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The Situation Room

Tourists Stranded After Deadly Beach Resort Fire; Marco Rubio to Head to the Middle East; British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Announces Resignation; Breaking the Stigma Around Men's Health. Aired 11:30-12p ET

Aired June 22, 2026 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, at least three people are dead and tens of thousands have no power this morning after a tornado outbreak in the Midwest. More than 30 reported twisters tore through Illinois and Indiana and that same system is now pushing east and threatens the mid-Atlantic and southeast with dangerous storms.

There's a state of emergency in Los Angeles thanks to a massive warehouse fire that's choking off parts of the city. It's been burning at a cold storage facility for nearly a week now. Authorities have closed down streets in the area and set up shelters so that people can get away from the toxic smoke. The fire chief warns it could burn for several more days.

And investigators are trying to figure out what sparked a fire at a beach resort in the Dominican Republic. This was an Italian tourist that was killed and at least three others were hurt. The massive blaze forced nearly 1,700 people to run for safety and right now many of them are stranded because their travel documents went up in flames. Authorities are scrambling to help them get home. Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And there's more breaking news we're following. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will head to the Middle East tomorrow. It will be his first visit to the region since the signing of the framework agreement with Iran. He'll visit the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain. Iran attacked all three repeatedly during the war.

Joining us now is Michael Allen. He was a special assistant to President George W. Bush for national security. He also worked for the House Intelligence Committee. He's the managing director of Beacon Global Strategies. Michael, thanks very much for coming in. Is Rubio headed there to get those countries on board with the U.S. as far as an Iran agreement is concerned?

MICHAEL ALLEN, FORMER MAJORITY STAFF DIRECTOR, HOUSE INTEL COMMITTEE AND FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH FOR NATIONAL SECURITY: I think so. I think it's a coordinating mission. They want to make sure that we have their concerns at heart as we continue through this 60-day negotiating period. While I think they wanted the war over with, they probably don't want the United States to give away too much leverage going forward, particularly as it pertains to the Strait of Hormuz.

BLITZER: The vice president, J.D. Vance, will soon head back to Washington from Switzerland, where he's been these past few days, saying a major milestone was reached this weekend when Iran finally agreed to allow nuclear monitors from the United Nations back into the country. Is allowing these nuclear monitors back into Iran a critical potential step forward?

[11:35:00]

ALLEN: It's the bare minimum. We have, I think the IAEA, the International Inspection Watchdog, is already in there in a limited capacity. But at the end of the day, and people are going to say this is too hard to give, but for inspections to be truly relevant, truly helpful, you have to have anytime, anyplace inspections. And they need to be able to take samples of the soil or the air or whatever the case may be, because Iran has a history of cheating and we need these watchdog inspectors to be able to go anywhere they can to find out what's really going on.

BLITZER: The vice president also said comments about the Iranian delegates, pretty brutal comments, by President Trump, that was all just part of trash talking. Do you see that as disruptive to the process?

ALLEN: I think so. It doesn't help, I think, when anyone is -- that's not in the room negotiating is commenting on what is actually happening there. I think if the vice president wants to be able to make success and go forward with this, I think he needs to have sort of an orchestra around him that's trying to reflect a helpful U.S. position and not necessarily being threatening.

BLITZER: Iran, as you know, has a history of slow-walking negotiations. Could Trump's comments serve as disrupting Iran's strategy of delaying the process?

ALLEN: I think it gives Iran an excuse to further delay. I already think that that's part and parcel of their strategy going forward. Let's not give them new reasons to back out or pause or do any of the things we absolutely need them to do, because we've released some amazing leverage that we've had over them recently in the sense that they get to produce, export, and get paid for their oil going forward. So, we need to be careful and vigilant to make sure we're getting something for everything that we're giving up.

BLITZER: Iran says no final deal can be achieved unless the fighting in Lebanon stops. Israel says it has no plans to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon, seeing Hezbollah continuing to be a threat to northern Israel. Is that a potential wild card that potentially could scuttle any deal?

