Of his health, but today one of his representatives in his d. C. Office saying he is, indeed, there. He will be at the apex of the bridge and he will have the opportunity to greet marchers there. He has been there virtually every year as a tradition. Lets go now no Arlette Saenz who is in selma at the march. Arlette, what is the mood like now, and how are people inspired to learn that congressman lewis will be there . Reporter fredricka, it will certainly be a very emotional moment here in selma when congressman john lewis shows up for todays commemorations. It had been uncertain whether he would actually be able to attend this years anniversary commemorations as he is undergoing treatment for stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It was 55 years ago when a Young John Lewis in his 20s led a march, a group of demonstrators, across this bridge as they were marching for Voting Rights, and some Alabama State troopers ended up beating and teargassing many of the protester demonstrators who were here onsite 50 years ago, john lewis himself even sustaining a fracture to his skull in that event that was ultimately called bloody sunday. He will be here onsite in just a short while. This march is about to kick off in 30 minutes. In addition to john lewis being here today, several of its 2020 democratic contenders are also on hand for todays commemorations. Joe biden and Mike Bloomberg spoke just a short while ago down the street from the bridge at the brown chapel ame church. Elizabeth warren, pete buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar among the democratic contenders who are also expected to march across this bridge today. But certainly the high point for the hundreds of people that are gathering here today, that emotional high point will be when congressman john lewis appears. Yeah, and arl erkarlette, sea very compact space, but it has so many churches it could virtually have a church on every corner, but that chapel is important because thats where john lewis and so many in the Civil Rights Movement would meet particularly in the march from selma to montgomery. At that brown a. M. E. Church, a number of candidates have come there, you mentioned joe biden, but also billionaire and democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg. He was there. He spoke, but he didnt receive a warm reception from everyone . Reporter not from everyone in that church. Michael bloomberg did receive a bit of a frosty reception from some members who are attending that Church Service this morning as he was talking about his Economic Justice plan for black americans. A few parisioners there stood up in their pews and turned their back on Michael Bloomberg. There were questions about what kind of support Michael Bloomberg might get from the Africanamerican Community as we head into super tuesday. He has poured a lot of resources and spent time here in alabama which is one of those super tuesday states. Also speaking this morning was former Vice President joe biden who is fresh off a victory in South Carolina and believes that he could perform well in Southern States like alabama, particularly because of the importance of the black vote here. Africanamerican voters made up a majority of the primary electorate back in 2016, and that is something biden is hoping he can get a group that hes hoping he can get some support from. He did quite well from africanamerican voters in South Carolina yesterday. But Michael Bloomberg did receive a frosty reception during this Church Service this morning. Arlette saenz, thank you very much. It looks like hundreds or thousands of people are there to support the march. In 1955, so many, including congressman john lewis, walked across that bridge hand in hand. Here we are now a 55year mark. Well check back with you. We turn now to growing concerns about the spread of coronavirus here in the u. S. Today the president announcing new screening procedures for people arriving from highrisk countries. This coming as were learning of new coronavirus cases being reported in Washington State and rhode island. That brings the total number of u. S. Cases to 74. In kirkland, washington, our omar jimenez is with us now. Omar, what are you learning about this potential outbreak at a nursing facility near seattle . Reporter thats right, fred. At this life care nursing facility just behind me right now, you look at this place alone, you have two people that have already tested positive for coronavirus, a Health Worker in her 40s examiand a woman in her who is a resident here. You have 20 firefighters and two Police Officers who are now being quarantined as a result of responding to calls at this facility. You have more than 50 people, both residents and workers here at the facility, that are being tested for potential coronavirus, and on top of that, you have a number of people who are already showing respiratory symptoms and or signs of pneumonia. You can see why both state and federal officials are so concerned about this site. They are treating it as a potential outbreak, and we know that investigation is going to continue over the course of today as the cdc has now sent the team of experts out here to help support the state Health Investigators to try to get a handle on how exactly and where exactly this potential outbreak may have come from. And the first u. S. Patient who died from this virus is also from the state of washington. What more are you learning about the victim . Reporter not just from the state but here in this specific county, king county, in seattle, the first person to die as a result of the coronavirus here in the United States was a man in his 50s. He did have underlying conditions, according to county officials here. But