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NEW DAY

Mount Everest Death Toll Rises; Supreme Court and Roe v. Wade; Hiker Rescued after 17 Days; 2020 Voter Enthusiasm Hits High. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired May 28, 2019 - 08:30   ET

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


[08:30:00] DAVID MORTON, SUMMITED MOUNT EVEREST SIX TIMES: Two deaths on the north side this year and there were nine on the south side. That -- that -- that's a huge factor. When we were up, I was on a research project. We were up over 8,000 meters for four days in a row, much more than you would be in a summit attempt. And the day that we did end up just 100 meters below the summit, it was a beautiful day. It was good weather. There were maybe 30, 40 people summiting. So a very -- quite a contrast to the Nepal side.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: David --

MORTON: And so I do think the Nepal government needs to step up.

BERMAN: David Morton, thank you so much for helping us understand what's going on at the top of the world, the dangers there. We really appreciate it.

MORTON: Thanks.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, really interesting to get his perspective.

BERMAN: Yes.

CAMEROTA: OK, so, today, we could find out as soon as today if the Supreme Court will revisit the landmark abortion decision Roe versus Wade. We have a live report from the Supreme Court on what to expect, next.

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BERMAN: A close watch on the Supreme Court this morning. Justices may signal as early as today whether they plan to revisit the landmark abortion ruling Roe versus Wade.

CNN's Jessica Schneider live in Washington.

Jessica, what are you watching for?

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

[08:35:00] You know, one of the looming questions this morning is, will the Supreme Court agree to hear an abortion case out of Indiana that has really taken on some new significance in the wake of several anti-abortion bills that have been passed in a number of states. So we could hear at 9:30 this morning if the justices will grant arguments on several provisions out of Indiana. One of those prohibits abortions that are performed because of the sex, race or disability of the fetus. Another law requires a woman to have an ultrasound or be offered the option of viewing the image and hearing the heartbeat of the fetus at least 18 hours before an abortion.

Now, lower courts have blocked both of these laws from taking effect, and in particular the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals stressed that that first one, banning abortions in certain instances, violates Roe v. Wade, of course Supreme Court precedent. But we do know that anti- abortion groups have overturning Roe v. Wade squarely in their sights. In fact, Alabama's Republican governor acknowledged that the bill she signed just last week banning abortions in all but limited circumstances could prompt the Supreme Court to eventually revisit the abortion issue. And, of course, activists that pushed for this bill hoped that the debate would once again land at the supreme court.

And, of course, we have seen a flurry of states enacting legislation that would significantly restrict access to abortion. And these activists have really been spurred by the appointment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who, of course, joined the court last fall and became the fifth conservative on the Supreme Court, replacing swing vote Anthony Kennedy.

So we'll see now if the Supreme Court takes up this Indiana abortion law, but no doubt, Alisyn, these controversial cases will eventually likely go to the Supreme Court but who knows if it will be next term.

Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Yes, and so it begins. Jessica, thank you for keeping a close eye on this, as we all will be today.

All right, so the lost hiker, Amanda Eller, is home with her family and on the mend this morning thanks in part to our next guest not giving up. We will talk with one of the men who rescued her from a Hawaiian forest after she was lost for 17 days.

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[08:41:01] CAMEROTA: A hiker in Hawaii was rescued after spending 17 days lost in a forest on Maui. Thirty-five-year-old Amanda Eller is recovering at home after suffering a broken leg, a knee injury and a sunburn so bad it became infected. She says she survived eating berries and drinking river water. And after more than two weeks, search crews finally located Amanda on Friday and airlifted her to safety.

Joining us now is one of the three rescuers and a friend of Amanda Eller, Javier Cantellops.

Javier, so great to see you this morning. Thanks for being here to tell us this incredible story of a miracle. Let's just start -- take us back to Friday, OK? Just start at that

day. What made you think that your friend, Amanda, was still alive after 17 days?

JAVIER CANTELLOPS, RESCUED WOMAN LOST FOR SEVENTEEN DAYS: Because we hadn't found her. I mean, really, that's really it, you know. We'd been searching quite a bit of area, covering it really, really well. We were using that GPS technology so we knew exactly where we had been searching. And we haven't found another piece of evidence that led us away from that area. And we hadn't smelled anything strange, we hadn't found anything strange. And I was like, well, that only means she's just still moving. That's why we haven't found her.

CAMEROTA: Right.

CANTELLOPS: We've just got to get farther.

CAMEROTA: Tell us about the moment that you spotted her while you were in the helicopter.

CANTELLOPS: It was -- it was -- it was -- it was magic. It was -- it was elation. We're flying up, you know, we're going up this -- what we call a gulch coming up, and there was a waterfall and there's a stream and it's -- it's pretty much we're going up and -- with the helicopter, there was a waterfall, there was a waterfall, there's a stream, there's a waterfall, there's a stream. And, you know, we're hanging off these nordor (ph) helicopters and, you know, we were having to turn around. We were at the end of this little search pattern because the helicopters only have a certain amount of gas, but we were -- we pretty much had about five to ten more minutes before we had to bounce out and then we're gone to home.

