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CNN This Morning

At Least 275 Killed In India's Worst Rail Disaster In Decades; GOP Hopefuls Converge On Iowa For "Roast And Ride" Event; Biden Signs Debt Limit Bill, Averts U.S. Default; Ukraine Official, Russia Suffering "Significant Losses" In Eastern Ukraine; Wall Street Journal, Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Ready To Launch Counteroffensive; New Hampshire Veteran Accused Of Calling In A Threat To Kill Sitting U.S. Senator; Sherpa Rescues Climber From Everest Death Zone; Vegas Pulls Away To Win Game One Of Stanley Cup Final; Jimmy Butler, Miami Ready To Escape Denver With Win. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired June 04, 2023 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:36]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm back. Good morning. I just wanted to say hello to you first --

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning. Hello.

SOLOMON: -- before I said hello to you and good morning, and welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is Sunday, June 4th. I'm Rahel Solomon in today for Amara Walker.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. She came back. She enjoyed it so much --

SOLOMON: You don't scare me away.

BLACKWELL: Yes. She enjoyed it so much she's staying for a second day. Thank you for spending part of your morning with us. Here's what we're watching for you this morning. There are new details on that train crash in India that killed close to 300 people. Our team is standing by at the crash site with more on what we're learning about what this train was carrying and why officials believe that the number of people killed is so high.

SOLOMON: Also, the eyes of the political world on Iowa this weekend as GOP hopefuls storm the Hawkeye State. Their message to voters as they try to set themselves apart in a field that has grown increasingly crowded.

BLACKWELL: A school bus full of children burst into flames in Milwaukee. The quick thinking by the driver that has a lot of people calling her a hero.

SOLOMON: And a climber found cling to a rope in Mount Everest's so- called death zone. He is alive thanks to a Sherpa who rescued him. We will talk to one climber who has been on this death zone for more than what it is, for more of what it is, and why it's so dangerous. BLACKWELL: We begin this morning in India where authorities have now identified the cause and the people responsible for a devastating train crash that killed at least 275 people on Friday in one of the country's worst train disasters ever. Officials say the three-way crash involving two passenger trains and a freight train was likely caused by a change in the train's electronic signaling system.

SOLOMON: And they also say that the speed and impact of the collision may have caused the high number of casualties here and the news comes as emergency crews work this morning to try to clear the wreckage after ending their search for more survivors. Witnesses at the crash site have described a horrifying scene of mangled steel and dismembered body parts. The number of injured remains at more than a thousand people with more than 100 in critical care.

Let's go now to CNN's Ivan Watson who is there Balasore, India. Ivan, so authorities are saying how fast the train was going at the time of this crash.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They sure are. And it's frightening. I'll get to that in just a second. But just to set the scene here, this is the scene of a giant train disaster, perhaps the deadliest in modern Indian history, with at least 275 people killed and more than 1,000 people injured.

According -- what we are seeing right now is part of the cleanup operation. And there are passenger train cars, these giant cars that are rolled off on the side of the tracks. I was just walking around down there and I saw one of the cars for disabled passengers badly damaged with the bags and backpacks and suitcases of the passengers littered around that car.

Now, what exactly happened here was after sunset on Friday there was a parked cargo train on a stretch of these tracks full of iron ore and a passenger train hurtled towards it due to a signaling error, the authorities say, at a speed of 128 kilometers per hour. That's 79.5 miles per hour. Eighty miles per hour a passenger train loaded with thousands of people collided with this parked cargo train full of iron ore and the consequences were just devastating. And then another passenger train passed at roughly the same time and clipped some of the derailed passenger cars.

So it was a tragic perfect storm that resulted here. And the accounts that I just heard from one resident, a former army officer, who was playing soccer nearby, who heard what sounded that night like an earthquake and he and residents came here, rushed to the scene. It was pitch black. This is a rural corner of eastern India, an agricultural area. So there were not lights here. They were working with their cellphone flashlights and pulling the dead and wounded out by the dozens from these train cars. So you could just imagine what an awful and difficult scene it was.

