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Two Arrested in Russian Opposition Leader's Death; Sen. Menendez Denies Allegations of Corruption; Security Concern Near White House Delays Obama; Interview with Rep. John Lewis; Witnesses To Bloody Sunday Share Their Stories; Thousands Return To Edmund Pettus Bridge

Aired March 7, 2015 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: I am at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge as you can see behind me here. And already thousands of people have turned out and it's unclear just how many people will come to commemorate 50 years since Bloody Sunday.

On the minds of many people here, of course reflection at the same time, moving forward, and even trying to make sure that there are protections in place to make sure that all the hard work done by the so many lives sacrificed are also preserved.

You're also going to hear from the President of the United States, who will be here in Selma, 2:30, roughly 2:30 Eastern time here from Selma, right here at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. He will be bringing with him the first lady Michelle Obama and the President is bringing his daughters, Sasha and Malia.

And we expect that one of his messages will be to really challenge the generations of his daughters and other generations that they will have their own marches and their own fights to fight and his message will be that the struggle, the fight continues.

Also during our programming today, you're, of course, going to hear from the man who was just 25 years old who is the most recognizable image of Bloody Sunday, John Lewis. Congressman John Lewis -- he, of course, is here. My conversations with another civil rights foot soldier, Reverend Andrew Young.

You're also going to hear the extraordinary sentiment from the daughter of the man who was mayor at the time of Bloody Sunday, the Mayor Joe Smitherman. I had a sit down conversation with his daughter Diane. Mayor Smitherman held office here for 36 years and is -- and she will defend his history.

So they're an extraordinary emotional journey that you're going to hear from so many people throughout the afternoon.

First we've got a lot of breaking news. My colleague Suzanne Malveaux is in Washington. Suzanne -- take it from here.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Great to see you. It's going to be an incredible afternoon. We also have some other news here. The daughter of slain Russian

opposition leader Boris Nemtsov says officials haven't shared any details about the arrests in his death. We're talking about Zhanna Nemtsova. She says everything she knows the two men taken into custody today comes from media reports. This more than a week after attackers gunned Nemtsov down just yards from the Kremlin.

CNN's Matthew Chance is live in Moscow and can you tell us more about the arrests? What do we know this morning?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not a great deal, except that these arrests have been made. The head of the FSB, which is the main security service in Russia appearing on state television all over the country to make the announcement. So it gives an indication of just how seriously the Kremlin wants to be taken when it comes to getting to the bottom of this investigation. It wants to be shown to be very serious indeed.

The two men have been named. They're said to be from the north Caucasus region of southern Russia which is a long way from Moscow and it's a very restive area, very volatile.

It doesn't necessarily mean that the killing of Boris Nemtsov, who was a prominent opposition politician in this country, is linked directly with Chechnya. It's a pretty lawless part of the country. There are hired guns that can be bought and paid for from Chechnya and from the north Caucasus in general.

And so we're no closer yet to finding out who may have ordered the killing and what the motive may have been for the killing of one of the most prominent, you know, one of the most prominent people who criticized the Kremlin, who's in Russia right now. And so this is a big question mark hanging over that.

MALVEAUX: Matthew -- thank you. Appreciate that report.

Officials are appealing for calm -- this is in Madison, Wisconsin after protests erupted overnight following a deadly police shooting of an African-American teenager. Now police say the teenager attacked an officer.

Reporter Kristen Barbaresi (ph) with our affiliate WKOW. She was on the scene after the shooting and she spoke earlier to CNN's "NEW DAY".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN BARBARESI, WKOW: Well, immediately when we got down to the scene, there were upwards of 20 police cars on scene. We quickly started to hear that it was officer involved, actually one of our state representatives, representative Chris Taylor -- she was actually across the street at a gas station. She heard the shots fired. She was told to get down. She then came over to me and told me that this was an officer-involved shooting.

