aspect of south carolina tourism in south carolina, and we're hurting the families who lost their loved ones. thank you all for giving me this opportunity to speak to you. i hope that you find some place in your heart to do the right thing. our colleague, representative ott, has given you exactly what you've asked for. has given you exactly what you have asked for. there's no delay. we can vote on it tonight. we can get it to the senate or we can to a resolution that is right here in the house of representatives. let's don't fool the pooe people of south carolina. we can do this.. we can do this. i've heard today we want to make sure that we have votes from the constituency that we serve. our constituents elected us. they entrusted their vote in us. if they did not trust you, they would not have sent you here. you all are not the only ones getting the phone calls. i've been threatened. i've been told that i would never be elected again. but i will tell you one thing, i don't come here to be re-elected. because if i do the right thing, the people of my district will elect me again. and i

carolina's past we want to see this part of south carolina's future go in the right direction. so i thank everybody that is with me today. ant to also acknowledge these nine pens are going to each of the nine families of the emanuel nine. [ cheers and applause ] may we never forget the actions that those people took to get us to this point today. and then i've got a couple other pens. many people have talked about the courage that took place by so many across this state, but one person started this almost two decades ago, and that was governor david beasley. the last time i saw him, i said you started it and he said well, i need you to finish it. [ applause ] >>> and the second one was someone who also understands what this can feel like what intentioning can feel like what it means to do something. he is the person that brought of confederate flag off the dome. i want to thank you for all that you have done in terms of support and all that you have down for south carolina in the past. >> thank you, governor. >>> and these two are for me so with that i will tell you thank you v

carolina differently. >> this is a new south carolina. how the action of nine individuals laid out the long chain of events that forever showed the state of south carolina what love and forgiveness looks like and i will tell you that now this is about our children because when they go back and look in the history books while we're still grieving and the grieving will last for a long time when the emotions start to fade the history of the actions that took place by everyone in south carolina to get us to the moment is one that we can all be proud of. >> reporter: the eyes of the world were on south carolina as the governor signed that bill and said that this flag will come down. even the former president bill clinton weighed in. >> i almost cried when i saw that picture of the south carolina legislature yesterday with the republicans and democrats and the african-americans and white people embracing each other and making that vote and seeing the decisive speech made by a woman who is a different descendant of jefferson davis. don't tell me

it's a new day in south carolina. we need to leave here today when this flag comes down off of the dome saying it's a new day in south carolina. >> why is it new? >> it's new because something that we have wrestled for for over 20 years, we can see that came into existence now. listen, in 1962 i was 1 year old, and this flag really it was said that the flag would go up for the centennial. it would remain up for almost a year. >> say this one more time. 1961. >> 1962. >> '62. >> i was 1 year old. the agreement was for this flag to go up on the dome for the centennial. >> and it never came down. >> and it never came down. >> and there are people who believe that this flag has been here since the civil war. >> no. >> no. >> 1962. >> and it went up for the centennial. >> that's right. and the agreement was then that it would stay up for the rest of that year and come down and it never came down until 2000 when it was taken down off the dome and then placed on this pole. and we fought then. what should have happened then i

history is about to be made in south carolina. these are live pictures you are looking at from columbia, the state's capitol. in moments the confederate flag will start coming down from that flag pole. it has been there for the last 15 years. the flag had flown over the capitol dome for decades before that. our diane eastabrook is live in columbia this morning. diane, tell us what is happening there right now, and what the mood is. >> reporter: well stephanie there are several thousand people here right now, we estimate maybe between 5 and 7,000 people. everyone is waiting for the honor guard and the governor to come out of the state house and begin the ceremony. we were supposed to start at 10:00, these things sometimes run a little bit behind. we don't know a whole lot about the ceremony. we know the flag is going to be taken down. there will be no music, and then the flag will be transported by an armored vehicle to the south carolina confederate relics room and military museum. many different people here in the crowd. there ar

