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70K-Plus Stuck After Heavy Rain Swamps Burning Man Festival; Congress Returns To Work With Little Time To Pass Key Bills; Tributes Pour In For Late Musician Jimmy Buffett. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired September 03, 2023 - 15:00   ET

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

DEION SANDERS, COLORADO HEAD COACH: Oh man, I'm loving these kids. Rick Georgia giving me this opportunity, man. This is a blessing. Everybody, Buck Nation who supported us and all the hood that have my back. I thank y'all. God, this is good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:00:15]

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS HOST: The top four, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and Alabama all won by at least 20 points in their openers. Three doing it with new QBs. Bama's Jalen Milroe put on the best show of them all. The sophomore was backup last year to Heisman Trophy winner and number one draft pick, Bryce Young. He threw for three touchdowns and he ran for two more. Can you believe that? No quarterback in Alabama history has ever done that. Rolled tight, 56 to seven over Middle Tennessee.

But the best performance of the day has to go to Oregon's mascot. Every time the Ducks score, Puddles, does pushups equaling the team's point total. Well, Oregon scored a modern day school record 81 points in a win over Portland State. So that meant a total of 546 push-ups for Puddles, by the end, probably murmuring some foul words under the beak, the mascot was barely able to waddle, definitely going to be sore today, Rahel.

Being a mascot looks like a lot of fun sometimes. Apparently, it's not all that's quacked up to be.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN HOST: Yes, Coy, thank you. It's a very strong duck there apparently.

SOLOMON: And welcome back, I'm Rahel Solomon, in today for Fredricka Whitfield.

Heavy rain has turned Nevada's remote Black Rock Desert into really a muddy mess, inundating campsites at the annual Burning Man Festival, leaving more than 70,000 people stranded.

Attendees there have been told to shelter in place and try to conserve food, water, and fuel. However, organizers also say they do still plan to hold the festival's culminating event, the burning of the man as it is called tonight, weather permitting. And cell phone service has been very spotty, even non-existent for some. But Dawne Looney, she is able to join us via satellite internet. She is there. She is among those trapped at the festival.

Dawne, thank you for being with us. Glad to see that you're smiling. How are you doing? Can you tell us what you're experiencing there?

DAWNE LOONEY, STRANDED AT BURNING MAN FESTIVAL: We are great. It is a great community. We rallied together. Staff has a plan. X, Y, and Z and everybody is kind of having a good time, oddly enough.

SOLOMON: Great. Great to hear it. I mean, where are you, exactly?

LOONEY: It's raining now.

SOLOMON: Yes, it looks pretty muddy behind you. Yes, tell us about sort of what you're seeing.

LOONEY: Yes.

SOLOMON: And sort of the experience there.

LOONEY: Weather -- weather has got us. We are working it out. And some people are, you know, a little upset that we are on no driving, but it's in everybody's best interest to shelter in place and not have a bigger environmental impact on the ground.

SOLOMON: As you say --

LOONEY: But people are doing what they are able to do. Some are leaving, some are staying and as the word on the street have it, they will burn the man.

SOLOMON: I think your connection is breaking up, understandably. So what have you decided, are you going to sit put? I mean, it also looks like you're on a golf cart.

LOONEY: Yes. It is shelter, shelter and the signal. You have to do what you could do. So I am out of the rain for a minute, and I didn't want to catch any staff radios or anything like that.

So I kind of, you know, distanced myself a little bit, so we could do this and take you to Burning Man.

SOLOMON: No, we appreciate it. I've never been to Burning Man. So it's nice to have this experience.

Dawne, let me ask. I mean, organizers have asked you all to conserve food and water. Are you concerned at all that you might run out of supplies?

LOONEY: No, no, no. They are just -- it's protocol, and they're just trying to make everybody safe. For the most part, everybody is rallying together. They're having sushi. They're having prime rib.