We then began to see protesters gathering as word spread that this was a black 19-year-old that had been shot and killed by an officer. The police chief has told us that originally they got calls that there was a person causing a disturbance in the street running in and out of traffic, acting unsafe. As officers were responding to the call, the police chief tells us that the call was upgraded to a disturbance inside this apartment. When the officer arrived on scene, he says he heard a disturbance in the apartment. He actually forced entry into the apartment. The police chief says that officer was knocked down, sustained a blow to the head, and that's when he pulled his weapon and did shoot the teenager.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Madison's mayor calls the shooting an enormous tragedy. Now, under Wisconsin law, officer involved shootings are investigated by the state, not local officials.

Senator Robert Menendez, top Democrat on the foreign relations committee is responding to revelations that he is facing criminal corruption charges. The State Department is alleging Menendez used his office to push for the business interest of a Democratic donor and friend in exchange for gifts. Overnight the New Jersey senator denied any wrongdoing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BOB MENENDEZ (D), NEW JERSEY: Let me be very clear. Very clear. I have always conducted myself appropriately and in accordance with the law. 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Investigators are focusing on plane trips Menendez took in 2010 as a guest of a donor in Florida.

And Hillary Clinton expected to speak in just a few hours at the Clinton Global Initiative university conference in Miami. What a lot of folks want to know is if she's going to talk about the growing controversy over a private e-mail account that she used as secretary of state. The White House and State Department -- they are getting hammered with questions about why Clinton used that private account for government business instead of an official State Department account.

And potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates are in Iowa today for the agricultural summit; among them, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who spoke Friday. And while he focused on national security, he also criticized President Obama and potential 2016 Democratic contender Hillary Clinton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH, FORMER GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA: We have new threats that didn't exist just a decade ago. Cyber security, these threats of terror, defending the homeland and protecting while we protect civil liberties we need to continue to be engaged to make sure that no attack takes place in our own country.

There's a lot of things that we need to restore. This president and, by the way, his former secretary of state, have let us down in this regard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The key caucus state of Iowa, familiar ground, of course, for the Bush family, Jeb's father, George H.W. Bush, lost the Iowa caucuses in 1988 but went on to win the general election.

And still ahead, we're going to be talking about some live pictures historic day in the town of Selma, Alabama. Thousands of people are gathering for the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Our own Fredricka Whitfield, she is live in Selma, with complete coverage of President Obama's remarks later today and she's going to join us right after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Welcome back to historic downtown Selma, where the crowds are swelling. The anticipation is very great today because later on in the afternoon to help commemorate 50 years since Bloody Sunday the 44th and the 43rd United States presidents, President Barack Obama will be joined by ex-president former President George W. Bush here at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. And, of course, everyone remembers these -- the very disturbing images that came from 1965 when 300 marchers crossed that bridge, peaceful marchers crossed that bridge, and were met by billy clubs and state troopers and police from Selma.

And, of course, everyone remembers the, perhaps, the face of Bloody Sunday, U.S. Congressman John Lewis. He will be part of the ceremonies as well today.

But this really is a day of reflection. At the same time it is a day of looking forward. There are people here. There is great anticipation for the message from the President of the United States, especially at a time when so many seem to believe and are convinced that racial tensions are just as high today as they may have been during the height of the civil rights movement.

This year is also a year in which to commemorate the Voting Rights Act which came just a matter of five or six months after Bloody Sunday. Of course the march that took place from Selma to Montgomery.

The Oscar-nominated movie "Selma" despite being criticized for some factual inconsistencies, has helped renew interest, perhaps raise awareness, about this page of American history. And this Edmund Pettus Bridge, frankly, when people see it, they do think about those black and white images.

But people come by the bus loads here. It has also become a tourist attraction. People come here to see if they can feel anything of what the marchers may have felt in 1965. They walk across the bridge, they drive across the bridge.

And right now, we understand that Congressman John Lewis is actually just a few blocks away from here at Brown AME Chapel where civil rights foot soldiers would meet before they would carry out the march that took place on Edmund Pettus Bridge and we are looking forward to hearing from him later on today.

Brown is where Lewis and other civil right foot soldiers would get together and talk about their plan, what would happen if they would confront violence.

Here's a reflection of 1965.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMELIA BOYNTON ROBIN, MARCHED IN SELMA: I was standing up there and the people started running.

