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Kenny G on the Loss of Producing Legend Clive Davis; Iran Pushes Back on Vance's Claim About Nuclear Inspectors; Data Shows Flow of Vessels Through Strait of Hormuz Picks Up Slightly; Surge in Starter Homes that Cost $1 Million. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired June 22, 2026 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

KENNY G, AWARD-WINNING SAXOPHONIST AND CLIVE DAVIS COLLABORATOR: ... And he also had the power to make radio play the songs that he wanted them to play, like Songbird. He wrote handwritten letters to the radio programmers across the country when they did not want to play this instrumental. It did not fit their format. And he wrote a letter and said, You have to play it. And then they did.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: He also knew how to throw a heck of a party, right? He was known for this star-studded pre-Grammys party. Do any memories from those stand out to you?

KENNY G: Yes, I remember when he did the very first ones in New York and this was against the norm, which was the Grammys party happened after the Grammys. Well, Clive decided to do it the night before the Grammys and actually at first nobody really was that interested. I don't say that with any disrespect, but he was starting a new trend. But little by little it started to catch on and then it became the Grammy party.

And you know it started off, I think Barry Manilow was like the first guy that played. I played -- Whitney Houston. We would play like these parties and then eventually it started to get more and more popular and he brought it to Los Angeles and then all of a sudden, it was everybody needed to be at that party. And yes, he just knew what -- he knew how to bring people together.

And you know, you mentioned that party and that was the last time I saw him was just this last February at his Grammy party. And I waited because I wanted to make sure I saw him because sometimes you don't see him at these parties. So I just waited in the red carpet line until Clive showed up so I could give him a hug and I'm so glad I did.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yes, you had a moment there with him. You mentioned Songbird. The New York Times has a list titled "11 Essential Songs Shepherded by Clive Davis." I like that, thinking of him as kind of this shepherd, this musical shepherd. And your record, Songbird, is on that exclusive list. So can you talk a little bit about the song's success, the meaning of it? And then, if you wouldn't mind, just playing us to break?

KENNY G: Yes, no problem. You know it was an instrumental that I just wrote back in the in the in the old days of the 80s. You know I had a little synthesizer like in my studio here, but it wasn't this fancy and I just played all the little instruments myself, played my sax and then that was just a song that was on the record. It was on the B side. Remember we had albums A side B side so it was on the B side somewhere and it wasn't really taken that seriously until I was on the Johnny Carson Show and when I played it on the Johnny Carson Show, everybody recognized that there was something about that song.

And that's when Clive really got behind it. And again, wrote those letters to the radio programmers and basically created along with his great promotion team. You know, there was Rick Battaglia and there was Donnie Ienner and these guys, they really just embraced me and said, look, we're going to go fly around the country. We're going to knock on doors. And we're going to make these guys play this little instrumental that has no business on pop radio.

And you know what? They did, and people responded to it. And, you know, like I said, I really owe my career to him taking a chance on a sound that, again, had no place. There was no radio outlet for my sound. He just made that happen.

SANCHEZ: An iconic song driven by an iconic collaborator, Clive Davis, passing away at 94 years old. Kenny G, take it away.

KENNY G: (PLAYING SONGBIRD)

Rest in peace, Clive.

[08:05:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: The opening round of peace talks between the U.S. and Iran have wrapped up for today. Just a short time ago, Vice President J.D. Vance departed from Switzerland after saying the countries have built, quote, a successful foundation. Vance also says that Iran agreed to let nuclear inspectors from the United Nations back into the country.

KEILAR: But Iran is pushing back on those claims, a top Iranian official telling state media that Tehran made no new commitments about nuclear inspections during these talks in Switzerland. So let's talk about this with Dana Stroul. She's a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East. We're also joined by retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton, who's a CNN military analyst.

All right, this is the crux of it, the nuclear issue here, and Vance saying that this is a major milestone that they are going to admit the IAEA for nuclear inspections in. I mean, how are you looking at this and kind of the mixed messages coming from Iran and the U.S.?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I think one of the dangers here, Brianna, is the fact that there are mixed messages. And to me, what this says is we're going back to the status quo ante before the war and before the 12-day war last year. and possibly even the status quo just after the JCPOA. So what we're talking about here is, in essence, we're re-achieving the things that we achieved before, and that becomes a real problem. In essence, we're not plowing new ground, we're plowing old ground in an old field.

SANCHEZ: Dana, is that your read, that this is essentially, as fans put it, a major milestone in the direction of where things were about a decade ago?

DANA STROUL, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR THE MIDDLE EAST: It's a significant announcement. We have to actually see inspectors get in there. And here's the problem. Since the withdrawal of the United States from the original Iranian nuclear agreement almost a decade ago, we haven't had inspectors there on a permanent basis.

