the victim in this heinous crime. >> caller: thank you for that allison. it's really a sad day here in south carolina especially with the family and friend and the south carolina general assembly. we are all very saddened here today as to what has taken place last evening in charleston. >> how did you get the news that something horrible had happened at your cousin's church? >> caller: first and foremost senator pinckney is my cousin. he's flesh of my flesh and bones of my bones. and he also happens to be my colleague in the south carolina state senate. and so we always communicate. and of course through communications last night i got the call got the text message that something had happened really really bad in charleston and imanemmanuel a.m.e. church. there was a shooting which really alarmed me because i knew he was the pastor there. and then as i learned more i learned that he was one of the victims in that shooting along with others. i want to say my prayers also go out to those other victims' families who have been impacted by this tragic tragic event. >> you two were very close, as you've said. when is the last time you spoke to your cousin? >> caller: yesterday. we w

the south carolina general assembly returns to work in just a few hours with new pressure to remove thefederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol. less than a week after a gun killed nine congregates, the governor and other leaders say it's time for the divisive symbol to go. >> it's time to move the flag from the capitol grounds. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: surrounded by a bipartisan group of state and federal officials, south carolina governor nikki haley, joined the growing chorus of calls to remove the confederate flag. >> for good or for bad whether it's a on the state house ground or in a museum the flag will always be a part of the soil of south carolina but this is a moment when we can say that that flag while an integral part of our past does not event the future of our great state. >> reporter: the governor's comments came hours after religious and political leaders in charleston called for action. >> the time has come to remove this symbol of hate and division from our state capitol. the time has come for the general assembly to do what it ought to have done

. >> well, the front ship goes back 18 years when he was first elected to the south carolina general assemblyd we served together 15 years in the south carolina senate, and being a democrat and i'm a conservative republican our views of the world were a little bit different, but our views on god our views on oralogyship to christ they were in tune -- our relationship to christ, they were in tune, and before all us else senator pinckney was my brother in christ. we may have argued pool ticks but when we found mom ground we moved forward and when there are areas of division or divisiveness we kept those -- there were no personal attacks. all about the ideas and the policies we both believe would move our state forward and sometimes i would win sometimes he would win. but we had a mutual respect for one another, and that was grounded in our shared belief in jesus christ as our lord and saviour and our life that our gad is sovereign. >> we're learning so much about the victims but particularly in places where sometime wes don't expect. to for instance, the solicitor general a short time ago scarl

he became a member of the south carolina general assembly when he was 23. 1998 when he was still a house member and then later he got elected to the senate. he was one of the kindest gentlest people you will ever meet. he spoke with a booming voice. huge presence but never said an angry word. every time he spoke he took a deep breath to make sure he was saying the right thing. simply a great guy. the thought of him sitting in that church last night with someone pointing a gun at him to most of us is unfathomable. the republican attorney general in south carolina called me at is 1:30 in the morning. other republican members of the general assembly reached out. nobody could imagine the grief that that family is going through and grief that constituents and parishioners going through. >> a wifen widow now and two young children, correct? >> two young children and the reports that i'm hearing is whether one of the children was in the church office hiding when they heard the gunshots knowing their father was out there being gunned down. again, the most horrific

chumley brought disservice and dishonor to the south carolina general assembly. first of all it's a reckless disregard for the families who are in a period of grieving. but also equally important is the fact that he has no evidence to support his statements. he doesn't know what exactly happened in that church. >> we had a very constructive debate yesterday. for our progress to be marred by some legislator who is so inconsiderate really disappoints me. >> i know it is shocking to hear those words, especially during this time of mourning. >> the governor haley is declining at least for now declining to remove the flag saying she doesn't have the authority. others say she does have it to remove it for cleaning or whatever. should that flag which is still flying there in front of the state capitol be removed at least during the days of mourning? >> if i were governor i would have used that provision to remove -- that you just cited, to remove the flag. i think that could have sent a powerful message to the rest of the country that she is willing to exert all of her

the symbol divide south carolina any longer. removing the flag would require a two-thirds vote of the south carolina generally assembly. >>> speaking president obama is drawing a lot of attention over his latest comments on racism in america. he raised eyebrows by using a word that hasn't been uttered in public by an american president in generations. more now from abc's jonathan carl. >> reporter: president obama used the "n" word as he invoked the long history of racism in america from slavery to jim crow that he says still casts a long shadow over america. >> that's still part of our dna. that's passed on. we're not cured of it. >> racism. >> racism. we are not cured of it. clearly. and it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say [ bleep ] in public. that's not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. >> reporter: those are especially blunt words from a president who has had to address the issue of race over and over again. after the shooting of trayvon martin in 2012 and michael brown in 2014. the death of freddie gray in baltimore in 2015 and now the massacre in charleston. the white house says the president

