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Death Toll Tops 900 As Rescuers Dig For Trapped Quake Victims; Trump Speaks At Faith & Freedom Coalition conference; Trump Urges Conservative Crowd To Demand Murkowski Pass SAVE Act; Texas Poised To Require Millions Of Students To Study Bible Stories. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired June 26, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Maya Moore, as a kid went up and hugged Maya Moore. And Maya Moore says to this day, she goes, "I can't believe of all the kids I hugged, one of them turned out to be Caitlin Clark."

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Yes.

BRENNAN: So, she respects the game, respects her elders. But if anyone wanted to go off and do their own thing, barnstorm, whatever, have their own league, certainly Caitlin Clark with all of her sponsors could pull that off. But that's not going to happen at least right now.

SANCHEZ: She -- she would definitely have a following no doubt.

BRENNAN: Oh, huge following. Yes.

SANCHEZ: Christine Brennan, thank you so much for taking us through that story. A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

Nowhere to Go: Countless families left homeless by the earthquakes in Venezuela as the death toll rises to over 900 and aid groups begin to appreciate the scope of this disaster.

Plus, chapter and verse: a controversial plan in Texas would require millions of students to study Bible stories in public schools, as the state emerges as a leader in infusing Christian teachings in the classroom.

And every dog has his day. Jonah is now getting his at Miami's ballpark after a major bummer earlier this week for what is a very good boy. We'll explain as we follow these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: We begin with breaking news out of Venezuela, as rescuers are racing to find earthquake victims who have survived. This hour, more than 170 people are believed to be trapped under the rubble, as an official says the death toll is now over 900. Search operations are now approaching the 48-hour mark, and that means the so-called golden window for finding trapped survivors is starting to close.

Today, rescue teams from the U.S. are deploying to the quake zone. We're joined now by Jason Pack. He is a former FEMA external affairs officer, advanced EMT, and active first responder. He's also the author of "The Crisis Code."

Jason, thanks for being with us. And -- and you pointed out what a problem this is, that the central airport is damaged and closed there in La Guaira. How much of a problem is that creating here?

JASON PACK, FORMER FEMA EXTERNAL AFFAIRS OFFICER: Good afternoon, Brianna. That creates quite a problem because each of the United States' urban search and rescue teams from Fairfax and from L.A. County both travel with like 50,000 pounds of gear, some very sophisticated equipment, a lot of things they're going to need that they may not be able to get on the ground there in Venezuela. So really, it's critical that the military and the folks will be able to work around those contingencies and make sure that they get the stuff they need there.

KEILAR: Yes, they have equipment. They have these dogs, right, that can make such a difference. We've been hearing experts talk about that. How are they going to bring in that equipment? How is the U.S. military going -- going to bring in equipment? And how much of a delay does this create with the airport problem?

PACK: Well, it probably does create some delays, but I have confidence in the military, and the USAR teams are no strangers to going in internationally to deploy. They're one of two in the United States that can go, so the U.S. government has sent both of them under coordination with the State Department.

But once they get there, each of these buildings, it's a scene in and of itself. It's kind of like during 9/11. These urban search and rescue teams, there were five or six of them just in that New York City area at the pile, what they called it down there, and they were working for weeks to try to find survivors down there.

So, we did mention that 72-hour race against the clock that we're up against, but we have seen in other earthquakes that there is still hope. There was a boy found 15 days later in Turkey, 200 hours later. So, there -- these collapses, these pancake collapses, can create crevices where people can survive with pockets of air and water. So, it's important that they get that heavy equipment in there and get those listening devices so they're able to hear.

And it's important to also note, Brianna, that it's not just the fire -- regular firefighters. They're well equipped here in the United States, but this is a different level of training that's required. It's not just take the engine up and try to start moving pieces of debris with cranes, because you can create secondary collapses and really hurt folks. So, it's very technical and very tedious, but we have the best in the business going there to help, as well as with our faith-based folks.

KEILAR: Yes, tell us a little -- and -- and that's going to be necessary -- tell us a little bit about the teams, what they have done before from L.A. and from Fairfax, the expertise that they're bringing here.

PACK: Yes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency funds these urban search and rescue teams. There's a little more than 50 across the United States. And most major cities, pretty much every state has one. The two that are going now are USA-01 and USA-02.

