♪ startling new images from the january 6th riot at the u.s. capitol. meanwhile, some people who were at the riot are using the event to start political careers. also this hour, the fight in washington over voting rights, what republican leader mitch mcconnell is saying about a compromised bill. now this -- >> none of us is free until we're all free. >> the grandmother of juneteenth talks to cnn about the new federal holiday and why her

mission isn't over yet. live from cnn headquarters in atlanta, welcome to all of you watching in the united states, canada and around the world. i'm kim brunhuber. this is "cnn newsroom." ♪ today marks the first new national holiday in the u.s. in nearly 40 years, with the stroke of his pen president joe biden on thursday made june 19th known as june tooept an official u.s. holiday formally recognizing the end of slavery. the measure sailed through congress this week with remarkable bipartisan ease but there is no such consensus on a bill to protect u.s. voting rights. voting rights advocate stacey abrams embraced proposed changes by democratic senator joe manchin to gain his support but it still faces a tough battle among senate republicans as

cnn's ryan nobles explains. >> reporter: significant reforms to america's voting laws have been a key priority for democrats in this version of the u.s. congress and they do feel like they're making progress. the house has already passed a sweeping bill called the for the people act but its run into road blocks here in the united states senate not just republicans but a chi democrat west virginia senator joe manchin. manchin has now released his version of this bill that he thinks he can support and it's been met with some optimism from democrats. they don't like everything that manchin has proposed but the negotiations seem to be headed in the right direction. still there remains a significant obstacle and that is senate minority leader mitch mcconnell. listen to what he had to say about manchin's proposed reforms to the bill. >> you all have notice that had there is now a debate among democrats over a revised version produced by one of the democrats yesterday which has been en endorsed by stacey abrams, all

republicans, i think, will oppose that as well if that were to be surfaced on the floor. >> reporter: now, mcconnell's opposition is significant because in order to get anything through the senate it requires ten republican votes and if mcconnell says republicans aren't going to support it they likely will not. so that means in order for this bill to get through democrats would need to break up the filibuster for it and that's something that manchin has said he cannot do. so while manchin believes that he can come around to supporting some form of voting reforms, unless he's willing to also break up the filibuster this bill is not going anywhere. now, democrats remain hopeful that manchin will come around. the house speaker nancy pelosi has said that she believes in joe manchin. there is certainly a lot of pressure being applied to manchin to make that change and take that step. at this point he says he is unwilling to do so but we will have to see what happens as democrats continue to apply that pressure. the senate majority leader chuck schumer says he will bring the

bill to the floor, at least begin that process, as soon as next week. ryan nobles, cnn, on capitol hill. the u.s. justice department has released disturbing new video from the january 6th insurrection on capitol hill. the body cam footage was used in a case against thomas webster a former marine and retired new york city police officer accused of participating in the attack. i want to warn you the video we're about to show is disturbing. >> [ bleep ]. [ bleep ]. [ inaudible ].

>> the prosecutors say the video shows webster in the red coat there among a crowd of pro-trump rioters, he's screaming profanities at police officers while brandishing a flagpole. he then rushes at a police officer, one officer eventually wrestles away the flagpole but he is then tackled to the ground. webster has been charged with seven federal crimes including assaulting police and unlawfully entering capitol grounds with a dangerous weapon and he has pleaded not guilty. meanwhile, several trump supporters who were there on capitol hill that day are looking to further their own political careers and at least one is touting his role in the insurrection to boost his campaign. here is cnn's sara murray. >> reporter: from the capitol riot -- >> yes, ladies and gentlemen, i was in washington, d.c. >> reporter: to the campaign trail. >> if election integrity is not the number one issue of these guys running then they're either

lost, confused or too stupid to be running. >> reporter: republican joey gilbert a former boxer turned lawyer says he's launching a bid for nevada governor. >> i'm not a politician. i never wanted to be a politician, but let me tell you something i am probably going to be doing shortly and that's called running for governor. >> reporter: the announcement coming just months after gilbert said he was in washington and scaled the capitol steps january 6th. >> one of the most beautiful things i have ever seen, people were on the capitol steps, we just walked right up when i went up there. >> reporter: but insists he never went inside. >> yes, some people did go into the capitol. i don't condone that. i had nothing to do with that. >> reporter: gilbert who is still double down on the lie the presidential election was stolen. >> in my opinion trump is still our president. >> reporter: is one of nearly a dozen aspiring "polpoliticos spd near the capitol on january 6th by cnn and other news outlets. in michigan ryan kelly is running for governor and ducking

