ku klux klan country. birmingham had nor unsolved bombings of negro homes and churches than any other city in the nation. the ku klux klan and racial segregationalists were not about to let some negro preacher from atlanta or some group of demonstrators either in birmingham or outside the state to come and change their way of life. this is our place. this is our power. how dare you come in and want to take -- share our power from us. >> it was some very dark days in birmingham, alabama. >> in birmingham then the police fear. >> they had intimidated the working black people, and drng knew that. the movement was stagnated. it was dead. >> i'm going to say to you, wait a minute birmingham, somebody birmingham. >> dr. martin luther king was invited to come to birmingham to help with the situation. >> as difficult as it is, we must meet hate with love. >> we would also meet at 16th street baptist church. that was the meeting place for dr. king. ♪ i'm on my way >> it was always firey meetings with a lot of good singing, a lot of good friends. ♪ i'm on my way ♪ i'm on my way ♪ to freedom at last >> dr. king was arrested on good friday april 12th, 1963. he was jailed for parading without a permit. so dr. king is in jail, and i don't know how many, but a substantial number of people, young people particularly in jail -- when i say young people, i'm talking about kids 14 to 18. there may have been some younger, but 14 to 18, and being in jail overnight is one thing, but being in jail more than one or two nights became a major issue. i think the first time i visited him m

dr. martin luther king jr., 34, the charismatic focal point of the civil rights movement spoke last. >> i have a dream. >> dr. king's oration was upon delivery a recognized masterpiece. >> this nation will rise up. >> over time -- >> my four little children -- >> these words have become so well known that the march itself is reduced to one man's dream. >> i have a dream today. >> in fact, it was much, much more. that day everybody had a dream. >> we will sit in and kneel in and we will lie in if necessary so that every america can have a job. >> this civil rights movement is not confined to the negro. >> oh, yes, the march inspired a moral victory with broad social implications, but it provided no directives for tangible economic parody, and with the passage of time a moral force without concrete works, guys on the vine. how many of us today know that it was called the march on washington for jobs and freedom? i sure didn't poor and world war iing class citizens need to be an integral part of. this transsends race. race is a matter of physiology. discrimination is a matter of culture, and culture shapes public perception which influences political action. somewhere in the mid 1970s i began to notice black and white artists stereotyping black people as criminals, pimps and drug dealers and gradually adding more and more mess onlying any and violence in music and videos in recording after recording. the constant glorification and reselling of this imagery has corrupted both blacks and whites understanding of black america. unfortunately, that shapes current public opinion much more than the memory of dr rights legislation, many black americans erroneously thought that the election of mayors with their same skin color would lead to an increasing economic prosperity. even the electing of a non-white president was misconstrued as the culmination of the civil rights movement. let's examine the unemployment, incarceration, and education statistics for the black and white. these sobering facts compel us to act on the collective dream express 50 years ago. a sustainable victory for equality and employment will not come through a profit, a president, or even the law. it must be the will and actions of the people, all the people, all the team. >> i have a dream today. >> dr. king ended the march triumphantly. his "i have a dream" movie is rightfully known by all. >> it was enacted by everyone in attendance that day. we cannot walk alone. >> we cannot walk alone. >> when we walk together, we are an infinite resource and can create unimaginable possibilities. separate, we're fighting for what w

dr. martin luther king jr. was born and raised in we're going to have the 50th anniversary of dr. king's "i have a dream" speech next week. i wonder how many leaders are going to stand up and challenge and speak just as juan just did and bring up some of the points they did to say that we're not fulfilling that dream. as a matter of fact, we're going backwards. so i think that hey, i'll be happy to get with juan, to go into these inner city black communities, to go to a historic black colleges and universities, to start saying we've got to turn this thing around. both of us, juan and i, are dads. >> i appreciate that so much, colonel. because you know, when people like you, people who have a national standing, i think of bill cosby. i wrote a book about bill cosby doing this and he immediately -- bill cosby, imagine how famous and how much stature he has. they immediately tried to cut him down, put him down, said he was airing dirty laundry, serving the interests of rush limbaugh. i was like, are you kidding me? but colonel i'm telling you, that's what you're in for if you try to

dr. martin luther king jr.'s historic speech but as a last-minute volunteer he had a coveted spot near the podium. how far away from dr. king were you standing? >> i was to the left of dren or eight security people away. >> from every mountain side. reporter: just having a front row seat to such a momentous occasion is a memory worth talking about. but george's story really begins with what happened after the speech. >> free at last, free at last, thank god all mighty, we are free at last. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: so what did you do when he finished? >> people started to stand. i have no idea why i walked over. he was just folding the paper. and i said, "dr. king, can i have copy of the speech?" >> reporter: did he hesitate? he turned and handed it to me. just as he did a rabbi on the other side came up to congratulate him and it was over. it happened that quick. >> reporter: that's right. george was handed one of the greatest speeches in american history by martin luther king himself. and so this is the actual speech. you can see the date. you can see that it was type writer. >> reporter: it all happened by chance. the result of a dinner conversation at th

