continuing coverage now of the president's speech at the foot of the edmund pettus bridge in selma, alabama. it is the 50th anniversary of the bloody sunday march. welcome to a brand new hour inside america's news headquarters. i'm arthel neville. >> hello, i'm eric shawn. an historic event and gathering going on as you see live right now at the foot of that bridge in selma, alabama. as thousands gathering to commemorate that day 50 years ago today when 600 people bravely stood up in the face of hatred and violence and demanded the right to vote and honoring them, of course, the first african-american president,

barack obama. the president also awarded the congressional gold medal to all the bloody sunday marchers who were injured there along with those who then marched on tuesday and then the final march that completed the selma to montgomery effort two weeks later. and ultimately, all that effort leading to the historic passage of the voting rights later that year. >> the americans who crossed this bridge, they were not physically imposing but they gave courage to millions. they held no elected office but they led the nation. >> the civil rights history of our nation resonating in selma today, where jonathan serrie is live. >> reporter: the president moments ago honoring those who 50 years ago in the face of hostile state and local officials risked their lives marching for civil rights across the very bridge you see behind me. listen.

>> we gather here to honor the courage of ordinary americans willing to endure billy clubs and the chastenning rods. women and men who despite the blood would stay true to their north star and keep marching toward justice. >> reporter: the president also paid tribute to georgia congressman john lewis, who was one of those original marchers who suffered severe beatings on the edmund pettus bridge. representative lewis, while insisting much still needs to be done in the fight for civil rights, acknowledged that returning to the base of that same bridge to introduce america's first black president is something he never could have imagined 50 years ago. listen. >> this city on the banks of the alabama river gave birth to a movement that changed this nation forever. our country will never, ever be

the same because of what happened on this bridge. >> reporter: country never has been the same since then and the bridge you see behind me now a civil rights icon. president obama signing a bill during the flight to alabama awarding the congressional gold medal to those who bravely marched across this bridge back in 1965. eric, back to you. >> could you give us a sense of the emotion and the feeling that is there? we talk about the history, the people who have talked to you, what have you said to them, what have they said to you? last night i was with someone who was at the march 50 years ago who said you couldn't believe exactly what would have happened, that they were very nervous, very scared about the potential violence. what is it like there now? >> reporter: a few days ago i was standing at this very spot with linda blackmon lowry, a woman who 50 years ago had marched across that bridge as a 14-year-old and had suffered the

beatings there. she says that she still gets very emotional when she looks at that bridge. it's very hard for her to walk across the bridge even these days, remembering everything that happened, but she's grateful for all of the changes that she has seen in her community and around the nation, and she among the other marchers can take great pride in what they did here in this community, risking their lives 50 years ago. >> with the successes and obviously back in 1965, about 2% of the african-americans were registered to vote. now, ready for this? out of 31,000 registered voters in dallas county in which selma is the seat, 19,000 are african-american, 9,000 are white. so clearly, there have been tremendous successes dealing with voter registration but the economic issue, having been there, seen the empty stores along the street, give us a sense if you could when the crowds are not there, what selma is like today. >> reporter: this is still a

very small town far away from the interstates so when -- apart from events like this, it is a struggle. there could be much economic development going on in this town. you look at this town and you see the promise. it's on the banks of this beautiful river but it's been slow creating this economic improvement. but perhaps as events like this, the 50th anniversary of the march on selma, draws thousands of people and the eyes of the nation once again looking on selma in a more favorable light, perhaps this too will help in the economic development of this community. >> quite an historic and amazing day. seeing john lewis back there again five decades later after he was so beaten and the struggle that all those who went across that bridge have led for our country. jonathan, thank you so much. we will get back to you later on as well as having very special guests as we continue our coverage live from selma. meanwhile, in wisconsin,

there have been protests there after police shot and killed an unarmed 19-year-old african-american man. that happened in madison. the victim's family say his name was tony robinson, jr. protesters gathered outside the police department there. officers say they got a call about a man who was jumping into traffic. they claim that he then assaulted someone on the street and then attacked one of the officers. the victim's mother, though, says he never was a violent person. >> my son was so into watching everything that happened on ferguson and he was one of the people that spoke out about this constantly, and to turn around and have him die of the same things thats was so fearful of, it's not fair. >> the madison police say the officer is a 12 year veteran of the force. the state's division of criminal investigation is on the scene and is investigating that shooting. senator bob menendez pushing back against growing allegations of corruption. the new jersey democrat striking a defiant tone yesterday,

