robert kennedy's fate as a presidential candidate now hangs on the outcome of the california primaries, having lost oregon, knew he had to win california, and that would be his ticket to the convention. >> kennedy is back among his people, and after the satisfied prosperity of oregon which failed to respond to kennedy's approach, the senator is again turned on. >> he was a rock star. it gave him a kind of courage and power to keep going. >> part of our job everybody had to wrap your arms around his legs so he wouldn't get pulled from the car by his admirers. >> he campaigns so hard that his -- his hand is swollen. he loses his voice. >> we're here in los angeles, and california, you have made it possible, and i will work with all of you. give me your help, give me your hand. thank you. ♪ >> abc news presents "race to the white house," complete coverage of the presidential election year 1968. tonight the california primary, coverage of today's presidential primary in the golden state. >> an hour and a half after the polls have closed in california, the biggest primary of them all, a sla

robert f. kennedy jr.rhan who has spent the last 50 years behind bars for the murder of the presidential candidate. after years of his own research, kennedy believes a second gunman is to blame. in "the post" story, kennedy is quoted as saying, quote, i went there because i was curious and disturbed by what i had seen in the evidence. i was disturbed that the wrong person might have been convicted of killing my father. my father was the chief law enforcement officer in the country. i think it would have disturbed him if somebody was put in jail for a crime they didn't commit, end quote. here with me to discuss now, cnn presidential historian, tim neftali. tim, is there evidence to suggest a second shooter? what do these thoughts from robert kennedy jr. say to you? >> well, fred, i think it's always important to show respect to families of those who were political figures, families of political figures who were felled by violence. the king family, for example, has questioned the official account of james ea

those words formed the title of robert kennedy's last book. we from the district of columbia pay respect to his memory by proclaiming that it is not too late, and it is in the quest of that newer world that my colleagues and i commend to you for the office of president of the united states the name of channing emory phillips. walter: channing phillips, a minister who has only recently become involved in politics because he said he faced a moral question about the vietnam war and had an opportunity to do something about it. he is married, two sons and three daughters, a graduate of colgate divinity school. he attended drew university and taught at howard and american universities. the band is playing "we shall overcome," presumably on the request of the phillips people. channing phillips put before the convention on the decision of the black caucus, of some 212 negro delegates. john hart has more on the possibility of a liberal walk-out tonight. john? john: walter, the chairman of the wisconsin delegation has left that caucus, and he has just h

. >> robert kennedy. >> to keep the kennedy dream alive. ♪ ♪ >>> several thousand enthusiastic texans on hand to give the president and mrs. kennedy a warm welcome. >> in november 1963 president kennedy arrives in dallas to campaign for re-election. >> he probably, as he was coming down those steps, felt pretty confident about his political prospec prospects. >> his health is better. his marriage is better. he's a very confident leader. he is a person recognized as having enormous potential for his second term. >> jackie was very happy to be with her husband during her trip to dallas. and it was really the happiest time of her marriage. >> the president's car now turning onto elm street and it will be only a matter of minutes before he arrives at the piedmo piedmont. >> bobby kennedy is at home with his family and close colleagues. >> attorney general kennedy is in his back yard, having lunch with robert morgenthau, the district attorney for the southern district of new york. >> we were having lunch by the pool with ethel, having clam chowder and tuna sandwiches. >> and bobby had a qu

i thank you. >> from march of 1968, a tumultuous year, the announcement that robert kennedy would seek the nomination, joining us is the oldest daughter of senator kennedy, kathleen kennedy townsend, thank you for being with us. >> is good to be with you. >> also join us is michael cohen, the author of american malestrom, coming out in paper back later this year, president johnson, a key political figure in what we are talking about, what was his standing as the year began. >> he was in a tough political position, the war in vietnam had become a stalemate and there was a growing opposition to the war in washington, dc and in party. he was facing a primary challenge within his party from senator mccarthy then the tete offensive occurred, it showed that the administration was leug about the war, there was no light at the end of the tubl. things had fallen apart in veto number. it became clear that johnson was not likely to survive. >> what was the tete offensive. >> you had viet cong gorillas taking over the embassy, you had massive casualties. mostly by the north vietnam people. it was