as i said, we came in together 19 years ago to the south carolina general assembly. all the accolades people are saying is very, very true. >> just one of the lives lost. there were nine lives lost, each one a tragedy in itself. david mack, representative david mack, thanks so much for being with us. kate, let's go back to you. >> thanks, john. we're going to be getting back down to the ground in south carolina with john in just a second. we heard from the attorney general as john was talking about, loretta lynch. also just into cnn, we will be hearing from the president himself a little later this hour in just about 30 minutes. president obama will be making a statement on the shooting in south carolina. he'll be making that statement from the white house. we will, of course, bring that to you live. a lot of developments coming into cnn as we speak. we're going to be following all of the developments in this shooting massacre in south carolina but we also have this breaking news coming in from memphis police in tennessee, and they are now investigating a case involvi

. >> the south carolina general assembly returns to work today with new pressure to remove the confederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol. the governor along with religious and elected leaders say it is now time for the flag to go. >> it has been an incredible week here in charleston, south carolina especially when you consider the fact that just six days ago a gunman walked into the church, killing nine inside. then on sunday, they opened the doors of the church and held a service, but on monday, many say the governor took a dramatic step forward when she announced that the state should get rid of its confederate flag. >> it's time to move the flag from the capitol grounds. [ cheers and applause ] >> surrounded by a by part 17 group of state and federal officials, south carolina governor joined the growing chorus of calls to move the confederate flag. >> for good and for bad whether it is on the statehouse grounds or in a museum, the flag will always be a part of the soil of south carolina. this is a moment in which we can say that that flag, while an integral part of our past

the state black caucus, body cameras would bring transparency to a south carolina justice system they felt was often distorted by race. in may, the man often called the moral conscience of the general assembly pushed one more to bring his colleagues to act. >> it is my hope as south carolina senators, we will stand up for what is best and good about our state. >> reporter: on june 4th, the legislation demanding body cameras for all south carolina police officers was approved by the general assembly with only one dissenting vote. six days later, governor nikki haley signed the bill. handing the pen she used to walter scott's mother and there to the right, second row back was the state senator so moved by violence he helped to build support for the new law. it was june 10th. exactly one week before another camera would capture hate walking through the door of emanuel ame church. silencing forever a powerful voice for change. reverend pinckney's funeral will be friday. the president of the united states will be attending that, delivering the eulogy. there will be funerals every day now, all the way through monday. errol? >> i'm wondering about the bigger picture here. you mentioned reverend pi

the soil of south carolina, but this is a moment in which we can say that flag while an integral part of our past does not represent the future of our great state. >> south carolina's general assemblynded june 4th but they are meeting today to pass the budget. the governor wants them to extend the session to vote on the confederate flag issue today a if possible. wal-mart announced it will stop selling confederate flags at all of the stores even on the web site. >> a lot of debate about the controversial flag. what do americans feel about this issue? >> a lot of polls out there. this new poll from the center for american progress action fund shows the public display of the flag and two-thirds of the americans believe it should be removed from all government buildings. kelly wright live for us in the studio. >> is the flag furry a reaction and charles krauthammer says it is an impulse from the left. >> this has nothing to do with the flag. this massacre would have happened in any place. it's the standard of liberal impulse something happened really bad so there has to be a problem and there has to be oo solution even if it is entirely irrelevant. gun control being the second here. i

the lion's share of south carolina's delegation u.s. senator are there along with the bumming of the south carolina general assembly as well.w moments ago. that bipartisan delegation of lawmakers that traveled with him from washington we're told includes house speaker john boehner who traveled aboard air force one, congressman john lewis, congressman elijah cummings as well. the last time president obama was in the palmetto state, march 6th, march 6th he was here at benedict college for an event. reverend pinckney's colleagues they've described him as the moral compass of the senate. i had the opportunity to interview him a number of times when i worked in local television here. and that booming melodic voice, very soothing. never heard the man raise his voice. you would have also been hard pressed to find a politician in the general assembly in this state who was more highly regarded by more people on both sides of the aisle. it has been nine days now, nine days since he and eight others were gunned down at the end of bible study at the historic emanuel ame church. the ore victim cynthia hurd depayne middleton, susie jacks