And as we're coming up on one of the last water falls with the -- coming up one, we look -- we see Chris looking down and I'm looking down as we're coming up the waterfall and I can -- he kind of looks forward and I kind of look forward as we looked back, dude (ph), I mean, as we topped the waterfall, she materializes out of these trees, waving her arms. And we were 200 feet off the canopy, you know. We -- we're pretty high. And we made eye contact and it was just absolutely unbelievable. Me and Chris freaked out, obviously, and then Pete's (ph) like, oh, my God. I just remember him banking off to the side and going into full blown elation. I mean it was like -- whoo, boom. Like it shook the helicopter because it was unbelievable.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh. Tell us about that moment. What did she first -- what were her first words to you? What were your first words to her?

CANTELLOPS: Well, we were -- we had to get -- we tried to go on in one (INAUDIBLE) pretty much on the other side of the ravine and we were like, no, we're not going to be able to make that. So the helicopter picked us back up and we had to get dropped off on the other side. And then he had to go -- like I said, he had to bounce out, so he immediately takes off after he drops us off. And we still have to bush whack down to her. And I am just -- we are just like charging at full hard, full speed, just crazy. But saying together, like, we've got to make it still down this gulch. So as we're breaking brush all the way down in full blown jubilation, I couldn't help myself. I already called her dad because I was one (INAUDIBLE) him -- I mean her, you know. And I was like, we found her, man. And we're breaking through the brush. I can finally start to see her. And we call out, Amanda, (INAUDIBLE), like, do you recognize this voice? She's like, Javier? Like, boom, out of the brush. I was like, you're damn right it is. It was pretty (INAUDIBLE).

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh. That is so cool. And she's a, you know, physical therapist --

CANTELLOPS: Exactly.

[08:45:00] CAMEROTA: So she knew about the body and she knew when she got injured what she would have to do. But, still, 17 days. I mean, obviously, that took a lot of mental control. And I know that she has talked about that, that she had to make a choice to survive at some point because you could give up.

CANTELLOPS: That's right. I mean, so easily. Jesus. After day 13, you know, that's a long time to be alone.

CAMEROTA: Yes, it sure is. And so --

CANTELLOPS: Fourteen, 15, holy crap.

CAMEROTA: I mean and she said that she had seen the helicopters before but you all hadn't seen her. She had tried to signal to them.

CANTELLOPS: That's right.

CAMEROTA: And so -- so, Javier, what is the lesson here for the rest of us and for hikers and for just humans?

CANTELLOPS: Well, I'll tell you what, for hikers, let's start with the hiker, OK? For you hikers out there, let's make sure to maybe take a cellphone. You don't have to have it on, OK, but something that you can be able to communicate back with your friends and family with. Let's let your friends and family know where you're going and how long you plan on being out. If not taking a buddy with you, right, because, as you can tell, just like "Gilligan's Island" and Amanda Eller, a three mile run turned into a 16-day ordeal, OK.

CAMEROTA: Exactly.

CANTELLOPS: And it's easy to get turned around in a forest.

When it comes to us, it's about never giving up. You know, never giving up on the hope, never giving up on your faith, never stop believing in whatever it is that you believe in, you know, keep that hope going because a lot of people came up to us so many times, you know. Like day six I remember this one lady coming up and she's like, aren't we just wasting our time? It's like, what are we doing out here? I was like what are we doing out here? We're searching for a person, that's what we're doing out here. Don't give up hope. Don't give up hope on this better tomorrow. You know, I mean, you show me a piece of evidence that points us a different away, and I'll go explore it. But for right now, she's out there. She's moving out. And that's the only reason we haven't found her.

But don't give up hope. Whether it's this, whether it's anything in life. And even if it doesn't work out, you know, always hope for that better tomorrow. That's the only thing that kept us pushing.

CAMEROTA: That's beautiful.

Javier Cantellops, you are a hero. Thank you. We're so glad that this story had such a happy ending. We can see your jubilation.

CANTELLOPS: Thank you so much.

CAMEROTA: Please give Amanda our best and thanks so much for being with us on NEW DAY.

CANTELLOPS: Thanks you guys so much for having me. You guys have a fantastic day out there from here in beautiful Maui. Javier, aloha, guys.

CAMEROTA: Aloha.

Thank you.

John.

BERMAN: I'll have what he's having.

All right, so how excited are voters heading into 2020? The answer, like Javier, wicked excited. New signs pointing to a record turnout. Harry Enten takes us inside the numbers, next.