i'm from south carolina. i'm from georgetown south carolina. i'm in the low country on the coast. >> how long have you been fighting for this? >> we have been fighting for this for the last 20 years. >> and you see this man behind you, someone just walked up and said the south is under attack and he's carrying the rebel flag. what do you think of that? >> well i think that he failed to realize what we're doing here today. we're taking this flag down. i marched in 2000. bishop john hurst adams was the bishop of the ame church in south carolina and we marched in 2000. i was not a legislator then. i got elected in 2004. in the 2000 it was more people than you see out here today, and we set the precedent for them to take down the flag off of the dome. the flag came off of the dome and it was placed on this pole by the monument. we have been fighting for 15 years since because that happened in 2000. >> so for people to think it's just over

it was hard growing up in south carolina. be what i've always been proud of and what i work towards is to make sure today is better than yesterday and that my kids don't go through what we went through. now i feel good because know i know my kids can look up and there won't be a flag and it will be one less reason to divide and more reasons for us to come together. >> now, as i understand you went up and looked over at the flag in the capitol this morning and it was important for you to do that. why? >> i needed to see it one last time. i wanted to remember the moment. so much of this has been a whirlwind over the last several weeks, it's been extremely emotional but i needed to see what was about to happen. the one thing that has gotten me through this was ethel lance used to sing a song all the time and it would say "one day at a time sweet jesus. give me the strength to do everyday what i have to do." that's what's kept me going it's not worry about anything else but to continue to get the strength to do what i have to do.

carolina house members and south carolina senators. the governor former governors such as governor beasley, superintendent of education. there were way too many to name. >> hold on on the phone if you can. i want to go back to joy reid you're outside there. you can see the smiling and the jubilation inside the room. what is it like outside? >> yeah absolutely. i don't know if you can see it from here but there's another honk and wave. this is it something that's happening every day we've been here. people driving by you've had groups of people hoisting their confederate flags and saying wave at us if you're on our end. other people saying honk if you want to take it down. the honking has been pretty loud since governor nikki haley signed that bill removing the confederate flag one person still holding out. they have their confederate flag and u.s. flag flying upside down. a lot of jubilation here in the park. and i wanted to know quickly, did nikki haley mention one of the people she gave the pen to was governor beesdy. he is believed

carolina -- that does not represent all the people of south carolina. we need to remember that. in that regard, it is part of our history. it needs to be honored in whatever way, but as far as on these statehouse grounds, it is not part of our future. it is part of our past. i think we need to leave it at that. thank you very much. >> senator, for what purpose do you rise? >> senator from richland. >> the words from the center of pickens, will they be recorded in the journal? >> without objection. senator from berkeley? >> i would like to ask unanimous consent to distribute materials to the members desks. >> without objection. >> i appreciate what the senator from pickens had to say. i want to speak briefly against in the met before the bill -- amendment before the bill. i introduced this bill and am proud to have introduced it with so many cosponsors, not because i our friend was assassinated not too many days ago. we should pass this bill not because of that, or because of the eight members of his congregation who were murdered, and we should not pass

not just for south carolina an the south but for the entire country. this flag is a symbol of terror and of subjugation, we may be on the verge of bringing a conclusion to the civil war. >> this is where you grew up, south carolina. what were your feelings to see this process completed and in effect as we look back on the last couple of weeks of this legislatively, how quickly and smoothly it was completed. >> remarkable, remarkable. this is a state with an indian-american governor, signing this bill in to law. elected black senator from the south since reconstruction. it's not the south carolina i grew up in that's for sure. one could have anticipated the sort of rear guard action that was fought in the south carolina house to try to keep the flag there. the intervention by state representative jenny corn, descendent of jefferson davis who emotionally demanded that the house take the action that she knew would be to take and don't tell me anything about heritage. this is for many people a symbol of hate and needs to come down. that was absolutely rema

south carolina senator, presidential candidate, lindsey graham, is not in south carolina today. he is on the stump running for the presidency. live in new hampshire. senator, how are you and good morning to you? >> well, i'm doing good, thank you. bill: there is a bit of delay on the signal. try to get through that as best we could or can now. you saw some of the images from columbia. what was your view of that? because earlier in the week you said that the flag had to come down thank god it has. >> well it is a historic moving day. i was born in 1955. the flag has been up most of my life. if we had not taken the flag down we could not have movedded forward as the state. congratulations to the governor and statehouse. after the shooting in charleston we could have done one of two things, become more divisive or reconcile with each other. we chose the path of reconciliation. i'm sorry it took the murder of nine people in a church to bring about this moment but i'm very proud of my state and let's move forward. bill: what do you think it accomplishes, senator? >> i think it is a t

