Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

U.S. Supreme Court Blocks Race From College Admissions; The Push For Anti-Discrimination Laws In South Korea; Tropical Storm Beatriz Strengthens Off West Coast Of Mexico; French President to Hold Crisis Meeting Amid Violent Protests; CNN Obtains Documents Relating to the Russian General is a Wagner Group member; Islamic Nations and the U.N. Condemns Sweden's Move of Burning a Quran. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired June 30, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Ahead on "CNN Newsroom," rioting in the streets of France for a third straight day outraged over the fatal police shooting of a teenager.

CNN gets exclusive access to documents alleging that a top Russian general not seen for days had ties to the Wagner Group.

Widespread condemnation over the burning of a Quran in Sweden on one of the holiest days in his life.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: We begin in France where President Emmanuel Macron is set to hold a crisis meeting in the coming hours. That's according to CNN affiliate BFMTV. The nation is reeling from a third night of protests over the police killing of a teenage boy.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

Confrontations flared between protesters and police in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where the 17-year-old named Nael was killed on Tuesday. Similar chaotic scenes played out around the country late Thursday into early Friday. France's elite police force was deployed to Bordeaux, Lyon and other areas to quell the unrest. More than 600 people were arrested in the past 24 hours.

Now the teen's killing which was caught on video has sparked anger across France, particularly among young men and women of color who feel they've long been discriminated against by police.

CNN's Melissa Bell has the latest from Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A night of flames. Cars, town halls, schools set on fire across France has raged over the police shooting of 17-year-old Nael continued enough to force the French president to call an emergency ministerial meeting.

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): The last hours have been marked by violent scenes against police stations, but also schools and town halls, and basically against institutions and the republic. It's absolutely unjustifiable.

BELL (voice-over): The deployment of some 2,000 police officers on Wednesday to the Paris suburbs did little to quell the anger with 150 people detained.

It's not the republic that was in custody. It was not the republic that killed this young man, pleaded the government spokesman Olivier Veran.

Another appeal in vain to calm the violence, as Veran described some of the attacks on government institutions as organized, almost coordinated.

In response, a massive deployment of police forces on Thursday, some 40,000 across France, including 5,000 in Paris.

But even before nightfall, a protest led by Nael's mother turned violent. Emotions still raw, even as the police officer accused of shooting the teen was placed under formal investigation for voluntary homicide. With questions on the racial undertones of the tragedy.

DANIELE OBONO, FRENCH MEMBER OF THE PARLIAMENT: The dimension of race is pretty obvious. And yeah, I think it's French society as a whole that has a lot of difficulties to address it, because we have this mythology of a republic, kind of a colorblind republic.

BELL (voice-over): Scuffles breaking out along the margins of the march, some 6,000 strong, according to local media.

Anger on the streets of France remains all too palpable, with a family grieving and a community looking for answers as Paris suburbs and much of the country prepare for another difficult night.

Melissa Bell, CNN, in Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: For more on this I'm joined by Christian Mouhanna, who's a professor of sociology of law and policing at the French National Center for Scientific Research and he joins me from Paris. Thanks so much for being here with us.

So first of all I just want to ask you what you make about the level of anger we're seeing on the streets across the country right now.

CHRISTIAN MOUHANNA, PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY OF LAW AND POLICING, CNRS: Yes, what we have to keep in mind is that first, this is not the first time that we have this kind of riots in France. We have the same problem for more than 30 years. And these young people who are living in the banlieues (ph), they feel rejected by the state, by the institutions.

And their first problem is the contact with the police forces. They have a very bad relationship with the police forces in their everyday life. So every young guy from this banlieue (ph) can recognize himself in the case of Nael, the young guy who was killed yesterday.

[02:05:33]

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, as you said, I mean we saw some more riots in 2005 after the death of two teens were hiding from police and many of those riots happen in neighborhoods with large minority populations as you say often cope with discrimination unemployment a sense of alienation so you're saying, I mean, has nothing changed since then?

MOUHANNA: Very few things have changed. The Macron government is not interested in the problem of the banlieue. He has cut a lot of money to associations who were dealing with this kind of people. The problem of schools too, we have a lot of lack of people, of human resources in the schools, in all the public services, but the government is more oriented towards people who are productive and not very interested in dealing with these poor people.