The black people were beaten, dogs were hit, and I just turned around to see and wondered why they were beating them so. I just couldn't understand.

PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just don't see how anybody can say that a man can fight Vietnam but he can't vote.

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER: We are here and we are standing before the forces of power in the state of Alabama saying, we aren't going to let nobody turn us around.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: When the President of the United States, Barack Obama, along with the first lady Michelle and his daughters, Sasha and Malia, arrive here they are going to see a sea of people here right at the foot of his podium which is also at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge here.

So what is his message going to be? I'm joined now by CNN political commentator Van Jones with me now. A lot of thought clearly had to go into his speech.

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, absolutely.

WHITFIELD: We understand that the President may speak as long as 40 minutes and it is a message that, of course, with a team of speech writers he in large part is writing himself.

JONES: He does that.

What do you suppose he is most conscientious of at this very somber, at the same time a reflective place.

JONES: You know, first of all, I mean if you don't get goose bumps here, there's something wrong. If you can get through the day without going through a box of tissues there's something wrong. And the President knows this. He is speaking now to the ages.

50 years ago, one of the youngest guys, John Lewis was almost beaten to death. Now he's one of the older guys here. You have a President of the United States who arguably would never have been elected except for what happened on the bridge behind him.

This is his big case, his big opportunity to speak to voting rights. Voting rights are under attack still. That bill that they got beaten up for has been gutted by the Supreme Court. There is a chance under his administration to fix the voting rights bill. He has to make that case and bring Americans back to that moment when people were pushed off the bridge, but Americans were pushed off the fence and stood up for voting rights. We've got to do it again. The President's got -- he has to make that case.

WHITFIELD: The President was here as a senator.

JONES: Yes.

WHITFIELD: In 2007, I think many people remember that. He said at that time because they marched, I got the kind of education I got. That I got a law degree and a seat in the Illinois Senate and ultimately in the United States senate is because they marched, I stand before you here today.

JONES: Yes.

WHITFIELD: That was 2007 as a senator. And now he returns to this place as the President of the United States.

JONES: As the President of the United States. I mean only in America. If you don't get goose bumps -- I remember that speech and I remember the way people felt about him just as the senator. Black people and white people in this country --

WHITFIELD: They were divided. Many black people were divided.

JONES: At that moment. But that was one of the speeches that brought the black community around to him. They had never heard him speak that way about civil rights. They had never him speak from his heart in that way. That was a moment that brought the black community to him.

But now he's got to bring the country to him on the question of voting rights. I was talking to William Barber from the NAACP. He says that there are bills that are moving through that could be greatly improved if the public knew how badly the voting rights bill has been damaged. Everybody in America loves the fact that voting rights bill passed. They don't know the damage that the Supreme Court has done. He should use this as a moment not just to talk about history but to talk about the present need to protect the rights of all voters.

WHITFIELD: And one of the concerns that we're hearing even from people here in Alabama and many southern states, many of the nine southern states that had that protection under that voting rights act, the concern has been expressed that there they're worried that now local governments have the discretion to change voting rules.

JONES: And that's very dangerous.

WHITFIELD: Whether it be the kind of I.D. that you have; whether it be redistricting -- and that's what people are talking about when they worry about the disintegration of the voting rights act.

JONES: And some of the bills that are moving forward right now would leave even Alabama uncovered. So some of the bills that are going through right now just don't have the teeth, they just don't have the punch that the original voting rights bill did. We still have some people who would like to limit who votes.

So this president, I think, he's here, can you imagine his daughters, having read the history books, having seen that bridge, in the history books, to be standing there with their father now the President of the United States.

WHITFIELD: And this is intentional. This is intentional for the President to bring his daughters for that very reason. He will be, we understand, delivering a message about the next generation.

JONES: So important.

WHITFIELD: They are the benefactors of what these civil rights soldiers have done.

JONES: Let me say something about this president's process as well. You know, listen, every politician has a speechwriter, but when -- it's a big moment like this, he closes the door. It's him by himself. And he is going to be speaking from his heart. This is not going to be something scripted based on polls. This is going to come from the soul of the President of the United States today.