That's the Fairfax County Fire Rescue Department and the L.A. County Fire Rescue Department. Those two teams have had the specialized training to deploy internationally, and so they've had the experience doing that whenever other countries call.

[15:05:06]

These are the first two teams to go, usually, and they're highly -- highly skilled, and they train regularly for these types of instances. So, I think they're going to get there. It's going to be a few hours to get mobilized, but once they get there, they're going to be a tremendous value to the folks that are just up against an unenviable task there in Venezuela.

KEILAR: Yes, and I mean, just the pictures we're seeing, these are -- they're cataclysmic, right? We've been hearing from people who are talking about their loved ones being under the rubble. They don't know if they're alive or dead at this point in time. You mentioned these miracle cases of people being found 15 days later. Maybe they are lucky enough to be in a void where there's air and water, but for those who are not lucky enough to be in a void where there is water, talk to us about this golden window, how important it is.

PACK: Well, the first thing you have to do, Brianna, is make sure that scene is safe, and it's very -- as safe as it can be. It's never going to be perfectly safe. You want to look for what's called the widow- makers. Those are the hanging pieces of debris over your head, so the rescuers themselves are not injured. But they're going to rescue as many people as they can as safely as possible.

So, hopefully the Venezuelan authorities and the Venezuelan military are on the scene of a lot of these places. They've identified where the likely victims are, and so hopefully they can complement that with the -- the FEMA urban search and rescue teams coming from the U.S. and, frankly, from all over the world.

KEILAR: Yes. Let's hope. They need it for sure.

Jason Pack, thank you very much. Boris.

SANCHEZ: President Donald Trump just stepped off the stage at the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference, the President making his pitch to Christian conservatives ahead of the midterm elections, now a shade over four months away. Republicans are attempting to cling to majorities in the House and Senate. The President blasting primary election results this week in New York that saw several self- proclaimed Democratic socialists beating out Democratic incumbents. Here is how Trump framed it:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These are not social Democrats. These are hardcore, godless communists. They're godless communists. All communists are godless. They don't believe in God. This is the most serious threat to our country since its existence, in my opinion, 250 years ago. This is a major threat to our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: With us now, CNN Senior Political Commentator and former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger. He's now the honorary chairman at Country First.

Adam, thank you so much for being with us. Trump previewed his speech on Truth Social using that term, "godless communist," again. Is this a winning message for Republicans heading into the midterms?

ADAM KINZINGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it depends if they want to rile up the base, make sure the base votes, use fear to do that. I mean, they're kind of at a point where they will desperately need to do anything to make sure people turn out, and this is kind of what the GOP is dealing with right now. They've got these internal battles. There's a number of people -- not all of them, but a number of people -- that are probably going to sit out November, whether it's the Epstein files and the fact that there's still a million that need to be released, you know, the war in Iran, and everything else.

So, this seems to be kind of a last-minute effort to -- to try to spur those people: you may not love Donald Trump, but these godless communists are going to come destroy your country. It is not a winning message in a general election except to turn out the base, so that must be what they're worried about. Or else Trump is just kind of off on his own, which tends to happen sometimes.

SANCHEZ: He -- he used the speech to call on Congress to pass the SAVE America Act as well. He urged the audience to call Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski to tell her to vote for the legislation, warning, quote, "She'll never win another election. I can tell you." Why do you think the SAVE Act is such a priority for Trump?

KINZINGER: Because it's a couple things. So, number one, I don't know, but he may actually have started to convince himself of the lie that the election in 2020 was stolen. I mean, the thing that people that weren't really raised up in Republican politics need to understand is this belief that, you know, illegals are voting by the 10s of thousands in every community. That's almost a religious belief among some GOP members.

And by religion I mean, like, this is -- it's kind of seen as gospel truth ...

SANCHEZ: Yes.

KINZINGER: ... like this is really happening. And so, you know, some people may have convinced themselves of it. But the other issue is just, it -- it could be Donald Trump beginning to lay the groundwork for an excuse, right? If he loses, if the SAVE Act doesn't pass, the Republicans get crushed in the House and Senate, which looks quite possible, then he can point and say it's because this wasn't passed, because illegals voted, that kind of thing. So, I think it could be a little of both.