questions approximate his where past during the insurrection. >> i never went inside the capitol building, never had the intention to and did not go inside nor did i have any altercation with police officers. >> reporter: while he denied going inside kelly wouldn't respond to cnn or a local news reporter's question about images showing him deep in the fray of rioters outside the capitol. >> that's incorrect right here. you have my statement on the capitol, brother. >> reporter: gilbert and kelly could face crowded primaries and it's too early to say if they have a shot of victory. while neither have been accused of the crime that's not the case for jason riddle, arrested after sharing photos of himself inside the capitol holding a bottle of wine he stole with a local news station. riddle faces five counts including unlawful entry and theft of government property and has pleaded not guilty. now he says breaking into the capitol could be a boost to his campaign. >> it tells them i show up, i'm going to keep my promises and make some changes. >> reporter: but first he will have to clarify what if anything

he's actually running for. >> i thought ann was a state representative. >> reporter: no. so a state rep is in the state house in concord. >> yeah, that's what ann is. >> reporter: no. she's in washington. >> oh, well, i guess i have to run against that, then. >> reporter: in addition to riddle seemingly having no idea what he is running for, he is not allowed to set foot in d.c. under the terms of his release. lawyers for riddle did not respond to cnn's request for comment. additionally kelly and gilbert also did not respond to cnn's requests. sara murray, cnn, washington. both u.s. president joe biden and russian president vladimir putin had generally favorable assessments of their summit in geneva. president biden described the three-hour-long closed door summit as positive while the russian president said the talks have been constructive but putin had a few surprising things to say about his american counterpart once he got home. cnn's nic robertson has more. >> reporter: well, this rare

praise by president putin for president biden so soon after that summit comes as the russian president was holding a videoconference with graduates from russia's graduate school of public administration and he said that the pair of them had got on, it was quite friendly, he said, that they understood each other and understood where each other stood on key issues, but then came one of the surprising bits where president putin actually said that the russian media's presentation of president biden, of his image, that they got it all wrong and, in fact, biden is a real professional. >> translator: this image of president biden, which is pictured by russian and u.s. media, does not correspond to reality. this image of him can feel discouraging, but there is no need to be discouraged because president biden is a professional and he should be very precise while working with

him to not miss anything. he doesn't miss a thing. i repeat once again, he is focused, he understands what he wants to achieve and reaches it very skillfully. you can easily feel it. >> reporter: what makes putin's comments there particularly surprising is the reference to russia's media has not been portraying biden as he actually is because they've been portraying him as somebody who is weak, who is not really up to the job, who might not last through his presidency. and when russian media presents president biden that way, it's coming from the kremlin. so here you have president putin saying, change that. so are we going to see now a different version of president biden portrayed in russian media? that's certainly what vladimir putin is hinting at there. what it does seem to reference in many ways is what dr. jill biden had said in the run up to the summit where she said president biden was overprepared for the meeting. that now seems to be endorsed by

president putin. nic robertson, cnn, london. a struggling economy is the number one issue for voters in iran who are electing a new president today. ieb rahim ra leasy is the clear favorite to succeed rouhani and he has a big decision to make on whether or not to revive the iran nuclear deal. fred pleitgen is live in tehran. the authorities have been making a lot of noise about the ensure a high voter turn out. what's that look like so far and have the widespread problems with ballot machines affected that? >> yeah, well, the authorities do say that the issue -- some of the issues that were apparently there with the electronic ballot machines that that may have affected some of the turn out, they believe some people who were waiting for a long time may have gone home, however, the

guardian council say these problems are being worked out and sorted out. you're absolutely right, kim, there was a concern that there could be a low voter turnout, but what we've seen so far, this is one of the polling stations we've been to, so far we've been to three here in the tehran area and it does seem to be that there is a steady stream of people who are coming out, the turnout in the places that we've been to seem fairly high. there were lines forming in some of those places. the folks we speak to did say for them reviving the economy is certainly the most important goal that they have. of course, the other big important goal that they have, the big important issue that they have is reviving the iran nuclear agreement. that's something where they say this all feeds into iran's relations with the west, it feeds into reviving the economy as well. even home raisi who is the front runner in the election campaigns

