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

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

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

congresswoman terry sewell, bob shrum, daily beast. great to have you with us tonight. a man who helped steal the 2004 election claims cutting food stamps is the christian thing to do? i'm taking ken blackwell to the church of ed. tonight. over 1 million busines. if you have a business idea, we have a personalized legal solution that's right for you. with easy step-by-step guidance, we're here to help you turn your dream into a reality. start your business today with legalzoom. some brokerage firms are. but way too many aren't. why? because selling their funds makes them more money. which makes you wonder -- isn't that a conflict? search "proprietary mutual funds." yikes! then go to e-trade. we've got over 8,000 mutual funds, and not one of them has our name on it. we're in the business of finding the right investments for you. e-trade. less for us. more for you. the fund's prospectus contains its investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information and should be read and considered carefully before investing. for a current prospectus, visit

alabama congresswoman terri sewell paid tribute. >> the names of the four little girls will never appear on the wall here in congress. but their legacy truly paved the way for me and so many others to serve here in congress. i know that the journey that i now take, as alabama's first black congresswoman, would not be possible had it not been for the journey of addie, carole, denise, and cynthia. >> ifill: past recipients of the medal include other civil rights figures, as well as the wright brothers, mother teresa, and bob hope. >> woodruff: and online, you may have noticed a different look to our rundown. we've launched a new initiative to track the most important stories of the day, as they evolve. you can find this new blog on our home page. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. >> ifill: and that's the newshour for tonight. on wednesday, hari sreenivasan reports on the mayoral contest in new york city, and the legacy left by michael bloomberg's 12- year tenure. i'm gwen ifill. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. we'll see you online, and again here tomorrow evening.

. >> joining me now, congresswoman terry sewell, democratic representative for the seventh district of remembrance services. so nice to see you this morning, congresswoma congresswoman. >> nice to be here, thank you. >> what are plans for the commemoration today? >> reporter: well, we are excited. you know, today is actually the 50th anniversary of the day. all week long, we've had what we call in birmingham, empowerment week. and we kicked it off with a gold medal ceremony in washington, d.c., in which the four little girls were given a congressional gold medal, which is the highest civilian honor that congress can bestow upon any civilian. and we offer them posthumously to the four little girls. ed ay may, cynthia, denise, and carol. >> are the people in birmingham talking about those girls now receiving this medal five decades later, the recognition of a grateful nation for what their sacrifice has done? are the people living in birmingham today feeling a sense of pride about that? >> reporter: they are. you know, this is a day of somber reality that 50 years ago, an act of terror r