And you have also to keep in mind that during the COVID pandemic, this area were very -- it was very problematic to live in this area because people were more heels and, you know the -- areas have had a lot of problem even to earn money because as they were fired from some companies that because they don't have contracts with companies.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. You mentioned president Macron, he's holding a crisis meeting today. What do you think if anything he can do then to calm the violence given he hasn't addressed the long-term issues that are behind this but least on the short term can he do anything here?

MOUHANNA: Yes, I think the problem for President Macron is, on the one hand, he doesn't want to have more problems with youngsters, so he has to give them some guarantees that he will find some solution for them. But on the other hand, he has the pressure of some police unions who are very strong in France.

Who are saying, for example, the police officer who is in custody has to be liberated because he is innocent, it was an accident and so on and so on. Because President Macron easily running also with police forces that was the case during the yellow jacket crisis all during the pension slow demonstration in France. So yeah he has always needs is police forces and that's why he's in the middle of a very problematic policy.

BRUNHUBER: In terms of the police themselves, according to police, thirteen people were shot and killed by police after not complying with orders during these types of traffic stops. The lawyer for Nael's family said in France the judicial system protects police officers accused of breaking the law which leads to a culture of impunity. Is that accurate, do you think? MOUHANNA: Yes, in some way, yes it is, because when you are a police

officer and you have problem with youngsters or you always have more power because you are a police officer, so your voice is more heard by the judicial system than the voice of anyone else.

So if there were no video, for example, for the case of Nanterre, it would have been more hard for the people, for the youngsters to say we were threatened by the police. So the case, the problem is that often when you don't have any videos, people they are rejected by the judicial system because some of them have had problems with the justice before and so on. So it's very hard to be recognized as a victim from the police.

BRUNHUBER: We will have to leave it there but really appreciate your expertise. Christian Mouhanna, thank you so much for being here with us.

MOUHANNA: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Now to Russia where a popular blogger reports the military purge may be underway in the wake of last weekend's short-lived revolt. Questions remain over the whereabouts of Russian General Sergei Surovikin, who briefly led the war in Ukraine.

[02:10:10]

Now, some reports say he's been detained for questioning over what he knew about the Wagner Group uprising. His daughter denies he's been arrested, but Surovikin hasn't been seen in days in public. Meanwhile, documents shared exclusively with CNN suggest Surovikin was a secret VIP member of the Wagner Group. Matthew Chance has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the last time we saw General Surovikin. On Saturday, looking nervous, imploring Wagner mercenaries to end their brief rebellion.

SERGEI SUROVIKIN, RUSSIAN GENERAL (through translator): We had victories together. We are the same blood. But you must do this before it's too late.

CHANCE (voice-over): There was clearly pressure for his words to make a difference.

It's well known that Surovikin, nicknamed General Armageddon, for his ruthless tactics bombing cities in Syria, was very close to Wagner. But just how close is only now becoming clear.

Documents shared exclusively with CNN suggest he was, since 2018, a secret VIP member of the group, with a personal Wagner registration number. The documents, obtained by the Russian investigative Dossier Center, list Surovikin, along with at least 30 other senior Russian military and intelligence officials, but the Dossier Center says are also VIP Wagner members.

Wagner hasn't answered CNN's request for a response.

It's unclear what VIP membership entails, like if there's any financial benefit. But it does imply an overly close relationship between the Russian military and the mercenaries.

They failed to prevent from staging a military uprising at the weekend. Even allowing Wagner fighters to take over an entire Russian city with virtually no resistance. It all raises suspicions in the Kremlin of divided loyalties.

But General Surovikin, whose whereabouts remain unknown, is one of Russia's most capable, highly decorated commanders. What's unclear is if the Kremlin still trusts him.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: No one seems entirely sure where Yevgeny Prigozhin is. Flight tracking data show two planes linked to the Wagner Group CEO traveling from Belarus to Moscow and St. Petersburg this week. One U.S. official called it a deception tactic.

Well, joining me now from Warsaw, Poland is Pavel Slunkin, who's a policy analyst with the European Council on Foreign Relations. And for that he worked for the Foreign Ministry of Belarus, participating in the Minsk talks on Ukraine. And those were aimed at ending the war, the fighting with Russian-backed separatists that started in 2014. Thank you so much for being here with us. So first, do you think Prigozhin is in Belarus? And if so, will he stay there?

PAVEL SLUNKIN, POLICY ANALYST, EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: I'm not sure. I'm not sure that he can feel safe in Belarus. And the second part of the answer would be, I don't know what he can be doing there. I mean, when is Jess travel to Belarus and then in the late evening they left Belarus back to Russia?