i was in south carolina recently, and we're all over. i'm going to -- this weekend i'll be with clint eastwood in california. tremendous group of people. >> well the weekend is here and donald trump is in los angeles getting ready to hang out with this guy. >> so mr. president, how do you handle -- how do you handle promises that you've made when you're running for election? and how do you handle it? i mean what do you say to people? do you just -- i know people are wondering. you don't -- okay. what do you mean shut up? okay. >> that was a defining moment for the republican party. an embarrassment on a national stage. so donald trump in hollywood tonight, what could possibly go wrong? that's next. when you travel, we help you make all kinds of connections. connections you almost miss. and ones you never thought you'd make. we help connect where you are. to places you never thought you'd go. this, is why we travel. and why we continue to create new technology to connect you to the people and places that matter. i like my seafood like i l

this is south carolina. people are very polite and like to follow traditions and do things the right way. >> it's interesting the governor's already indicated this will then move on to a museum. people can catch it there. but she said she would not punish or fine or nor would there be anything that would be -- detrimental to those who want to fly the flag in their private home or community. how will that go down and what are you hearing how many residents want to do that? >> reporter: this bill has nothing too do with what people do on their private property. it's narrowly worded and only, it pacts what flags can be flown on the property here in the south carolina state house in columbia i will imagine that this bill will have very little impact on what people do in front of their homes. people who -- south carolinians who are uncomfortable by the confederate flag will continue to fly the american flag and the south carolina state flag, which in my humble opinion is one of the most beautiful state flags. it

football bowl games can also come back to south carolina. charleston lobbied for a bowl in 2004 but was turned down because of the ban. this weekend the naacp will introduce an emergency meeting to lift the bab. the group could decide to hold an annual conference. for more on the flag coming down and what it has meant for south carolina and other southern states, you head to nbcwashington.com and search south carolina. >> let's take you back to live pictures from new york. the national soccer team rolling down the streets of manhattan for a ticker tape parade. more than 20 million people watched sunday as they won 5-2. little girls wrapped in the american flag began lining up early this morning to cheer on their team. very cool. >> a perfect summer day under way. temperatures now near eighty. low humidity in place. with us for the afternoon. then the clouds come in over night. after midnight maybe light showers in the metro and parts of maryland and then through the morning an saturday they drift through virginia and the lower eastern shore

carolina shooting in a black church. >> we're here to announce that a federal grand jury in south carolina has returned a 33-count indictment against dylann storm roof charging him with hate charges, in killing african-american parishioners in charleston south carolina. because of their race and in order to interfere with their exercise of their religion. within the indictment several months prior to the tragic event of june 17th we've conceived of his goal of increasing racial tension out there the nation and seeking retribution for perceived wrongs that he believed african-americans have committed against white people. to carry out these twin goals of fanning the racial flames and exacting revenge, roof further decided to seek out and murder african-americans because of their race. an essential element of his plan however, was to find his victims inside of a church. specifically an african-american church to ensure the greatest notoriety and intention to his actions. as alleged, roof set out the evening of june 17 2015 to carry out this plan. and drove to the episcopal church in south ca

it was hard growing up in south carolina. but what i've always been proud of and what i worked for is to make sure that today is better than yesterday and that my kids don't go through what we went through and now i feel good because now i know my kids can look up and there won't be a flag and there will be more reasons. i needed to see it one last time. i wanted to remember the moment. so much of this has been a whirlwind and it's been extremely emotional. i just needed to see what was about to happen. >> this flag went up in 1962 correct? do you think it was a sort of poke in the eye to the civil rights movement? >> you know i'm not going to try and figure out why people did what they did. i think the more important part is it just never should have been there and i think that even when it was on the grounds of the statehouse it was right in front. and these grounds are a place that everybody should feel a part of. and these grounds are a place that should be -- that belong to the people of south carolina. and what i have r

