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British P.M. Theresa May Quits After Another Brexit Plan Fails; Sentencing for Man Who Kidnapped Teen, Killed Her Parents; 2 Dead Amid Human Traffic Jam on World's Tallest Mountain; Trump Approves Deployment of More Troops to Mideast Amid Iran Tensions. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired May 24, 2019 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[14:31:05] ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: Done in by Brexit. Britain's beleaguered prime minister calling it quits today. Theresa May came to power with a promise of securing Britain's withdrawal from the European Union.
Today, in an emotional speech, may gave in to intense political pressure and is now Britain's second prime minister brought down by Brexit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I will shortly leave the job that has been the honor of my life to hold, the second female prime minister but certainly not the last. I do so with no ill will but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve of a country I love.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: President Trump responding to May's resignation today on the White House lawn just before he left for Japan. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I feel badly for Theresa. I like her very much. She's a good woman. She worked very hard. She's very strong. She decided to do something that some people were surprised at, some people weren't. It's for the good of her country. I like her very much. And in fact, I'll be seeing her in two weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: CNN Business anchor, Julia Chatterley, is joining us now.
Julia, the next prime minister still has to figure out what to do for Brexit. Is this an impossible problem for anyone to solve?
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN BUSINESS ANCHOR: Well, three years and counting. It's been pretty impossible so far. As you said, and as Theresa May said there, she failed. She was taking ownership of that.
It's interesting that she's going to meet President Trump in a couple of weeks'-time because he once said to her, look, don't even negotiate with the E.U. Sue them. That might be a strategy at this stage.
You raised a great point. Nothing under than the leadership is going to change here. Parliament still divided. People still bitterly divided. And the E.U.'s going to take a firm stance. No one knows how to fix this.
It's going to take us a couple of months to find a new leader. We're going to get back after the summer recess with parliament coming back here. We could have six weeks before that October 31st deadline to make a decision. Something tells me it could be a pretty scary Halloween in the U.K. this year.
CABRERA: What do you think this means for the president's upcoming visit to the U.K.?
CHATTERLEY: By all accounts, he cares more about meeting the queen than he ever did about meeting the prime minister here. So -- and she's a lame duck. I mean, she's kind of irrelevant to the future negotiations. The United States isn't. A trade deal with the United States after Brexit, critical. That's going to be down to whoever leads the U.K. going forward.
CABRERA: And do we have any idea who that may be?
CHATTERLEY: We do. I could throw names at you. The common denominator between them is they're going to be far tougher, far more firm bout taking the risk of a Brexit, leaving without a deal if necessary. I think that's the big fear now is that what we're heading toward is -- is a few months of fireworks and real battles perhaps with the European Union, greater than we've seen so far.
CABRERA: That's what I was thinking about. It's been battle after battle after battle already, but here we go.
(CROSSTALK)
CHATTERLEY: You've seen it get worse.
CABRERA: Julia Chatterley, you heard it here first. I appreciate it. Thank you.
Speaking of the president's U.K. trip, we're just getting some news now about Prince Harry and plans to see him.
[14:34:16] And a traffic jam on the top of Mount Everest. Conditions up there are getting so crowded, at least two people have died.
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CABRERA: Happening now, family members of Jayme Closs are confronting the man who kidnapped the teen and killed her parents. Jake Patterson will be sentenced this afternoon after pleading guilty in a crime that gripped the nation.
Patterson admitted to gunning down Closs' parents in their Wisconsin home in October and driving away with the 13-year-old girl in the trunk of his car, setting off a massive search. In January, Closs escaped from Patterson's remote cabin, which was about 65 miles from where she was taken.
CNN's Jean Casarez is outside the courtroom in Barron County, Wisconsin.
Jean, this is a very emotional ending to this story. What are you hearing so far in court?
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, and the judge said that. The hearing has already begun and the judge began by saying this is going to be an extremely emotional hearing.
They are on the third victim impact statement already. The first one, one of the aunts of Jayme Closs, who said she woke up in October to the words that her brother was gone and Jayme, their only child, was missing. She got very emotional. She asked the judge for the maximum sentence for this defendant.
[14:40:07] Jake Patterson is facing two counts of first-degree murder sentencing along with kidnapping. Two life sentences, plus 40 years for the kidnapping.
The family members of Jayme Closs, one by one, will be giving those victim impact statements.
And don't forget, there are three victims here, James and Denise Closs, the mother and father of Jayme, who were murdered in cold blood by the defendant, Jake Patterson. And Jayme Closs' kidnapping because she went missing for 88 days while he kept her in his cabin right here in the northern woods of Wisconsin -- Ana?
CABRERA: What do we know about how Jayme is now doing? Obviously, it's only been a few months since her harrowing escape.