one of the major points of concern is that this person didnt show any signs of a travel history that would have put him in front of one of the zones or places that has been really heavily hit by this. So that points to the fact that this was likely a communityspread case. Of course, that is one of the major points of concern. Just a little earlier this morning, we learned of two new cases who popped up in this county, bringing the total to six, and obviously something officials will keep an eye on as we get to this week, fred. Omar jimenez, thank you very much. Appreciate it. I want to bring in correspondent dr. Sanjay gupta. Now in washington, there are at least five other cases of coronavirus in that county alone. What more do we know about these cases, if theres any connection at all . There may be connections between these cases, but it can be hard to parse out along with what omar was saying there. There is this idea of community spread, people not having any known contact with people who have been infected. This man in his 50s who died, he was treated at the same hospital as a resident from that longterm care facility, and a person who worked at that care facility also has been diagnosed as positive with the coronavirus. Then there is a postal worker who has been diagnosed, there is a person who has had travel to south korea. We know of two men in their 60s who are in Critical Condition in that area due to the coronavirus infection. So what they all have in common is hard to say, and look, at some point this is what public Health Investigators do, but as the numbers grow and all these overlapping circles of connection continue to grow, its going to be more challenging to figure out how theyre connected. If there is community spread, fred, at some point, then that question and that answer doesnt matter as much. At that point we know the virus is in the community. So President Trump announced new screening measures which would include screening people from highrisk areas both before they board, after they arrive in the u. S. This is a virus and it doesnt necessarily show all the symptoms right away. So how will they know who to target . Its really challenging, and i mean, you know, it certainly makes sense because people who are going to be most at risk for having contracted the virus are people who are traveling to areas where the virus is spreading. That part makes sense. But it cant be in isolation, it cant just be the screenings. They are screening before patients get on the flights and then when they land, you know, checking for basic type flulike symptoms to see if someone sort of fits that bill. But to your point, and we were just looking at this, fred, theres been more than 46,000 people who have been screened as of february 23rd. Eleven travelers were referred to a hospital and tested, and only one tested positive for coronavirus. So, you know, in terms of actually finding people, it doesnt work that well, but i think these passengers also get educated. Look, heres the things to watch out for. You should isolate yourself if you start to feel sick, and things that might help curb the spread. There have been a lot of questions about readiness for a largescale type of testing. Have a listen to what Vice President mike pence told cnn earlier. Im happy to report that this weekend more than 15,000 testing kits have been released. Also the fda has approved a testing regimen that state and local officials can be using. And beyond that, we actually are working with a commercial provider with the new testing framework to send another 50,000 kits out. So for now 50,000 later, are those comforting numbers . I have to say, i think weve been pretty far behind on this, the testing. Ive been talking about this for some time. Our Public Health system does so many things in this country so well, but if we dont have surveillance, we dont know who is actually carrying this virus in their bodies, it makes it difficult for the Public Health system to work. You can see in south korea, for example, theyve tested some 65,000 patients in the u. K. , some 7,000 patients in the United States, closer to 500 so far. Again, theres a lot of people out there who may have been exposed to this virus that we will never know about as a result of simply not testing. So this helps, getting the testing kits out there, but the time that was bought by china, you know, actually imposing these quarantines should have been used to get these testing kits out earlier. Thats just plain and simple. And i think compared to other countries, we didnt do very well here. Maybe theres an opportunity for some catchup. Dr. Sanjay gupta, thank you so much. Thank you. With me now, reed wilson. He is a National Correspondent for the hill and author of epidemic col epidemic ebola and the scramble to prevent the next killer outbreak. Its clear that there will be more around the country. Those researchers have found that they are genetically pretty identical to the first case that came to Washington State back in january. And that suggests that this virus has been spreading in the community for about six weeks now. The researchers suggest there may be as many as 1,500 people who got the virus in Washington State. The good news is those 1,500 people didnt show up at hospitals, so they probably had relatively minor symptoms, and that goes to the broader point that about four in every five people that get the coronavirus that we know of show no or relatively little micnor symptoms. So there is good news. But its clear that this virus is going to spread, and you consider the wide range of places weve seen new cases, california, oregon, Washington State, illinois and now rhode island. But how much do you worry about those cases