ALLEN: I think so. I mean, I want to be able to say that it's in the U.S. interests, and of course it is, to have the Straits of Hormuz open. But I try to put myself in the Israeli's shoes. And what did we do after 9/11? We wouldn't have accepted any restrictions on our ability to use force against our enemies. And it seems like this isn't a great intervention by the United States to try to tell Israel, hey, you know what, you're not allowed to hit Hezbollah, even if they're targeting Israel.

So, I think this is going to be a tripwire that helps sort of get these agreements off track from time to time.

BLITZER: As you know, in another development, a significant development, the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced this morning that he was stepping down. Does that have the potential to change the dynamic with NATO and with the U.S., which is, of course, one of the U.K.'s closest allies?

ALLEN: Well, I still think that they're committed to the special relationship with the United States, and I think they're very committed to NATO. But this is the seventh prime minister in 10 years. I hope this new prime minister will succeed. They need stability. They need leadership. They need more defense spending.

They need to help us sort of help in Europe to ensure that they are leading and taking on and serving as a bulwark to future Russian expansion. So, we need to be rooting for their success. We need to try to make sure he succeeds because, boy, do they ever need it.

BLITZER: They certainly do. All right. Michael, thank you very, very much.

ALLEN: Thank you. Thank you.

BLITZER: Michael Allen helping us.

BROWN: Great to have you on, Michael. All right. Coming up, Wolf, breaking the stigma around men's health, how to tackle the taboo topics that can help you or the men in your life live longer, healthier lives, particularly when it comes to mental health. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:40:00]

BROWN: Well, June is Men's Health Month. It is a time to raise awareness about the physical and mental well-being of boys and men. And it comes at a time when men are lagging in some key aspects of society and their education and the labor force and socially.

Joining us now is Richard Reeves to further discuss. He is a social scientist and president of the American Institute for Boys and Men. He is also the author "Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why it Matters and What to Do About It." Richard, nice to have you back on the show.

As we have discussed before, men are four times more likely at last check to die by suicide than women in the U.S. And studies show that men are less likely to get the mental health treatment that they need. First off, let's just talk about some of the contributing factors to this alarming statistic. RICHARD REEVES, AUTHOR, "OF BOYS AND MEN" AND PRESIDENT, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF BOYS AND MEN: Yes. Well, first of all, good to see you again. And we should, I think, say at the outset that we care about women's health and men's health.

BROWN: And we cover both on this show, as any viewer would know.

REEVES: Sure. Yes. And I think that's really important. Like we need our families and communities to have our men and our women healthy. And that statistic about suicide rates being four times higher among men is just a great example of the need to take a gendered approach to health care.

And we lose in the U.S. about 40,000 men a year to suicide now. And that's about the same as the number of women that we lose to breast cancer. And so, their public health challenges of about the same magnitude. And in both cases, of course, it makes sense to make sure our services are reaching the people that need the most.

And as you mentioned in your intro, one of the challenges of mental health care in particular is not just getting men to get the care they need, and I'm here to encourage all men to get the care they need, but also to stick with it. And that's about the services that they receive as well.

[11:45:00]

BROWN: And given those statistics, what does that mean for life expectancy and the gap for men and women?

ALLEN: Yes. Actually, the rise in suicide rates. And tragically, we've seen a rise of almost a third in suicide rates among men under the age of 30. Actually, a little bit under the age of 40. So, this is a real crisis among a young man. And it is contributing, as you say, to a life expectancy gap in the U.S. is now closer to six years, which was five-year gap only a few years ago.

And in case people think there's something fixed about that life expectancy gap that your men are sort of on average somehow predestined to die five or six years earlier. Well, it's close to three years in many countries, including places like New Zealand and Holland. And so, there's nothing fixed about that gap. And so, I think what it means is the men who are listening to this, the women in their lives, but also the health services can do a much better job of reaching men and making sure the health services are available to them.

BROWN: Yes. What do you think the difference is between America and the health systems available to them and this gap and these other countries?