despite news of pending criminal charges over his relationship with a wealthy donor. >> let me be very clear. very clear. i have always conducted myself appropriately and in accordance with the law. i fight for these issues and for the people of our country every single day. that's who i am. and i am not going anywhere. >> we are following this story from the d.c. newsroom. >> sources tell fox a federal grand jury is investigating senator bob menendez and will decide if the government can pursue charges against the new jersey democrat. court documents claim menendez accepted gifts from a wealthy friend and in exchange, helped him in a payment dispute with the department of health and human services and tried to persuade customs and border patrol against donating security screeners to the dominican

republic so the man's business interests could sell them to the country. menendez claims he's done nothing wrong and vows to remain in the senate. >> every action that i and my office have taken for the last 23 years that i have been privileged to be in the united states congress has been based on pursuing the best policies for the people of new jersey and of this entire country. i am not going anywhere. >> he claims he acted within legal guidelines. menendez refuses to answer additional questions, citing the ongoing investigation. menendez was chairman of the senate foreign relations committee. now he's the top democrat. he's known for his opposition to the president's policies on cuba and sanctioning iran. of late he's agreed to hold off pushing increased sanctions on iran. back to you. >> thank you very much. eric? arthel, back to the 2016 race. potential republican presidential candidates today are gathering in iowa. it's the state's first ever

agriculture summit. among those who are attending, many of the gop's top potential 2016 white house contenders, including former florida governor jeb bush, returning to the hawk eye state for the first time in three years. >> what we need to do is make sure people pay fines, that they learn english, that they work, that they don't receive government assistance, that they earn legalized status over the long haul, that they come out from the shadows so that they can be productive with a provisional work permit. >> and senior political correspondent mike emanuel is live in des moines, iowa covering all this. as part of this, he gets to actually consume delicious fresh iowa corn. hey, mike. >> reporter: absolutely. hi, eric. it's expected to be a very crowded field running for president and a number of republican likely candidates are here trying to make a very good early first impression. jeb bush, chris christie, ted cruz, mike huckabee, rick perry,

rick santorum and scott walker are some of the gop vips here for the first ever ag summit. some candidates have laid out their vision on foreign policy. >> my parents corrected my bad behavior. they didn't encourage it by rewarding me with ice cream and candy every time i did something horrible. so when you have the iranians or cubans doing terrible things to their people, you don't give them ice cream and candy, for heaven's sakes. >> china has the opportunity for us to come in and do trade with them. i have been on multiple trade missions to china, just as terry has, and the relationship and building up there. i think there's the opportunity. what we see with china is they basically practice communism at night and capitalism in the daytime. >> reporter: iowans are about 11 months away from actually voting and on a sunny saturday it's been a packed house for much of the day wanting to hear directly from a number of the likely republican candidates, including early favorite, wisconsin governor scott walker.

earlier, there was a light moment with the governor from the garden state dealing with a protester. >> i'm glad to see that new jersey has come to iowa. how great is that. great to have you here. i will deal with you the same way here as i do with you in new jersey. my people follow me everywhere. >> reporter: expect this to be the first of many visits here to the hawkeye state between now and next february, as these likely candidates try to make a good impression and hope it will carry forward to the iowa caucuses. eric? >> i guess governor christie can also be proud of the new jersey tomatoes while he's there in iowa sampling the corn. thank you so much. for more on this, we will bring in the senior politics editor of the daily beast. hey, jackie, how are you? >> i'm great. how are you doing? >> i'm well. it was definitely an all-star lineup. who would you say was the

biggest standout, made the biggest impact there? >> i think a lot of them did well. i think jeb bush has had the most to lose in iowa. he's really put his marker down there. his campaign manager was romney's iowa guy. he's really showing that he's going to be serious about iowa. he's got the most at stake because iowa isn't necessarily the most natural fit for jeb bush's candidacy. he's got a meeting with some supporters and is going to do a q & a in cedar rapids in about an hour so it will be really interesting to see how that goes. that's just your average normal people talking with him. >> let me jump in there and ask you this. this is going to be my final question because i've got to move on. sorry to be short but here we go. who walks away with the political currency figuratively as well as actual money? we are talking about donations, possible future donations. >> scott walker showed up pretty well. he showed up pretty strong. he has been a favorite there so far. >> that's a nice concise answer.