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[08:51:55] CAMEROTA: We are more than 500 days away from the 2020 election and that means we better get a rush on this, OK, because voter enthusiasm is already hitting record highs.

Joining us now, the most enthusiastic person -- I mean next to our last guest -- this is CNN politics senior writer and analyst Harry Enten. And dancer.

Hello.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN POLITICS SENIOR WRITER AND ANALYST: And dancer. No, I'm not on any substances, so I can't be necessarily as high as some of our other people but --

CAMEROTA: We don't know if he was on any substances. He was overtired.

ENTEN: He was overtired. A lot of energy, I should say.

CAMEROTA: No, he was high on life because he had just rescued someone.

ENTEN: He was high on life. He -- yes, you know, I've never rescued anyone in my life except maybe myself after a bad grade when I was younger, but let's take a look at this.

So, look, voters are already so enthusiastic. Compare that -- look at where we are right now, 74 percent of voters said they're extremely or very enthusiastic for the next presidential election, our last CNN poll. That is higher than any point in a recent cycle at this particular point. Blowing out of the water the two last highs, which were 54 percent back in June of 2017 and June of 2011, 20 points higher.

But take a look at this as well. Look at this. It's not just that we're -- voters are really enthusiastic at this point in the campaign. They're more enthusiastic than they've ever been. Ever been. So, listen --

BERMAN: In any campaign at any stage.

ENTEN: Exactly. So, 74 percent right now. Back in October of 2016, they were only at 46 percent. Even the previous high, 70 percent in October of 2004. They are far more enthusiastic. Voters are really, really, really engaged right now.

CAMEROTA: Wow.

BERMAN: Democrats particularly so?

ENTEN: Yes, take a look at this. So this is another way to measure it and this was done -- this is not a CNN poll, by the way. Whoo. But paying a lot of attention to the race right now, and this was a Quinnipiac University poll last week and it said that 44 percent of voters are paying a lot of attention, Democrats were paying a lot of attention, right? And look at this. This is prior competitive Democratic primaries, just 25 percent in 2016. And in 2008, which was very, you know, you would think that voters were really tuned in, really on it, only 21 percent at that particular point. So Democrats are really --

CAMEROTA: Remarkable.

BERMAN: That is staggering to me.

CAMEROTA: That is staggering.

BERMAN: And twice as much attention as 2008, which was Obama/Clinton.

ENTEN: That was Obama/Clinton. Twice as much. I mean this is not so surprising. No one really remembers Al Gore versus Bill Bradley. But 2008, that -- it's just so much larger than at that point.

CAMEROTA: And is this self-described enthusiasm or can you see this with other metrics?

ENTEN: No, this is self-described. I -- you know, we can --

CAMEROTA: He is.

ENTEN: What we -- this is self-described, but what we can say is, you know, look, Google trends are really high, voters are really searching the candidates. We know that a lot of people are turning out for these rallies. We know that a lot of small donors are donating to these campaigns. So there is a lot of different metrics that are telling us that voters are not only just tuned in, they're also really, really (INAUDIBLE).

BERMAN: What do you want like a blood test or something?

CAMEROTA: No, that's what I wanted, exactly what he just told us, but if you have a blood test.

ENTEN: O positive.

BERMAN: There is at least one candidate in the Democratic field, though, who is not getting this extra attention.

ENTEN: Yes, or at least in -- or the extra attention is not necessarily good. So, take a look at this. This is Bernie Sanders' support by attention paid to the campaign. And in a CBS News poll in the summer of 2015, Bernie Sanders' strongest support was among those who were paying a lot of attention. He was getting 25 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary and those paying a lot of attention, versus just 5 percent of the vote and -- from those paying little to no attention.

[08:55:05] Now, flip forward to this point. Look at now. This is a Quinnipiac University poll last week that came out. And among those paying a lot of attention, he was getting just 8 percent of that vote. So the pattern has flipped. Bernie Sanders was new news in 2015. Voters right now are considering him old news in 2019.

BERMAN: You've got something just for me and all the fans of Bill Buckner out there.

ENTEN: Yes. So, this -- you know, Bill Buckner was a great ball player. Like a really good ball player. Unfortunately, he's remembered for that particular moment. But take a look at this, from 1972 to 1982, he was one of only five players to bat a 0.300 or better with at least 5,000 at-bats. And the other players who are up there are really good players as well. I mean Rod Carew is on this list, who's a Hall of Famer. So Bill Buckner was a really good ball player and I hope you remember him for being a really good ballplayer. And, more than that, a really good and strong individual.

BERMAN: More career hits than Ted Williams or Joe DiMaggio.

ENTEN: And that is the way we should remember him.

CAMEROTA: That's beautiful.

BERMAN: Harry, thank you.

ENTEN: Thank you.

BERMAN: Thank you very much.

All right, destructive tornadoes, historic flooding. CNN covering it all for you. Much more after this.

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