Allegedly, according to some sources, he was meeting Alexander Lukashenko, but I mean, staying there is not probably a good idea right now while he doesn't have a clear understanding if his soldiers, if his army will come and will be stationed there in Belarus. So I still think that they haven't yet decided what is the future not only for Prigozhin but also for the Wagner Group.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, not a good idea for him to stay there. Do you think because Putin has a long arm, I imagine if someone were fleeing Putin Belarus would hardly be considered out of reach?

SLUNKIN: Yeah, I mean, what we saw was that Putin was publicly humiliated, not only internally, but internationally. And knowing that he's a former KGB officer, who has many times said that he can excuse everything except betrayal.

So I am pretty sure that he would try to take revenge, probably not in the near times. Maybe it's not days, weeks, or months, but still until Prigozhin knows that he can be protected by his own army bearing Belarus, he can trust any security guarantees by Lukashenko who's kind of a puppet by Putin who depends on him so much so i think that he still negotiate trying to provide more understanding what the role of a lot of can be so okay let's listen to look at saying that he still negotiate trying to provide more understanding what the role the Wagner can be (inaudible).

[02:15:16]

BRUNHUBER: So, okay, let's switch then to Lukashenko. I mean, if Prigozhin does stay, what will his presence along, presumably, with the Wagner group mean for Lukashenko? Could they coexist? Wouldn't Lukashenko be worried Prigozhin would just turn on him like he did Putin?

SLUNKIN: Yeah, that's an excellent question. I would say that this is the main point of their potential contradictions. Lukashenko has always been an only one decision maker. So all of his opponents or potential competitors, they were either in prison or dead or in exile, said Prigozhin, knowing what he did to Putin, knowing how capable he was and how strong he was.

I'd not sure if location will allow him to have her military independent private army that would obviously challenge Luke Shanker (ph) that will be out of his control and after what happened in Russia, I'm not sure Lukashenko would agree for that at the same time Lukashenko, he's saying that he would be happy to have Wagner as a part of his ministry of defense at least part of those guys, probably training Belarusian soldiers who have never had an experience fighting abroad, but I'm not sure if Prigozhin would agree for that, I mean he has been building his army to use it himself, not to serve to Lukashenko.

So this is, I think, something is upon negotiations and probably, I see three probable directions where they can work together. The one is legal registration in Belarus. In Russia he can't do it. They want him to be subordinate to Shoigu and he wants to avoid that. So Lukashenko already promised him to allow the registration of Wagner in Belarus.

The second one maybe exploring Africa. They have been working there both. I mean, they can now unite forces and do this together. And third one is probably that Wagner can be used as an additional layer of defense for Lukashenko, who has been protecting himself since rigged elections in 2020.

He has been building one layer to each other, first bringing Russian troops that would make him, that would save him in even a prison in Belarus will happen again, that he agreed to station nuclear arms in Belarus from his eyes it means that nobody will attack him and now the Wagner groups which he thinks will be an additional layer of guys who can and know how to fight and who have been protecting Putin now before in Ukraine and now will probably serve to Lukashenko so those are potentially three directions but still not clear.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Last question, I want to get you to respond to this about Belarus's opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanoukskaya wrote in an opinion piece, I want to read this quote here, "The disquieting Wagner presence introduces a sinister new threat to Belarusian independence that we will become enmeshed in power struggles beyond our control.

Any fighting between rival Russian military factions might now spill into Belarusian territory. We are bordered to the west by Poland and to the north by Latvia and Lithuania, none of which is likely to feel safer with the mercenary army of Russian convicts and war criminals squatting on our doorsteps. We want the lot of them out of our country."

All right. Do you share her concern that this could embroil the country and the region further in conflict? And do you think many Belarusians agree?

SLUNKIN: Yeah, I think that obviously it's nothing safe and we can't be sure what they are going to do. Since 2020, Lukashenko has been violating all possible rules. He has landed their airplane with European citizens on board and capturing hostage from their opposition journalists.

Then he has organized the attacks, storms of borders of E.U. and NATO countries in Lithuania, Poland and Latvia, as you said. And we don't know, we can be sure that now they won't add there some soldiers of Wagner who would be using weapons into it to attack the border so it's, I mean, they can be ruled out completely.