SANCHEZ: It's interesting the way that you describe that belief, that election denialism, as -- as something profound for -- for some folks on which they base ideas like passing the SAVE Act and -- and other sort of vestiges of -- of Trump's arguing about the deep state and -- and such.

But I do wonder, on faith itself, given that the event today is the Faith and Freedom Coalition hosting this event, how much influence do you think these culture conservatives have in today's Republican Party, one that Trump has imprinted, which, as you put it, with his beliefs?

KINZINGER: Well, look, as a kind of a deep Christian myself, I think it's a shame what's happening and how religion has been hijacked for politics. You know, something I've -- I've come to really understand. But I think it's important for the GOP, I mean, they -- if you look back at kind of the history, the first marriage really between the right and kind of Christian conservatism happened in the '80s, and it's only grown ever since.

And -- and so, you know, look, you can -- how many people have you heard say just in conversations, they say, well, I may not like Donald Trump as a person, but he's fighting the good cause, the right cause. The, you know, and so it has melded this all together. And so, I think it is, you know, as they look at it and say come November, and probably 2028 eventually, turning out these Christian conservatives to vote for Republican is going to be essential. It is a significant part of the coalition.

But I will also say there is a growing group of people that are true believers in the Lord and Jesus that are starting to understand, I think, that maybe what you're hearing out of the GOP -- the division, the hate, the constantly -- I mean, the constantly stomping on people that are far less fortunate, I mean celebrating the fact that TPS has been revoked for Haitians and Venezuelans -- you may agree with its revocation, but to somehow mix that in with Christianity, I don't think Jesus is up in heaven celebrating less fortunate people, you know, being put in bad situations. And so, there is an awakening, is what I'm trying to get out, I think, within the church a little bit, to understand, you know, what Jesus really talked about and how that doesn't mix with some of the things you hear out of the GOP.

SANCHEZ: Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, thanks so much for joining us.

KINZINGER: Of course. You bet.

SANCHEZ: Thanks. Still to come, from Sunday school to public schools, Texas on the verge of becoming the first state to make Bible passages required reading in the classroom. We're monitoring a big vote by the state's education board. And later, why a judge in the Charlie Kirk murder case is now holding

a prosecutor in civil contempt, what that could mean for the upcoming trial. That and much more coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:17:02]

KEILAR: At any moment, Texas could add biblical stories to the required reading list for public schools. The state's Republican- controlled Board of Education is meeting right now and is expected to adopt a statewide reading curriculum that includes a picture-book about David and Goliath for younger students, and passages about Adam and Eve from the Bible, along with other biblical references, for older students.

The change would impact more than 5 million public school students across the state, and the proposal has sharply divided teachers, parents, and community members.

We're joined now by Father Edward Beck. He's a CNN Religion Contributor and a Roman Catholic priest.

Father, thank you for being with us. What -- what do you think about this mandatory reading list out of Texas and the division that it's creating?

REV. EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGION CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think it's notable that no other state has done this. I mean, you have one in 10 American public-school students in Texas. And, you know, as of today, it looks like, Brianna, all of them -- that's kindergarten through 12th grade -- are going to be required by state government to read the Bible.

I mean, I think it's the first mandatory religious reading list in the nation, and so that makes it a landmark moment. And I think there are problems with that. I think there are constitutional problems with it, and I think it's going to get blowback.

KEILAR: Yes, and it -- it certainly is. And I do want to mention it actually just passed in Texas, so this is something that has just gone through the legislature there. As I mentioned, the reading list includes a picture-book adaptation of the story of David and Goliath for the younger kids. It includes excerpts from the Bible, for instance, about Adam and Eve for older students. What can students take away from those stories? Will it help them better understand world history, as supporters argue here?

BECK: Well, I mean, look, I am certainly for the Bible. I think there are great lessons in the Bible. But if you're talking about just Christian texts and just Hebrew texts -- which, I mean, the list includes the beatitudes, Psalm 23 from the Hebrew Scriptures, 1 Corinthians -- but there's no Quran, there's no Torah, there's no Buddhist or Hindu scripture, you know?

And in Texas, more than half of the students are black or Hispanic, many Catholic, but many of other faiths, many of no faiths. So, I think the message is unmistakable. If you have only one religious text that's mandatory reading, that's not a literary decision. It's a theological one.