CASAREZ: She's been in seclusion. We really -- no one has seen her. But it was last week that she actually appeared before the Wisconsin legislature. It was the first time that people had really seen her, and she got the hometown heroes award.
And from the video, you see that she was calm, cool, collected. Just a young lady. She's only 13 years old. But she listened as they recited some of the facts of what had happened to her mother and father and, obviously, to her.
CABRERA: Wow. Strong girl, 13 years old.
Jean Casarez, keep us posted. We know you're going to be listening in and seeing what the sentence ultimately ends up being.
Howard Stern getting candid about why President Trump ran for president and why the radio host says the president's miserable in the job.
Plus, a stunning picture. Crowds jamming up at the top of Mount Everest. And it's turned deadly. I'll speak with someone who has summitted the world's highest peak and one had to evacuate the mountain.
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[14:46:13] CABRERA: Welcome back.
This afternoon there are concerns that overcrowding on Mount Everest may be to blame for at least two deaths. Both climbers reached Mount Everest's summit but died on their way down after getting stuck in a traffic jam of people who were waiting to summit the world's highest mountain.
One climber's chilling photo shows the line of people waiting on an exposed ridge. He estimates there were 320 people in that line.
Officials for Nepal's Tourism Department called suggestions that a traffic jam contributed to the deaths baseless.
Jim Davidson has summitted Mount Everest. He has 37 years of experience as a high-altitude climber.
Jim, do you agree that the connection between these deaths and the overcrowding is baseless?
JIM DAVIDSON, HIGH-ATLTITUDE CLIMBER: I would say that the crowding causes an acceleration of other factors. But people don't die of overcrowding or slowness. When things go a little wrong, the overcrowding does make things more conflicted up high.
CABRERA: Is a traffic jam on Mount Everest normal?
DAVIDSON: Sadly, it's becoming more frequent now. Twenty years ago, no, it wasn't normal. These days it is more common. And when we have a bad weather day it really compresses everyone into the same day. And then that kind of overcrowding and traffic jam is a normal occurrence, unfortunately.
CABRERA: Why has it become more of a normal occurrence when it didn't used to be?
DAVIDSON: Well, there's more people going to the mountain now. People from all over the world. And Mount Everest is an amazing place. It inspires people to go there.
Unfortunately, we all wind up there at the same time because of the annual weather cycle. And if we have rough weather in May, everyone's going for the summit on the same days. It's almost like everyone trying to go to the beach right on a national holiday. We're all there at once, unfortunately, and we get in each other's way.
CABRERA: I've read the book, "Into Thin Air" I climbed Mount Hood. That's my mountain-climbing experience and understanding. You have actually had to do mountain rescues before. Given your
experience and knowledge of how all this works, talk about the challenges of trying to help somebody when, suddenly, things go wrong, they need help, on a mountain like Mount Everest.
DAVIDSON: Yes. I've been a rescuer with a number of teams. It's always very challenging because it's cold and distant and high. Mount Everest, of course, is the most distant and the highest of all. So it's very difficult to even take care of yourself and check in with your teammates, let alone to take on the extra work of actually rescuing somebody.
They used to say until 10 years ago that needing a rescue high on Mount Everest was like being on the dark side of the moon. These days, with better communication and equipment, sometimes we can get people down. But it's still extremely difficult and extremely dangerous for everyone around you.
CABRERA: There's debate that Everest has perhaps become over commercialized. That if you have enough means, you can pay for a guided expedition to climb it, giving access to people who maybe aren't well prepared. What's your take on that?
DAVIDSON: Yes, I've heard those stories, too. And you know, you do have to prepare very well. It has become more popular here in the states and overseas. And sometimes it lures people in who aren't quite ready.
And I think we all need to work together, the clients and the guides and the commercial companies and the Nepali guiding companies and people saying let's make sure people are truly prepared. There's no one thing to make it happen, but we can do several things to prepare people and screen them and cooperate together because it is a dangerous spot. And we're all mushed in together on those few precious summit days.
CABRERA: All right, Jim Davidson, I appreciate your insight this. Thank you.
DAVIDSON: You're welcome.
CABRERA: President Trump defending his attack on Nancy Pelosi.
[14:49:43] And the latest response from Facebook about a doctored video used to question Speaker Pelosi's mental state. Why the company says it will stay up.
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CABRERA: A family roller skating trip turned into an emergency when a teenage girl collapsed on the rink. Fortunately, local police were there in minutes and went "BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY" to save her life.
CNN's Athena Jones shares their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) VICTORIA PYOTT, SUFFERED HEART ATTACK AT SKATING RINK: I'm, like, nervous.
ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fifteen-year- old Victoria Pyott is nervous because the last time she came to skate at his New Jersey roller rink, she nearly died of a heart attack.
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JONES: It was a Friday night, like this one, when the high school freshman, born with a heart condition, came to the rink with her father. Within minutes of lacing up, she was in crisis. She had fallen and was unconscious.
[14:55:01] ROBERT PYOTT, FATHER OF VICTORIA PYOTT: I rolled her onto her back and I tried to revive her. And I'm saying, Victoria, Victoria, right, and she's not responding. I couldn't find the pulse. And then when I realized that her heart had stopped, that's when the police showed up.
JONES: Luckily, several Jackson police officers were just a mile away in a church parking lot when the call came in.
(SIRENS)
JONES: And they weren't just CPR trained, which is standard.
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: We have --
JONES: They also had a defibrillator with them, which is not standard in police departments across the country.
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: No one thought it was going to be a heart attack or anything like that. When we arrived there, she was, you know, blue. We didn't want to waste any time knowing she needed CPR.
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: We on and we shocked the patient. After the first, we had a pulse back for a short while, maybe a minute. After I believe maybe two minutes, we got another shock rhythm, and we were able to shock her two more times before we got a steady pulse back. It felt like forever. Yes.
JONES: Victoria was eventually transported to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where she spent 26 days.
VICTORIA PYOTT: We talked to the doctors there. They said that because the police officers performed the CPR perfectly, like, not just good, perfectly, that saved me.
JONES (on camera): How do you feel having had your life saved by the intervention of these officers?
VICTORIA PYOTT: It's pretty amazing. Kind of feels like a send chance to really, like, even finish high school. I mean, I'm only a freshman. Hi.
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: Hi.
(LAUGHTER)
VICTORIA PYOTT: It's nice to see you again.
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: It's good to see you.
VICTORIA PYOTT: Hi.
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: Hey. I'll hug this one.
JONES: Victoria's dad credits God and the officers for saving her life.
ROBERT PYOTT: The fact that they were able to use that defibrillator, get her own heart working was crucial in providing the brain with the oxygen.
VICTORIA PYOTT: Because, you know, when you really think of your life, and you know --
JONES: As for Victoria --
VICTORIA PYOTT: On Friday there's a dance.
JONES: -- after missing more than a month of school, she's looking forward to getting back to normal and more skating with her dad.
(MUSIC)
JONES: Athena Jones, CNN, Jackson, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: Just a quick programming note for you. CNN presents a comedy special this weekend that's bigger than both sides. Colin Quinn, "RED STATE, BLUE STATE," the original series, premieres on Memorial Day, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.
Just about the top of the hour now. I'm Ana Cabrera, in for Brooke Baldwin.
Tensions with Iran are provoking new military action from the Pentagon today. The president just announced he will authorize the deployment of 1,500 troops to the Middle East. The president tells reporters the placement is really mostly protective as the administration continues to receive intel that existing U.S. forces in the region could be targeted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, I think it's going to be very good in the Middle East. Iran has been a -- as you know, they stage terror all over the world. They are a much different country now than when I first got here. When I first got here, they were at 14 different locations fighting. Right now, they don't -- I don't think Iran wants to fight, and I certainly don't think they want to fight with us.
But they cannot have nuclear weapons. And under the Obama horrible agreement, they would have had nuclear weapons within five or six years. They can't have nuclear weapons. And they understand that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: So this troop announcement is in addition to another big announcement today. The administration just notified Congress that the president will cite an emergency provision to expedite the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia. This is according to Democratic Senator Bob Menendez. An arms deal that is widely opposed by lawmakers on both sides. The president's move essentially circumvents any congressional approval.
CNN Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, joins us now.
Barbara, 1,500 troops. What more is the Pentagon saying about what this deployment entails?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi, there, Ana. Well, 1,500 troops will be going, as you pointed out, for what the Pentagon calls force protection, protecting the forces against what they say is this an Iranian threat.
What they're talking about are Patriot missile systems. This is to protect against any potential incoming Iranian ballistic crews or aircraft coming in that could attack U.S. troops in the region. There will also be fighter jets that could fly against Iranian targets if it came to that. There will be U.S. aircraft that it will engage in intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance.
They want to keep a closer eye on these Iranian forces moving around the region. That is a big priority to them.
All of this aimed at force protection. But, you know, it's probably not going to be the last of the deployments. The Pentagon already hinting in a briefing that more could be coming down the road.
They haven't really publicly shown any of the intelligence about Iran yet. They say it's all still heavily classified.
[15:00:00] But at the briefing we had here at the Pentagon a short time ago, top officials were adamant that they see Iranian forces engaging in activities that they consider are very aggressive.
