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CNN Saturday Morning News

Coretta Scott King First African-American Woman To Lie In State At Georgia Capitol; Joseph Lowery Interview; Iran To Stop Voluntary Inspections Of Nuclear Program; John McCain Discusses Iran; John Lewis Interview; 73 Die In Manila Stampede

Aired February 04, 2006 - 11:00   ET

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

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: The body of Coretta Scott King being taken to the rotunda of Georgia's capital, where she will become the first woman and the first African-American to lie in state in Georgia.
The widow of Martin Luther King, Jr. died Monday. Her funeral is scheduled for Tuesday. And we're going to have more on today's historic procession throughout this newscast.

Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency passed a resolution reporting Iran and its nuclear program to the U.S. Security Council. Pardon me. I misspoke. The U.N. Security Council.

Iran, which claims its nuclear program is peaceful, plans to resume full uranium enrichment, they say.

We're going to talk about this matter with Senator John McCain in about 10 minutes to find out how alarmed Americans should be about this.

Also, the Danish embassy in Damascus, Syria is in flames at this hour. Officials say that the building was set on fire during protests of cartoons, political caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad in a demeaning light. The caricatures originally were published in a Danish newspaper.

Also, there's some new information about that Egyptian ferry that sank in the Red Sea. Officials are now saying that a fire broke out in the truck that was on the ship. It capsized when the captain tried to turn the boat around. Nearly 400 people have survived. A hundred and eighty-five bodies have been recovered, but nearly 1,000 people are, at this point, feared dead.

And a deadly stampede outside a stadium in the Philippines. Officials say 20,000 people were waiting to get inside when someone, as a hoax, screamed that there was a bomb. People began trampling each other. Officials say at least 73 were killed and 340 others were injured.

Well, it is Saturday. It is February 4, 2006.

Good morning to all of you from the CNN Center in Atlanta, on what is an historic day in this city.

I'm Rick Sanchez. BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is a historic day.

Good to have you here, Rick.

SANCHEZ: It's good to be here.

NGUYEN: Tony is off today.

And great to have Rick along board.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

We'll have much more on Iran and the Red Sea ferry disaster just ahead.

But first, let's get to our top story.

We begin here in Atlanta, where a horse drawn hearse bearing the body of Coretta Scott King is slowly making its way to the Georgia state Capitol. It is expected to arrive in about 30 minutes.

And CNN's Drew Griffin is there to explain the history that will be made once it arrives, history that Coretta Scott King's husband did not see.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty, when he died in 1968, the governor then was Governor Lester Maddox. He didn't want anybody to lower a flag to half staff. He refused not only to have Martin Luther King's body lie in state, but he refused to close the offices of state government, a true snub.

Now, Martin Luther King's widow will become the first African- American and the first woman to lie in state under the golden dome here. That'll take place in about a half hour from now, as you say, and the people have been lining up since 5:00 this morning, but now coming in a steady stream, lining up on Mitchell Avenue. They will begin to pass by and pay their respects at 12:30, after a brief ceremony is held inside.

We do expect the King children to accompany the governor inside the rotunda and hold about a 15 minute ceremony, they say, before they depart and continue with their mourning.

But, again, that casket and the carriage expected to arrive about a half hour from now. An honor guard will carry it up the steps of this capital dome and history will be made at that moment, when Coretta Scott King becomes the first African-American and the first woman to lie in state in Georgia -- Betty.

NGUYEN: A remarkable day.

We want to bring in the Reverend Joseph Lowery, who is just a pioneer in his own right with the civil rights movement, to talk about Mrs. King and her legacy, as well as her husband and the whole King legacy on a whole. The first thing I want to ask you, Reverend, is Coretta Scott King known a lot for her husband and what she did to stand behind him and to fight with him.

But do you think that she would have become a civil rights pioneer in her own right had she not even met Martin Luther King, Jr.?

REV. JOSEPH LOWERY, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Well, of course, that's speculation. She was deeply committed to the movement, to the struggle. I think she planned a career, though, in music. She was a soloist. As a matter of fact, when I was pastoring a church in Mobile, Alabama at the beginning of the movement, we invited Coretta to give a concert in Mobile under the auspices of our young adult fellowship. And she was very well received.