dr. martin luther king, jr.'s "i have a dream" speech. al jazeera's del walters is there. >> blain here when dr. king made history a half century a year ago. >> i have a dream that one day, this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed. >> we have accomplished some things but we still got a long way to go. >> the reverend jessie jackson, a long time civil rights leader and friend ofd king was here for the first march. he spoke about moving forward on current civil rights issues. >> keep dreaming of the constitutional right to vote. stop the madness in north carolina and texas. keep dreaming. keep dreaming. revive the war on poverty. keep dreaming. go from stop and frisk to stop and employ, stop and educate, stop and house. >> as we gather today, 50 years later, their march is now our march and it must go on. >> merley he evers williams also focused on the future singing out the controversy surrounding the stand your ground laws and calling on supporters to flip the meaning of those laws. >> stand your ground in terms of fighting for justice and equality. >> king's son, martin luther king, iii also addressed the crowd >> this is not time for a nostalgic commemoration or the time for self congratlattory celebration. the task is not done. the journey is not complete. we can and we must do more. >> the reverend al sharpton was the keynote speaker and talked about the political issues facing minorities today including the recent supreme court ruling that eliminated key provisions of the land right voting rights act of 1965. >> we earned the right to vote with protest, and we will regain what we lost in the supreme court. we'll protest with focus and it's on its way. >> the march of doctor king's speech comes to an end, the dream to continue continues. >> firefighters in california are tackling what is the 16th biggest wildfire ever in that state. it's the fast-moving rim wildfire threatening california's yosemite national park. over the past day, the fire has doubled in size, already destroying more than 200 square miles. those flames were also threatening san francisco's water and power supplies prompting california jerry brown to declare a state of emergency for that city. as fire fighters struggle to contain the flames, it may be hard to imagine that fires can actually be an essential part of the eco system. tamara banks has more on that part of the story. >> there are more than 40 uncontained wildfires across the west. we have seen the relentless blazes claim lives and hundreds of homes this year. about in nature's most punishing blows, there can be healthy benefits. >> most of these plants we are looking at on this hillside here are naturally regenerated after the fire. >> we took a walk with colorado state fire behavior specialist, boyd labito in the high park burn scar. >> all of this has jugrown in or a year >> correct. >> 87,000 burned in the hyde park forest last year. they say the land starts healing almost immediately. >> there is life after fire >> certainly. yeah. it's part of the eke lodthe ecological cycle of theseforms forests. >> 25 years ago, fire destroyed 750,000 acres. forest managers were criticized for letting it burn. but today, yellowstone is healthier and more diverse. >> most fires have a positive outcome. >> james white with the u.s. fire service says fires rejuvenate the land, improve has been tight for wildlife and maintain healthy watersheds. >> as far as the environment is concerned, it's a key element. these are all fire-adapted ecosystems and as a result, they require that fire to regenerate. >> despite this, politicians an the public pressure forest managers to put fires out rather than letting nature take its course even though the cost of fighting fires is well over a billion dollars a year. with buckets stretched, suppression wins out over prevention. >> it would be nice to see the appropriations that go into the fuel treatments increase. >> do you go wrightout is working with the government to map benefits of fuel treatments. >> in some cases, more extensive fuel treatments can help reduce the likelihood of these he knew treme events. >> although epic blazes make up less than two % of all wildfires, they gobble up 94% of suppression costs. >> i think one of the big challenges that we have is un r understanding and being able to figure out the balance between the suppression forces and the fuels treatment and preparedness activities that we do. it takes those working in concert to get the right kind of outcome. >> to be pro-active, experts say we must be smarter about understanding the benefits of fire. tamara banks, al jazeera, colorado. >> there is concern that japan's fukushima is leaking. al jazeera al jazeera anita mcnote. there was a story going around fukushima priapitis that sunflowers could absorb radiation. nashira has more faith in his geiger counter. he patrols his neighborhood checking for hot spots where radiation levels are over the safe limit. unfortunately, there are plenty of them. after three of the six diachi react went into meltdown two and a half years ago. >> every day, there is radiation. we can't see it 13reding into the air and into the ocean. one day, the world will sue japan for this. >> he has records for every household. he believes the area should not be lived in, that the government's