that may have been indeed cases but not identified as coronavirus cases, as you just said. They maify have been categorize as something else. Or maybe these people didnt seek treatment because they just thought they had the common cold, and thats where the danger of this virus spreading comes from. Dr. Gupta mentioned the community spread. When someone comes into the u. S. Who has the coronavirus, if they come into contact with somebody else who then maybe exhibits lowlevel symptoms, you might lose the thread and you might not be able to trace just where these cases are coming from and where the resources need to be for hospitals and medical facilities to be ready for an influx of cases if and when that happens. And, reed, the president held a News Conference yesterday in an effort to show the administration is taking the outbreak more seriously and to try to perhaps tamper down any panic that has already set in in some corners. He plans to visit the cdc this week in atlanta. Does it appear the president and his administration is now taking this outbreak threat seriously, and how important is it to have the backdrop of the cdc . I think its clear the administrations initial approach to this was to downplay it, to try to pretend that this virus would not spread around the country. Thats not the right set of messaging here. You have to warn people about what might be coming in case it actually does come. This is what the Obama Administration did when the Ebola Outbreak happened. What the Obama Administration did when h1n1 spread across the country. Remember Michelle Obama coughing into her elbow to show people the proper sort of etiquette to make sure they didnt get the flu. Show people what to expect so they can prepare and know what to expect, coughing into their elbows and washing their hands, anything to stop the possible spread. Thats good, and the president is focusing a lot more on the cdc experts. Dr. Redford of the cdc, tony fauci, expert of diseases. They seem to have a direct line to the president , and thats good not just for the administration, but its good for the rest of us who will get that scientific knowledge that they have to spread. And you believe its really important to hear from them directly, the scientists, the doctors, to help pacify the general populace. To inform the general populace, let them know this disease is in the United States and its possible to get it. However, heres how you can protect yourself. You can wash your hands, cover your coughs, try to avoid contact with people who are sick. Its a great reminder. And the experts are there. They have decades of experience in this. Lets listen to them. Reed wilson, thank you so much. Good to see you. You got it, fred. Coming up, a big victory for joe biden in the race for the presidency. How well his win in South Carolina affects super tuesday and his democratic opponents. Plus, at any moment civil rights leaders will march across the Edmond Pettis bridge to mark 55 years since bloody sunday. Were expecting to see congressman john lewis who was on the front lines of the fight for Voting Rights in 1965 and many times thereafter. And, of course, youre seeing some democratic president ial candidates. You see Amy Klobuchar there also meeting with reverend Jesse Jackson. Not a candidate this time, but he has been a president ial candidate before. All of them are there. And well be right back. I love rakuten, its basically free money. Its an easy way to earn cashback on the stuff im already buying. When you have a child and theyre constantly growing out of clothing, earning cashback from rakuten just makes everything easier. Sometimes its 3 sometimes its 8 but youre always getting cashback. The way cashback works on rakuten is so they get a commission from the store and then they share that commission with me. And you have money, more money to spend because you got free money. Go to rakuten. Com and sign up today for a 10 bonus. woman no matter what business you are in, Digital Transformation never stops. Verizon keeps business ready for whats next. man we weave security into their business. second man virtualize their operations. third man and could even build ai into their customer experiences. We also keep them ready for the next big opportunity. 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What theyre looking for is theyre looking for results. Theyre looking for getting things done. And bernie doesnt have a very good track record of getting things done in the United States congress, the United States senate, and much of what hes proposing is very, very much pie in the sky. Hes talking about spending 60 trillion and not raising taxes on the middle class and being able to get it done quickly and so on. Joining me right now, hillary rosen, a cnn political commentator and strategist, and former gubernatorial candidate. Good to see you both. Hillary, you first. Joe biden and his campaign certainly energized but how will they repeat in 14 states super tuesday what they just accomplished in South Carolina . Its hard, because obviously Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg, for that matter, have been spending a lot of money in super tuesday states, whereas the Biden Campaign had an entrenchment and ended up throwing everything they had into South Carolina. But i think youll see the Campaign Getting more resources over the next 48 hours, and i think that they will be competitive. Whether they can do that on the ground, as good a ground game as sanders has, i dont know. Is that the key, though . You heard James Clyburn over the weekend who says he believes bidens Campaign Needs to be retooled. Yes, he celebrates with him a South Carolina victory, but that some restructuring needs to