in may the man often called the moral conscience of the general assembly rose once more to push his colleagues to act. >> it is my hope that south carolinaat we will stand up for what is best and good about our state. >> reporter: on june 4, the legislation demanding body cameras for all south carolina police officers was approved by the general assembly with only one dissenting vote. six days later governor haley signed the bill handing the pen she used to walter scott's mother. and there to the right, second row back, was the state senator who had been so moved by violence he helped build support for the new law. it was june 10th. exactly one week before another camera would capture hate walking through the door of emanuel ame, silencing forever, a powerful voice for change. >> just one week before. what do we know about when the other people who were murdered, when they will be laid to rest? >> well we know the funerals will begin tomorrow. in fact there will be funerals now every day, all the way through the weekend, including on monday. there are many, many grieving families with breaking hearts here. >> no doubt about that. martin

fire killing nine people including the church's pastor, south carolina state senator clementa pinckney. >> senator pinckney was the moral conscious of the general assembly. reporter: police say the government reportedly told the woman he would let her live so she could tell people what he did. >> we look up today -- we woke up today and the heart and soul of south carolina is broken. reporter: surveillance cameras captured images of the suspect. local police of the fbi spent the night looking for the car. they set out a nationwide alert, broadcasting these images and the license plate number of the vehicle and then played this morning the car spotted i a passerby in shelby, north to line up. a police officer there responded and pulled them over in arrested dylann roof. this afternoon the trusting community pulling together to breathe a sigh of relief and pray for the families of the victims. a horrific incident that is destination. president obama: now is the time for mourning and healing. reporter: what we know about young mr. dylann roof is that he bounced around this area. we are now southeast of columbia. he lived for a while in lexington west of co

marlon kimpson, the south carolina state senator who took to the microphone imploring his fellow senators, imploring the general assembly to stick it out a little longer and finish this last piece of unfinished business he said two things. this is not going to end racism. and he said it won't solve the racial divide. will they do this with two snir thirds? >> this young man was just radicalized two years ago after the death of trayvon martin according to his words. if you're a white parent in this country, as i am, and if your child has a confederate flag hanging in their room or on their truck or on a cap, have that conversation with your child. have that conversation to say do you have any hate in your start do you not like black them? >> do you understand what that this flag means? >> do you understand what this flag means. >> chances are if it's hanging in their room, there's a good chance they know what it means. >> they may, but have that conversation because that child is not too far away from acting out. i'm not saying they're going to kill nine people in a church. but that flag hanging over the capital reminds

the united states congress who is here. if you would stand and let us see you. my goodness, yes. [applause] my my. members of the general assembly of the state of south carolinatand and let folks see you. [applause] my, my. well, since of done that, let me see how many clergy we haven't house, ministers stand up. [applause] yeah. now, so i will be ever to go back where i am going, what don't everybody stand up and give the reverend clementa pinckney a good round of applause. [applause] yeah yeah, come on. it's all right. you can cheer. [applause] ♪ >> then let me take this opportunity as we clear this for those who come before to have reflection, i would be remiss if god did not technology our friends and partners that we have gone to these past several days with. i want to thank the governor of the state of south carolina was here. [applause] for helping to bring all the resources of state government and along with what i call the nation's mayor, mayor riley. [applause] then most certainly our u.s. senator, tim scott, who has helped us in many ways. [applause] now this next person don't need no induction, he is a native south carolinaian. our own u.s. congre

the this is still, this is still something that has to be approved by a super majority. we're talking two-thirds of the general assembly in south carolina. >> may not be done this session, so we got a nice announcement. we picked up big support but those of us this is by no means a done deal. thank you msnbc's craig melvin thank you for your reporting tonight. >>> in the moment since governor hailey hailey's announcement, we've seen a flood of republican presidential candidates trying to avoid getting caught on the wrong side of the issue. mitt romney tweeted take down the confederate flag at the south carolina capital. to many it's a symbol of racial hatred. remove it now to honor charleston's victims but none of the big names in the gop field did 2016 feel that is, none of them echoed the statement and only coming out now that you've gotten political cover from governor hailey. jeb bush just tweeted kudos to nikki haley and all those standing with her to do the same thing but over the weekend he said south carolina should do the right thing but wouldn't say what that was and last week he wouldn't say the charleston attack was about ra