we will talk to you again soon. how about that? >> thanks so much. appreciate it. up next on this 50th anniversary of bloody sunday, we go back to selma and talk with the man who helped organize the march, a giant in the civil rights history of our nation. the reverend jesse jackson joins us after this break. i am totally blind. i lost my sight in afghanistan, but it doesn't hold me back. i go through periods where it's hard to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. non-24 is a circadian rhythm disorder that affects up to 70% of people who are totally blind. talk to your doctor about your symptoms and learn more by calling 844-844-2424. or visit my24info.com.

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a live shot there of an iconic bridge, the edmund pettus bridge on this day, the 50th anniversary of the bloody sunday horrible times in our history, but what a celebration it is today. a man who helped organize it, who planned it, who lived it, who dreamed it, who continues to live the dream that they envisioned there, we bring on now. the reverend jackson, who is joining me, reverend jackson, first of all, i understand that i didn't have the privilege to hear it but you're there in selma again today. you were there 50 years ago today. i have so many questions for you but i first want to talk to you about this. by the way, we are waiting for the first african-american president, president barack obama, to walk across that bridge. i understand there are people there right now, reverend, talking to you, hugging you, crying, thanking you. talk to me about those thoughts they are sharing with you.

>> well, you gave a fitting tribute to an event that occurred 50 years ago. the leaders who took the big risk and made it happen and an analysis of the past looking in a sense to the rear view mirror. but before us today is the impact of shelby. shelby, the supreme court decision, has moved the oversight of section four and section five so there's a very specific danger that requires action by this congress now. also, we are in dallas county, the poorest county in all of alabama. a woman who brought us to selma 50 years ago, her home is now ravaged and homes along the street there, people living in

shacks without indoor running water. >> reverend jackson, of course you continue to fight the fight for the right for everyone to have access to the voting polls without any sort of limitations, any barriers, but i want to get into more personal conversation with you, if i may, right now. when you woke up this morning, you are a praying man, i want to know your thoughts, i want to know your prayers when you woke up this morning and you're on your knees -- >> i thank god for being here 50 years later, for being here 50 years later. so many of our friends could not make it back today. dr. king and josea williams and james orange and so many others who paid the big price during that season are not here with us. reverend abernathy, i thought about them. also, the work before us, when

you look, poverty is a weapon of mass destruction. dr. king made the last case, you have the right to vote but you also need the right to eat and have health care and housing. the governor has rejected billions of dollars in medicaid money, having taken $100 million in education grants and spend it on prisons rather than schools and teachers. i was caught between the joy of the moment, the look on the face of those before us and that is the need to address poverty and racial disparity. >> indeed. the president said himself, he said listen, of course we have come a very very long way but there is continued work to be done. i ask you because the other -- >> let me say, we have come a long way but also, we have taken a big hit. when the troops were in the south in the last century, reconstruction took place. the troops left, then came in the violence and then came in the 1896 law. when you remove section four,

you remove the troops and now you have jury mandering, you are making it more difficult for poor people to vote. we have taken a huge blow that requires some immediate political legislative restoration. >> do you think on this day as we all sit here and watch these images and relive the memories and the thoughts of what happened there and the struggle on that day, do you think that will impact the decisions that are in place today, the very issues that you're raising right now? >> well, the republican leadership chose not to come today. they appear to be politically benefitting from the marginalization of the black vote. but this should not be. it leads to resegregation and we need to have a system that

protects the minority from the tyranny of the majority. shelby is a big, big decision. i hope that there will be legislation to address the supreme court decision but most of all, this issue of poverty. you go to the house of the woman dr. king stayed at when he was in selma, alabama, the house is condemned. houses down the street from her with boards and no windows where people are staying with no running water, no toilets. the poverty is unforgiving. >> if i may, what is the plan to fix that very thing you're talking about, that existing poverty that remains today? >> well, lyndon johnson used this moment both for legislation and i think this is a lyndon johnson moment. you can find demonstration and legislation to address the crippling issues of voter denial and poverty, which poverty destroys dreams, educational