So I'm certain that she would have been involved in the civil rights struggle, because she believed -- she was born in Alabama, in the Black Belt, which is where the soul of the movement had its birth. And she came out of the bosom of struggle. And I'm sure she would have participated in the civil rights struggle.

To what degree, who knows? We can only guess. But we do know that she supported Martin and that following his death, she, in her own right, led causes, supported movements. She marched with me during the 21 years I served as president of SCLC.

She marched many times with me and attended the conventions and supported us on every level of our struggle against war, against segregation, against discrimination, against economic injustice, against homophobia and for peace all over the world.

She was extremely active in the peace movement and in the women's movement. I don't want to leave that out, because I don't want to get in trouble with the women in my life, beginning with my wife and three daughters.

NGUYEN: I understand.

LOWERY: So she was very active in the movement.

NGUYEN: Well, and she has definitely left her mark on the movement. And today you can see that, as the people line the streets of downtown Atlanta, coming to pay their respects and honor the life and the work of Coretta Scott King.

Of course, we're going to stay with this throughout the morning and bring you live pictures. We're going to cover this from beginning to end. She will lie in state until late this afternoon in the capital rotunda. So you'll want to stay with CNN for continuing coverage of that.

SANCHEZ: There is an important international development that we have been following for you throughout the course of this morning. Iran is saying it is bound by law to stop what it calls voluntary cooperation with U.N. weapons inspectors. In other words, they're not going to cooperate with those inspectors. Why? Well, in other words, the country plans to forge ahead on a nuclear program without restriction.

Now, Iran says this was triggered earlier today by a U.N. nuclear agency which says it will now refer Iran to the Security Council for possible sanctions. s CNN's senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance, has been monitoring today's diplomatic activity in Vienna, Austria.

And he's joining us now with the details.

Put this together for us, if you will -- Matthew, the significance of it for people watching this newscast.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's significant in the sense that there seems to be international agreement now that strong action has to be taken over Iran's very controversial nuclear program.

For many years, the United States has been arguing for Iran's -- Iran to be referred to the United Nations Security Council, reported to it, so the international community can take measures to try and prevent it from developing what many countries believe -- what many countries suspect is a weapons program, a nuclear weapons program.

Iran says it's just trying to get nuclear program to generate electricity. But it really hasn't answered the questions that the nuclear agency here in Vienna has asked it sufficiently, for the international community to believe that.

And so this really marks the first step in trying to forge international consensus to take some serious action to try and stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, essentially.

SANCHEZ: Matthew Chance, we thank you so much.

In just a few minutes, we hope, by the way, to speak more about Iran with Senator John McCain, and the possibility of military action down the line against Iran if diplomatic efforts fail. That's our emphasis. We'll have it for you -- Betty, to you.

NGUYEN: We're going to give you some new details now in the sinking of a crowded Egyptian ferry in the Red Sea. The country's transportation minister says a truck in the hold caught fire before that boat sank. He says the ferry capsized when the captain tried to turn it around in rough seas. At least 185 bodies have been recovered and nearly 400 others were rescued. Up to 1,000 people, though, are still missing.

Egyptian officials say the 35-year-old ferry was carrying about 1,400 passengers and crew at the time. The port of Safaga, where the ferry was supposed to dock, has become a gathering place for grieving relatives anxious to find out if their loved ones survived.

Well, in the Philippines, someone yelling about a bomb is blamed for causing a stampede among a large crowd gathered outside a stadium. Look at these pictures. At least 73 people were killed and hundreds more hurt. About 20,000 people were converged on the venue because of a game show that was to be videotaped there several hours earlier.

And just ahead, a close friend of Coretta Scott King and a giant from the civil rights movement, Congressman John Lewis will join us to talk about the King legacy and his reflections.

SANCHEZ: Also, we're going to have a senator joining us here, as well.

Senator John McCain is going to be joining us.