the capitol grounds. >> calling it a deeply offensive symbol of a brutally after fencive past, south carolina governor nikki haley said it's time for the confederate flag to go. the general assembly meets in about an hour to consider the issue. the flap over the flag followed the deadly charleston church shooting last week. if legislators fail to act on the flag's removal on the statehouse grounds, governor haley says she'll call lawmakers back for a special legislative session to force the issue. >>> not needing legislation to take action last night the nation's largest retailer wal- mart announced it's removing all items from promoting the confederate flag from its stores and website. in a company statement, wal- mart says we never want to offend anyone with a product we offer. >>> and in richmond today, virginia governor terry mcauliffe says he's taking steps to eliminate confederate flags from the state's license plates. the u.s. supreme court ruled last week that states can prevent the confederate symbol from being placed on their license plates. >>> president obama flies to charleston, south carolina on friday. he'll be there to deliver the eulogy during funeral services fo

the time is for the general assembly to do what it ought to have done a long time ago. >> reporter: south carolina's use of the confederate flag became on issue after pictures emerged showing accused church gunman dylann roof posing confederate flags. dozens gathered in colombia to call for the flag to be taken down. some spray-painted the word black lives matter on a monument in charleston. in 2000, joseph riley led a march to columbia calling for the flag to be removed from the dome. it called for a compromise to move the flag from the dome to a nearby monument for confederate soldiers. the move requires two-thirds majority in the claim betters. ers -- chambers. there's a growing number wanting to remove the flag. some say removing the flag is the start. there's more work to be done. it will not solve the racial divide in south carolina. we need a positive discourse on the problems that continue to plague our state >>> well the confederate flag is associated with the american civil war, but it has a more modern historical residence, the flag of the confederacy was based on the flag of the united s

south carolina to take down that confederate flag the one flying in front of the state house. controversy erupting including. joining south carolina governor nikki haley as she made the aannouncement. >> the general assembly wraps up their year this week. as governor i had the opportunity to call them back into session under extraordinary circumstances. i have indicated to the house and the senate if they do not take measures to make sure this debate takes place this summer i will use that for the purpose of the legislature removing the flag from the state house grounds. >> congressman trey gowdy represents south carolina and the house of representatives. he joins us. good evening sir. i'm curious whether you join your governor and the two senators senator lindsey graham and senator tim scott in calling for that flag to come down from the state capitol grounds? >> yes ma'am. i read senator scott's statement this afternoon. and, greta i talked to him on the way over to the studio i agree with every sill bell of syllable of the statement. it's a symbol of our past but not symbolic of our present or future. if it is in your past. if it is a symbol of your past. i think it's best housed in the south carolina

the state black caucus body cameras would bring transparency to a south carolina justice system they felt was often distorted by race. in may the man often called the moral conscience of the general assembly colleagues to act. >> it is my hope that as south carolina senators that we will stand up for what is best and good about our state. >> reporter: on june 4th the legislation demanding body cameras for all police officers was approved by the general assembly with only one dissenting vote. six days later governor nikki haley signed the bill handing the pen that she used to walter scott's mother. there in the right, second row back was the state senator who had been so moved by violence he helped build support for the new law. it was june 10th exactly one week before another camera would capture hate walking through the door of emanuel ame church silencing forever a powerful voice for change. one last prayer that came from the prayer study tonight, it was said by the reverend. last wednesday dark powers came over mother emanuel. god in his infinite wisdom said that's all right, i got the nine and that's how they're referred to now, the emanuel nine. >> thank you, martin. >>> next a group

the time has come for the general assembly to do what it ought to have done a long time ago. >> reporter: south carolina'sf the confederate flag became an issue once again after pictures emerged showing accused church gunman dylann roof waving and posing with banners and on sunday they gathered at the capitol in columbia to call for it to be taken down and spray painted black lives matter on a confederate monument in charleston and joseph riley led a march to columbia calling for the flag to be removed from the top of the capitol dome and a compromise from the dome to the current location at a nearby monument for soldiers and requires two thirds majority from the assembly to make changes and political leaders say there are a growing number of lawmakers in favor of removing the flag but some political leaders say that is only the start and there is more work to be done. >> it will not solve the racial divide in south carolina. we need a positive discourse on the problems that continue to plague our state. >> reporter: del walters al jazeera, south carolina. >>> the world's biggest retailer walmart is takin

the time has come for the general assembly to do what it ought to have done a long time ago. >> reporter: south carolina'sf the confederate flag became an issue once again, after pictures emerged showing accused gunman dylann roof waving and posing with confederate banners. on sunday dozens of people gathered to call for the flag to be taken down and some spay painted the worlds black lives matter on a confederate memorial. a march to columbia was lead to call for the removal of the flag. the protest led to a compromise that moved the flag from its location, but the deal requires a two-thirds majority in both houses of the assembly to make changes. there are a growing number of lawmakers in favor of removing the flag. but some say removing the flag is only the start, and that there is more work to be done. >> it will not solve the racial divide in south carolina. we need a positive discourse on the problems that continue to playing our state. >> reporter: del walters, al jazeera, charleston south carolina. >>> more than half a million teenagers in japan are thought to be addicted to the internet. now the