happen. Im not sure that its about the restructuring of the campaign. I think they just need more resources. You cant win without having people on the ground that get your folks pho the polto the po primary. Thats essentially where we are right now. But i also think former Vice President biden has to get a little more inspirational. I think telling people they shouldnt have dreams is not going to be a good longterm message. Cutting down someone elses dreams is not a good longterm message. Talking about results is good, but i do think that pafrt of sanders appeal is he gives people a road map to a better life, and i think that joe biden has that in his heart, and i think he has the credibility to do that ov. Over the course of the next couple of days, i think thats as important as anything else. And andrew, cnn polls show that biden won over 60 of the black vote in South Carolina while only 17 supported Bernie Sanders. It didnt translate into victory for South Carolina, but these upcoming races will still be a test on some diversity. Alabama among those states, north carolina, tennessee, arkansas, virginia. Is it fair to look at the candidates and say one has an advantage over the other when you look at those states . Well, i mean, there is no doubt that Vice President biden got a pretty important shot in the arm yesterday. Your questions are appropriate. We are about to move into super tuesday in just three days and youre talking about states, you know, that are massive. You got Southern States in there but youve also got the states of california and texas, which are huge, where media markets really do matter, where Organization Matters a great deal. And theres great diversity in california and texas, but were also talking very different electorates. There is no monolithic thinking among voters who are black orla te or latino. Certainly theres no monol h monolith, no doubt. We even saw in South Carolina among young voters who were being honest about it that Bernie Sanders had a much stronger foothold in that younger demographic. It looks like coming out of South Carolina, both biden and senator sanders pretty much split that younger africanamerican vote where senator sanders, i think, has the advantage going into super tuesday where hes had folks on the ground organizing in these states for quite some time. He has built a campaign that was one that was built to last. And to congressman clyburns point, hes pointing out that, look, we have to now get ready for a national campaign. This is a long road ahead. I just wanted to opine just a moment on a comment hilary made because i could not agree more, and i got a little conscience about it when i heard biden talk this morning. Please, please, please dont run this race telling americans what we need to accomplish. Yes, we want people who can provide results, but we also want to make sure we have voters out there voting for something and not just against something. I think an aspirational tone can be collated with a tone that says we want results. I think thats important going forward. For success in most candidacies, the root is inspiration. People want to be inspired by a candidate. Andrew gillum, hilary rosen, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Thank you. Stick around. Ill have you back and lets talk some more. We have lots to talk about. Coming up on cnn, super tuesday is the most important test yet for the candidates, and nobody brings it to you like cnn. Special live coverage starts tuesday, 4 00, right here on cnn. Coming up, remembering a Pivotal Moment in the Civil Rights Movement. People gathering at the Edmond Pettis bridge to mark 55 years since bloody sunday, and this year the democratic president ial candidates are out in force there. Lds is committing 150 Million Dollars in tuition assistance, education, and career advising programs. Maria ramirez. To help more employees achieve their dreams. Finding the right words can be tough. N it comes to autism, finding understanding doesnt have to be. Together, we can create a kinder, more inclusive world for the millions of people on the autism spectrum. Go to autismspeaks. Org howling wind howling wind tmobile has the first and only, nationwide 5g network. And with it, you can shape the future. 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Sand erers will hold a rally ine next hour. Paul, what are you learning . Reporter we know this Convention Hall can hold 17,000 people. We dont know if that many people will show up, but the Sanders Campaign trying to whip up support today. As you pointed out, his fundraising going really well, and in fact joe biden took a shot at him for collecting money from billionaires. It is not only the amount of money we raise, and that is a phenomenal amount, its how we raised it. We dont have a superpac like joe biden. I dont go to rich peoples homes like joe biden. He think he has contributions from several billionaires. We get contributions from people averaging 5. 50. This is a campaign of working people and im proud of that. Biden is emerging from some democrats who are uncommitted as a more viable or electable candidate. Sanders would say hogwash to that. Well see public enemy perform. Well also hear from dick van dyke, an older actor who says much older people should vote for sanders. All of that coming up, fred. Back to you. There was a little bit of fuffle who was not necessarily happy with the Bernie Sanders campaign. Youll have to fill me in on that next time i see you. Paul buchanan, thank you very much. Still ahead, 55 years since bloody sunday. Right now candidates are gathering to mark a Pivotal Moment in civil rights history. Well talk about it, next. Liz, you nerd, cough if youre in here shhhh. I took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. What about robs dry cough . Works on that too. And last 12 hours. 