have too much violence in this country. >> they go after the good men like john kennedy aband robert kennedyumid, awful day. ey turned out all along the old pennsylvania railroad tracks between new york and washington as the funeral train slowly made its way down to arlington cemetery. >> i'm heart broken. i think it's a terrible waste of a good man. >> it hurts me so bad to see him would go. >> he stood for everybody, the man his brother i want ashamed how they just shot him down. >> more was being mourned than the shock and tragedy of another kennedy assassination. what was being mourned was a vision for what 1968 was going to be. >> the following is a special report from cbs news in washington. the poor people's rally. >> for the past six weeks resurrection city has hung on through unprecedented rainfall and a dwindling population. >> the poor people's campaign built resurrection city to finally address racial and economic injustice in the united states but ends up a tragic disappointment. >> it's one of the rainiest months in the nation's capitol. they are living under zplorable conditio

authorized by someone the fbi could not do it on their own and the attorney general at that time was robert kennedy. >> and there is to the kennedys were suspicious of doctor king john and robert. of course he didn't have communist ties but they thought he did in many ways he was very conservative. so with the march on washington and robert kennedy was prepared to cut off the power of dr. king is allowed to come until after the event that martin luther king was another president but lyndon johnson believed in civil rights and he was the great partner if you listen to the tape recording after the jfk assassination he said i will do anything to help you i need your advice i'm on your side. they had important meetings and work together for civil rights act the voting rights act one of my favorite speeches in american history is lyndon johnson's speech on race on the gettysburg battlefield 1963 a few months before he became president it was a much longer than the gettysburg address. eddie opens with a great mind 100 years ago the slave was freed 100 years later remains in bondage. it is a stirring spee

mucinex 12 hour. >> golodryga: it was 50 years ago next week that senator robert kennedy was assassinatedangeles as he was running for the democratic nomination car president. gaw, his son robert, jr. is calling for a new investigation of the murder. here's michelle miller. >> my thanks to all of you and now it's on to chicago and let's win there. thank you very much. ( cheers and applause ) >> reporter: after winning the california democratic primary in the 1968 presidential campaign, senator robert kennedy left a jubilant crowd. exiting through the hotel kitchen. >> would a doctor come right here? >> reporter: he was shot three times and died the next day, sirhan sirhan a 24 year old palestinian immigrant was arrested and later convicted. he admitted shooting kennedy, but claimed he had no memory of it. now, new evidence is casting doubt for some on sirhan's thilt. according to that evidence, sirhan was standing in front of kennedy at the time of the shooting, but an autopsy report found that kennedy was shot at point blank range from behind. it reportedly shows as many as 13 shots were

senator robert kennedy left a jubilant crowd. exiting through the hotel kitchen. >> would a doctor come right here. >> he was shot three times. and died the next day. sirhan, sirhan later arrested and convicted. admitted shooting kennedy and had no memory. now new evidence is casting doubt for some on sirhan's guilt. according to the evidence. sirhan was standing in front of kennedy at the time of the shooting. but an autopsy report found that kennedy was shot at pin the blank range from behind. it reportedly shows as many as 13 shots were fired that night. but sirhan's gun only held eight bullets. that's one reason why kennedy's eldest son, robert kennedy jr., visited sirhan in prison. heave tells "the washington post," there were to many bullets you. can't fire 13 shots out of an eight shotgun. >> awfuli started shaking and f. a labor leader who campaigned for the former attorney general also was hit by gunfire. he is believed for decade that the evidence supports a second gunman. >> the prosecution's own evidence, that sirhan