He's been quoted this morning in the Associated Press as saying that every option must remain on the table. We'll have that.

Also, the video that you're looking at there, women of the storm. Women who are convinced that Washington is simply not doing enough for their cause in New Orleans. What they're doing and how they're doing it. It may surprise you.

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: A day to remember Coretta Scott King. In fact, several days.

What you're looking at right now is history being made on the streets of Atlanta as the body of Coretta Scott King is being carried by horse-drawn carriage through downtown Atlanta and to the capital rotunda, where, for the first time, an African-American woman will lie in state. And that's what's going to happen just moments from now.

That viewing will take place at noon and will last on into the evening, until 8:00 p.m. Eastern. It's a historic day in Atlanta, as we remember Coretta Scott King.

SANCHEZ: One of the other big stories that we're following on this day is about Iran saying that it's nuclear program is only to generate electricity and denying U.S. accusations that it is trying to build a nuclear bomb. Iran also says that the world heard the same accusations about Iraq, which have so far turned out not to be true.

So Senator John McCain is joining us now.

He's in Munich, Germany, but he's taking time to give us his perspective on this, including some interesting comments that he's been quoted as of saying this morning.

Let's, just to set this up, Senator, for our viewers, let's try and get the prelude to all of this.

Earlier this week, there was a report that came out that said there was a document that Iran received, a document -- and I'll read it to you -- which says, "How To Cast Enriched Natural And Depleted Uranium Metal Into Hemispheric Fabrication Of Nuclear Weapon Components."

It sounds, sir, like a recipe for a nuclear bomb.

Is that your concern, that this is exactly what they received and that would mean that they were trying to fabricate one?

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Well, I don't think there's any doubt. Every international observer, all the IAEA inspectors, all agree with that. And, more importantly, the -- we have just had a vote of the IAEA to refer this issue to the United Nations Security Council by an overwhelming majority v. Which means they have concluded that the Iranians are embarked on a sincere and serious effort to develop nuclear weapons.

SANCHEZ: So you believe that?

Let me read to you your own quote, as of this morning.

Associated Press says you are saying: "Every option must remain on the table. There's only one thing worse than military action, that is a nuclear armed Iran."

So you're saying that there's a nuclear option out there for the U.S.?

MCCAIN: No. What I'm saying is that there's an option out there of military action, but that can't be taken off the table. But we have a myriad of options to explore before that. And one of them, we are about to do now, and that's go to the United Nations Security Council.

It is a very bad option. It's the worst of all options except for allowing Iran to have nuclear weapons, which would destabilize the entire Middle East. And, by the way, maybe help them fulfill their commitment to the eradication of the State of Israel.

It's the last option, but it cannot be taken off the table. But I emphasize last.

SANCHEZ: Yes, and I misspoke when I said nuclear. Of course, I meant military.

Let me ask you this question.

MCCAIN: Sure.

SANCHEZ: Now that they are warned, Senator, it's going to be another 30 days, at least, until March, until the rest of the U.N. Security Council actually gets in to either do inspections or continue this process. That's 30 days. That's an awful long window. A lot of things can happen there.

Are you concerned that now that they feel threatened by this warning that they will proliferate in some way, form or fashion?

MCCAIN: Well, we're keeping an eye on that. But, I think also, I hope that it convinces them that we are serious, that the United States is working closely with our allies, particularly the Europeans, to try to defuse this situation, to persuade them that they cannot continue down this path.

So it's very clear now that the United Nations Security Council will have to take up this issue.

What's the -- what is the dilemma? What will Russia and China do? I hope that Russia and China, at the United Nations Security Council level, will understand that we have to impose sanctions or the Iranians stop this effort.

SANCHEZ: Do we have a credibility issue here on the international front given our dealings with Iraq? And, as a result, would you recommend that we allow the U.N. to take a lead on these negotiations?

MCCAIN: Well, the U.N. is in the lead and I think we don't have a credibility gap because the agency that monitors this has come to the conclusion, with definitive evidence, not just the United States, but the IAEA has come to a definitive conclusion that Iran is embarked on this effort and is well down the road. And now it is being referred to the United Nations Security Council. The United States, I do not believe, certainly not at this time, is contemplating any unilateral action.