he himself said while he is very much a conservative he is also in favor of reviving the.iran it nuclear agreement so certainly that seems to be something that is a fundamental policy of iran, something that a new government will want to achieve as well reviving the nuclear agreement and also sticking with it, kim. >> thanks so much. great to have you there. fred pleitgen in tehran. israeli war planes again struck gaza late thursday, their second air strike in three days, israel said it targeted hamas military sites after incendiary balloons launched from gaza set dozens of fires in israel. no casualties have been reported from the fires or air strikes. hamas has harassed israel with the incendiary devices for a long time but it's clear the new government plans to respond with force. they say israel decided to change the rules after the conflict in may.

there is fear that the tensions will fracture the month long ceasefire. europe is poised to make a major change to its covid travel regulations. why american tourists could soon be allowed back even if they haven't been vaccinated. plus. this ragged mess of cloud cover has the potential of becoming our next tractor-trailer system. i will let you know where it's heading and who will feel the most impacts. fragrance ransforms infused with natural essential oils into a mist. to awaken your home with an experience you can see, smell, and feel. it's air care, redefined. air wick essential mist. connect to nature.

not touching is still touching protection. adding lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria. detergent alone, can't. lysol. what it takes to protect. let's get a check on what direction u.s. financial markets could be heading today. looks like the dow and the s&p are down but the nasdaq is up. a rally in tech shares helped push the nasdaq to another record high on thursday. investors are still reacting to news that the federal reserve is likely to start raising interest rates in 2023. police say a suspect has been arrested after a shooting spree near phoenix, arizona. one person was killed and three others injured by gunfire. police pulled over the male suspect who was arrested without incident. the shootings took place over the course of an hour in the phoenix suburbs of glendale, peoria and surprise.

in addition to those who were shot, nine people were hurt by shrapnel and debris. officials say they don't think there was more than one shooter. it's not just phoenix, it's also baltimore, chicago, austin, many more cities coast to coast seeing a major rise in gun violence. the numbers are clear, but what's actually behind this new wave of shootings? here is cnn's natasha chen. >> reporter: from coast to coast a plague of gun violence has cities on high alert. in the last week alone there have been about 19 mass shootings according to the gun violence archive where at least four people were shot. in west baltimore wednesday afternoon police described a, quote, brazen shooting when gunmen fired indiscriminately and hit six people killing one of them. in chicago tuesday morning four people were killed in a shooting at home, one of the victim was set to graduate this week n

austin an argument between two groups of teens escalated to a shooting that left one person dead and injured 14 others over the weekend. gun deaths in the u.s. not including suicides are about 19% higher than at this point in 2020 and about 38% higher than this point this 2019. the brady pack says this is an imperfect storm. >> the rise in background checks that we saw and the rise of new firearms flooding the market exacerbates all of those challenges that we once faced before. we know that the loopholes that exist at gun shows, the loopholes that exist with online sales and the introduction of ghost guns and 3-d printed guns are a real problem for us. >> reporter: three weeks after a disgruntled employee shot and killed nine employees at a san jose rail yard san jose has become the latest city to main date filming of retail gun purchases with footage to be kept for 30 days. >> these are primarily focused

on ensuring those with prior criminal records, restraining orders, domestic violence, et cetera, are not able to get guns. >> reporter: on the other end of the gun policy spectrum in september texas will allow people to carry hand guns in public without permits. on monday in decatur, georgia, a supermarket cashier was shot and killed by a customer. witnesses say willis asked the man to pull up his mask but he refused. police say he left the store but returned later, walked up to willis and shot her. in nearby atlanta where police say there have been nearly 60% more murders this year compared to the same period in 2020 city council members pressed police for answers at a public safety meeting this week. >> i think we are all just seeing something different that's a little more frightening where these people are trying to take over our city and send a message. >> reporter: the people committing these crimes may be