WHITFIELD: All right. Van Jones -- thanks so much. You're going to be with me throughout the day.

JONES: Yes.

WHITFIELD: This is going to be a riveting day. It is just beginning to unfold -- hundreds of people turning out. We know thousands.

JONES: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Also you mentioned that 25-year-old man, now Congressman John Lewis --

JONES: A legend now.

WHITFIELD: -- what is he thinking about now?

JONES: Can you imagine to have been -- when you're on the ground being beaten you're not thinking about history. You're not thinking about 50 years. You're not thinking about a black president. You're thinking about am I going to ever see my mother again.

WHITFIELD: Right.

JONES: And to come back 50 years later a global icon, the eyes of the world upon him and the President of the United States pointing to you and saying but for you I wouldn't be here, I cannot imagine what it would be like. I mean what a country. What a story.

WHITFIELD: Really.

JONES: I mean if you don't -- if you can get through the day without the tissue boxes.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: It really is an amazing story. We are going to hear directly from John Lewis about that story, about that feeling, and the meaning of all this when we come right back.

Athena Jones had a lovely conversation with the congressman right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: President Obama has been delayed in leaving for Selma, Alabama, for the 50th anniversary of the Selma marches. Our own Erin McPike has the very latest. Erin -- what do we know about this?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne there was a security concern about a vehicle that was on the 1600 block of Constitution Avenue and as you know, that is about four or five blocks south of the White House. Because of that, the White House wasn't on lockdown but they did have some security concerns. They kept the press inside the briefing room so they couldn't go out on to the south lawn for the departure of Marine One and the first family could then not take Marine One, instead they are motorcading in order to fly to Selma.

Basically this is going to delay the first family by about a half hour, so whether or not President Obama can speak at 2:30, that remains to be seen. It could be that he speaks a little bit later. These things do happen with some frequency. They just have to change plans a little bit when they happen, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. So no major concerns, Erin?

MCPIKE: Not really. Again a secret service dog picked up a hit on this suspicious vehicle. It was four or five blocks away from the White House, but, you know, there wasn't a concern directly at the White House and so the first family is now, again, on the way to Selma.

MALVEAUX: Erin McPike, good to hear everything is going well. Appreciate that.

And of course, we want to take it back to our own Fredricka Whitfield, the coverage of the 50th anniversary of the Selma march.

Fred -- just extraordinary group of people who gathered there today and really, just an incredible occasion, very emotional.

WHITFIELD: It really is. It's emotional. I've talked to so many people who also say, it is like a renewal for them. They come here every year, but this year will be different. And they don't mind. They won't mind that the president is going to be late as long as he's here. They certainly feel that there's a special meaning to his presence here in downtown Selma.

So one of the most courageous men in the civil rights movement, that is what so many have recognized him as, U.S. Congressman John Lewis, and our Athena Jones had the privilege of sitting down and reflecting with him to find out exactly what is he thinking on a day like this 50 years after being so badly beaten on this bridge behind us.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I had a chance to sit down with him. I had a chance to walk over this bridge, the Edmund Pettus Bridge with Congressman John Lewis. He talked to me about the violence and the brutality he not only witnessed but that he himself suffered on that day 50 years ago today. And he also talked to me about the legacy of that historic march.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CONG. JOHN LEWIS, MARCHED AT SELMA: The bridge of Selma is almost a holy place. It is a place where people gave a little blood to redeem the soul of America. In this city, people couldn't register to vote simply because of the color of their skin, so we had to change that.

A. JONES: John Lewis was just 25 years old.

LEWIS: I can never forget what it felt like to be on this bridge on Bloody Sunday. We came to the highest point down below. We saw a sea of blue -- Alabama state troopers. And behind the state troopers, we saw men on horseback. We got within hearing distance of the state troopers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're ordered to disperse, go home or go to your church.

LEWIS: And the major said, "troopers advance". I thought over and over again, they're going to arrest us. They came towards us, beating us with night sticks, tramping us with horses. I went down on my knees. My legs went out from under me. I thought I was going to die.