REEVES: Well, I think one of the big differences is investment in preventive health care. And I think the U.S., whilst it still lags that many of those other countries overall, it's done it has done a much better job for women. So, if you look at the 44 preventive services that are covered by the Affordable Care Act of those 44, only one is actually targeted at men. And one of the things that we've introduced in the U.S. is an annual well, woman checkup, which is a great thing. And again, any woman listening should make use of that, but we don't have the equivalent for men. So, we don't cover without cost an annual, well, men's checkup.

Now, I'm not suggesting that's an excuse for not going, guys. If you're listening, don't wait for the government to tell you to go to the doctor. And maybe don't even wait for your wife or girlfriend or sister. We need to do a better job as well. But so far, we haven't done a good enough job of recognizing that men's health actually matters in and of itself and not in opposition to women's health. As I said a moment ago, that's one of the reasons why we're losing so many men and increasingly earlier ages.

BROWN: It's very, very scary. And like you said, it's on a zero-sum game, right? And we should note, millions of families celebrated Father's Day over the weekend. I know you're a dad. Happy Father's Day to you. I hope you had a nice day.

REEVES: Yes. Thank you.

BROWN: We sat down last August and talked about a wide variety of the social, educational and cultural issues facing boys and young men. One of the points you made was that fathers and father figures are a load bearing wall for society. Tell us more. How does the presence of a father figure in a boy's life translate to their later success in other areas?

REEVES: Yes. Well, there's a couple of things there, Pamela. One is that actually the boys who have a father in their life and the girls who have a father in life have better mental health. And so, we see this kind of positive effect from engaged fatherhood.

And so, for those who are thanking their fathers, thank you. But actually, we're helping you as well. But it cuts both ways. I think one of the most interesting, more recent findings is that we're actually seeing big effects on men's health from becoming fathers. We do get healthier. We take better care of ourselves, maybe because we think the stakes are higher.

And so, fatherhood really is this kind of beautiful thing where it's really great for the health and well-being of kids. But it turns out that it's probably equally good for the health and well-being of the fathers themselves. And it's one of the things that motivates men to get and stay healthy is knowing that there are people in their lives who rely on them.

So, it's a combination of personal responsibility, doing the best for your family, but also public policy can really do a much better job of reaching men where they are.

BROWN: And what more can moms do? I have two little boys, and I often think about how to raise them into young men and try to stave off some of those mental health concerns that we've been discussing. What is your advice to the moms out there with boys? REEVES: Yes, the first thing is to try and do everything we can to reduce the stigma of getting mental health care. You know, my own sons have benefited from it. I have benefited from going and seeking mental health care, but to do so in a way that includes boys. And so, coaches and teachers, male teachers, the men, the dads in boys' lives are kind of doing a lot of therapy sometimes.

And I sometimes think there's a danger that we think that boys and men have to go get therapy the same way that women would or to conduct it the same way women would. I think we discussed before the fact that being shoulder to shoulder is very often more comfortable for boys than men. And so, there's walking, talking therapy. But if there's a message out there, first of all, if you're in trouble, of course, there are services like 988 that can give you help. Reach out to a man in your life, a boy in your life, because sometimes we do need to be asked twice if we're OK. That's just true.

But I think it's just by example, as much as anything else, to show that mental health care isn't for men or women, it's for everyone.

BROWN: Yes. And, you know, within the subject, there is loneliness that's driving so many men to online, which can center on grievance politics and extremist ideologies. What can we do as a society to combat this echo chamber?

[11:50:00]

REEVES: Well, the first thing we can do is make sure that our boys and our men are not spending too much time online, but at the same time not having a huge moral panic. The evidence for the direct harms of most of what boys do online gaming, et cetera, isn't that great. It's what they're not doing when they are online. And so, we can't replace in real life community.

And I think for all the moral panic about the men, which I understand the best solution, honestly, is honest to God, flesh and blood, real men in the lives of our boys and our young men. So, it is dads, it's teachers, it's coaches, it's mentors, it's neighbors, it's uncles, it's brothers.

The way you beat the more reactionary elements of the manosphere is in real life. Because the good news is that if you ask young men and boys who their role models are, they are still the men in their lives. They're not the guys online. And if they're resorting to the guys online for advice and support, candidly, I think that's on us. That's our fault.