[08:10:00]

So we don't even have a baseline to assess Iran's nuclear program from where it was and where it is now. And then it's all about the details. So are they anywhere, anytime inspections? Can they go anywhere? Can they go to the buried uranium?

All of these details remain to be worked out. And what we know are that the Iranians are expert negotiators.

KEILAR: Yes, certainly. And so then what do you make of how Iran is reacting to this? I mean, is part of this just the negotiating in public and one side wants to tout something as obviously a success, but that's a concession to Iran, so they don't want to kind of get out there. I mean, how are you seeing these mixed messages?

STROUL: I think the Iranians are experts at complicating the media environment and the information environment. Part of that is about proving to the rest of the regime that survived this war and to their people that they are not surrendering, which is what President Trump claimed from the beginning. And, really, in general, with these kinds of high-stakes negotiations, shouting at each other on social media and through public pronouncements is really counterproductive. These need to be private, discreet, and now the details need to be hammered out by technical experts.

SANCHEZ: Confusing negotiators is the way that J.D. Vance put it as he was departing Switzerland. Colonel, at least 14 ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz today. We're seeing a slight pickup there. Do you imagine that that upward trend is going to continue?

LEIGHTON: I think for the next few weeks or so, we could probably see it continue. And there's an incentive to get those ships out of there. Those ships have been there for the entire period that we've been doing this with since February or so, right? So when you look at that, you've got a lot of oil that needs to be gotten to market.

We also have ship crews that have been basically at sea for all this time and under some pretty dire conditions. Then you also have to get the oil out of there in order to restart production in places, not only Iran, but also in the other Persian Gulf states. For example, Qatar needs to restart its liquefied natural gas production and they have a massive problem because their major facility at Ras Laffan was destroyed by the Iranians. So you've got all these different factors here and it's definitely important that they get that the oil and natural gas and other things out of the Persian Gulf.

But the problem is going to be what happens next. And if these negotiations stall, Boris, then we're going to have another problem. And that could exacerbate economic difficulties down the road.

KEILAR: Dana, the vice president talked about there being this mechanism for making sure that the ceasefire holds. The U.S. and Iran have agreed to create a deconfliction cell for Lebanon to ensure a ceasefire there. What would that look like? What are the complicating factors here?

STROUL: Well, the complicating factors are that we have Israeli forces inside Lebanon, and a non-state actor, Hezbollah, backed and armed and trained and funded by Iran, who is continuing to attack Israel, and neither Israel nor Hezbollah nor the sovereign government of Lebanon are anywhere near this negotiation. So what's happened here is that Israel's sovereignty is being treaded upon by this, and the actual stakeholders whose security interests are most at stake here, the Lebanese people, the Lebanese government in Israel, aren't party to this deconfliction mechanism.

SANCHEZ: Dana Stroul, Colonel Cedric Leighton, I appreciate you both. Thanks so much.

LEIGHTON: Thank you, Boris.

KEILAR: And next, sure, you can have the American dream, but in some cities, you need a million dollars to get started on it. We're going to explain.

[08:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Buying a starter home is becoming a million dollar dream for Americans. A new Zillow report finds a record 242 cities across 26 states where typical entry level homes now cost at least $1 million. That is about three times more than before the pandemic. California is still topping the list for sky high prices, but the biggest recent surge is actually in the Northeast, where a shortage of new homes is driving costs even higher.

Joining me now is Aaron Amuchastegui, a real estate expert and host of Real Estate Rockstars: The Podcast. Aaron, thanks so much for being with us. That is a lot of money. There's just something about that number. Does this fundamentally change the meaning of what a starter home is?

AARON AMUCHASTEGUI, REAL ESTATE EXPERT AND HOST OF REAL ESTATE ROCKSTARS PODCAST: Hi there. I'm glad I'm here. Thanks for having me on. You know, I read the report and I think there's a couple challenges

with it. And the reality is starter homes just aren't what they used to be. It used to be when someone wanted to buy a starter home, they would get smaller homes in less desirable locations so they could build that equity over time.

The thing that isn't fair about this report is these are like the most desirable homes in the U.S. And so it's more of like a supply-demand problem and a buyer expectation problem that's really spiking that.

KEILAR: OK, so explain that to us. Like, are people still having those starter homes that are smaller and in less desirable places?

AMUCHASTEGUI: Well, I think people, in general, they want larger houses. When you try to look at where people could be looking instead, like some of the example cities, they're like Rollingwood, which is a city right near Austin, Texas. A 2,000 square foot home there is a $1.3 million house. But if you go just 20 miles south, you can get a 2,000 square foot house for about $350,000. So the location specifically in this report is just a place where there isn't enough supply, there isn't any room to build more houses. And so it's in New York City, in LA, in these really highly desirable cities, there isn't really a price for affordable starter homes in those locations.