not being serious about the clean-up. but the local did are crisis fatigued. >> it's been nearly three years. and nothing really bad has happened to people here so they have started to think there isn't a problem. but radiation takes 20 years to become a problem. >> nearby beach, despite news that highly radioactive waters leaching into the sea, locals are cooling off. they told us they were fi philosophic philosophical. everywhere now was radio active. they can't escape it. >> the stricken diachi nooufshling plant is 35 kill meters up the coast that way. and this beach, only open to the public in july, back then authorities said that radiation in the sea water had funeral acceptably low levels but wantanabe took samples for analysis, he found levels there were far higher. >> no one knows what a safe background level is anymore. the japanese are now part of a massive non-consent annual experiment on the radio radiation ex posed you're. this man worked at diachi and its sister plant, diani for more than 20 years. he says no one ramey knows how bad the situation is in the reactors because it's now deadly to go inside them. >> i personally believe that nuclear power, humans, cannot co-exist. >> the workers have been forbidden from talking to the media. >> the government is playing down the accident so it can keep exporting the technology to other countries. >> the shinto shrine here is seen as the protector of this community. the government these days is not. anita mcnaught, al jazeera, fukushima province. >> 50 years after the march on washington, a senior member of the nation's leading civil rights organization talks about the challenges remaining. ... s ... >> frio county at last. frio county at last. thank god all might, we are frio county at last. >> those are perhaps martin luther king's words spoken 50 years agoe at last. >> those are perhaps martin luther king's words spoken 50 years ago marking the march on washington, mr. shelton is joining us this evening. good to see you. >> as we reflect 50 years on, to what extent have we achieved the goal set forth by martin luther king, jr.? >> we are a much more integrated society than we were in 1963. we are seeing that mean communities are much more integrated. people are living together. if you look at aries like education, employment, if you look at many other areas you see that we have much more diversity in those who attend, those who work for, and those who are actually serving in our u.s. congress. of course, we now have our first african-american president of the country. there has been a lot of move forward for the united states of america in the areas of integration. >> you were on the ground today in washington. give me a chance of the atmosphere. do you feel this is a celebration of what we have achieved or more of a catalyst for greater equality? >> it was both. it was both a recognition of what has been done of the last 50 years that our nation has moved forward in many ways but it was also recognition of what is still left to be done. i note we have a number of setbacks in voting rights, areas like our criminal justice system is still proven in some cases to be quite racist in how it's being implemented. we are seeing both things are happening. much likely the first march, people are leaving this march with a commitment to do more to could not that vision dr. king created so eloquently 50 years ago in this august, a hot day in 1963. >> i want to talk about the criminal justice situation issue of racial profiling. i know you have been vocal on the matter, expressed the importance of passing the international racism act. what did the tray von martin case tell you? >> it tells you we look at issues of racial profiling, that someone is guilty after crime or a threat because of race is very much with us. not only is this a practice done by some law enforcement -- don't get me wrong, all law enforcement doesn't do it but some police officers do it. it has been used by community watch groups. what happened to trayvon martin was an issue of profiling. this guy believed he was a watch officer, someone working with police and that he should see this man, trayvon martin, a 17-year-old kid unarmed, not wanted for any crime as being a threat in this community to the point that he would confront him and actually end up killing him. >> in dealing with t

dr. martin luther king, jr. >> everyone wanted him to speak first because they figured the first speakers would make the 6:00 news, and dr. king ended up speaking last. >> we will not be satisfied as long as a negro in mississippi cannot vote and a negro in new york believes he has nothing to vote. >> as he is reading the text, halia jackson is sitting on the platform, and she shouts at him, interrupts him and says tell them about the dream, martin. tell them about the dream. >> i still have a dream. >> i said, oh, i thought it was a mistake to use that, but how wrong i was. it had never been used on a world stage before. >> and whoever was standing next to me, i said to that person, they don't know it, but those people out there -- i said they don't know it, but they're about ready to go to church. >> i have a dream that one day on the red hills of georgia from the former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. >> it was like you could hear a pin drop because, i guess, everybody in the audience at that time felt he was actually speaking to them. >> i have a dream. my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. i have a dream today. >> i felt like he was talking about me and talking to me, and i didn't want anybody to smep because of the color of my skin. i wanted them to accept me because i was me. >> let freedom ring from every hill and mole hill in mississippi, every mountain side. >> he transformed the marble steps of the lincoln memorial to a modern day pulpit. >> free at last. free at last. thank god all