>> robert kennedy's now undergoing a neurosurgical operation. francis kennedy died at 1:44 a.m. today june 6th, 1968. he was 42 years old. ♪ cleaning floors with a mop and bucket is a hassle, meaning you probably don't clean as often as you'd like. for a quick and convenient clean, try swiffer wetjet. there's no heavy bucket, or mop to wring out, because the absorb and lock technology traps dirt and liquid inside the pad. it's safe to use on all finished surfaces tile, laminate and hardwood. and it prevents streaks and hazing better than a micro fiber strip mop, giving you a thorough clean the first time. for a convenient clean, try swiffer wetjet with a money back guarantee. brand power. helping you buy better. (vo)is ahhhmazing!ful simple goodness meaty morsels. a tender texture. with real meat and a blend of peas and carrots i can see. a totally new kind of awesome going on here! (avo) new beneful simple goodness. tender, meaty morsels with real ingredients you can see. stella artois. voila! pockets. enjoy! why let life....keep you from enjoyi

they knew that the second gunman shot robert kennedy. >> bobby kennedy's son, robert kennedy jr., obviouslygrees with you from this perspective. do you talk to rfk jr. a lot? do you speak with him often, and what do you think about his new push for a second investigation to take place? >> well, i've been talking to him for the last several years, and he finally decided that he had to take a stand as well because justice for his father is finding second gunman. justice is not dealing with sirhan. he deserves justice, too, and should be out of prison, and he understands that. we've been talking about this for several years. when i decided to go to the parole board hearing a couple years ago, i talked to him about it. he says -- and i said is it okay with you, and he says, yes, you're doing the right thing. he did the right thing, too, recently by going there and telling sirhan that you did not shoot my father, and i know that. >> quickly, sir, because we do have to wrap up. if there is a cover-up, who do you think is behind it? do you have a theory? >> have no theories at all. i don't operate

the assassination of martin luther king and robert f. kennedy of a shadow blows. our former lieutenant governor of maryland and michael cohen, author of the milestone. first, we hear from senator robert f. kennedy during his march 16th, 1968, presidential campaign announcement. >> i have traveled and i have listened to the young people of our nation and felt their anger of the war they are sent to sight a fight and the world. for the raises and the risk of wide awar and further destroys the country and the people it was meant to save. i cannot stand aside from the contest that'll decide our nation's future and our children's future. the remarkable new hampshire campaign of senator eugene mccarthy has proven how deep of a president envisions within our party and country. until it was publicly clear. my presence in the race would have been seen as a clash of personality rather than issues. but, now that fight won over policies which i have long been challenging, i must enter into the race. the fight is just beginning and i believe that i can win. i communicated this

christopher kennedy, son of robert kennedy launching his political career in illinois. >> it would notabout the kennedys and the contribution that they've made. >> but let us not forget they were not angels. >> when asked by the newspaper this afternoon what the chances were. >> they had all sorts of flaw, some of them very, very serious flaws. >> they've had more than their share of scandals and they've done some terrible things. >> some might think it right for me to resign. >> but then there are these moments of greatness. >> we choose to go to the moon and do the other thing not because they are easy but because they are hard. >> and they inspired us to do things we might not have otherwise done. >> we are so fortunate that they lived, that they served and that even today so many years later they continue to inspire a whole new generation of people to get involved. >> thank you. >> i think if any of the succeeding generations could rise to the heights of the jack kennedy generation it could be joseph patrick kennedy iii, the grandson of robert kennedy who's a member of congress now

then robert kennedy is killed. you look at a picture like that of someone skipping off across a beach, it is two things, the excitement of being alone on a beach and running, and at the same time the end of a major chapter in the kennedy clan. host: we have photographs from the ambassador hotel that evening. senator kennedy winning the california primary. tell us what happened. guest: very quickly, to go back to the photograph, the photographer who did that life cover on an oregon beach, and that is where i come from, and when i first photographed robert kennedy was in 1966, and i had never seen a big political figure like that. there was a photographer at the edge of this very crowded room, and he looked like he was traveling with that group, and i went over to him, and i said how do you get through these crowds? he said, hang on to my coat, kid. he took me through. he said, here is your photo. you will see the crowd in the background and the senator in the foreground. that was bill average who took that photograp