12 hours . Who studies that long . mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs for 12 hours with 2 medicines in 1 pill. Bon top of severe ptsd,n and to have a tooth pain will take you down in the dump. After several denials, when i went to aspen dental, they gave me a free exam, free xrays. The doctor comes in and then hes like, you are in pain, so were going to get you taken care of. I had no insurance. At aspen dental, were all about yes. 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The 80yearold has been battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer since being diagnosed late last year, but we are told that he is at todays event. His spokesperson actually telling me that he will be in attendance at the bridge and will meet people. Thats the most were getting right now, but people are very excited about the fact that he is there, that hes feeling well enough to be there. Back with me now, Andrew Gillum along with michael eric dyson, author and sociology professor at George Washington university. Good to see you both. Good to see you, too. This is always a very critical event and gathering of people, people who were part of the Civil Rights Movement, witness to it, who helped make history, including, of course, congressman john lewis. And people who are bringing their children, their grandchildren to understand and really grasp this part of history. So, michael, i wonder for you, if you could just help people understand why is it particularly that congressman lewis is considered the real conscience of the u. S. Congress and for this nation. He is, fred, because after all, this man, as a young man in his early 20s, endured one of the biggest assaults on protesting in the history of this nation. Who along with William Boynton who in that first march was waylaid by police and a photograph was beamed around the world of her being brutally beaten and laying prostate on the ground. John lewis is one of the greatest heroes of this movement because he, too, was bludgeoned by not only Police Brutality but white supremacy. And theres john lewis i walking in the crowd. Im sorry, continue. March 72nd, they were laid u by a contingent of people, including police, and john lewis was lying bloody. Then they turned around once Police Stepped aside because he didnt want to violate junction. Then from march 31st on, ten hours a day, they moved from selma until they got to montgomery and held one of the greatest protest rallies in the history of this nation. All for black people being able to vote. The civil rights bill had made public accommodations desegregated, but the precious right to pull the lever and register your conscience on america was denied to africanamerican people, so as a result of that, those people doing what they did allowed many of us to vote for the wonderful Andrew Gillum who you have here and other Public Officials who now represent the will of africanamerican people. Uhhuh, and magnifying the issue of Police Brutality and Voter Suppression were both at issue before this bloody sunday and an impetus for why so many people gathered in selma and were trying to make a statement, andrew. So now, today, 55 years after the fact, and really along the way, president ial candidates have wanted to help commemorate march 7th. And today a number of candidates, Amy Klobuchar, Michael Bloomberg, joe biden are there today. Again, tighter shots now of Martin Luther king iii walking there through the downtown section of selma on the way to the Edmond Pettis bridge. But talk to us about the significance and why it is so important for president ial candidates to be there and feel that there is real symbolism in their campaigns and being there. Well, fred, and dr. Dyson knows this as well, we have always needed and required allies in this movement space. Dr. Dyson referred to my ability to be the first black person to lead a major ticket in the race for governor here in the state of florida. My story would not be possible, that of stacy abrams, i which i think of sorry to interrupt, but were also looking at reverend Jesse Jackson as he battles his own health issues, but go ahead. Reverend jackson obviously another major contributor. Not only is congressman lewis the conscience of the congress, i would consider him part of the conscience of the country, and for our purposes, those of us who have been the been frk bene of the congress, really reminds me of the role john lewis had to play ten days after bloody sunday made their way around the country and around the world. It was lbj who had to compel the congress and say that we had not gone far enough in the Voting Rights act of 64. But we needed to take additional action in 65, and we obviously know the evolution of Voting Rights all the way to this day where right now, im in the state of florida, am confronting what it means to have to battle a poll tax, for all intents and purposes, where 1. 