SOLOMON: Okay, I mean, it sounds like you guys are eating well. So it sounds like you guys are still making the most of this experience.

LOONEY: It's exciting. Yes.

SOLOMON: The gate that lets people in and out of the event, the last I heard it was closed by officials. Do you know if that's still closed at this point? Are people still essentially trapped there?

LOONEY: Yes, it's still closed. Everybody has sheltered in place. If it is a dire emergency. There are ways and means to get you into town and get you into Reno. They're using that resource for real emergencies, not just, oh you know, I'm stuck in the mud.

[15:05:01]

SOLOMON: Yes.

LOONEY: Yes, so you know, there is access to get out.

SOLOMON: Dawne, for your camper. I mean, how are you going to -- how are you going to get it out of there? I mean, what is your plan to get your camper actually out of that area?

LOONEY: I don't have a plan yet. It's not a well thought out plan.

SOLOMON: Okay. Fair enough.

LOONEY: I will ask a little help from my friends.

SOLOMON: Okay, and it sounds like you have a lot of friends there. I mean, it sounds like it's really a community at Burning Man.

Have festival organizers been communicating regularly? I mean, have you have you felt like festival organizers have been in constant communication with you?

LOONEY: Absolutely. Absolutely.

SOLOMON: Okay.

LOONEY: Yes. They've brought cell service, so that people can get in contact with their loved ones. They have staged sanitation so that it was really easy for them to handle sanitation. Like they're doing a stellar job. Burning Man should be commended. They really have -- they have their act together and they are doing a stellar job without a doubt.

SOLOMON: Dawne, you mentioned -- you mentioned a few minutes ago, the environmental impact. This was supposed to be a leave no trace event, but considering all that's happened, I mean, there's likely going to be some sort of environmental impact here. I mean, how are you feeling about that?

LOONEY: I'm curious how it's going to be a year from now if we're going to find damage from the heavy equipment from, you know, people not being able to procure their items and get it -- and leave no trace. There is a restoration department here at Burning Man and they do a phenomenal job year in and year out, and this year is going to be a really tough job for us though.

SOLOMON: Dawne, it sounds like you have a lot of great stories coming out of this Burning Man, but I have to wonder do you plan on coming back next year?

LOONEY: Jury's out. Jury is so out. Last year was tough, this one will break you.

SOLOMON: Fair enough. We appreciate the honesty. Dawne Looney, we appreciate you coming and being with us while you are there. Enjoy the sushi, enjoy the community that you clearly have. We hope you get home safely and soon.

LOONEY: Thank you. Thank you. Have a good day.

SOLOMON: Thanks.

All right, about two to three months' worth of rain fell in just 24 hours at the Burning Man Festival. That's part of the issue there, but more extreme weather is also on the way.

CNN meteorologist, Allison Chinchar has the forecast.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Four Western states, Rahel are under flood watches today in anticipation of additional rain coming through for the remainder of the day.

Again, you can see more of those waves of rain not only for Nevada, but also portions of Oregon, Idaho and stretching into areas of Utah and even Wyoming as we push through the evening hours tonight.

Now, we're not talking a tremendous amount of rain, but the concern is especially for those folks that are still at the festival, you are going to be looking at -- this is the area here where that festival is -- you're going to be looking at some of those additional rain chances to push through this area especially as we go through the remainder of the afternoon and into the evening hours tonight.

Now overall, most of these areas are only expecting about maybe up to an extra inch or so. But for a lot of these areas, that's all it really takes to trigger some of those flooding concerns.

Now elsewhere across the country. The other big topic is the heat. We've got heat advisories out for several states and across portions of the Midwest. The temperatures here expected to get to about 95 to a hundred. That heat index reaching near 105.

Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, all looking at temperatures the next several days to be in the 90s. You're talking 10 to 20 degrees above average likely to break some records, and they are one of many locations that are likely to break records the next few days.