mighty, we are free at last. >> it was shakespearean in its magnificents and his indicatedance. >> i was down at the bottom of the steps where i was watching not only his speech, but the reaction of the crowd, and it was electrifying. >> they were emotional. people were crying. >> we knew that we were part of something that was -- it was going to transcend the face of this country. >> i dozed off. when i woke up, the march was over. drand some of my buddies from the office finally found me and woke me up. when i finally did hear dr. king's speech in its entirety, i realized that i had missed probably the greatest speech of the century. >> after the march on washington president kennedy had invited us back down to the white house. he stood in the door of the oval office and he greeted each one of us. it was like a beaming proud father, and he said you did a good job. you did a good job. you did a good job. when he got to dr. king he said and you had a dream. >> soon death in dallas and in birmingham. >> there is a bulletin from cbs news that in dallas, texas, three shots were fired at president kennedy's motorcade in downtown dallas. >> i felt like we had lost a friend. [ male announcer ] these days, a small business can save by sharing. like carpools... polly wants to know if we can pick her up. yeah, we can make room. yeah. [ male announcer ] ...office space. yes, we're loving this communal seating. it's great. [ m

jr. spoke to a racially divided america. people of all stripes packed the mall to hear the words inspired by dr. king. joseph lowry was a freedom fighter along with dr. king. >> committed to be a nation of liberty and justice for all. >> julian bond a civil rights veteran who led a sit in at a segregated lunch counter at greensboro, south carolina. >> we're still being challenged, from the stand your ground laws. >> the spirit of dr. king's words captured the hearts of people not just around america. but around the world. >> part celebration, part commemoration, part renewal. it was 50 years ago on this day that dr. king led the famous march on washington and delivered his i have a dream speech. today the crowd heard from the first african american president. >> to secure the gains this country has made requires constant vigilance. >> the president stood on the spot where king spoke invoke the civil rights leader as an inspiration. >> how he gave mighty voice to the quiet hopes of millions. how he offered a salvation path for oppressed and oppressors alike. >> mr. obama drew parallels between past and present. >> what was one a call for equality and

dr. martin luther king, jr. spoke at the lincoln memorial, president obama and other dignitaries will stand on the same steps to commemorate the march on washington, the same steps where drd to gather there today. we will have much more on today's events throughout our time on the air. >> top story now. a fox news alert. preparations for a strike on syria. right now u.s.-led air or missile strikes, they're looking all but cer

dr. martin luther king, jr. spoke at the lincoln memorial, president obama and other dignitaries will stand on the same steps to commemorate the march on washington, the same steps where dr. king delivered his "i have a dream" speech to a quarter of a million people and thousands are expected to gather there today. we will have much more on today's events throughout our time on the air. >> top story now. a fox news alert. preparations for a strike on syria. right now u.s.-led air or missile strikes, they're looking all but certainty point. the timing is still unclear but the obama administration is working out we're told all the details. the u.n. security council, set for a showdown. and britain is saying it will put forward a resolution seeking authorization for military action. russia calling the move premature. and american ally israel is bracing for possible retaliation. it is already been threatened. all of this happening as u.n. chemical weapons inspectors in damascus are saying they need at least four more days to finish their investigation. the alleged gas attack that killed hundreds. what happened? who did it? a live report from the white house is just ahead for you. >>> first now, there is brand new stories. jon: a new delay for the president's controversial health care plan. administration not ready to sign on the dotted line with insurance companies. what this means for americans trying to comply with the sweeping changes. >>> and a thief drops by his local pharmacy. what police say was so important that he tried this unusual break-in method. >>> and an important warning, a new report says spices infected with salmonella could be in your kitchen cabinet right now. we'll tell you how to keep your family safe. it is all "happening now." jon: and "happening now" on this wednesday, the united states appears ready for war. good morning. i'm jon scott. >> jon, great to be with you today. jon: thank you, jamie. >> i'm jamie colby in for jenna lee today. right now it is looking increasingly likely that the u.s. will lead a military strike on syria. this is all a week after alleged chemical weapons attacks were happening, that killed, what we're seeing many people. vice president joe biden is saying there is is now doubt the assad regime is to blame and right now the u.s. has warships, four of them, in the mediterranean. crews missiles are ready to be fired but the obama administration has to still work out some of the details in considering how the assad regime will respond. our chief white house correspondent ed henry live at the white house with the very latest. ed, good morning to you. are they planning on getting congressional authorization first? >> reporter: it does not look like it, jamie. the situation getting worse by the hour. israel on high alert, worried about possible retaliation by the syrian regime. in the last few moments turkish