And at the same time yes, I mean, no one what Wagner as being doing in Syria in Ukraine that before no balance and can feel safe, I know that the people who are very critical to Lukashenko, they can't say publicly but they still have some shows of communication with various independent media in exile, they're now saying that they are threatened, they are depressed, they are very much afraid. And obviously this is nothing good to the Belarusian people and we can be sure that Lukashenko will use it in his own interest.

BRUNHUBER: Alright, we'll have to leave it there. Really appreciate your insights, Pavel Slunkin in Warsaw. Thanks again.

SLUNKIN: Thank you.

[02:20:05]

BRUNHUBER: So as Russia deals with the fallout from the insurrection, Ukraine says it's moving ahead on the front lines.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

Ukrainian troops have reportedly pushed Russian forces back by at least one kilometer in two areas south of Bakhmut. Kyiv says the gains will open the door for even more advances. Ukraine is also preparing for some of the worst-case scenarios at the occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant. On Thursday, it conducted emergency drills to prepare for what it calls a possible Russian terrorist attack there.

Ukraine claims Russia is considering an attack which would involve a leak of nuclear material, but Moscow denies that. Ukraine has also getting a new loan from the World Bank to deal with the impact of Russia's aggression. The one and a half billion dollar loan was approved Thursday.

A loan demonstrator burned pages of a Quran in Sweden days ago. It triggered a firestorm reaction in Iraq and other Muslim nations over what they call an extremely offensive act. We have details after the break. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: You're looking at people in Iraq burning the Swedish flag. They're protesting the incident in Stockholm when a man burned a copy of the Quran during a demonstration outside a mosque. And the rage is not just in Iraq. From Malaysia to Indonesia, Muslim nations are incensed the holy book was set aflame, and now the United Nations has joined in. Swedish authorities criticized the burning of the Quran, but called it protected free speech.

Still, as CNN's Jomana Karadsheh reports, protesters call it hate speech.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Scores of protesters poured into the Swedish embassy compound in Baghdad on Thursday to protest Swedish authorities allowing a man to burn Islam's holy book outside a mosque in Stockholm on Wednesday, the first day of one of the holiest days in the Islamic calendar, the first day of Eid al-Adha.

It was a brief protest. For the most part, it appeared non-violent, but they did scale the walls of the compound, the Swedish foreign ministry telling CNN that their staff are safe. The protest came after the powerful influential Shia cleric Muqtada Sader called on his supporters, and this is a man who can mobilize the masses, to head to the Swedish embassy. He also called on the Iraqi government to expel the Swedish ambassador. He also called on the government to revoke the Iraqi citizenship of the man who set the holy book ablaze. He is an Iraqi refugee, as we have reported, with anti-Islam views.

This incident appears to be over right now, but there are calls for a larger protest in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq on Friday. It's a traditional day of protests in the Arab and Muslim world, and there could potentially be protests as well in other countries. There is just so much anger and outrage across the Arab and Muslim world.

[02:24:58]

Governments are not only condemning what they view is this offensive and sacrilegious act, but they're angry with Sweden, furious for Sweden, allowing this to happen once again. Jordan and the UAE have summoned the Swedish ambassadors in their countries.

Morocco has recalled its ambassador to Sweden. Swedish officials have always said that they don't agree and condone these acts, but they say that this is Sweden. This is freedom of speech and it is protected by the constitution and it is central to Swedish democracy. But Muslims around the world are saying for them, this is not freedom of speech, this is hate speech and Islamophobia.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's getting rid of a controversial part of his plan to revamp the country's court system. CNN's Jerusalem correspondent, Hadas Gold has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: After months of massive protests in the streets, international pressure and pressure from some of his own ministers, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, walking away from one of the more controversial aspects of his massive judicial overhaul plan.

Now this specific aspect of the judicial overhaul would have allowed a simple majority in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, to overturn Supreme Court decisions.

But now in an interview with "The Wall Street Journal," Benjamin Netanyahu is saying that completely off the table. Now, Benjamin Netanyahu had actually indicated back in April in an interview with CNN that he was going to be walking away from the simple override part of the judicial overhaul plan. But there was the question about whether his coalition would try to push through the possibility that there would be an override clause but with a supermajority of members of parliament. But now, Benjamin Netanyahu telling "The Wall Street Journal" that is off the table. Take a listen.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I already changed a few things right after the original proposal was put forward. I said that the idea of an override clause where the parliament, the Knesset, can override the decisions of the Supreme Court with a simple majority, I said, I threw that out.