robert kennedy jr.hington post" that once he saw the autopsy report, quote, i didn't feel it was something i could dismiss. i was disturbed the wrong person might have been convicted of killing my father. tony, good morning. >> good morning. quite a thing to say, huh? robert kennedy's assassination happened 50 years ago next week. now, robert kennedy jr. is calling for a new investigation. he met face to face last year with the man convicted in the plot to kill his father, and he says he left that meeting believing that the gunman was falsely accused. >> now it's on to chicago and let's win there. >> reporter: robert kennedy was in los angeles on the night of june 5th, 1968, celebrating his victory in california's presidential primary. as kennedy was leaving, he was shot three times, died a day later. five others were hit but survived. police arrested the 24-year-old. he admitted to killing rfk but said he had no memory of the event. he was standing in front of kennedy at the time of the shooting, but a

student protests, and the assassination of robert kennedy. and what he argues are the failures of democrats in congress and the white house. >>> governor reagan, at the republican governors conference in tulsa. the consensus was that for two days you conducted yourself like a candidate for your parties presidential nomination. do you still maintain that you're not a contender ? >> no, it would be hard to know where you got that idea. i attended all the meetings. i don't know of anything i did on the outside other than agree to a press conference that was asked of me. other than that, i was in meetings where the press wasn't present. >> of the tulsa oklahoma governors conference. face the nation. a spontaneous interview with governor ronald reagan of california. governor reagan will be questioned by cbs news correspondent martin. we will resume the interview in just a moment. >> our governor can we go back to that question. do you still maintain that you're not a contender ? >> i am not a contender for the latter for the vice presidential offi

student protests, and the assassination of robert kennedy. and what he argues are the failures of democrats in congress and the white house. >>> governor reagan, at the republican governors conference in tulsa. the consensus was that for two days you conducted yourself like a candidate for your parties presidential nomination. do you still maintain that you're not a contender ? >> no, it would be hard to know where you got that idea. i attended all the meetings. i don't know of anything i did on the outside other than agree to a press conference that was asked of me. other than that, i was in meetings where the press wasn't present. >> of the tulsa oklahoma governors conference. face the nation. a spontaneous interview with governor ronald reagan of california. governor reagan will be questioned by cbs news correspondent martin. we will resume the interview in just a moment. >> our governor can we go back to that question. do you still maintain that you're not a contender ? >> i am not a contender for the latter for the vice presidential offi

but look at welcome x -- malcolm x and robert kennedy, and middlemen can be terrible dick things.

>> that is the night that robert kennedy gave what is one of the more remarkable speeches any politician has ever given. >> ladies and gentlemen, i have some very sad news for all of you and i think for all of our fellow citizens and people who love peace all over the world, and that is that martin luther king was shot was killed tonight in memphis, tennessee. >> tennessee was on fire. >> washington, chicago, detroit, boston, new york, these are just a few of the cities in which the negro anguish expressed itself in violent destruction. ♪ ♪

then robert kennedy is cool. so you look at the picture like that of somebody skipping off across the beach. it's two things. the excitement of being alone on the beach, running there. at the same time, it is the end in the sense of a major chapter in the history of the kennedy clown. >> we have some of your photographs from the ambassador hotel that evening. senator kennedy winning the primary. tell us what happened. >> well, just very quickly as you go back to the photo. the photographer who did that cover, which is on an oregon beach. that's why when i first photographed robert kennedy, it was 1966. and i never saw a big political figure like that before. there was a photographer at the edge of this very crowded room. he looked like he was traveling with that group. i went over to him and i said how do you get through these crowds? he said hang on to my coat. he took me through. he put me up on this one place and said here is the photo, you'll see the clouds in the background. bill took that photographer. he h