the capitol grounds. [ cheers and applause ] >> standing among a group of bipartisan lawmakers south carolina governor nicki haley calls for removal of confederate flag from state grounds. will the general assemblyt her decision? >>> pete rose said he only bet as a manager. this morning questions a rise as his actions as a player. >>> jimmy fallon and seth mcfarland take a spin on the wheel of impressions. you don't want to miss it. this is "way too early." >>> good morning everyone. it is tuesday, june 23rd. we begin this morning in south carolina where the governor has taken a historic step calling for removal of the confederate battle flag from state grounds. it gained support from several yesterday. governor nikki haley was conclusive about why the time has come. >> whether on the state ground or museum, the flag will be part of the soil of south carolina. this is a moment in which we can say

south carolina. what we can tell you based on the folks we've been talking to, senators and local representatives here in south carolina, they anticipate that when the legislature gets back together here, the general assembly at 1:00 this afternoon, less than an hour from now, they are initially coming in to talk about the budget and some other issues that were left over on this session's agenda. they anticipate lawmakers will come forward with some kind of a resolution or amendment hoping to get the flagged aed to this current session. in order for that to happen, there has to be a two-thirds majority, is our understanding, in order for them to even bring this issue up during the current session. so that is first thing's first. now, beyond that, in terms of actually removing the flag itself, i can tell you that there was a deal that reached back in 2000 when the legislature removed the flag that was flying over the capital dome and put it in its current place over my shoulder here by the confederate war memorial. in that deal drafted back in 2000 there was wording such that if they wanted to move or even do anything with the current location of the flag it would take two-thirds majority to agree on that a

the time has come for the general assembly to do what it ought to have done a long time ago. >> reporter: south carolina'sf the con federal flag became an issue once again after pictures emerged showing accused which of gunman dylan roof raising and posing with con federal banners. on sunday, does ends dozens of people gathered to call for the flag to be taken down, and some spray painted the words black lives matter on a con federal monument in charleston. and 2000 mayor charles strong riley led a march to columbia calling for the flag to be remove from the capital tomorrow it. led for a compromise that moved it from the dome to its currents location at a nearby mon do you want con federal soldiers. the deal requires two-thirds majority to make any changes. political leaders say there are a approximate growing numbers of lawmakers in favor of the removing the flag. but some political leaders say removing the flag is only the start. and that there is more work to be done. >> it will not solve the racial decide in south carolina. we need a positive discourse on the problems that continue to playing our sta

we begin this morning in south carolina where in about an hour a rally is scheduled at the state house. the goal? to get the general assembly to remove the confederate battle flag from the state capitol, and the rally comes one day after south carolina's governor nikki haley, threw her support behind that action saying it does not represent the future of her state. walmart agrees with the governor and is taking steps to remove all merchandise with the confederate flags from its store shelves. for more on all of this i want to grinning in cnn's ana cabrera live in columbia south carolina this morning. good morning, ana. >> reporter: good morning. we're seeing more action more people arriveing at the state capitol in anticipation of the rally expected to get under way at 11:00 this morning, less than an hour from now, and those will be protesters calling on state lawmakers to take down the flag. lawmakers are also returning to the capitol today. the focus on their agenda today is the state's bunt and we're learning that it will require an amendment to current orders of business for them to add the flag issue back into their l

the symbols that unite us. it was a very powerful speech. i'm pleased with it. and what we have to do in the general assembly, and he spoke to south carolinas we have to have a plan of action. the one area that i would have addressed that we will address is economic empowerment for all citizens. not just some but all. we have to raise the poverty level, south carolina being the ninth highest poverty level in the country. and make sure that the procurement opportunities, the meaningful procurement opportunities, not only in the state but in charleston are spread around to the low and moderate income and disenfranchised businesses. we have an agenda now, and the president aided us a lot, and we're well on our way. >> what did you think of when he opened up with "amazing grace" at the very end of his eulogy? >> well, it was powerful. it's grace and mercy and healing. we all know that song. and my wife and i, we sang along. i saw members of my fraternity owe giving sa si phi, incorporated. i sat next to my good friend, vincent shaheen, who's been calling for removal of the flag. isabel lawrie joe lawrie a jewish brother. it was very very touch