SANCHEZ: Senator John McCain, we thank you, sir, for taking the time to talk to us all the way from Munich, Germany this morning on such an important issue.

MCCAIN: Thank you, Rick.

SANCHEZ: Appreciate it.

MCCAIN: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Betty, over to you.

NGUYEN: A lot of important issues and developing stories that we're watching today, including the one that we're about to bring you now. Live pictures from the streets of downtown Atlanta, where a horse-drawn carriage is carrying the body of Coretta Scott King. She will lie in state in the capital rotunda here in Georgia, the first time that this has ever been honored -- or this honor has ever been bestowed to an African-American or a female, for that matter.

We're going to have live coverage of this.

We're also going to talk to Congressman John Lewis, who was a close friend of Mrs. King, about her life and legacy. Stay tuned for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Author Malcolm Gladwell is the kind of figure that might catch your eye. But it's his best-selling novel "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking," that's really garnering a lot of looks.

"Blink" focuses on the power of the first two seconds we look at something, the impact just a glance has on decision-making. The literary world has given the book a lot of attention and Leonardo DiCaprio bought the movie rights and is set to star in big screen adaptation.

Gladwell has been writing for the "New Yorker" since 1996 and has a few words for aspiring writers.

MALCOLM GLADWELL, AUTHOR: Sometimes I meet young writers who are very interested in writing, but they're not interested in writing about anything in particular. And I don't think you can be a writer if you don't have something that you're sort of passionate about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: It's a day of remembrance here in Atlanta and throughout the nation as we stop and pause to look back and reflect on the life of Coretta Scott King.

You're looking at a horse-drawn carriage that carries the body of Mrs. King. It's moving through the streets of downtown Atlanta. And that is where it will take it to the capital rotunda, where Mrs. King will lie in state. It's quite an honor. And today is one for the history books.

As you know, Coretta Scott King was the widow of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. But she was also a leader in her own right.

Congressman John Lewis was a close friend of Mrs. King and worked closely with her and her husband on the front lines of the civil rights movement. He also worked in 1988 to get a National Museum of African-American History and Culture. That project has been approved and it will be located on the National Mall.

He joins us now to talk about these two history making events.

One, of course, your good friend and her passing and how we will be remembering her. I'll talk to you about that in just a moment.

But the National Museum of African-American History, that is something that you pushed for, for so long, back in 1988, just looking at the list of what you had to do to get this off the ground.

You submitted it every session of Congress and then finally, in 2001, after 15 years, it passed. Now there's a location for it.

How proud are you of that effort? REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: Well, I'm more than proud. I'm happy.

NGUYEN: Yes.

LEWIS: Gratified that after so many years and so many attempts to get this piece of legislation through the Congress, that the Board of Regents just this week made a decision, a historic decision to select the Mall as the site.

You couldn't ask for anything better.

NGUYEN: And what purpose do you want this museum to serve? There's a lot of history there. What purpose do you want it to serve?

LEWIS: I want this museum to tell the story, the complete story, the whole story of the contribution of African-Americans to the American society, going back to the days of the slave trade, of when African-Americans first came to the this land. And the whole sharecropping system, the whole struggle against segregation and racial discrimination.

The American story is not complete until the story of African- Americans is told.

NGUYEN: You want it all told.

And, of course, the King family obviously made a huge impact on the movement.

Where will Coretta Scott King have a place in this museum? Have you even thought about that just yet?

LEWIS: I have not given it a great deal of thought. But Coretta Scott King will have a major place in this museum, along with her late husband, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. They played such a role in bringing the nation to where we are today.

NGUYEN: A lot of struggles that were fought.

We're looking at live pictures now of the carriage that is carrying the body of Mrs. King as it moves through the streets of Atlanta.

I want you just to sit back for a moment and look at this and think what it took for this day to happen, for her body to lie in state, the first time not only a female, but an African-American, has been given that honor.

