we re honoring the dead is different than having the flag out in front of the state capitol. if it is the same, let s remove the flag. if it s different, let s explain to each other why. at what point in time do we look at all the monuments and memorials in american history, civil war included and before, and how do we reconcile with each other, how do we take the symbols that are divisive. is a cemetery different than a war memorial outside the state capitol? i am willing to talk to anybody about this. i want to be a better american, i want us to be a stronger america because we re all in this now. isil wants to kill us all, the iranians don t like any of us. what does it take to be a better america? that s what i m looking for. stick around, you brought up the iranians, we have much more we want to discuss with you, include this, another deadline crossed as discussions over nuclear talks with iran are extended. new details coming up. and no apologies, not even
you were there with the esteemed mayor of charleston of some four decades who also saw this all happen. don, quite a historic day. reporter: yeah. you took the words right out of my mouth. it was a historic day. sitting with governor nikki haley who moments ago, and the interview will run on cnn very shortly. she said this moment forever changed her. she s forever changed as a person. she also talked about growing up as an immigrant here and that was tough under this flag growing up. she said her dad, you know, wore a turban and she talked to me about an incident that happened with her family when they were at a fruit stand, a vegetable stand growing up. it will be a very interesting interview you want everybody to pay attention to because nikki haley said she s forever changed and she talked with me for about 30 minutes. back to where i am now, and as you mentioned, john, joseph riley, the mayor of charleston
moments that you could feel the energy. i got to say, it was incredible. just to see the flag go down and then see the immediate reaction. people were cheering, they were emotional, but what i did not see, at least where i was, were tears. what i saw more were smiles. people were joyous. they say this is a time, this is a moment that they have been waiting for for a very long time. chanting usa, usa, usa as that flag came down. then you heard people yelling, na na na na na na na na, hey, hey, hey, good-bye. it was remarkable to see. how long did the crowd stay around? reporter: so this flag actually has been here since 1961. so it s been here for a very long time, for decades. in 2000 it was moved from the state capitol dome to the location where it was today and today it was finally brought down. i spoke to some legislators who have been here for a very long time who say they have been fighting this for decades.
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 touched by this personally are african-americans, but i have people calling me and e-mailing me or on social media saying it s white people as well. white folks as well who don t want to see this flag up and are happy that it s down. and i m one of them. i walked to get it down. this was a very diverse audience
accredited museum so how we interpret and exhibit are very important to us. we could do it two ways as the last flag that came off the state house but we think we should probably do something to memorialize the 21,000 south carolinians that died in the american civil war. reporter: this has been a very divisive issue, a passionate issue. a lot of people feel strongly about it. absolutely. reporter: you were is he ceremony, your impressions? i was very conscious of that. what we hope to do is to end any division, to bring it back together and we want to do what s right for the flag and for the state and for all citizens of south carolina. allen robertson with the south carolina confederate relic room a long name. reporter: lots of emotion surrounding this. the flag has come down for the first time off state grounds since 1961. we re live here in its new home. john, kate? nick, thank you very much.