KEILAR: Texas requires every public-school classroom to include the Ten Commandments. It's -- it's the first state to allow chaplains to counsel students, and it approved a measure that offered more funding to schools to teach an optional Bible-infused curriculum. How are you seeing those policies? How are you seeing all of this taken together?

[15:20:00]

BECK: Well, I just think it's forcing the hand of religion. I mean, one of the board members, Brandon Hall (ph), I think is his name -- this is what he said. He said America and Texas have been a Christian nation and a Christian state forever. Well, I mean, but he's voting on a curriculum for a pluralistic, constitutionally secular nation. So,, I don't really think this is about literary enrichment like they're claiming. I think it's about religious establishment, which the Constitution forbids.

And, you know, as a priest, I have to tell you, Brianna, forced Scripture doesn't deepen faith. I think it breeds resentment. When the state, and not a family or a teacher, decides which Bible passages children must read, I think something sacred has been handed to politics.

We know that in 1963, the Supreme Court ruled mandatory Bible reading and prayer recitation in public schools is unconstitutional, so it's violating the establishment clause, I think, of the First Amendment.

KEILAR: Talk -- talk about that a little bit more, because obviously, you know, you read the Bible, you find great meaning ...

BECK: Yes.

KEILAR: ... in the stories, in the messages in the Bible, and yet you have these deep concerns ...

BECK: Yes.

KEILAR: ... about requiring it in public schools. So, if you were talking to someone who thinks it is a great idea to do this, they want this required, you know, what -- what would you say to them to try to find maybe a common understanding or to get your point across maybe in a way that they might understand you?

BECK: Well, I would say, look, it's great. As I said, I'm a fan of the Bible, but I can't force that on other people, you know? And it's a Protestant-only list, by the way, which means that the translations that are going to be used -- I think the King James and the English translation -- they're Protestant Bibles. So, that means some Catholic books aren't even included in the translations that they're using.

So, if you're calling this literary, but you have a Protestant-only list, no other world religions represented, and a board member saying that Texas is a Christian state, I think the defense that it's just a literary choice is going to be very hard to make. I think lawsuits are coming, and I would just say, yes, there are great lessons to be learned here, but let's -- let's learn, as Christians, if you want to call it the primary message of Jesus, which is inclusion, forgiveness, acceptance and this just doesn't seem to be about that.

KEILAR: Father Edward Beck, thank you so much for the conversation. We appreciate it.

BECK: Thank you, Brianna. Always good to be with you.

KEILAR: Always great to have you.

Still ahead, Apple taking a bigger bite out of your wallet. Why the tech giant says it is raising prices. Stay with CNN.

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[15:27:42]

SANCHEZ: So, Apple is raising prices on popular items like the MacBook and the iPad. The company saying it had no choice, citing the higher costs for memory and storage chips that are used in their products.

Let's get the latest from CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich.

So, Vanessa, what is it that is causing these price hikes? Is it really the chips?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: It is, and it's all because of artificial intelligence. These A.I. data centers, as well as Apple using these memory and storage chips, have gone up in price because both these A.I. data centers need them, and also Apple needs them to make all of their products. So, more demand, less supply, higher prices for Apple.

So, what's going up in price? Well, some of Apple's key products, most popular products, some of their laptops, the Neo, that is their entry- level laptop, rising by a hundred dollars, $699. The iPad Mini, rising by a hundred dollars, $599. Their Apple TV product, up by $70. And HomePod speaker, rising by about $50.

We have seen on apple.com the price increases are showing, but if you look at Best Buy and Target, you actually still see some of the older prices. Where we are not seeing prices rise across Apple products are on iPhones, but I will say, yet. And that is because the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, did say last week, telling The Wall Street Journal, that it's inevitable that eventually they're probably going to have to raise the prices on iPhones because of the shortage of these memory and storage chips, and then AirPods also not rising in price.

Here's what Apple essentially said is going on. They said in a statement that the rapid expansion of A.I. data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage. We've never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly. We've shielded our customers from these increases so far, but we've now reached a point where we need to begin raising prices on a number of products. Now, just last week, President Donald Trump announced that Apple would be partnering with Intel to try to produce these critical memory and storage chips right here in the United States because, Boris, a lot of these chips for Apple come out of Taiwan. So, by creating this partnership, it essentially diversifies Apple's supply chain with these chips that could ease the price increases.

[15:30:09]