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Supreme Court Says Christian Web Designer Can Refuse To Create Web Sites For Same-Sex Weddings; Ukraine Intel Chief: Kremlin Plotting To Kill Prigozhin; Soon: Biden To Speak After Student Loan Forgiveness Blocked By Supreme Court; Student Loan, LGBTQ Rulings Make Waves On Capitol Hill; Storms Expected To Bring Relief From Toxic Air From Wildfires. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired June 30, 2023 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

CARRIE SEVERINO, PRESIDENT, JUDICIAL CRISIS NETWORK: Lorie Smith, much like Jack Phillips, the cake baker that has a similar type of case coming out of California, is happy to produce Web sites for same-sex couples, as Jack Smith is happy to produce cakes for them, arrange flowers, happy to arrange flowers for them.

The question is when it comes to Web sites that provide a specific message. So a Web site celebrating a wedding that she disagrees with is something she will not do for a same-sex couple --

(CROSSTALK)

SEVERINO: -- or heterosexual couple. That came up in the oral arguments.

(CROSSTALK)

SEVERINO: If a couple says we want to tell our story, we met when we both were married to other people.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: Right.

SEVERINO: First it was an affair and now we're getting married. She wouldn't do that Web site either. Even if they're heterosexual.

SCIUTTO: OK --

SEVERINO: It's not about, are you same-sex or opposite sex attracted. It's about the message that she --

SCIUTTO: You would --

SEVERINO: -- disagrees with.

SCIUTTO: You would understand why people at home would look at that and say, sounds like hair splitting to me because the end result is the same. You don't get the service, right? And it seems like --

SEVERINO: You get all sorts of --

(CROSSTALK)

SCIUTTO: -- in effect, it becomes an end around.

SEVERINO: -- or their business. No, no, because she'd be happy to provide the Web site for their business, she would be happy to provide it for their home sale, all sorts of other things.

Not for that particular wedding because that is the only thing that she is disagreeing with. It's the message about that wedding.

SCIUTTO: OK.

SEVERINO: And this would apply across the board. This means that, for example, as also came up during arguments, if the "Washington Blade," a local LGBTQ pro newspaper, wanted to say for the months of June we're only going to have same-sex marriage announcements, they could do that now.

What Colorado is arguing is they wouldn't be allowed to do that. They would have to, as a gay newspaper, put just as many heterosexual wedding announcements as homosexual. It makes no sense.

Everyone should be allowed their opinion. That's what's great about the First Amendment. That's why the gay (INAUDIBLE) -

SCIUTTO: Right.

SEVERINO: They agree they have a right in our country to speak and we have a corollary right not to be forced to speak messages that we disagree with.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this, because it's also about how the court approaches these broader issues here. In -- when it comes to same-sex marriages, LGBTQ rights, et cetera.

In 2020, the court decided that the 1964 Civil Rights Act, that sex as defined or referenced under that act includes in effect sexual orientation. I believe Neil Gorsuch, conservative member, wrote that decision.

Why are those consistent, right? If, in effect, the court is saying that sexual orientation is protected under the Constitution, why is it consistent with this decision?

SEVERINO: Obviously, Justice Gorsuch himself, who wrote it, agrees that it is consistent.

Here's why -- because as I've been explaining, it's not about denying a service based on class, but it's about not wanting to bring a message. So there's a whole host of messages that Lorie Smith is not willing to bring. And that other people might not want to give.

I think the example that you alluded to before with Christian Waggoner, if you are a pro-abortion photographer, you shouldn't be forced to do work for an organization that you disagree with.

SCIUTTO: I get that narrow argument.

(CROSSTALK)

SCIUTTO: I get that narrow argument. But it --

SEVERINO: -- on different things --

SCIUTTO: But as you know, being a close follower of the court, it's not as simple as that narrow argument because you also have religious freedom cases argued from a different direction, in effect, but with the same effect to restrict in the view.

And we had someone on from an LGBTQ community who reads it very differently from you.

And it's happening at a time where there are hundreds of laws that are moving their way through state legislatures, pushed by Republicans that are targeting transgender people. Other interactions with folks from the LGBTQ groups.