i'll ask them to stay out of south carolina. we don't need either one of these two groups here. [ applause ] >> we don't need those two groups here trying to divide us and get us to fight amongst ourselves. going back to that flag being offensive to some of my brothers and sisters in here. the words of lewis farrakon offended me, calling for the death of my grandchildren, which is basically what he did. and that group stood up and said, you're wrong. that's wrong. and i want to thank those folks for doing that. i was waiting to hear that voice, and i heard it. and i thank you for it. this yellow jasmine is not representative of white south carolinaians, dark south car line carolinaens. it's representative of our state flower. i ask that you help me put it on these grounds at that memorial if that memorial changes. >> pending question. is the adoption of amendment 29. mr. murphy moves to table amendment pitt 29. mr. white requests a roll call. to nine members second his request? nine do. we'll vote on the board. pending question

we'll have more on south carolina with the granddaughter of the late south carolina senator and segregationist strom thurmond after headlines. as south carolina lawmakers vote to take down the confederate battle flag, republicans in the u.s. congress blocked a measure to remove any flag with confederate symbols from national cemeteries. they were true the best-selling protest by democrats. >> the members of the republican conference to support the confederate battle flag apparently argue that this is about heritage and tradition. what exactly is the tradition the confederate battle flag is meant to represent? is it slavery? rape? kidnap? genocide? treason? or all of the above? amy: about two hours from the state capital in the debate over the confederate flag, the mother of walter scott visited the site of her sons death for the first time. walter scott was an unarmed african-american man shot dead in april by white police officer michael slager who is charged with murder after video showed he shot scott in the back as he ran away. walter scott's brother, anthony spoke during the family's visi

of south carolina. if you don't agree with us by the way, there never was a compromise. there never was a compromise. the officials of the state of south carolina decided we don't have to talk to those people. we'll make the decision for south carolina. and they did. >> that man you just heard from lonnie randolph, president of the south carolina naacp joins me now and janine dernon. calling for the flag's removal. thank you for joining us. lonnie, many people say it's a loss of the emanuel nine is the reason the flag went down a triumph over tragedy is a reason why. you said it started with the economic boycott that helped lead to this moment. why that as well? >> well it's a combination of factors. and it is sad that we can -- we should -- we can even discuss the loss of nine lives, 500 years of life thereabouts, because of the hate that somebody associated with the confederacy. i'm almost speechless because, yes, things like this could have been prevented had this state and had states period in this

this is a story about the history of south carolina. and how the action of nine individual individuals laid out this long chain of events that forever showed the state of south carolina what love and forgiveness looks like. when the emotions start to fade, the history of the actions that took place by everyone in south carolina to get us to this moment is one that we can all be proud of. >> that was governor nikki haley just after 4:00 thursday afternoon, right before signing the bill that got us here today. she is just one of the lawmakers that have been in the spotlight throughout this process. i'm joined by chuck todd moderator of "meet the press." let's talk about the governor here. as this helicopter flies overhead, one of the law enforcement helicopters that's monitoring the crowd here in front of the state house. governor haley, she had opposed this action. she reversed her position after that massacre in charleston. when you watch the way that she's handled herself over the last few weeks, are we witnessing the rise of a politic

we're live from south carolina now, columbia, south carolina. it's hard to ignore what happened at the church. the reverend malloy was at the funeral. i want you to listen to what he's going to have to say and then we're going to talk to him. >> declare all the change that you wanted to see, and all the change that you wanted to do. because of you, we will see the confederate flag come down here in the state of south carolina. you're the one that did it. it's coming down. joe malloy is here with me. thank you, jentle men, for joining me. >> did you ever see this day would come? >> i thought after the eulogy, it very well would happen then. i did not know it would happen in my lifetime! what do you think clinton would say about this? >> clinton is a person who would sort of minimize himself and inflate everybody else. he'd be asking then what? what is next? >> you said shefsz always in your business. she's a business busy body. >> she would hope that it's not just a moment. that it's the beginning of her movement. that there's a lot more work to