GOLD: But that certainly doesn't mean that the rest of the judicial overhaul is dead. There are still other aspects, especially how judges are selected.

But Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed in that same interview will still be pushing forward. However, they did say that things like the judicial selection committee will not be ultimately the same plan that was initially introduced by his own justice minister months ago.

But that also doesn't mean that the protesters are backing off either because there are still elements of this judicial reform that are still going to be pushed through and brought forward two votes in the coming days and weeks. And in fact, protesters still plan to go out on the streets on their Saturday night for their regular weekly protests that are often concentrated in Tel Aviv.

But also on Monday, they say they plan to shut down Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, the main airport out of Tel Aviv, they say as a part of their massive protest because that is the day they believe parts of the solicitation we brought forward for a vote.

Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Higher education in the U.S. is about to undergo radical transformation. Decades of court decisions upholding affirmative action in college applications suddenly overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. That story, just ahead. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

One year after overturning Roe v. Wade, the conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court has delivered another stunning reversal of two decades of legal precedent. This time soundly rejecting the policy of including race in college applications.

Thursday's six to three decision had been widely expected that the fallout will be significant. It means most colleges and universities can no longer consider a student's race and its acceptance criteria. Data show that Black and Latino's students are impacted the most negatively in places where affirmative action has already been banned.

There's little the White House can do, but the president struck a defiant tone after the ruling. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We cannot let this decision be the last word. All the courts can render a decision. It cannot change what America stands for. America is an idea. An idea unique in the world.

My idea of hope and opportunity. Possibilities of giving everyone a fair shot of leaving no one behind. We've never fully lived up to it, but we've never walked away from it either. We will not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Striking down affirmative action has been a conservative goal since Ronald Reagan was president some 40 years ago. We get more from CNN'S Athena Jones in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Affirmative action as we know it is no more.

CALVIN YANG, MEMBER, STUDENTS FOR FAIR ADMISSIONS: Today's victory transcends far beyond those of us sitting in this room today. It belongs to thousands of sleepless high schoolers applying to colleges.

CLAUDINE GAY, PRESIDENT-ELECT, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: We will comply with the court's decision, but it does not change our values.

JONES (voiceover): Reversing decades of precedent, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling colleges and universities can no longer take race into account as a specific basis for granting admission. In a six-three decision, Chief Justice John Roberts saying admission programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution because they failed to offer measurable objectives to justify the use of race. Unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful endpoints.

Roberts' majority opinion suggests how an applicant's life has been affected by race can still be considered Justice Clarence Thomas writing his concurring opinion. Even in the segregated south where I grew up, individuals were not the sum of their skin color. But an attorney for UNC students who argued in defense of affirmative action stressing colleges that still want to consider race now face a challenge.

DAVID HINOJOSA, LAWYERS' COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER LAW: It's going to be much more difficult to try and demonstrate your lawful program if you do consider race.

JONES (voiceover): Students for Fair Admissions, the conservative group behind both challenges, applauded the ruling.

EDWARD BLUM, FOUNDER & PRESIDENT, STUDENTS FOR FAIR ADMISSIONS: The opinion issued today by the United States Supreme Court marks the beginning of the restoration of the colorblind legal covenant that binds together our multiracial multi-ethnic nation.

JONES (voiceover): Critics argue it will hurt Black and Latino enrollment and roll back decades of progress. Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined in her dissenting opinion by Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Elena Kagan blasting the decision as an indefensible reading of the Constitution that is not grounded in law.

Jackson, arguing the majority opinion ignores America's past and present, writing deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. Vice President Kamala Harris calling it a step backward for our nation. Former President Barack Obama also weighing in saying now it's up to all of us to give young people the opportunities they deserve and help students everywhere benefit from new perspectives.

ANGIE GABEAU, PRESIDENT, HARVARD BLACK STUDENT ASSOCIATION: It was disheartening to see.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I benefited from affirmative action.

JONES (voiceover): A major decision sparking outrage and questions about its impact.

GABEAU: We live in such a racialized society like that is -- that is not a -- an argument. And the no argument can made -- be made against that. My race is not you know something I tack on and take off like a shirt. It's my -- it's me. It's my identity.

[02:35:05]

JONES: And we should note. This decision exempts military academies from the ban on race-conscious admissions. Something Justice Jackson said showed an interest in preserving racial diversity in the bunker, but not in the boardroom.