the united states congress who is here. if you would stand and let us see you. my goodness, yes. [applause] my my. members of the general assembly of the state of south carolina't you stand and let folks see you. [applause] my, my. well, since of done that, let me see how many clergy we haven't house, ministers stand up. [applause] yeah. now, so i will be ever to go back where i am going, what don't everybody stand up and give the reverend clementa pinckney a good round of applause. [applause] yeah yeah, come on. it's all right. you can cheer. [applause] ♪ >> then let me take this opportunity as we clear this for those who come before to have reflection, i would be remiss if god did not technology our friends and partners that we have gone to these past several days with. i want to thank the governor of the state of south carolina was here. [applause] for helping to bring all the resources of state government and along with what i call the nation's mayor, mayor riley. [applause] then most certainly our u.s. senator, tim scott, who has helped us in many ways. [applause] now this next person don't need no induction, he is a native south carolinaian. our own u.s

the confederate flag cannot be changed. its position cannot be changed without the general assembly approving it. there is a lot to debate here in south carolinaing it from every angle. we want to bring in anna cabrera that's been here for days about the shifting political sand you have watched. >> it's a cultural switch. that really is what this whole flag controversy is all about to so many people who believe the flag symbolizes a racist mentality that is rooted in history. of course the flag still stands here in front of the state capitol today. this fight isn't over yesterday. . >> it shouldn't fly anywhere. >> presidential hopeful, hillary clinton, applauding the growing momentum for the removal of the confederate flag in south carolina. >> recognizing it as a symbol of our nation's racist past that has no place in our present. >> take it down! >> reporter: on tuesday, hundreds of protesters demanded the flag be removed in the wake of the vicious murders at the emanuel ame church in charleston. >> fighting to continue to keep human beings as slaves. >> reporter: inside south carolina lawmakers overwhelmingly voting to allow debate on a bi

the south carolina. not only this week i hope but in the next seven months when we come back to the general assembly everyone will remember this week it will be a bipartisan bill for us to move that confederate flag put it in a museum somewhere in columbia where it would be off the state capitol ground. i hope everyone rebs this. when we go back to session in january 2016. >> representative sellers, how fragile do you think the progress that's been made. >> i have been saying that throughout the week. february 1968 in north carolina we had another massacre where 27 students were wounded. my father was actually one shot that night and the history books call it the orange bowl massacre. my father is 70. i'm 30 years old. just to go back briefly to the confederate flag and what that represents our good friend clementa pinckney is going to be laying in state, lying in state excuse me in the rotunda of the state building. that banner that flag may not have killed clementa but it gave his shooters and others like that a banner under which to justify their actions. >> thank you both very much for join joining us th

the state of south carolina. not only this week, i hope but in the next seven months, when we come back to the general assembly, everyone will remember this week, it will be a bipartisan bill for us to move that confederate flag, put it in a museum somewhere in columbia, where it would be off the state capitol ground. i just hope remembers this. and everyone keep their commitment to come and deal with this when we go back into session in january 2016. >> and i want to ask you representative sellers, how fragile do you think the progress that's been made? >> i have been saying that throughout the week. february 1968, in north carolina, we had another massacre where 27 students were wounded. my father was actually one shot that night and the history books call it the orange massacre. my father is 70. i'm 30 years old. the unfortunate part is we have the same shared experiences -- just to go back briefly to the confederate flag and what that represents, our good friend clementa pinckney is going to be laying in state, lying in state excuse me in the rotunda of the state building. 30 yards away from the confederate flag as

members of the general assembly of the state of south carolina, why don't you stand? my. well, since i've done that let me see how many clergy we have in the house ministers. stand up. [applause] now so i'll be able to go back to where i'm going, why don't everybody stand up and give reverend clemente pinkney a good round of applause? [cheering] [applause] >> yeah, yeah, yeah. come on. he's all right! it's all right. you can cheer. you may be seated. and then let me take this opportunity as we clear this before those who come before us to have reflection. i would be remiss if i didn't acknowledge our friends and partners as we've gone through these past several days. i want to thank the governor of the state of south carolina who's here. [applause] for bringing all the resources of state government and along with what i call the nation's mayor, mayor riley. [applause] then most certainly our u.s. senator tim scott, who has helped us in many ways. [applause] now, this next person really don't need no introduction because he is a native south carolinian. he is a member