sending a message but so are the communities that have been shaken by each of these deaths. just like this community here in decatur, georgia, praying together, supporting each other after the cashier was shot and killed here. there is a growing memorial for her outside as well as inside at her cashier lane which remains lit because as one of her co-workers tells me she was a bright light. natasha chen, cnn, decatur, georgia. hurricane season is here and already tropical storm warnings are up along the u.s. gulf coast. the main target for potential tractor-trailer cyclone 3 the louisiana coast. it could become tropical storm claudette later today. let's bring in meteorologist tyler mauldin. what are we expecting here? >> we already have tropical storm warnings hoisted for parts of the gulf coast from mobile to nearly lake charles, louisiana. if this feels like deja vu,

rightfully so because last year the 2020 record breaking hurricane season this part of the gulf coast was battered with hurricanes. so basically we're picking up where we left off about 12 months ago. this system is currently right in here. it doesn't look like much on satellite imagery but it is beginning to gather strength. the hurricane hunters flew into it yesterday their first reconnaissance trip of the 2021 season. they're going to fly into it here in a couple hours ago. on their first flight they found a wind of 35 mile per hour but notice that the center is actually right here and all the thunderstorms are well away from the center so they can't upgrade it to a depression or storm just yet but they will. it could become a depression within the next hour and once we get into the afternoon it is definitely a storm making landfall near morgan city, louisiana tomorrow morning, then quickly petering out as it pushes to the north, however, as i said, all the thunderstorms are on the east side so as it

takes that journey it's going to drop a lot of rainfall on this east side so we have flood watches in effect from new orleans all the way up into atlanta where 4 to 6 inches of rain could fall over the next 72 hours. so we have to watch that. for flooding as we go into the weekend. in addition another story that we're watching is the record heat out here from the plains to the southwest. heat advisory in effect for portions of kansas city, st. louis, and also out here across the desert southwest, kim, where temperatures will exceed 100 degrees. >> thanks so much, tyler mauldin, appreciate it. u.s. president biden fresh from his summit with russian president vladimir putin is now turning back to issues at home. his agenda is up against strong republican opposition in a divided democratic party. as chief white house correspondent kaitlan collins reports there are signs of progress. >> reporter: president biden is turning the focus to his domestic agenda as a new

bipartisan truer pitch is gaining steam. >> our focus is on a bipartisan proposal that focuses on true infrastructure and doesn't raise taxes. >> reporter: spearheaded by senator mitt romney and others the new proposal calls for $1.2 trillion in total spending on roads, bridges and other physical infrastructure with roughly $579 billion in new spending. one sign of progress, 21 senators including 11 republicans are now on board. aides briefed president biden on the proposal today after he struck an optimistic tone in switzerland. >> so i'm still hoping we can put together the two book ends here. >> reporter: whether lawmakers can remains to be seen. liberal democrats are already dismissing the plan as inadequate. >> if they really, really, really want this bipartisan deal so that, you know, they can go out and champion that, then we're going to have to really talk about medicare, wages, unionization and climate, especially climate. >> reporter: top senate

democrats are vowing to move ahead with their own ambitious package as bipartisan talks drag on. >> discussions about infrastructure are moving forward along two tracks, one is bipartisan -- >> reporter: senator chuck schumer making it clear that democrats are proceeding with using a fast track process known as budget reconciliation. >> yesterday i convened all 11 members of the senate budget committee to discuss the reconciliation track. >> reporter: one area of bipartisanship is a new bill on the president's desk making juneteenth a federal holiday and commemorating the end of slavery. >> juneteenth has been known by many names, jubilee day, freedom day, liberation day, emancipation day, and today a national holiday. >> i think this will go down for me as one of the greatest honors i will have had as president. >> reporter: and as president biden noted during that signing ceremony every senator voted to

make juneteenth a federal holiday but when it went to go to passage in the house there are 14 members who voted against making it a holiday. all of them were republicans. kaitlan collins, cnn, the white house. vaccinated or not pack your bags, the eu considers the u.s. among countries with covid under control so american tourists could soon get to take some european holidays. plus there are new concerns today in north korea as food prices rise in pyongyang. ahead the united nations dire predictions about the country's food supply. stay with us.