How have we got to a position where any boy or young man thinks that that guy online is a better guy to life than a man in their lives?

BROWN: Richard Reeves, always great to hear you and all of your wisdom and insights. Thank you so much. And we want to note to our audience, if you or someone you know needs help, there are resources. Contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also visit 988lifeline.org. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:55:00]

BLITZER: Happening now, three of soccer's biggest stars are gearing up for more World Cup play. Argentina's Lionel Messi, France's Kylian Mbappe, and Norway's Erling Haaland all playing today in three separate games.

BROWN: Messi is looking to keep making World Cup history, hoping to become the World Cup's all-time top scorer. He tied the current record with his hat trick against Algeria.

Joining us now is CNN sports analyst and sports columnist for USA Today, Christine Brennan. Christine, which of these three stars do you think will stand above the rest today?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST AND SPORTS COLUMNIST, USA TODAY: Well, Messi already with the hat trick, as you referred to it. This is his last one, and everyone knows Messi, and we know him. It's a last name basis with him, not a first name basis. He seems primed here. He plays in the U.S. in the MLS, in the men's league, and he seems primed to really say, hey, I'm going out in style.

Now, having said that, you have no idea what I see as a bigger picture is the countries that we're expecting to play great are the ones who are rising to the top, especially the European behemoths, right? France and Spain, Portugal, and then, of course, Argentina, the defending champ. So, the best players on the best teams. We'll see how it plays out over the next few weeks, but right now, that's what it's looking like.

BLITZER: Let's talk about the U.S. team, a subject close to our hearts. With their Friday win against Australia, it was a big win, they advanced to the round of 32 even before playing their last group game. This is the first time the men's team has won back-to-back World Cup games in almost, what, 100 years? And Friday's win was without star attacker Christian Pulisic. This team just feels different a bit. What do you think?

BRENNAN: Yes, it is. I think so. Since 1930. So, I don't think even, Wolf, you and I weren't even around then.

BLITZER: We weren't.

BRENNAN: Pamela certainly wasn't. So, that's a long time, and, of course, it was an entirely different game. 2002 is what comes to mind. The U.S. team did make the quarterfinals, beat Mexico. Now, that's, again, of course, we're talking 24 years ago, but that was the last time the U.S. team went as far as we think this team will go.

What's great about what the U.S. is doing is that they have one more game in the group play against Turkey. They do not have to worry about Pulisic. You don't have to play him. The U.S. is already qualified, as you said. Turkey's already going home. It's over. One more game for them, and they're done. And there are four Americans who are on yellow cards, meaning if they were to get a second yellow card in the game against Turkey, they would then have to miss the next game, which is the knockout stage, and you don't want that from some of these stars.

So, our coach, the U.S. coach, can experiment, can put in some of the reserves, give people time that otherwise they wouldn't have. It's the perfect situation for the U.S. team going into the knockout round.

BROWN: And we are seeing so much World Cup fever spreading rapidly and widely here in the U.S., a nation not known for soccer like some of these other nations, right? You have Atlanta, Seattle, everywhere in between. How much can this fan power affect what happens on the field? Look at this video right here.

BRENNAN: You know, everyone's talking about it, Pamela. You -- the Norwegians taking over the -- you know, the stairs and the escalators with their rowing, and even the Norwegian Parliament. The Scots taking over Boston and all of a sudden Boston runs out of beer, which you never thought would be possible. The scenes -- the orange wave at the Netherlands playing in Houston, people taking pictures. You know, there's football games all the time, American football, and people still have not seen this kind of surge of energy and support, and what just keeps going and going and going.

And I think it's just great for the country, it's great for the world to see the -- our nation embracing a sport that we aren't known for embracing on the men's side, certainly all these years. It's a terrific storyline. And yes, it does carry right over to the field. And not just for the Americans, obviously the Mexicans and the Canadians are also hosting and they're seeing waves of support for their countries.

BLITZER: Some of these underdogs are doing well, too.

BRENNAN: Well, Cape Verde, that's the country with 10 --

BROWN: Yes.

[12:00:00]