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Barnacles and Other Marine Gunk Stuck on Ships Near Strait of Hormuz; Future of Oil Prices May Depend on China; Conservative Women Grapple with Feminism; Senate Votes to Limit Trump's Iran War Powers in Rare Rebuke; England and Ghana Clash in World Cup 2nd Group Stage Match. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired June 23, 2026 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: ... Please call that number. It is 1-800- CALL-FBI.

Still ahead for NEWS CENTRAL, before all those oil tankers that are stuck in the Persian Gulf can get moving again, they have to do some serious work to get back in sailing condition. It's a more complex problem that you might think. We'll discuss in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: A side effect of the months-long shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, marine growth has covered hundreds of ships anchored in the warm waters of the Persian Gulf. And now those vessels, including supertankers, need their hulls scrubbed clean before they can get moving again. That is where the bottom cleaners come in.

CNN's David Goldman has a reporting on this. And David, a whole lot of cleaning is needed.

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: There's a whole lot of cleaning. I mean, look at this mess. This is sent to us from our friends in Marathon, Florida, obsessive compulsive divers.

They do this kind of work and they clean all the gunk that builds up on ships. And they really can, in just four months, get really gross. Look at this propeller covered in barnacles, intake valves.

Creatures can get into those kind of things, rendering them useless. The hulls of ships, all of that needs to be cleaned. And we're not talking about a small job either.

There are 600 ships that are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz. And they're enormous. It's like three football fields long, 150,000 square feet.

Maybe I should have said soccer pitches. It's a World Cup season. But you get the sense of how big these things are. It takes about five to six divers to come in with lances and scrubbers and get rid of all the barnacles and the other gunk. That can take somewhere around, for each ship, around five hours to just clean off those ships. Now, why do they need to be cleaned?

Because all of that gunk that builds up makes the ships inefficient. And these are huge oil tankers that need a lot of gas, a lot of oil to get through to their destinations. You don't want any of that.

And there's also a ton of invasive species that grow in here. They can destroy marine life. You don't want that.

They need to get cleaned before they can exit the Strait of Hormuz, Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, that looks terrible, all of that growth there.

GOLDMAN: It's not great.

KEILAR: No, it's not great is a great assessment there, though. Let's talk a little bit about oil here. China is the world's second largest consumer of crude oil.

It's been making moves to preserve supplies during this war. What impact will China have on global prices going forward?

GOLDMAN: China is an enormous part of this. I mean, they have basically saved the oil industry over the course of this war. There's a billion barrels of oil in Chinese stockpiles that have been drawn down during the crisis.

It's a big reason why oil prices never really got to their 2022 highs, despite the fact that this is the largest -- this is the worst crisis that we have ever seen in terms of supply shortages. China did a big job here.

And the other factor here is that they have gone electric. They had in their May Day holiday, that's like Labor Day in the United States, 25 percent of the cars that were riding on Chinese roads were electric. That is up -- oh, I don't know what just happened. But that was up 33 percent over the course of the past year.

I think the other number was a million. And that is the amount of oil that has fallen -- that Chinese oil has fallen because of those electric vehicles, Brianna. And I like this magic ball a little bit better than the one that created anyway. So we're in good shape.

KEILAR: It looks like a great flag of your country that's competing in the World Cup, I think.

GOLDMAN: Yes, I hope they win.

KEILAR: Yes, I hope they win. The David land. All right, I hope you go and call IT right now. I'm going to let you go do that. And still, you should do that. Still ahead, CNN traveling to the Turning Point Women's Leadership Summit this month in Texas. While many of the conservative speakers took direct aim at the topic of feminism, some of the attendees shared a different view. We'll have more next.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Earlier this month, Turning Point USA held its first Women's Leadership Summit since its founder, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated last year. His wife, Erika, is now leading the organization and headlined the conference. CNN's Ellie Reeve traveled to Texas to ask attendees about the growing emphasis on traditional gender roles among young people in the MAGA movement and the conspiracy theories swirling online about Kirk's death.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIKA KIRK, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, TURNING POINT USA: Have more babies than you can afford.

(CHEERING)

ELLE REEVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm at the Turning Point Women's Leadership Summit, where a lot of the speakers have talked about how feminism has hurt women, how you should get married early and have more kids maybe more than you can afford.

SAVANNA STONE: Feminism is the biggest lie we have ever been sold as women.

REEVE: But the attendees have had a little more nuance in their analysis. Some have even said, you can have it all.

PHOEBE VIDACAK, FOUNDER, PLANA: From what I see, like society has co- opted the word feminism, which should just be the equality of the sexes, which I really do believe in to be something of pushing the other sex down, which I really don't believe in.

NICHOLE JACK JOHNSON, ATTENDEE: I've run three companies and have a non-profit and adopted children. So I feel like the messages to me where that women can do it all.

REEVE: And how do you see that as different from feminism?

JOHNSON: Good question. That is a great question. I feel like feminism is the pursuit of I-need-nobody. And I don't need a man, I don't need others.

ALEX, ATTENDEE: Because I feel like the left is so focused on feminism equals abortion and that's like not at all what feminism should be for.