All of these dots represent a potential record from today all the way through Thursday of the upcoming week, and you can see where that heat begins to spread, not only into the northeast, but also into some southern locations as well. Looking at the northeast, specifically, looking at New York, 91 on Monday, continuing into the 90s and actually going up by Wednesday. Washington, DC even flirting with possible triple digit temperatures by the time we get to the middle of this week.

SOLOMON: Okay, Allison Chinchar, thank you.

And now to Capitol Hill in another high stakes week. Congress is preparing to return from their August break and lawmakers are facing several critical deadlines and a dwindling number of days to get it all done. Senators are back in DC on Tuesday, followed by the House next week.

President Biden meantime has two priorities as lawmakers return to the Capitol, the most pressing is preventing a partial government shutdown.

The Biden administration is urging lawmakers to avoid that by passing a short-term spending bill. The president also wants Congress to provide more money for FEMA to try to help communities that have been hit hard by a series of natural disasters.

[15:10:02]

Let's go to CNN White House reporter, Priscilla Alvarez. She joins us now from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. So Priscilla -- that's where the president is spending the Labor Day weekend -- Priscilla, the short- term spending bill, what is the White House's plan? I mean, how are they planning to try to make that happen?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, they're urging Congress to make it happen, and also, where they would need additional funding so that key programs that Americans rely on could continue and not face any type of disruption.

Now, it is going to be a sprint to the finish line at the end of September when the fiscal year ends, and so that is where the White House wants to see that short-term spending bill so that they won't see any disruptions and programs like, for example, the Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Programs, these are programs that are important that millions of Americans rely on.

And so what the White House is doing here is telling Congress to pass a short-term funding bill, also flagging where they would need additional funding for some of these programs. And really, it is likely that they'll get that stopgap funding. This is of course, separate from their supplemental request, but all of it is going to come to a head on the Hill -- Rahel.

SOLOMON: Priscilla, also FEMA funding. The president has been pretty vocal about this, certainly this week in Florida. Where does the president's efforts stand to try to get billions more for FEMA?

ALVAREZ: Well, that is part of that supplemental request that I just mentioned. Separate requests for Congress, but they had initially asked, they being the White House, for $12 billion in additional funding for those disaster relief funds that help communities get up on their feet after they face a weather-related disaster.

Now, this week, they asked for an additional $4billion to that, making the total sum $16 billion. So clearly a very critical need here for FEMA, which right now is only focusing on response because their funds are already running dry.

And so that is where the White House has put a lot of pressure on Congress to try to make sure that those funds get passed, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was surveying damage in Hawaii over the weekend also provided some reassurance that those FEMA funds would happen.

Now, of course, those funds are tied to funding for Ukraine as well and not all Republicans are keen on adding or giving more funding to Ukraine. So those two tied together is where there may be some disagreement.

But this morning, Biden's top economic adviser assured that they are seeing bipartisan support, both for FEMA, as well as for Ukraine. And so the hope here is that all of this can pass and pass soon -- Rahel.

SOLOMON: We shall soon see. Priscilla Alvarez live for us at Rehoboth Beach.

Priscilla, thank you.

And with me now to talk more about this is Lindsey McPherson. She is a congressional reporter for The Messenger. Also joining me is Mica Soellner, a congressional reporter for Punchbowl News.

Good to see you both. We appreciate you being here.

Lindsey, let me start with you. This looming government shutdown now, just four weeks away, President Biden as we just heard from our correspondent, Priscilla Alvarez there, once this stopgap funding bill, but not clear whether House Republicans are going to support that. I mean, do you think that Speaker McCarthy can convince those hardliners in the GOP to support this short-term funding bill.

LINDSEY MCPHERSON, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, THE MESSENGER: It is going to be a tough negotiation for Kevin McCarthy to get his hardliners on board, and he can go about it one in two ways. He can acquiesce to the demands of the far right of his conference, or he can work with Democrats and pass a bill with Democrats in the middle of his conference, and I don't think it's clear yet which direction he's going to take.