one of the things we joke about is south carolina was the first to see mississippi -- south carolina was the first to secede, mississippi was not far behind. >> what you have seen over the last two weeks is an effort by members of the democratic caucus to put closure to an open wound that has been here for a long time. i live in mississippi. i have lived my entire life. i've had to endure a lot of atrocities that african-americans have had to enter at the hands of officials who waive this flag. when the civil war started south carolina and mississippi had more african-americans living in its state than they had any other race. but they were all slaves. this war was fought over slavery. the symbol was a confederate battle flag. people still see this flag is a symbol that the war is not over that it is heritage and not taped. you lost the war. it is time for you to join the rest of the country and be the united states of america. we should have a place for those things to be. over our capitals, and be representatives of the states that we live in is an insult because of what they stand

and the governor of south carolina led. i said over and over again, the leaders must be headlight and not taillights. >> congressman, just very quickly, your reaction to what happened on capitol hill yesterday. a lot of anger and outrage that this debate in some ways found itself on the house floor. >> well, i think there comes a time when you have to dramatise what is good and what is necessary to set things right, to set things in order. we have to disturb the sense of false peace. and i think that's what members on our side of the aisle were doing yesterday, saying there's not any room on government property or government buildings, parks, public lands, for symbols of the dark past. >> all right. congressman john lewis, thank you so much pop for your insights on this historic friday afternoon. we appreciate it. >> thank you. >>> and we will have much more ahead on "andrea mitchell reports" including the incredible scene in new york city earlier today. my school reunion's coming fast. could be bad. could be a blast. can't

south carolina -- south carolina. i keep thinking we're better than this. and we keep falling right down the same path. people have touched on it. let me say something about slavery. slavery was the purpose of the civil war. let's not play with it let's not be delusional. slavery was the economic engine that drove the south. and those of us that are in business if we took morality out of it, what a business model. free labor. everybody could be successful in business if they had free labor. you just don't have to have a moral compass. so here we are with a situation as it relates to the civil war being identified with us an opportunity to move forward and we step in it. we blow it. we totally blow it. you know it's interesting when you study slavery and the economics of it each slave ship that went to africa in the time of slavery each slave ship cost, in the day's dollars about $13,000, in dollars then about $13,000 and you know how much profit they made on each slave ship about $230,000. that isn't bad. $13,000 investment you make $230,000 back in that pe

south carolina we don't have expansion, we should. the right to vote has been attacked. we stand up against that. the criminal justice system is unfair and racist. those are the things we are fighting to overcome and to change and part of the problem is the confederate flag keeping it, the mind-set up until # die, is the same. if you understood the message, you'd have to have nine people die, you'd never put it up. you would have taken it down by now. to go from city to city county to country, back when i bet him. i understood that. i did my history and research. i'm not going to spend time trying to take his monument down. >> let me get a quick word from bertram hayes davis. right now in birmingham they are talking about taking down a monument moving it to a privately owned park. is that an appropriate way to handle it quickly before we go. >> everyone has make a decision as long as they understand the reasoning of what the mon awement stands for. if it is offensive to individuals or the public it needs to be moved, i condone that, that is a good idea. i don't see the d

south carolina today. in hours, the confederate battle flag coming down from where it is flown in defiance. where will the flag go? a museum. >> the battle doesn't end in south carolina. petitions are spreading across the nation and the battle is ratcheting up in the halls of congress. we begin live in columbia. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, michaela. the governor signed this bill into law by the lawmakers who helped make it a reality. also present, the families of those nine victims killed in the massacre in charleston 23 days ago. each family will receive a pen used during the signing of the ceremony. the governor made remarks before signing the bill. listen to what she had to say about this historic moment. >> this is a story about action. this is a story about the history of south carolina and how the action of nine individuals laid out this long chain of events that forever showed the state of south carolina what love and forgiveness looks like. >> reporter: now the governor will not be mak

in those years, south carolina fought the decision. in fact, flying the confederate flag over the state capitol was viewed by many white south carolinians as a defiant response to the civil rights movement and desegregation. after weeks of outrage to the black community in charleston, following the shooting of walter scott by a police officer, and the mass shooting at an ame church, she believes that there's an opportunity. >> our community responded in such a beautiful way in coming together and mourning together, and in burying the dead together. but now it's time to take it to another step. now it's time to really sit down with one another. and it's time for our school system to look at how it's educating our youth. >> we serve everybody in charleston county. we need to make sure that we understand what that means. >> nelson rivers is the pastor of charity missionary baptist church in north charleston, south carolina, and he joins me from columbia. here's my question, can charleston take this moment of un inimmy, over the confederat