A. JONES: he was carried back to the clutch where the march had begun and there he issued a challenge to President Lyndon Johnson.

LEWIS: I stood up and said, I don't understand it, how President Johnson can send troops to Vietnam, but cannot send troops to Selma, Alabama to protect people who only desire to register to vote.

A. JONES: After Bloody Sunday President Johnson spoke before congress.

JOHNSON: It is wrong, deadly wrong, to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country. It's not just Negros, but really, it's all of us. Who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice, and we shall overcome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was the first American presidents to use the theme song of the civil rights movement. I looked at Dr. King, tears came down his face. I started crying a little.

I didn't like for anybody to see me cry, but I cried. President Johnson sent out the National Guard, part of the United States military, to protect us all the way from Selma to Montgomery.

JONES: On August 6th, President Johnson signed the landmark Voting Rights Act ensuring that all citizens could vote, regardless of their color. The Supreme Court struck down a key provision of that law in 2013. Efforts to fix it have stalled in Congress.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we fail to fix it, many of our fellow citizens will not be able to become participants in the democratic process.

JONES: It's also why he returns to this bridge, every year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The vote is as powerful, it is the most powerful, nonviolent tool we have in the democratic society. I don't want people to forget that people paid a price.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: So it really was a moving conversation I was able to have with the congressman and moving retelling of the story and we'll hear from him again later today when he introduces the president.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Of course, we look forward to that. Then you asked him what I think everybody wants to know, were you ever angry and what did he say?

JONES: That's right. You look at this video and think I would be angry, weren't you angry? He said I wasn't angry. I had a sense of righteous indignation. That's what he said.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right, Athena Jones, thank you so much for bringing that sit down conversation with John Lewis.

JONES: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Of course, there were lesser known civil rights activists who also were a part of history. Coming up, I'm going to introduce you to them, including the smallest freedom fighter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now what do you little girls want, and we said freedom in our own little childish voices.

WHITFIELD: Did you know what that meant?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not at the time, but it didn't take long.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just because you're a young person don't think you can't make a difference, OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back to our special live coverage from Selma. This historic city has been transformed into a sea of people. There are so many folks who are turning out and the numbers continue to grow.

We've already seen Martin Luther King, Jr. arrive, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who we had the honor of talking with in a matter of moments as well as C.T. Vivienne, as you call received the presidential Medal of Freedom last year.

So here we are at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge and 1965, 300 marchers crossed that bridge. Among the most recognizable faces you know, U.S. Congressman John Lewis, who will be taking to the stage later on today with the president of the United States as well as the former President George W. Bush.

But also on that bridge, on Bloody Sunday, was an 8-year-old who has come to be known as the smallest freedom fighter. She, along with others, sat down with me and shared their memories.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): Three witnesses to one powerful cataclysmic moment in American civil rights history.

(on camera): What happens when you walk into this church?

(voice-over): Sheyann Webb.

SHEYANN WEBB, "THE SMALLEST FREEDOM FIGHTER": This is where it all began with me as that little girl.

WHITFIELD: Who at age 8.

WEBB: We sat in the front row, always sat on the front row.

WHITFIELD: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. himself named the smallest freedom fighter invited to attend voting rights march planning meetings at Brown Chapel.

WEBB: And he said, now what do you little girls want? We said freedom, in our own little childish voices.

WHITFIELD (on camera): Did you know what that meant?

WEBB: Not at the time, but it didn't take long for me to know what that meant.

SAM WALKER, NATIONAL VOTING RIGHTS MUSEUM AND INSTITUTE HISTORIAN: Back at that time you had the water fountains.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): Sam Walker was just 11 years old living in a very segregated Selma.

WALKER: I don't have a reason to be depressed or dejected. I look at one of these walls. These walls represent a victory, you know. They represent a victory for the people.

WHITFIELD: Today, he nearly single handily protects both troubling and inspirational mementos that provide vivid detail about Bloody Sunday like the sheriff's night stick, worn shoes from marchers, and photographs, all at the Selma Voting Rights Museum, Walker.

WALKER: Just because you're a young person don't think you can't make a difference, OK.