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welcome back to all of you watching us here in the united states, canada and around the world, i'm kim brunhuber and this is "cnn newsroom." many americans are vaccinated and eager to travel and europe wants their tourism dollars. anytime now the eu is expected to lift restrictions on u.s. travelers even those who aren't vaccinated. our melissa bell is covering this live from paris. melissa, a huge development for travelers and for the hard literaturism industries there, but there are still some asterisks before americans can book their ticket. take us through the decision we're expecting. >> reporter: that's right. essentially what's happened is the u.n. ambassadors have agreed that they are placing not only the united states but a number of other countries on a list of safe countries. that means that the epidemic is sufficiently under control in those countries that citizens of those countries should be allowed to move freely once

again and to come into the european union but of course, kim, it's important to remember that it is still down to member states to decide exactly what the requirements should be. so, for instance, here in france vaccinated americans can come already if they have a negative pcr test as well. unvaccinated americans still needed a reason, a necessary reason to prove why they had to travel. that essentially is what's going to go away. then it will be up to countries to decide what they need for vaccinated americans, perhaps just the vaccination proof, but most importantly it means that non-vaccinated americans will be able to come back to the european union, perhaps with a negative pcr test, that will be announced country by country, but we've been hearing from the french foreign minister on french radio this morning and he said, look, we need american tourists back and this is a question of boosting the economy. so much of paris is once again open, the restaurants, the bars, but everyone will tell you the taxi drivers, the waiter at the

café, the restaurant owners, the hotels, that what's now missing are tourists and specifically american tourists. this is the most visited city in the world, you can imagine that without those crucial american dollars drawn from that tourism industry it's been a long, hard winter for a lot of businesses, can i'm. >> absolutely. melissa bell reporting from paris, thank you so much. turning to the uk now where a new study says children and young adults are causing exponential growth in coronavirus cases in england. researchers found new infections in those age groups were doubling every 11 days. cnn's phil black is tracking this story for us from london. phil, it all comes down to this delta variant, right? >> reporter: that's right. as this delta variant spreads rapidly there is growing evidence that it is spreading most rapidly in age groups that have little to no vaccine protection including children. this is at a critical point in the country's vaccine rollout

where they have moved from ages oldest to youngest and vaccines are open to everybody over the age of 18. the next key policy decision is do they keep going, do they move on to vaccinating children as some countries including the u.s., israel, france have decided to do or are doing. the government here is waiting on some advice from an independent expert panel. in the public discussion there is a common expert view and that is that ethically this is a tricky decision to make right now. that the calculation between risks and benefits isn't clear because you are talking about children who generally do not experience covid-19 as seriously as adults do so if you decide to proceed you are choosing to expose them to a new vaccine in order primarily to protect older people. now, the countries that have decided to proceed like the u.s. they're very clear as to why they have done so. they believe it does protect children some of whom do experience severe covid-19, some of whom do experience long covid

as well, it protect their families, prevents outbreaks in schools. safeguards against further disruption to education and it adds to the overall pool of immunity which is crucial for slowing the spread of the virus. now, all of these are really important considerations for the uk as it grapples with this third wave fueled by the delta variant. there is, however, one other argument for not proceeding with children in this country at this time where the uptake among adults has been very high and that is the hope that by just focusing on adults you can hit a critical threshold of immunity in the population which would then protect children anyway. that is the hope. no one knows for sure and so for that reason it is possible that the government's expert panel will say let's hold fire for now, wait for more safety data out of countries like the u.s. where millions of adolescents have now been vaccinated and then only proceed in the future if we are confident it is safe and necessary. kim? >> yeah, it's an interesting

debate. phil black live in london, thanks so much for that. tokyo olympic organizers are trying to decide how many spectators they should allow into the olympic venues or whether they should let anybody in at all. they're especially worried about that delta variant we were talking about, the one which was first identified in india. cnn's selina wang is in tokyo. what are medical experts saying about allowing spectators in? >> well, kim, japan's top covid-19 adviser said that it would be, quote, desirable to have no spectators at the olympics, but the question is are olympic organizers going to take that advice? the government has said in places where there are no covid emergency measures in place they will have a cap of 10,000 people at large scale venues but the declaration in tokyo and other parts of japan while it is expiring on june 20th they then shift to a quasi state of emergency. now, one of these declarations are hard lockdowns but they do

require some businesses to close down early, but, kim, for the spectators that may be allowed in the stands it's not going to be the normal celebration for an olympic fan. they are asked to socially distance themselves, to go straight from their homes to olympic venues torques eat alone if they can, no partying or drinking in the streets. take a listen to what the official had to say. >> during travel -- so please keep safe distance away from everyone except for your family members and no group drinking and eating in the venue. so if you are eating you need to eat alone, at least you should be facing the same direction as your friends -- of your families. >> reporter: these restrictions are an attempt to avoid a rebound of covid-19 cases here in japan. olympic officials said they're concerned about the delta variant. they just announced new restrictions on athletes coming

