. >> reporter: in south carolina's capital jeff o'kane has a barn full of confederate flags and even one on the grave of a rebel soldier in his back yard. >> private henry robinson. >> reporter: a former sxharnd of the sons of confederate veterans who says the flag should forever fly over south carolina. >> it's a war memorial to honor 25,000 men, a quarter of the men in south carolina died to protect this state. >> so many other people in this state and the country see slavery. they see racism. they see the klan in that flag. >> they stole it! they dishonored that flag! that flag never had anything to do about slavery. >> reporter: passion to keep the flag up as protesters at the state house again today demanded the legislature bring it down. >> let's pray together. >> reporter: after a moment of silence for the nine massacred in mother emanuel church both the house and senate took steps to debate the flag issue later this summer. a 2/3 vote required to move it. this as plans are under way for the body of the reverend clementa pinckney a state senator killed in the church to be hono

jeff o'kane of the sons of confederate veterans says he worries this won't stop at the flag. >> then it will be this statue, that statue. we're on a slippery slope here. you're going to try to eradicate history so it doesn't offend anybody. it already happened. we can't change history. >> reporter: and this evening friends and relatives are paying their last respects to ethel lance, 70, a retired mother and grandmother and for 30 years a custodian at mother emanuel where she died. reverend pinckney will be laid to rest on friday with president obama here to deliver the eulogy. >> ron allen from columbia tonight. thanks. >>> a stunning reveal from the white house today that over 30 americans are being held hostage abroad. we've never heard that particular number. that information coming out as president obama announced a major change to the u.s. policy on families paying out ransom in the hopes of bringing their captive loved ones back home. we get the details from our national correspondent peter alexander. >> reporter: today's policy shift could give new hope to caitlyn coleman of p