In lieu of a story on the 2016 election, Saturday's CBS Evening News featured a full report promoting the United Kingdom's travel advisory for Mississippi and North Carolina in light of religious liberty laws and gushing over President Barack Obama's town hall in London that featured "an emotional statement of personal identity" from a transgender person.
Tossing to foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan, Saturday anchor Jim Axelrod explained: "President Obama travels to Germany tomorrow, the final stop on his three-nation tour. In London today, he took part in a youth town hall meeting where he heard an emotional statement of personal identity."
Brennan began her report by playing the exchange in question that she asserted "was an unscripted moment" as a 20-year-old student "made an extraordinary announcement" that they were "[n]on-binary, or transgender people" who "often face bigotry, something the President said he's trying to change."
Following a soundbite from the President speaking to the individual, Brennan noted that "the U.K. government has warned its citizens to be careful when traveling to North Carolina and Mississippi, where new laws have provoked a storm of criticism that they unfairly target lesbian, gay, and transgender groups."
While she noted later that "President Obama told Brittons they should not be afraid to travel to either state," she was also shown asking U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron what he made of the religious freedom laws in the two U.S. states since he's "a friend" of America.
"Our view on any of these things is that we believe that we should be trying to use law to end discrimination rather than to embed it or enhance it," Cameron responded.
Brennan then concluded with more praise for the President's position: "President Obama may not approve of those laws, but right now, the federal government's unable to overturn them, but, Jim, he did mention that he sees public opinion moving faster on this social issue than any other."
The transcript of the segment from the CBS Evening News on April 23 can be found below.
CBS Evening News
April 23, 2016
6:40 p.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: UK Visit]
JIM AXELROD: President Obama travels to Germany tomorrow, the final stop on his three-nation tour. In London today, he took part in a youth town hall meeting where he heard an emotional statement of personal identity. Margaret Brennan is traveling with the President.
U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Ah, let's see. Young lady right there. Go ahead.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It was an unscripted moment at President Obama's town hall. 20-year-old student Maria Munir made an extraordinary announcement.
MARIA MUNIR: Now, I'm about to do something terrifying, which is I'm coming out to you as a non-binary person, which means that I don't fit within --- I'm getting emotional. I'm so sorry.
OBAMA: That's okay.
BRENNAN: Non-binary, or transgender people often face bigotry, something the President said he's trying to change.
OBAMA: But I think the trend lines are good on this. We're moving in the right direction, and in part because of courageous and active young people like yourself.
BRENNAN: But the U.K. government has warned its citizens to be careful when traveling to North Carolina and Mississippi, where new laws have provoked a storm of criticism that they unfairly target lesbian, gay, and transgender groups. British Prime Minister David Cameron. [TO CAMERON] As a friend, what do you think of those laws?
UNITED KINGDOM PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON: Our view on any of these things is that we believe that we should be trying to use law to end discrimination rather than to embed it or enhance it.
BRENNAN: President Obama told Brittons they should not be afraid to travel to either state.
OBAMA: I want everybody here in the United Kingdom to know that people of North Carolina and Mississippi are wonderful people. They are hospitable people. They are beautiful states. I also think that the laws that have been passed there are wrong.
BRENNAN: President Obama may not approve of those laws, but right now, the federal government's unable to overturn them, but, Jim, he did mention that he sees public opinion moving faster on this social issue than any other.
AXELROD: Margaret Brennan with the President. Thank you very much.