[06:05:03]

And now what we see is heavy machinery brought in to clear the tracks and people in the ferocious heat, right? It feels like 120 degrees Fahrenheit here with the humidity with pick axes and shovels trying to clear the tracks. Trains, the railway system is essential to India. More than 13 million people travel by train in this country every day. But the country also has a tragic history of railway accidents and this has highlighted concern about aging infrastructure and safety procedures here. Back to you guys.

SOLOMON: Ivan Watson, live for us there in Balasore, India. Ivan, thank you. Two more names will soon join the ever growing list of Republicans running for president. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who ran in 2016, well, he is expected to announce his candidacy on Tuesday. And former Vice President Mike Pence says that he will formally enter the race on Wednesday.

BLACKWELL: Yesterday Pence and other GOP candidates gathered in Iowa for a Republican event but former President Trump did not attend. CNN's Jeff Zeleny reports.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Rahel, the field of Republican presidential candidates is expanding and the race is intensifying. That has been clear for the last several days and it certainly was over the weekend here in Iowa where most of the leading Republican presidential candidates introduced themselves to Republican voters and made their case to why their vision, their message is the best to win the party's nomination and go on to win back the White House.

Of course, all of these candidates are seeking to be the alternative to former President Donald Trump. He was the only candidate who is not in Des Moines on Saturday for Senator Joni Ernst's annual Roast and Ride. That is a political event featuring a side of barbecue, some motorcycle riding as well as political rhetoric.

Now, it is clear these Republican voters, most of the ones we talked to, say that they are indeed looking for a change. They are indeed looking for someone, the strongest candidate to win back the White House and defeat Joe Biden's policies. It's unclear, of course, at this point who that may be. But one of the contenders, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, she made the case to voters why she believes her time is now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY (R), REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've got to start doing this in a way that we can win a general election. It's time for a new generational leader. We've got to leave the baggage and the negativity behind. We've got a country to save. Don't complain about what you get in a general if you don't play in this caucus because it matters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: And Haley was also a member of the Trump administration. She was the ambassador to the United Nations. She did not mention that fact. In fact, Donald Trump's name did not come up at all on Saturday during hours of speeches by these Republican candidates but he does loom large in that race. Of course, he is the leading contender at this point. Others are vying to be his alternative.

Now, Haley will be answering more questions from Iowa voters tonight here in Des Moines at a CNN town hall at Grandview University. She has been making the case for the last several months here, in fact, holding more campaign events than most any other candidates, but she is certainly is trying to make up for some ground here trying to really get her name better known among these Republican voters.

But as the summer begins, as the field grows, there is no doubt Republicans are hungry for change but they are also open to considering a wide variety of candidates. Iowa, of course, has a great tradition of humbling frontrunners and elevating challengers. That's exactly what Nikki Haley hopes happens. This race is just getting underway. But you can feel it's intensifying as summer comes on. Victor and Rahel.

BLACKWELL: All right. Jeff, thanks so much. Now with only a couple of days to spare, lawmakers in Washington, they got it done. President Biden signed into law the bill that suspends the nation's debt limit for two years.

SOLOMON: And just in time as the last-minute bipartisan budget agreement prevents the federal government from defaulting on its debts for the first time in U.S. history. CNN's Jasmine Wright joins us live from the White House this morning. Jasmine, good morning.

President Biden was clear that this could have been catastrophic for the American economy. What happens now?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, Rahel. Simply put, crisis was averted yesterday when President Biden, from the Oval Office, signed into law that bipartisan agreement, the bill now to raise the debt ceiling, Saturday afternoon he did so behind closed doors right after the White House released a photo and a statement and a short video where President Biden among all things he thanks Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for his efforts shepherding a bill through as well as other Democrat leaders and other Republican leaders.

But of course before we saw President Biden sign that we saw him in the Oval Office Friday night giving a speech for the first time really in that room -- historically powerful room talking really about the efforts that his officials, White House negotiators, went through to get a deal in place, not including -- not only compromising with Republicans about what's in bill but also keeping Democratic priorities out of the bill not on the chopping block to really raise the debt ceiling.