LEWIS: Well, it just didn't happen. It just didn't happen. Through many years of struggle for people to end segregation here in Georgia, in the City of Atlanta, here in the South. Just a few years ago, you had signs in Georgia and other parts of the South saying "White and Colored," "White Men," "Colored Men," "White Women," "Colored Women," "White Waiting," "Colored Waiting." People couldn't registered to vote. You had to change that. And Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King and hundreds and thousands of others have changed that. And Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated and we had his funeral here in Atlanta. The late governor of the state, Governor Lester Maddox, had the state troopers to guard the state capital. There was never an invitation or any inking of having Dr. King to lie in state. He was a Nobel Peace Prize winner and an international leader.

So things have changed. It's a different climate. It's a different environment. Black people in this state, like all across the American South, are now registered and they are voting. They've been elected to responsible positions.

NGUYEN: You knew Mrs. King in a different light, as well, because you knew her as a friend.

How was she? What kind of a woman was she? What kind of stories did she tell you, at least the ones that stick out most in your mind?

LEWIS: Well, she was a wonderful friend. I first met her in 1957, when I was a student in Nashville. And she would come to Nashville and other places in the South and tell the story of the movement through songs. She would sing a little...

NGUYEN: Oh, really?

LEWIS: ... and she would talk a little. And she had such a wonderful sense of humor and she was so loving. And she would ask you about your mother, how's your mother doing? How is your father, your sisters and brothers? And when I got married, she would always ask me about my wife and my son.

And she would talk and talk. And some time at night she would call you, late at night.

NGUYEN: Would she, really?

LEWIS: When, of course, you'd be working on the King Center or working to get the King holiday, when we were going to go on a voter registration tour in the South. And one night...

NGUYEN: Always working, it sounds like.

LEWIS: She was working late into the night. And one night she called me very late and we were talking on the telephone. And I think I feel asleep. And I heard myself snoring. And she fell asleep, also.

NGUYEN: Oh, no.

LEWIS: But the lines...

NGUYEN: Well, that shows you the friendship that you two had. It was just a beautiful thing. She was a woman who made great strides, a woman who is being remembered today. We want you to stick around.

We want to hear more about your friend, Coretta Scott King, and how you knew her, and also how you want her remembered.

Unfortunately, though, we have to take a quick break.

But as we do, here are some more live pictures.

Look at the crowds...

SANCHEZ: It's gotten to the rotunda. There it is, yes.

NGUYEN: ... who have come out to pay their respects, to remember this woman.

The life and legacy of Coretta Scott King.

We have live coverage coming up.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Take a look at these pictures, live pictures now from downtown Atlanta. The body of Coretta Scott King has arrived at the Georgia capitol where it will lie in state today. It's an honor not given to her husband following his assassination in 1968.

Now you see the governor of Georgia, Sonny Perdue, who is waiting there to receive the body of Coretta Scott King. It will then be placed in the rotunda for a short memorial service, which will be attended by the governor and the King family. And then a little bit later today, around 12:30 Eastern, the public will be allowed in to pay their final respects.

SANCHEZ: Congressman John Lewis good enough to share time with us. As you look at that picture and as we look at some of the other stories that we're following on this day, Congressman Lewis, we're going to get right back to you.

First the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency we should let you know has voted today to refer Iran to the security council for possible sanctions. Iran responded with defiance, saying that it would now go forward with nuclear development without restriction, key point there.

NGUYEN: Another story we need to tell you about shortly is in Manila, at least 73 people died in a stampede after someone allegedly yelled about a bomb in a crowd, which was happening outside an area. Now, 340 people were hurt in that. About 20,000 people were at the site waiting to get inside for the taping of a game show.

And near Atlantic City, a casino-bound tour bus slid down an embankment last night and crashed into a parking lot. Authorities say more than three dozen people were treated at local hospitals mostly for cuts and bruises.

SANCHEZ: Let's go to our coverage now, our continuing coverage on the death of Coretta Scott King. Congressman John Lewis good enough to join us. You look at this picture of Sonny Perdue, the governor of the state of Georgia today. How different is he from Governor Lester Maddox of the civil rights era, a known segregationist, albeit.