that "new day" declared by the governor of south carolina is today. it's been three weeks since a senseless church massacre in charleston and real positive progressive action -- yes, i said action -- has been taken. that flag that has divided the state for decades and was embraced by the church killer is no longer flying next to the state capital. it's now down for good. i want you to watch this and listen to the reaction of the crowd that gathered in columbia. [ cheers and applause ] [ cheers and applause ] [ crowd chanting "usa" ] ♪ hey, hey, hey, good-bye >>> a lot of emotion amid that pomp and circumstance. this is columbia, south carolina, where the confederate battle flag, the rebel flag, was ceremoniously lowered and taken away. all of this playing out like you're seeing just about two hours ago. and if you want to see that flag now, you will have to go to a museum that's holding a lot of other historical relics and artifacts from a bygone era. cnn tonight anchor don lemon just finished speaking with south carolina's governor nikki haley. he

south carolina has done a lot of things right. i stand here to you tonight, ladies and gentlemen, my fellow colleagues colleagues, because i'm asking you respectfully, to do something right. you see this is not about heritage or hate. we talk about those things, an yes, those are factors and we've been talking about those two things. i submit to you something a little bit different. brother hodges, this is about the future. you see i mentioned mr. quinn that i'm a grandfather. i know you're a proud father. but you know it's not about the burdens we carry from the past, ladies and gentlemen it's about what is the groundwork that we lay for the future. you see, i have three grandsons and a granddaughter. and what i heard after what happened down in charleston with the charleston nine, let's not forget mr. scott what has happened is we now have an opportunity to move forward, being men of good will and women of good will. you see, we represent or supposedly the best of south carolina. ladies and gentlemen, i'll tell you why i didn't

this is a new day for not only south carolina but for the south. how do you feel? >> well, and for our country. i'm so happy. i personally worked on this issue a long time. i led a march, walked 120 miles from charleston to seek to bring the flag down from the dome which we did 15 years ago, and i think that what you have is is first of all the wonderful response to a hateful act of racial bigotry. what happened? the people of our community in charleston came together in love and the people of south carolina through their governor, governor haley has done a wonderful job and the legislature acted to remove a symbol of hate from our state house grounds. a flag that had been appropriated by hate groups for a long time. it's gone. and it's like saying to the families, you know, we know now that this was injurious and insulting to you and to african-americans, and it's gone. it's a great day. it really is. >> i have heard people say, and i think rightly so because we tend to think that this is just a day for african-americans, and clearly the majority of people who are

we will take you back to south carolina, coming up. across america people, like basketball hall of famer dominique wilkins, are taking charge of their type 2 diabetes... ...with non-insulin victoza. for a while, i took a pill to lower my blood sugar but it didn't get me to my goal. so i asked my doctor about victoza. he said victoza works differently than pills and comes in a pen. victoza is proven to lower blood sugar and a1c. it's taken once a day, any time. and the needle is thin. victoza is not for weight loss but it may help you lose some weight. victoza is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. it is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes and should not be used in people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. victoza has not been studied with mealtime insulin. victoza is not insulin. do not take victoza if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type

that's what happened in the south carolina senate today. immediately after that same body gave final approval to remove the confederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol. the final vote was 36-3 following it up with a receiving line clement pinckney set up uh. now the legislation passes to the other house. for a little while this afternoon it looked like the house would take it up immediately and pass it as quickly as the senate did. the senate took it up yesterday are and passed it in final form today. they are done. in the house, it looked for a wile like they might move that fast. especially when voting toer consider it on a fast track. they voted to avoid the committee process. put it straight to the floor. that could put the house on schedule to move it tomorrow to have it done by the day after that. to have the confederate flag brought town forever by day after tomorrow. but then republicans started adding amendments onto the bill that way you would attach an anvil to a speeding car, then a mill stone and then a ton of bricks

this is a story about the history of south carolina. and how the action of nine individuals laid out this long chain of events that forever showed the state of south carolina what love and forgiveness looks like. >> in a final vote, 1:00 this morning, 94-20. the vote lasted 13 hours. it seemed far from certain oriole with amendments that would delay it by week or even months. at one point there was an impassioned plea not to delay the vote any longer. >> i attended the funeral of senator clementa pinckney, and the people of charleston deserve immediate and swift removal of that flag from these grounds. i cannot believe that we do not have the heart in this body to do something meaningful such as take a symbol of hate off these grounds on friday. if any of you vote to amend, you are ensuring this flag will fly beyond friday. for the widow of senator pinckney and his two young daughters, that would be adding insult to injury. i will not be a part of it. >> i'm joined now by south carolina state senator vicinity shaheen who wrote the bill.