i had talked to robert kennedy that very evening. this is bill barry who is his bodyguard or former fbi agent, who was with him at his site all the time. there was nothing he could do, he popped out of the crowd, shot the senator. when his body was being put on the plane, this is former first lady, jacqueline kennedy. she was at the airport. this is a woman who has experienced this tragedy. and these are all pictures i took as a young guy, you know, photographing history, watching a nightmare unfold. >> we should point out, kennedy just turned 90 years old. her daughter was with us a few weeks ago. back to your phone calls. jenny in honolulu, hawaii. democrats line with marvin kelb and david kennerly. >> was it yesterday in honolulu? >> it is every morning. go ahead, jenny. >> good morning, thank you, david and marvin. i've got to wonder about you guys. in 1968 he was in woodstock. he wasn't out in public. but we were some kind of separation anxiety. fm radio, his songs were playing every 15 minutes. nobody could escape the awareness

. >> the idea for the speech came from robert kennedy and a first draft was written by robert kennedy was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. it was founded on the principle that all men are created equal. and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened. >> you see jack kennedy with the full force and beauty of his personality, of his stature, of his dignity, of his intellect make the case to the american people. >> we are confronted primarily with a moral issue. if an american because his skin is dark cannot eat lunch in a restaurant open to the public, if he cannot send his children to the best public school available, then who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed? >> it's john kennedy who finally wrapped the civil rights struggle in the mantle of the american presidency and said it was a moral obligation, it was a national imperative. >> we face, therefore, a moral crisis as a country and a people. those who do nothing are inviting shame as well as violence. >> but in the end, john kennedy wasn't just

. ♪ time has come today >> senator robert francis kennedy was 42 years old. >> the enemy is no longer victory. ♪ the rules have changed today >> the war in vietnam. ♪ have no place to stay >> a number of men killed last week in vietnam was the highest this summer. >> they are running an all-white political party in 1968. ♪ my tears have come and gone >> we all need george c. wallace for our president of the united states. >> vote republican in november. >> the peace groups are demanding permission to march on convention hall. >> these cops here are tough. they'd kill you with a smile. >> as long as i'm mayor of this town, there will be law and order in chicago. >> this is the moment of truth for the democratic party. >> tuesday night, i spent my evening at senator kennedy's campaign headquarters to celebrate his victory in california. tuesday night, i was in ecstasy with joy. wednesday morning, sorrow. and this morning, utter despair because now i'm lost. i'm desperate. and i don't know where we're going from here. >> by the early summer of 1968, there was this ache in the american sp

you had the emerging of robert kennedy as a candidate.kennedy would be elected in 1968 and he was assassinated, he would have lived through that. i remember that with great sadness and you have a race between a very damaged vice president hubert humphry who emerged as the democratic nominee and was carrying lyndon johnson's water into that race. you had richard nixon and let us not forget george wallace. george wallace, the segregationist governor of alabama who ran as a third parody candidate and by the way, you talk about were there roots of today's. look at george wallace and donald trump and look at the themes and thoughts. >> provocative. pioneered themes familiar with people today. >> to find out, no one is above the law. >> richard neixon campaign engages in the 1968 campaign, which is it establishes contact with the government and encourages the government to obstruct a u.s. diplomatic effort to end the war in vietnam and they are doing this because they know that hubert humphry, who is inching closer and closer to richard nixon i

kennedy was nott as gracious he said my little girl wants to know what daddy has done wrong today. [laughter] j robert oppenheimer the father of the atomic bone oppenheimer lost his security clearance 1954 this is part of an effort by kennedy and white house staff to have some form of public redemption is released from purgatory but later on the following year was selected by president kennedy it was such an incredible list of people including james baldwin for the first time that night that baldwin had assembled a small group of leaders and was identified the most contentious meeting they have ever seen but yet it was significant that had implications to help robert kennedy a understand the concerns and other issues. so it was an outgrowth. by the way later they would go on to write those confessions of matt turner and sophie's choice for the first time they established a friendship that has lasted through w this day towith kennedy and his family and ted kennedy as well the hero of the hour that at the table was just awarded everybody wanted to talk to john glenn who would soon run for the senate for