from end yarks they will have to quarantine and be tested daily for seven days before arriving in japan. kim, we've been talking about the lackluster vaccine rollout in japan, we are just weeks away but still only 6% of the japanese population has been fully vaccinated. >> not good. cnn's selina wang in tokyo, thanks so much for that. while possible food shortage is looming over north korea. still ahead a stark admission from the country's leader and real life problems for the residents of pyongyang. plus president biden signs into law a new u.s. federal holiday recognizing the end of slavery. so we will take you to the birthplace of the modern day ku klux klan to see how people there plan to celebrate juneteenth. stay with us.

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...and using precautions in store. see what we're up to at xfinity.com/commitment residents of pyongyang are telling cnn that food prices have risen sharply in recent months saying the cost of some locally produced items from

doubled or even tripled. they spoke after north korean leader kim jong-un called the food situation tense according to state media. the united nations predicts that food shortages are coming later this year. kim also gave his assessment of the biden administration and hinted how he may deal with the current white house. paula hancocks joins us with more. kim jong-un unusually forthright about this crisis. what's behind this? >> reporter: kim, he's certainly very blunt earlier this week at the workers party meeting saying that the people's food situation is now getting tense. now, he has talked about the food issue before, but certainly not in these stark terms. it is in keeping with what we have been hearing from experts, from sources on the ground as well over recent months, that the combination of bad harvest in some cases last year due to

typhoons and flooding, followed by the covid-19 restrictions, the borders being shut since january 2020, so nothing has been getting in whether from china, through trade, or humanitarian aid and then of course on top of that you do have the sanctions. so this is not unexpected but it's certainly key that the leader himself is pointing out jim sciutto how dire the situation might be. now, as you say, we did hear from the united nations earlier this month saying that they estimated the food gap of what north korea could grow and what they could actually need could be about 860,000 tons, the equivalent of more than two months of food. north korea doesn't usually meet the expectations and the needs of its own people, but it is -- does accept imports and humanitarian aid in many cases so that can plug up the gap. without that option this time around, though, the united nations has said that there

could be lean harsh times from august to october of this year. so there is certainly a concern and residents in pyongyang have told me that they have seen these prices increasing, prices of potatoes, for example, have tripled in the market, one market in pyongyang that's well known amongst locals and foreigners and tourists when tourists are allowed into north korea. so certainly the story on the ground as well is that the prices are going up and it is becoming more difficult for local residents to get by. >> very serious situation for many people there. turning to the leader, any more details on kim jong-un's health? there's been lots of speculation. any more clarity there? >> reporter: no, and there wouldn't be, kim, unless kim jong-un himself decided that he wanted to address the issue of his wait and that's highly unlikely to happen.

the speculation will continue for months and years as long as he is in power every time there is a weight fluctuation i have no doubt, but it is clear that he has lost some weight over recent weeks, but the reason for that we simply don't know. and it's one of those cases when it comes to the north korean leader's health we won't know unless he decides that he wants the world to know and that's highly unlikely. >> the mystery continues. paula hancocks reporting from seoul, thank you so much for that. the quest to make juneteenth a national holiday is now complete thanks in large part to the work of a 94-year-old woman, but she says the fight isn't ending there. listen to this. >> it's not a black thing. it's not a texas thing. none of us are free until we're all free. >> the special moment the so-called grandmother of juneteenth received from president biden. stay with us.