WHITFIELD: Teaching the next generation how good they have it.

WALKER: One of the things they used to do to the people, make you take a test before you could register called a literacy test. They had trick questions that no one could get the right answer to. Guess how many jelly beans in the jar.

WHITFIELD (on camera): For health reasons and a little Parkinson's you weren't sure if you were going to make the trip but now that you're here.

REVEREND ORLOFF MILLER, WITNESSED DEADLY ATTACK ON REVEREND JIM REID: I'm very glad I came.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): Reverend Orloff Miller, who will never forget this street corner and witnessing the savagery of hate leading a mob of white segregationists to beat and kill his colleague Reverend Jim Reid for what they said was his betrayal of the white race.

MILLER: You are standing about where the attack took place. They came from behind us. And we heard them coming because they said hey, you -- and we agreed, just keep walking. One of them had a club slammed it against James Reid's head here.

I dropped to the ground because we had been trained to do that, went into a fetal position to protect myself. I got kicked in the head. Clark had his glasses broken and pummeled a bit, but neither of us were seriously hurt. It was Jim who got the whole bit and all was over in about 30 seconds.

WHITFIELD: Each of them recalling March 7, 1965, their experiences independently unique, yet the anguish similarly felt.

WEBB: The song, the melodies of hope, those spiritual songs, and the freedom songs, that were being sung, "Ain't Going To Let Nobody Turn Me Around," "This Little Light Of Mine I'm Going To Let It Shine," "We Shall Not Be Moved" that was clear.

That will strike a chord with any child and being just in the midst of listening to Dr. King's speeches, the words in which he uttered to the courageous people that were here to join in that struggle.

WHITFIELD (on camera): This was 50 years ago. You're 58 now. You remember this like it was yesterday.

WEBB: Well, this was not a movie, neither a documentary, what I witnessed and experienced every day during that time as that disobedient 8-year-old it was live and in living color. People were challenged with all types of hatred and racism, inequality, injustices, violence, tears, and even death of people, that I had the opportunity to witness as that child and then to see them die, for something that they really believed in, it was devastating.

WHITFIELD: And how did you keep going? How did you maintain that hope and that faith that this was worth it? That you were going to get there with this group of people you just met.

WEBB: You couldn't be a part of such a movement at such a time and not have that fight in you.

WALKER: Never give up, never think it's hopeless because there can be victory at the end if you keep fighting.

MILLER: Where do we go from here?

WHITFIELD (voice-over): On this 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, many of the hundreds who lived through this journey of securing voting rights for everyone, willing to look back, retrace footsteps to help better secure this never happens again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And protecting voter rights continues to be a great concern, especially after the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing states a certain discretion before changing any voting rules.

Among those very concerned about that, the Reverend Andrew Young, who I'll be talking to the next hour. You'll hear from him. And also, very concerned about that very issue, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who is with me now.

You just arrived moments ago and you see the crowd swelling here and you reminded me and you're letting people know that this is not really a celebration, this great music going on, but in your view, this is a signal that there is still a lot of work to be done.

REVEREND JESSE JACKSON, PRESIDENT, RAINBOW PUSH COALITION: A call for protest, as a matter of fact, what was significant about the 1965 Voting Rights Act was the protection against schemes and voter I.D. schemes in districts.

When the Supreme Court removed Section Four, they removed the protection like removing the troops in the last century. The result is now you have more votes and less power because of marginalization.

Second the issue of poverty (inaudible) invited Dr. King, houses without running water and outdoor toilets, living in trailers and the like, this must have been LBJ moment, legislation as well as the issue on poverty. WHITFIELD: But who do you blame or what is the cause particularly for Selma, people come here as tourists, they want to know more about the history of 1965, around it and beyond, but then they come here and they will see that after they crossed the bridge there's a lot of blithe and dilapidation, unemployment is very low --

JACKSON: Very high.

WHITFIELD: Exactly. It's very high. Employment is very low and you've got one in five children living in poverty here?

JACKSON: We have a million people in Alabama in poverty, yet the governor rejects $8 billion to $10 billion in Medicaid money, $100 million sent here for education, spent on prison development so it's a misappropriation of funds.