the state of south carolina seems to be moving forward. why does the federal government need to get involved here at all? the attorney general has said if they don't get involved the racial aspect of this is not being addressed. why, sir, is the federal government getting involved? >> two reasons. on the substantive side sometimes in cases like this the federal government will bring charmings in case something happens to the state case. i think that's unlikely in this case. the state prosecutors have a lot of evidence. it's unlikely the case falls apart. it gives one substantive backup in case something extraordinary happens. also, very important symbolic reasons. there's no south carolina hate crimes law on the books. if the racial component of this killing is going to be recognized, it's important that it be recognized, it can only be done by the federal government by the department of justice. by bringing hate crimes charges, the justice department is memorializing for history that this wasn't a random act of violence, a random murder t

that is hopeful day for south carolina. i think it is a day that we can all say we have come together as a state and look at the way south carolina responded to the tragedy and all say that hopefully the emanuel nine are looking down and mealing proud today. >> msnbc's craig melvin was there as the flag was removed. we hear grace about this situation. your thoughts on that word and how it relates to the situation? >> reporter: i'd say that was probably the most appropriate adjective. i want to note behind me not only is the confederate battle flag gone the flagpole and wrougt iron fencing that surrounded it is also gone as well. took them less than an hour to take down that flagpole. grace, yeah. because, you know if you think back to the days after the shooting, i mean the family members in that courtroom standing before the judge saying that they had already forgiven the shooter in their hearts there was that grace. there was the grace that was displayed in the days after that when you saw folks who got together and decid

>>> tonight the confederate flag falls in south carolina. history and high emotion as a symbol that has divided so many finally comes down. >>> also the stunning admission from the fbi. the accused charleston killer should not have been allowed to buy the gun used in the attack. but a series of shocking errors failed to stop him. >>> judgment day for a cancer doctor who poisoned hundreds of patients giving a false diagnosis and chemo treatments they didn't need for diseases they didn't have. >>> a legendary movie star is gone. from dr. zhivago to lawrence of arabia we remember the great omar sharif. >>> and making history in the canyon of heroes. why today's big celebration was unlike anything we've ever seen before. "nightly news" begins right now. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening. today in the shadow of the south carolina state house it took an honor guard just 36 seconds to lower a symbol that has divided this nation for a century and a half. the appla

. >>> history being made in south carolina. a huge crowd showing up to usher in a new era outside the state capitol for the lowering of the confederate flag. the controversial symbol rolled up for the first time in five decades. but even with these iconic images the fight over the flag is still far from over. fox's jonathan serrie is watching all of it from columbia, south carolina. >> reporter: we are witnessing history at the south carolina state house confederate battle flag being lowered for the final time and being placed on permanent display in the relic room of a state run war museum. >> for it to be comeing down a quarter of the people -- accord of the people in south carolina of the accord of the democrats and republicans the dents of fed rat soldiers and slaves the time has come to take this down so that we can mend our broken hearts that is something special. >> reporter: anti flag sentiment growing stronger after last month's killing of nine people at a charleston church. south carolina senate and house voting for i

and i am so proud to be a south carolina and proud of what south carolina has done to move this state forward so we can become the progressive state that we are. >> and representative i mean it's so -- you're not the only person who's emotional about this. we also understand that one of your colleagues a republican a descendent of confederate soldiers that he helped lead the large. how do you explain that people with that proud history in their families came around to seeing it your way? >> well you know i have to commend representative rick quinn who is a friend of mine. he was instrumental in working on the compromise that got us to where we are today. and of course that came hours after my speech and hours into the morning this morning. and i just want to thank representative rick quinn for his leadership and his foresight and understanding that we needed to move this state forward. and certainly i look forward to working with him in placing the confederate flag in a place of honor so that we can honor our heritage and our history, but we can also respect the feelings and the emoti