[06:10:00]

Now, of course, President Biden is looking to move on now that the threat of debt no longer hangs over the White House's shoulder. But, of course, this was a weeks-long and honestly months-long political drama that really engulfed Washington, D.C. But now, of course, the White House seize the way forward in trying to set a new narrative ahead for the coming months including for 2024 and President Biden's reelection campaign.

BLACKWELL: So, Jasmine, that deal is signed, that fight is over. The president is now looking to focusing on foreign policy this week. Explain.

WRIGHT: Yes, the president and his White House is returning to foreign policy after spending weeks and weeks upon domestic policy including this debt deal. Even when we last saw President Biden in a foreign agenda -- really he was overseas for the G7 we know that the debt ceiling discussion loomed over that trip so heavily. So now President Biden gets to focus on foreign policy without that over his shoulder.

So, on Monday we will see him meet with the prime minister of Denmark to further ties and strengthen them as the White House has said a really important meeting there. On Tuesday, we will see him have a full cabinet meeting. Vice President Kamala Harris attends. As you can see on the screen.

And on Thursday he meets with a key White House -- a key White House ally, key U.S. ally, the prime minister of the United Kingdom and his wife. They come here for an official visit. There will be a press conference. They attend an Oval Office meeting as well as having a state dinner here in the U.S.

A very important week for the president and he end it with an event for Pride. And, obviously, going into the weekend we'll know more about exactly what the president wants to focus on when it comes to domestic policy. But we know that Ukraine and other issues like that and China will loom large. Victor, Rahel.

SOLOMON: All right. Jasmine Wright, thank you. I'll pick it up.

Now, let's bring in CNN political analyst and historian and professor at Princeton University, Julian Zelizer. Julian, good morning. Welcome.

So, the debt ceiling, of course, has been --

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.

SOLOMON: -- front and center for months. Now, it seems like we are over that, looking to the next thing. But in terms of the economy, what do you think it would take for the president to be able to claim a win on the economy because even with the strong job numbers, even with consumer spending being what it is, he doesn't really get credit for it?

ZELIZER: Yes, I think it's going to continue to be hard. He just has to push the conversation back to the job numbers, back to the kind of employment opportunities Americans are facing. But inflation will continue to be a story. I don't think he can ignore it.

But his best bet is to talk about the ways the Federal Reserve and his administration are trying to contain it and having some success. And I think in the end that's the best he can do going into the next few months. SOLOMON: Well, speaking of the fed they are meeting in a few weeks and they may actually pause for the first time. So, that might help President Biden.

In terms of the concerns about his age from, look, to be honest, both sides of the aisle, when you get wins like this for President Biden and the bipartisan debt ceiling negotiation bill, does that change the narrative that he is still getting things done? What would it require to shake off the perception that some have that he is simply too old to do the job?

ZELIZER: Well, to many Republicans those fears won't go away. They will continue to be a part of the mix. And then you are talking about Independents and any Democrats who are concerned who still vote for him. I think the best thing he can do is to govern.

He has the power of the presidency and what we call the Rose Garden strategy, meaning to govern as a campaign tool is how he can show Americans he is up for the job. And every time there is a moment like this, when he makes a deal, when he moves the nation forward, when he helps address an issue, that's his best response to questions about is he too old for the job.

SOLOMON: In terms of the -- Senator Joni Ernst's roast and all the major contenders -- Republican contenders being there except for the primary contender, the frontrunner, President Trump, I mean, how much of that matters this time around? He is dancing around whether he will attend the Republican debates. How much of that matters whether he does or whether he doesn't? Or is it simply -- it's the Trump playbook, it has worked for him before and maybe it will work for him again?

ZELIZER: Yes, I think he believes it will help him again. It will lead him to victory. I think he is counting on what happened in 2015 and '16 to happen again, meaning all the non-Trump candidates essentially divide their own vote and don't really take away his support, which is stronger now than it was back then. And he comes with a kind of recognition that he still didn't have in 2015.

So if all these Republicans are taking away a limited pocket of votes, he comes out as the last man standing. And I think that's the game plan. I do think he will be more vocal as this progresses, but I think that's -- divide and conquer is what he is trying to do.

SOLOMON: Well, someone who has national recognition, of course, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie who is expected to enter the race, I believe Tuesday is the date or the day this week.