the state house. the general assembly meets later today and they are he' trying to push these lawmakers to take a vote. >> south carolinaefended flying the confederate battle flag at the state capital now leads democrats and republicans calling for it to come down. >> the packet that it causes pain to so many is enough to move it from the capital grounds. >> joining her, senator lindsey graham, he has also reversed course. >> the flag has got to go. >> reporter: walmart now says it will remove all items with the con federal symbol from its inventory. kmart and sears are restricting sales online. 150 years after the civil war many in south carolina say it's about time. >> that is a flag of rebel i don't know. >> it was a symbol of hate. it was a bim bowl of cereal lynching, of murdering. >> it's just wrong. it's just wrong. >> not everyone agrees. some argue the flag is part of state history. >> one more step in the direction of killing the southern can culture. >> reporter: flag supporters wonder what's next, changing state names, removing statutes, there are ten at the u.s. capitol in washington. but back to south caro

the state of south carolina. >> it isn't like one of these police situations, is it? >> well, no. because i can tell you i travel from columbia, the state capital, where i was in the general assemblyyesterday during session, last night i went to the command center when i arrived in charleston and law enforcement agencies from across the state, there's fbi, there was the city of charleston, the county, north charlton, the county council and a large number of law enforcement agencies and elected officials across partisanship lines all at the command center trying to man the tip lines and get information. and obviously you know the criminal has been apprehended but the whole city of charleston was focused on that last night and we came together and just thankful to good that we caught him. >> pastor wesley, you're a pastor so you know all about this. this is part of your world and also part of the history of this country. where black people could go, sanctuary, it's called a womb, sometimes it's a place to get away from the law, get away from white people who were who is still in some cases. >> the church, businesses, newspapers, all of that came out of the black church and it's alwa

be a part of the soil of south carolina but this is a moment when we can say that that flag does not represent the future of our great state. >> reporter: she says if the general assemblyoesn't act soon, she will call it back for a special session. the governor's comments came hours after religious and political leaders in charleston called for action. >> the time has come to remove this symbol of hate and division from our state capitol. he time has come for the general assembly to do what it ought to have done a long time ago. >> i respectfully ask the general assembly reasonably tired and weary of their long session, to take the extra step and to tend to this unfinished business, and move this flag to an appropriate historical context. >> the use of the confederate flag became at issue again, after pictures showed dylann roof waving and posing with confederate banners. >> take it down! take it down! >> reporter: on sunday dozens of people gathered in the state capitol, columbia to call for the flag to be taken down. and some spray painted the words black lives matter on a confederate monument in charleston. and a march was moved to couple -- columbia calling for the

the state of south carolina has lost a giant. senator pinckney was the moral conscious of the general assembly and let me say my prayers go out to not only senator pinckney's family but the family of the other death victims. we need prayer george. we need prayer. >> and, senator, you were in the command center last night. what more can you tell us about what happened inside that church? do you know if the shooter said anything before he opened fire? >> i can tell you this that the state of south carolina and all of the law enforcement officials are huddled in charleston with every fiber of their being committed to finding this shooter, to bring him to justice. >> sir, our thoughts and prayers are with all of you this morning. thanks very much for joining us. >> thank you. >>> boy, this crime is so hard to fathom. the gunman is still on the loose and of course we'll stay on this all morning long. >> thank you. >>> turning now to our other big story. life-threatening floods from texas to illinois. storms dropping up to a foot of rain in some areas shutting down roads and highways. rob marciano on the scene in ardmore, oklahoma wit

the house of representatives here in south carolina. at that time, he was the youngest person ever elected to the general assembly in this state.wer chamber of the house in columbia. he would go in for interviews and he always looked you right in the eye, always spoke very softly. of late here he was starting to make a lot of news because he had become probably the most outspoken advocate of a bill that was introduced here a bill that would require police officers to wear body cameras, that had become his new cause. but his cause had always been civil rights. in addition to being a pastor here at undeniably the most historic church in the entire state, he spent a great deal of time talking about the importance of equal rights. >> south of baltimore, this is the most historic church for the south and the history of it the legacy of this church. and nikki haley pointed out what the alleged suspect did in all this will not rupture the state. it's only going to em bolden everybody to unify a little bit more. we're waiting for the coroner's office to give that press briefing at 3:00. >> it is a hard time especially in light of what

the statehouse as a compromise back before -- when el got in the general assembly. it is a divisive symbol it agitates citizens and it's offensive. it's time for the confederate flag to come down but in south carolinae out a way to gain bipartisan support, much like we did with the body camera bill which was a significant piece of legislation we passed. so we are going to have to make that appeal to the business community and the various groups that come to south carolina because it needs to be a groundswell of support and one that we can build a bipartisan coalition. >> should african-american churches in south carolina beef up their security? >> no. you know the church has historically been a place of security peace, a bastion where we could interact with one another and all worship god. i don't want us -- i want us to be very vigilant and patrol the grounds, be more cog any savrnt of who comes in our facilities but we still need to maintain an open door. because we want to make sure that people who want to give embedments in coming in the church door. today we had a very powerful ceremony all we are welcome. there was a heightened level of security, but we've got to maintain the essence of the b