So given that totality, how do you give folks watching right now at home, who may be in that group, to say that their rights will be protected, that this court doesn't have a broader view that is far more restrictive than, frankly, a majority of the members of the public view LGBTQ rights?

SEVERINO: Look, this is the end of Pride month. It was hard to find a business that wasn't flying a rainbow flag on it. There are a lot of people who are very supportive of LGBTQ rights.

However, Obergefell, the very decision on which same-sex marriage was nationalized across the country, Justice Kennedy said the First Amendment ensures that religious organizations and persons are given proper protection.

As they seek to teach the principles that are so fulfilling and natural to their lives and faith and their deep aspirations to continue the family structure they have long revered.

The promise of Obergefell was, don't worry, making same-sex marriage the law across the land is not going to mean that you are not allowed to have and advance your belief that that's not your view of marriage, right?

However, what we're seeing here is people who are now saying, all right, now we're going to erase that part of Obergefell. If there's someone undercutting Obergefell, it's the people who are trying to erase the promise of that decision that said we can live and let live.

This is an era where there are many, many people who are very supportive of LGBTQ rights. They should be the ones who are allowed to do those Web sites. They're happy to and lining up to do that. There are a lot of people who want to celebrate same-sex marriage.

[13:35:13]

SCIUTTO: The reality is, of course --

SEVERINO: There are lots of people who have core beliefs and shouldn't be forced and dragged into doing so against their beliefs just like those who are in favor of same-sex marriage should not be forced to make Web sites, for example, opposing it.

They shouldn't be allowed to do that either, and they're not thanks to our First Amendment.

SCIUTTO: Listen, longer discussion, as you know, there's great concern about Obergefell specifically given the court has changed since Kennedy left and that may be the next target. We'll leave that for another time.

Carrie Severino, thank you so much.

Brianna?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Ukraine's military intel chief claiming that Russia is plotting to assassinate the leader of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin. We'll have new details on that when CNN NEWS CENTRAL returns.

And also ahead, Senate Republicans who pushed to end President Biden's student loan forgiveness program now acknowledging that today's Supreme Court decision could lead to backlash from voters. We'll have more on the potential political fallout ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:40:49]

KEILAR: We may now have a better understanding of why Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has remained out of public view.

Just days after his mercenaries abandoned their insurrection in Russia, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence says the Kremlin is plotting to assassinate the former Putin ally. This is according to an interview with the "War Zone" media outlet.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is joining us from Kyiv on this story.

Nick, given the frequency of Putin's critics turning up dead, how surprising is this?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I think, Brianna, the thing that's most surprising is that Yevgeny Prigozhin appears to still be a free man and very much alive as far as we can tell.

Now Ukrainian defense intelligence obviously part of their job is to sow information out there, be it true or not. They do have good sources about what's happening inside Russia a lot of the time.

To be sure that the Russians are always watching their backs and feeling uncomfortable in their war of choice here invading Ukraine.

But Yevgeny Prigozhin, as you say, has not been seen in public for quite some time, not since Rostov-on-Don on Saturday. He left one lengthy audio message a couple of days ago describing the deal he made.

But part of that deal with the Kremlin and also Belarus' president Aleksandr Lukashenko involved him going to Belarus. Now we know that the president of Belarus says that's happened.

But Yevgeny Prigozhin, who's never been shy about telling people of his whereabouts or thoughts over the past months, has pretty much gone silent.

There have been unverified sightings of someone who looked a bit like him in a helicopter affiliated with him in St. Petersburg. His planes affiliated with him have gone between St. Petersburg, Moscow, Minsk over the past days, but nothing confirming that.

That leads you to question, has he somehow reneged on the deal into exile, is he in hiding because he fears exactly what Ukrainian intelligence may be saying could be about to happen to him?

But you've got to ask the big question here, Brianna, how was he not intercepted before by the Russian security services? Is he still roaming around now and they're hunting him down?

All of this speaks to a collapse of Putin's power and real divisions in the security establishment, which he once ruled supreme over -- Brianna?

KEILAR: Yes, certainly does.