[06:15:05]

What is the case for Chris Christie?

ZELIZER: Well, the case is he can be as tough politically as the former president, that he was someone who won in a blue state yet still abides by conservative principles, and he will argue that he can govern. He has shown as an executive that he knows how to handle this kind of job. And he comes with a certain amount of name recognition.

That said it's going to be very hard. He remains far below where Trump is and even where some of the other Republicans are. But I think that's the argument you will hear him make again and again.

SOLOMON: And in circling back to something we spoke about just a few minutes ago in terms of the president and his age, how much of the concern about President Biden's age is really trepidation about a President Harris?

ZELIZER: There is some of that there. I think the other way to think about it is that Vice President Harris and some of the burden she faces and how she is evaluated is because of his age rather than vice versa. But I think you will hear more from her. I don't think in the end that will be the decisive factor. It rarely is. And in the end, this will be about the Biden team coming back to that original argument we made, that he shows he can govern and that's how you diminish some of these concerns.

SOLOMON: Julian Zelizer, great to have you this morning. Thank you.

ZELIZER: Thanks for having me.

SOLOMON: Yes. We want to take a live look now at the stage of the CNN town hall that kicks off tonight in Des Moines, Iowa. Jake Tapper moderates a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall with former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. The evening kicks off tonight at 8:00 only on CNN.

BLACKWELL: Ukraine says it's inflicting significant losses on Russia ahead of its long awaited counteroffensive. What President Zelenskyy says the surge will cost his military.

Plus, a New Hampshire man is facing charges. Officials say he left a voicemail threatening to kill a U.S. senator. We will have more on the investigation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:21:12]

SOLOMON: Now to Russia's war on Ukraine. A top Ukrainian military official says that Russia is suffering -- quote -- "significant losses" in fighting around Bakhmut and eastern Ukraine.

BLACKWELL: We're also getting reports of deadly attacks in at least four locations in Russian's western Belgorod region. Now, this is coming as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells "The Wall Street Journal" that Ukraine is ready to launch its counteroffensive.

CNN's international correspondent Fred Pleitgen is with us now live from Kyiv. So, Ukraine's move to take the fight to Russian territory, if it is Ukraine. They've been very coy about claiming responsibility for some of these attacks. We're seeing more of it. What's the latest?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we are seeing more of it and it seems to be in a pretty sustained way also, Victor. And that is certainly something that, you know, people say is absolutely significant down there in that region.

It's been going on in the Belgorod region. There is one sort of little epicenter which is a small town on the border between Ukraine and Russia. It's called Shebekino. And once again this morning we are getting reports from there that there has been shelling, cross border shelling coming from the Ukrainian side towards the Russian side.

But it's actually a pretty large area down there in Belgorod region which in itself is a pretty vast border area. We are seeing reports of attacks. And you're absolutely right, Victor. Yesterday the local governor said that several people were killed in that shelling. And, of course, lot of people have already been evacuated as well.

So, certainly a very difficult situation seems down there for the Russians and the Russians also having a lot of problems coming to terms with that. And that in itself is a pretty big deal because Belgorod is one of the most highly militarized areas of all of Russia. There is a lot of military bases in the city itself and the surrounding areas, so that's pretty significant that the Russians can't seem to stop the shelling of their territory and some of those cross border raids as well.

You're absolutely right to point out that the Ukrainians continue to say they have nothing to do with that and there are anti-Putin Russian groups. So groups of Russian fighters who here in Ukraine fight on the side of Ukraine against the Russian military who are saying that they are responsible for that.

At the same time Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of this country, he did come out yesterday and he said he believed that Ukraine was ready for the offensive but he did sort of caveat that as well because he also said, look, all of this is not some sort of game. He said that he believed that an offensive could be a very long time but that they are fairly certain that they will come out victorious in all of that. So, certainly some pretty interesting words there coming from Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

And you do still have, however, the Russians firing back. They do, of course, still have a very large and very potent military. One of the things that we saw overnight here in the Kyiv area is that once again there were air raid sirens, there were missiles and drones apparently launched towards the Kyiv area.