[08:20:00]

KEILAR: OK, so if people are looking, if they want to get into that market and they want to get a starter home, it's so important, right, as they're trying to maybe build their worth and make their money do something for themselves. What should they be doing when they are staring down numbers like this?

AMUCHASTEGUI: Yes, the numbers are wild and in a lot of sense you get what you pay for, right? Like a lot of these like high expensive areas are in the heart of these major metropolitan areas that have a really, really high demand, you know, and as people could just go further outside the cities, you know, 15 miles, 20 miles, 30 miles, you know, then they have these commutes. And so they're trying to decide between do I want to get a larger home for a lot less money, but I have to commute 30-40 minutes to work every day or do I get at the heart of those areas?

You know, and but in the heart of some of those areas, yes, the I think the average homeowners just don't have an ability to be to own in New York City. You know, in these certain neighborhoods of Austin, but it's not that they're completely tapped out of the market in general. There's a lot of different options that are close by, and I think that's where people really need to focus, although some may just end up renting.

KEILAR: OK, So what does this do to people who live in these homes already? I mean, what are you seeing them -- what are you seeing them do? Are they hanging on to these homes that have this great value? What are they doing?

AMUCHASTEGUI: Yes, I mean, this is a much deeper issue at this point of what's happened in the housing market in general over the last four or five years. You know, we had this major boom in most metropolitan areas. We had interest rates that were at all time lows. And so there's plenty of people that have these homes and they want to move.

They would be willing to sell at home, but they don't know where they would move to if they if they sell $1,000,000 home today and their payment is maybe $4,000 or $5,000 a month and they buy another $1,000,000 home. Now their payments automatically going to be $8,00 or $9,000 a month. So there are a lot less people are moving over the last few years.

Real estate has kind of been at a standstill. You know prices -- stuff is still transacting. People are still buying and selling homes. Prices have come down quite a bit in just the last few years, but they haven't come down at the same level that interest rates have gone up to offset those payments.

KEILAR: So what would you say to people who are trying just to get into real estate and have that American dream? Would you say to them, you may just have to rent. Would you say to them, look at a condo? Would you say to them, look at a condo somewhere before you're getting a house and you have that need to expand? I mean, how would you be telling someone, if they're looking at wanting to be in real estate at some point in their life, to be thinking about this through their 20s, into their 30s?

AMUCHASTEGUI: Yes, especially in the 20s and 30s. I think it really is lower the expectation to find the thing that has the value so you can get in. You know, he first home that I ever bought moved into was a foreclosure. I got it for a big discount, but then I had to fix it up and make it mine.

At the end of the day, I paid a lot less than I would have if I if I would have bought it normally, but I had to bring my expectation level down that if I wanted to be in that neighborhood for that price. I couldn't get one of the really nice ones yet or the really more expensive ones. People should look at what they can afford based on their income, based on current rates, and then that will determine how much they can pay and where they can go.

And sometimes that's going to be a condo in the downtown areas. They don't have to commute. Sometimes it's going to be 15-20 minutes away. It could be an older home where they could do a little fix up overtime. So there are lots of options, but it all starts with figuring out what they can afford based on their current income and then seeing what's available.

KEILAR: Yes, it's pretty basic, but that's what you have to do if you're getting in on this tough market. Aaron, Amuchastegui, thank you so much for being with us.

AMUCHASTEGUI: Well, thanks so much for having me.

KEILAR: Next, is it sabotage or is it something else? Pool expert, swimming pool Steve, back on CNN NEWS CENTRAL as we analyze the number of issues that are plaguing the reflecting pool. [08:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Summer is officially here, and so is extreme heat. The National Weather Service now warning of temperatures at the Grand Canyon hitting 110 degrees or more. Visitors are strongly advised against taking midday hikes after three heat-related deaths.

Meantime, the Midwest is reeling from deadly tornadoes, the huge twister that was captured on camera yesterday spinning around Dix, Illinois. was caught on film by neighbors. This was the aftermath of a separate twister in Gibson County, Indiana. Officials there have confirmed at least three storm-related deaths.

Let's get more on the forecast now with CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar. So where are these storms headed, Allison?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, there's more of them. This is not over just yet. Now we hope we don't end up seeing images like this out of Southern Illinois.

You can see that large wedge tornado there in the background, but this was one of several tornadoes across multiple states in the last 24 hours that we were able to see. Again, Illinois really kind of being the focal point of some of these tornadoes. This is video here.

You can kind of see the intense winds where it really drops that visibility to the point where you can't see anything. Again, due to the very heavy rain, numerous tornado reports across this state. And it wasn't just tornadoes. We also had reports of very large hail. You're talking the size of tennis balls or even larger, as well as damaging winds. Every single one of these dots you see ...

END