the south carolina flag. it's the governor who can order those at half staff. the confederate flag by law must fly at a height of 30 feet any changes must be passed by a super majority of the general assembly that has not been done. cnn, new york. >>> and as calls ring out for tighter gun control in the u.s. there's been another two mass shootings. one was the a children's party in detroit and other at a picnic in philadelphia. >> it's tragic all the way around. this children's party, there were 10 people were shot one man was died. 400 people had gathered on a basketball court there for a party. investigators say even wp so many witnesses, unbelievably no one is talking. >> there's kids out here. i'm livid and there's no excuse there's not any excuse why no one is not talking. there's people at the hospital. we're going to find out as much as we can. man-up or woman-up or whatever and tell us what's going on. >> police are naturally very angry about that situation. and in philadelphia seven people including several children were shot at what was supposed to be a peaceful picnic. all of those remain in critical condition. authorities don't know how many gunmen there were and why the shooti

south carolina but this is a moment in which we can say that that flag while an integral part of our past does not represent the future of our great state. >> reporter: haley says if the general assembly doesn't act soon she will call it back for a special session. religious and political leaders in charleston called for action. >> the time has come to remove the symbol of hate and division from the state capital. >> after pictures emerged showing accused church gunman dylann roof waving and posing with confederate banners. on sunday dozens of state legislators called for the flag to be taken down and some spray painted the words "black lives matter" on a sign. a call for the flag to be removed from the capital dome. removed the flag from its dome to its current location. but the zeal requires a two-thirds majority in both house he of the assembly to make any changes. there are a growing number of lawmakers in favor removing the flag but the sons of confederate members say it will fight to keep it. there is absolutely no link between charleston massacre and the confederate memorial banner, don't try to create one. but some political leaders say removing the flag is only the start and

. >>> well in south carolina state law prevents the flag from being removed without a two-thirds majority vote from the state general assembly> democratic presidential candidate hillary clinton spoke at the united states conference of mayors, she touched on racism, gun violence and charleston shooting, lets take a look. >> as a mother, a grandmother and as a fellow human being my hearties bursting for them, for these victims and their families, for a wounded community, and a wounded church. >> clinton call the the violence fun. ly senseless. she spoke about quote a history that we desperately want to leave behind. >>> well residents in southwest philadelphia gathered to protest for peace in the wake of the church shooting. the third annual stop the violence kickback block party was held in the 55 hundred block of chester avenue. state senator anthony hardy williams, one of the event organizers, said the community has proven charleston shooter dylann roof wrong. >> so, his view of african americans are they rape, they pill age they rob our answer to that is, we come in peace. >> philadelphia activist and rapper, lemont brown

members of the general assembly of the state of south carolina why don't you stand and let people seee] my my. well since i've done that, let's see how many clergy we have in the house. ministers. stand up. [applause] now, so i can be able to go back to where i'm going, why don't everybody stand up and give reverend senator clementa pinckney a good round of applause? [applause] come on. he is all right. it is all right, you can cheer. then, let me take this opportunity, as we clear this before those who come before us to have reflection, i would be remiss if ithen, let did not acknowledge our friends and partners as we have gone through these past several days. i want to thank the governor of the state of south carolina who is here. for helping to bring all of the resources, state government, along with what i call the nation's mayor, mayor raleigh. then, most certainly, our u.s. senator, thames, who has helped us in many ways. -- tim scott, who has helped us in many ways. this person is a native south carolinan. he is a member of the church here in charleston. our own u.s. congressma

this is a situation, where south carolina was going to close ranks, and, heal itself, and there will be debate on her decision, that she would like to see the general assembly take up, to remove that flag, the confederate flag. >>> tony, i have to tell you, as i was listening to the governor, i was struck by the change in the mooted, and the climate, from when i worked in the south, the early 70s, and, i never will forget when i talked about the civil war, and i was reminded by a photographer, that that's not what they refer to it as in north carolina, it was the war of northern aggression. and you couldn't help but be struck to the number of monuments of confed rats. virginia, and georgia, and when you were working in the south. i think the governor, and her remarks made sure that she paid homage to the people who say we do not need to declare a winner or loser, if you wish to fly that flag on your lawn, but she said the state house is different, 150 years after the end of the civil war, the time has come, and that was the first time, in my resent memory, that i can hear a governor, so adeptly declare there's a period that chapter and, the new chapter, in