The Ukrainians, however, are saying that their air defenses managed to take all of those out before they even reach the area of the Ukrainian capital. The Ukrainian air force did say that there were two missiles that did came through and hit a military installation in the center of the country, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Fred Pleitgen for us from Kyiv. Fred, thanks so much. Let's get some insight now from CNN military analyst retired Air Force colonel Cedric Leighton. Colonel, good to have you with us.

So, the Russians say that at least seven people have been killed in the Belgorod regional since Friday. And as we pointed out that Ukraine is not claiming responsibility for these. These are Russia -- let me get this right. Anti-Putin Russians who are allied with Ukraine who are claiming responsibility. How does this detail complicate Russia's response at all?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, well, Victor, good morning. It could very much complicate it because the Ukrainians are denying it. These are in essence proxy forces for the Ukrainians. They may or may not be operating with some (INAUDIBLE) from Kyiv.

[06:25:03]

And if Russia wants to respond to them if they attack the Ukrainians, then they are not really attacking the people that allegedly attacked them. So this is -- you know, this is one of those areas where it's a gray zone in warfare where there are a lot of things that, you know, are done by forces other than the principal forces and they have their own interests. So those people, you know, in these various anti-Putin groups could go ahead and do things that are actually antithetical or against the goals of the Ukrainians potentially. So this is -- you know, this complicates things quite a bit potentially.

BLACKWELL: Putin built the framework of what -- use of nonconventional nuclear weapons of any sort would be and that would an existential threat against Russian homeland. We are seeing these attacks in Belgorod. We're also seeing some of the drone attacks in Moscow. Is this that?

LEIGHTON: Well, I don't think right now that this gets to that existential level for Putin or for Russian state. However, they are concerned, obviously, and Putin could very well use this as an excuse to tighten up controls inside the country.

He could declare martial law, for example, in broad areas of the country. He has already done so along the border line. But this is something where, you know, that may not really work. He used this as an excuse to conscript more soldiers into the military.

So, there are a lot of things that he could do but those are probably more likely options than to go nuclear at this particular point in time. Of course, we hope he never, never does that.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Of course, we are trying to put logic and context into the same sentence with Putin which, you know, he has never even acknowledged that this is a war that he has started against Ukraine.

Let's turn to the counteroffensive now. President Zelenskyy spoke with "The Wall Street Journal" and he says of the counteroffensive that Ukraine is ready, that he doesn't know how long it's going to go, he doesn't know how many people will die, he believes that some will, some Ukrainians will, but they are going to move ahead with this.

He also says that he doesn't have enough of what he needs. Listen to what he told "The Wall Street Journal."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE (through translator): The realty is 50 Patriots will, for the most part, prevent people from dying. Everyone knows perfectly well that any counteroffensive without air superiority is very dangerous.

If everyone understands the importance of protecting the sky, why is there an issue with giving us modern planes? What exactly is the problem here?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Based on what we know about the pledges of support and what has actually made it to Ukraine, what do you make of what he said? Are they woefully under resourced for the counteroffensive?

LEIGHTON: Well, I think they are under resourced, but not woefully under resourced. You know, clearly President Zelenskyy is going to ask for more. He would be in a position -- you know, if I were in his position I'd do the same exact thing.

But the key thing here is this. He can do a lot with localized air defense capabilities. The Russians don't fly a lot over Ukraine. And to use the term air superiority, I think, kind of shows that he, you know, is concerned about the Russian capabilities, but he also knows that Ukraine has some capability to down Russian aircraft should they fly in an area that affects the counteroffensive.

So he has got possibilities. Those possibilities, you know, will allow him to move forward, but he could do better if he had more robust air defense capabilities and eventually, of course, aircraft. The problem with the aircraft part is the training pipeline. Even with a shortened training pipeline, they are not going to be ready to fly Ukrainian pilots in F-16s, for example, in time for this counteroffensive.

BLACKWELL: All right. Colonel Leighton, thank you.