you have the fact that at least one of the bullets that hit robert kennedy came from his gun, and youct that robert kennedy was probably turning around, explaining why he was hit in the back of the head. now, why do people doubt this? >> why would rfk sit with a man convicted of killing his father for hours -- >> i don't know. i will say that suffered through the tragedy, raised questions about this in the 1970s, and l.a. county, it was known as the crantz investigation, cbs raised issues at the time. six years ago, a new recording appeared that had been made by a canadian journalist who just -- this journalist did not see the assassination, but he was walking behind the kennedy group. he recorded sounds. i have not listened to the raw tape. it's what i've heard is very muddy, but some people say they can hear 13 shots. >> instead of the eight origi l originally recorded. >> has the fbi done independence forensic analysis? i don't think so. there's folks since the '70s believing there's a second gunman. why believe it? go back to the '70s. it was a paranoid period in our history. we a

first we hear from senator robert kennedy, during his march 16th 1968 presidential campaign announcement. >>> i have traveled and i have listened to the young people of our nation and felt their anger about the war that they are sent to fight and about the wormed that they are --

in a "washington post" report robert kennedy jr. man convicted of the crime, sirhan sirhan was not the one who shot his father. what led to this conclusion? >> reporter: this is just a series of investigations on his point, so that's why he wanted to interview him. one of rfk's sons are -- robert kennedy met with sirhan sirhan. it was a decision that the 64-year-old years after his father's assassination in 1968. kennedy doesn't get into much of that confrontation, but the post said that it lasted for three hours, and kennedy walks away believing that this conspiracy theory was that -- this news of kennedy's quest for answer comes just about a week before the 50th anniversary of that fateful day, it was june 5, it was at the heart of the civil rights movement. two months prior, dr. martin luther king was assassinated and robert kennedy had just launched his presidential bid. he was shot moments later, four times and he died a day later. the palestinian immigrant had a gun in his hadn't, but he told law enforcement years later that h

he is assassination of robert kennedy. vice president humphrey was about to be nominated at democratic candidate. republicans nominated richard nixon where was he politicallily where he was his military and defense department. guest: johnson was deeply shaken by the assassination of robert kennedy and assassination of martin luther king. he was accompanied by civil violence in 1968. including here in washington d.c. that meant that johnson wanted to focus on domestic priorities and that was always his major interest. but he was consumed from early on by the war in vietnam. that's why in his final year in office, he wanted to focus on whatever priorities he could do while trying to bring peaceful end to the war. humphrey was initially not the favorite candidate but was certainly after a while put forth by johnson as someone who can continue his programs and withstand reasonable chance against richard nixon. johnson did not like robert kennedy. that was no secret. he was uneasy at the same time was deeply saddened by kennedy

and robert kennedy i think from cambridge made a comment that well, i see in a few years we will probably have a black president and james baldwin replied to that was well, the issue is that we have been here for about 400 years and irish have been here for less than 80 and already you are running for president and telling me that we have to wait and it's not time for that yet, so i just wanted to say to mete mr. ramos and i have followed him somewhat that, you know, during that time in 2008, 2010 the country was in a bad way and economically i think it took precedence over what your issues were. thank you very much. peter, you are the best interviewer i have ever seen. thanks. guest: i would agree with that. you know, you are right. lets me say that despite the fact that president obama deported more at immigrants than any other president in their future of the-- history of the united states that thanks to president obama we have the dream at and thinks to him hundreds of thousands of dreamersavac are able to be living in this country with no fear. now, president obama told me in an inte