4 million returning citizens were approved by 65 of voters in the state of florida to say they ought to be able to come back in to society, vote, participate in the process, and its being halted in the courts because of a battle between the been frk ben of the congress, really reminds me of the role john lewis had to play ten days after bloody sunday made their way around the country and around the world. It was lbj who had to compel the congress and say that we had not gone far enough in the Voting Rights act of 64. But we needed to take additional action in 65, and we obviously know the evolution of Voting Rights all the way to this day where right now, im in the state of florida, am confronting what it means to have to battle a poll tax, for all intents and purposes, where church, plotting for their nonviolent movement, and also plotting how they were going to make a return to that selma bridge and make their way to montgomery. Talk to me about how significant it is that joe biden would have an experience there talking, feel embraced by the crowd. Michael bloomberg had words. He also had a speech there, but some people stood up and turned their back to him. Right. Well, the black Church Continues to be the lynch pin for democracy for africanamerican people. It continues to be a bellweather is a benchmark for the Progress Black people make. Lets be honest, weve had wonderful figures like governor shouldbe gillum and stacy abrams and barack obama, but they would not exist without the sterling rhetoric, the golden throats and the silver tongues of, you know, remarkable preachers, deacons, trustees and other figures within the church who stood up to articulate their a deals, the no ideals, the nomrms they had bee shaped in as children, lover of all people, that god has respect for all persons. That chapel is extremely important as a Meeting House and a clearing way for africanamerican people and their allies to think, to degenerate blueprints of social democracy, of figuring a way past the brutal existence of Police Brutality. Were looking in the vehicle and i see john lewis in the backseat of the vehicle. He is there and people are around the vehicle trying to take pictures of him. He is fighting, you know, stage 4 pancreatic cancer. As soon as we learned that he would be there, of course people were wondering, you know, in what capacity will he be able to. I spoke to one of his spokespeople from his office who said he will be at the bridge and he will meet with people. That is the extent of it. Now we see that he is in the vehicle, and that vehicle crossing the Edmond Pettis bridge. Continue your thought, michael. Very few people have exhibited the physical courage of john lewis. Very few people have had the moral temperature to adjust societys beliefs, ideals, norms and notions as john lewis. He has, in his own body, withstood brutal pummelling for the advance of africanamerican skpo people and all people who love democracy, and now at 80 years old, as this lion of the movement rises again to defeat, hopefully, a potential hold that will take away his life, and now his country stands up to cheer him on. What he understands is were listening in a society where the repudiation of rights and white bigotry has once again occasioned a call among all americans of conscience of whatever color or stripe to rise up and stand up to tell the truth. So john lewis presence there is a symbolic rallying cry of galvanizing force to remind us that the fight is not over, that the battle is not impossible, that those who are committed to truth, justice and democracy will have the last word, and that those bloody events of 55 years ago remind us that we have yet to move on in the spirit of those often nameless, often faceless who nevertheless made history on that bridge and transformed america by their noble and transformativ e action. History that needs to be remembered. Yes, andrew . First of all, very eloquently put by dr. Dyson, but frankly every word he speaks pretty much is. I just wanted to add that it was john lewis who gave us the term good trouble, good, necessary trouble, and i bring those words to bear at this moment, because i think its important to recall that every action during the Civil Rights Movement led they were also extremely strategic in making sure they were pulling and pushing the levers of power, creating the political wheel that was necessary at that time for the actual leaders, felt compelled to take action. None of their movements were by accident. They got into good, strategic trouble. Weve been covering the joe Biden Campaign today. She has spent a good part of the mortgage the morning at the selma church. She is the there at the foot of the bridge. Ar let, these candidates who were there, what are they hoping it means for them and their campaigns that they are there marking this 55year mark of bloody sunday . Reporter i think all these democratic contenders importance today holds holds not only in the state of alabama but across the country, particularly when it comes to the Africanamerican Community. Youre seeing joe biden and Michael Bloomberg both spoke at that church. Amy klobuchar, elizabeth warren, pete buttigieg, and bloomberg will all be marching here today. But i am at the foot of the bridge right now. You can feel the energy and excitement in the crowd. You had Martin Luther king iii walk through right where were standing. Were seeing stacy abrams right now. Reporter yes, stacy abrams made her way through crowd and people started cheering. In fact, that car that was holding congressman john lewis, he was actually here at the base of the bridge. We can see people taking photos through that car, but we couldnt quite tell it was him until we got better images up at the peak of the bridge but certainly you can feel the electricity, the excitement here as these people have gathered to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the bloody sunday demonstrations, particularly the way congressman john lewis presence here is affecting everyone. He was one of those Young Leaders who led this march and was personally injured, beaten by Alabama State troopers 55 years ago. You can tell that people are excited here that he has arrived. I spoke with a gentleman sitting next to me, he was 6yearolds when bloody sunday occurred. He said his 6yearold grandson recently did a report you can tell the importance and impact this has had across generations and will