SOLOMON: Meantime, coming up for us, the chilling voicemail and the threat to kill a U.S. senator. Now a New Hampshire man is facing charges. Coming up, we will have the latest in the investigation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: "TOP STORIES" for you now. First responders in northern Michigan are battling a wildfire in Crawford County. So far, about 3,600 acres have been burned close to Grayling Township near Traverse City. This triggered thick smoke in the area and evacuations on Saturday. Parts of the I-75 freeway, they're still closed. A temporary flight restriction below 5,000 feet. That's also in place. RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Also, a pregnant school bus driver in Milwaukee saved 37 students just moments before her bus went up in flames. Driver, Imunek Williams, says that she could smell something burning and pulled over to the side of the road last Wednesday. When she saw smoke inside the bus, she immediately began evacuating the kids. About 15 seconds later, she saw the flames.

And coming up in the 8:00 hour, we will actually be speaking with Williams to learn more about her incredible story.

BLACKWELL: A 66-year-old New Hampshire veteran has been arrested and charged after allegedly leaving a voicemail threatening to kill a sitting U.S. Senator last month.

SOLOMON: According to court documents, Brian Landry appeared in court on Friday to face charges of threatening to assault, kidnap, or murder a U.S. official. CNN's Polo Sandoval now takes a closer look at the case.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor federal officials have not publicly named the senator that was the target of this threat, but they certainly are expanding on the nature of it. They say in their court filings that Brian Landry called the senator's district field office on the morning of May 17th and left a voicemail.

[06:35:13]

That voicemail transcribed in federal documents. Landry reportedly said, "I'm a veteran sniper and unless you change your ways, I got my scope pointed in your direction and I'm coming to get you. You're a dead man walking, you piece of -- expletive." This voicemail was initially handed over to U.S. Capitol Police, which then brought the FBI on board.

It was federal investigators that on May 24th visited Landry and had a conversation with him. And he reportedly said that he was very angry with certain politicians over their handling of entitlement programs directed at veterans, specifically that a particular senator was blocking military promotions.

Landry, however, could not tell investigators or at least could not recall exactly what he said in the voicemail, but he also notably denied any intentions or desire to commit any of that violence. Nonetheless, Landry was charged with threatening to assault kidnap or murder a U.S. official. A judge ordered him released pending a bail review hearing next month. We have reached out to his legal representation and waiting to hear back.

Rahel, Victor, back to you.

BLACKWELL: All right, Polo, thank you.

So, it's known as the Death Zone. It's considered one of the most dangerous parts of climbing Mount Everest. And now, one man is being called a hero after risking his own life to save the life of another climber. We'll show you the incredible rescue and you'll hear the story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:00]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. And now to an extraordinary moment on the face of Mount Everest. The guide was on the way to the top of the world's highest mountain when he came across a climber clinging to life. This was all happening in the area near the summit known as the Death Zone.

BLACKWELL: So, that guide then abandoned his quest to the top, strapped the other climber to his back and walked him down the mountain. CNN's Brian Todd shows us the nearly impossible rescue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): In a season of horrific casualties on Mount Everest, a dramatic, desperate effort to prevent one more. A Nepali Sherpa guide finds a stranded climber shivering and clinging to a rope and hauls him down a treacherous portion of the range, some 1,900 feet in about six hours to save him.

GELJE SHERPA, GUIDE (through translator): In places where it was rockier, we could not drag him. We had to carry him on our backs with difficulty.

TODD (voiceover): New details of the rescue, which occurred on May 18, are just coming to light. The rescuer, 30-year-old Gelje Sherpa, says he was ascending Everest toward the summit with a Chinese client when he came upon the stranded climber after midnight. He said he convinced his client to abandon their quest to reach the summit in order to save the man.

It was important for us to rescue him, even from the summit. Money can be earned anytime. Left like that, he could have died. We have saved his life by quitting the summit.

TODD (voiceover): After Gelje Sherpa hauled the man alone for those six hours. Another guide joined the rescue. Then a helicopter airlifted him down to base camp.

CONRAD ANKER, PROFESSIONAL MOUNTAIN CLIMBER: Pretty extraordinary. The body isn't doing well at that altitude. And to carry another person down 2,000 feet of steep and treacherous terrain requires confidence, sure footing, and lots of skill.