I mean, the hardliners in the Congress are the ones that opposed him for Speaker at the beginning of the year, and have made life difficult, and they are warning that if they don't get their way on the spending demands that they are potentially going to -- there will be consequences potentially for Kevin McCarthy. They might, for example, force a vote on recalling him as speaker, so that could be -- you know, it's a complex political calculation for him and how he deals with us. SOLOMON: Yes, Mica, let me bring you into the conversation. I mean, based on your reporting, and based on what you're hearing, I mean, are House Republicans willing to shut down the government if they don't get the spending concessions that they want.

I mean, we don't have to look back too far. I mean, you think about the debt ceiling bill and how that all went down? I mean, what are you hearing?

MICA SOELLNER, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: Yes, there is certainly a high number, I would say, of hardline Republicans that are putting government shutdown on the table, and we're seeing the House Freedom Caucus use this as, you know, leverage against Speaker McCarthy. And, you know, really the whole Congress in terms of getting the spending cuts that they want, and they're asking for drastic cuts, whether it's aid to Ukraine, border funding and an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden.

So they have these very red meat demands that they say that they will, you know, hold the line until even if that results in a government shutdown.

SOLOMON: Yes, Mica, you just mentioned the impeachment inquiry. Lindsey, let me bring you back. Speaker McCarthy has sort of been making the case behind closed doors to some House Republicans that a government shutdown would make it harder to pursue those impeachment proceedings against the president or investigate him or his family.

I mean, is that an odd argument that you think will really resonate with those hardliners in a way that McCarthy can ultimately get this done?

[15:15:06]

MCPHERSON: I don't think it's resonating with them. I talked to a few of them this week, who said they don't understand the argument he is trying to make there, that the House investigations can continue. It's up to them and that of a government shutdown, you know, what House employees, they continue to have on as essential and not to mention the people, even if they're asked to work during a shutdown, they can get back pay later. They just don't think that everything has to shut down the way he is implying.

Obviously, there's different opinions on that, but they're completely separate in a lot of conservative minds. We did see Marjorie Taylor Greene this week say that she is actually going to vote against funding the government unless the House first votes to open an impeachment inquiry.

So, she is linking the two, but a lot of conservatives, I feel like see that two issues as separate. They want both spending cuts and reforms to the border security and DOJ and stuff like that as a part of the spending bill. But they separately want to open an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden. Obviously, there are some trying to link the two, but -- SOLOMON: Mica, let me ask this. This all or nothing sort of approach from this hardline group of Republicans. I mean, tell me how you think this is going to go?

SOELLNER: Yes. So, I'm going to say their first priority is definitely spending cuts. And those are drastic cuts across federal agencies. There are claims of a weaponized DOJ. They want to see cuts to the FBI and the Justice Department based off some of these investigations in Congress. They want to see aid cuts to Ukraine, and they want to see, you know, funding for -- they're holding funding for the border hostage as well, and unless these demands are met.

So I definitely think that we're going to see a very long and busy September with a huge risk of a government shutdown. And we're really going to see Speaker McCarthy in a tough spot here.

SOLOMON: Speaking of GOP leaders, Mitch McConnell, all eyes are certainly going to be on Mitch McConnell this week when he returns.

Lindsey, let me bring you back up, his health scare sparking a renewed conversation about age restrictions and term limits. Take a listen to what Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY (R), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Right now, the Senate is the most privileged nursing home in the country. I mean, you know, Mitch McConnell has done some great things, and he deserves credit, but you have to know when to leave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: So Lindsey, I mean, are those comments or comments like that, gaining any traction on Capitol Hill or with voters?

MCPHERSON: I mean, it doesn't seem like there is significant interest among Republican senators in asking McConnell to step down early from his leadership position. And ultimately, you know, yes, there might be some voters and some people like Nikki Haley and others commenting on this, but they're not the ones who get to decide who is the Senate Republican leader that is the Senate Republican Conference, and so far, Senator McConnell has the majority support of his conference.