foreign minister is being prepared and turkey is on high alert at this hour to protect turkish interests. vice president biden, becoming the latest and highest official here at the white house saying in fact they believe the syrian regime is responsible for that chemical weapons attack, inching to move forward on u.s. military action. remember in the 2008 campaign, he said if then senator biden moved forward with an attack on iran without congressional approval, then he senator biden would move forward in with impeachment charges. he said clear in the campaign you can't have unilateral military action without getting congressional authorization. i pressed jay carney on that point yesterday. >> in 2007, candidate obama was, an actual or imminent threat to the nation. do you believe that exists right now or actual or imminent threat to the united states? >> i believe that absolutely, allow the use of chemical weapons on a significant scale, to take place without a response would present a significant challenge to, threat to the united states national security interests. >> reporter: now there are some democrats who disagree with jay carney on that point and do not believe it is imminent threat. congresswoman, barbara lee, the only member of congress who voted against the war in afghanistan put out a statement she agrees it is horrific that chemical weapons were used by syrians but there needs to be full congressional debate, authorization, a vote on that in the house and senate before the white house moves forward. they're not planning to do that, jamie. >> that's a big question. meantime republicans are raising a question whether it would be just a symbolic strike. >> reporter: that is the question. the one year ago this month the president laid down that marker, so-called red line if syrian president assad used chemical weapons that would change the equation for the u.s. could take military action. what senator john mccain, the republican, is saying this morning he is in favor of military action as long as it is not just symbolic. as long as it is something that is going to effectively decimate assad's military. take a listen. >> the sad part is they keep announcing this is not anything to do with the regime change. -- regime change. what the strikes should be about to help the resistance change the momentum now notn tir favor because hezbollah has thousands of troops there. iranian weapons and russian weapons and the, our failure to supply the resistance with the weapons that they need. >> reporter: now republican ed royce, chairman of the house foreign affairs committee also saying he wants to see a congressional debate and authorization on all of this and says he wts to hear the president come forward and make the case to the american people. now they say inside the white house they're not planning to get congressional authorization but they do point out that the president, some of his top aides have been working the phones reaching out to key lawmakers like ed royce. also the president has been on the phone the last several days reaching out to allies in europe trying to build a coalition here so it is not just unilateral action. jamie. >> ed henry sure to have more throughout the day from the white house. thank you, ed. jon: what could the results be if the united states does carry out airstrikes as expected on syria? let's bring in ambassador john bolton, former u.n. ambassador to the united nations and also a fox news contributor. mr. ambassador, you said the u.s. position in syria could wind up worse off after military strikes. how, why? >> i think there are two possibilities. one is the president could do what senator mccain has long wanted which is intervene on the side of the opposition and deliver a devastating, indeed even decapitating blow to the syrian regime of bashar al-assad. that would bring the rebels to power. i don't think that is in america's interest. on the other side the administration could deliver a fairly weak attack, what our military refers to disparagingly ascertaining spanking, and that looks like direction they're going in if you have to pick at this moment. think that would send a terrible signal, both to the assad regime and other proliferators like iran. that the administration is not really serious about non-proliferation. it would say to assad, yes, we can use chemical weapons, yes, we can. not at no cost but at a minimal cost, an acceptable cost. iran would conclude from that i think they should simply continue with their nuclear weapons program, or if anything accelerate and get nuclear weapons. once they cross the nuclear threshold there won't be any u.s. attack. jon: so that the u.s., in striking at a military, well, dictator who is willing to sacrifice his own civilian citizens is willing to lose some members of his military to pursue a policy that keeps him in power? >> look, the american national interest here is all we need to worry about is keeping chemical weapons from getting out of the country to be uses against us. it is a tragedy what what the assad regime has done with chemical weapons and rifle bullets and artillery shells. there have been atrocities on the rebel side as well. i do not think even a humanitarian tragedy requires the united states to act. we have to keep our interests in mind here. i think right now we're in a box almost entirely of president obama's own making. his comement last august about the use of chemical weapons by the assad regime crossing a red line is something i don't think he thought through, i don't think he had a clue what the implications of that might be and honestly i think he is now preparing a military response in the absence of any strategic thinking about what might come next, what the response of syria, iran or russia might be, or what the implications are as i just said, if he responds to the use of chemical weapons in an inadequate way, it