[15:45:00]

It should just be like, how can we empower women to fulfill what they feel like their calling is.

CATARINA DICOSMO, ATTENDEE: A lot of the left say that they don't need men, but we do.

REEVE (voice-over): Speaker Savanna Stone is a married 21-year-old who's built an audience advocating for traditional gender roles in a sometimes provocative way.

STONE: Submission gets a bad rep because it's seen as slavery for whatever reason, but submission is a trust in its teamwork. It means the woman serves the husband and the husband lays down his life for the wife.

Because women are controlled by their emotions and men are controlled by logic.

REEVE: She goes viral a lot on TikTok for talking about women submitting to their husbands means submissive. What do you think of that?

ABBIE NOTGRASS, ATTENDEE: I mean, that's what the Bible calls us to do, so that's what I think is true.

MORGAN NOTGRASS, ATTENDEE: The words sound kind of crazy and a little controversial, but I mean, I believe what the Bible says. And I think it's true. And I think she said it great in there.

REEVE (voice-over): This comes at a time when small but growing sections of the online and religious right have objections to women voting at all. With some calling to repeal the 19th Amendment and replace it with a so-called household vote.

TOBY SUMPTER, PASTOR: In my ideal society, we would vote as households. And I would ordinarily be the one that would cast the vote, but I would cast the vote having discussed it with my household.

JASMINE STEWART, ATTENDEE: Repeal the 19th people.

REEVE: Yes, repeal the 19th people. What do you make of that?

STEWART: There's a lot of politics that divides families and that's not what they want. So, you know, I understand that part of it. And then another part of it that I think is a lot more juvenile is that they're like, oh, well, there's so many liberal women and they're ruining, whatever.

I don't think that's a correct way to look at it all. So, that's not really a view that I share there.

IRELAND DANIEL, ATTENDEE: Obviously, if we didn't think women should be able to vote, we wouldn't be standing here trying to work in politics.

REEVE: Why do you think it's good interaction right now?

DANIEL: Honestly, I would say from a liberal perspective of we don't mean men has made men so angry. It's harder for men to get a girlfriend. It's harder for them to get married. Women don't want to get married now.

And I think that's why a conservative movement has pushed so much back on the word feminism is because they feel like women are, quote unquote, ruining everything, which we're not. That's not true.

REEVE: So, a feminist might say, hey, you guys are dealing with these really angry young men online, like, incels, the Andrew Tates, the whatever. You guys need feminists right now to defend you and to defend your dignity as a person. What would you say to that?

DANIEL: I would say it's all about how we approach it though. I think by screaming back at them isn't going to help.

REEVE (voice-over): A few dozen protesters chanted outside the conference. Turning Point's founder Charlie Kirk excelled at provoking people to get attention. But now his group is dealing with social media controversy from within conservatism. One that is cruel but pervasive.

After Kirk was assassinated, his widow Erika took over the organization. Soon, conspiracy theories swirled online that she or Turning Point staff were somehow involved in his death. There is no evidence in this.

Turning Point has vehemently denied the claims. Police have arrested a suspect and say he acted alone. The most viral insinuations have come from Candace Owens.

CANDACE OWENS, AMERIKAN COMMENTATOR: Erika Kirk should be dragged into a police precinct for questioning, like I said.

REEVE (voice-over): The conspiracy theories are so rife that speaker Dana Loesch even addressed them from the stage.

DANA LOESCH, AMERIKAN RADIO HOST: God has ordered his church to care for widows. That widows be included so they are not isolated. To protect widows. To care for widows. To not persecute a widow in the most ungodly a ways. Because you're jealous that you are not the one controlling an organization that that widow's husband built.

REEVE (voice-over): Many attendees were keenly aware of the online discourse.

STEWART: I don't think it's wrong to ask questions. I'm always a skeptic myself. For me, the more questions are better.

REEVE: In fairness, like, one of the questions Candace is asking is like, did Erika kill him for Israel? I mean, it's kind of out there, right?

STEWART: Oh, yes, absolutely. Like I said, for me, the more questions are better to question everything. I can understand what people, especially like Erika, would be like, what the absolute hell. JOHNSON: I wanted to come and support Erika, of course. I felt like the spirit of God was telling me to support our widows. I had many phone calls, many people reached out to me, many people very disappointed that I was coming.

REEVE: Really?

JOHNSON: Christian Republicans, disappointed that I was here.

REEVE: What did your friend say to you who didn't approve of you going?

JOHNSON: A lot of them truly believe in everything that's being said. It's heartbreaking to me. I don't even want to speak on it because it's so awful what's being believed. And I feel like that's spiritual warfare. I feel like we're seeing real life spiritual warfare coming after this organization.

REEVE (voice-over): Elle Reeve, CNN, San Antonio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: We have breaking news just in at CNN. The Republican-led Senate just passed a war powers resolution. The legislation has already been approved by the Republican-controlled House.

CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju is live on Capitol Hill. Manu, this is a major rebuke of President Trump.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and it's the first time that this has happened.