kennedy, daughter of robert f. kennedy. can you stand up? [applause] frank: thank you. thank you very much for coming, kathleen. and thank you for your kind introduction. it is my distinct pleasure and privilege to introduce our presenters this evening, kenneth feinberg and steven rothstein. before doing so, let me make a brief comment. we are here tonight to discuss the legacy of john f. kennedy. i am part of that legacy, an immigrant to the united states who grew up as a youth in india with john f. kennedy as my hero and inspiration. today that immigrant from india serves on the advisory board of the jfk library and board of trustees of the john f. kennedy center for the performing arts. imagine that. i am proof that the legacy of john f. kennedy, whose great-grandparents came here from ireland, lives on through the life and work of others. kenneth feinberg and steven rothstein are also part of kennedy's legacy. kenneth feinberg is an attorney specializing in mediation and alternative dispute resolution. mr. feinberg was appointed a special member of the u.s. governme

it's called "delta epiphany," robert f. kennedy in mississippi." trump watch. he's not going to like this one. you're watching "hardball." if you feel like you spend too much time in the bathroom with recurring constipation and belly pain talk to your doctor and say yesss! to linzess. ♪ yesss! linzess treats adults with ibs with constipation or chronic constipation. linzess can help relieve your belly pain, and lets you have more frequent and complete bowel movements. linzess is not a laxative. it works differently to help you get ahead of your recurring constipation and belly pain. do not give linzess to children less than 6, and it should not be given to children 6 to less than 18. it may harm them. do not take linzess if you have a bowel blockage. get immediate help if you develop unusual or severe stomach pain, especially with bloody or black stools. the most common side effect is diarrhea, sometimes severe. if it's severe, stop taking linzess and call your doctor right away. other side effects include gas, stomach area pain, and swelling. so s

senator robert f. kennedylifornia presidential primary. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: he was allegedly shot by this man sirhan sirhan, a 24-year-old palestinian immigrant, convicted of kennedy's murder in 1969 but this morning nearly 50 years later kennedy's son, robert f. kennedy jr., tells "the washington post" that after reviewing autopsy results for months, he met with sirhan in prison for three hours walking away convinced sirhan did not kill his father. one major discrepancy in the reports, sirhan had a revolver that held only eight bullets, but audio recovered from the scene reportedly recorded as many as 13 gunshots. paul schrade, a campaigner working for kennedy, was one of the five other hit by gunfire that night. >> sirhan was out of position, out of bullets and could not have shot robert kennedy. my demand is a new investigation, an investigation of the second gunman, dead or alive, that they had never done and refused to do and didn't do back in 1968 and '69. >> reporter: the younger kennedy says ot

kennedy and his brother, robert, didn't care that much about civil rights. obby kennedy grew up rich and privileged. they never saw any african-americans other than people who waited on tables. >> so they didn't get the just terrible, terrible prejudice of southern whites against blacks. >> they were worried about russia. they were worried about the cold war, about the big game as they saw it, and they were afraid that the civil rights struggle would somehow distract or deflect from the main event. >> many are saying enough is enough. they want the president to take action against the brutal oppression that so many african-americans are forced to endure. >> in the south, blacks could not ride on the same buses, or at least at the front of the bus, with whites. >> so in late may of 1961 there were these young black and white students who decided that they were going to integrate the interstate bus system in america. they called themselves the freedom riders. >> they're going to challenge segregation in the south by riding through the most dangerous areas. >> p

robert kennedy showed himself able to talk to that part, coming apart racially in a way that they couldn'talk about and that is why so many hopes were grafted onto the campaign as he was picking up on this sort of vacuum that had developed. he attended the funeral then on april 9 and walked through alongside better after his brother, another figure who had his brother assassinated. you mentioned around the world there was a great appreciation for king. in the united states it got pretty simplified. around the world was very nuanced view or did they get the simplified version of the i have a dream speech? >> is a good question. it isn't to say dependin doesn'n which way you are talking about, he had a different meaning. what i mean is per instance in a lot of places in europe where there were strong leftist student movements and antipathy for raising the vietnam war and in those places he was a hero because of his stance. it was unfolding in africa at the same time the u.s. was having a civil rights struggle. he was committing himself against south africa towards the end of his life and the