A lot of people have come out publicly to say he seems to be doing fine. And you know, despite these momentary freezes, that they think he is overall in good health, and they're not concerned about him continuing in his role. So unless there were to be some larger pressure internally in the Senate, it's unlikely that he is going to have to step down from his post.

SOLOMON: Lindsey McPherson, Mica Soellner, thank you both.

MCPHERSON: Thank you.

SOLOMON: And tributes continue to pour in following the death of musician, Jimmy Buffett. In a moment we will speak with country music legend, Clint Black about his own memories of working and performing with Jimmy Buffett.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:22:51]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

And tributes continue to come in for singer and business mogul, Jimmy Buffett who died late Friday at the age of 76.

His official website says that he had been fighting Merkel cell skin cancer at the time of his death. Country singer, Kenny Chesney remembering Buffett said: "So goodbye, Jimmy. Thanks for your friendship and the songs I will carry in my heart forever. Sail on, sailor."

Paul McCartney said: "He had a most amazing lust for life and a beautiful sense of humor. Right up to the last minute, his eyes still twinkled with a humor that said I love this world and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it."

Elton John called him: "A unique entertainer" saying, "His fans adored him and he never let them down."

Buffett's legion of hardcore fans are affectionately known as Parrot Heads. His music celebrated the laid back island lifestyle that he then turned into a vast billion dollar empire of everything from clothes to hotels and restaurants, and he leaves behind a string of iconic American songs like "Margaritaville" and "Cheeseburger in Paradise."

He also had many collaborations over the years including with country music legend, Clint Black. Have a listen.

[VIDEO CLIP PLAYS]

SOLOMON: And country music star, Clint Black joins me now.

Sir, thank you for joining us. We're so sorry for your loss. We appreciate you being here today.

When you watch that, when you hear that, what memories come back to you about Jimmy?

CLINT BLACK, COUNTRY MUSIC SINGER: You know, I I've been bringing the perspective of a true Parrot Head, a huge fan who was befriended by Jimmy early in my career, asked me to open for him in Mobile, Alabama. It was me then Little Feet and then Jimmy asked me to sit in with him and then would go on to spend a lot of time on the phone with me helping me understand this crazy business and what to put up with and what not to put up with.

[15:25:10] And when you know, riding with him, being asked to go on tour with him as his harmonica player to replace Fingers Taylor. You know, these aren't in the dreams. These are those great gobs of icing on the cake.

So to find him to be a generous guy and exactly who I thought he was, just adds to the fondness, the respect I have. Yet such, you know, a carnival atmosphere at his shows, I think, it maybe took a little bit of the death -- I don't know if many of the people who went to those shows and partied with him at his concerts really understood just how deep he was with his writing his lyrics, his books.

He is in that one of a kind category that we have guys like Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash and where you can't replace them, but we have a lot of music live with.

SOLOMON: And as you describe that sort of carnival atmosphere, how would you describe the magic that he seemed to have that really clearly resonated with people all around the world?

BLACK: You know, he was an adventurer at heart and being such a great writer, a great lyricist, he was able to take us on those adventures. So those of us who couldn't get away or couldn't get away at the time, could get away with Jimmy through his songs and live some of his experiences with him.

SOLOMON: His music was so much about the laid back island lifestyle. But people who know him say that he also had tremendous work ethic. I mean, he clearly built a massive empire. Did you get to see that side of him having worked up close with him?

BLACK: Yes I was on tour with him for half a summer. And so I saw he ran a tight ship, but it was a fun and laid back ship, and I came away from that tour, wanting to bring that into my camp. And, of course, I couldn't not without bringing Jimmy, but I was able to learn from that and see, you know, just take things less and less seriously, but treat them with their due respect.