LEWIS: I think it's just a different climate, different political environment. Governor Lester Maddox was committed to segregation and racial discrimination. He had owned a restaurant in downtown Atlanta ...

SANCHEZ: We should just interrupt you for a moment to let you know that here comes the family now, Martin Luther III and Dexter as well walking into this gathering at the capitol rotunda there, just now meeting as you can see now with some of the ...

NGUYEN: It looks like Mayor Shirley Franklin right there.

SANCHEZ: Mayor Shirley Franklin, the governor and his wife as well. But continue your point, if you would.

LEWIS: Well, Lester Maddox had the state capitol guarded by state troopers during the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He wouldn't have any part of Martin Luther King Jr.'s body being placed in the rotunda of the capitol.

SANCHEZ: Are the men different or is it the era different? Let me ask you the question this way. If Sonny Perdue wanted to do what Lester Maddox did back then, would he be able to?

LEWIS: Oh, I don't think it would be possible. I don't think the people in this state would allow Sonny Perdue to do what Lester Maddox did. It's a different day. It's too many people on both sides of the aisle, Democrats and Republicans, blacks and whites. We've moved on; we've made so much progress.

SANCHEZ: Does it bother you as a Democrat that it was Lester Maddox and so many other Democrats back then, like George Wallace in Alabama, who were the ones who really towed the segregationist line?

LEWIS: It doesn't bother me, because here in the heart of the American south, so many people on both sides of the aisle were committed to segregation and racial discrimination. And we had to change. And since those days, we have witnessed here in Georgia and in the American south, what I call a non-violent revolution, a revolution of values, a revolution of ideas. And we are better people. So it's fitting and appropriate for the governor of Georgia to welcome the body of Coretta Scott King.

NGUYEN: Representative Lewis, I want to interrupt just for a moment and draw your attention to the live pictures right now where you see an honor guard has walked up to the carriage, where it is now taking the casket of Coretta Scott King from that horse-drawn carriage and will be bringing it into the rotunda. Let's just briefly take a moment and listen to the bagpipes and take in this moment in history.

SANCHEZ: Underneath the golden dome, Coretta Scott King will lie in state. This is now an official act, so says the state of Georgia through the governor, Sonny Perdue. This is important because what it means is, the governor is there to receive the body of Coretta Scott King and now the citizens of the state of Georgia will be able to come forward throughout 8:00 -- or until 8:00 tonight, I should say, to pay their last respects as well. And that is what you're seeing right now.

NGUYEN: Definitely history in the making. And as you saw in pictures earlier today, people have lined the streets to pay their respects to Coretta Scott King. She was a woman, a pioneer, a mother, a daughter, a woman who made great strides in the movement. We're here joined by her friend, dear friend with us today to talk about what she means to you. Representative John Lewis is here.

Not only are we watching Coretta Scott King's body be placed in this place of honor today, which it truly is, but that's your friend there. That's someone that you know very deeply and dearly. So many thoughts must be running through your head especially when you heard the bagpipes play. As you reflect upon your friendship and her life, how are you going to remember her and how are you going to tell others to remember her as well?

LEWIS: Well, I would say to others and I will say to myself over and over again, she was a wonderful, loving, very kind person. You know, I followed the drama of Montgomery in 1955 and '56. I grew up only 50 miles from Montgomery. I was 15 years old when I heard of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.

If it hadn't been for Coretta and Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks I don't know where I would be as a person. I don't know where many of us would be. I don't know where our country would be. Coretta must be looked upon as one of the founding mothers of the new America. She helped free us and liberate us. You know, she was an activist long before she met Martin Luther King Jr., long before she got married to this man.

She was working for peace, attending international conference, women's strike for peace. And she was always speaking up for the rights and concerns of others. She forgot about her own circumstances and got involved in the circumstances and problems of other people. Every birthday for the past 15 or 20 years, she would send me a birthday card. She would send me a little book.

NGUYEN: That's what friends do, right?