kennedy, senators robert and ted and their children. and privilege. now, we're looking at the death of robert kennedy and his son is sharing his experiences in a new book. robert kennedy jr. joins us now. >> thanks for having me, savannah. >> there's so much in this book. you cover so much terrain. i do want to ask about an item in the news and you've written a book about michael skakel and his murder case. his conviction overturned by the connecticut supreme court. have you talked to your cousin michael? what's his reaction? >> he's elated. you know, the supreme court decision, people should understand, was effectively exoneration of michael because the court overturned it because there was a credible witness. there's five eyewitnesses that put him 1 11 miles away at the time the murder was committed. he could not have committed the crime. >> the lawyer that represented michael at trial made a mistake by not aggressive live going after that albi alibi and said should have pointed the finger at thomas. >> thomas didn't commit the crime,

. >>> and the anniversary of the assassination of robert f. kennedye sights and sounds of rfk's final moments. >> we were at the ambassador hotel in -- and in his room and his suite and all of the reports are coming in across the country and we felt now is our chance to lead america to this better place and we br going downstairs and i popped him in the stomach and i said we got this one. he said, yeah, now on to chicago. >> my thanks to all of you and now it is on to chicago. >> there were steps if the back of the stage and they came down right in front of us and the doors closed. and then this noise that sounded to me like it was either balloons popping or fire crackers -- >> people were falling down in front of me. either they were hit, or they were trying to get out of the line of fire. >> we need doctors -- >> i knew people were injured because you could hear them screaming. >> the suspect -- held by los angeles police is sir han sir ac. >> and i put it in my pocket and now i'm looking around -- i knew people were down on the floor and i realized

james baldwin had met robert kennedy that night for the first time, met president kennedy intel and -- as well, a year later they got together and had meeting on civil rights in new york in which baldwin assembled a small group of african-american leaders including lorraine and others and it was identified by some as the most contentious meeting they had ever seen and yet it was significant because it had implications for basically helping robert kennedy understand better the concerns of african americans on the issues of segregation and -- and other racial issues, so it was important and it was outgrowth of this dinner. william was there. baldwin was living on william's property at the time in connecticut. william and rose stiren, would later go onto write confessions of turner and -- and sofi's choice. they established -- the stirens and the kennedys established a friendship which lasted till today, robert kennedy and his family and ted kennedy as well. john glenn was there, the hero of the hour, he sat at mrs. kennedy's table. he had just orbited the earth. anyone who wanted to tal

robert f. kennedy jr. a leading proponent of vaccine conspiracy theories and spreads this nonsense about vaccines cause autism, whatever, he took a meeting at trump tower and came down and said the president has asked me to chair a commission on vaccines. people freaked out. why is he going to do that? at the time the transition team said no decision has been made yet. then robert kennedy comes out and says i've had a bunch of meetings. and it seems there weren't just bill gates, there were other people around the president who said to him no, don't do that and the inertia in the white house where a lot of things don't get done i think it's a good thing that thing didn't get done. >> this is the thing, though, that he doesn't -- i want to distinguish between two things, being not a smart person, which i don't think is true of him, and not caring about details of anything. and just the latter is so evident this all of the accounts of him. it's very evident here. and very evident from bill gates, which whate

>> well johnson, he was deeply taken, not only by the assassination in june of robert kennedy, but two months earlier. they begun in the 1960s and 1968 including here in washington, d.c. that meant he wanted to focus on the domestic priorities, which is always his may jr. entrapment. but consumed from early on by the war in vietnam. that's why in his final year in office, he wanted to focus on whatever priorities you could do while trying to bring in an end to the war. now he was initially not the favored candidate, but certainly after a while, put forth by johnson as someone who could continue his programs, into which it will be a reasonable side against nixon. it was no secret, and he was uneasy at the same time, and was deeply saddened by kennedy's assassination. >> and at the same time, while all of this was happening, the apollo program continues to grow with research being done in florida and texas at cape canaveral and the johnson space center. apollo 8 that we saw in that video just a moment ago, it launched in december of 1968. >> yeah, i think the curious thing about the cold