So the Voting Rights Act of '65 was different in 1870 because it had the protection from the federal government. The Supreme Court removed Section 4, which left us with the car without the key. You see state legislatures moving toward the ideology.

There's a need to restore section for those politicians that come here, must fight to restore Section Four. Some who are coming here will not fight to restore Section Four.

If you're for Shelby, march in Shelby, do not be here protesting for the version and, in fact, supporting the Shelby version. Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction -- too many poor people in too much pain.

WHITFIELD: That really is the parallel to the civil rights movement and that was behind --

JACKSON: Dr. King said have the right to vote and only recycling poverty and pain is a vote without substance.

WHITFIELD: All right, Reverend Jesse Jackson, thank you so much. Good to see you. Appreciate it.

JACKSON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. And we'll have much more from Selma right after this.

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SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: Checking top stories. Russian state media is reporting that two suspects have been arrested in the assassination of opposition leader, Boris Nemtsov. Russian officials say the suspect from the north caucuses region, which has been a hot bed of rebellion against Moscow for years. Nemtsov, one of President Vladimir Putin's most vocal critics was shot in the back one week ago. Surveillance video captured the murder.

And tonight, Hillary Clinton speaking in Coral Gables, Florida, at a Clinton Global Initiative Conference, and it is possible she could address the growing controversy over a private e-mail account that she kept as secretary of state. Clinton will take part in a panel moderated by Larry Willmore, the host of Comedy Central's "The Nightly Show."

And nine potential Republican candidates for president are in Iowa today speaking at an agricultural summit. It is Jeb Bush's first Iowa appearance since stepping forward as a potential candidate. He'll be joined by Governor Scott Walker, Rick Perry and Chris Christie, as well as Senators Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham.

And right after this, we're going to go back to Fredricka Whitfield for more special coverage, the Selma Marches, 50 years later.

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WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in downtown historic Selma, Alabama, at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The president of the United States will be taking to the podium right behind me later on this afternoon. Air Force One is now in the air along with the first family, making their way here.

The schedule has slipped because of the delay at the White House. But so far, everything is still on schedule. Meantime, still on schedule for so many people who have turned out here, I've talked to people who are on buses, from Minnesota. I talked to folks who got on planes from Arizona.

And our Ryan Young is in the thick of it right now, and he is talking to a number of people who have come from all over the country representing all walks of life. Ryan, what are you finding?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've been working our way through the crowd. I can tell you, we have talked to people as far away as from California, who decided to drive this direction. If you look at the swell of people as they are trying to work their way around the security gates, they wanted to be here to have a part of history.

They want to be a part of this. In fact, we met a family from Florida, who said they traveled all the way up here to make sure they were a part of history. And we were talking about this, just the idea that you really wanted to be here for your family because of what today meant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. You know, when we look at history and see all the things that were done for our rights to be able to have opportunities in life we have, and then the right to vote, it was definitely significant for us to be here and not just for us, but that we have our grandchild with us, as well as our daughters.

Unfortunately, our sons couldn't be here with us. But, you know, it's really about bringing family into the fold of understanding the importance of standing up for our rights.

YOUNG: Perfect. And that's what everybody has been talking about, standing up for their rights. In fact, she is a teacher and wanted to be sure she was here so she could tell her students about the experience. When you look around this crowd and see so many people talking together, they're really talking about the shared experience of being here for this very important day.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ryan, in large part, a lot of people are talking about reunions, too. Some make the pilgrimage here every year, but this is different with the 50th anniversary. Thank you so much. We'll check back with you. Meantime, we'll have much more from Selma, Alabama, after this.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was standing up there, and the people started running.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And all of a sudden, racism unleashed its brutality upon us.

WHITFIELD: Fifty years ago today, a moment in the civil rights movement changed America.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll never forget seeing hundreds of policemen with tear gas masks, and state troopers on horses, and you could see dogs and policemen with Billy clubs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were really doing something so that our children would have a better life.

WHITFIELD: Today, we celebrate those who sacrificed so much in Selma.

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