TODD (voiceover): The particular area Gelje Sherpa traversed during the rescue is known as the Death Zone, because temperatures can dip to minus 86 degrees Fahrenheit. One Nepali government official said it's almost impossible to rescue climbers at that altitude. Even the experienced Sherpa, experts say, was at serious risk.

ANKER: He could have died on that rescue. It's steeped up, and if you were to fall, you would not be able to (INAUDIBLE).

TODD (voiceover): The injured climber has not been identified, but CNN is told he's now back home in Malaysia. The climbing season on Mount Everest is short, extending only from March to May. But in this season alone, Nepali officials tell CNN, 12 people have died and five are missing, making it one of the deadliest climbing seasons on record. The Nepali government says a record number of permits to climb were issued this season, 478.

Veteran climber Conrad Anker says there needs to be a capacity study done to determine how many people can be on the mountain safely at a given time.

ANKER: Currently, there are too many climbers on Everest. They can limit the mountain climbers by experience, by a lottery, which would be as random as one can be, or they can do it financially.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): How much did Gelje Sherpa and his client give up to conduct this rescue? Climber Conrad Anker says clients pay between $40,000 and $250,000 for a guided climb up Mount Everest. The Sherpas get a bonus of about $4,000, he says, plus possible tips. But Anker points out, after this rescue, Gelje Sherpa should do just fine financially because he'll be in demand. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

BLACKWELL: Yes, he certainly will be in demand. Our next guest summited Mount Everest in 2005, so she knows Camp 4 of the mountain known as the Death Zone. Shaunna Burke is with us.

Thank you so much for being with us. So, when you see this video of the climber strapped to the back of this Sherpa and what it took to get this person back down the mountain or to a camp where the person could be flown away, what goes through your mind?

SHAUNNA BURKE, SUMMITED MOUNT EVEREST: Well, good morning, Victor and Rahel. Thank you very much for having me on your show. I think there are a number of reasons why Gelje's rescue should be recognized. And first and foremost, he risked his own life to save a fellow climber and not everybody would do that.

But what makes his rescue so remarkable is where it actually occurred. So, at 8,000 meters in the Death Zone, the human body can no longer acclimatize. The body uses up its store of oxygen faster than it can be replenished. And so, the body actually starts to shut down, the muscle start to atrophy, hallucinations can occur where climbers here, phantom -- see phantom companions or hear orchestras. And ultimately the body is starved of oxygen. And that chance of coming down with high altitude sickness, such as pulmonary edema, which is the swelling of the brain, of cerebral edema or pulmonary edema with fluid in the lungs, that becomes extremely high.

[06:45:48]

So, really ultimately, at that elevation, it's a race against the clock. And of the 310 climbers that have lost their lives on the mountain, the majority of them have actually died in or around the Death Zone.

SOLOMON: Well, and --

BURKE: And having spent time with yourself at that altitude, it really does take all your energy and your resources to simply put one foot in front of the other. So, what Gelje did --

SOLOMON: Well, so, that was my question. Yes, you know, I think we wonder, since you have done it yourself, I mean, what was it like when you were in that region. Because when you hear the body starts to shut down, I mean, it's hard to get oxygen. What do you remember about that experience?

BURKE: Absolutely, the body --you know inside the body is breaking down and you know that you aren't functioning the way you should be. And so, ultimately, it becomes extremely difficult just to put one foot in front of the other. So, what Gelje did at that altitude really demonstrates that physical, tremendous physical strength and ability as well as that psychological resilience.

And I think what happens on Everest is what you see is you see the worst of what you also see the best of human nature. And I'm sure your viewers have all heard of stories on Mount Everest where climbers will walk past other climbers who are dying for their own personal glory. Well, the flip side to that is what Gelje just did on the mountain, his heroic effort in terms of what he did to save another human's being's life.

And it's not only Gelje. I think we can't forget the helicopter pilot as well, who also risked his life to rescue, you know, the climber from Camp 3 and to bring him down to base camp. So, really these acts of human kindness from the Sherpa people really do reflect their real selfless and their humble nature.

You know, Sherpas take big risks on the mountain for the Western climbers and they're often in the shadows of Westerners.