doesn't send a signal of deterrence, it sends a signal of encouragement. jon: at the same time the arab league, which has expressed disgust with assad does not seem to be endorsing the idea of using military force against him. >> yeah. this is a very surprising development. i would have said that the arab league would almost certainly have endorsed military action against the assad regime, given that assad in effect is a satellite of iran which the arab league doesn't have any sympathy for. so the fact that we couldn't get, i say we, the obama administration couldn't get the arab league to support the use of force, is a diplomatic wound of great proportions. now we're going to see the british go to the u.n. security council to ask for an authorization, in effect to use whatever means are necessary to protect civilians. that will almost certainly provoke a russian veto. and then the multilateral obama administration will act anyway. i have to say that is the one silver lining in this cloud that can see. jon: well, some ominous times on the horizon, so it appears, ambassador john bolton, thank you. >> thank you, jon. >> today we're marking 50 years since the historic march on washington and the famous, "i have a dream" speech that's echoed through generations since. today thousands are expected to gather around the lincoln memorial and remember the powerful words of dr. martin luther king, jr. our kelly wright is there live. kelly, great to see you. 50 years later what are people there saying that they realize now about dr. king's dream? >> reporter: well, many, in fact, jamie, are saying that they realize dr. king's dream to many degrees has been realized. they made great gains. they applaud those gains. however they have a concern about some of the impediments that are standing in way of full i realizing that dream. this morning at shiloh baptist church we heard from the daughter of dr. martin luther king, reverend bernice king, to fulfill her dad's dream that all people would have a seat at the table of brotherhood. >> we will overcome hate with the spirit of love. we will overcome prejudice and discrimination bias, with the spirit of compassion and understanding. we will overcome ultimately that which separates and divide us with a spirit of unity. >> reporter: so you can see right there bernice king is basically talking about a spirit of unity

dr. martin luther king jr. delivered his now famous vision. the unforgettable voice paved the way for this moment. president obama, the nation's first black president, spending exactly where dr. king stood, reflecting on the progress and the work that remains. >> no one can match king's brilliance, but the same flame that let the heart of all who were willing to take the first step for justice, i know that flame remains. >> jim crow had a son called james crow jr. esquire. he writes voting suppression laws, and puts it in language that looks different but the results are the same. >> reporter: standing between three presidents on one side, and the king family on another, congressman john lewis, the last surviving speaker of the '63 march, challenged the nation, as dr. king did to make good on its promise. >> unemployment, poverty, and hunger, or the new struggle for voting rights. i say to each one of you today, we must never, ever give up. >> reporter: president obama and others pointed out the original march was about jobs and justice. noting the unemployment for blacks is almost twice the national average. >> more details now about the march. the sound system was sabotaged the night before. then lieutenant kennedy had them repair the sound still. this month president obama announced rusten will receive the medal of freedom post humorously. washington closed down liquor stores fearing the march would lead to violence. but it turns out there were no arrests at the march. coming up tonight, the voices of those who say the country has not moved far enough toward king's dream. >>> new details on that surf school instructor in santa cruz charged with possession of child pornography. police say dylan grinner was inappropriately taking photos of young

dr. martin luther king jr. delivered his now famous vision. the unforgettable voice paved the way for this moment. president obama, the nation's first black president, spending exactly where dr. king stood, reflecting on the progress and the work that remains. >> no one can match king's brilliance, but the same flame that let the heart of all who were willing to take the first step for justice, i know that flame remains. >> jim crow had a son called james crow jr. esquire. he writes voting suppression laws, and puts it in language that looks different but the results are the same. >> reporter: standing between three presidents on one side, and the king family on another, congressman john lewis, the last surviving speaker of the '63 march, challenged the nation, as dr. king did to make good on its promise. >> unemployment, poverty, and hunger, or the new struggle for voting rights. i say to each one of you today, we must never, ever give up. >> reporter: president obama and others pointed out the original march was about jobs and justice. noting the unemployment for blacks is almost twice the national average. >> more details now about the march. the sound system was sabotaged the night before. then lieutenant kennedy had them repair the sound still. this month president obama announced rusten will receive the medal of freedom post humorously. washington closed down liquor stores fearing the march would lead to violence. but it turns out there were no arrests at the march. coming up tonight, the voices of those who say the country has not moved far enough toward king's dream. >>> new details on that surf school instructor in santa cruz charged with possession of child pornography. police say dylan grinner was inappropriately taking photos of young