Athena Jones, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: In South Korea, the LGBTQ community and its supporters are pushing for anti-discrimination laws to be enacted in the country, but they're facing a tough battle. Here's CNN's Paula Hancocks with details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It is a hard one celebration. The Seoul Queer Culture Festival has attracted thousands since the year 2000. But this year, the Pride parade was denied access to the venue that it used since 2015, Seoul City Hall Plaza.

Officials cite a scheduling clash LGBTQ groups cry discrimination. The venue promised to a Christian youth event, City Hall says events for children take precedence, so Mayor Oh Se-hoon adding his personal view at a council meeting.

OH SE-HOON, MAYOR OF SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (through translator): I personally cannot agree with homosexuality. I'm against it.

HANCOCKS (voiceover): Conservative Christian groups said they're hoping some 300,000 people will protest this year's parade. LGBTQ activists say without an anti-discrimination law in South Korea, it is almost impossible to fight for their rights.

CHA HAE-YOUNG, MAPO-GU COUNCIL MEMBER (through translator): The Constitution may say that no one should be discriminated against. But the anti-discrimination bill clarifies what discrimination is, and there could be legal penalties.

HANCOCKS (voiceover): Cha Hae-young is the first openly LGBTQ elected official in South Korea. She says her sexual orientation was used against her by her rivals when she entered politics.

HAE-YOUNG (through translator): In the political or public realm revealing one's identity as a sexual minority is a handicap. Some people said that I should not be in politics because I'm a sexual minority. They made my identity my weakness.

HANCOCKS (voiceover): Since 2007, lawmakers have proposed 11 anti- discrimination bills. Five have expired, two have withdrawn, and four are still pending in the National Assembly. Lee Jong-Geol went on a hunger strike last year with another activist to try and push the government to move one bill forward.

LEE JONG-GEOL, GENERAL DIRECTOR, CHINGUSAI (through translator): I believe our society should be ashamed that there is no law that protects the principles of equality, even though it is one of the most basic laws out there. No matter how much our country has developed economically or socially, we should be ashamed.

HANCOCKS (voiceover): Lee's hunger strike ended on day 39 when he was taken to hospital. A survey conducted by the National Human Rights Commission in 2020 shows that almost 90 percent of the one thousand survey participants said an anti-discrimination law is needed. But opponents argue that such a law would discriminate against them.

SUH JUNG-SOOK, PEOPLE POWER PARTY LAWMAKER (through translator): When the majority of people who are normal and reasonable say that homosexuality or same-sex marriage is not reasonable or normal based on South Korean social orders or long-respected custom, they could face punitive damages or a fine.

HANCOCKS (voiceover): Suh argues a new law would lead to the legalization of same-sex marriage. Something she does not support.

HANCOCKS: The National Assembly has less than a year to take action on any of the four remaining non-discrimination bills. If nothing happens, those bills will expire. And it will be up to the next National Assembly to start the process all over again.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: In a move sure to increase tension with China, the Biden administration has approved a $440 million potential arms sale to Taiwan. The move is likely to provoke anger from Beijing, which views the island as part of China.

The White House informed Congress on Thursday. The package includes ammunition and equipment for armored vehicles. In a statement, Taiwan thanked the White House saying the sale will help build Taiwan's capacity in responding to China's military threat.

Virgin Galactic soars to a high point in space tourism. Just ahead. The first paying customers rocketed to the edge of space on Virgin's inaugural commercial flight. We'll have that and more coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:41:22]

BRUNHUBER: The Western Coast of Mexico is bracing as tropical storm Beatriz nears. Right now, it has winds of 80 kilometers per hour and is intensifying. National Hurricane Center expresses Beatriz to become a Category One hurricane, Friday as it moves Northwest. The center of the storm will likely run parallel to the Mexican Coast for the next few days, bringing strong winds, heavy rain, flash flooding, and storm surge.

Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic soared to a big milestone on Thursday. It's first paying customers flew to the edge of space on the company's inaugural commercial flight. They rose more than 80 kilometers above the Earth's surface in the Spaceship Two space plane reaching supersonic speeds.

The four-person crew included two members of the Italian Air Force which funded the research base mission. With the rocket shut down, the spacecraft spent a few minutes weightless at the peak of the flight which lasted about an hour and a half.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in about 15 minutes with more CNN NEWSROOM. "WORLD SPORT" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:29]

(WORLD SPORT)