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juneteenth is national holiday, it commemorates june 19th, 1865, the day when enslaved people in texas learned president lincoln had signed the emancipation proclamation two years earlier which freed them. fittingly lee was in the room when the u.s. president joe biden signed the legislation creating the holiday, even getting a standing ovation from the president. she spoke to our chris cuomo earlier and says the mission still isn't over. >> juneteenth is a bridge to freedom. it's not a black thing. it's not a texas thing. none of us are free until we're all free and we're not free yet. there are too many disparities. homelessness, joblessness, health care. all of these things need to be addressed and they don't just affect black people, they affect all people.

and if we work together to dispel them, what a great country this would be. >> the new holiday has special meaning for the small georgia town where the modern day kkk was founded and where controversy over remembering the civil war looms large to this day. cnn's martin savidge has that story. >> reporter: 80-year-old gloria broad remembers when hundreds of men in white robes would descend on her town each summer. >> as a little girl they looked like white ghosts, you know , they looked like white ghosts. >> reporter: crosses would burn on the nearby mountaintop. brown's father a world war i veteran reassured her one day things would be different. >> he said but that will change. >> reporter: he was right. this weekend stone mountain, georgia, birthplace of the modern ku klux klan holds its

first juneteenth celebration honoring the end of slavery. >> we will have a dance group, african dancers, live deejay, vendors and food and we will end the night with fireworks. >> reporter: the deputy mayor is excited to show off how many is different in the village of roughly 6,300, now 78% black. >> it is our hope that people will see us for who we are today and recognize that, you know, things have changed. we may not be perfect, but we're not who we used to be. >> reporter: but the celebration is not without controversy, thanks to the town's neighbor. you see, the entire village sits in the shadow of the largest confederate monuments monument in the united states, a carving on the side of a mountain in stone mountain park. with its confederate monuments named streets, confederate flags and three acre mountainside ohmage to the myth of a lost

cause, the reinterpretation of the defeat in the civil war, to many it's a giant reminder of the old jim crow south and the village has nothing to do with it. >> you have no say as to what goes on and what the park does? >> we have no say. zero say. >> reporter: the controversy was sparked when a protest group the stone mountain active coalition which describe them as dedicated to a more inclusive stone mountain park requested a booth at the festival to pass out flyers about the park. the village said no because it was a celebration. >> they wanted a day without politics, a day without disturbance and that is not what we stand for. >> reporter: it's not the first time stone mountain village has been caught up in the middle of anger over stone mountain park. last summer leftist anti-racist groups and armed far right militia members came to town in a tense face-off over race, politics and the mountain

memorial. a commissioner in the county that encompasses stone mountain park is no fan of the monument. >> if i had my way it would be blasted. >> reporter: but johnson spearheaded the effort to make june 19th a county holiday and believes it is a time to be celebrated by everyone. >> just like we celebrate the fourth of july for the freedoms of people in this country, i think it's also important to celebrate juneteenth for the freedoms of black people in this country. >> reporter: gloria brown's father wasn't the only one to predict a different day for his town. so did another man in 1963. in his famous "i have a dream" speech martin luther king said in part let freedom ring from the snow capped rockies. >> let freedom ring from the slopes of california, but not only that, let freedom ring from

stone mountain of georgia. >> reporter: this weekend in stone mountain, georgia, that dream will seem closer than ever, even as they celebrate in the shadow of the confederacy. martin savidge, cnn, stone mountain village, georgia. two of the biggest names in tennis pulled out of wimbledon plus golf, soccer and much more. cnn's patrick snell has our minute in sports. >> day one of the u.s. open in san diego seeing a 90 minute morning fog delay at torrey pines, round one still not complete. russell henley leading after a 4 under 67, louis oosthuizen 4 under but has two holes to complete when play was suspended. rafa nadal saying he won't be competing at wimbledon or the tokyo olympics after what he calls the always demanding clay court season.

naomi osaka who withdrew from the french open having cited concerns over mental health will take some personal time with friends and family according to her agent but will be ready for tokyo 2020 but won't play at wimbledon. at euro 2020 denmark's national team taking to the field to play for the first time, this since christian eric sent suffered a cardiac arrest during play last sunday in the tenth minute of the match the game stopped in tribute to the eric sent who remains in hospital, everyone coming together for a minute's applause. and at the copa america in brazil a 4-0 win over perú. on that note it's back to you. >> and that wraps this hour of "cnn newsroom." i'm kim brunhuber. "early start" is next. tony here from creditrepair.com,

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welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. this is "early start." i'm laura jarrett. >> good morning, i'm christine romans. it is friday, june 18th. happy friday, everybody. 5:00 a.m. exactly in new york. we begin with some breaking news, folks. a major milestone in global reopening from this pandemic. the european union opening its borders to travelers from the u.s. whether they have been vaccinated or not. cnn's melissa bell standing by live in paris. melissa, this is what i nd