SOLOMON: Anything, Clint that you can share with us that people perhaps didn't know about Jimmy Buffett or perhaps misunderstood about Jimmy Buffett.

BLACK: Well, you know, people who've only scratched the surface, really get those escapism songs like "Margaritaville" and "Changes in Latitudes" and there's so much more there. He wrote an autobiography, "A Pirate Looks at Fifty" which can give you some more insight into who he was.

But go back through his catalogue, all you streamers out there and you'll see there was a tremendous depth to his feeling in his writing.

SOLOMON: That's a beautiful message to end on.

Clint Black, we so appreciate you being with us today. Thank you.

And still ahead for us, the manhunt continues in Pennsylvania for a convicted murderer who escaped from prison. Law enforcement officials narrowing down the search area. We'll bring you the latest when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:28]

SOLOMON: Right now in Pennsylvania, law enforcement officials have narrowed the search for convicted murderer, Danelo Cavalcante who escaped Thursday morning from the Chester County Prison after being sentenced to life without parole last week for killing his ex- girlfriend.

They say they're focusing on Pocopson Township in Chester County, which are within two miles of the prison. Cavalcante was spotted on a surveillance camera close to the prison just after midnight on Friday. Police say that they have responded to over 100 tips including allegations that he may have broken into homes in the area. A $10,000.00 reward is being offered for information leading to his capture.

The NYPD will deploy a fleet of high-tech drones during the Labor Day weekend to monitor complaints about large gatherings, specifically the West Indian American Day celebrations taking place tomorrow, which police say had been marred by violence in recent years. This tactic though, being denounced by civil liberties advocates who say that drone surveillance can easily be misused to exploit and discriminate putting citizens privacy at risk.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, police departments across the country have been scaling up their use of drones with at least 1,400 departments already using the technology to respond to domestic incidents and noise complaints.

And coming up next, Gen Z content creators taking on the fight against gun violence using the power of social media to make their case. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:38:58]

SOLOMON: A group of young content creators are using the powers of persuasion on social media to try to curb gun violence. In a campaign called, SNUG or Safer Not Using Guns. The group of Gen Z influencers incorporate pop culture and trending topics while also addressing the leading cause of death among kids and teens.

CNN correspondent, Polo Sandoval has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The next time you're scrolling through social media stream of cooking content and how to tutorials, you may be encouraged --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What if you could just be SNUG?

SANDOVAL (voice over): To be SNUG.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Choosing to be SNUG, Safer Not Using Guns, means protecting yourself and others.

SANDOVAL (voice over): It's no coincidence that the acronym also spells guns backward. SNUG is a social media gun violence prevention campaign, driven by Gen Z content creators.

It's organized by Project Unloaded, which is tackling the epidemic of gun violence one post at a time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's be clear. This is not a political thing. It's a safety thing, okay?

SANDOVAL (voice over): Pop culture and trendy topics --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get ready with me while I share why we're safer not using guns.

[15:40:08]

SANDOVAL (voice over): Are combined with gun violence statistics to target the same demo that's become increasingly victimized by gun related homicides and suicides.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The leading cause of death for kids and teens in the US is gun violence.

NINA VINIK, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PROJECT UNLOADED: The SNUG campaign is aimed at teens between 13 and 17, before they've made up their minds when it comes to guns.

SANDOVAL (voice over): Nina Vinik is Project Unloaded's founder and executive director.

VINIK: We are completely sidestepping the polarized partisan debate that we've all seen play out over and over again on this issue. And that's why we're talking to teenagers. They can't even vote yet.

SANDOVAL: Though the campaign tries, it's impossible to steer clear of Second Amendment politics.

There is the occasional pushback and criticism in the comments. But overall, says Vinik, young users have been receptive to a message that simply owning a firearm may not make someone safer. She leans on several sources getting that point across.

VINIK: We're not trying to take away anyone's guns. We're not trying to interfere with conversations that might be happening inside families.