it's a beautiful day to be in south carolina. nick: a vote to bring down the confederate battle flag, a move unthinkable before the massacre in charleston. >> i feel ecstatic. i just got off work. i'm proud to be part of history being made. nick: what some clean to as an emblem of their heritage is viewed as others -- --some cling to as an emblem of their heritage is viewed as othe -- viewed by others as an emblem of hate. >> they brought it up as a symbol of hatred. >> it was all about taxes. nick: these are the images that have changed so many mines. dylann roof -- so many minds. dylann roof brandishing the colors with pride. as lawmakers debated into the early morning hours, the outcome was far from certain and passions were hard to contain. >> i cannot believe that we do not have the heart in this body to do something meaningful. such as take a symbol of hate off these grounds on friday! nick: but the vote passed, much to the theory -- fury of diehards. >> it's just wrong. god wouldn't allow this. god wouldn't want this flag

and i believe speaks for the will of the people of south carolina. in recognition, in recognition of those nine lives including the moral compass of the general assembly my dear friend senator clementa pinckney. >> i do want to bring in state representative joe neal. i know mr. neal you have been first elected in 1992 so you've been part of the lawmakers in the state for decade now. what's your reaction after 13 hours of debate some 68 amendments had been proposed and yet this passed with more than two-thirds vote in the house when it was all said and done. >> let me first say this is a remarkable day in south carolina remarkable because when i came into the legislature and we dealt with the flag on the first attempt in 2000 when the flag was moved from the dome out of the chambers of the house and senate to its present location in front of the state house, there were those of us who thought we'd never see this day come to see this flag move frds ed from in front of the state house. this day is testament to the power of love and unity and grace. and

what do you think this is going to mean to south carolina? there is still a lot of dissent over the feelings regarding this flag. >> well, i'm hopeful that folks will move past it. there are still people that feel very strongly that the flag should remain on the state house grounds. but i truly believe that the majority of folks in south carolina understand that the step we took today was a step about unity. it was a step about healing our state and i think they'll recognize that and understand it. there will be people that will always feel that that flag should remain there. they're never going to change their minds and there is really nothing you can do about that. but i think most folks understand it and agree with it. >> and you've grown up in the deep south. and i know you've said that for the most part south carolinians get along, black and white, that's it's for the most part people on the fringes that remain upset about this. >> i do believe that. i think that the race relations in south carolina i think have evolved in a pretty healt

closely with the fbi atf, state and local law enforcement officials including the south carolina law enforcement division or sled the charleston police and the solicitor's office for the ninth circuit south carolina, and thoroughly investigating these crimes. i would like to thank the many state and federal law enforcement officials for their dedication and hard work to ensure that this investigation was conducted thoroughly and expeditiously. i would also like to thank south carolina's attorney bill nettles for his and his office is tremendous effort on this case as well as the dedicated attorneys from the department of civil rights division to a particular i would also like to extend my thanks to charleston solicitor scarlett wilson for being a cooperative and effective partner. we have a strong working relationship with solicitor wilson and her office and we look forward to our continued collaboration as a terrible state and federal prosecutions work their way through their respective court systems. thank you for your attention. any questions? [inaudible] >> that hasn't been deter

they put that flag up at the state capital in south carolina in 1961. it hasn't been flying since the civil war. they put it up months after a group of activists jailed after sit-in to try to integrate a lunch counter in rock hill, south carolina. that flag put up in 1961, kept thereafter as a rejection for civil rights people in south carolina in the 20th century. now more than 50 years later after the massacre in the charleston church 22 days ago, a different nine, nine martyrs were thanked and credited with pushing south carolina through this change, too. >> with that i'm proud to say the bill has been signed. i do want to also acknowledge these nine pens are going to each of the nine families of the emanuel nine. [ applause ] >> flag comes down at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. we'll be right back. star gaze dream big wander more care less beat sunrise chase sunset do it all. on us. get your first month's payment plus five years wear and tear coverage. make the most of summer... with volvo. ♪ i built my business with passion. but i keep it growing by making