Nick Paton Walsh live for us from Kyiv. Thank you for that report.

Jim?

SCIUTTO: Ahead, they pushed to end the president's student debt forgiveness plan. Now Republicans are bracing for what could be a political backlash.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:47:42]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Just into CNN, the White House confirmed that President Biden will deliver remarks on the Supreme Court decision blocking his student debt relief program at 3:30 p.m. today. So just under two hours from now. We will bring that to you live.

First, let's get some reaction from Capitol Hill with CNN congressional correspondent, Lauren Fox, who's there for us.

So, Lauren, what are officials there saying about this decision?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, it is congressional recess, but a number of Republicans who are on recess right now from Capitol Hill, they are putting out statements applauding this decision by the Supreme Court.

Saying -- and this is from Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate:

"The president of the United States cannot hijack 20-years-old emergency powers to pad the pockets of his high-earning base and make suckers out of working families who choose not to take on student debt."

"The court's decision today deals a heavy blow to Democrats who distorted the outsized view of executive power."

Meanwhile, you have Democrats pushing back, with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer saying in a statement that this court decision is a, quote, "cruel ruling."

And that it shows "the callousness of the MAGA Republican-controlled Supreme Court. As justices accept lavish six-figure gifts, they don't dare help Americans saddled with student loan debt."

And we should note that there were two very important Supreme Court decisions today. While there were a handful of Republicans who put out statements about that Colorado case, there were many Republican leaders who have yet to weigh in.

And it just really goes to show you, Boris, the reality that public opinion on gay marriage and gay rights has changed so radically over the last several decades on Capitol Hill that a lot of Republicans view it potentially as politically problematic to weigh in.

So a number of Senators, a number of Republican House leaders put out statements about the student loan decision, and yet we have not heard from them yet on the other case from Colorado -- Boris?

SANCHEZ: Very important to point that out.

Lauren Fox, on Capitol Hill, thank you so much.

Jim?

[13:49:50]

SCIUTTO: All right. Believe it or not, this is New York City today. You can barely even see the Empire State Building through all that smog. This smoke from the Canadian wildfires hanging over parts of the U.S. How long is it going to stick around this time? We'll let you know, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: At least a dozen states under air quality warnings as smoke from Canadian wildfire smoke drifts south across the border.

CNN meteorologist, Allison Chinchar, has been following this. Allison, give us a sense of how broad this is. I suppose the question

is where the wind patterns are, will folks get relief by July 4th?

[13:55:07]

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, the short answer is, yes, we're going to see some relief in the coming days. But for some areas, it'll take a little bit longer than others.

This is a live look at New York right now. Again, you can see the hazy smoke off into the distance there.

But they're not the only ones dealing with that. You have a lot of these areas across the Great Lakes region and the northeast where you have those air quality alerts in that unhealthy range.

It's pretty widespread. It even dips farther into the mid-Atlantic, down into the southeast.

Again, it's not just an isolated problem here for maybe a state or two or three. You really have a lot of these areas that are dealing with that smoke.

One thing to note is, yesterday and the day before, we had a lot more of that widespread across the Midwest. Thanks to rain showers and storms that moved through, we were able to clear out a lot of that smoke.

The same thing will happen as we push later into the weekend, where you're really going to see a lot of that smoke clear back out across the Ohio Valley, the Tennessee Valley, and areas of the mid-Atlantic.

Eventually into the northeast, as well, maybe perhaps at least 48 hours from now and into Monday and Tuesday of next week.

But we will get there. We just have to wait for a lot of those rain showers to come in and really clear the air out.

Now another big concern for this weekend is the prolonged heat. It's not just across the south but also out to the west, as well. Those afternoon high temperatures getting well into the triple digits, and the overnight lows not really dropping below 80 degrees.

SCIUTTO: Goodness. We need rain for the smoke and rain for the heat. We'll keep looking for it.

Allison Chinchar, at the Weather Center, thank you.

Brianna?

KEILAR: Historic decisions from the Supreme Court today limiting LGBTQ protections in the name of free speech and blocking President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan as overreach by government. We will be hearing from the president in the 3:00 hour. We'll be bringing that to you, live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)