BLACKWELL: Shaunna, let me ask what it takes to get a climbing permit because we know that there is this flood of people going to Everest, 12 have died, five still missing this season. Are there any tests? Could I just, someone who has never climbed a mountain of any sort, enter the lottery, lock up, and head up the mountain, or do I have to prove that I am physically fit enough, capable of making it up?

BURKE: For many, many years, there have been no -- there have been no tests served and there have been no measurements put in place where climbers would have to actually go through to check, for a lack of a better word. That -- those conversations are now being had amongst the climbing community and actions and steps are starting to take place, whereby commercial outfitters will do checks with less experienced climbers to find out what crimes they may have done in the past, and also some tests of their physical level of physical fitness to see if they are healthy enough to climb.

However, not every outfitter does that. There are still more work that is needed to ensure because I think the issue, the fundamental issue that we're seeing at the moment, is this increase in the number of inexperienced climbers who are on the mountain, climbers who come to the mountain who are unprepared. Climbers who don't have the experience and rely too much on the strip of people to hopefully get to the top.

BLACKWELL: Hopefully this season -- I hate to jump in here, but hopefully this season of the number of people we've seen who have been killed, that is a lesson to people. If you are not conditioned to go up, that you could be added to that number.

Shaunna, I thank you for giving us some insight into what it really feels like to be there and a lot of information about Camp 4 known as the Death Zone. It really puts into context how heroic this carry-down was. Shaunna Burke, thank you so much for being with us.

We'll take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:00]

BLACKWELL: Nothing says hockey quite like -- see, Coy is messing with me right before go on, and then it get in my head. Nothing says hockey says quite like Miami and Vegas in June. Thank you, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Because of the temperatures.

BLACKWELL: OK. All right.

WIRE: Good morning lovely people. You know who's probably loving this assignment in Vegas are TNT crew. They are out there in Sin City for this stellar Stanley Cup Final on our family of networks for the first time ever on TNT. Check out the best pre-game show in pro sports. Vegas' mascot out there slaying the dragon just like Jonathan Marchessault slaying goalies.

Marchessault burying his tenth goal in his last eleven games. Then you saw -- he wouldn't made it this far without their goalie, Adin Hill. Look at the effort in the second period. He's lunging, falling away, but the dude must do yoga because he reaches back like this, this ridiculous stick save. The game was tied at two after two. But then Vegas pulls away. Zach Whitecloud firing what would be the game- winning goal past Panthers' goalie Sergei Bobrovsky who gets handed his first road loss of these playoffs.

The Knights feeling the rhythm of the nights. See what I did there, like the bars?

[06:55:08]

BLACKWELL: I got you. I got you.

WIRE: Yes. Take game one dance into a 5-2 win.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK STONE, DEFENSEMAN, VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS: We don't get rattled. And I scored the first goal short-handed. You know, it could have been a bit of a backbreaker for us, but when we get the next power play, we score. You know, Marchessault steps up, Stephenson makes a great play, and we just keep going. So, that's what we got to do. I can't let the momentum swings get too drastic in this series. We got to stay even- keeled and keep going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right, the Panthers looking to even it up tomorrow night in game two. Puck drops at 8:00 Eastern on TNT.

Game through the NBA Finals is tonight. And the Heat were hammered in game one. Nikola Jokic playing like he was mad that he didn't win a third straight league MVP, his ninth triple-double of the postseason. The Heat's Jimmy Butler though, well, he had his worst playoff game so far, just 13 points. And he said that he spent some time with his daughter Riley to keep things in perspective.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY BUTLER, FORWARD, MIAMI HEAT: I'm going to do an escape room tonight. I think my guys went and saw Spiderman today. Just doing normal stuff, because at the end of the day, I'm as normal as they come. It's not always about basketball. It will never always be about basketball. Me and my guys, they're going to love me whether I win or lose. My daughter is going to love me whether I win or lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: That's what I'm talking about. Now, we're held. Because it's going to bother Victor all day that he mispronounced hockey, I'm going to take him to an escape room and watch Spiderman after the show.

SOLOMON: That sounds like fun.

BLACKWELL: OK, points for the good bar reference. All right, thank you, Coy.

WIRE: You got it.

BLACKWELL: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:00:00]