[15:50:00]

The Senate and the House have passed an identical measure to limit President Trump's powers with Iran, essentially to stop the war altogether, unless Congress has a say. And if the president wanted to escalate things in Iran, he'd have to come back to Congress to get approval.

This coming after the Senate approved by a 50-48 vote with four Republicans joining all but one Democrat in voting to adopt this measure. That would include Senators Susan Collins of Maine, who's in a difficult re-election right now. Senators Lisa Murkowski, who oftentimes breaks with the president on some key issues.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has long been an opponent of escalating the U.S. presence overseas, particularly when it comes to military conflicts. And Senator Bill Cassidy, someone who the president himself has essentially pushed out of the Senate by endorsing his primary challenger in his re-election bid in Louisiana. Those four joining 46 Democrats, one Democrat voted no, there's Senator John Fetterman, who's been very much in favor of the president's strategy in Iran.

Now, in the aftermath of this approval, it doesn't necessarily mean that the president will have to change course at all. It doesn't actually -- will actually force the president's hand. It is more of a symbolic rebuke of sorts, but a significant one at that.

Remember, the House Republican leadership had tried to prevent this vote from even happening, actually adjourning the chamber early on when it looked like this bill had enough support to pass the House. Ultimately, they had to come back in this session and go into deal with other legislative business. Democrats effectively pushed this bill through the House with the support of some Republicans.

And now we're seeing the same thing happening today on the Senate side, a sign though of some concern within the GOP ranks over the way this war is being waged and a message being sent to the White House now that both chambers of Congress are calling to limit the president's war powers with Iran -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: And now we await a response from the White House. We'll see what President Trump says to this. Manu Raju, live on the Hill, thank you so much.

Coming up, it is almost time. England and Ghana kicking off their second group stage match in just moments. A live report on a much anticipated showdown next.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Finally, we get to this story. I've been waiting for this one.

One of the NBA's brightest stars may be on the move to South Beach. According to a source, the Milwaukee Bucks are putting together a trade to send Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. The two-time MVP and 10-time All-Star has been one of the most highly sought after players this off season.

In exchange, the Heat are giving the Bucks a haul of players and draft picks, including the 13th overall selection in the NBA draft that begins tonight. Not quite a done deal just yet, the league still has to grant final approval. It has been a bleak spring.

We've watched the Knicks win a championship. It even hurts to say that now, but there is light ahead, Brianna. Giannis on the way to the Heat.

KEILAR: On a scale of one to 10, how excited are you?

SANCHEZ: Very excited.

KEILAR: Like 17, 24?

SANCHEZ: I mean, he's a future Hall of Famer. He's a fantastic player. Don Riddell is probably wondering why we're not tossing to him right now and why I'm waxing poetic about Giannis Antetokounmpo.

This is huge and it represents hope. And finally, the dark night is over and we have Giannis.

KEILAR: That's always how I feel though, when we're going to Don Riddell to talk about the World Cup. Don, two teams undefeated so far. They're going head-to-head here, England and Ghana trying to secure their place in the knockout round.

Tell us what we're awaiting.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, I'm very excited about this one because England are my team and you're absolutely right. These two teams going head-to-head, having won their opening games respectively. Full control of the group.

England, the overwhelming favorites. Ghana, the Black Stars will be hoping to exploit some potential defensive frailties in the England team. And all eyes on the England striker, Harry Kane, who just needs one goal to become his country's all-time World Cup record goal scorer.

SANCHEZ: And we saw Argentina's Lionel Messi break the all-time World Cup scoring record yesterday, Don. Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo always in the conversation for greatest of all time with Messi. Ronaldo picking things up against Uzbekistan today.

RIDDELL: Yes, we were talking about this yesterday, weren't we? But Ronaldo was starting to be left out of the conversation because he's never won the World Cup with Portugal. He's 41.

He seemed to be kind of past it, to be honest. He seemed to be kind of holding his team back in their first game, but he scored twice today in a big 6-0 win against Uzbekistan, meaning he has now done something that Lionel Messi will never do. And that is scoring in six consecutive World Cup tournaments.

Remember, he and Messi are both playing in a sixth World Cup tournament, which is just absolutely incredible. But Messi can't say that he scored in six straight. However, if we can run the video from 24 hours ago, we can say that Messi is now the World Cup's all-time record scorer, thanks to a couple of goals in their win against Austria yesterday.

He's now got 18 World Cup goals, two more than the previous record holder Miroslav Kloser. Absolutely wonderful day for Lionel Messi. He's now scored all five of his country's goals at this tournament.

If they're going to go all the way and win it again, perhaps they're going to need to find some goals from some other players at some point. But for now, he's carrying the load and absolutely loving it.

SANCHEZ: I am surprised that you're counting Lionel Messi out of the 2030 World Cup. He shows no signs of slowing down, Don. Quickly, last 10 seconds, your thought on Giannis to the heat.

RIDDELL: Well, I'm not surprised he's left the Bucks because he told me that he might be doing so early in the season. But yes.

[16:00:00]

KEILAR: Very exciting for Boris.

SANCHEZ: Don Riddell, I can sense your excitement for the Miami Heat. Thank you so much, Don.

And thank you for joining us. "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now. And Riley, we trust.

END