We're really just trying to make sure that young people have the information they need.

ESTELLA STRUCK, CONTENT CREATOR: These are the only guns I choose to have. SANDOVAL (voice over): Estella Struck is a 22-year-old New York City content creator.

SANDOVAL (on camera): How do you cut through the memes, the humor videos, and to actually try to get this important message to young people?

STRUCK: It's about portraying the information in a way that is digestible to the viewer and comes across as authentic.

SANDOVAL (voice over): No doubt, some young influencers have a far reach. Just look at the turnout for what was supposed to be a social media influencer's product giveaway in New York City last month. The crowds spiraled into an out-of-control mob. But that same power can be harnessed for what Struck calls a greeter good.

STRUCK: Influencers are not bad. They actually have so much power to create genuine change in the world.

SANDOVAL (voice over): A change that may start young and online.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: With the overturning of Roe versus Wade last June, dozens of clinics mostly in the South and Midwest have been forced to shut down. Tonight, "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper follows providers like Andrea Gallegos, who have uprooted their lives and moved their clinics across state lines.

Southern Illinois has emerged as an island of abortion access surrounded by a sea of states that have either banned or restricted the procedure driving women to have to travel hundreds of miles to seek care.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Knowing that both the clinics in Texas and Oklahoma would no longer be able to exist. It was literally looking at a map and seeing Carbondale Illinois just stand out in a sea of states that would be banned. Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay, ladies and gentlemen on behalf of Southwest Airlines.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This country is forced patients to be medical refugees of their home state. But this is where we are at because of the fight on the other side to limit access.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Be sure to tune in to an all-new episodes of "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper, one whole story, one whole hour airs tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern only on CNN. And still to come for us, it has been 30 years since pitcher, Jim Abbott's iconic no hitter with the New York Yankees. We have a look at this historic achievement after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:48:26]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

Tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of the day Yankees pitcher, Jim Abbott pulled off one of the greatest moments in baseball history. Abbott pitched a no hitter for the Yankees, but what makes an achievement so special is that he did it with only one hand.

CNN's Don Riddell joins us now.

Don, you recently had a chance to speak with Abbott about this iconic no hitter from 1993. Tell us more about your conversation and his extraordinary journey.

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT HOST: Yes, hey, Rahel.

It is absolutely extraordinary. His childhood was as difficult as you might expect it would be for somebody who was born with only one hand. He remembers the teasing and the awkward second glances, but he was determined that it would never hold him back.

So he was the quarterback at high school as well as being the pitcher for the baseball team. He went to the University of Michigan where he won two Big 10 championships. He went to the Olympics with the US team and won a gold medal in 1988. But it's what happened on the fourth of September the 1993 that really has defined his legacy.

You know, the Yankees have played over 18,000 games, and in that time, they've only ever had 30 no hitters. Jim Abbott got one of them, and when I spoke with him recently, he told me about his incredible journey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ABBOTT, FORMER PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER: I loved all sports. I love football, basketball, baseball, but I always had to -- seem to have a talent for throwing things whether it was rocks or soft balls or baseballs or whatever.

RIDDELL: But you also had a disability, right? So when do you remember kind of being conscious of that as something that you had to live with it perhaps the other kids did not.

[15:50:09]

ABBOTT: Yes, I was born missing my right hand, it is not something that I ever wanted to make a real big deal of. Honestly, I spent a lot of time in my childhood, tucking my right hand into my pocket, trying to put others at ease. But looking back on it, I know that it was a big part of my life. It was a big part of my ambition and wanting to prove myself and wanting to be a part of something.

RIDDELL: So we're approaching the 30th anniversary of the game that you're, I think most remembered for, what do you remember about that day?

ABBOTT: If you try to block out the emotion of the moment, and yet you have this swirling environment. You have the fans cheering louder and louder with every out. You have your teammates, you know, the stupid superstition of them not talking to you in the dugout as you're doing something well, and the building momentum.