LEWIS: And she was just warm and kind. And I'm going to miss her. And all of us, not just here in Atlanta and in Georgia, but around the nation and around the world, we're going to miss her. She traveled all over. She traveled to Asia. She visited India. She went to South Africa and other parts of Africa back in the late '50s with her husband.

SANCHEZ: We're looking at her children Yolanda, Martin Luther III, Dexter and Bernice. What can you tell us about the impact this is having on them or has had on them, because let's face it. This is not something that happened overnight. She's been very ill, gravely ill now for quite some time.

LEWIS: Well, any time you lose a relative and especially a mother -- this woman, after the assassination of her husband, she had the responsibility to care for these four young children. I believe Bernice was only five at the time.

NGUYEN: Yes.

LEWIS: And she had to raise these children. She had to be a mother, a father and then to be a leader.

NGUYEN: Carry on the cause on top of that. Want to stop you for a moment because we're just going to take a moment and pause and watch as the family comes up and pays their final respects and their last good-byes to their dear mother, Coretta Scott King.

SANCHEZ: There's a great story that most people know by now. It occurred in 1955. That's Yolanda, the first of the children that you see in that small procession that we've been showing you right now. It was 1955 when someone threw a pipe bomb in Dr. King's home in Montgomery during the protest there. Dr. King returned home.

There was a mob outside his home. Wouldn't you recall, Congressman John Lewis and Dr. King told those people, put your arms down. We're not going to fight violence with violence even though his daughter had seemed to have been attacked on that day.

LEWIS: Martin Luther King Jr. had the capacity, had the ability to appeal to people, appeal to their hearts, to their conscience. And he urged this crowd, this mob, put down your weapons. Put done your guns, your knives, your sticks, your baseball bats. We're going to live the way of love, the way of non-violence. He had a profound impact, not just on that crowd that night, but on the very soul of the nation really.

SANCHEZ: What a story and it really captures - it captures the spirit of the civil rights movement and why it was undeniably one of the most important periods in the history of this country. Sir, we thank you for taking time to come in, Congressman John Lewis.

LEWIS: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: We're going to be right back.

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SANCHEZ: Welcome back now to a group of citizens who took Washington by storm this week. They're called appropriately enough, women of the storm. Their mission, to get Federal officials to see the hurricane devastation in Louisiana with their own eyes and to do something about it. Will they be successful? From New Orleans are two group members, Lauren Anderson and founder Ann Milling. Tell us what you want these politicians to do and to know. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What we want is for these politicians to just come here, see the devastation, the magnitude of the devastation of metropolitan New Orleans and then take a fly-over, over the coast of southern Louisiana and see the destruction there also.

SANCHEZ: Why do they need to see it? What difference would it make to them if they go and see it? Explain that to your viewers who perhaps like yourself and myself haven't spent so much time there in New Orleans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What we realize living here is that despite the really good media coverage of what's happened in our region as a result of Katrina, there's no way that the media can accurately portray the magnitude of the loss. It goes on block by block, miles and miles. And it's a transforming event for people to actually bear witness to the destruction that was wrought by Rita, by Katrina. They have to see it themselves to understand it.

SANCHEZ: When you went to Washington, ladies, you used blue umbrellas. What was the significance of that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we did use these umbrellas. The significance was that it was the blue tarp. I have one here with me this morning with our logo on it. And it made a statement that all of our rooftops are covered with this blue tarp material and we wanted them to be aware this is what we have on all of our homes our businesses and our rooftops. And that was the statement to make by the group.

SANCHEZ: We're down to 15 seconds because of all the coverage we've had on breaking news today. But tell me, how have you been received so far?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So far it's been wonderful. We have commitments from several members of the House of Representatives and next week we're following up with everyone whom we called on and I think we're going to get a positive response. You just keep following us. I'll bet that the women of the storm are going to get members of Congress to come and see the devastation.

SANCHEZ: You keep doing what you do and we'll be there for you. We appreciate you taking time to talk to us. Lauren Anderson and Ann Milling, women of the storm. Betty.

NGUYEN: We'll be following them. Thank you so much. "CNN LIVE SATURDAY" with Fredericka Whitfield is next right after a short break. Have a good morning.

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