certainly have for decades and years to come. That is so true. You know, michael, this is just 55 years ago, you know, so there so many people in the crowd there who lived it, whether they were living in selma, part of the march, whether they were living the experience that john lewis, Martin Luther king jr. Were trying to improve. And they are there. They bring their children, their grandchildren. It is crossgenerational and an important experience to be there for this marker. Its so inspiring and actual very joyous, even though its marking bloody sunday. I cant, that is an apt summary of the africanamerican experience, trauma endured, the tide of grief washing across the horizon of black life. In the midst of that we have tenements of joy rising up, high rises of hope that penetrate the fog to tell america we are still here, that we will do a good thing. Think about it. Not only the great john lewis is there, but the reverend Jesse Jackson. And i would argue unfortunately and tragically it will take his death for america to understand that after Martin Luther king jr. , no greater leader of africanamerican people has emerged to carry us forward to the Promised Land as that figure right there. A variety of images have blunted his image, but it was in n selma Martin Luther king jr. Connected with this young, brilliant preach from South Carolina who would go on to succeed him in the minds of many people as the foremost exponent of civil rights in this country. So that day is important because not only was the country awash in blood, the country is now awash in memory of that blood. But we have new battles, new stakes, new opportunities to move forward, and john lewis and amel Amelia Boynton and the roll call of mighty heroes who have stood forth to tell the truth to america is reminding us of the poor, puny, horrible leadership in solid contrast to what these noble people will do. They didnt have the angle of office or the bully pulpit of the white house and the oval office to claim what they felt and to put forth their zmoegnot and ideas. But they rose up to declare that america would be better than its circumstances and the hate that prevailed and john lewis and Jesse Jackson are heroes because they remind us of it. Thats why president ial candidates go there. President ial candidates are coming there to get a sense of the grief, the glory, the kind of glory that comes down from the suffering of the people t t because they were willing to be the physical embodiment of their thrives tell the truth and now they have made America Great what it is today. Speaking of the capital that is gained from a candidate who gets the endorsement of a john lewis. I mean, just last week James Clyburn of South Carolina also known as the kingmaker for the president ial race, he endorses, you know, joe biden. Clyburn has explained to me just last week about how charleston really was an intersection for him, for he and john lewis and reverend Jesse Jackson and talked about, you know, the this brotherhood of support and a consciousness and their political involvement as well as their personal lives. And then here now you have joe biden winning the endorsement of a James Clyburn, and now hes enjoying Great Success with South Carolina. Talk to me about how important it is for a joe biden to be there, to win the ringing endorsement of a clyburn, and now since his victory, hes getting endorsements all across the map, from virginia to california. People who are involved in politics, in entertainment, and otherwise. Yeah. Well, i will tell you, first, all endorsements are not created equal. In the case of congressman clyburn, this is someone who the people of South Carolina know. Theyve known him over the decades, both him and his wife and their family, his sacrifice and service to the state. Terry says i know joe and he knows us. Very similar. Thats right. And that carries tremendous weight, especially when given the fact that so many people have been so tenuous about who to support in this race. Weve been really battling in our own heads, whos best to be electable. When the congressman came out, he gave extremely moving and personal testimony about why it is at this moment we should trust in joe biden our votes and support and help him to become next president of the United States. Were about to hues your window, but were seeing people walk through main streets of downtown selma on their way to the bridge. Well be right back after this. announcer jesses on her way. She just braved a Career Change and now she needs the right ride and she needs to save money. So she came here, filtered by make and model, and was able to get a great price. Truecar. Buy smarter. Drive happier. woman no matter what business you are in, Digital Transformation never stops. Verizon keeps business ready for whats next. man we weave security into their business. second man virtualize their operations. third man and could even build ai into their customer experiences. We also keep them ready for the next big opportunity. Like 5g. woman where machines could talk to each other and expertise could go anywhere. woman when it comes to Digital Transformation, verizon keeps business ready. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for being with me. Im fredricka whitfield. We begin with u. S. Congressman and civil rights icon john lewis making a surprise appearance in selma, alabama, today. Lewis, who is battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer gathers for the anniversary of bloody sunday. He was one of the activists who marched across the Edmund Pettus bridge and was met by tear gas with Alabama State police in 1965. On friday we were told lewis was not expected to attend due to his health, but today he was