And you know, you get a sense with every ground ball, there is this anticipation throughout the stadium. And so those final few innings are nerve racking, you feel it in your heart, in your knees, in your breathing. But when that final out comes, it's just like this ecstatic release, you feel like you're plugged into a wall, it feels electric.

ANNOUNCER: He did it. No hitter for Jim Abbott.

RIDDELL: And it would be special for any player to get a no hitter or pitch a perfect game. But a player in your situation with everything that you've been through, of course, it was just taken to a whole other level. So what was the reaction once you've done it?

ABBOTT: I was blown away by the reaction to be honest with you. My wife and I went out in Manhattan, it was a Saturday night, the night after the game and newspapers were out for the for the Sunday edition. I was signing autographs. Taxi cabs were honking and people were running across the street, and in some ways your life had changed.

I got up in the morning, a bit of a headache be honest with you, and I've been so heartened, you know, just amazed that people have remembered that game.

I go to New York City, people remember the date and then people yell across the street. And most importantly, though, there's a lot of kids who are born like me missing a hand facing challenges and the fact that they have that is something to look to, to connect with that you can be good. You know, you don't have to just participate, you can actually be good and you can play with the best players and do very well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIDDELL: On that note, Jim Abbott told me that he is sure that one day in the future, another kid like him will come along and play in Major League Baseball. His teammate that day, Don Mattingly told me that Abbott has done more to help people than 99.9 percent of anybody that's ever played the game.

And finally, Rahel, when I asked Jim Abbott, how much better he thought he would have been if he had two hands, and he basically said he would have been worse because he was so determined to prove himself having been born with that condition that it took him to places in life and in this world that he would never have got to if he had two hands. SOLOMON: Yes, it's interesting. I was just reading, Don, in preparation for your hit just some of his previous comments and he talked about how that adversity he thinks actually drove him, a really great conversation, a really inspirational message.

Don Riddell, thanks for bringing it to us.

And we continue to follow that scary situation in Nevada's remote Black Rock Desert. That's where heavy rain has left thousands struggling to escape the popular Burning Man Festival.

Now some have trucked on foot through the mud and they've been able to get out, but some decided to stay put at the soaked campsite until conditions get better.

Coming up after the break, we are on the ground with the latest. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:57:46]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

Four astronauts concluded their six-month stay aboard the International Space Station early this morning and are heading for a splashdown off the coast of Florida.

The astronauts, members of the Crew 6 mission run jointly by NASA and SpaceX boarded their Crew Dragon capsule and departed the space station at 7:05 Eastern.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dragon separation is confirmed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At 6:05 AM Central Time and after 184 days on the International Space Station, Dragon has departed the orbiting laboratory traveling 256 statute miles over the Pacific Ocean.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: And just after the undocking, members of the Dragon said their goodbyes to the ISS crew that they leave behind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, ISS. After an amazing six months. The Crew 7, the six months for you (INAUDIBLE). Enjoy your visit and we will talk to you back on Earth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dragon Station, we copy. We're going to miss you guys, but it's good to see you go and get back to your families. Great job on the mission. Godspeed and we'll see you splashing down safely here in about 17 hours. Great job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: That is really nice to hear. The crew is expected to spend one day aboard the 13-foot wide vehicle as it maneuvers through Earth's orbit and toward its target landing site. The Crew Dragon capsule is expected splashdown tonight just after midnight.

SOLOMON: Thank you for being with us. I'm Rahel Solomon in today for Fredricka Whitfield.

Right now, tens of thousands of people are stranded in Nevada's remote Black Rock Desert. That's after heavy rains swamped campsites at the popular Burning Man Festival, leaving behind this, look a muddy mess, and forcing officials to close roads.

Attendees have been told to shelter are in place and try to conserve food, water, and fuel. Now, though event organizers say they still plan to hold the culminating event, that's the burning of the man later tonight if weather permits.