options, it destroys people's life options. we must address these issues in a real way that i think have not yet been addressed. some think it's a celebration here but i think it's time for -- i'm sorry. >> i apologize. there's a little bit of a delay here. what do you think, i appreciate your passion in terms of getting things done, but what do you think needs to be done? it's one thing to talk about it. we know there are issues there on the table but what's your plan and what are those who support your plan, what are you planning to do to move these -- move everything forward? >> two things. two things. we need congressional remedy for the impact of the section four decision by the supreme court which leaves us unprotected from the tyranny of the majority. that's a very specific challenge. secondly is people who are hungry need food, housing, health care and education. that involves some directed appropriations in their direction. >> are you working with the local community there, sir, to help from the ground up, if you

will? >> well, we are. in dallas county, 40% are in poverty. that shouldn't be. the governor has turned back billions of dollars of medicaid money from the poorest, sickest people. it cannot be justified. >> you know, i ask you, reverend, when the lawmakers of today, whoever may be blocking in your words, putting barriers in front of people for their right to vote, the very right that the people fought so hard for on that day, 50 yeaars ago, as i ask you if those images would help galvanize everyone in congress to come together to make sure there are no barriers in place, do you think these very images, reverend jackson, also galvanize those of us who may have forgotten people lost their lives for the right to vote and they don't actually vote. >> we were hoping that would be the case but my concern again is it took more courage to put forth the '65 voting rights act

than to restore this one. so there are people here today who must put forth the courage of their own this day, not just reflect on the courage of those of yesterday. there are challenges right now. it should be beyond party lines. we came to selma, blacks couldn't vote, black men couldn't serve on juries, you couldn't vote on campus, you could not vote bilingually. >> i appreciate your point. i'm asking you as we close here, i wish i had an hour to speak to you, but as we do close, i want you to send a message to the young people who watch these images. they may not have been alive during those horrible momentous days and history-changing days but what do you say to them, the ones who are not taking the opportunity to go to the polls and cast their votes?

>> what makes america great is the right to fight for the right. you cannot be on the jury unless you were with the group of young people in ferguson a short time ago, one young person said i'm tired of voting. of course, they had never voted before. i said would you like to be on the jury of the trial of the killer of michael brown. those who register to vote have the power to fight for health care. voting is a weapon. we must use that weapon. it's a great legal nonviolent weapon that can make a change in this country. young america must vote. >> indeed, sir. i close with this. as you watch president barack obama, the first african-american president of the united states of america walk across that bridge, the edmund pettus bridge, what will you be thinking?

>> my heart fills up with joy. you will never know guys named sunshine, mrs. borington who is now 104 years old, she would be going across that bridge in a wheelchair, she's the one invited dr. king to selma in the first place. she was in the dallas voters league. she is 104. she is the bridge to the past and the future. she's a great woman. i hope we will get her the congressional medal of honor as well as the presidential medal of freedom. also have her condemned house turned into a national historic museum because that's what dr. king had to say when he was here. he couldn't stay in motels. she is a great woman. >> absolutely, sir. i thank you very much for your time. i do apologize. there was a little bit of a delay here so i didn't mean to cut you off so often. reverend jackson, thank you very much. >> history being recreated and remembered. wow.

>> i will take a moment to say my point that i was trying to get over to reverend jackson. we know we live in a world of heightened politics. when you see those images and realize that people fought for the right of all americans to have to be able to vote, you can't help but think that at some point, politics can be put aside for a very short moment at least so we can come together as americans. >> those who crossed the bridge today being honored and remembered by two presidents. president obama there, of course, and george w. bush about to take that walk over the bridge. what a day in selma. of course, arthel and everyone, our coverage of this special historic event will continue in just a moment. >> we will have this story for you as well. she gave her life to help others. next, the emotional tribute as friends and family pay their respects to kayla mueller. the u.s. aid worker killed at the hands of isis. >> the more you can empty yourself of stuff and busyness,

the more room there is for that which fills the deepest yearnings of our hearts.